Denver KOA Ends All-News Morning Show

[Gregg.]

KOA 850 and 94.1 translators will be going with a personality morning show beginning Monday, Nov. 3. Ross Kaminsky, the 9 a.m. host will switch to 6 a.m. The morning host on co-owned 630 KHOW, Former FEMA Director Michael Brown, will take the 9 to noon slot.

This is sad. KOA's morning news block was quite good. Traffic and weather every ten minutes, lots of news, good reporting, good anchors. Unfortunately a few months ago, one of the morning anchors, Marty Lenz, was let go in a round of iHeart layoffs. Co-anchor Deana Gondek remains. Denver might not be a big enough market to have an all-news station but at least it had an all-news morning block. No more.

So Gondek will do an all-news hour at 5 a.m. Then Kaminsky at 6 and Brown at 9. I'm not sure about Kaminsky's politics but Brown is a conservative as a former Bush appointee. iHeart has not one, not two but three talk stations in Denver. You'd think they'd keep KOA focused on news and sports and non-partisan discussion, leaving KHOW and KDFD as the conservative outlets.

 

[Mark Roberts]

Already under discussion: https://radiodiscussions.com/threads/marty-lenz-gone-from-koa.778290/

(And Lenz's departure was toward the start of October, not "a few months ago")

Also related: https://radiodiscussions.com/threads/news-anchor-pat-woodard-retires-from-koa.778481/

And also (as part of another thread): https://radiodiscussions.com/threads/kfbk-news-has-given-up.778302/post-6850746 (et seq.)

I would not characterize KOA's talk programming as "nonpartisan". I would characterize it as out of tune with what the major population centers of Colorado have become.

 

[TheBigA]

As I said in the KHOW thread, this appears to be a trend at iHeart news/talkers around the country. A similar thing happened at KFBK in Sacramento. The straight news approach requires more staffing. Replacing it with talk tends to improve TSL. People listen longer because the host says things that holds audience attention. Straight news doesn't typically do that.

So for the time being, there's a hold in the morning schedule at KHOW.

 

[bmasters1981]

KOA 850 and 94.1 translators will be going with a personality morning show beginning Monday, Nov. 3. Ross Kaminsky, the 9 a.m. host will switch to 6 a.m. The morning host on co-owned 630 KHOW, Former FEMA Director Michael Brown, will take the 9 to noon slot.

This is sad. KOA's morning news block was quite good. Traffic and weather every ten minutes, lots of news, good reporting, good anchors. Unfortunately a few months ago, one of the morning anchors, Marty Lenz, was let go in a round of iHeart layoffs. Co-anchor Deana Gondek remains. Denver might not be a big enough market to have an all-news station but at least it had an all-news morning block. No more.

So Gondek will do an all-news hour at 5 a.m. Then Kaminsky at 6 and Brown at 9. I'm not sure about Kaminsky's politics but Brown is a conservative as a former Bush appointee. iHeart has not one, not two but three talk stations in Denver. You'd think they'd keep KOA focused on news and sports and non-partisan discussion, leaving KHOW and KDFD as the conservative outlets.

All this, precisely why I like to listen to the old-time actual news radio where it exists on YouTube in airchecks-- as I've lately put it, "new news is no news" (especially the kind of "news" that is no more than outrageous talk radio [which sells, sadly]).

 

[Mark Roberts]

All this, precisely why I like to listen to the old-time actual news radio where it exists on YouTube in airchecks-- as I've lately put it, "new news is no news" (especially the kind of "news" that is no more than outrageous talk radio [which sells, sadly]).

To be fair, KOA (and KHOW) newscasts actually seem to be fairly free of bias. The newscasts are usually so short that it's almost impossible to slant them. It's the talk programming that has a slant...not as pronounced as on KDFD but still there. Also, to be fair, I'll grant that Ross Kaminsky is able to interview more liberal-leaning people in a way that comes across as giving them a fair hearing. But when it's just him talking, you can tell he's rightward-leaning. That might play well out in Kit Carson or Lincoln or Morgan County, but how many spots is KOA going to sell there?

 

[KilowattKat]

I'm not sure if those newscasts even come out of Denver, unless Total Traffic has a regional hub in Denver. This is possibly another reason for the elimination of a morning news block...lack of a local news staff.

 

[TheBigA]

That might play well out in Kit Carson or Lincoln or Morgan County, but how many spots is KOA going to sell there?

It might explain why KOA gets such bad ratings. But that's what AM talk radio does today, even in solidly blue cities.

You can probably guess what the demos look like.

