I came to Houston from Chicago about 10 years ago. To me, news radio was WBBM and talk was WGN. I am amazed at the lack of News radio and the horrible quality of talk radio in Houston. I am not a conservative, but I find myself listening to KSEV because I believe that those guys are at least sincere. I tried to listen to Baker and Pags, but their shows amount to little more than saying something outrageous and shouting down the opposition. It's obvious that they often don't even understand the argument being put forth. And then there is news radio...well, there really is no news radio..
-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
AM Radio in Houston
- Thread starter Nole
- Start date
M
Mike O
Guest
Nole said:
First you are correct News Radio is WBBM, WINS, KFWB, etc - Houston has nothing that even comes close. KTRH did about twenty years ago, but has been on a steady death march ever since then. Believe it or not KTRH was one of the better News stations in the country in it's day. Now it is an embarrassement to the fourth largest city and sixth largest Market in the country. "NewsRadio 7-40", and there should be some law about truth in advertising, even in the station slogan, has a News block Monday through Friday from 5am to 9am with Lana Hughes and JP Pritchard, both very good News anchors and Paul Harvey at 5:50am, "The Rest of the Story" and Harvey again at 7:50am "News & Comments" - that is the extent of the News on "NewsRadio 7-40". KTRH has let so much of the News staff go that there is no staff left and the station really can't cover News in depth any longer. God help this city if there is a disaster after 10am, because you won't hear about it on radio because there is no body home at any station. Clear Channel killed KTRH and also a fairly decent News operation on KPRC 950 that was separate from 740.
Buffalo, Market 53 and a city in dire financial straits and losing population at an alarming rate has an excellent All News outlet in WNED which is about 50% NPR and 50% local News. Rochester, NY Market 55 has an All News station in WYSL that just completed a power increase to 20kW to better serve Rochester and suburbs. Rochester is as bad off as Buffalo, yet these cities have fulltime News stations. There is NO reason except pure greed on the part of Clear Channel in this case that Houston lost an excellent News station. I read less than a month ago that that two more people were let go from the News Department. I seriously doubt that there is a News Department any longer.
I see little if any hope that Houston will have a News station anytime in the near future, more likely never on AM or FM radio. The best chance is that in a few years when Internet Radio has come into it's own that Houston may then get a All News station on Internet Radio. Internet Radio is already plugging the holes that are missing in Houston radio and serving the many large suburbs that can not get a frequency for a station. In a matter of time a group of dedicated individuals will see the need for an All News station and have the resources to build one on IR. That could be as much as five years out though due to the high cost of operating an All News outlet. The returns on your investment are there though, especiallly in a News starved city like Houston. It will be a very lucrative venture for the group of people that do operate a 24/7 News station on Internet Radio, as long as as the station is programmed properly.
There was the "FM News Channel" that was not a true All News station, but had blocks of news at the same time as KTRH. You would think that a person with some snap would not have a News Block from 12 to 1pm just as KTRH, but have the News block at 1 to 2pm. KFNC's attempt at News was one of the worst attempts at anything I believe I ever heard on Houston Radio, hell any radio station in any market. The ratings show that most felt the same way. I have gotten to the point that I don't like to mention Cumulus as I feel like I am making fun of a mentally challanged indivudual, which I find unacceptable. Cumulus is the mentally individual amoung many other challenged afflictions, company in the Houston market with three stations. The only reason I can figure that Cumulus wound up in Houston was to make Cox look good. I must say that there are/were some excellent on air talent at KIOL. Outlaw Dave, Wendy Miller (I'm surprised she hasn't gone on to New York or Los Angeles, but glad she hasn't), Lisa Kendall, Pam Kelly, The Grease Munkey who really sounds smooth now.
Houston in the 1980's had the best radio in the country and I did a lot of traveling for business, but always had a radio with me. The 2000's find Houston as possibily the worst Market in the country. Thank God for Internet Radio, the only decent radio that is coming out Houston today. Many small town stations that are live and not off the bird are staffed fulltime, something you won't find in Houston. I thought K-Hits was staffed fulltime, but was sadly mistaken. Compelling radio, you will have to try Austin 590, San Antonio 1200 or Fort Worth 820. I don't know why the FM stations in Houston are spending money on HD Radio, it isn't going to save them. It may be near CD quality, but it is still near [EDIT] quality.
