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This explains a lot about KTRH "News".

Here's a question: If someone went to Michael Berry and said: "I will provide original local news content for your station, reported by quality journalists, and I will provide this content to you free of charge," what do you think he'd say?

That was the basic idea behind Metro Networks. An outside company takes on the expense of providing local content. They spread our the expense over multiple stations. They pick up the costs of the employees and their benefits. All the station has to do is agree to air short live commercials read by the talent.

No reason why that idea can't be picked up by some out-of-work reporters and tried again.
 
93-7 would probably be a better choice for KTRH-FM. I wouldn't want to lose KTRH-AM as the Astros flag because of its coverage area, which extends from Austin to Lafayette. But it would be nice for those in Houston and the surrounding areas to hear the Astros on an FM station, as well as having a news/talk format on the FM as well.

I predict within a year you will see KTRH-FM become a reality, the only question is will it be on 93-7 or 99-1.
 
Speaking of KTRH, what kind of arbitron do you think they will put up tonight for the Opening Day Astros broadcast?
 
I'm a News and Radio Junkie, but Houston needs an all news radio station less and less every day. Think about the awesome multitude of news sources today versus back in the 30s to the 50s when "Radio was King." I'm a former serious midwest Radio News Guy who knows that Radio isn't King anymore. I hope someone will prove me wrong.
 
My first job in broadcasting was working for Frank Boardman in the Rice Hotel doing the All News Weekend in 1970...Larry Canfield, Joe Howard and Nancy Paul in the back writing copy. I was a 21-year-old college student and it was a dive in the deep end of radio journalism. Berry's comment is naive in that he doesn't even realize how he sounds, and disheartening because the medium has become just that...something that is not quite well-done.
 
I applauded KTRH's Hurricane Ike coverage and wonder who's going to be left to provide that content the next time a big one blows through? When the furniture warehouse of one of the city's most recognizable philanthropists (and a major advertising client) caught blaze, I admit, I tuned to KTRH. Long enough to hear they weren't covering the fire, turn the radio off, and walk to the television for the local news. I keep forgetting, news and news-talk are two different formats.
 
aunti-terrestrial said:
I applauded KTRH's Hurricane Ike coverage and wonder who's going to be left to provide that content the next time a big one blows through?
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After hearing every other word between lightning strikes on my emergency radio, I concluded that AM has no use anymore much less a weather-related disaster.  The FM stations carrying the audio from the TV stations were much more useful (and clear).

When the furniture warehouse of one of the city's most recognizable philanthropists (and a major advertising client) caught blaze, I admit, I tuned to KTRH. Long enough to hear they weren't covering the fire, turn the radio off, and walk to the television for the local news. I keep forgetting, news and news-talk are two different formats. 
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KTRH set me straight between the difference of news and news-talk.  KTRH is a classic example of news-talk; all talk, some news at the top of the hour.  When someone sells news-talk as a compromise to me, I remind them that there indeed is a difference.  Over time the intensity of news is overpowered by the intensity of talk and it gradually becomes a talk station.

My classic examples of news are WBBM, KNX and KCBS and end up listening to their internet streams due to the lack of newsradio in Houston.
 
Huh? You're saying, All Talk -- No Action? I get it. But how much Houston news do you get from the Chicago and L.A. stations? KTRH is all we have, at least for now. Why didn't you mention WINS, probably the best all-news station in the country? WTOP is probably the highest-billing station in Washington DeeCee, and that's a lotta money. Great stations. Very little Houston news there. Is that your point, remembering All-News Radio while you trash the whole AM frequency, at the same time holding up examples of AM stations to be emulated?
 
I remember when I first came to work at KTRH in 1981, they used to run a progarm on weekends called, "When Radio Was", and it was the old-time radio shows from the 30's, 40's and 50's -- Jack Benny, Edgar Bergen, The Shadow, etc. Now they could do the same thing and just run an hour-long news block from the 80's or 90's. The business has changed that much and not necessarily for the better. The focus used to be on the product. Now it's on the bottom line. Those people who remain in the news room at KTRH do a tremendous job with the lack of resources and support they get. They are able to give you a story, but can't tell you why something happened or why its important. I was there the night Gallery Furniture went up in flames, and sadly the news room was empty. The hourly updates had already been recorded and dropped in the system. No live person was scheduled after 7 pm because there was an Astros game, so the traffic guy was the only person on hand to provide any information.
 
I wonder if Michael Berry is any kin to Garvin Berry, former news director at KTRH in the early 80s. I worked with him at KTRH in 1983; and I know he wouldn't put up with what they are passing off as news nowdays.

You talked about only having a traffic reporter on duty at night. When I was there, we had a little known street reporter who covered the cop shops at night. His name was Wayne Dolcefino. At the very least, you'd think KTRH could have a street reporter covering overnights, who could come in and do double-duty as an on-air guy in the event of a breaking news story. And, with the available technology, they wouldn't even have to come to the studio to get a report on the air. Just take a laptop with them, dial in and take command of the studio automation and do a live report from the scene.

