Is KYW Running Pre-Recorded News Overnight?

[davideduardo]

I'm not sure how you'd be alerting advertisers. You owe them the spots per the contract. It's not up to an advertiser to be listening and paying attention when you happen to make such an announcement. If you even had a paid spot in that period, basic business dictates you advise the advertiser of the scheduled down time with a plan for the make good.

If a station includes the full schedule in the invoicing, then they know when the spots ran. Otherwise, they are certifying that all spots ran in the contracted dayparts, even if some were rescheduled.

 

[gr8oldies]

Most 24 hour stations have auxiliary transmitters. Unless there is work on the ATU or phasor, then there is no need to go off the air.

Few stations ever have had overnight advertisers. (It would be an interesting thread to cover any exceptions, such as the Dolly Holiday show for the motel chain). I suspect that they thought that by doing those announcements they were enhancing the idea that KYW was always there with the news.

I pass one of WLW's long-ago advertisers for the overnight Truckin' Bozo show on trips between Tennessee and Ohio, the BP Auto Truck Stop at exit 41.

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

Right. So airing announcements of a maintenance window isn’t for advertisers.

 

[HGN2001]

Most large radio stations have traffic systems that account for every aired spot time. They're called ETA's or Exact Time Affidavits. The system's automation unit records the start time of every event so the exact times are as correct as the automation system's clock.

 

[KMan]

Would be cool for a network to offer live, night/overnight news programming. Maybe 10pm to 7am to cover both east and west coast stations. Make it generic and take one affiliate per market. Would definitely work....but not sure if it would make money.

AP All News Radio was that product (though it ran around the clock). It was excellent, but was the first to go as the AP began to drawn down their radio operation (which is just a skeleton of its former self).

Overnights were anchored in the early 2000s by Camille Bohannon and Sandy Kozel, two excellent news broadcasters.

 

[SarahB98]

Unless they're doing transmitter maintenance.

Speaking of which, when was the last time Philly's 1060 signed off for transmitter maintenance?

It's been a few years since I heard (approximating this quote) "This programming note: KYW will be signing off at 1 am this coming Monday morning for transmitter maintenance. KYW will return to the air four hours later at 5 am Monday morning." I'd hear that announcement several times during the week leading up to the temporary shutdown every time, but it's been a few years since I heard it. Why did KY' see it necessary to air multiple alerts re the pending shutdown so far ahead? To alert wee hours advertisers?

ixnay

Or daytime only radio stations. A 10 second KYW ad aired before the sign off for WVCH in the 60s.

 

[TheBigA]

I notice today that Entercom's KMOX has added an FM simulcast (although on a translator), and they've replaced news in afternoon drive with a talk show. I wonder how long it will be before we see more of that at other Entercom news stations, such as KYW?

https://news.****************/cgi-bin/rol.exe/headline_id=n40188

 

[JBraddock]

I notice today that Entercom's KMOX has added an FM simulcast (although on a translator), and they've replaced news in afternoon drive with a talk show. I wonder how long it will be before we see more of that at other Entercom news stations, such as KYW?

KMOX is a heritage talk station with news blocks. Very different from KYW which has been all news for 55 years. Also, Entercom isn't going to create competition to its own WPHT in the talk format.

 

[TheBigA]

Also, Entercom isn't going to create competition to its own WPHT in the talk format.

Entercom also owns KFTK, an all talk station in St. Louis. So by moving a talk show to KMOX, they've created competition with themselves.

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

KMOX is a heritage talk station with news blocks. Very different from KYW which has been all news for 55 years. Also, Entercom isn't going to create competition to its own WPHT in the talk format.

The approach, purely hypothetically could make a world of difference. If you grow the total audience you reach, that’s the win. A net loss…no, of course. But if there’s a scenario where you gain revenue, wouldn’t you look at that?

 

[ixnay]

Speaking of KYW's future, what happened to Julius, our favorite speculator regarding said station's future?

ixnay

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

Sssssshhhhhhhh

 

[JBraddock]

Entercom also owns KFTK, an all talk station in St. Louis. So by moving a talk show to KMOX, they've created competition with themselves.

But KMOX is a heritage talk station that has some news blocks; adding talk to KYW would be a format change and would represent new competition to WPHT, which isn't exactly setting the world on fire 6+ share-wise. For that reason, it seems unlikely, outside of being a desperate budget-saving move.