[EDIT-profanity]
I avoid talk radio just about anywhere I go these days but I've always thought Houston had little to offer in that regard compared to some other cities I've visited. Had I lived in some of those places, talk radio would probably have been my first choice for listening. I've always wondered why. I worked with someone from Detroit at a Houston station in the 70s who was very frustrated that Houstonians were so apolitical and not issue oriented, and we weren't doing talk radio. In the 80s I worked with several people from Chicago who found talk radio in Houston pathetic.
I've always thought it might have something to do with the mediocrity of the print media here as well as the fact that the stations doing talk - principally KTRH and KPRC in the old days, tended to stay with home-improvement and gardening shows, etc., and away from issue oriented shows for a long time, but maybe the stations know their audiences and are simply doing what works in Houston, which is what they gotta do.
It would be interesting if some other people with more knowledge of that format could weigh in. There are possibly lots of other reasons that could be brought up.
I've always thought it might have something to do with the mediocrity of the print media here as well as the fact that the stations doing talk - principally KTRH and KPRC in the old days, tended to stay with home-improvement and gardening shows, etc., and away from issue oriented shows for a long time, but maybe the stations know their audiences and are simply doing what works in Houston, which is what they gotta do.
It would be interesting if some other people with more knowledge of that format could weigh in. There are possibly lots of other reasons that could be brought up.
Good point about "FM News Channel" programming its news blocks (morning and noon) directly against KTRH. Only Cumulus knows why they wanted it that way. But "Mike O," it's getting really boring hearing you trash "FM News Channel" every time you post. You never miss an opportunity. You were trashing our little news concept even before we went on the air. Time to get over it.
FM News Channel 97.5 never intended to to be all news. You'll notice it wasn't called FM All News Channel. You can call a station anything you want. All of these carry news in our listening area:
KLVI
KIKK
KSEV
KTRH
KPRC
KNTH
KXYZ
KCOH
Some of these carry talk programming and music along with the news. KFNC wanted to try something different. Perhaps with a city grade stick, they might have fared better. Just like KKTL, 97 Talk-FM, the signal couldn't cover Houston.
KLVI
KIKK
KSEV
KTRH
KPRC
KNTH
KXYZ
KCOH
Some of these carry talk programming and music along with the news. KFNC wanted to try something different. Perhaps with a city grade stick, they might have fared better. Just like KKTL, 97 Talk-FM, the signal couldn't cover Houston.
M
Mike O
Guest
michaelshiloh said:
michaelshiloh you have a few facts incorrect.
First I don't trash "FM News Channel" every time I post, in fact they are not a station I make reference very often.
Second I was a big supporter of "FM News Channel" before it went on the air and told a good amount of people that there was a new News station coming on the air on FM and even explained the signal was ragged at times, but at least Houston would have a News station again. Every person that I told about KFNC asked me about where the News was, all they heard was a Talk or a possibily some News, but it was so disjointed they weren't sure and they didn't find out anything regardless. I even spent a week listening to only KFNC about a month into operation and wrote what I thoght was good and bad about the station back then.
Apparently that abominable attempt at a News station was your baby and I don't mean to hurt your feelings, but call them as I see them. KFNC was the worst excuse for a News station I ever heard and pray that Cumulus never makes another attempt at News. In fact so far what has Cumulus done on it's Houston stations, and you can't count KRBE yet, Cumulus hasn't had it long enough to muck it up, that has even come close to being successful? KIOL, NO, KFNC NOT EVEN CLOSE.
Does Cumulus program and staff their Atlanta stations as poorly as Houston? I doubt it. When I say staff so there is no misunderstanding, I am not talking about quality of air staff, but the lack of air staff. Wendy Miller one of the best and lucky to have her in Market 6, I'm surprised she hasn't been grabbed by LA or NY or she has turned down the offers. Pam Kelly and Lisa kendall, both excellent. The Grease Munkey has found his "groove" and sounds very good. W&J had one of their best shows this AM. Outlaw Dave is missed, he was a great air talent. Mr. Pruett and company another great group of air talents.
KFNC will be far better as another unneeded All Sports station, at least the programming will have some substance.
