Michael Graham leaving NewsRadio 106.7

[Mike_Rafone]

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Methinks thou hast a decided and absolute aversion to the all-news format. If not everywhere, at least here in Atlanta.

If that be the case, that is your prerogative, but please have enough patient and consideration for others who have opinions or considerations that may differ from yours.

As far as I am concerned, the issue is closed, finis, and put away. It ain't gonna happen and though dreaming and wishing about it is nice, simply mentioning the concept seems to ruffle some feathers decidely, and the last thing I want to do is generate disharmony among the community.

 

[TheBigA]

Methinks thou hast a decided and absolute aversion to the all-news format.

Nope. Just stating the facts. What I think doesn't matter....it's what the listening audience thinks. In the Atlanta market, they've decided they like the way news is presented on WSB and WABE. That's great. We can all learn by watching the audience. I'd love for the audience to like what I like. They don't. So I adjust what I do to fit what they like. And that's how I remain employed.

 

[Mike_Rafone]

And that's how I remain employed.

And we are so grateful for that, aren't we?

 

[jabba17]

Did Cox affiliate WSB with CBS News to stymie CBS starting an O&O news station in ATL?

 

[secondchoice]

Did Cox affiliate WSB with CBS News to stymie CBS starting an O&O news station in ATL?

I am sure if the Tiffany network was going to do all news on 92.9 they would have never let Cox have CBS Radio Network News. Now if CBS had an O & O that did local news then who knows? IMHO CBS would like to put CBS TV on 69 but that would upset a lot of affiliates in other cities. CBS could pony up some cash and buy 46 but I doubt Meredith wants to sell out a full power station in a top 10 market. I believe 69 is only "insurance" for CBS after the Channel 5 sale to FOX.

 

[Mike_Rafone]

Did Cox affiliate WSB with CBS News to stymie CBS starting an O&O news station in ATL?

I'd heard CBS really "insisted" on the affiliation because Cox was making such liberal use of sound bites off the network, but because there were already two other stations in the market carrying the hourly news, WSB didn't have to clear that. Nor did they have to clear the "CBS News Update" at :31.

 

[RoddyFreeman]

I am sure if the Tiffany network was going to do all news on 92.9 they would have never let Cox have CBS Radio Network News. Now if CBS had an O & O that did local news then who knows? IMHO CBS would like to put CBS TV on 69 but that would upset a lot of affiliates in other cities. CBS could pony up some cash and buy 46 but I doubt Meredith wants to sell out a full power station in a top 10 market. I believe 69 is only "insurance" for CBS after the Channel 5 sale to FOX.

CBS is one of the 2 owners of the CW network.

 

[TheBigA]

Nor did they have to clear the "CBS News Update" at :31.

But there's very likely a spot load that must be run. That's the most important part, with such a highly rated station.

I doubt CBS was going to take one of it's very few Atlanta stations all-news. Lot of expense for not much return.

 

[Delete My Account]

Has anyone listened to the "auditions" on 106.7 the past few days? Any thoughts on the guest hosts? For reasons of his reputation I personally couldn't support the hiring of Shannon Burke, but do think Brian Joyce from the Cumulus FM talker in Chattanooga was one of the better choices. The others I found less than impressive.

 

[atlradio16]

Has anyone listened to the "auditions" on 106.7 the past few days? Any thoughts on the guest hosts? For reasons of his reputation I personally couldn't support the hiring of Shannon Burke, but do think Brian Joyce from the Cumulus FM talker in Chattanooga was one of the better choices. The others I found less than impressive.

At least Joyce is a departure from the normal fear-mongering right wing of what 106.7 had become. I can't remember if it was Bryan Suits from LA, or someone else, but a couple of weeks ago the host spent thirty minutes of his show explaining why he calls Hillary Clinton a "sociopath." Joyce is light years ahead of that, thankfully.

 

[secondchoice]

But there's very likely a spot load that must be run. That's the most important part, with such a highly rated station.

I doubt CBS was going to take one of it's very few Atlanta stations all-news. Lot of expense for not much return.

And Sports Talk is cheap!

Unless you are running a game (which you have to pay for with commercials or cash), you have a call screen / producer, board operator, sports news up dater and on air talent. You hope the talent draws enough folks so you have to pay him / her six figures. Four folks one which is paid very well.

All News (with a O & O T V news operation in house) has a producer, at least a one field reporter, board operator, writer, and a news reader. The overnight news reader makes only "union scale". At least that is what WBBM offered me in 1980. 5 folks but no "personalities" to pay.

Both are very expensive.

 

[Mike_Rafone]

But there's very likely a spot load that must be run. That's the most important part, with such a highly rated station.

I doubt CBS was going to take one of it's very few Atlanta stations all-news. Lot of expense for not much return.

