Why are there so many FM talk stations in Austin?

[fredcantu]

that kind of "connection" isnt needed anymore. so why would stations waste money on it?

It isn't a waste if you believe it's important. Ironically, broadcasters promised that they could actually do a better job of keeping their listeners informed if we would get rid of those onerous rules that required news and public affairs programs. We've seen how that worked out.

 

[davideduardo]

with smart phones, social media, internet.....people arent waiting around to hear the news on the radio. Especially when its instantly at their disposal on other mediums(sic).

There are, today, more situations where integrating news into some form of entertainment programming is much easier than accessing news on even the smartest of phones or most capable of tablets. Driving in traffic is the first one that comes to mind.

 

[dallasboyz]

with smart phones, social media, internet.....people arent waiting around to hear the news on the radio. Especially when its instantly at their disposal on other mediums(sic).

There are, today, more situations where integrating news into some form of entertainment programming is much easier than accessing news on even the smartest of phones or most capable of tablets. Driving in traffic is the first one that comes to mind.

integrate all you want. but radio simply isnt used for "in demand" materials. News included.

 

[fredcantu]

Isn't it scary how the list of what radio is no longer used for keeps gets longer?

 

[grantchester]

All the more reason for a station to cultivate, nurture and preserve the things that keep listeners connected to them.

 

[MisterRadio]

that kind of "connection" isnt needed anymore. so why would stations waste money on it?

with smart phones, social media, internet.....people arent waiting around to hear the news on the radio. Especially when its instantly at their disposal on other mediums.

this isnt the 50s. time to progress, at least somewhat


[/quote]
My question is, progress to what? What should radio be? Should it be another jukebox type of medium? Should it be all talk shows? What should it be? I know what I want it to be, but I am not in a position to do it (in other words I am not a multi-millionaire banker).

 

[fredcantu]

people arent waiting around to hear the news on the radio. Especially when its instantly at their disposal on other mediums.

I grew up hearing the top 40 newsies on KILT in Houston. Even as a kid I looked forward to the morning news because of how it was written and presented. It was the same stuff that was in the paper and last night's news... but I enjoyed hearing them do it.

 

[Radio512]

people arent waiting around to hear the news on the radio. Especially when its instantly at their disposal on other mediums.

I grew up hearing the top 40 newsies on KILT in Houston. Even as a kid I looked forward to the morning news because of how it was written and presented. It was the same stuff that was in the paper and last night's news... but I enjoyed hearing them do it.

So should KISSFM in Austin be doing "newsies"? Stories from the paper (whatever that is) and the TV news from the night before?

 

[fredcantu]

So should KISSFM in Austin be doing "newsies"? Stories from the paper (whatever that is) and the TV news from the night before?

If you make it entertaining, it will be a tune in. Fox News isn't breaking news. They're just presenting it in a form that their audience likes. Same thing with Jon Stewart. Find a groove that works with your audience.

 

[mmnassour]

I grew up hearing the top 40 newsies on KILT in Houston. Even as a kid I looked forward to the morning news because of how it was written and presented. It was the same stuff that was in the paper and last night's news... but I enjoyed hearing them do it.

But Fred, in order to do that, you have to actually go out and hire intelligent, thinking, people who are willing to get up at 4:00 a.m., which means you have to pay them a living wage. That doesn't mesh with the blueprint for all-automated, all-voicetrack radio that has been forced on the market by the consolidators.

Yet without an attraction like that, radio is nothing more than an incompetent iPod, incompetent because it doesn't play what you want to hear.

We are indeed, in the dark ages when it comes to local radio.

 

[MisterRadio]

So should KISSFM in Austin be doing "newsies"? Stories from the paper (whatever that is) and the TV news from the night before?
[/quote]

See, I think that's a silly arguement. It reminds me of the conservative pundits who point to any G rated movie that is successful and makes gobs of money and says "See...movies don't need smut to make them popular so all movies should be rated G" or when a low budget independant movie does well and people say,"See...movies don't need all the special effects and big budgets to be successful so they should all low budget indies." It's just stupid. I love big budget SFX driven movies and I also love good independent films and I have kids that need to have G-rated fare, but I like to see something a little more adult at times. In other words there is a place for everything.

In radio terms, you can have an all music station that is popular but that doesn't mean that a station with talk or news won't also be popular. I get up in the mornings and turn on the radio while I am getting the kids ready for school to be entertained and maybe informed a little. I don't have the time or the inclination to get on the computer and seek out all the news that happening. I want to get it from the radio while I am doing other things then I'll go and look up things I have heard to get more information later. To me, just listening to somebody elses version of an iPod is not appealing unless there is something to make it unique.

By the way, KISSFM does do news....it's just their version that is targeted to their audience. I believe they call it the Hollywood Skinny. Not highbrow or intellectual by any means, but still a version of news.