M
Mike O
Guest
Chuck Tiller said:
Chuck, I don't have the time to go back and find old articles about KFNC right now, but I thought that it was billing itself as an All News station before going on the air.
True you can call a station anything you want with-in the boundries of decency, but "NewsRadio 740" is misleading, you would expect a News station.
Out of all the stations you listed that carry News, KCOH is by far the best. I can't speak about KLVI as I don't listen to the station and am not familiar with their News.
In all due respect I don't think KFNC wouldn't have made a dent on a city grade stick, the station was just bad, bad bad.
Mike
P
purpledevil
Guest
Mike (O), Can I take a stab at this? "FM News Channel" was a great concept. The execution of it was poor. To have an all star line-up like Cumulus put together, you would think that the station's results would be that of the '92 USA men's basketball team. Years, and years, and years of radio broadcasting experience, and well respected names in the Houston market. The problem wasn't the talent. The problem was execution. Nothing about Cumulus screams support. Where were the promotions for KFNC when it first came on the air? It took entirely too long to get the word out about KFNC, and then when people began to notice, they listened for a short while and went running back to the alternative. Why? Because the station was all yuck-yuck, haw-haw-haw and no substance. Remember the Micheal Jackson verdict? KTRH had it live, KPRC had it live, KFNC? Someone dumped the feed and Jim Carrola had to stumble all over the place for several minutes trying to find out whether or not Jackson was guilty. This happening to a respected news man like Carrola that has more years under his belt as ND of KILT than I'm sure he even cares to remember. To put it in to perspective, Mike (Shiloh), KFNC needed to be on the same level with KTRH. It was not, and ended up a talk station. Now, here we are LESS than a year later, and we're staring down the barrel of the FIFTH format for 97.5 in less than two years. Do you not see the problem here? How pathetic is that for the once legendary KD 97?
Have to chime in here and really put this into perspective. KFNC is a rim shot at best in a market with very established AM non-music stations. I'll veer away from saying news station because that doesn't exist anymore. The corp suits see all news as too much a drain on the expense side and we listeners suffer. In any case, the signal strength hampers KFNC more than anything else plus they are not the least bit news OR serious talk for that matter. And when you REALLY look at the bottom line you have no ratings to justify any serious ad dollars. I have never considered them for any of my clients and do never expect to unless they show up significantly in any ratings demo in any future book. You're really talking about a non-entity here. They are a blip in the Houston radio market at best. The way Cumulus treats their stations with staffing and promotions, I wouldn't put stock in their ability to deliver a quality product EVER. Cumulus is the epitome of the stock of radio today and why the rise of alternative media sources is going as strong as it is. Cumulus is CC lite. I'm sure it won't be long before KRBE begins a dramatic downfall under the Cumulus umbrella.
I agree with you purpledevil, adguy. I don't know where Mike O got the idea that FM News Channel was my "baby," I was just the morning guy. But the people at KFNC are my friends. I take Mike O's assessment of KCOH news as a compliment since I contribute to KCOH news. But since FM News Channel 97.5 has been dead for months, I'm hoping Mike O will give up trashing it. After all, there are laid off radio pros who are looking for a job because of what happened. Calling it the worst thing in the history of radio is really, really a stretch. My point was: okay, forget it. I don't want to argue.
But then Mike O tells me he "doesn't reference (it) very often" and "doesn't trash 'FM News Channel' every chance" he gets. Come on, Mike. So I offer a cursory check of posts on this website, all of them from Mike O. Note his early entry at the bottom, at which point we had been on the air for two weeks and Mike O was comparing us unfavorably to a station in a town of 450 people. Which posts indicate that he was ever a "fan" of the station?
12-20-06: "In all due respect I don't think KFNC wouldn't have made a dent on a city grade stick, the station was just bad, bad bad."
11-4-06: "A format simular to KSBJ only in Espanol would likely draw the same percentage of listeners, perhaps a bit higher. Actually that may not be a bad format for 97.5, the signal would be best in the primary target areas. It wouldn't do nearly as well as a city signal, but better than the crap on now or the planned third all Sports station."
10-19-06: "There is the possibility that KFNC is not using the HD at all and just running 97.5 as an analog mono station. No one listens so it really wouldn't matter. The station could likely go off the air for a week before anyone even knew..."
