News and top 40 stations

[JeffM]

You mean Oklahoma?

You're doin' fine, okay?

 

[davideduardo]

You mean Oklahoma?

Yeah. Brain f--t.

 

[semoochie]

In Indiana, they air the news five minutes Hoosier.

 

[JeffM]

In Canada, they air the news five minutes, hoser, eh?

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

In Cincinnati, WCPO Radio featured a Top 40 format from the mid-1950's until the station was sold in early 1966. The station was owned by Scripps-Howard and, as such, had solid news-gathering sources including local daily newspaper, The Post (later the Post - Times-Star). The station's main newscast came at five minutes before each hour (which enabled it to return to its recorded music format as competitors were just starting their news). In those days, it is known that the news departments at the other local stations used to tape record and then listen to WCPO's newscasts to see if that station had any stories that they did not have.

 

[vchimpanzee]

I suspect these longer-form programs were more the problem than the five-minute newscasts. As I understand it, the original ABC Radio network had been preferred by rock 'n' roll stations because they did their news at :55; so they would be playing music while CBS, NBC, or Mutual were doing TOH news. Their slogan back then was something like "News first, fast, and five minutes earlier on ABC!"

Big WAYS in Charlotte, NC would advertise news at :55 and music on the hour. Other stations had news on the hour.

 

[LKellerIII]

From YouTube - a classic J.Paul Huddleston 20/20 newscast from February 1969 - with some pics of KHJ studios, and the man himself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cHZJEEi95I

 

[frnkp2000]

In Cincinnati, WCPO Radio featured a Top 40 format from the mid-1950's until the station was sold in early 1966. The station was owned by Scripps-Howard and, as such, had solid news-gathering sources including local daily newspaper, The Post (later the Post - Times-Star). The station's main newscast came at five minutes before each hour (which enabled it to return to its recorded music format as competitors were just starting their news). In those days, it is known that the news departments at the other local stations used to tape record and then listen to WCPO's newscasts to see if that station had any stories that they did not have.

I did a similar thing in the late 80s on a small country music AM. We ran news at :50, calling it "First News at :50". We THOUGHT it would top us in the news department, and frustrate our old-line cross town competitor, an AC/MOR station. What we learned was our listeners were EXPECTING news at the top-hour--a significant number ONLY listened for the news/weather and didn't care for the country format. We later flipped to Hot AC, then the competitor went all-talk. As a result, we moved our news back to the top hour, since music was not an issue cross-town. Breaking news? We'd break in with bulletins or start our news at :59, which the competition refused to do!
Some years later, I used the "News First at :50" concept again at a Country FM, NOT for the reasons above, but because: a.) Management wanted news, and sales was able to sell it; and b) It was an AM/FM combo, and we shared news anchors. The AM side had top-hour casts, and it was more convenient for them to jump in live across the hall at :50 and do 5 minutes, or record a 5-minute cart!

 

[vchimpanzee]

On the subject of breaking news, I happened to be where I could hear WKZQ in Myrtle Beach SC at the time in 1986 when they broke into regular programming to announce no. 2 NBA draft pick Len Bias (thank you, Wikipedia) had died of an overdose. I think his death was already known but not the reason.

 

[LKellerIII]

I did a similar thing in the late 80s on a small country music AM. We ran news at :50, calling it "First News at :50". We THOUGHT it would top us in the news department, and frustrate our old-line cross town competitor, an AC/MOR station. What we learned was our listeners were EXPECTING news at the top-hour--a significant number ONLY listened for the news/weather and didn't care for the country format. We later flipped to Hot AC, then the competitor went all-talk. As a result, we moved our news back to the top hour, since music was not an issue cross-town. Breaking news? We'd break in with bulletins or start our news at :59, which the competition refused to do!
Some years later, I used the "News First at :50" concept again at a Country FM, NOT for the reasons above, but because: a.) Management wanted news, and sales was able to sell it; and b) It was an AM/FM combo, and we shared news anchors. The AM side had top-hour casts, and it was more convenient for them to jump in live across the hall at :50 and do 5 minutes, or record a 5-minute cart!

In the 60s, Bill Drake was considered a programming genius - and one of the reasons was "20/20 News" on the :40. The truth was - most Top 40 listeners (kids and young adults) fliipped the dial to another station when the news started. So in Los Angeles - while KRLA and KFWB were running news at the top of the hour, KHJ was running 3 - 4 songs back to back with no commercial interruptions - also unusual in those days.