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(Houston) KPRC drops MDA telethon
- Thread starter bhayes1016
- Start date
I don't really think its that big of a loss, to be honest. The station only carried about 8 hours of the telethon's second day anyway. Actually, I want to say they carried even less than that, from like 10:00am to 5:00pm on Labor Day. Anyone know how much they raised this past labor day?
I imagine MDA demanded the station carry more hours or they would pull it completely. Joslyn said no, even if the MDA offered to pay for part of it. I know stations in other cities carry the show for almost the complete 21 hours (ie: WGN/Chicago. Though they time shift it an hour in order to broadcast their 9:00pm newscast).
Maybe Tribune's KHWB-39 will pick it up and carry the complete broadcast.
> http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ent/tv/3596483.html
>
I imagine MDA demanded the station carry more hours or they would pull it completely. Joslyn said no, even if the MDA offered to pay for part of it. I know stations in other cities carry the show for almost the complete 21 hours (ie: WGN/Chicago. Though they time shift it an hour in order to broadcast their 9:00pm newscast).
Maybe Tribune's KHWB-39 will pick it up and carry the complete broadcast.
> http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ent/tv/3596483.html
>
> I don't really think its that big of a loss, to be honest.
> The station only carried about 8 hours of the telethon's
> second day anyway. Actually, I want to say they carried
> even less than that, from like 10:00am to 5:00pm on Labor
> Day. Anyone know how much they raised this past labor day?
>
> I imagine MDA demanded the station carry more hours or they
> would pull it completely. Joslyn said no, even if the MDA
> offered to pay for part of it. I know stations in other
> cities carry the show for almost the complete 21 hours (ie:
> WGN/Chicago. Though they time shift it an hour in order to
> broadcast their 9:00pm newscast).
>
> Maybe Tribune's KHWB-39 will pick it up and carry the
> complete broadcast.
>
> > http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ent/tv/3596483.html
> >
>
Post Newsweek (KPRC Owner) has a tremendous bottomline pressure on it right now. They have struggled with revenue over the past couple of years and the brass at PN are not too happy. In fact they removed their GM (sent to Detroit) and General Sales Manager (fired) and replaced them with no-nonsense broadcasters with an eye toward revenue. KPRC values an hour of time somewhere between $10-20K. If MDA can't cough that up, and of course they don't do that, then KPRC, under the new direction cannot carry it anymore. I totally agree that KHWB will most likely be the recipient of the Telethon in Houston under Tribunes direction and blessing.
> The station only carried about 8 hours of the telethon's
> second day anyway. Actually, I want to say they carried
> even less than that, from like 10:00am to 5:00pm on Labor
> Day. Anyone know how much they raised this past labor day?
>
> I imagine MDA demanded the station carry more hours or they
> would pull it completely. Joslyn said no, even if the MDA
> offered to pay for part of it. I know stations in other
> cities carry the show for almost the complete 21 hours (ie:
> WGN/Chicago. Though they time shift it an hour in order to
> broadcast their 9:00pm newscast).
>
> Maybe Tribune's KHWB-39 will pick it up and carry the
> complete broadcast.
>
> > http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ent/tv/3596483.html
> >
>
Post Newsweek (KPRC Owner) has a tremendous bottomline pressure on it right now. They have struggled with revenue over the past couple of years and the brass at PN are not too happy. In fact they removed their GM (sent to Detroit) and General Sales Manager (fired) and replaced them with no-nonsense broadcasters with an eye toward revenue. KPRC values an hour of time somewhere between $10-20K. If MDA can't cough that up, and of course they don't do that, then KPRC, under the new direction cannot carry it anymore. I totally agree that KHWB will most likely be the recipient of the Telethon in Houston under Tribunes direction and blessing.
M
Mediafrog
Guest
> Post Newsweek (KPRC Owner) has a tremendous bottomline
> pressure on it right now.
So does everybody. And the fact that the telethon takes place on Labor Day causes production costs to skyrocket (holiday pay for a big crew is a killer.)
