No Storm Coverage

[spew]

So here I was last night stuck in a snowstorm on the interstate flipping around the radio dial...AM & FM and not one station....NOT ONE STATION...was covering the snowstorm. Metro Traffic mentioned some wrecks and that streets were wet.
Even the great old WSM was playing a country song. NO ONE. NO ONE.
Sad. How sad. Where can we go for news??????? NOWHERE!!!

 

[mrterry]

Spew,

What time where you listening? "The great old WSM" had reports from Richard Thomas, Listeners, Eddie Stubbs and Keith Bilbry. We had reports that the roads were fine north of town and reports that Franklin and Murfreesboro streets were snow covered and hazardous. We reported the winter weather advisory and updated radar information frequently.

Yes, we even worked in a song or two.

So, when were you listeneing, because we were pretty damned busy while I was in the studio.

Mike

 

[olebud]

Mike ole bud,

Spew, like me, possibly thought back to when something like that would have had WSM's two 4 wheel drive SUVs, complete with logos and 2-ways and maybe the ford van and one of the news cars out on the roads. Also, several of our news folks in the neighborhoods where they lived would be reporting on the snow, along with the national weather service on the line. and Richard in his Truck. And we'd have stayed out most of the evening, only to spend the night at the hotel across the street to get up early and be back the next morning. I was one of the few that got a room alone. During my years, I managed to run off Richard, Charlie Chase, Dick Layman and anyone else they tried to put in the rooom with me because of my snoring. Gaylord hated to book a single room. But we always had more people than the announcers and Richard for weather coverage when warrented. No number of people inside with one person outside can do what a whole department can do.

But you know as do I, that those days are probably gone forever. But I'll tell you, they sure are good memories and were fun while they lasted. And we felt like we accomplished something.
Mike I'm not knocking what you were doing and appreciate that there are still a few 'live' people in town who recognize what some of us still think is important. Thank you, Eddie, Keith and Richard for caring enough to do it. Buddy

 

[scottwmro]

So here I was last night stuck in a snowstorm on the interstate flipping around the radio dial...AM & FM and not one station....NOT ONE STATION...was covering the snowstorm. Metro Traffic mentioned some wrecks and that streets were wet.
Even the great old WSM was playing a country song. NO ONE. NO ONE.
Sad. How sad. Where can we go for news??????? NOWHERE!!!

As far as Gallatin is concerned, I own WMRO and I sign off at 4:30 for the month of December. I have pre sunrise & post sunset, and very low,( I mean low), nighttime power, and I can stay on, but I see no point in it. The signal really does not cover half of Gallatin without massive interference from other stations on 1560. We stay on all night on Saturday Night, on the low power, because our network (ABC Radio) does Retro Saturday Night (80's Show). I do that because my wife likes the show and we only live 1 mile from the station's tower site, otherwise, I just sign off at sunset and let the FM stations, and or,TV Stations get the job done.

Now if it was a emergency here in town, like the tornados that have hit Gallatin in the past couple of years, we would stay on past sign off time, at 1000 watts, due to the FCC says that is legal in an major emergency to the City you are located in, and you report to them what hours you were on past sign off time, with your daytime power.

In the case that is being discussed, that to me is not a life threating emergency (but I agree it is important), I would go ahead and sign off, but before sign off, I would tell listeners where to tune to to get the lastest weather and road information during the nightime hours.

I found owning a 1000 watt daytimer is less stressful!

Best Regards,
Scott

 

[Journeyman]

I was one of the few that got a room alone. During my years, I managed to run off Richard, Charlie Chase, Dick Layman and anyone else they tried to put in the rooom with me because of my snoring. Gaylord hated to book a single room.

You should have said something. I had the same problem. Together we'd have kept the whole floor awake!

