Listening to KNX tonight it sounds so good, tight, professional and authoritative much like WEEI 590 sounded. In comparsion WBZ news programming sounds old, out of date, frumpy and lackluster. I realize WBZ is the ancestor of the old Group W mindset. What is its excuse when compared to 1010 WINS, KFWB sounded great, never like WBZ when they were all news.
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KNX compared to WBZ
- Thread starter chrish
- Start date
I want to clairify my KNX/WBZ comments, I am not talking about the on air talent, they have some great people, I am talking about the stodgy presentation.
KNX has great pacing and style. WBZ sounds like it belongs in a city in the old South where things move a bit slow and sounds of 1985.
Recently WBZ-TV news did a complete over haul and it looks great up to date and projects and flows 2012 not 1988.
WBZ radio sounds as has no life in it, slow and uninteresting unlike the pacing at KNX which has a nice up to date contemporary
flow and feel to it.
KNX has great pacing and style. WBZ sounds like it belongs in a city in the old South where things move a bit slow and sounds of 1985.
Recently WBZ-TV news did a complete over haul and it looks great up to date and projects and flows 2012 not 1988.
WBZ radio sounds as has no life in it, slow and uninteresting unlike the pacing at KNX which has a nice up to date contemporary
flow and feel to it.
I've been hesitant to say this, but I think WBZ's news programming has seen better days. Traffic reports when there is no traffic (because of the sponsorship), weather reports from people in Pennsylvania who can't pronounce their profession, mindless recorded features from CBS, rehashing of the previous day's sports, endless commercials, and frankly, very little "news". I think WEEI 590 in its heyday did a better job. They must be doing something right, though, because the ratings are holding up. Maybe I'm just getting old.
I don't have much criticism of what they are doing overall but will say the Joe Mathieu was a good addition in the morning. He has enthusiasm and brings a lot to the morning.
For traffic "when there is no traffic". You kind of have to do that or people will think you aren't covering traffic at those hours. It's nice to know that traffic is lite when leaving for someplace - and a lot of times there is construction or other problems causing delays.
WINS seems to be more straight news and not as many features mixed in. They are in a city with 9x or 10x the population of Boston so there is more going on, though. My take is that WBZ is more comparable to WCBS.
For traffic "when there is no traffic". You kind of have to do that or people will think you aren't covering traffic at those hours. It's nice to know that traffic is lite when leaving for someplace - and a lot of times there is construction or other problems causing delays.
WINS seems to be more straight news and not as many features mixed in. They are in a city with 9x or 10x the population of Boston so there is more going on, though. My take is that WBZ is more comparable to WCBS.
I would be happy with "there are no significant traffic delays to report...now back to the news" at 7 AM on Sunday morning, instead of "93 is free and clear, Route 1 is free and clear, Route 3 is free and clear, Route 2 is free and clear...." etc. etc. for what seems an eternity.
I remember the good old days when WEEI, WRKO(WNAC), WHDH, and WBZ all had copters buzzing around inside 128, and WHDH had a fixed-wing plane for further out. They would pop in immediately if there was an accident causing a jam-up, not wait until the 3's.
Like I said. I probably am just getting like my parents and remembering the good old days too much. ;D
I remember the good old days when WEEI, WRKO(WNAC), WHDH, and WBZ all had copters buzzing around inside 128, and WHDH had a fixed-wing plane for further out. They would pop in immediately if there was an accident causing a jam-up, not wait until the 3's.
Like I said. I probably am just getting like my parents and remembering the good old days too much. ;D
Considering WBZ was part of the Westinghouse stable, I wonder why it didn't move toward a more WINS-presentation?
Why not do a 20 minute cycle instead of only hitting the top stories every half-hour? Why not crisper writing? Why not the tele-type machine in the background to distinguish WBZ as "The News Station" instead of another AM Talk station?
Gregg
[email protected]
Why not do a 20 minute cycle instead of only hitting the top stories every half-hour? Why not crisper writing? Why not the tele-type machine in the background to distinguish WBZ as "The News Station" instead of another AM Talk station?
Gregg
[email protected]
Well, I guess that hits the nail on the head - no else in Boston even has a news dept. No competition so they can do what they want.
WRKO at least used to try but now they just contract it out - and look how the rating have responded.