> I totally agree that KHWB will most likely be the recipient of
> the Telethon in Houston under Tribunes direction and blessing.
Tribune's telethon experience at WGN would sure come into play here. KHWB has done the SPCA telethon for years, as well. Of course the impending new ownership at KTBU/55 might want to make a splash with this.
> pressure on it right now.
So does everybody. And the fact that the telethon takes place on Labor Day causes production costs to skyrocket (holiday pay for a big crew is a killer.)
> I totally agree that KHWB will most likely be the recipient of
> the Telethon in Houston under Tribunes direction and blessing.
Tribune's telethon experience at WGN would sure come into play here. KHWB has done the SPCA telethon for years, as well. Of course the impending new ownership at KTBU/55 might want to make a splash with this.
> > Post Newsweek (KPRC Owner) has a tremendous bottomline
> > pressure on it right now.
>
> So does everybody. And the fact that the telethon takes
> place on Labor Day causes production costs to skyrocket
> (holiday pay for a big crew is a killer.)
>
> > I totally agree that KHWB will most likely be the
> recipient of
> > the Telethon in Houston under Tribunes direction and
> blessing.
>
> Tribune's telethon experience at WGN would sure come into
> play here. KHWB has done the SPCA telethon for years, as
> well. Of course the impending new ownership at KTBU/55
> might want to make a splash with this.
>
If the (economic) pressures are so great industry wide, then I sure would like to know how small-market stations are able to carry the telethon in its entirity. In the Evansville, Ind. market, the NBC station, WFIE-14 (Liberty) has carried the telethon since its inception and in its entirity (or nearly, they may pre-empt for the Sunday 10:00pm news, I don't know for sure).
Their support for MDA is nearly year-round, but generally ramps up about mid-summer (after the Freedom Festival). The only support I saw in the 8-years I lived in Houston was promos for the telethon a day or two before Labor Day. Beyond that there was nothing much to indicate that KPRC was very supportive. Did they even do local pledge inserts this year?
Speaking of KPRC's economic situation...if they are serious about turning the station around (both economically and ratings-wise), they need to look no further than the news director's office. The news programming KPRC puts out is absolutely horrid. If I recall, Shafran joined the station at the same time Wasserman did. With Wasserman gone, maybe they're just waiting for the right time to dump her as well.
> > pressure on it right now.
>
> So does everybody. And the fact that the telethon takes
> place on Labor Day causes production costs to skyrocket
> (holiday pay for a big crew is a killer.)
>
> > I totally agree that KHWB will most likely be the
> recipient of
> > the Telethon in Houston under Tribunes direction and
> blessing.
>
> Tribune's telethon experience at WGN would sure come into
> play here. KHWB has done the SPCA telethon for years, as
> well. Of course the impending new ownership at KTBU/55
> might want to make a splash with this.
>
If the (economic) pressures are so great industry wide, then I sure would like to know how small-market stations are able to carry the telethon in its entirity. In the Evansville, Ind. market, the NBC station, WFIE-14 (Liberty) has carried the telethon since its inception and in its entirity (or nearly, they may pre-empt for the Sunday 10:00pm news, I don't know for sure).
Their support for MDA is nearly year-round, but generally ramps up about mid-summer (after the Freedom Festival). The only support I saw in the 8-years I lived in Houston was promos for the telethon a day or two before Labor Day. Beyond that there was nothing much to indicate that KPRC was very supportive. Did they even do local pledge inserts this year?
Speaking of KPRC's economic situation...if they are serious about turning the station around (both economically and ratings-wise), they need to look no further than the news director's office. The news programming KPRC puts out is absolutely horrid. If I recall, Shafran joined the station at the same time Wasserman did. With Wasserman gone, maybe they're just waiting for the right time to dump her as well.
> > > Post Newsweek (KPRC Owner) has a tremendous bottomline
> > > pressure on it right now.