 

[olebud]

You should have said something. I had the same problem. Together we'd have kept the whole floor awake

If you'll think back...we did. BEFORE ANYONE GETS THE WRONG IDEA....TWIN BEDS I'd watch t-v from the foot of the bed with the sound up loud over your snoring. you went to sleep early then I could fall asleep when sleepiness came. As I said earlier, Gaylord hated paying for two rooms. and I was told the swimming pool in the middle of the place had waves on it from the joint snoring. Only the workers at the hotel complained.
And for anyone thinking we stayed at the Opryland, we did for a while...but, it was cheaper to stay at the one across the street and we could walk to work. Not that journeyman and I ever did, but we could have.
Those nights were when most of us ate better than ever before. But we had to cut back when one staff member ordered streak for himself and friends and had it delivered via room service and tipped big....all at WSM's expense.

 

[romer979fm]

one staff member ordered streak for himself and friends and had it delivered via room service and tipped big....all at WSM's expense.

care to identify who this was?
did they 'love life' ?

 

[Nomoreradionews]

Well, back in the day when radio stations had news departments, you could cover a snow storm or anything else properly.

I was sitting in traffic the other night. I didn't even bother searching for a station that would be covering the snow storm. Besides, why do I need someone to tell me what I already know. It is snowing and people are going crazy, the roads are jammed with cars and it's going to take you forever to get home.

I'm more interested in finding out if I won the lottery so I can retire.

 

[Wind]

I can understand ( but don't like it) that music stations wouldn't spend a lot of time on it but one would think that the talk/sports stations would take the extra time.

 

[spew]

Well the sad thing is...a community without a viable radio news department signals a city on a downward spiral. Donna, the makeup lady in the movie Prairie Home Companion, summed it up when she said "pretty soon radio will be nothing but people yelling at you and computers playing music." There is money in it, someone will do it and the rest of you will say "why didn't I think of that."

 

[scottwmro]

I recall when I was a kid, WSM-AM always was right up, on top, in local storm coverage. We lived in Hendersonville at the time, in a house with a basement. My Dad had a GE, tube type, clock radio in the basement, and it stayed on WSM-AM all the time. When the bad storms hit, Dad, Mom & us Kids would hit right to the basement. Through all the cracking and static of AM radio, WSM-AM blasted through with up to the minute storm coverage. This was the early 70's, when they had a 24/7 news staff, with WSM-TV, I suppose. It was great to know back then that we could rely on WSM-AM, even if the Opry had to stop for a weather alert.

One would think Gaylord, (since I guess they are still the licensee of WSM-AM) would take pride in this 8 county/community, put together a 24/7 (including holidays), full news, weather, & sports staff and be a service to Nashville with thier great 50 KW signal, with the biggest AM tower in the U.S. (or that I know of, the mighty blaw knox). It just appers to me that they are more interested in putting money into Opry Mills, which is not a service to the community, just another place for all the teen age gangs to hang out and attack the adult, buying customers.

Sponsors & Advertising Groups need to wake up, partner up with WSM-AM, to pay a 24/7 news staff and realize this is not just a way to get thier products sold, but they would be doing a community service as well in a time of need.

Oh well, I guess I'm just preaching to the chior! I'll shut ip now.

 

[bub]

I was one of the few that got a room alone. During my years, I managed to run off Richard, Charlie Chase, Dick Layman and anyone else they tried to put in the rooom with me because of my snoring. Gaylord hated to book a single room.

You should have said something. I had the same problem. Together we'd have kept the whole floor awake!

Imagine if there was a live mic in the room and it aired on the Aircastle of the South during the overnight. ;D

 

[jharmon]

My new Blackberry has all sorts of great weather features and traffic reports, so I see no need to tune in. I get it faster than you guys get it.

IPods, MP3, Internet, satellite, cell phones have replaced radio as the mediums of choice.

30 million plus Ipods in America...30 million plus Program Directors, probably playing the same 20 files over and over.

Newspapers are going away. Just read about the Detroit Free Press, radio is not far behind.

