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WCBS AM

B

BabyDJ

Guest
I was stuck really listening to this station Thursday and forgot how awful it is. Can they be more sensational? You'd think it was FOX news. They've had these for years and are just awful. Given the ratings you would think the talent would be on par with what's on WINS, but it's not. The Wayne Cabots and Pat Franacks can't touch Lee Harris, Doug O'Brien or Larry Cantor. It's horribly sad.
 
Yeah, and they also have a habit of playing snippets of songs during some of their news pieces. It's as if they're trying to cross-promote WCBS-FM by osmosis. Whatever, they're still getting decent ratings, so apparently, somehow it's working.
 
DToTheJ said:
Yeah, and they also have a habit of playing snippets of songs during some of their news pieces. It's as if they're trying to cross-promote WCBS-FM by osmosis. Whatever, they're still getting decent ratings, so apparently, somehow it's working.
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I have the same feeling about the music snippets. But I gotta say, they are getting decent ratings, and I respectfully disagree with the previous post about it being horribly sad. I find much of their coverage pretty consistent with what's happened to network TV news over the last decade. While lamentable, I don't think it's worth us crying over. It's certainly not NPR. I AM just happy that NYC still has two all-news AMs, and I think that makes us the only remaining U.S. city with two. For me, it beats the alternative. What's more, I give CBS some credit for not deciding to kill one of them off and flip it to sports or conservatalk or whatever other bright idea might strike them.
 
WCBS-AM is actually geared toward the New York suburbs and New Jersey, whereas WINS is more of a New York City news station.
 
I think CBS-AM does a great job of keeping me informed.
I don't mind their formatics in the least...I like the somewhat more casual approach.
 
BabyDJ said:
I was stuck really listening to this station Thursday and forgot how awful it is. Can they be more sensational? It's horribly sad.
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Personally, I prefer WCBS to WINS.

I don't see what the problem is. CBS-AM is a good station!
 
Don Juan said:
I don't see what the problem is. CBS-AM is a good station!
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That's the problem. It's been so bad for so long people don't remember what it used to sound like and what it could sound like again. Professionalize the bumpers (the yucking announcer screaming what studio they are from on "Nahyooose Radio" has to go), stop having the anchors ad libbing or telling jokes to each other and keep the format flowing. You can have a "news-magazine" approach and still keep it on an even keel...
 
I prefer CBS-AM to WINS also, but gratified that they're both still going.

I meant to add, 10 years ago, I kind of had a tough time listening to WINS. I think at that point there was something of a reaction in the marketplace to all-crime-all-the-time reporting, and some listeners thought WINS was guilty of that. Not so much anymore however.
 
I happen to like BOTH WINS and WCBS-AM. They each fit a different mode of newscasting and do it well.

KYW in Philly has also taken to including some songs in selected news stories. It is just a reflection of a more relaxed approach to news that has developed in recent years. At one time, you would not have dared to say something even remotely funny on-air. Now its perfectly okay. As the coat-and-tie atmosphere of the office has declined in recent years, so has the tightly buttoned-up approach to radio news.
 
why are there 2 news stations inthe first place most cities have just one and there both owned by cbs radio why doesn't one get flipped to something different seems pointless!!!!
 
BabyDJ said:
Don Juan said:
I don't see what the problem is. CBS-AM is a good station!
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That's the problem. It's been so bad for so long people don't remember what it used to sound like and what it could sound like again.
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I don't think most people here are agreeing with your assessment. ;-)
 
That's because WCBS AM appeals to the lowest common denominator, much like FOX News and TMZ.
 
Wbzfm2010 said:
why are there 2 news stations inthe first place most cities have just one and there both owned by cbs radio why doesn't one get flipped to something different seems pointless!!!!
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And what format could you put on an AM that would do as well?

WCBS AM is the second highest billing station in the country, and WINS is the third. They are also the #1 and "2 billers in NYC. They are further the top two billing AMs in the US.

Why in the world would you think it would be a good idea to flip one?
 
Like there are a lot of choices for making money with an AM radio station!
 
Apparently, Wbzfm2010 missed my post on the previous page in this thread that WINS is geared toward New York City, and WCBS-AM toward the suburbs.

Now, I'm sure once either station starts to lose money, one of them will flip - sure, both of them are doing well, and there's no danger of that happening anytime soon. But such a feat has been pulled by CBS just last year with KFWB in Los Angeles (they also operate all-news KNX).
 
BabyDJ said:
... WCBS AM appeals to the lowest common denominator, much like FOX News and TMZ.
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So when will WCBS-AM start running Fox News Radio at the top of the hour? ;D
 
icybluelake said:
BabyDJ said:
That's because WCBS AM appeals to the lowest common denominator, much like FOX News and TMZ.
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I couldn't possibly agree less with that assessment.
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FWIW, one thing I've noticed for years is that WCBS gives lots of teasers for upcoming stories. So, that does make them appear more sensationalist than WINS, where the stories repeat often enough that teasers are unnecessary because you probably just heard the same exact thing 22 minutes ago.
 
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