• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

WTOP dropped CBS News Radio for ABC News Radio

J

JayR

Star Participant
From WTOP:

We appreciate all the great work that CBS has done for us, but management felt that ABC was a better choice at this point for content for our listeners.
Click to expand...

According to Paul Farhi of the Washington Post:

...it was a business decision—ie., ABC took fewer ad slots than CBS, giving WTOP more time to sell its own ads.
Click to expand...
 
Wow...this is a big loss for CBS as they start the new year with a new distributor (ironically the same distributor as ABC).

CBS didn't help their situation, at one point launching a competitor with WNEW.
 
Related question: Is CBS Radio news now part of Entercom? If so, at some point, they will need to transition away from the CBS Radio name.
 
CBS News Radio will face the same issues that ABC News Radio faced when they lost their captive radio network. ABC was able to stay around, and I expect CBS will do the same.
 
WSB Atlanta has now joined ABC radio news (which is also their sister TV station's network).
 
My guess is that the Hubbards have never had a very good working relationship with CBS.
 
EricStein said:
My guess is that the Hubbards have never had a very good working relationship with CBS.
Click to expand...

That's an interesting statement. Don't know what their working relationship is, other than none of their TV stations are CBS affiliates.

Their TV stations are mainly ABC affiliates, especially in the home state. So you may be right.
 
TheBigA said:
That's an interesting statement. Don't know what their working relationship is, other than none of their TV stations are CBS affiliates.

Their TV stations are mainly ABC affiliates, especially in the home state. So you may be right.
Click to expand...

Their throwaway sports talk AM in Phoenix had a choice between CBS Sports Radio and NBC Sports Radio when they started five years ago, they chose the inferior NBC product.
 
It could be that CBS has changed their distribution deal from barter to ca$h. The economic outlook for news networks is not a healthy one. CNN pulled the plug on CNN radio a few years ago. Surprised at that especially since they had the resources of the TV network.
I think the problem is that the majority of radio advertisers are using results based advertising. You might run 100 spots for a client and only bring in $100.
That makes it hard to pay the bills.
 
Hubbard's stations in Twin Cities were traditionally NBC, both TV & radio. When NBC-TV was in 3rd place back in the 70s, they flipped them to ABC. Later, they bought the other ABC-TV affiliates in Minnesota.

Their arch rival in Minneapolis for decades, WCCO AM and TV, were always and still are CBS.

That may not be why they switched WTOP from CBS to ABC, but it was probably a factor.
 
WCFO (1160) and their sister station WMLB (1690) both Atlanta have dropped CBS news. They have been long time affiliates (20+ years).
I will miss that piano "C" note at the top of the hour.
 
kf4rca said:
It could be that CBS has changed their distribution deal from barter to ca$h. The economic outlook for news networks is not a healthy one. CNN pulled the plug on CNN radio a few years ago. Surprised at that especially since they had the resources of the TV network.
I think the problem is that the majority of radio advertisers are using results based advertising. You might run 100 spots for a client and only bring in $100.
That makes it hard to pay the bills.
Click to expand...

With the new distribution arrangement....CBS News now begins with a sponsor opening....example:

CBS opening sounder---

Recorded "This is CBS News on the hour sponsored by (sponsor).....then the CBS newscaster says his or her name and begins the newscast.

It cheapens the presentation if you ask me.

Of course it proves once again that there is nothing new....back in the 1940s-50s....most of the national news on the hour broadcasts had sponsor ID at beginning but it's 2018.
 
"I will miss that piano "C" note at the top of the hour."

It was also heard it on its TV counterpart at top of each hour before programs. Also being a Shortwave listener, I remember the VOA (Voice of America) also used the piano "C" note at the top of the hour for its newscasts years ago.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.
Back
Top Bottom