Citadel stock today at 17 cents a share. 1000 shares for 170.00 This is true penny stock.

 

[olebud]

From Jharmon:

My new Blackberry has all sorts of great weather features and traffic reports, so I see no need to tune in. I get it faster than you guys get it.

IPods, MP3, Internet, satellite, cell phones have replaced radio as the mediums of choice.

30 million plus Ipods in America...30 million plus Program Directors, probably playing the same 20 files over and over.

Newspapers are going away. Just read about the Detroit Free Press, radio is not far behind

Does the Blackberry tell you the info or do you have to read it? And I'm not being a smart alec. For me, I like to hear something when I'm in the car, and yes, you're right...I'm older and don't have one of those
new-fangled machines ;D. I understand though what you're saying. Newspapers and radio are an old breed. At Clear Channel, there seemed to be more emphasis on web sites than radio sale, because they said that's where the money was. My question, do people just not care about what's happening in news in the local major or markets? WHIN in Gallatin has more local news than most any Nashville radio station.
If any of you followed the road rage incident involving a personality in a large market who was upset his stations didn't cover the incident, a CC news spokeswoman says Clear Channel does not cover crime in any of it's news operations.
nuff said.



Quote from Scott:

It was great to know back then that we could rely on WSM-AM, even if the Opry had to stop for a weather alert.

One would think Gaylord, (since I guess they are still the licensee of WSM-AM) would take pride in this 8 county/community, put together a 24/7 (including holidays), full news, weather, & sports staff and be a service to Nashville with thier great 50 KW signal, with the biggest AM tower in the U.S. (or that I know of, the mighty blaw knox). It just appers to me that they are more interested in putting money into Opry Mills, which is not a service to the community, just another place for all the teen age gangs to hang out and attack the adult, buying customers.

The Opry never stopped for storm coverage. When there was a weather alert, we notified the Opry and they announced it over there from the stage.

Gaylord has little interest (make your own guess about pride) in WSM AM, and strange as it may be for me to say, it's easy to understand not staffing a full time news room ----$$$. It is not cheap to staff, and according to one GM...you can't show where news gets ratings. He said people who tuned in during emergencies weren't regular listeners so they didn't count in the ratings. All too often, news casts were not sold because they weren't as big a commission for sales people and wasn't stressed. Alan Williams, who was a news guy in the early 80s, went into sales and did well selling casts because he knew how to sell them to potential clients and could show the importance. It wasn't a priority. More than once, we put together details on our election coverage (months before) so they could package it, gave it to the then sales manager. A week before the elections we were told me he or she had not given it to the sales people yet.

Gaylord is a HOTEL company. They sold their 10% interest in Opry Mills several years ago. Colin Reed began getting out of all business except Hotels...and a Nashville radio station(they sold the other 2 stations here they owned). I don't know if they sold the radio and news paper companies in Oklahoma or not, They might not do that since that's where the family lived. But they had someone else running the radio stations years ago and sent us their news room computers and vehicles.
I've said it other times, but in the early 80s, nearly every Nashville radio station had a news department...more than one person. How many radio station mikes do you see when there are pictures now? I'm thankful to have enjoyed the good years.

Okay....this takes up all my posting until the new year.....apologize for the length. buddy

 

[ShadowB]

I was in Baton Rouge when hurricane Andrew rolled in...The staff all came in, no one called us we just showed up and did wall to wall coverage for several hours on WFMF and WJBO. We all took a job and just reported what was going on. I had to call my folks here to find out what was going on because we had no cable and the local TV stations were off the air. Back then we had a full staff on both stations so we had a lot of voices on the air..We stayed on the air for almost 24 hours doing this. I look back at this and feel it was my best "Radio Moment" because we all pulled together in and served the public.

