Could newspaper ownership save all news radio

[zoey]

FCC Chairman Martin says he wants lift the current ban on newspapers owning radio and TV stations in the same market.
http://business.bostonherald.com/businessNews/view.bg?articleid=131801

From the 20's into the 70's, newspapers often started and operated radio stations in their communities. The radio station promoted the paper. The paper provided news resources to the radio station. A few newspaper station owners were "grandfathered" and continue to operate local radio stations (Chicago Tribune - WGN, Chicago for example).

Currently less than two dozen all news radio stations operate in the US (some stations list themselves as "news stations" but actually carry talk shows or sports during part of the broadcast day). Nearly all of the bona fide all news radio stations are owned by CBS Radio (former CBS and Group W stations) or are closely affiliated with CBS (i.e., WTOP, Washington owned by the Mormon Church).

Newspaper ownership and all news radio would seem like a natural fit. Newspapers are already operating on continuous deadlines for their websites. Both newspapers and radio stations have gone through waves of cost cutting and as a result do far less local reporting than they used to. My local all news station (a former Group W station) once had a legendary local reporting staff. Now what passes for local reporting is man on the street sound bites to get local reaction to some wire story, live shots from where nothing is happening and puff pieces. They take sound from three networks but when I drive to work in the morning, they are running exactly the same pieces as when I drove home the day before. The main local paper, which once won Pultizers for local and investigative reporting on a regular basis, is not much better.

Maybe joint ownership of local newspapers and all news radio could save both. Give newspaper reporters mp3 recorders and do on-air de-briefs. Send listeners to the paper for details and background.

 

[FloridaBear1776]

I think we all know that newspapers acquiring all news radio stations would simply provide another reason (excuse) to cut jobs at both institutions.

The newspaper in Tampa did a sort of programming LMA with an independently owned AM station about five years ago. This newspaper also owns a TV station and has been one of the big noisemakers about "convergence" between its paper, TV station and website. It produced five minute hourly newscasts for the radio station. Those newscasts did not include breaking news generated by the reporters of the newspaper or TV station. Instead, the anchor (apparently a newspaper person with some radio background) read day-old stories from the paper that were hardly even re-written. It was by no means any sort of competition for the local dominant news-talker and its newsroom.

Newspapers doing traditional all-news formats (not like WTWP, which is a different sort of animal) won't work, because they're afraid of giving the 'scoop' to the radio station, so much so that they'll hold off on a story till the next day, even if it's already been all over TV or other radio stations.

 

[radiophile]

Different question

> Newspapers doing traditional all-news formats (not like
> WTWP, which is a different sort of animal) won't work,
> because they're afraid of giving the 'scoop' to the radio
> station, so much so that they'll hold off on a story till
> the next day, even if it's already been all over TV or other
> radio stations.
>
I think this will depend on the story. Some newspapers are updating their Web sites with news stories before the morning paper.

Here is a different question: Could newspapers provide a better radio news presence in some markets where local news on the radio has all but disappeared? I think the answer to that question would have to be, "yes."

While I'm not big on further relaxation of ownership rules (eight per market is enough, I think), I am in favor of allowing radio-TV-newspaper cross ownerships in a market. The best journalism done in this country is still done by daily newspapers. If they could lend some of that expertise to radio, I'm all for it.

I would NOT be in favor of one company owning up to eight radio stations and a newspaper. I think the number of radio stations allowed in a cross-ownership situation should be reduced. Maybe a max of four radio stations with no more than three on one band.

 

[ajhenderson]

Re: Different question

> I would NOT be in favor of one company owning up to eight
> radio stations and a newspaper. I think the number of radio
> stations allowed in a cross-ownership situation should be
> reduced. Maybe a max of four radio stations with no more
> than three on one band.

You wouldn't expect THAT to happen, would you? How would CC own the #1 TV station and eight of the top dozen radio stations without a newspaper? Martin is too busy making sure the FCC can get someone to pay him $350k for an FM CP in Salome, AZ (pop. 1,690) so that they can petition to move it into Phoenix come next filing window. Once that happens, CC might not feel the pinch, but independent owners will sure feel the results of a further over-radioed market.

BTW, plenty of news/talk stations have partnerships with TV stations. Two here in Arizona that come to mind that actually have had TV people doing long-form content on the radio, not just some weather drop. Why one entity needs to own both is beyond me. Besides, take one look at KPAM/Portland, OR and the whole slew of newspapers they own (their primary business is print, mind you), and they do very little news or talk. A distant, and I mean distant, fourth behind KEX, KXL, and KPOJ.

 

[SaltyDog]

Better Question: Could all news radio save newspapers

Newspapers are in worse shape.

The reason there are so few All News stations is, I believe, that their low TSL make them tough to be advertising-supported.

Too bad terrestial radio seems to have no interest in subscription-supported stations. Yeah, I know that's not possible under current regulations but regulations can change. They aren't even askin' for authority to do this.


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[robbbc]

Re: Different question

> I would NOT be in favor of one company owning up to eight
> radio stations and a newspaper. I think the number of radio
> stations allowed in a cross-ownership situation should be
> reduced. Maybe a max of four radio stations with no more
> than three on one band.
>

What this leads to is Newspapers owning a bunch of FM, and therefore Music stations. If I had any confidence that the newspapers would try to make synergistic choices I would come on board, but instead what we will get is a Newspaper that owns a bunch of Music Stations. Can't see how that helps anyone. If the FCC wanted to allow Newspapers to own one station on the AM dial and one TV station I would allow it, perhaps provided there is another major newspaper, TV station, and AM station in town (is this the current rule?). Local news from one source is a little dangerous, especially when you consider the editorial pages of newspapers which are anabashedly biased. I wouldn't want the Union Leader and Dow Jones media to have unfettered access to the airwaves any more than a conservative would want Knight-Ridder and the McClatchy group.

 

[Oldbones]

>
> Newspapers doing traditional all-news formats (not like
> WTWP, which is a different sort of animal) won't work,
> because they're afraid of giving the 'scoop' to the radio
> station, so much so that they'll hold off on a story till
> the next day, even if it's already been all over TV or other
> radio stations.

It doesn't need to be this way. Radio news is at best a headline service...if they were smart they could do a quick one-paragraph version of local stories followed by a statement to the effect "for more information on these & other stories pick up a copy of the Daily Blab at your news stand or go to dailyblab.com.