Where would you tune for huge breaking news information? (9/11 or storm type)

[aerie]

[quote
WEEI was good but was also hampered by not having a TV newsroom to fallback on.

In 2012 WBZ stands alone for local news because of the combined newsroom with Channel 4.
[/quote]

I'm not sure having a TV newsroom to fall back on is the issue, I think it's having a staff of street reporters, writers, and anchors that can cover the city themselves that is important. WEEI did that in spades, but it was expensive. Nothing is more ridiculous to me than airing the audio of a TV newscast as WTKK does in the morning with NECN. And I recall one station that shall be nameless, whose "newscasters" were reading stories verbatim out of the Herald as their morning news. I used to follow along word for work in the paper as they were speaking. I'd rather have no news than crap news.

 

[thirdendorsed]

OK, here is the deal with news on the radio in boston.

1.  The five-minute local newscast just is not available on the commercial band. The rip and read of ancient copy by metro newsreaders does not a five minute newscast make.

2. At one point, the market saw locally produced five minute news broadcasts on WRKO, WHDH, WBZ, WROR, WVBF and WMJX (the latter two in drive times) and a real all-news format on WEEI.

3.WBZ provided more news in greater depth in its days in five minutes at the top of the our before going all-news during  Bush I's war than it does today. The hour begins with a series of promos designed to lure TSL. But if you're looking for a quick update, it's the lastl place on earth you would turn. There are no real headline updates during the half hour. WEEI developed the same problem under the pizza kings, as Doug Stephan dismantled a news operation in favor of exercise and cooking shows on the radio and a raft of "lifestyle" features. BZ does the same thing today "Hey who had the most recent kid? You? Okay, you get to do the parenting report."

4. A well done five minute newscast will give you more news faster than going to Google news or anything else. A newsperson, even without a produceer and editor, who is experienced and works for a station that values its news product can select, edit and deliver a better summary than you can get clicking here and there and getting routed to sources of questionable authority.

5. Greater Media has never done all news in this market. After the Tangers bought WTTK/WACQ, from Plough, they did what they called all-news after they bought WACQ, hiring Dick Levitan and giving us some innovations as the Newscenter 1150 Sky View Telescope which would "zoom in" on breaking news. It was a short-lived joke.

6. Metro/Shadow doesn't present news. It is a horrific operation. They rip-read ancient headlines, with no street presence. Even worse are the traffic reports. They use the same script during drive and unless they get the word of something out of the ordinary is happening (usually long after it has happened and has been cleared) they just read copy about the "usual trouble spots" even when you are either gliding through said trouble spots or are backed up three miles earlier than usual. Same words, same time every day, with nary a look at what is really happening.

7. Television audio is substituting for street reporters on WBZ, which  is a reflection why its all news format is so godawful. It is useful for a live event you don't get to, but you are left with a TV reporter's attempts to add perspective and unless it's a breaking news live shot, all they care about is what they get on the next "show"

8. Good radio news is written, researched and covered for radio. It's not the same as newspapers, it's not the same as the Web (with its reliance on sources people could get fired for using in radio news. It is an art form that uses people who specialize in getting in, getting done and getting out, with an economy of words, with effective use of sound and with the understanding that you have to have some thing new and different on the next broadcast and it had better include well-sourced accurate information.

9. The worse example of news on the radio are the sports updates on WBZ-FM and WEEI. They never, ever advance a story unless it's handed to them. The bozo on WBZ-FM actuallly led with "the Patriots fell to 1-1 after losing to..." in late afternoon, nearly 24 hours after the game ended. They never update everything, they never advance a story, they never switch perspectives from last night's game to what's going on today after morning drive.  Most of the sports news readers are more interested in trying to become personalities than in developing reporting skills.

10. The best radio news in Boston was done by WHDH, whether in its Voice of the City days owned by the Herald-Traveler days, or it's upbeat AC days under Blair, it was always  as good as, and perhaps from time to time, a bit better than, WBZ

11.  And I was a jock.

 

[raccoonradio]

Interesting...

--WFNX had news when I was there as a news intern (Sep 83-Jan 84) with the late Margie Coombs
and also Henry Santoro and Cindy Farias. I helped Henry election night Flynn v King, there were call ins from each HQ
--WRKO did wind up running a local 'cast on the half hour yesterday about 1:30, but as I said I've heard them run ABC news at TOH during weekday daytime. One Metro-Shadow voice (I assume)
is John Saucier, who is heard afternoons on RKO--he's also been on EEI doing sports flashes I
think (again not sure if he's an Ent. talent or Metro-Shadow) and the Big Show guys poke fun
at his voice.