> >
> > So does everybody. And the fact that the telethon takes
> > place on Labor Day causes production costs to skyrocket
> > (holiday pay for a big crew is a killer.)
> >
> > > I totally agree that KHWB will most likely be the
> > recipient of
> > > the Telethon in Houston under Tribunes direction and
> > blessing.
> >
> > Tribune's telethon experience at WGN would sure come into
> > play here. KHWB has done the SPCA telethon for years, as
> > well. Of course the impending new ownership at KTBU/55
> > might want to make a splash with this.
> >
>
> If the (economic) pressures are so great industry wide, then
> I sure would like to know how small-market stations are able
> to carry the telethon in its entirity. In the Evansville,
> Ind. market, the NBC station, WFIE-14 (Liberty) has carried
> the telethon since its inception and in its entirity (or
> nearly, they may pre-empt for the Sunday 10:00pm news, I
> don't know for sure).
>
> Their support for MDA is nearly year-round, but generally
> ramps up about mid-summer (after the Freedom Festival). The
> only support I saw in the 8-years I lived in Houston was
> promos for the telethon a day or two before Labor Day.
> Beyond that there was nothing much to indicate that KPRC was
> very supportive. Did they even do local pledge inserts this
> year?
>
> Speaking of KPRC's economic situation...if they are serious
> about turning the station around (both economically and
> ratings-wise), they need to look no further than the news
> director's office. The news programming KPRC puts out is
> absolutely horrid. If I recall, Shafran joined the station
> at the same time Wasserman did. With Wasserman gone, maybe
> they're just waiting for the right time to dump her as well.
>
Shafran is in an unsavory position. That's for sure. It's probably just a matter of time before they show her the door. Hiring Jerome Gray was a good first step in their recovery, but they do have a long way to go. As for small market stations, they are generally not owned by the big corporate entities and are not really subjected to the pressures of stockholders. Many small or tightly held private broadcast groups and stations still operate like the big market stations did 20+ years ago. They aren't held to 40-50% profit margins at any cost. Some years they make 50% and other years they may only make 20%. In either case they make money and their employees are generally happy and make decent livings. It's funny that when the big corps come in and buy these stations, layoffs happen, perks go away and morale sinks, thus the stations falls apart in both revenue and ratings. You can find dozens of examples of this, particularly in certain broadcast companies like Sinclair, Fox, CBS, Post-Newsweek and others. There are exceptions. ABC and NBC take care of their people and tries to maintain morale and benefits. Some of these companies need to read up on the biggest value to their organizations---people. I left broadcast TV after 15 years in 2000 for this reason. I now have my own company. Although I have few employees, they are the best assets in my company and we are growing at a steady rate and we're all happy.
> > > pressure on it right now.
> >
> > So does everybody. And the fact that the telethon takes
> > place on Labor Day causes production costs to skyrocket
> > (holiday pay for a big crew is a killer.)
> >
> > > I totally agree that KHWB will most likely be the
> > recipient of
> > > the Telethon in Houston under Tribunes direction and
> > blessing.
> >
> > Tribune's telethon experience at WGN would sure come into
> > play here. KHWB has done the SPCA telethon for years, as
> > well. Of course the impending new ownership at KTBU/55
> > might want to make a splash with this.
> >
>
> If the (economic) pressures are so great industry wide, then
> I sure would like to know how small-market stations are able
> to carry the telethon in its entirity. In the Evansville,
> Ind. market, the NBC station, WFIE-14 (Liberty) has carried
> the telethon since its inception and in its entirity (or
> nearly, they may pre-empt for the Sunday 10:00pm news, I
> don't know for sure).
>
> Their support for MDA is nearly year-round, but generally
> ramps up about mid-summer (after the Freedom Festival). The
> only support I saw in the 8-years I lived in Houston was
> promos for the telethon a day or two before Labor Day.
> Beyond that there was nothing much to indicate that KPRC was
> very supportive. Did they even do local pledge inserts this
> year?