10-7-06: "I wonder if 97.5 has even made a penny for Cumulus yet? My guess is no. They (should) have a fire sale and dump 97.5 altogether to whoever will buy the station."
9-18-06: "(My) Prediction is that 97.5 lilely won't show in the Phase 2 trend and 103.7 will have dropped down to just barely making the book. KIOL is even playing Fleetwood Mac and Phil Collins, songs that are regularly heard on Sunny 99 and The Wave. I would say the end is near for KIOL. I doubt that either station will be around come the Summer book."
7-26-06: "I don't really count the failure off The FM News Channel as it was not all News and the News programming was poorly done. The lack of a decent signal also made 97.5 nearly a non factor."
7-25-06: "There is the possibility that Cumulus will throw in the towel and leave the Houston Market in a year or two. KFNC has been bleeding red ink for years, KIOL may (and that is a big may) be breaking even and KRBE will drop down to a break even station at best in six months or less, if they haven't already."
7-13-06: "My next question is how long before Cumulus finally leaves the Houston market and sells 104.1, 103.7 and dupes someone into the purchase of 97.5? My guess one year."
6-9-06: "One can only hope that the plug is pulled on 97.5, but I don't think Houston needs another talk station unless 97.5 goes with Air America. Houston is the only large Texas city that does not have Air America on a local station. I'm sure the ratings for Air America will top the ratings of the current mess from KFNC.Who, if anyone was responsible for KFNC's programming? They sure missed a golden opportunity with their Saturday Night Live Newscasts and sorry talk shows."
5-15-06: "KFNC is a far cry from a News station. KFNC's lets make the news a laugh a minute style really stinks and makes it impossible to take the station seriously for what little news that they have on the air. I don't know what "genius" came up with the idea that that the news should be a laughfest like the other morning shows is way off base. Plus KFNC drops an hour of "news" for entertainment news from 8am to 9am. At least KFNC is on the right frequency, they both are crap..."
5-5-06: "KFNC needs a lot of work and a change of focus to being a true News station and not another Talk station with a few hours more news than 740 AM which saw the Winter book come in with the lowest 12+ numbers in years. If Cumulus moves 97.5 to 104.1, it will be one of the biggest waste of frequency spectrum in Houston in the 30 years I have lived here and the ratings for KFNC will not go up more than a few tenths of a point, unless there is a makeover of "The FM News Channel".We have "The FM News Channel" and "NewsRadio 740" and the two combined still don't make a half decent news operation."
12-21-05: " I don't know if Houston doesn't care about a News station, from the KTRH ratings, I guess not, but with KFNC's horrid signal many don't even know that 97.5 exists. I wonder hwo they would do on a full market signal {and NO I do not mean 104.1, never!}, but if 97.5 was on par with KILT-FM, Sunny, The Wave, etc would they have ratings in the two or three range? Cumulus would also have to go all news all day and move Jim Pruett to preferably the all night slot where the show would fit in better on a News station..."
6-10-05: "I don't see much hope for KFNC 97.5 from what I have heard of the station and I will admit it has been mercifully only a small portion of the broadcast day."
6-13-05: "KFNC sounds like they really don't have any intention of competing or being competitive. Nothing says that Cumulus has to own two stations, if they don't want to be bothered with 97.5, I'm sure that they will find a buyer for the station in no time flat."
6-16-05: "Both stations sound like from Malta, NY (population 450)with all due respcct citizens Malta, not Market 6.5. It's a shame..."
But then Mike O tells me he "doesn't reference (it) very often" and "doesn't trash 'FM News Channel' every chance" he gets. Come on, Mike. So I offer a cursory check of posts on this website, all of them from Mike O. Note his early entry at the bottom, at which point we had been on the air for two weeks and Mike O was comparing us unfavorably to a station in a town of 450 people. Which posts indicate that he was ever a "fan" of the station?
12-20-06: "In all due respect I don't think KFNC wouldn't have made a dent on a city grade stick, the station was just bad, bad bad."
11-4-06: "A format simular to KSBJ only in Espanol would likely draw the same percentage of listeners, perhaps a bit higher. Actually that may not be a bad format for 97.5, the signal would be best in the primary target areas. It wouldn't do nearly as well as a city signal, but better than the crap on now or the planned third all Sports station."
