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KUOW Seattle Increasing Local News Coverage

Interesting that most of the increased local coverage is online rather than on air.

Yes they're promoting listening, but not necessarily limited to the radio station.
 
Possibly because KUOW is so hard to listen to on the outskirts of the metro area where the signal starts getting rough.
 
I don't think the issue is as much signal as the bigger platform available online. If a station is going to do a very long story on a single subject, the place to do it is online. That also opens things up for comments and listener interaction.
 
That IS the correct headline, that's for sure. I am not sure who all they eliminated, but Emily Fox and Jamala Henderson are no longer on the website. Not sure who else was axed. I DO miss Emily Fox- seems like you would want to keep as many talented Millenials around on your staff if you don't want to completely age out.

KUOW has completely dropped KUOW2. They have dropped the HD2 and HD3 channels. They have dropped a bunch of staff. They dropped a daily hour of local programming. Now they are "increasing" coverage?

But they sure make it clear they want my money. Nope, sending that to KNKX.
 
fordranger797 said:
Possibly because KUOW is so hard to listen to on the outskirts of the metro area where the signal starts getting rough.
Click to expand...

Or it's a radio station with a genuine focus in multi-platform listening and increasing organic content.
 
AQH said:
Or it's a radio station with a genuine focus in multi-platform listening and increasing organic content.
Click to expand...

This. Stations or groups that don't focus on providing content on multi-platforms do so at their own peril. A lot of us have probably seen it before: News and editorial staff that refuse or aren't versatile enough to write or produce content for on line and social media too. 'I do stories on for the radio, that should be enough' Problem is anymore, it isn't.
 
Kelly A said:
This. Stations or groups that don't focus on providing content on multi-platforms do so at their own peril. A lot of us have probably seen it before: News and editorial staff that refuse or aren't versatile enough to write or produce content for on line and social media too. 'I do stories on for the radio, that should be enough' Problem is anymore, it isn't.
Click to expand...

It's true. Radio is a finite thing in both time and bandwidth. The internet is not. At least for now here in WA (Thank you St. Bob.)

And secondly, their listeners are already likely on the internet right now. Or at least we are. So if you owned a radio station, wouldn't you make it quality time and use absolutely every possible means within legal and ethical boundaries to get people on your station's web site/app?

This appears to be what KUOW is doing.
 
The New Chico said:
That IS the correct headline, that's for sure. I am not sure who all they eliminated, but Emily Fox and Jamala Henderson are no longer on the website. Not sure who else was axed. I DO miss Emily Fox- seems like you would want to keep as many talented Millenials around on your staff if you don't want to completely age out.
Click to expand...

The also let Lisa Brooks go, which to me, was shocking.

Lisa Brooks and Jamala Henderson both worked at KUOW when the show host was also expected to be the news anchor. Its not as if they don't have the skills to do the job.

I'm not familiar with Emily Fox, though I know she was only there for a little while.

Angela King has a wonderful broadcasting voice; have always admired it through her years on local TV news. She will sound great in the role. But is she an upgrade from Lisa Brooks? Not sure about that. This is the second time in a decade Lisa has lost her drive time news anchor position to someone who isn't a clear upgrade (see - Jane Shannon at KOMO). I hope she is able to land on her feet.
 
KMan said:
The also let Lisa Brooks go, which to me, was shocking.
Click to expand...

Heard Lisa on KIRO doing the middday news breaks. Perhaps it's only fill-in stuff - they should hire her FT and dump people like Hanna Scott whose voice sounds like nails on a chalkboard. Sorry, but I'm being honest.
 
Rob Piotrowski said:
Heard Lisa on KIRO doing the middday news breaks. Perhaps it's only fill-in stuff - they should hire her FT and dump people like Hanna Scott whose voice sounds like nails on a chalkboard. Sorry, but I'm being honest.
Click to expand...