>
> Speaking of KPRC's economic situation...if they are serious
> about turning the station around (both economically and
> ratings-wise), they need to look no further than the news
> director's office. The news programming KPRC puts out is
> absolutely horrid. If I recall, Shafran joined the station
> at the same time Wasserman did. With Wasserman gone, maybe
> they're just waiting for the right time to dump her as well.
>
Shafran is in an unsavory position. That's for sure. It's probably just a matter of time before they show her the door. Hiring Jerome Gray was a good first step in their recovery, but they do have a long way to go. As for small market stations, they are generally not owned by the big corporate entities and are not really subjected to the pressures of stockholders. Many small or tightly held private broadcast groups and stations still operate like the big market stations did 20+ years ago. They aren't held to 40-50% profit margins at any cost. Some years they make 50% and other years they may only make 20%. In either case they make money and their employees are generally happy and make decent livings. It's funny that when the big corps come in and buy these stations, layoffs happen, perks go away and morale sinks, thus the stations falls apart in both revenue and ratings. You can find dozens of examples of this, particularly in certain broadcast companies like Sinclair, Fox, CBS, Post-Newsweek and others. There are exceptions. ABC and NBC take care of their people and tries to maintain morale and benefits. Some of these companies need to read up on the biggest value to their organizations---people. I left broadcast TV after 15 years in 2000 for this reason. I now have my own company. Although I have few employees, they are the best assets in my company and we are growing at a steady rate and we're all happy.
>In the Evansville,
> Ind. market, the NBC station, WFIE-14 (Liberty) has carried
> the telethon since its inception and in its entirity (or
> nearly, they may pre-empt for the Sunday 10:00pm news, I
> don't know for sure).
>
> Their support for MDA is nearly year-round, but generally
> ramps up about mid-summer
That's how it was with channel 2 and the MDA when the station was under the Hobby family's ownership. MDA fundraising was a year-round activity, and Ron Stone, Doug Johnson, et al were on the air along with the national feed from 8pm Sunday till 6pm Monday.
> Ind. market, the NBC station, WFIE-14 (Liberty) has carried
> the telethon since its inception and in its entirity (or
> nearly, they may pre-empt for the Sunday 10:00pm news, I
> don't know for sure).
>
> Their support for MDA is nearly year-round, but generally
> ramps up about mid-summer
That's how it was with channel 2 and the MDA when the station was under the Hobby family's ownership. MDA fundraising was a year-round activity, and Ron Stone, Doug Johnson, et al were on the air along with the national feed from 8pm Sunday till 6pm Monday.
> I don't really think its that big of a loss, to be honest.
> The station only carried about 8 hours of the telethon's
> second day anyway. Actually, I want to say they carried
> even less than that, from like 10:00am to 5:00pm on Labor
> Day. Anyone know how much they raised this past labor day?
>
> I imagine MDA demanded the station carry more hours or they
> would pull it completely. Joslyn said no, even if the MDA
> offered to pay for part of it. I know stations in other
> cities carry the show for almost the complete 21 hours (ie:
> WGN/Chicago. Though they time shift it an hour in order to
> broadcast their 9:00pm newscast).
>
> Maybe Tribune's KHWB-39 will pick it up and carry the
> complete broadcast.
>
> > http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ent/tv/3596483.html
> >
>
It seems to be a growing trend. My local ABC station, WTVD/11
Raleigh/Durham (sister to KTRK), dropped the telethon and now
carries a golf tournament from ABC on Labor Day afternoon.
WAGA/5, Fox in Atlanta, also gave it up, as, I believe, did
WNYW/5 New York when it went to Fox. In Charlotte, WAXN/64
shows about as much, if not more, of the telethon as WSOC/9,
which had it for years. (Maybe some of you can add to this.)
It's also getting harder to find
stations carrying the telethon on Sunday night. Indeed, I
wonder if the telethon will even continue when Jerry Lewis
(who turns 80 this year) is no longer with us.