 

[Nomoreradionews]

Clear Channel, Cumulus, and all the rest of the big radio companies have done themselves a disservice by cutting news departments. If you aren't around during times of severe weather and other breaking news that people care about, then the listenership will dwindle. Instead of investing in the product, they decided to cut and run. Thank god the folks who run these companies, aren't running the country. If they were, the first sign of an attack, the decision would be to retreat.

The days of 24/7 radio news has come to an end. Even the bigger markets will soon follow. Very sad and pathetic. The decision makers should be ashamed of themselves.

 

[scottwmro]

From Jharmon:

My new Blackberry has all sorts of great weather features and traffic reports, so I see no need to tune in. I get it faster than you guys get it.

IPods, MP3, Internet, satellite, cell phones have replaced radio as the mediums of choice.

30 million plus Ipods in America...30 million plus Program Directors, probably playing the same 20 files over and over.

Newspapers are going away. Just read about the Detroit Free Press, radio is not far behind

Does the Blackberry tell you the info or do you have to read it? And I'm not being a smart alec. For me, I like to hear something when I'm in the car, and yes, you're right...I'm older and don't have one of those
new-fangled machines ;D. I understand though what you're saying. Newspapers and radio are an old breed. At Clear Channel, there seemed to be more emphasis on web sites than radio sale, because they said that's where the money was. My question, do people just not care about what's happening in news in the local major or markets? WHIN in Gallatin has more local news than most any Nashville radio station.
If any of you followed the road rage incident involving a personality in a large market who was upset his stations didn't cover the incident, a CC news spokeswoman says Clear Channel does not cover crime in any of it's news operations.
nuff said.



Quote from Scott:

It was great to know back then that we could rely on WSM-AM, even if the Opry had to stop for a weather alert.

One would think Gaylord, (since I guess they are still the licensee of WSM-AM) would take pride in this 8 county/community, put together a 24/7 (including holidays), full news, weather, & sports staff and be a service to Nashville with thier great 50 KW signal, with the biggest AM tower in the U.S. (or that I know of, the mighty blaw knox). It just appers to me that they are more interested in putting money into Opry Mills, which is not a service to the community, just another place for all the teen age gangs to hang out and attack the adult, buying customers.

The Opry never stopped for storm coverage. When there was a weather alert, we notified the Opry and they announced it over there from the stage.

Gaylord has little interest (make your own guess about pride) in WSM AM, and strange as it may be for me to say, it's easy to understand not staffing a full time news room ----$$$. It is not cheap to staff, and according to one GM...you can't show where news gets ratings. He said people who tuned in during emergencies weren't regular listeners so they didn't count in the ratings. All too often, news casts were not sold because they weren't as big a commission for sales people and wasn't stressed. Alan Williams, who was a news guy in the early 80s, went into sales and did well selling casts because he knew how to sell them to potential clients and could show the importance. It wasn't a priority. More than once, we put together details on our election coverage (months before) so they could package it, gave it to the then sales manager. A week before the elections we were told me he or she had not given it to the sales people yet.

Gaylord is a HOTEL company. They sold their 10% interest in Opry Mills several years ago. Colin Reed began getting out of all business except Hotels...and a Nashville radio station(they sold the other 2 stations here they owned). I don't know if they sold the radio and news paper companies in Oklahoma or not, They might not do that since that's where the family lived. But they had someone else running the radio stations years ago and sent us their news room computers and vehicles.
I've said it other times, but in the early 80s, nearly every Nashville radio station had a news department...more than one person. How many radio station mikes do you see when there are pictures now? I'm thankful to have enjoyed the good years.

Okay....this takes up all my posting until the new year.....apologize for the length. buddy

olebud,

Yes, you're right about severe weather alerts and the Opry. I guess that was what I intented to post, that the announcer at the Opry did the weather alerts between acts at the Opry. I guess that's how they did it, but remember, I was a kid then and more scared of the storm than how the announcer at the Opry got the weather alerts on (HA!) The house we lived in was almost on Old Hickory Lake, and you could see the Old Hickory Dam, and Dupont from that house. My baby sister and family lives in that house today.

