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Could you really call KOMO all news anymore?
- Thread starter bobdavcav
- Start date
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All news stations have a fraction of the audience on the weekend as they get on weekdays, so most of the regular listeners to KOMO still think of it as all news. Throw in the facts that news is an expensive format to run and Seattle is a very sleepy town when it comes to news, both make it easier to go with brokered programming.
Not saying it's smart programming, but the economics of today make it easier to understand the reasoning.
Not saying it's smart programming, but the economics of today make it easier to understand the reasoning.
There was a similar thread in Phoenix when KTAR added some brokered programming early Sunday morning. It's getting harder and harder for news stations to justify live staffing in fringe dayparts, while also turning down money from such shows. Even NPR stations are turning to these kinds of self-help shows to boost funding. Let's face it: Somebody has to pay for free radio programming. It's a trade-off. Is it worth it if it means that you get local news at critical times? Most people think yes.
The CBS All-News stations are still All-News 24/7... WCBS, WINS, KNX, WBBM, KCBS, KYW, WWJ. So is Hubbard-owned WTOP Washington. But two CBS stations are only partially All-News, KRLD Dallas and WBZ Boston. They both run some infomercials and specialty talk shows on weekends too. KRLD is only All-News weekdays 5am to 7pm. WBZ is All-News seven days a week but not evenings or overnights. And on Sunday mornings for two hours, 10am-Noon, in the middle of its All-News block, WBZ runs Ric Edelman, a financial show that SOUNDS like a real call-in show, and takes breaks to allow WBZ (and other affiliates) to do local traffic, weather and spots. But Edelman pays for the time on the stations that carry it, so he can frequently plug his financial seminars and services.
With KOMO, is the glass half empty or half full? In market #13, the station does run All-News most hours of the week, including evenings and overnights, even if its doing some specialty talk shows on weekends. Let's remember that Houston (Market #6) and Atlanta (#9) lost their new All-News stations recently, and CBS gave up on having the second All-News station in DC. I know at one time on weekdays, KOMO was doing some news-oriented call-in shows on weekdays. I don't know if the station is still doing that.
With KOMO, is the glass half empty or half full? In market #13, the station does run All-News most hours of the week, including evenings and overnights, even if its doing some specialty talk shows on weekends. Let's remember that Houston (Market #6) and Atlanta (#9) lost their new All-News stations recently, and CBS gave up on having the second All-News station in DC. I know at one time on weekdays, KOMO was doing some news-oriented call-in shows on weekdays. I don't know if the station is still doing that.
When we're talking a few hours out of 168, then the answer is neither. It's more like 5%.
Exactly. KOMO already cut costs by firing 3 reporters and with eliminating live overnights along with cutting editors for evenings and weekends. That wasn't enough savings so they added more lifestyle talk to the 2 hours of Tami Michaels that had been there already.
Despite KOMO's decent billing the station is still depending on Star's great sales numbers to keep it afloat.
Were WCBS or WBBM cease being "all-news" when they were running the Yankees or the Cubs every night for 162 nights a year? I don't think either of them are running baseball now, but the point is that a lot of news stations have accepted interruptions in their format going back many years.
The other thing is if people want local news at 8:47 on an idle Sunday morning, most folks have the internet. Or know a good local coffee bar wi-fi spot.
But in bobdavcav's particular situation (he's visually impaired), this is a good topic. Because this IS something to consider, regardless of the immediate economics. Because as long as there are those with visual disabilities, there will always be an audience for all news radio.
And this will come up again inevitably. So it might be wise for KOMO or any news station to be proactive and a trailblazer and explore options to serve this small, but still very important demo during those "off hours". Like an updated podcast or stream that works with computer programs for the blind.
Another possibility is to create a public/private partnership with the government and other local broadcasters to set up an FM HD sub channel radio reading network for the visually impaired. It would be a nice tax write off and could multi-serve with all news blocks and deeper coverage during "off-hours".
Didn't KUOW once have a radio reading service?
But in bobdavcav's particular situation (he's visually impaired), this is a good topic. Because this IS something to consider, regardless of the immediate economics. Because as long as there are those with visual disabilities, there will always be an audience for all news radio.