 

[Mark Roberts]

It might explain why KOA gets such bad ratings. But that's what AM talk radio does today, even in solidly blue cities.

KOA's FM translators also have coverage problems, even though they're running in mono, which is appropriate for the programming. The Golden translator runs into interference from an LPFM in Aurora about a couple of miles east of downtown. Aurora is a little more conservative than Denver, but if you want to hear KOA there, you have to go to the AM signal. As for the Boulder translator, let's just say that Boulder is a pretty good approximation of Berkeley with a sports obsession tacked on. KOA would get listeners there for CU football games but not for the talk programming.

iHeart seems reluctant to have full-power FM simulcasts of its AM talk stations and I'm not sure even that would help them here. Content is the basic problem; iHeart's cookie-cutter formulas don't land well here. iHeart either can't or won't expend the resources necessary for a solid news presence.

Colorado Public Radio could clean up if they wanted to, à la KQED. CPR's news coverage is very good, but it has a statewide focus, so Denver news sometimes is de-emphasized (though still reported on its Denverite website which is not well integrated with the other CPR online properties; I'm told that they use entirely separate content management systems!)...and features tend to run very, very long, the way they did on NPR in the 1970s and 1980s. Moreover, public radio just doesn't do spot news. There's an opening that a commercial operator could exploit, but I think it's unlikely due to a poor short-term return on investment.

 

[TheBigA]

iHeart either can't or won't expend the resources necessary for a solid news presence.

The money just isn't there anymore. The only market I know where they're running a traditional news station is Boston, and it's with the station they inherited from CBS/Westinghouse. It's AM with no translators and does very well in 6+. But even there, they've had to cut back on field reporting and anchors.

I've said this elsewhere: iHeart knows the future isn't in broadcasting. Their digital revenue is catching up to broadcasting. It may exceed it by next year.

 

[Mark Roberts]

The money just isn't there anymore.

Yet they're able to spend money on sports. I'm sure Broncos broadcast rights don't come cheap, just to name an example.

There's a downward spiral: iHeart does a mediocre job with news, listeners gradually peel away, ultimately resulting in less advertising revenue, and down the drain it swirls. Unfortunately, it's too late to reverse course now. If only Audacy had gotten a hold of KOA somehow, and I say this being fully aware of Audacy's problems.

Someone here, I forget who, once said that iHeart's strategy is one of managing decline. That in itself is a self-fulfilling way of looking to the future.

I've said this elsewhere: iHeart knows the future isn't in broadcasting. Their digital revenue is catching up to broadcasting. It may exceed it by next year.

The stations really have become just a promotional tool for iHeartRadio and associated events.

 

[tvnut]

Gregg. wrote: "The morning host on co-owned 630 KHOW, Former FEMA Director Michael Brown, will take the 9 to noon slot."

I'd heard Brownie was doing a heck of a job.

 

[TheBigA]

Yet they're able to spend money on sports. I'm sure Broncos broadcast rights don't come cheap, just to name an example.

This is true in market after market. Sports on radio makes money. The Broncos have a sellable brand. I bet most of the money the station makes comes from sports.

There's a downward spiral: iHeart does a mediocre job with news, listeners gradually peel away, ultimately resulting in less advertising revenue, and down the drain it swirls.

The fact is that they can do the absolute best job covering news, and it won't matter. The law of diminishing returns applies. It's on AM with a weak translator, and the audience is getting the news it needs from other places. KOA is concentrating its money on its personalities. Just like KFI.

If only Audacy had gotten a hold of KOA somehow, and I say this being fully aware of Audacy's problems.

Audacy owns "newsradio" KRLD Dallas, and they're doing a very similar thing there, adding conservative talk throughout the day.

The stations really have become just a promotional tool for iHeartRadio and associated events.

That's the future of radio.

 

[radiofan2023]

If only Audacy had gotten a hold of KOA somehow, and I say this being fully aware of Audacy's problems.

What do you think Audacy would have done or does differently with their talk and sports stations?

 

[Mark Roberts]

This is true in market after market. Sports on radio makes money. The Broncos have a sellable brand.

Even the sports programming has had cutbacks, by the way.

The fact is that they can do the absolute best job covering news, and it won't matter.

I think it would have, had it been done in time. It's too late now. iHeart just doesn't understand news and doesn't understand that, just because you have something that sounds like news, that people will go for it. People needed to have a reason to listen.

The law of diminishing returns applies. It's on AM with a weak translator, and the audience is getting the news it needs from other places.

