News on the Hour

[Ai4i]

Commercial music stations stopped doing it when they became aware of how strong a tune-out it is.
That and constant weather updates are found by this listener to be a distraction, an annoyance, something from a bygone time.
I support my local jazz and classical music stations to have quick and easy access to my favorite music from any radio but loath having to wait five plus minutes through BBC or NPR news.
Thoughts?

 

[kc1ih]

If you developed more of an interest in the world around you then you would be less annoyed by the news.

These are public stations and as such they likely feel an obligation to serve the public by being more than just a jazz or classical jukebox. If that’s all you want you can get Pandora. Soon you’ll even be able to get it in your car.

 

[Ai4i]

We can go to any news source we want to at any time, and we prefer public radio precisely because of the personality element, but what we are saying is that there is a time for everything and that time is to be at our discression. In other words, we don't go to the music station when we want to hear the news service of their choice.

 

[TheBigA]

These stations aren't "music" stations, but public stations. Most of them break format for all kinds of things, including musical genres that may not seem to fit with the whole package. Many of these same stations also break format to carry ATC and/or Morning Edition. Commercial stations aim at reaching lowest common denominator to meet ratings goals set by advertisers. Public stations aim at a slightly higher educational base, to reach people who are more likely to donate and become members. You can do that with sophisticated music formats like classical that also have a strong news element. Great pains have been taken to make the news presentation fit with the tempo of the serious music presentation. No loud sounders or "action central" newscasters.

 

[uncamark]

These stations aren't "music" stations, but public stations. Most of them break format for all kinds of things, including musical genres that may not seem to fit with the whole package. Many of these same stations also break format to carry ATC and/or Morning Edition. Commercial stations aim at reaching lowest common denominator to meet ratings goals set by advertisers. Public stations aim at a slightly higher educational base, to reach people who are more likely to donate and become members. You can do that with sophisticated music formats like classical that also have a strong news element. Great pains have been taken to make the news presentation fit with the tempo of the serious music presentation. No loud sounders or "action central" newscasters.

On the other hand, WBGO only airs the NPR hourlies in morning and afternoon drive (they used to run "ME" and "ATC" but their audience wanted jazz and WNYC was airing those shows anyway). WFMT in Chicago is a commercial station, but they only do frequent news in morning drive and do long newscasts at noon, the end of afternoon drive and at 10 p.m. (their policy has long been that their announcers rip and read only "relevant" stories, so the newscasts have no set ending--it's been claimed more than once that more than one WFMT newscast over the years has consisted entirely of "there is no important news at this time--the weather forecast for Chicago..."). It's always entertaining to hear a WFMT announcer trying to get through whatever traffic service they're using now's jargon-filled E-mail or fax to them: "On the Tri-State Tollway, there is a two-mile backup at the Irving Park cash box--excuse me, that should read 'toll plaza.'"

And I would assume that a classical or jazz station co-owned with a news-talk NPR station, barring a really major news story, would be more willing to have their audience go over to their sister station outside of morning and afternoon drive, especially in the evening on classical stations, since that's the only time of day most classical stations play anything longer than 15 minutes these days.

 

[KTN Corp]

These stations aren't "music" stations, but public stations. Most of them break format for all kinds of things, including musical genres that may not seem to fit with the whole package. Many of these same stations also break format to carry ATC and/or Morning Edition. Commercial stations aim at reaching lowest common denominator to meet ratings goals set by advertisers. Public stations aim at a slightly higher educational base, to reach people who are more likely to donate and become members. You can do that with sophisticated music formats like classical that also have a strong news element. Great pains have been taken to make the news presentation fit with the tempo of the serious music presentation. No loud sounders or "action central" newscasters.

KUHA only has a newsbreak weekdays at 6:00 pm and they simulcast NPR TOH news with KUHF (slight delay due to HD on KUHF). I wish KUHA would broadcast BBC TOH news so I can tune to KUHF for NPR TOH updates 24/7 and likewise for BBC TOH updates on KUHA.

 

[PTBoardOp94]

Some years ago, WFMT Radio Network's "Beethoven Satellite Network" (aka "Music with Peter van de Graaf") had a two hour "module" every morning at 3am Eastern to facilitate airing particularly long pieces that run more than the 50 minutes that their regular hour-long "module" allows (particularly such masterworks as Beethoven's fifth and ninth symphonies)

Enough stations along the network complained about not being able to run the 4am NPR 'cast (or otherwise break away from programming at 4am) that the two-hour module was removed.

So no, I don't see a forthcoming trend of split-format pubcasters dropping the TOH news.

 

[Ai4i]

I was really thinking about dedicated music non-NPR stations when I began this thread.
Stations such as, in Miam, Classical South Florida and Serious Jazz WDNA.
WLRN is the big NPR station with a mostly NPR N/T format and the strongest signal of the three.