WBZ's 3 line news stories.

[Wimmmex]

I spent most of my career working in newsradio.....and sadly radio news is not at it's zenith now.

As a retired vet from the newsroom, I can't help but become frustrated listening to WBZ 1030.

Now don't get me wrong, I think WBZ is one of the most valuable station on the AM dial......or in all of Boston radio. I would not want to see them go away.

However, it appears that every news story they do is 3 sentences long.

"Fire departments from 3 communities are responding to a blaze in Quincy. No one was hurt in the multi-alarm blaze. The cause is under investigation."

Now maybe, in the economy of words thats all that is needed today....but I can't help but thing that in a good old-fashioned "5 minutes newscast" that we did back in the day conveyed more news stories and more depth, even room a 'feature'.

The old WEEI 590AM seemed to carry more depth...as well as have a clock full of short form interesting features. In the Lions Den, music reviews, commentary by all the big names at CBS, etc.

I guess most of the 'depth' on radio now resides at NPR, no?

While I enjoy at respect WBZ radio's news format....I think it could be so much more.....

 

[aerie.ma]

I can't agree with you more. When you take out the 3 traffic/weather reports, the sports reports, the CBS features, the stock market reports, and the commercials..."news" as such is given only a few minutes each half hour. Although WBZ peforms a needed service, it's not a station I can listen to for very long. On the other hand, NPR can go on at length about crop failures in countries I can't locate on a map. I wish there could be some happy medium between scanning the headlines and beating a story to death.

 

[Gregg.]

Well, I understand in our short attention span world, how only the biggest stories of the day now get more than three sentences, even on an All-News station. I guess the theory is we'd rather hear five three-sentence stories than three five-sentence stories. Also note how short actualities or voice clips are. Rarely do they go more than 10 seconds, some are only a sentence or two. But hey, the stories and actualities are even faster-paced on top of the hour network newscasts. How much is squeezed into a three or 3.5 minute network newscast?

I miss some of the features that used to fill an hour on All-News stations a few decades ago. As mentioned, there were reports on entertainment, psychology, women's news, golf and tennis tips, short opinion pieces. Dan Rather, Peter Jennings and other TV anchors had their daily news and opinion pieces on the network radio line-up. But I suppose there's not much time for that now, if Traffic and Weather Together comes up for more than two minutes every ten minutes, plus the established times for sports and business news.

 

[Wimmmex]

dupe

 

[john garrett]

Excellent observation. I have said for years, half joking, that BZ is not an all news station but a traffic station interrupted with a little news.

Everything from the past seems better to me, I did an internship at the old CBS 590 in 1980 and I thought it was an amazing all news station. Even at 2am on a Saturday with Sara Wye from Providence or Barry Lunderville of the old JIB it sounded great. Later that year I got a paid position producing talk and tape editing at BZ. They were still MOR music during the day but the news was top quality with live casts every hour during the overnight.

Last Saturday, I got in the car at 11pm after leaving the Bruins game, I had 1030 on ( I like the guests Morgan White usually has) and was curious about the Celtics and the NCAA. Sure I could have turned on 98.5 or 93.7 but I thought I could get the scores during the 11pm news. The sports consisted of the score of a Red Sox exhibiton game and when the Sox played next. I assume this newscast was recorded hours before the Celtics or NCAA games had ended.

 

[TheBigA]

Now maybe, in the economy of words thats all that is needed today....but I can't help but thing that in a good old-fashioned "5 minutes newscast" that we did back in the day conveyed more news stories and more depth, even room a 'feature'.

You understand the concept of PPM? The longer the story, the greater likelihood for tune-out. Also, the longer the story, the older the demo. Neither is good for radio.

NPR doesn't care about PPM. So they ramble to their heart's content.

Nobody in radio likes PPM. It's something that was forced on us. But that's the reason for shorter stories.

 

[joebtsflk1]

The 3-line stories could be an opportunity to promote longer form podcasts. Next question is if they could be monetized.

 

[Wimmmex]

Nobody in radio likes PPM. It's something that was forced on us.

However, there was no way radio could continue with a paper diary and memory as reliable methodology...when millions of dollars are at stake.