I've also heard that at the time of the affiliation WSB (or Cox in general) was being repped by CBS Sales. Is it possible they may have pushed some of the national CBS spot load off to the other CMG stations?

 

[Mike_Rafone]

And Sports Talk is cheap!

Both are very expensive.

I am confused. Is Sports Talk cheap and All News expensive? The one extra body moves the operation from "cheap" to "very expensive"? I'm not doubting your information, just trying to get a handle on where the dividing line is?

And I suppose the draw for Sport Talk is different since it is conversation rather than reportage to which the Atlanta market seems adverse.

 

[TheBigA]

I've also heard that at the time of the affiliation WSB (or Cox in general) was being repped by CBS Sales.

How long ago was that? I'm not aware that there is such a thing.

 

[jabba17]

I am confused. Is Sports Talk cheap and All News expensive? The one extra body moves the operation from "cheap" to "very expensive"? I'm not doubting your information, just trying to get a handle on where the dividing line is?

And I suppose the draw for Sport Talk is different since it is conversation rather than reportage to which the Atlanta market seems adverse.

I'm guessing that the ingredients for sports talk are a sports wire feed, personalities, PXP and coach's shows, and callers. I'm guessing the wire feed is cheap, the PXP and coach's shows pay for themselves, and callers are free--the only variable being how much you pay your personalities.

For all news (distinct from news talk), you have to pay for an entire news gathering and reporting organization, unless you can borrow one from an in-house affiliate (looking at you, Cox and CBS) or try to do it on the cheap with a canned satellite feed (looking at you, iHeartClearChannel and GNN) for the local stuff and some canned satellite national news feed (like WGST and WCFO do) for the national stuff. You get what you pay for.

 

[Mike_Rafone]

I understood it to be at the time of CNN Radio's demise and CMG acquiring the CBS affiliation (or, at least the right to use extensively the sound bites and to carry the NetAlerts when they occurred.

 

[TheBigA]

I understood it to be at the time of CNN Radio's demise and CMG acquiring the CBS affiliation (or, at least the right to use extensively the sound bites and to carry the NetAlerts when they occurred.

Not aware that CBS has a radio rep firm. There are national spots with a CBS News Radio affiliation, but they're sold and contracted by Westwood One, who also syndicated CNN Radio. So it's possible that WSB got access to CBS audio to replace CNN, but had to continue clearing whatever spots they had with CNN.

 

[On the Dial]

They waited a lot longer with KGO in San Francisco before adding talk, and the results were basically the same as Atlanta. The heritage stations in the market (KCBS and KQED) were unaffected by the new competitor, and there was nothing another news station added to the market that made it worth switching stations.

This is an inaccurate comparison. KCBS was already an established as all-news format, so it never made much sense to position KGO as a second all news station. WSB is not all-news. It's basically a talk station that also has some news. When All-News 106.7 signed on, it was for all practical purposes a new format for Atlanta, and heavy promotion would have been necessary to help people realize 106.7 wasn't just another talk station. When All-News 106.7 became Newsradio 1067, it basically gave up its unique format to become a knock-off of WSB. That didn't make much more sense than making KGO all news, since WSB is just as established for talk radio as KCBS is for all-news.

 

[TheBigA]

When All-News 106.7 became Newsradio 1067, it basically gave up its unique format to become a knock-off of WSB.

A unique format that wasn't attracting an audience. Meanwhile, there were unique talk hosts, known by the Atlanta audience, who were available. Using different talk hosts is not a knock-off, it's an alternative. Just like The Bull isn't a knock off of Kicks. It's a different station in the same format.

The point is that no new all-news station has succeeded in any market where it's been tried in the last ten years, regardless of the situation. If you know of one, let me know. All-News was a unique format in Houston when Radio One launched it. They hung in for four years and stayed at a 1 share. It really doesn't matter. The audience has spoken on this format. I doubt anyone will try it again.

 

[On the Dial]

The point is that no new all-news station has succeeded in any market where it's been tried in the last ten years, regardless of the situation. If you know of one, let me know. All-News was a unique format in Houston when Radio One launched it. They hung in for four years and stayed at a 1 share. It really doesn't matter. The audience has spoken on this format. I doubt anyone will try it again.

I agree that it's unlikely anyone will try all-news again in Atlanta, because most broadcasters aren't going to wait for a long-term payoff. Also, public radio here in Atlanta is carrying more news (and talk) than it did when 106.7 was all-news. But I don't know that you can equate Houston to Atlanta. You seem to imply that because Houston stayed at a 1 share for four years, Atlanta would. But 106.7 was already at a 1.8 after just one-and-a-half years when it began the switch to talk (it's considerably below that level now).