Wiki.:"On April 29, 2011, Westwood One sold Metro Networks to Clear Channel Communications for $119.25 million so it can concentrate on their other properties. Clear Channel also owns Metro's rival, Total Traffic Networks. Metro Networks' traffic service was eventually folded into Total Traffic Networks later that year, with Clear Channel keeping the Total Traffic name for the operation."

Not sure how accurate it is but XM/Sirius has traffic for Boston--and Pittsburgh and Philly--
on one channel. It goes back and forth (with weather) and you may have to deal with what's happening on the Parkway East and the Schuykill before you get to Storrow Drive....

 

[brightonboris]

Interesting...

--WFNX had news when I was there as a news intern (Sep 83-Jan 84) with the late Margie Coombs
and also Henry Santoro and Cindy Farias. I helped Henry election night Flynn v King, there were call ins from each HQ

Sharon "The Brody Beat" Brody(1984-1997).

 

[Cap-n Spackle]

Nothing is more ridiculous to me than airing the audio of a TV newscast

I can't tell you how many times I've hit heavy traffic and flipped on 1030 for "Traffic on the Threes" only to hear the audio for the friggin' Katie Couric or Scott Pelley show.

 

[raccoonradio]

As I said RKO has metro news from clear channel. 4:30 news had George Brown who had been ontalk1200

 

[thirdendorsed]

I'm not sure having a TV newsroom to fall back on is the issue, I think it's having a staff of street reporters, writers, and anchors that can cover the city themselves that is important.

^5 Very well put.

 

[Fenway1912]

thirdendorsed we have most likely met in a past life.

NOBODY in Boston did 'rip and read' better than Al Kennedy at WMEX in the 60's. Bob Scott and John Masters at WRKO a close second.

Mac Richmond had a 'knack' for newsreaders - the late Fred Lowrey was also excellent.

OK, here is the deal with news on the radio in boston.

1. The five-minute local newscast just is not available on the commercial band. The rip and read of ancient copy by metro newsreaders does not a five minute newscast make.

2. At one point, the market saw locally produced five minute news broadcasts on WRKO, WHDH, WBZ, WROR, WVBF and WMJX (the latter two in drive times) and a real all-news format on WEEI.

3.WBZ provided more news in greater depth in its days in five minutes at the top of the our before going all-news during Bush I's war than it does today. The hour begins with a series of promos designed to lure TSL. But if you're looking for a quick update, it's the lastl place on earth you would turn. There are no real headline updates during the half hour. WEEI developed the same problem under the pizza kings, as Doug Stephan dismantled a news operation in favor of exercise and cooking shows on the radio and a raft of "lifestyle" features. BZ does the same thing today "Hey who had the most recent kid? You? Okay, you get to do the parenting report."

4. A well done five minute newscast will give you more news faster than going to Google news or anything else. A newsperson, even without a produceer and editor, who is experienced and works for a station that values its news product can select, edit and deliver a better summary than you can get clicking here and there and getting routed to sources of questionable authority.

5. Greater Media has never done all news in this market. After the Tangers bought WTTK/WACQ, from Plough, they did what they called all-news after they bought WACQ, hiring Dick Levitan and giving us some innovations as the Newscenter 1150 Sky View Telescope which would "zoom in" on breaking news. It was a short-lived joke.

6. Metro/Shadow doesn't present news. It is a horrific operation. They rip-read ancient headlines, with no street presence. Even worse are the traffic reports. They use the same script during drive and unless they get the word of something out of the ordinary is happening (usually long after it has happened and has been cleared) they just read copy about the "usual trouble spots" even when you are either gliding through said trouble spots or are backed up three miles earlier than usual. Same words, same time every day, with nary a look at what is really happening.

7. Television audio is substituting for street reporters on WBZ, which is a reflection why its all news format is so godawful. It is useful for a live event you don't get to, but you are left with a TV reporter's attempts to add perspective and unless it's a breaking news live shot, all they care about is what they get on the next "show"

8. Good radio news is written, researched and covered for radio. It's not the same as newspapers, it's not the same as the Web (with its reliance on sources people could get fired for using in radio news. It is an art form that uses people who specialize in getting in, getting done and getting out, with an economy of words, with effective use of sound and with the understanding that you have to have some thing new and different on the next broadcast and it had better include well-sourced accurate information.