I think to have the volume of stories as say a WINS they would need to put more reporters in the suburbs and do more obscure stories which come up in each town - but that may not appeal to the masses and could be a tune out factor.
WRKO at least used to try but now they just contract it out - and look how the rating have responded.
I think to have the volume of stories as say a WINS they would need to put more reporters in the suburbs and do more obscure stories which come up in each town - but that may not appeal to the masses and could be a tune out factor.
Ned hit the nail on the head partially with the MOR presentation but there is more to it than that, I was out in the car late afternoon today and listened to WCBS and WINS and both have a very distinct lively technical sound to the microphone audio, the same that KNX has and is very pleasing to the ear.
An analogy might be to describe KNX, WCBS and WINS as Gisele Bundchen and WBZ as Jessica Fletcher or Aunt Bee.
An analogy might be to describe KNX, WCBS and WINS as Gisele Bundchen and WBZ as Jessica Fletcher or Aunt Bee.
WBZ doesn't present all-news radio in the classic sense of the word. It presents a series of half hour news programs. At least it's not as bad as WEEI was in the pizza days when it actually presented an exercise program on the radio. The height of all-news in the market was when CBS had a mess of people with specialized beats on the street and John Lynker in AM drive with Nathan or Lee. Of course those were the days before repeating what you just heard on the scanner, unverified, counted as news, and when nobody would ever say "more details as they become available"
Anyone else remember when Papa Gino's bought WEEI, mid mornings they had a woman name Lottie Mendhelson who would do hour long dissertations on such things as kitchen blenders, what an embarrassment. She also had the habit of pronouncing Mercedes Benz as Merceedis Benz which drove me nuts as much as my Grandmother in St Petersburg who would say we are taking a cruise from Miama instead of Miami.
I was told from a reliable source at WEEI that Mr. Papa Gino awoke one morning (out of a daze?)came into station screaming at the PD saying WTF happend to my all news radio station....He must have really been asleep at the switch while the mess was being created.....or paying more attention to Papa Gino's which was excellent in those days. They at the time made the best hamburger I have ever tasted. When the new owners came in afraid ofJack in the Box e-coli 57 problem at Jack in the Box replaced them with pre cooked hockey pucks.
I was told from a reliable source at WEEI that Mr. Papa Gino awoke one morning (out of a daze?)came into station screaming at the PD saying WTF happend to my all news radio station....He must have really been asleep at the switch while the mess was being created.....or paying more attention to Papa Gino's which was excellent in those days. They at the time made the best hamburger I have ever tasted. When the new owners came in afraid ofJack in the Box e-coli 57 problem at Jack in the Box replaced them with pre cooked hockey pucks.
WBZ is one of the crappiest " All News" stations I have been stuck with 
First of all, All News would be a term for a 24 hour news operation, not for daytime only.
I'm not going to get into an argument of splitting hairs and semantics about the difference between AllNews,and a talk station with an long news block, I don't have the patience or the desire to get into it with some of the board savants.
CBS just put together an all news station WNEW in DC to compete with WTOP.
Merlin is challenging the two other heritage news stations ( 3 if you include WBBR) in NYC, and WBBM in Chicago.
And I presume that KYW in Philly will have new competition in an all newser on 106.9 a former Family station, now owned by Merlin.
2 All news stations in Philadelphia, for god sake!
I realize that Boston still has cavemen and women in loin cloths, as well as puritans who send the city home and roll up the sidewalks at midnight, but how different is Boston than Philadelphia? Really!?
And don't even think about telling me that running a live 24 hour news operation is too expensive, if you have news 12-14 hours a day then you can jump to 24.
CBS and Merlin have deep pockets, and are starting News stations
Just how pathetic is news on the radio here?
You Never get news reports on Sports radio, ever in Boston
I've had to call *1030 repeatedly just to get a traffic report on the weekends, and on the so -called " News" station, just a time check is scarce at night.
WBZ morphs into a right wing, low intelligence, call in show at night airing the same people that fall asleep in the left lane of rt. 2, and plow into stores mistaking the gas for the brakes.
There are too many "paid" programs during prime hours, and the news and time checks late at night are from files that were recorded earlier. Gary LaPierre still does time checks!