Later that year I got a paid position producing talk and tape editing at BZ. They were still MOR music during the day but the news was top quality with live casts every hour during the overnight.

God Bless Darryl Gould!

 

[TheBigA]

The 3-line stories could be an opportunity to promote longer form podcasts. Next question is if they could be monetized.

Some all news stations are doing exactly that. Can they be monetized? A little bit. Not to the degree as the main signal. But it gets the additional content out for the folks who want it. And it's not like there's any additional cost.

 

[Unregistered]

If in fact the story is "covered" in three lines - is there need for more? IMO for too long radio acted as if it had a blank check on a listener's time. PPM has taught us much about how people use radio. Those smart stations have paid attention. (Side bar: Except for music stations that seemed to think PPM was signaling them to compete with pure play services... shutting down the jock is the last thing you should do (If in fact they have compelling content) What else is there to differentiate two stations playing nearly the exact same music – other than personalities?

 

[Cap-n Spackle]

Jim Pansullo isn't walking through that door.

Even worse than 'BZ is 'MEX rerunning the morning news & weather in the evening, or the superficial 5 or 6 sentences you get on 'RKO.

 

[Wimmmex]

Even worse than 'BZ is 'MEX rerunning the morning news & weather in the evening, or the superficial 5 or 6 sentences you get on 'RKO.

The bottom of the hour newscasts during Howies show on RKO...consists of ONE story.....anyone else notice that?

Is that a "Metro" newscast?

 

[raccoonradio]

Probably...guy's name John Hidenrich or something. And they run promos telling listeners they can keep up with the news via RKO...how much?
Will there be a bit more news in AMD if this supposed boston.com venture debuts poss. next month? @bostonradio had heard about boston.com/Kuhner/Rush/Howie/Fin
Exchange lineup (or Levin) w/ Fin Ex contract up next month

 

[john garrett]

However, there was no way radio could continue with a paper diary and memory as reliable methodology...when millions of dollars are at stake.




God Bless Darryl Gould!

Darryl was the best. We used to have popsicles out of the vending machine on Saturday afternoons. I love local politics and Darryl loved the State House beat.

Steven Smith did the overnights, Deb Lawler took that shift when he retired. Don Huff did Sunday mornings and still worked in Maine during the week.

Art Gardner would anchor a shift when he wasn't at the Federal Courthouse. Art would still cup his ear with his hand. One of the other producers asked why he did that. He didn't have an answer and soon gave it up. After retiring from BZ, Art started doing a little work at Larry Justices WCIB on the Cape. Justice gave Art a hard time one day and Art looked at him and said I don't need this and quit at the end of his shift.

Don Batting did Saturday mornings when he wasn't chasing a 3 bagger in Lynn. I saw Don at an event about 4 years ago and asked if missed it. " Not at all" he said.

 

[TSBench]

......If in fact the story is "covered" in three lines - is there need for more?...........

Sometimes, three lines is too much. One of the greatest radio news stories I ever heard was by Bob Pilante of the old WHDH....."Fire. Back Bay, Many trucks." Tells you everything most people need to know.

Regards,
TSB

 

[Omnibus]

In the good old days of WRKO Talk Radio the news staff with people like Deb Robie would alert talkers like Jerry Williams to breaking news which was of course, pre the Internet.... or if your prefer the g.w. bush version, The Internets.

 

[TSBench]

In the good old days of WRKO Talk Radio the news staff with people like Deb Robie would alert talkers like Jerry Williams to breaking news which was of course, pre the Internet.... or if your prefer the g.w. bush version, The Internets.

That was a needlessly long haul just to take a shot at W.

Regards,
TSB

 

[Wimmmex]

That was a needlessly long haul just to take a shot at W.

Regards,
TSB

Should we expect anything different from him?

 

[inorm99]

I listen to WBZ solely for the weather which seems to be updated often.

As far as the news content, I am often left asking questions to no one that can hear me like: "so what"? "what does that have to do with it?" "what led up to this"?or okay," why"?
"where is the follow up"?
WBZ needs to expand it's coverage to sound a lot more like their mid day show" Reporter's Roundup" while still following the clock at all times.
The weekday drive times seem to have more quality content. But their is too much filler stories at other times, and attention needs to focus hard on pronunciation of names, and accuracy.