9. The worse example of news on the radio are the sports updates on WBZ-FM and WEEI. They never, ever advance a story unless it's handed to them. The bozo on WBZ-FM actuallly led with "the Patriots fell to 1-1 after losing to..." in late afternoon, nearly 24 hours after the game ended. They never update everything, they never advance a story, they never switch perspectives from last night's game to what's going on today after morning drive. Most of the sports news readers are more interested in trying to become personalities than in developing reporting skills.

10. The best radio news in Boston was done by WHDH, whether in its Voice of the City days owned by the Herald-Traveler days, or it's upbeat AC days under Blair, it was always as good as, and perhaps from time to time, a bit better than, WBZ

11. And I was a jock.

 

[thirdendorsed]

I did not know that Fred Lowry worked for the Big X; I just remember him as doing news on the Larry King show on Mutual and also doing King's intros and breakers.

Al Kennedy is a blast from the past. I remember when he was the host of Beacon HIll Reports, the PA show that Tommy McGee sent out from the State House when he was speaker.

But Mac did have some great talent, even among newsreaders, a lot of anchors who became fairly respected in the market were once at the Big X doing news. And then there was Bill Lawrence, who went from jocking at WMEX to being morning drive anchor on WEEI.

From what I hear from people who worked with him, John Masters was not a rip-reader but someone who had a knack for story-telling who wrote his own stuff. I remember him as a kid from 20/20 days.

 

[Fenway1912]

Fred Lowery started his career in Maine.
Among others, he worked in the news departments of WGUY Bangor, WPOP
Hartford, WMEX Boston, WFIL Philadelphia, WRC Washington, NBC Radio and
was employed by Mutual at the time of his death in 1998.

I did not know that Fred Lowry worked for the Big X; I just remember him as doing news on the Larry King show on Mutual and also doing King's intros and breakers.

Al Kennedy is a blast from the past. I remember when he was the host of Beacon HIll Reports, the PA show that Tommy McGee sent out from the State House when he was speaker.

But Mac did have some great talent, even among newsreaders, a lot of anchors who became fairly respected in the market were once at the Big X doing news. And then there was Bill Lawrence, who went from jocking at WMEX to being morning drive anchor on WEEI.

From what I hear from people who worked with him, John Masters was not a rip-reader but someone who had a knack for story-telling who wrote his own stuff. I remember him as a kid from 20/20 days.

 

[Bill_W]

But this being the 21st century, I have access to the internet and get the same AP, Reuters, BBC news tickers that they get.

But during a major storm or it’s aftermath it’s quite possible you won’t have internet access. Even if you have a generator for your house, most forms of broadband require amplifiers between you and the ISP that require power.

Who's to say that the same tree that took down the power line didn't take down your FiOS / Xfinity wire too. With amplifiers needing power, I think that is the cable companies. Comcast will roll trucks with generators to power the amplifiers in the neighborhoods. They started doing that when they started selling phone service. Back when they just sold cable TV it was not a matter of life and death if you didn't have cable but now not to be able to dial 911... If the blackout is long enough, they chain them to the poles and come around with gas to fill them up. That happened here outside of Philly a couple of summers ago. I still lost it because a tree fire melted the fiber about 5 blocks from the headend. I had DirecTv at the time too to watch the NFL Sunday Ticket so I watched Nick Jr with my children from the satellite because in addition to their daycare being closed, my work was closed due to no power. FiOS doesn't need any power between your house and the Verizon Central Office. Just plug your ONT and Router into your generator and you have the triple play back (as long as the wire between you and Verizon isn't down.). I switched to them to get a cheaper triple play. Lost power, the generator kicked on and every thing was fine. This was the halloween snow storm and another tree fire took out the Comcast lines closer to my house (fiber again). I think it took out the FiOS wires too but that was past my house. The Comcast headend and Verizon Central office are opposite ways.

If an event like 9-11 happens, the internet gets clogged. I could not get anything on the internet. I have a radio at work and put it into the window to get KYW, WBZ's sister station in Philly. My parents were watching TV at home.

Even cell phones get iffy. After the small earthquake we had on the East coast last year, my cell phone didn't work. All circuits were buzy. I had to make a call on a land line to check up on my children at my parents house. I could however stream KYW over the VZW 3G network on my iPhone. I wonder how long cell phone towers hold up in a major storm.

I guess the AM radio is the way to go. I also have the antenna sitting by to plug into my one TV with a digital tuner which I can do with a generator.

