If the market leader "blows big chunks" and "pulls big ratings," it's a small indication that your perception of things is not in tune with what the audience likes.
Just a guess.
I've pointed out my issues with KUOW here before. KUOW has gone through a big management change within the last year, but I don't see them getting any better.
In 2010 I lived in Phoenix. I was shocked at the quality of KJZZ's local news coverage. They covered the big stories of the day, even some arsons and crimes. They had regular traffic reports during AM and PM drive, and all the anchors and reporters SOUNDED good! I heard some of the most compelling local news I've ever heard on an NPR affiliate while commuting in the endless Phoenix traffic, on KJZZ.
In 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2010, I lived in Alaska. Both the affiliate in Juneau and the one in Haines had extensive local news coverage. Again, they covered the stories of the day. They also carried a lot of regional Alaska news from other stations. Alaska's a big place, but a small community, so a lot of this news felt relevant.
When I listen to KUOW, I am constantly shaking my head at the things they do wrong. Their local news coverage is very selective, and certainly does not give you much context of regarding the big news of the day (what you, me, the Seattle Times, and KOMO might consider the top story may not even be covered). They have a huge news department with more reporters and producers than the commercial stations in town (heck, they may have more reporters than KCPQ TV) but some of them are barely on the air. Is Patricia Murphy still a full time employee? What about Ruby de Luna? You might hear one story a month from them.
They've gone to a two-presenter format for both Morning Edition and All Things Considered. One person does the news, another does all the promos and liners. Please note - Lisa Brooks' newscasts in the morning are the highlight of all coverage on KUOW. Meanwhile, Radke sounds out to lunch most of the time, and the afternoon team (Reiny Cohen and Sara Lerner) is only okay.
The Morning Edition block is now branded on the air as "KUOW's Morning Newsmagazine." What does this mean? How much of ME are they taking every day, and why isn't it consistent? When does the Marketplace Morning Report air (its not every hour...)? When I go to KUOW's website for more information the "Morning Newsmagazine" is not referenced. It simply says "Morning Edition" is on.
And even if you tune in for Morning Edition and expect to get the big stories of the day starting at :10 after the hour when ME starts, KUOW may choose to break away. A few weeks ago Bill Radke did an interview at :10 with the Mayor of Tacoma about handguns. Isn't there a better time for this? During the midday shows? During the breakaways from ME? If you are preempting ME's top story (and NPR does a good job of prioritizing into the different blocks of Morning Edition), where am I going to hear it?
KUOW dropped Metro Traffic reports about five years ago. I thought it was a huge mistake then and think its a huge problem now. The morning that I-5 S closed due to the expansion joint problem, Radke announced shortly after 7AM (the expansion joint closure started at 06:30AM) that "there was something blocking I-5 south near Spokane Street and we're trying to find out more." All the other stations (TV, Radio, KPLU, etc) were reporting exactly what was going on. This was big news. The city was gridlocked for hours. And half an hour after everyone else knew what was going on, Radke was in the dark. Is this a station I can count on while I'm commuting?
Meanwhile, the midday call-in shows have been pretty "meh" for a long time (including Scher's). Those shows were rehabbed a few months ago, and I haven't tuned in since. I do know that none of the previous shows (Scher, Reynolds, Sillman) were very compelling, and given its all the same people, I can't see how that has changed. Maybe its time to listen in.