How much do KXAS and KSAT show now?<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by bpatrick on 02/03/06 03:45 PM.</FONT></P>
> The station only carried about 8 hours of the telethon's
> second day anyway. Actually, I want to say they carried
> even less than that, from like 10:00am to 5:00pm on Labor
> Day. Anyone know how much they raised this past labor day?
>
> I imagine MDA demanded the station carry more hours or they
> would pull it completely. Joslyn said no, even if the MDA
> offered to pay for part of it. I know stations in other
> cities carry the show for almost the complete 21 hours (ie:
> WGN/Chicago. Though they time shift it an hour in order to
> broadcast their 9:00pm newscast).
>
> Maybe Tribune's KHWB-39 will pick it up and carry the
> complete broadcast.
>
> > http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ent/tv/3596483.html
> >
>
It seems to be a growing trend. My local ABC station, WTVD/11
Raleigh/Durham (sister to KTRK), dropped the telethon and now
carries a golf tournament from ABC on Labor Day afternoon.
WAGA/5, Fox in Atlanta, also gave it up, as, I believe, did
WNYW/5 New York when it went to Fox. In Charlotte, WAXN/64
shows about as much, if not more, of the telethon as WSOC/9,
which had it for years. (Maybe some of you can add to this.)
It's also getting harder to find
stations carrying the telethon on Sunday night. Indeed, I
wonder if the telethon will even continue when Jerry Lewis
(who turns 80 this year) is no longer with us.
How much do KXAS and KSAT show now?<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by bpatrick on 02/03/06 03:45 PM.</FONT></P>
> It's also getting harder to find
> stations carrying the telethon on Sunday night.
In Tampa Bay's case, the complete telethon aired when it appeared on WTOG in the 1970s and early-1980s, WTSP from 1984 to 1994, and WFTS from 1995 to 1998, breaking only for the 11PM news. Then in 1999, WFTS delayed the telethon until 10PM, to make room for ABC's "Millionaire" at 9PM. In 2000, the telerthon started after the 11PM news. And soon afterward (around 2003), it began on Labor Day after "Good Morning America".
(In 2004, WFTS relegated the telethon to its digital feed, due to Hurricane Frances.)
In 2005, the telethon not only started at 9AM on Labor Day, but was pre-empted in the afternoon for golf. The last two hours were tape-delayed, ending at 8PM.
If it was seen on an independent station, or an affiliate of UPN or WB, it would've been seen in its entirety.
> Indeed, I
> wonder if the telethon will even continue when Jerry Lewis
> (who turns 80 this year) is no longer with us.
I would be intersting to see what happens, since there isn't anyone popular that's of the same quality as Jerry. He always promised that the telethon will continue until a cure is found, but will the death of Jerry Lewis change things?
> stations carrying the telethon on Sunday night.
In Tampa Bay's case, the complete telethon aired when it appeared on WTOG in the 1970s and early-1980s, WTSP from 1984 to 1994, and WFTS from 1995 to 1998, breaking only for the 11PM news. Then in 1999, WFTS delayed the telethon until 10PM, to make room for ABC's "Millionaire" at 9PM. In 2000, the telerthon started after the 11PM news. And soon afterward (around 2003), it began on Labor Day after "Good Morning America".
(In 2004, WFTS relegated the telethon to its digital feed, due to Hurricane Frances.)
In 2005, the telethon not only started at 9AM on Labor Day, but was pre-empted in the afternoon for golf. The last two hours were tape-delayed, ending at 8PM.
If it was seen on an independent station, or an affiliate of UPN or WB, it would've been seen in its entirety.
> Indeed, I
> wonder if the telethon will even continue when Jerry Lewis
> (who turns 80 this year) is no longer with us.
I would be intersting to see what happens, since there isn't anyone popular that's of the same quality as Jerry. He always promised that the telethon will continue until a cure is found, but will the death of Jerry Lewis change things?
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