 

[kc1ih]

My understanding is that cell towers are required to have 24 hours of emergency backup power, but of course that depends on the batteries being properly maintained and replaced as needed. In the Halloween snowstorm last year I lost cell service about 24 hours after I lost power. But, you ever tried using the power company’s outage map on a phone, it’s nearly impossible?

 

[carmen]

made a twitter account, put on scanner, and started searching for stuff i heard - this got several dozen users on the list - following any user these users retweeted for a week got the list to close to 100 - current-event buffs fire-scene photographers. yes it would be useless if twitter and internet (either) are down but a good alternative to annoying people with a bunch of radios on. coverage is pretty much complete (eg near every dispatch is livetweeted by someone), late night is pretty spotty but Stanley is usually awake

 

[aaronread]

My understanding is that cell towers are required to have 24 hours of emergency backup power, but of course that depends on the batteries being properly maintained and replaced as needed.

I used to work for a consulting firm that specialized in wireless tower/facility placement. Granted, that was eight years ago, but there was no such blanket requirement back then. I'm sure some municipalities required it as part of the zoning variances granted to allow the facility in the first place, but that would've been essentially on a town-by-town basis. And not all of them did it from the "beginning" of wireless/cellphone towers, either. So it would be very haphazardly-implemented.

Until about four or five years ago, at least 50% of the facilities I saw in New England and upstate NY did not have any kind of backup power at all. Maybe a little UPS like they kind you'd see on a desktop computer, and only then to keep part of the facility from a "hard shutdown" in a power loss; it only kept certain computers up long enough for them to automatically be shut down gracefully.

About 2007 or so, you started seeing a lot more facilities built with real generators in place. Enough to keep things going for two or three days (even a week) assuming a full tank of fuel. Not too surprising, really...IIRC, around 2007 (give or take) was when you started seeing landlines disappear in droves, in favor of just having a cellphone. In situations like that, the reliability expectations for cellphones started creeping upwards pretty quickly. I have to assume some of the telecommunications lessons of Hurricane Katrina factored into that equation as well.

Personally, I don't trust the cell network worth a damn in any serious, widespread emergency. Too many potential points of failure. For example, once we get a real generator in place at WELH (RIPR), I plan on getting a Marti RPU setup for a backup STL...and that's on top of the (planned) 5.8GHz wifi bridge, Comrex BricLink over Comcast cablemodem, Comrex Access Portable w/3G, and OAG RX of 102.7FM that I have for STL options. (can't be too careful, ya know? ;D ) For uses under 30 days, you don't need a license for RPU's, and with a Marti I don't have to worry about ANYONE'S infrastructure dying if we have another Irene hit us.

 

[johnster]

My understanding is that cell towers are required to have 24 hours of emergency backup power, but of course that depends on the batteries being properly maintained and replaced as needed. In the Halloween snowstorm last year I lost cell service about 24 hours after I lost power. But, you ever tried using the power company’s outage map on a phone, it’s nearly impossible?

Many have no back up power at all. Some have batteries and some have Generators. I can think of a few sites with the four major cell providers all with installations and only one will have back up power. There is no requirement and many installations where it is not feasible.

 

[aaronread]

OAG RX of 102.7FM

Heh, that should read "OTA RX of 102.7FM"...shorthand for Over The Air.

I guess I've worked in public radio too long when my spellchecker corrects to "OAG" (Only a Game)

 

[wdoa]

My understanding is that cell towers are required to have 24 hours of emergency backup power, but of course that depends on the batteries being properly maintained and replaced as needed. In the Halloween snowstorm last year I lost cell service about 24 hours after I lost power. But, you ever tried using the power company’s outage map on a phone, it’s nearly impossible?

I'm afraid that there is no such requirement. I believe that Verizon Wireless & ATT have generators at some of their cell sites, but I know from experience that T-Mobile does not. In my town the minute the power goes out at the cell tower, that's the minute that the phone loses the cell signal.

 

[CatCall]

So is everyone tuned in to WBZ-AM for all of the Hurricane Sandy emergency info for the Boston area? Is there any other station that comes close for this kind of info?

 

[bostonmediaguy]

Noticed WBZ no longer airing storm cancellations, telling listeners to go online.

 

[CTListener]

Noticed WBZ no longer airing storm cancellations, telling listeners to go online.

The people who either can't afford, can't use or don't want Internet access be damned. In this case, though, I think it's safe to assume that everything is canceled or postponed.