I say why dig up some time checks from David Brudnoy, Dave Maynard,Norm Nathan and Jess Cain! ( I know Jess Cain was on WHDH, but the listeners won't notice)
By the way, WEEI suffered with a lousy signal on 590, and not the best news product.
If CBS won't drop the talk at night and replace it with news, then maybe Merlin can buy a strong signaled FMer here and create a start up an all newser.
My idea is CBS should blow up their least rated Boston FMer, ( not 98.5), and simulcast WBZ during the day on it, and continue with live, local news, while WBZ 1030 does it's talk thing at night.
My point is, Boston needs and deserves news the minute you want it, because we currently don't have it. Boston is a news desert
First of all, All News would be a term for a 24 hour news operation, not for daytime only.
I'm not going to get into an argument of splitting hairs and semantics about the difference between AllNews,and a talk station with an long news block, I don't have the patience or the desire to get into it with some of the board savants.
CBS just put together an all news station WNEW in DC to compete with WTOP.
Merlin is challenging the two other heritage news stations ( 3 if you include WBBR) in NYC, and WBBM in Chicago.
And I presume that KYW in Philly will have new competition in an all newser on 106.9 a former Family station, now owned by Merlin.
2 All news stations in Philadelphia, for god sake!
I realize that Boston still has cavemen and women in loin cloths, as well as puritans who send the city home and roll up the sidewalks at midnight, but how different is Boston than Philadelphia? Really!?
And don't even think about telling me that running a live 24 hour news operation is too expensive, if you have news 12-14 hours a day then you can jump to 24.
CBS and Merlin have deep pockets, and are starting News stations
Just how pathetic is news on the radio here?
You Never get news reports on Sports radio, ever in Boston
I've had to call *1030 repeatedly just to get a traffic report on the weekends, and on the so -called " News" station, just a time check is scarce at night.
WBZ morphs into a right wing, low intelligence, call in show at night airing the same people that fall asleep in the left lane of rt. 2, and plow into stores mistaking the gas for the brakes.
There are too many "paid" programs during prime hours, and the news and time checks late at night are from files that were recorded earlier. Gary LaPierre still does time checks!
I say why dig up some time checks from David Brudnoy, Dave Maynard,Norm Nathan and Jess Cain! ( I know Jess Cain was on WHDH, but the listeners won't notice)
By the way, WEEI suffered with a lousy signal on 590, and not the best news product.
If CBS won't drop the talk at night and replace it with news, then maybe Merlin can buy a strong signaled FMer here and create a start up an all newser.
My idea is CBS should blow up their least rated Boston FMer, ( not 98.5), and simulcast WBZ during the day on it, and continue with live, local news, while WBZ 1030 does it's talk thing at night.
My point is, Boston needs and deserves news the minute you want it, because we currently don't have it. Boston is a news desert
whdh1920 said:
How about picking-up WBZZ-FM's calls from sister Pittsburgh station?
Promises of "all news radio" or "all news channels on TV" usually don't mean entirely all-news. Look at
WBZ, with some talk shows; NECN, which has some sports, real estate, dining, business, talk etc.; or
CNN headline news with gossip and talk shows. I think NECN's slogan is "the news you need is on
right now". Really? Maybe scrolling at the bottom of the screen, as a show on dining airs. Yes, there's a need to
cover news at night and overnight, but "alleged all news stations" on radio or TV might run something
else. So should WBZ get rid of Rea and Leveille etc and run news all the time? Or should they perhaps
simulcast the 11 pm newscast?
The newswatch never stops but it sure is scarce during some times of the day. Perhaps they figure
you're home and watching news on TV instead--and if you do want news there are those
scant top of the hour headlines on 1030.
WBZ, with some talk shows; NECN, which has some sports, real estate, dining, business, talk etc.; or
CNN headline news with gossip and talk shows. I think NECN's slogan is "the news you need is on
right now". Really? Maybe scrolling at the bottom of the screen, as a show on dining airs. Yes, there's a need to
cover news at night and overnight, but "alleged all news stations" on radio or TV might run something
else. So should WBZ get rid of Rea and Leveille etc and run news all the time? Or should they perhaps
simulcast the 11 pm newscast?
The newswatch never stops but it sure is scarce during some times of the day. Perhaps they figure
you're home and watching news on TV instead--and if you do want news there are those
scant top of the hour headlines on 1030.
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