Posted by Craig on November 05, 2009 at 18:57:42:
In Reply to: Board Reflections for November 5 posted by Allan Sniffen on November 05, 2009 at 08:37:39:
I'm wondering which came first on the subject of local radio covering elections and having news departments... did people stop listening or did owners keep cheapening the product so no one wants to listen?
At one time WMTR 1250 and WCTC 1400 New Jersey, WFAS Westchester, WRKL Rockland, WICC Connecticut and WALK-AM-FM 97.5 Long Island had big news departments and a full staff of personality DJs around the clock. Over the last couple of decades, they systematically cut staff, cut costs and cut service to their local communities.
Why? Did people stop listening? A homeowner in Syosset doesn't care anymore about his community? So WALK doesnt need a four person news department anymore? Someone in Scarsdale doesn't need to know what the mayor and council are up to? Did they stop listening to WFAS or did WFAS change hands so many times, the new owners simply can't AFFORD to staff the station and that's when people stopped listening? With the switch to FM listening, should the owners have shifted the community involvement to WFAS-FM, even though that station was doing well as an intensive music station with only minimal local information?
Actually NJ 101.5 teaches us an important lesson. Millenium Radio put a News-Talk format on an FM stereo frequency that covers most of the state. It would be much cheaper to do Classic Rock or Hot AC. But the station is willing to incur the expense of hosts (sometimes dual hosts), newscasters, field reporters, board ops and phone screeners. And the station is often #1 in not just their local market but even in NJ markets many miles away. They're charging top dollar for spots and making more money than if they had a staff of only three people and they voice tracked a music format most of the day. I can't figure out why NJ 101.5 doesn't have more imitators. Is it due to the bottom line costs, even though the rewards are clearly there.
Yes, today we have News 12 and the Internet... but I've never thought that local radio was in direct competition with TV or local newspapers for attention. After all, we have WCBS and WINS doing as well as they've ever done and they have NY 1-News 12 and the Internet to compete with. I don't think anyone ever listens to radio if their eyes weren't needed to do something else... either due to driving or working where they can't watch a TV or read from the internet.
I often wish we had more sales people reading this board because questions so often come down to sales. Is local radio a tougher sell today than 20 or 30 years ago? The retailers who used to advertise on local radio now are in the newspaper? There always was a newspaper. Where did they shift their ad dollars? I don't think too many mom and pop retailers can afford TV, even local cable TV, due to the cost of producing a TV commercial vs. running a radio spot that the station will record for you for free!
I worked at a local radio station when I first started out. They had a live DJ 24 hours a day. They had full time newscasters. They paid stringers $10 or $15 a night to cover the local city council and county legislature. When we had staff meetings we had 30+ people in the room.
What happened? Is this similar to my recent lament that today's young adult won't support commercial classical or jazz stations anymore... Z100, the youngest-aiming FM station, home of The Jonas Bros. and Miley Cyrus, is either #1 or #2 among 25-54 adults. That means there's no room for quality or sophistication on the radio anymore, hence the demise these last couple of years of CD101.9 and commercial WQXR? Is information on local radio a similar victim of the dumbing down of America? Or did local radio cut and cut and cut till there was nobody listening anymore? It can't be the internet or i-pods or News 12 because you can't use these things in the car (yet) or while working.
Craig
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