And this will come up again inevitably. So it might be wise for KOMO or any news station to be proactive and a trailblazer and explore options to serve this small, but still very important demo during those "off hours". Like an updated podcast or stream that works with computer programs for the blind.
Another possibility is to create a public/private partnership with the government and other local broadcasters to set up an FM HD sub channel radio reading network for the visually impaired. It would be a nice tax write off and could multi-serve with all news blocks and deeper coverage during "off-hours".
Didn't KUOW once have a radio reading service?
Quite a few, including WTOP in DC, ran the Larry King Show. It was their way of staying live overnight without local staffing.
That sounds like a great idea. But once you bring the gubmint into it, you can pretty much kiss the idea goodbye.
There used to be a service like that - it was on SCA and went off the air 2 years ago: http://kuow.org/post/radio-station-visually-impaired-fades-quiet-week. Don't think KUOW ran it, tho.
Wow this is interesting where this has gone. Rob, I didn't look at your link, so forgive me if this is what you were posting about. WTBBL did or does provide a news service, but I didn't ever use it. Question about the stations doing lifestyle programming on weekends but are otherwise all news, do they, like KOMO, insist on keeping the traffic clock? I don't know why it doesn't sound this way to me anymore, but when they first started doint talk shows, having to break every 10 minutes for traffic made everything sound really rushed.
Some stations in some markets use their HD channels for reading services. I saw one in Phoenix. Don't know about Seattle.
It was run by the Washington State Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. They had an arrangement for many years to use the KUOW 67kHz SCA.
Many moons ago, I built their studios and control room. The Library had several reading booths where volunteers used to come in and read books for use on the broadcasts. They had several sight impaired hosts on the payroll, some of which went on to other professional radio gigs doing music and news formats all over the country. In fact, one of them went on to own a station outside of Spokane.
When the Cubs were on WBBM, it was on AM while WCFS-FM (the one that simulcasts WBBM) kept running WBBM's "All-News" format. So for WBBM, it never ceased all-news. For WCBS when they had the Yankess, yes they have to give it up during telecasts because they didn't have any other outlet to carry its "All-News" format but the format was only online for whoever wanted to continue to receive WCBS' updates.
I think KOMO could do better as an all-news. They seem to lack the gravitas of a KNX, WBBM, WINS, etc. Which is understandable to some extent as Seattle is not a Top 3 market. But they lack an "urgent" sound that these stations need to succeed IMO. They also seem to have cut back their traffic reports, not in frequency, but in detail. If this was ever one area to shine, it would be with traffic. They certainly have the time to offer more detailed reports. But instead, just a couple of items, 10 seconds, each, then on to the weather. What a missed opportunity. I am writing as a listener here.
This is a good point, and one I've never seen here. I occasionally stream KNX as well as News 1130 in Vancouver (well, I used to listen to that terrestrially). Both the CBS stations and Rogers stations in Canada have a very "driven" feel to them. It always feels like the anchors are really "pushing" the through the clock across the newscast. KOMO, on the other hand, doesn't have the right sounders and the news anchors are a bit more laid back. While the talent line up is generally good, Tom Glasgow is just not a good news anchor, and really drags down the feel of the PM drive show.
Yes, thanks. I don't know why the general radio feel in Seattle is to not get too aggressive. Being politically correct is fine, but not sure it works with radio programming. In fact, there have been periods in Seattle radio where there was aggressive programming, but they always seem to go away. I don't get it. Seattle is a major market. Go for it, makes some waves, cause a stir. What have you got to lose? Especially when radio is at the brink. The idea that Seattle doesn't like confrontational, and/or aggressive radio is bunk.
I really don't like the latest imaging on KOMO, especially the traffic sounder. Before, it seemed to scream "Hey, you tuned in for traffic, so pay attention!" Now it just sounds like they said "Ok, we need some bumper music for traffic, let's use this." It doesn't sound urgent at all. If KXL in Portland were an all news outlet I'd really like them, I really liked that clock a lot better than KOMO.
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Lack of detail is an old TSL trick. Some also feel by not saying everything in a single report, it makes each report sound more fresh.
You might get your wish. It could just be a matter of time.
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