I really haven't kept up in who owned what as far as the Opry, The Hotel, and WSM-AM over the past few years. You know more about it than I do and thanks for jumping in. Weather Coverage is just not what it once was, and with all the cutbacks, when all the computers, cell sites loose power when thier back up batteries die to transmitt weather info to the cell phones, what's left, radio. A powerful AM like WSM is what I always had a button set on in the car because I always knew in the past I could rely on good ole 650 AM, Nashville, to get me through the storm. Sounds like WSM-AM is in a mess.

Speaking of WHIN having more local news on than any Nashville Station, have you listened to WAKM in Franklin? The last time I listened to 950, WAKM, they sounded like they were doing a good job with local news for the south side of the metro, like Brentwood, Franklin, the Cool Springs area, etc. I haven't listen to them in a while, so I don't know if all that's changed. They were using the slogan "Hometown Radio" and I figured that was thier nitch.

In reality, WMRO should be not be the air in Gallatin. There is only room for one station in Gallatin, and that is WHIN, since it's been in the city the longest & based on the cities population. I guess back in the 60's, ole big foot, and a few others didn't think about the future when WAMG-AM 1130 went on, but in the late 80's and early 90's, WAMG shot itself, and left WHIN the only station in town until 1560 went on in 1994.

When I got 1560 on here in town, Ernie Ashworth put WAMG back on as WYXE (Wixie in Dixie). I thought to myself how in the world is 3 local AM station going to make it in this town. Now WYXE is gone, as it serves the Nashville Religious Hispanic demo, it's just 1010 & 1560. I took all daily local news off 1560 this year because I felt nobody was paying it any attention to Buntin doing it. 1010 was doing a better job.

For now, I just let it do what I like, and I'll turn it off and turn in the license before I would sell it to anybody. I know that sounds cruel, but I rebuilt 1560 in Gallatin, and I just have fun with it. I let Buntin do a little local morning sports/community show with the ABC Morning Show to give him something to do and stay out of my hair (HA!) In addition, Sunday's is Gospel all day. No secular programming is on WMRO on Sundays and I let it gear to an older church audience.

O.K. I need to stop posting, but one more thing, don't feel bad about you comments about Blackberry Cell Phones. I don't have one and if I got one in my hand, I wouldn't know how to use it anyway! I just have a simple Motorola Razor Phone that is just enough for me, make a phone call (HA!)

Best Regards & Merry Christmas
Scott

 

[CumulusBuilder]

come on guys...i know this is a bash-radio message board...but hard to get upset about no wall-to-wall coverage of an inch of snow on the grass.

the worst thing that the media does in general is blow stuff way out of proportion. Our listeners or viewers -- those we are here to serve -- see right through it and they tune it out. Then, when it's really important, they don't listen.

radio is not like it used to be -- thats the truth -- but not everything that happens in the business is a sign of doomsday or people that dont care. there are a lot of good radio people who would do just what shadow b said in the case of real emergencies.

this snow event is not an emergency.

it's sad that the discussion has been reduced to commentary on a 1 inch 6-hour snow and ice event and who's having a christmas party.

let's talk about real exciting weather coverage...like lisa patton taking you through every temperature in every city in the midstate. because...43 in camden does feel a lot different from 44 in mcminnville. the directors finally have started cutting her off.

 

[romer979fm]

every temperature in every city in the midstate.

gotta agree about the mind-numbing weather reports:
I have no problem with the map showing all the temperatures: it's TV, and I can
pick out my city and SEE the temperature! whatta concept! I hate to be read to...

I knew this latest weather 'event' was out of control when WSMV had two weather types on-camera:
I prefer to direct everyone to Kroger to clear the shelves if there's a 10% chance of flurries. More fun.

 

[BIGSTICK]

This was not a signifigant threat at anytime. It was not a Katrina event. That is why people up North laugh at us Southerners... :