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WBFO has its new news director
- Thread starter ckg279
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What I'm hearing here is that WBFO is outspending WBEN for news coverage.
Heck, WECK is outspending WBEN.
In the age of Trump, where facts don't matter, why bother staffing a conservative station's newsroom with experienced pros? Their listeners don't care.
I don't hear WBEN "hashing local to death," rather it seems more to be a matter of them "playing the news hits" ... combined with a very thin news department. That said, WBFO provides a superior local news product, offering in-depth coverage on many key local issues, particularly education, the economy and government, combined with a daily line-up of outstanding programming from NPR, MPR, PRI and other sources. Brian Meyer was (is) a bona fide print and radio news professional, but his self-aggrandizing attitude during membership drives won't be missed. Word from more than a few staffers is that tact wasn't his strong suite. When it came to directing and motivating his staff, he's said to have publicly criticized staffers, ignoring or totally unaware of the axiom, "compliment in public, criticize in private." That aside, he leaves the station fairly well positioned, with room to improve. WBFO appears to have a secure understanding of where 'radio' is going and how it must adapt. Conversely, WBEN appears to be hinged to an age-old formula of conservative talk that fires up the base, yet appeals to an increasingly aging and thinning audience. Yes, WBEN posts admirable Persons 12+ ratings and is one of the top billing stations in the market, but this post is about providing a news product that serves listeners. WBFO does a far better job than WBEN. Congratulations to Debo and Rosenthal. Two Daves, taking on what once was Goliath.
Here's what the local alternative newsweekly The Public had to say about Debo's hiring(it's in the March 28th issue)...
Debo...is an old-school broadcast journalist who will soon be freed from the confines of WBEN's far-right programming, which features the pro-Trump views of Sandy Beach, Tom Bauerle and David Bellavia as well as the nationally syndicated spewings of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Michael Savage. Don't let management at WBEN tell you otherwise: Losing Debo is a blow to their shrinking newsroom.
Little harsh, aren't we, The Public?
They also note that Debo had gotten praise from all corners for his work on the political show Hardline, and hope that he can bring a similar type of show to WBFO.
Debo...is an old-school broadcast journalist who will soon be freed from the confines of WBEN's far-right programming, which features the pro-Trump views of Sandy Beach, Tom Bauerle and David Bellavia as well as the nationally syndicated spewings of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Michael Savage. Don't let management at WBEN tell you otherwise: Losing Debo is a blow to their shrinking newsroom.
Little harsh, aren't we, The Public?
They also note that Debo had gotten praise from all corners for his work on the political show Hardline, and hope that he can bring a similar type of show to WBFO.
Sadly, many people here and across the nation have been imbibing that type dreck for so long now, that they really have no idea how far down the rabbit hole they are.
It's bad for radio and even worse for the country. The real shame is that WBEN had no local competitive threat to contend with, so they could've maintained respectable, responsible programming, but instead decided to sell truth out.
I think that WBEN does have competitive threat to contend with, although little of it is local. WBFO has Morning Edition and All Things Considered, which are fairly centrist in their views and generally well-reasoned and factual. Some of the other shows lean left. On Point seems to be in a state of flux since the firing of Tom Ashbrook. He did try to bring guests from both sides of issues, with varying amounts of success. Recent guest hosts either don't have his Rolodex, or have been less apt to seek guests who don't agree with their generally leftist views. Sometimes they try to represent the right, but you can hear the tightness in their voices as they grit their teeth. The other PRI distributed shows - The Takeaway and The World - definitely lean left.
Note that I use the word "lean." None of these are of the wingnut wacko variety often displayed on WBEN. WBFO's programming is far less polemic in its approach. You don't hear the type of personal attack that is rampant on WBEN. From a journalistic standpoint, it would be nice if WBFO had more local content. Perhaps that's why WBEN persists. My guess is that WBEN doesn't have to flirt with the lunatic fringe to retain its ratings. Interestingly, their flirtation with an FM simulcast was a dismal failure, and I don't think that they've pursued an FM translator. It will be interesting to see if they survive the inevitable exit of Beach and Bauerle.
Note that I use the word "lean." None of these are of the wingnut wacko variety often displayed on WBEN. WBFO's programming is far less polemic in its approach. You don't hear the type of personal attack that is rampant on WBEN. From a journalistic standpoint, it would be nice if WBFO had more local content. Perhaps that's why WBEN persists. My guess is that WBEN doesn't have to flirt with the lunatic fringe to retain its ratings. Interestingly, their flirtation with an FM simulcast was a dismal failure, and I don't think that they've pursued an FM translator. It will be interesting to see if they survive the inevitable exit of Beach and Bauerle.
Tom Ashbrook had a great show. It's unfortunate that he used poor judgement that caused his demise. His current replacements are solid, but he's a tough act to follow. NPR has a path forward.
Entercom knows that WBEN cannot evolve. The FM simulcast was a debacle. They didn't change the content or try to reboot. No fix is possible or worth the investment. They'll milk it while they can and it will follow KB 1520 into Oblivion...
Entercom knows that WBEN cannot evolve. The FM simulcast was a debacle. They didn't change the content or try to reboot. No fix is possible or worth the investment. They'll milk it while they can and it will follow KB 1520 into Oblivion...
It will be fascinating to see and hear how WBEN evolves following Entercom's "purchase" of CBS radio. WBEN and the Buffalo cluster were once pretty big fish in Entercom's portfolio. That was "BC," Before CBS. Now, markets like Buffalo and Rochester have a lower profile with regard to the revenue they throw off, compared to the major market stations now in the Entercom fold.
Sometimes it's a good thing, because there's less "meddling" from the parent company. It depends on how they handle things.
If anything I expect more cuts as Entercom puts more $$$ into the larger-revenue-generating properties.
Dave's job likely will be eliminated and his duties absorbed by others. It doesn't take a lot of effort to do a three minute newscast twice an hour - heck, that can be outsourced to a virtual news provider. And if something breaks, either Tim Wenger can go cover it (as he has before) or partner with a TV station and use their reporters.
(Waiting for "A" to have the last word...)
And if you think Entercom is the ONLY company who will have to deal with this in the future, rest assured that EVERY company who has a talk outlet is going to have to face these issues sooner or later.
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