But, nah. That would be using some intelligence that seems to be deplorably lacking in radio station management these days. Might mean that you'd have to hire the engineering department some help to get such a system installed. And, no radio station GM wants to get the engineer and more help. Why, if they were that nice to their engineer, they'd have to quit being a general manager.
 
Does anyone actually consider reciting press releases and unverifiable (even subjective) material to be actual news?
Is there really no money in news or just a tighter margin?
 
Kendromedia said:
Is there really no money in news or just a tighter margin?
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Depends. A news station can run more spots, can run more sponsor IDs, and can merchandise its content along multiple platforms without paying royalties. So if done well, it can make more money than a music station in the same market. In NY and DC, news makes more money than music. In LA and Philly, it makes less. It's a function of audience and competing sources for the same information.

In Houston, an all-news station on AM is limited audience at this time. Twenty years ago, it was different. But AM in Houston isn't worth as much. Running an AM news radio station benefits when the same company also owns a TV operation. CC doesn't have that. The resources available aren't as good for this owner, and the potential isn't as good for this frequency. This is the only AM station in the Top 20, and it's clear the audience is attracted more from talk than anything else. They wouldn't gain a thing by dropping talk for news, but they'd probably lose at least half of their audience.

News has become a major focus for NPR. They just got a grant to assist local NPR stations in hiring local news staffs and upgrading local coverage. My bet is that any growth in radio news will come from the NPR station.
 
Much as I love good ol' KTRH for its heritage, the people who still work hard there and my great memories, you're right, BigA, and so is FilioScotia: NPR and KUHF do a great job. Proof of that, to me, is that my 12-year-old listens each morning (as do I)...then later she switches to KRBE. She is, BTW, quite acquainted with AM radio.
 
michaelshiloh said:
Huh? You're saying, All Talk -- No Action? I get it. But how much Houston news do you get from the Chicago and L.A. stations? KTRH is all we have, at least for now. Why didn't you mention WINS, probably the best all-news station in the country? WTOP is probably the highest-billing station in Washington DeeCee, and that's a lotta money. Great stations. Very little Houston news there. Is that your point, remembering All-News Radio while you trash the whole AM frequency, at the same time holding up examples of AM stations to be emulated?
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I listen for the national news and the local scene of those 'big' cities since I may move there one day. I end up listening to KUHF in my car during the afternoons for the local news during All Things Considered. (I was about to mention WINS and WCBS--KYW, KDKA, and WBZ are barely mentioned--but I don't listen to it since I'm not interested in NYC.)

But format has little to do with the broadcast band. Many AM stations are moving to the FM band in Canada (CBC Radio stations come to mind immediately) and I see that the future in North America is on FM (which my generation, The Millennials, think that that's the only radio and AM is just full of buzz noise when you push that button to switch). In the U.S., there would only be a couple of talk stations in each market that replaced the 2 lowest rated music stations on FM after the AM band transition.
 
Again, I hope to see KTRH get on the FM band sometime within this year.

Austin's KLBJ, Dallas's WBAP, New Orleans's WWL all do an FM simulcast, so hopefully we will see KTRH-FM on 93.7 real soon.

I think KTRH in the morning is great. I don't listen to Michael Berry because after Rush and Hannity I am all "conservatived" out, but there coverage of the Astros is fantastic.
 
Radio, as we all once knew it, has changed drastically. We all remember the days when even the top rock stations had full time news departments, with full five minute newscasts every half hour during drive times and every hour on off drive times. Now there are no news departments at the local level in Top 40 radio, and no large news crews even at the all news stations, where every bit of news comes from ABC, CBS, Fox et all. In fact, if it weren't for syndication, local news/talk stations would be hard pressed to keep programming on the air at all. Local radio is no more, thanks to the corporate bean counters.
 
jrobert said:
Local radio is no more, thanks to the corporate bean counters.
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Don't blame the bean counters. It's not much different at stations owned by moms and pops or even at non-commercial operations. Too many radio stations, and too many other forms of media, plus a cultural and social revolution, all killed the golden goose.
 
93-3TheSurge said:
Again, I hope to see KTRH get on the FM band sometime within this year.

Austin's KLBJ, Dallas's WBAP, New Orleans's WWL all do an FM simulcast, so hopefully we will see KTRH-FM on 93.7 real soon.

I think KTRH in the morning is great. I don't listen to Michael Berry because after Rush and Hannity I am all "conservatived" out, but there coverage of the Astros is fantastic.
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Any particular reason it'd be 93.7? Or is that the perceived weakest link among the CC FM stations?
KTRH-FM would be good not only for sound quality, but certainly to serve those northern areas after sunset when 740 goes directional. To that end, maybe Clear Channel ought to buy 106.9 and make *it* KTRH-FM. It would kill two birds with one stone ... :)
 
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