KRLD The "News" Station

[little1]

KRLD is well positioned, and with the right investments could continue to succeed if and when the AM band collapses. There will always be a demand for immediate news, and 1080 has the brand awareness to make a go of it on internet, on FM or on whatever future delivery vehicle emerges. They need more and better reporters and a manager with a vision, but many of the building blocks are in place. The anchor teams, the business reporter, even the mail-order meteorologist are all saleable and professional.
It's too bad Peter doesn't do entertainement news, and LP doesn't do investigative reports. They could use more reporters in the field, gathering news and covering beats. The signal is kinda weak in Tarrant County. Other than that, if CBS would invest in human capital, they might just be able to carve out a successful niche.

Well positioned for what? Their audience is older than dirt, the part of that audience that isnt dying off is slowly losing interest (i.e. their ratings are in a steady decline) and they are trying to run what is hands down the most expensive format known to man.

And to be succesful, a news station can't JUST carve out a niche. They need to dominate. High ratings, and therefore high rates is the only way to generate the cash needed to pay all those reporters in the field covering beats.

 

[grantchester]

a news station can't JUST carve out a niche.

Strike that... substitute CREATE AN IDENTITY.

We don't NEED a news station,

Basic broadcasting. Find a need and fill it. Smoke on the horizon? Warning sirens blaring? Close election? Who will you turn to? I contend there is a market for it on radio, or whatever radio evolves into. The BRAND is valuable, even if you think the current presentation could be better.

the most expensive format known to man.

But also one of the highest billing formats in broadcasting.
KRLD has serious problems, but they come from the top. As it is, there's a lot of potential in 1080, probably a lot more than many FM music stations.

 

[little1]

a news station can't JUST carve out a niche.

Strike that... substitute CREATE AN IDENTITY.

We don't NEED a news station,

Basic broadcasting. Find a need and fill it. Smoke on the horizon? Warning sirens blaring? Close election? Who will you turn to? I contend there is a market for it on radio, or whatever radio evolves into. The BRAND is valuable, even if you think the current presentation could be better.

the most expensive format known to man.

But also one of the highest billing formats in broadcasting.
KRLD has serious problems, but they come from the top. As it is, there's a lot of potential in 1080, probably a lot more than many FM music stations.

Who will I turn to? Dallasnews.com on my 'crackberry', CNN.com for election news (because you KNOW they're going to have better coverage than some local radio station), channel 8 if the sirens are going off...

And what I'm saying is that there is not near as big a 'need' for all news as their might have been 25 years ago...

Okay, think about it this way- there was enough demand on TV for a channel devoted JUST to biz news, just to Entertainment news, just to court news and court shows. And as each of those channels (CNBC, E, Court TV) has grown, the NEED for that inof on other stations is lessened-

You already seeing that- remember when KRLD carried teh cowboys? There's now enough demand for sports news 24-7 to justify KTCK and ESPN. There's a buisness news station, etc...There's a station that will cover elections in more detail than KRLD can do (WBAP) etc...So the NEED of an all news station is slowly contracting-

And KRLD's problems may come from the top- but I'd venture a guess that they've been dropping in ratings and prestige for the last 20 years- is that ALL bad managers fault? Or is it just a reflection of changing times?

The music industry is facing problems- some of that may be managers fault (signing bad bands, etc) but don't you have to beleive that some of that is that their industry is changing? That their buisness model is changing from charging 17.99 for a CD, and making the listeners buy the songs whether they want them or not, to charging 99 cents a song, and people NOT having to buy what they don't want...

I'd saythat KRLD is facing teh same problem- the demand for their product is changing- they used to be the only game in town, and could make people sit through what they didn't wantto get to what they want- but now there's other options, there's alternative delivery methods to get me the news I want-

KRLD may not be completely dead- but in this day of niche formats, being "all news" is tryingto serve everybody instead of finding your real market and superserving them...

 

[rbrucecarter5]

I'm not usually one to stand up for KRLD but Bruce don't you think it's a little harsh to hold the current managers and staff at KRLD responsible for something that happened seven years ago?

Has that MENTALITY changed over the years? There is a mentality that: "we can't interrupt a nationally syndicated talk show for something important going on locally, it might PO people who tune in for the dribble coming down from their favorite show". I've always thought radio operated (or should operate) in the public interest - when there is important local information they should break in regardless of who is on the air or what their schedule is - keep broadcasting local information as long as the emergency exists, and only go back to their regular programming when public safety is not involved. I've done it myself, I've been in a radio studio with a tornado bearing down on me. That was my job - to inform the public. Regular programming was suspended - thankfully the thing lifted into the cloud short of the station.

 

[tubetop1]

I'm not usually one to stand up for KRLD but Bruce don't you think it's a little harsh to hold the current managers and staff at KRLD responsible for something that happened seven years ago?

