May Scoreboard for Large Market All-News Stations

[Gregg]

May Scoreboard for Large Market All-News Stations

1. New York...WINS #6...WCBS #9
2. LA...KNX #12 tie
3. Chicago...WBBM/WCFS(FM) #3
4. San Francisco...KCBS/KFRC(FM) #2...KGO* #16
5. Dallas...KRLD* #17
6. Houston...KROI^ #22
7. Washington...WTOP(FM) #1...WNEW-FM^ #22 tie
8. Philadelphia...KYW #2
9. Atlanta...WYAY(FM)^ #19
10. Boston...WBZ* #6 tie

Honorable mention: Detroit (market #11) WWJ #1

* denotes a part-time All-News station.
^ denotes a station that became All-News last year.

All stations are owned by CBS except KGO and WYAY (Cumulus), KROI (Radio One) and WTOP (Hubbard).

 

[benale]

WNEW is a very good sounding station and reaches areas WTOP doesn't. Maybe the DC area doesn't need two all news stations. They've been all news for a year and a half and haven't really made a dent in the market.

Seems the only city that can support two all news stations is New York, and WINS and WCBS have been doing all news since the 60's. WNEW sounds like WINS, while WTOP sounds like WCBS.

It's good to have two all news stations in DC, but I wonder if CBS will give the station more time. I hope so.

 

[umfan]

A format that plays to radio's strengths and these ratings prove that out.

 

[Gregg]

>>>WNEW is a very good sounding station and reaches areas WTOP doesn't. Maybe the DC area doesn't need two all news stations. They've been all news for a year and a half and haven't really made a dent in the market. Seems the only city that can support two all news stations is New York.<<<

I hope the three relative new All-News stations, WNEW-FM, KROI Houston and WYAY Atlanta, all get a chance. All-News is VERY slow to build.

As for two All-News stations in a single market, management of KGO says they are VERY committed to making that station work as an All-News operation. Of course, that's an uphill fight since they don't have an FM simulcast and KCBS does.

As for WNEW sounding more like WINS, I am surprised they don't do two things WINS does to set itself apart from WCBS: 20 minute news cycle (vs. 30 minutes on WCBS and WTOP) and using the teletype sound effect. Yes, I know that's sort of old fashioned, since newsrooms don't sound like that anymore. But I still think that teletype sound tells you you're not on a music station that happens to be in a newscast, you're on an All-News station. And in today's fast paced world, if you can instantly say "We're All-News" and we don't make you wait 30 minutes for the top stories is a big plus.

 

[Jul]

8. Philadelphia...KYW #2
1060 AM went from a 7.0 to a 6.2.

 

[hm insulators]

As for WNEW sounding more like WINS, I am surprised they don't do two things WINS does to set itself apart from WCBS: 20 minute news cycle (vs. 30 minutes on WCBS and WTOP) and using the teletype sound effect. Yes, I know that's sort of old fashioned, since newsrooms don't sound like that anymore. But I still think that teletype sound tells you you're not on a music station that happens to be in a newscast, you're on an All-News station. And in today's fast paced world, if you can instantly say "We're All-News" and we don't make you wait 30 minutes for the top stories is a big plus.

Did he just say, "Teletype sound effect"?

I probably haven't heard that since the 1970s! Maybe a computer printer sound effect for this day and age.

 

[Gregg]

Well, you can hear it on the top All-News station in the country, WINS, and on Philadelphia's #1 or #2 radio staton, KYW. It's very soft. Some listeners probably don't know it's there. Sort of like you may or may not remember if the store you were in had Muzak playing. It's in the background. Non-radio people may not consciously notice it. But it does re-inforce the idea that you're listening to an All-News station. And it would make WNEW-FM sound different than WTOP, just as WINS sounds different than WCBS.