Alll News Radio

[pioneer71]

Is the All News format dead except in the major markets?
With the TRN All News Blocks now availabe can we start seeing some mid market stations or fringe stations in markets such as Cincinnati or Columbus, Ohio, we see some AM's go to the format?

I not expecting a 24 hour All News station to start up but what about All News 6 am to 9pm with network talk and sports filling out evenings/overnights and week ends.

I miss the markets where we would hear a solid two hour newsblock in afternoon drive as part of the format. I believe the small to mid market AM stations need a new shot in the arm to create a buzz and hopefully a loyal audience. In my opinion there are way too many all talk or all sports stations on the AM dial. Jazz will not work.

There have been a number of posts recently of going back to the MOR full service approach. There are many who believe this can work too.

What do you think?

 

[MC]

Real News Radio

Some people getting news and traffic on phone or GPS...Referencing a station's website or phone app may help a news station sell more ads

 

[semoochie]

All News is quite expensive to produce and has never been particularly viable outside of very large markets, where there are enough people available to listen at different hours. For anything other than morning and afternoon drive, the audience just isn't there.

 

[recto101]

But in larger markets I question if we need 2 or 3 all-news stations?

 

[radioguy39nj]

But in larger markets I question if we need 2 or 3 all-news stations?

WEMP (FM News 101.9) is trying to become the 3rd news station in NY. You could say 4th if you include Bloomberg 1130.

WINS and WCBS have long been the benchmarks of all-news. NY area listeners have turned to them for news since the late 60s. If WEMP has any hope of surviving, they should go news/talk and stay mostly if not all local.

 

[recto101]

But in larger markets I question if we need 2 or 3 all-news stations?

WEMP (FM News 101.9) is trying to become the 3rd news station in NY. You could say 4th if you include Bloomberg 1130.

WINS and WCBS have long been the benchmarks of all-news. NY area listeners have turned to them for news since the late 60s. If WEMP has any hope of surviving, they should go news/talk and stay mostly if not all local.

Well We need to wait for results for KGO-AM 810 as a semi-news station.

KGO got a 6.0 in San Jose but a 4.4 in the ratings book for SFO in December 2011

 

[pioneer71]

First of all thank you for your input. I agree that if you tried to do a major market all news format it would be very expensive. An example is how many people Radio One has hired for their new All News station in Houston.

I am suggesting for an AM that is having some real problems with gaining an audience and revenue they might think about going with, as I said in my first post, the national TRN All News Blocks.They can add the local element with a morning news magazine and a 60 minute afternoon drive newsblock say 5 to 6 pm. This will not require a large staff for a station.

I know of stations that have dual anchors for a two hour morning newsblock and another anchor for an afternoon newsblock. The anchors are also responsibe for covering meetings and events to get the stories. You can do this with three to four.

A cheaper way of doing this is to carry TRN's Morning Show along with the network newsblocks. It would still be a plus to have an evening drive hour long newsblock.

Keep in mind the TRN shows are not your straight hard core newscats. There are more in the line of news magazines.

On the week ends you go with a combination of your How To Shows, sports and brokered shows.

If you can't go with or agree with ALL News a station might pick up some of the TRN Newsblock instead of airing the second or third tier talk shows.WHLO in Lancaster airs Bill Bennett 6 to 9a, Drop him and go wth TRN's America News morning show.

I don't work for or have stock in TRN , I am just tired of the large number of bad talk radio shows on the air. I recenty went on the road and was really boredwith most of the AM stations.

One of the exceptions is WAKR in Akron. They have a strong loca morning news block and then local jocks for their Oldies format.

Please offer your thoughts.

 

[radioguy39nj]

But in larger markets I question if we need 2 or 3 all-news stations?

WEMP (FM News 101.9) is trying to become the 3rd news station in NY. You could say 4th if you include Bloomberg 1130.

WINS and WCBS have long been the benchmarks of all-news. NY area listeners have turned to them for news since the late 60s. If WEMP has any hope of surviving, they should go news/talk and stay mostly if not all local.

Well We need to wait for results for KGO-AM 810 as a semi-news station.

KGO got a 6.0 in San Jose but a 4.4 in the ratings book for SFO in December 2011

IMHO, if anyone but Cumulus owned KGO, the format would've migrated to or simulcast on a full-signal FM and not gone semi-news. The KGO brand would've been protected. Heritage news and talk stations elsewhere have gone FM, helping demos and ad revenues.

 

[recto101]

But in larger markets I question if we need 2 or 3 all-news stations?

WEMP (FM News 101.9) is trying to become the 3rd news station in NY. You could say 4th if you include Bloomberg 1130.

WINS and WCBS have long been the benchmarks of all-news. NY area listeners have turned to them for news since the late 60s. If WEMP has any hope of surviving, they should go news/talk and stay mostly if not all local.

Well We need to wait for results for KGO-AM 810 as a semi-news station.

KGO got a 6.0 in San Jose but a 4.4 in the ratings book for SFO in December 2011

IMHO, if anyone but Cumulus owned KGO, the format would've migrated to or simulcast on a full-signal FM and not gone semi-news. The KGO brand would've been protected. Heritage news and talk stations elsewhere have gone FM, helping demos and ad revenues.

Yes KCBS in SFO went on FM and it gets a 6.5 on average and a 3.4 in SJO. The only way that KGO and KLIV can live on is go on FM. But I hope WCBS, and Wins can go on FM in NYC too.

 

[KeyTimes950]

I am suggesting for an AM that is having some real problems with gaining an audience and revenue they might think about going with, as I said in my first post, the national TRN All News Blocks.They can add the local element with a morning news magazine and a 60 minute afternoon drive newsblock say 5 to 6 pm. This will not require a large staff for a station.
A cheaper way of doing this is to carry TRN's Morning Show along with the network newsblocks. It would still be a plus to have an evening drive hour long newsblock.
Keep in mind the TRN shows are not your straight hard core newscats. There are more in the line of news magazines.

Pittsburgh has an interesting experiment going on in the suburbs. Renda has turned what was a business-talk outlet at 1360 into news/talk, though it is emphasizing national in a market that also has KDKA live 24/7 including local 17 hours a day, WPGB's Fox and conservative talk shows and KQV's daytime all-news, nighttime variety.

I think WMNY still does a lot of what it used to do on the weekends, but let me focus on what they do weekdays:

5-6 a.m. WTAE-4 Morning News. It used to be 5-7 a.m. on AM 1360 and I think it should go back to 5-7 a.m., or even 4:30-7 because that's when Channel 4 starts its morning news.

6-9 a.m. America's Radio News Network. Frankly, not my cup of tea but since we no longer have NBC's News and Information Service and AP pulled the plug on an all-news option some time ago, it's what we have for local stations. I just wish there was more local in WMNY's mix.

9 a.m.-noon Laura Ingraham. Live. First time in this market if you don't count WEDO-810's flirtation with a couple hours of Laura not so long ago.

Noon-3 p.m. ARNN. I'd go with WTAE-4 noon-12:30 then pick up ARNN, but what do I know?

(By the way, WTAE audio also airs on WPGB, which might be a factor in WMNY not running more 'TAE, but Renda still does 'TAE weather.)

3-6 p.m. The American Entrepreneur, Ron Morris, local show, business news and talk survived the format change, but John Poister left Morris' operation and the station now runs CNN on the hour rather than business updates as had been the policy previously.

6-7 p.m. ARNN again. I'd still run WTAE 6-6:30 or even 5-6:30.

7-10 p.m. Lou Dobbs. Another survivor of the business talk format.