I'm going to call bs on that last piece. Where are they going to get that news? A CPR website that seems to be an afterthought? A daily newspaper that's been stripped for parts by a hedge fund? TV stations that are being bought and sold like hog bellies?...and, sure, KUSA is still probably the best operation in the city but that's under threat due to the proposed Nexstar acquisition of Tegna. We may soon be down to Nextdoor posts and Facebook pages of dubious reliability.

I gather that you're all about expediency and not much about purpose but, come on, what good is any of this doing anybody? It's not quite a news desert, at least not yet, but the air is getting awfully damn dry.

KOA is concentrating its money on its personalities. Just like KFI.

If KOA had done news with intent and purpose, their newscasters would have been personalities, too.

 

[Mark Roberts]

What do you think Audacy would have done or does differently with their talk and sports stations?

Less political. More time for news. And, of course, they still are dominant in all-news or in talk with strong news operations.

 

[TheBigA]

I'm going to call bs on that last piece. Where are they going to get that news?

I get all my news from the internet. And I work in radio. Where do you think the news people in radio get their news?

There are lots of other places for news besides radio. TV is another, but it's also declining. It's all on my phone.

I gather that you're all about expediency and not much about purpose but, come on, what good is any of this doing anybody? It's not quite a news desert, at least not yet, but the air is getting awfully damn dry.

The people made their decision about this long before the cutbacks. The people stopped listening, the ad money went away, and that meant less money for staff. Those of us who follow the trends saw it coming 25 years ago.

Less political. More time for news. And, of course, they still are dominant in all-news or in talk with strong news operations.

Audacy's KRLD in Dallas was once all news in the daytime. In the last year, they added Chad Benson and another conservative talker. This isn't just iHeart. Bonneville did the same with their news stations.

 

[DavinaR]

What do you think Audacy would have done or does differently with their talk and sports stations?

I would check out KMOX or WCCO for examples how they run a news/talk station that is not all political.

 

[DavinaR]

I get all my news from the internet. And I work in radio. Where do you think the news people in radio get their news?

There are lots of other places for news besides radio. TV is another, but it's also declining. It's all on my phone.



The people made their decision about this long before the cutbacks. The people stopped listening, the ad money went away, and that meant less money for staff. Those of us who follow the trends saw it coming 25 years ago.



Audacy's KRLD in Dallas was once all news in the daytime. In the last year, they added Chad Benson and another conservative talker. This isn't just iHeart. Bonneville did the same with their news stations.

KRLd's ratings have dropped fast since adding the talk shows as well.

 

[DavinaR]

I get all my news from the internet. And I work in radio. Where do you think the news people in radio get their news?

There are lots of other places for news besides radio. TV is another, but it's also declining. It's all on my phone.



The people made their decision about this long before the cutbacks. The people stopped listening, the ad money went away, and that meant less money for staff. Those of us who follow the trends saw it coming 25 years ago.



Audacy's KRLD in Dallas was once all news in the daytime. In the last year, they added Chad Benson and another conservative talker. This isn't just iHeart. Bonneville did the same with their news stations.

KSL does have a talk show in the morning 9-12 but, its not all political the entire show. Some of the show they discuss sports or other Utah issues like education. The rest of the day is news on KSL. I stream KSL a lot.

 

[Mark Roberts]

I get all my news from the internet.

You're confusing a transport mechanism with the platforms using it.

And I work in radio.

There's a saying in Silicon Valley: "Eat your own dog food". In other words, you can't fully understand how your platform works, and how it's being used, unless you use it yourself.

Where do you think the news people in radio get their news?

Multiple sources. There are these people called "reporters". Admittedly an endangered species, they use various sources, including sometimes actually talking to other people, to find out what's going on.

There are lots of other places for news besides radio. TV is another, but it's also declining. It's all on my phone.

And I bet most of it is national in scope. There's still a role for local radio and TV news. It shouldn't all be just rumors passed around on Facebook, Nextdoor, etc. Sometimes local NPR member stations are able to fill the gap, but they're under attack.

Yes, the financial foundation has to be there to support it. I've never said otherwise. Broadcasters need to figure out new financial models. The same old {crap} of the last 40 or 45 years has quit working. Just cutting costs time and again isn't a strategy. Eventually you run out of costs to cut.

Those of us who follow the trends saw it coming 25 years ago.

Dude, I saw it 40 years ago. While news was still commercially viable then, programmers didn't respect news and wanted to get rid of it. That's why I got out. But that doesn't mean I can't criticize broadcasters for what they're doing...or what they're not doing.