10-19-06: "There is the possibility that KFNC is not using the HD at all and just running 97.5 as an analog mono station. No one listens so it really wouldn't matter. The station could likely go off the air for a week before anyone even knew..."
10-7-06: "I wonder if 97.5 has even made a penny for Cumulus yet? My guess is no. They (should) have a fire sale and dump 97.5 altogether to whoever will buy the station."
9-18-06: "(My) Prediction is that 97.5 lilely won't show in the Phase 2 trend and 103.7 will have dropped down to just barely making the book. KIOL is even playing Fleetwood Mac and Phil Collins, songs that are regularly heard on Sunny 99 and The Wave. I would say the end is near for KIOL. I doubt that either station will be around come the Summer book."
7-26-06: "I don't really count the failure off The FM News Channel as it was not all News and the News programming was poorly done. The lack of a decent signal also made 97.5 nearly a non factor."
7-25-06: "There is the possibility that Cumulus will throw in the towel and leave the Houston Market in a year or two. KFNC has been bleeding red ink for years, KIOL may (and that is a big may) be breaking even and KRBE will drop down to a break even station at best in six months or less, if they haven't already."
7-13-06: "My next question is how long before Cumulus finally leaves the Houston market and sells 104.1, 103.7 and dupes someone into the purchase of 97.5? My guess one year."
6-9-06: "One can only hope that the plug is pulled on 97.5, but I don't think Houston needs another talk station unless 97.5 goes with Air America. Houston is the only large Texas city that does not have Air America on a local station. I'm sure the ratings for Air America will top the ratings of the current mess from KFNC.Who, if anyone was responsible for KFNC's programming? They sure missed a golden opportunity with their Saturday Night Live Newscasts and sorry talk shows."
5-15-06: "KFNC is a far cry from a News station. KFNC's lets make the news a laugh a minute style really stinks and makes it impossible to take the station seriously for what little news that they have on the air. I don't know what "genius" came up with the idea that that the news should be a laughfest like the other morning shows is way off base. Plus KFNC drops an hour of "news" for entertainment news from 8am to 9am. At least KFNC is on the right frequency, they both are crap..."
5-5-06: "KFNC needs a lot of work and a change of focus to being a true News station and not another Talk station with a few hours more news than 740 AM which saw the Winter book come in with the lowest 12+ numbers in years. If Cumulus moves 97.5 to 104.1, it will be one of the biggest waste of frequency spectrum in Houston in the 30 years I have lived here and the ratings for KFNC will not go up more than a few tenths of a point, unless there is a makeover of "The FM News Channel".We have "The FM News Channel" and "NewsRadio 740" and the two combined still don't make a half decent news operation."
12-21-05: " I don't know if Houston doesn't care about a News station, from the KTRH ratings, I guess not, but with KFNC's horrid signal many don't even know that 97.5 exists. I wonder hwo they would do on a full market signal {and NO I do not mean 104.1, never!}, but if 97.5 was on par with KILT-FM, Sunny, The Wave, etc would they have ratings in the two or three range? Cumulus would also have to go all news all day and move Jim Pruett to preferably the all night slot where the show would fit in better on a News station..."
6-10-05: "I don't see much hope for KFNC 97.5 from what I have heard of the station and I will admit it has been mercifully only a small portion of the broadcast day."
6-13-05: "KFNC sounds like they really don't have any intention of competing or being competitive. Nothing says that Cumulus has to own two stations, if they don't want to be bothered with 97.5, I'm sure that they will find a buyer for the station in no time flat."
6-16-05: "Both stations sound like from Malta, NY (population 450)with all due respcct citizens Malta, not Market 6.5. It's a shame..."
P
purpledevil
Guest
In all fairness, Mike, we've all dogged 97.5's signal or lack thereof. I've never seen Mike O take a pot shot at any personalities on the boards, IIRC. He's a good guy, and shares a lot of the frustrations that we all do with what has become of the landscape of Houston radio. I think his problem was, is, and will continue to be with your former employer, Cumulus, not you, or the staff (present or past) of the station. Anyone who has ever been subjected to a Cumulus product will attest that they are one of the least supportive and most cheaply run group of stations in the industry. I think we all can agree that 97.5's signal, no matter what the format is chosen for it, will never legitimately compete in this market. The closest it has come was "Power" and that too never impacted KBXX or KMJQ very much. Mike Shiloh, putting egos and such aside, I would say most that contribute to this board would agree with me that you are a class act, professional, and were an asset to KFNC during it's run as the FM news Channel.
