AAR News Better on the Weekend

I've had occasion to listen to Air America Radio's weekend newscasts (via WLIB) this weekend, and their regular newscasts earlier during the week.

Others have posted here that AAR outsources their weekend newscasts, and it sounds like this may well be the case:
The voices are better.
The presentation is better.
The writing is better.
And they use sound (actually, they use sound well).

They should outsource seven days a week. The quality would improve and the costs would probably be less. And they might actually get a few more stations to take their newscasts (and the spots that run in them).

I heard AAR's new "news director" this week. He's doing PM drive. Wayne Gellman continues in mornings and Bill Crouch has been moved to evenings. Whichever one is reading the newscast, it still sounds like a small market rip and read newscast from the 50's (without any use of voicers, wraps, sound-bites or actualities). There is no indication of wire copy being re-written, let alone the promised "investigative reporting." New news director Felipe Luciano is not major market material (but he's still better than Gellman).

There is only one spot in AAR TOH casts; the 15-second copy that oftentimes, not always, follows the news. Affiliates are free to fill from :03-:06 and are cleared for the news as part of their AAR affiliation. Not sure what would happen when AAR moves toward syndication and removes network market exclusivity.

Who are they using now? Metro?... for national distribution? Perhaps USA Radio or one of the small operators could be convinced to do an AAR-branded cast in exchange for some inventory.

AAR and USA Radio - Say What?

> Who are they using now? Metro?... for national distribution?
> Perhaps USA Radio or one of the small operators could be
> convinced to do an AAR-branded cast in exchange for some
> inventory.

USA Radio? Surely you've forgotten that network's background, and general political stance. I would expect Salem stations to start picking up AAR before I'd expect AAR to outsource newscasts to USA...and I'd expect porcine creatures to sprout wings before either occurrence.



Besides, USA Radio's general quality, especially in off-hours, is just as bad as AAR's worst.

-OA<P ID="signature">______________
Ohio Media Watch - <a target="_blank" href=http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com>http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com</a></P>

Re: AAR and USA Radio - Say What?

> > Who are they using now? Metro?... for national
> distribution?
> > Perhaps USA Radio or one of the small operators could be
> > convinced to do an AAR-branded cast in exchange for some
> > inventory.
>
> USA Radio? Surely you've forgotten that network's
> background, and general political stance. I would expect
> Salem stations to start picking up AAR before I'd expect AAR
> to outsource newscasts to USA...and I'd expect porcine
> creatures to sprout wings before either occurrence.
>
>
>
> Besides, USA Radio's general quality, especially in
> off-hours, is just as bad as AAR's worst.

You are correct, although the stance of newscasts has become more mainstream recently. I was speaking of USA supplying for AAR, but the quality is mediocre. But what do you want for free?

> They should outsource seven days a week. The quality would
> improve and the costs would probably be less. And they
> might actually get a few more stations to take their
> newscasts (and the spots that run in them).

I can't understand why they don't invest in actuality service from someone so it doesn't sound like a BBC World Service newscast from 1975. Even BBC uses sound clips in their news presentation these days. I still think the majority of stations just use CNN or a like provider and ignore AAR news.

Re: AAR and USA Radio - Say What?

> You are correct, although the stance of newscasts has become
> more mainstream recently. I was speaking of USA supplying
> for AAR, but the quality is mediocre. But what do you want
> for free?

The "IRN" network, perhaps?

Nah, even with the recent death of founder Marlin Maddoux (host of the right-wing Christian talk show "Point of View"), I doubt USA would even return AAR's phone calls. They may even conduct an exorcism of the phone if AAR called.

-OA<P ID="signature">______________
Ohio Media Watch - <a target="_blank" href=http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com>http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com</a></P>

Re: AAR and USA Radio - Say What?

> > You are correct, although the stance of newscasts has
> become
> > more mainstream recently. I was speaking of USA supplying
> > for AAR, but the quality is mediocre. But what do you want
>
> > for free?
>
> The "IRN" network, perhaps?
>
> Nah, even with the recent death of founder Marlin Maddoux
> (host of the right-wing Christian talk show "Point of
> View"), I doubt USA would even return AAR's phone calls.
> They may even conduct an exorcism of the phone if AAR
> called.
>
> -OA

Are we all forgetting that USA has already supplied news for a liberal talk operation before? ie America used them for a few years, but eventually switched to I believe CNN because listeners complained.


>

Re: AAR and USA Radio - Say What?

Let's just say Marlon Maddux wouldn't just turn...he'd spin in his grave if that were to happen. maybe even rise up out of the ground.<P ID="signature">______________
Have a Happy New Year!
http://www.thebig8.net/have_a_happy_new_year_with_cklw.mp3</P>

> I can't understand why they don't invest in actuality
> service from someone so it doesn't sound like a BBC World
> Service newscast from 1975. Even BBC uses sound clips in
> their news presentation these days. I still think the
> majority of stations just use CNN or a like provider and
> ignore AAR news.

Although even CNN has 252 min/inventory a week; AP, USA, and the like have less but aren't as common. I guess if you're shy on inventory, AAR News can be viewed as a financially sound option.

Re: AAR and USA Radio - Say What?

> Are we all forgetting that USA has already supplied news for
> a liberal talk operation before? ie America used them for a
> few years, but eventually switched to I believe CNN because
> listeners complained.
>

Some people are actually crazy enough to think that content is even more important than presentation. Sure, CNN is smooth. It's also more likely to cover a celebrity trial than the recent default of the U.S. Government, for example.

- Dick the Journalist

I'd like to know who the weekend newsreaders really are, behind their pseudonyms.

I swear I remember the voice of "Frisco Hills" from the old Larry King/Jim Bohannon days of Mutual Broadcasting, but I don't have any airchecks from that period to compare voices.<P ID="signature">______________
also known as tombetz.</P>

Re: AAR and USA Radio - Say What?

I can't comment on their weekend newscasts but I heard a newscast during Al Franken's show on Monday. God, it was awful. The cast only had one piece of sound, with about a two second gap because the newscaster and Tom Brokaw from the Today Show about news anchor Bob Woodruff. The writing was bad, the pacing sucked, this guy had no clue, conveying little authority.

And Franken himself seems to have no sense of radio but why should he since he's never really done any before? I've heard his show online and seen it on the Sundance Cable Channel. He doesn't seem to re-establish who the guest is on the radio and yet, on Sundance,(don't know if it's still on or not) they'll frequently flash on the screen who the caller is.

And no, I don't hate AAR, I just hate bad radio. I wish somebody would give the right wing nut jobs like Rush and Hannity (what a professional flag waver and if you don't agree with his stance, you are a traitor) a run for their money.

Franken's interviews just seem to be with boring policy wonks. He still doesn't get it.