Newspaper coverage of radio

[KeyTimes950]

I recall years ago when the Erie papers would carry listings for the local radio stations, and the Gettysburg paper would carry listings for its co-owned radio station and ditto the paper in DuBois. When I was growing up The Daily News in McKeesport carried WEDO and WMCK listings alongside the handful of area television stations then available in the Mon-Yough region. I'm wondering about radio coverage in the newspapers of our time. I'm not referring necessarily to stories about radio but to actual program listings or at least highlights. Space certainly is a factor as well as how significant radio really remains in the modern era. Give me some idea how your local paper used to give radio listings and/or whether that paper still does it today. I admit it's a curiosity but it has both personal and professional significance to me.

 

[flashback]

our local pape is owned by the garrett(i think i spelled that right)corperation.the owners of the usa today.they don`t even list the tv listings durring the week.just sunday.the movie coverage is barebones.

it`s become a terrible newspaper.

 

[KeyTimes950]

You don't say what the paper is, but I presume you meant Gannett. I suspect space reasons also affect how TV listings appear in a paper these days.
USA Today provides nighttime listings for the major English and Spanish over-the-air networks and many of the best-known cable channels, but even my hometown paper, now part of the Trib network in Pittsburgh, runs just nighttime listings as well as Saturday/Sunday afternoon/night listings, then yields round-the-clock coverage to the Sunday Trib's TV section.
As for the movie coverage, I suspect part of the problem is the paper's inability or lack of interest (or both?) in selling space to any theaters still existing in your neck of the woods. (I'm not doubting they're there ... I pass a Destinta multiplex every time I travel Route 30 between East McKeesport and Irwin.)

 

[flashback]

it was gannett.the paper is the indianapolis star owned by the gannett corporation.

they did a major cutback on the number of pages.

 

[kenhawk1160]

Unfortunately, this is the way the business is these days.

Radio and newspaper are fighting for survival. While both could once co-exist peacefully, the bottom line is, they're going after the same revenue. It's become more competitive than ever, and radio is cutting anywhere and everywhere to maximize revenue.

Not only that, but most people have computers, and are able to access the station's program guides via the station's website (if it has one).

 

[jhguthlac]

I remember the days of complete radio program listings in the newspapers. But that was back in the days when you had PROGRAMS on the radio. Now when the format is basically the same 24/7, you don't need a newspaper listing.

 

[Kelly Watts]

I can rememebr as late as the early 1970's the Williamsport (Pa) Sun-Gazette carried the local radio listenings. It was a full listing, with show names, yes even our top 40 station had show names, a hold over from the early days of the station. Try these names: Up and Atom, Mid Morning Melodies, Music for M'lady, Platter Party, Disk Jamboree, Polka Time, Music In Candelight and Silver, Music In Hi Fi, The Night Train, and The Wax Works.
Some other names from stations I worked at in the mid to late 60's: The PM Show, Music Of The Masters, The Music Hall, (three parts to that, Rock, Country, and Big Band) Concert Hall, The Italian American Hour. As you might guess there was a LOT of block programming in those days!

 

[KeyTimes950]

Fascinating list. Williamsport seemed to be such an interesting radio market to me in my younger days.

To an earlier poster, I'd have to agree that in a day of 24/7 formats and station websites it wouldn't be worth it for most stations to be listed, not in their entirety. Still, I could see some sort of column like what one did see in some papers in more recent years, where highlights of radio program schedules were listed. Special shows still happen, such as this week's series of NPR 8 p.m. recaps and discussions of the Supreme Court deliberations over the Affordable Care Act, heard here on WESA-90.5.

Also, some papers have radio-TV listings on their sports pages, usually for when and where a particular game can be found.

To take this discussion in a slightly different direction, I wonder what the future is for TV listings, given the universe of channels now available on cable and/or satellite and/or over-the-air TV. Is that going to reach a point where it really isn't worth it?

 

[RadioPhillyFan]

Newspapers are trying to compete with Televison, Websites, Magazines and Radio. In a few decades newspapers may only exist in big cities like New York, LA, Chicago, Philly and Dallas.

and... Medium sized cities, such as Erie, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Baltimore. They may become only Sunday Papers there.

 

[KeyTimes950]

Newspapers are trying to compete with Television, Websites, Magazines and Radio. In a few decades newspapers may only exist in big cities like New York, LA, Chicago, Philly and Dallas.

and... Medium sized cities, such as Erie, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Baltimore. They may become only Sunday Papers there.

Funny, I was seeing this posting earlier today. I don't agree with all of the points made but found it fascinating.

http://www.niemanlab.org/2012/12/the-coming-death-of-seven-day-publication/

Returning, however, to your point, Pittsburgh won't go Sunday-only as long as there's a battle here between the Block brothers (Post-Gazette) and Richard Mellon Scaife (Tribune-Review). Oddly enough, Pittsburgh will sit in the middle of two metropolitan markets losing daily papers, Harrisburg (Patriot-News) and Cleveland (Plain Dealer). In fact, I think one still will see newspapers in smaller cities, though their shape and form could be far different from what we see now.