Off subject now, was that you I heard on KIKK the other morning? Did you go to work at CBS, or are you working with Metro now doing traffic reports for the CBS cluster? I was glad to hear you again.
Off subject now, was that you I heard on KIKK the other morning? Did you go to work at CBS, or are you working with Metro now doing traffic reports for the CBS cluster? I was glad to hear you again.
M
Mike O
Guest
I would like to put the "FM News Channel" "discussion"to rest on my side, but must make a few comments in closing.
Mike I got the idea that the News portion of KFNC was your idea and execution due to your defense of the format. It does not matter who's idea the given presentation of the News was at all at this point. I do truely and sincerely apologize to you personally for making such a statement as it was in very poor taste and totally uncalled for, I do hope that you will accept my apology for making such a boneheaded statement in the total sincerity that it is given.
Purpledevil summed up my feelings to a T. The on air staff was Grade A and the lack of success was no fault of any one that was on the air. Yes I do feel for all those people that lost their job in an industry that is geting more difficult by the day. I'm always glad when I hear an ex-KFNC employee on the air at another station.
I passionately would love an All News station in Houston, if even only from the hours of 5am to 8pm to begin with to cover both drive times and all day. I was hoping that KFNC was going to be that station. It did not work out that way and yes I was extremely frustrated and disappointed.
Glad to know that you are at KCOH, one of Houston's best kept secrets. KCOH is a station of class and quality, a rarity today. Yes since you are a member of KCOH's News Team it is indeed a compliment to your work.
I would like to think that there are no hard feelings, but that may be asking for too much.
Mike O
Mike I got the idea that the News portion of KFNC was your idea and execution due to your defense of the format. It does not matter who's idea the given presentation of the News was at all at this point. I do truely and sincerely apologize to you personally for making such a statement as it was in very poor taste and totally uncalled for, I do hope that you will accept my apology for making such a boneheaded statement in the total sincerity that it is given.
Purpledevil summed up my feelings to a T. The on air staff was Grade A and the lack of success was no fault of any one that was on the air. Yes I do feel for all those people that lost their job in an industry that is geting more difficult by the day. I'm always glad when I hear an ex-KFNC employee on the air at another station.
I passionately would love an All News station in Houston, if even only from the hours of 5am to 8pm to begin with to cover both drive times and all day. I was hoping that KFNC was going to be that station. It did not work out that way and yes I was extremely frustrated and disappointed.
Glad to know that you are at KCOH, one of Houston's best kept secrets. KCOH is a station of class and quality, a rarity today. Yes since you are a member of KCOH's News Team it is indeed a compliment to your work.
I would like to think that there are no hard feelings, but that may be asking for too much.
Mike O
Mike Shiloh is not part of the KCOH Newsteam The same is true for Roger Bateman on KNTH. They are both employees of Metro. They get the same news that is written for KSEV, as well. Not only is Roger on KNTH, but also, Newstalk 1420 KTOK, Omaha and Newstalk 660 KSKY, Dallas. Additionally, Roger reports business news on 560 WIND, Chicago. All of this originates through the auspices of Metro News. By the way, KFNC got it's news from Metro, too. The Metrosource computer was in the KFNC controlroom and the newsroom. I saw it.
KHJZ get's it's news and traffic from Metro. KIKK get's traffic from Metro. KILT 610 gets it's traffic from Metro.
It's the same for the Clear Channel cats; they get their news from their own services. Cox has it's deal with it's cluster.
KHJZ get's it's news and traffic from Metro. KIKK get's traffic from Metro. KILT 610 gets it's traffic from Metro.
It's the same for the Clear Channel cats; they get their news from their own services. Cox has it's deal with it's cluster.
No hard feelings at all, Mike O. You understand my point of view here. I, too, regret that KFNC was a disappointment to you and to others. And I agree with you, Mike, that purpledevil sums it up well when he points to the frustration many feel with the landscape that has become Houston radio. Thank you very much, purpledevil.