Has that MENTALITY changed over the years? There is a mentality that: "we can't interrupt a nationally syndicated talk show for something important going on locally, it might PO people who tune in for the dribble coming down from their favorite show". I've always thought radio operated (or should operate) in the public interest - when there is important local information they should break in regardless of who is on the air or what their schedule is - keep broadcasting local information as long as the emergency exists, and only go back to their regular programming when public safety is not involved. I've done it myself, I've been in a radio studio with a tornado bearing down on me. That was my job - to inform the public. Regular programming was suspended - thankfully the thing lifted into the cloud short of the station.

Have I been missing a nationally syndicated talk show on KRLD all this time?

 

[TheRover]

So,

There's NEWS

News-Talk

and

Invesitgative News

KRLD could expand their News coverage with Invesigative News Stories and Reports.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Have I been missing a nationally syndicated talk show on KRLD all this time?

I don't know. Maybe it is local talk. But I sure wish they would interrupt talk to deliver real local news as it happens. Once burned - by their refusal to cover a very important local story, I find it hard to justify listening again.

 

[tubetop1]

So,

There's NEWS

News-Talk

and

Invesitgative News

KRLD could expand their News coverage with Invesigative News Stories and Reports.

Agreed.

 

[fifthestate55]

I think Little 1 is still looking at $$$, instead of being daring to serve the public and make $$$, Playing programming too conservatively is why radio is losing listeners each year. The public is tired of being ignored and included in some yahoo research that never seems to involve them,but can tell then what they like.

 

[grantchester]

Who will I turn to? Dallasnews.com on my 'crackberry', CNN.com for election news (because you KNOW they're going to have better coverage than some local radio station), channel 8 if the sirens are going off...

OK, LITTLE1, what if DALLASNEWS.COM hasn't updated in a few hours, CNN doesn't give local election results, and you can't power up your TV cause your electricity is out?

Put your chin in my hands, and let's go through this together:
To succeed in business you need an advantage. Imagine you have a system that delivers your product free to your customers, you have an 80 year history that makes those customers think of your product, and you have corporate resources to support your product... are those advantages?

You're so quick to throw AM radio and KRLD under the bus. I contend, with a few changes, some relatively small investments and some perseverence, 1080 could not only survive, but it could thrive for decades to come.
Ideas? yeah:
>single anchor shifts morning and afternoon, with the redundant positions turned into reporters.
>anchors edit and produce their own casts, like the WINS :20 minute wheel.
(Ever heard of WINS? Highest billing station IN THE WORLD?)
>Integrate the news gathering efforts with CBS 11. (they moved that way for a while under Michael Spears, but lost their way when he was canned)
>Assign beats to reporters.
>Do investigative reporting.
>Work more closely with CBS News.
>Do SOMETHING to make TSN a more effective regional partner.
>Turn the talk shows into extended interview programs with news makers.
>Give us the top stories every 10 minutes.
>Put reporters, anchors, editors and everyone else INTO THE COMMUNITY, meeting people, talking about what matters to them, building awareness, gathering FACTS.

Sure, their average listener is over 70, AM is in slow decline, North Texas news is schizophrenic, and you don't care... but if there was someone with a vision, someone who understands how it works, someone with the authority and the backing to make it happen, KRLD could be the all-news powerhouse they think they are.

Or we could just all give up, live ignorant lives, and let our grandchildren wonder what happened to the land of the free, the greatest democracy that ever existed.
g

 

[little1]

In no specific order:
If my power is out, I'm screwed since I don't keep batterys in any of my "boom boxes"...I guess i could go out to the car and listen there, but if there is a chance for a tornado, do you really think I want to be outside?

And you don't see the dichotomoy between KRLD being the power house the THINK they are, and what they actually are?

And a lot of your ideas, while valid, still don't address the fact that your average listener (or at least your average middle aged listener, maybe not the 70 year olds) can get more/better news on a specific subject someplace else. There's blogs about Plano politics, blogs about Frisco Football, and blogs about crime in Corinth. I don't need to hope that KRLD covers the news i want to hear- I can get it when I want it...

And aren't headlines every 10 minutes asking for TSL under a quarter hour? If you start repeating what I just heard 10 minutes ago, Hasta la vista, I'm out the door and down the dial...

The other problems with some of your ideas, is that the tape you gather for TV and the tape you gather for radio aren't necessrily interchangeable. What may be great video but suck sonically...For example, a long shot of a mother crying as her son is buried is a powerful video...and you can get that shot from some distance away with a zoom lens...But you'll have to have your marantz stuck in her face to get the audio, and it still won't have the same impact as teh video...So while some of the CBS11 ideas sound good, Im just not sure how you'd make them work-

 

[Trainguy1970]

>Do SOMETHING to make TSN a more effective regional partner.

The major problem I see with TSN at this time is management, specifically Julius Graw. I’ve heard from very reliable sources, he’s one of those guys who couldn’t make it into big-time radio. Gee, I wonder if part of that is due what I understand are certain aspects of his past. BTW Julius, how’s it “hanging”?

