And WBZ is slowly drifting away from being a news sation.
How so?
Weekend infomercials & talk shows, Joe Mathieu's long form interviews on weekdays, no live overnight newsroom, carrying the CBS evening news, 60 Minutes, etc. Before long they will be more talk than news or force feed the marketplace more CBS programming...
WBZ has been, in the evening and night, breaking format with their daytime programming, for decades. Nothing has changed. Why? Because it works. Why are they now 'drifting' away from being a news station? They are doing what they always do. And without throwing money away on examples of marginal utility like a live overnight newsroom.
With a metro area that stretches from the South Shore to New Hampshire and west to Worcester there is plenty of news to be a 24x7 news station.
This just isn't true. If you think that a 20 minute of loop of the same stories people have been hearing for hours is going to do better than their evening talk programming, I think we'll just have to disagree. But, trust me on this, folks in Quincy don't find Keene, NH, zoning disputes all that compelling.
But, in the off-chance that something of newsworthyness does happen in the evening or overnight, WBZ will have it. And probably before anyone else in town. They just don't feel they have to put everyone to sleep, and kill off their audience numbers, while waiting for that occasional off-chance.
Regards,
TSB
WBZ's news format is terrible. It's almost as bad as the yakk format at night, and the infomercials on weekends, I've never heard so many mispronunciations, stupid study results,
dumbed down reporting, overhype, and puking vocal style on one station.
For a news station, they kind of zip through stories, and I find myself needing more info, and follow up which never comes.
Boston is supposed to be a bit more intellectual, than the rest of the country, why does WBZ have to
phonectically pronounce ethnic names when they can pronounce them the correct way?
Examples:
Manuel- Manual ( like owners manual)
Franco- Frank O
Has anyone noticed that?
A Little humor is OK, but the cross between the traffic reporter and Rod Fritz is just plain juvenile.
Gary Lapierre, didn't you retire several years ago? Why do you insist on giving a time check every day at 12:06? and the " caring law" spots are getting old. Get some rest, play some golf,or shuffleboard.
Yeah, I know, but does the entire late night news programming programming have to be recorded?
Oh wait, the CBS brass in New York did a very painstaking cost/benefit analysis, and determined that
dayparting the news format would prevent an absolute financial disaster here at WBZ.
And Jeff, I don't get involved with the bottom line, I don't know what is not cost effective, nor do I care, I let the suits at the stations I've worked at, and work at, worry about that boring shit.
This is CBS, they have money to burn and they have taken risks in cities that are smaller than Boston metro, and believe it or not more provincial, if that's possible.
It's a big company, they write it off if it doesn't pan out.
Programming wise BZ is a 50,000 watt wasteland on the AM dial, without local competition because WBZ was lucky enough to be allotted a 24 hour non directional pattern when they were available, whereas, the other Other Boston area 50K stations are unlistenable beyond 128 at night, and it's just a coincidence that they are trainwrecks to boot.
As far as mentioning everything I wanted to, I didn't.
Why are you all insist on defending mediocrity? WBZ doesn't need your endorsement.
Now type away, know it alls