To be clear about this: I contribute, as I said, to KCOH news. They read on the air the words I write and I admit I get a kick out of it. I've always loved that station. For the record, at KFNC we used both the Associated Press and MetroSource as primary sources for our news, but we used what we could from alternative Internet sources. Both AP and MetroSource, though, tend to write news like it's for a newspaper, so like all good newspeople I rewrote it "for the ear," often hurriedly during those months I was alone on the air for 4 hours (with board op Abel) because of my co-host's cancer treatments. (Martha Martinez tells me she's doing much better now and her chemo is finished and she's recovering well!).
Cox, by the way, gets its news and traffic from Traffic.com, which is why you'll hear Pam Kelly, Andy Waldrop and a few others on the Cox stations, sometimes under different names.
Happy holidays...!
To be clear about this: I contribute, as I said, to KCOH news. They read on the air the words I write and I admit I get a kick out of it. I've always loved that station. For the record, at KFNC we used both the Associated Press and MetroSource as primary sources for our news, but we used what we could from alternative Internet sources. Both AP and MetroSource, though, tend to write news like it's for a newspaper, so like all good newspeople I rewrote it "for the ear," often hurriedly during those months I was alone on the air for 4 hours (with board op Abel) because of my co-host's cancer treatments. (Martha Martinez tells me she's doing much better now and her chemo is finished and she's recovering well!).
Cox, by the way, gets its news and traffic from Traffic.com, which is why you'll hear Pam Kelly, Andy Waldrop and a few others on the Cox stations, sometimes under different names.
Happy holidays...!
M
Mike O
Guest
michaelshiloh said:
I am very glad to hear that Martha is having a good recovery and hope that the cancer has been stopped and she will be a survivor. I found her to be a class act in what were no doubt trying times for her. That is indeed good news. Thanks for sharing that information.
Mike O
M
Mike O
Guest
purpledevil said:
Purpledevil, I would like to thank you for writing that post. It was excellent, as all your posts are, this post put into words what I have tried to convey for some time. A great synopsis of the situation. Thanks again and look forward to your posts as they always have substance and are well written and hit the mark.
Mike O
I am shocked to read about the state of radio in Houston. It sounds like what is happening here in Nashville. I guess I always thought your city was too large with too much news to go down that path.
I lived in Houston from 1974 - 79 and KPRC and KTRH were the big news stations in town, although other stations in the market were well staffed.
I was at KIKK and we had a staff of 10, Barry Warner in sports, and Mark Berman was an intern (I get to see Mark and Bob Allen and my old friend John McClain each year when the Texans come here to play the Titans.) Some of the others in our news room back then were Wes Johnson, Dan Jones, Darrell Holley, ?Ron Coleman(can't remember his first name gee whiz, it's been 30 years) We used a wire service plus a local Houston News Service that fed us local sound and copy and we were always trying to beat the big news guys.
My friend Jim Carolla was at KILT. Where is he now?
Sorry for the rambling but I stumbled upon this site and had to respond.
I enjoyed Houston, but my wife wanted to come back home here. Two of my three sons were born in Houston, well, one in Houston and one in Clear Lake, and I'll always have fond memories.
Thanks for them, Buddy Sadler
I lived in Houston from 1974 - 79 and KPRC and KTRH were the big news stations in town, although other stations in the market were well staffed.
I was at KIKK and we had a staff of 10, Barry Warner in sports, and Mark Berman was an intern (I get to see Mark and Bob Allen and my old friend John McClain each year when the Texans come here to play the Titans.) Some of the others in our news room back then were Wes Johnson, Dan Jones, Darrell Holley, ?Ron Coleman(can't remember his first name gee whiz, it's been 30 years) We used a wire service plus a local Houston News Service that fed us local sound and copy and we were always trying to beat the big news guys.
My friend Jim Carolla was at KILT. Where is he now?
Sorry for the rambling but I stumbled upon this site and had to respond.
I enjoyed Houston, but my wife wanted to come back home here. Two of my three sons were born in Houston, well, one in Houston and one in Clear Lake, and I'll always have fond memories.
Thanks for them, Buddy Sadler
- Status