 

[rbrucecarter5]

This election is going to be interesting. Possibility of the first black president, first female, or who knows even a constitutionalist/libertarian (Ron Paul) could be elected.

What a bunch of LOSERS we have running this time. Frightening, isn't it?!

SPEARS / LOHAN '08!

 

[VERITAS DE VOCE]

This election is going to be interesting. Possibility of the first black president, first female, or who knows even a constitutionalist/libertarian (Ron Paul) could be elected.

...or the first actor in Fred Thompson...er...oh wait... uh, carry on. ;D

Watching too much Law & Order lately. Better put in this Die Hard 2 DVD instead.

 

[grantchester]

LITTLE1 goes:

I'm screwed since I don't keep batterys

G sez: I've got a wind-up radio and a crystal set. And they still sell batteries.
LITTLE1 continues:

There's blogs

G sez: There is a difference between BLOGGING and Journalism.
LITTLE1 goes on to say:

TSL under a quarter hour?

G sez: High cume and low TSL are how an all news format rolls. Anyone with the luxury to wait around an hour to hear what's happening is probably listening to NPR.
LITTLE1: goes on with:

may be great video but suck sonically

G replies: That's why you work more closely with them. So both stations needs are met.

I still think radio news has an advantage. The key to any newsgathering organization is putting feet on the ground... eyes on the scene... in short, REPORTERS REPORTING. Bloggers don't gather news. Anchors don't gather news. Columnists don't. Reporters do. And the technology of radio offers the quickest and least expensive way for those reporters to reach a mass audience.
G

 

[longtimelistener]

KRLD is never going to get a lot of at-home listening. They have to deliver a product that people who want to know "now" will listen to in their cars that isn't just a rehash of the morning paper or internet.

"Newsmaker" interviews with "the rest of the story" in middays would sure help.

 

[mediawonk]

Hmm, many items on the checklist above are met by another station already in the market:

>single anchor shifts morning and afternoon, with the redundant positions turned into reporters.
check.
>anchors edit and produce their own casts, like the WINS :20 minute wheel.
check
>Assign beats to reporters.
check
>Do investigative reporting.
check
>Turn the talk shows into extended interview programs with news makers.
check
>Put reporters, anchors, editors and everyone else INTO THE COMMUNITY, meeting people, talking about what matters to them, building awareness, gathering FACTS.
check

It's 90.1 - KERA. Sure, it's an entirely different model, and much of it is national from NPR, but the local news team has done a solid job of covering local issues/politics. Shelley Kofler and her colleagues' special on the Trinity proposition vote was more thorough than anything else I heard/watched locally.

 

[fifthestate55]

WFAA was stupid to get rid of Shelly. A solid reporter. Grant has a direct pulse on radio news. I question Little one once more. He seems to be more interested in commission and profits from infomercials than programming. He is doing what he accuses so many others of doing, his own personal listening tastes as opposed to serving a community,that a radio station is licensed and obligated to do. Its not all dollars and cents its responsibility and that doesnt mean the board room either.

 

[little1]

WFAA was stupid to get rid of Shelly. A solid reporter. Grant has a direct pulse on radio news. I question Little one once more. He seems to be more interested in commission and profits from infomercials than programming. He is doing what he accuses so many others of doing, his own personal listening tastes as opposed to serving a community,that a radio station is licensed and obligated to do. Its not all dollars and cents its responsibility and that doesnt mean the board room either.

Whoa nellie there 5th...
Where the heck did I say anything about informercials? The point I;m making is that many news stations seem to be in decline. Yes, there's some success stories across the nation, but there's also a large number of stations that are fading away. Part of that is the demographics- I don't have the exact average age of a KRLD listener handy, but I'll put it this way- on average every single one of them has their AARP card...

The KRLD news model may have worked when you didn't have local TV stations doing 4 hours of news in teh morning, when you didn't have whole cable channels devoted to news- but now you do, and yet KRLD is still trying to do the same old same old...

My personal tastes have nothing to do with it- I like news (and news/talk) I just don't see KRLD being real successful. (Anybody besides me remember when they were a top 5 (or so) station?) Again, it's got nothing to do with my tastes, I just take that factoid, along with multiple media reports about how people are getting more news from the internet, from specialized TV channels, etc, and it becomes a simple case of 2+2...

And one question for the multiple people here who I've seen question any stations committment to the community over the bottom line...Have you checked the public file of any of the stations that you complain about? They're open to the, uh, you know, public, and odds are most of them list how they beleive they are serving the community. Now that may not be how YOU think they should be serving the community, but maybe one of the FCC experts could weigh in here- has the commission revoked anybodys license for not serving their community well enough?

 

[Trainguy1970]

has the commission revoked anybodys license for not serving their community well enough?

Little1,

Broadcast License revocation of any type, is pretty rare. The FCC issues fines first. So the better question is has any station been fined for not serving the public interest? The answer is an astounding yes, with much of it pertaining to obscene material broadcasts which does not serve the public interest.