Hanna Scott is a career radio person, which is puzzling, because her voice isn't that great. She was FT at KOMO for a while, before they dumped her in a budget cut. Happy to see she landed on her feet, but...
 
I may be overgeneralizing, but it seems to me that voice quality isn't a top priority at NPR stations.
 
KUOW spent two days last week telling us that the Rose Bowl was happening at 5pm... Granted they don't do sports but being owned by UW could they at least get the facts correct on something that significant to the community? Clearly they just read some website (not the UW site) where the game times were Eastern Standard Time. That doesn't give me any confidence that they do any deeper diligence in their normal Social Justice reporting.

I agree the quality of voices that get on radio these days is less than stellar. As a person who was actually trained to talk on the radio, the people who get hired now clearly aren't trained and have no idea what that means and don't know what they don't know.
 
notalent said:
KUOW spent two days last week telling us that the Rose Bowl was happening at 5pm... Granted they don't do sports but being owned by UW could they at least get the facts correct on something that significant to the community? Clearly they just read some website (not the UW site) where the game times were Eastern Standard Time. That doesn't give me any confidence that they do any deeper diligence in their normal Social Justice reporting.

I agree the quality of voices that get on radio these days is less than stellar. As a person who was actually trained to talk on the radio, the people who get hired now clearly aren't trained and have no idea what that means and don't know what they don't know.
Click to expand...


That wrong start time is plain awful coming from KUOW. Wow.

But this is more widespread than that. Especially in smaller markets. The amount disinformation is appalling. I can't believe the amount of bad information I hear on a daily basis. When I first got into broadcasting in the late 70's I was trained that accuracy was extremely important. Too bad it isn't gauged similarly today.

As for voices, well...there was a time when a deep voice for males was important. That is not so important today. But what is important is a clear, pleasant, concise voice. Seriously, that is really all it takes.
 
Good. Now lets the voice "stars" become apparent on KUOW. Again , it simply means a clean, clear voice...doesn't have to be deep.
 
seatownmedia said:
As for voices, well...there was a time when a deep voice for males was important. That is not so important today. But what is important is a clear, pleasant, concise voice. Seriously, that is really all it takes.
Click to expand...

Still, there's nothing like a well-trained newsradio voice.

I think Manda Factor is one of the best sounding female news voices in the country. Linda Nunez, on the beach from KNX in Los Angeles, is another.

Someone who really knows how to keep the listeners attention through proper use of inflection and pacing can really make a difference. These are the voices that draw you into a story, and really capture your attention. Even if you don't have the classical deep voice, you can use your voice to keep the listener engaged.

Contrast two old warhorses doing fill-in and weekend hourlies at CBS Radio News. Both Sam Litzinger and Gary Nunn have good voices, but neither have the deep, classical, male newscaster sound (think Frank Settipani).

But they're the two most compelling anchors at the network. Their newscasts draw you in. And they do it with different styles.

Gary Nunn goes heavy on inflection, varying his tone and emphasizing all the right syllables to reengage your with the story. He's in his mid to late 70s and does that style as well as, or better than anyone else working today. Certainly the kids coming out of J-school don't learn anything like that.

Sam Litzinger uses speed to keep you dialed in (so did Charlie Rose, btw, when he'd substitute on the CBS Evening News). He'll read the copy and increase or decrease the pace of his sentences to keep you engaged, speeding through the background and slowing down for the important parts. And then, he'll drop his voice almost to a whisper for the hook. If you really listen to what he's doing, its clear he's mastered an art form.
 
KMan said:
Still, there's nothing like a well-trained newsradio voice.

I think Manda Factor is one of the best sounding female news voices in the country. Linda Nunez, on the beach from KNX in Los Angeles, is another.

Someone who really knows how to keep the listeners attention through proper use of inflection and pacing can really make a difference. These are the voices that draw you into a story, and really capture your attention. Even if you don't have the classical deep voice, you can use your voice to keep the listener engaged.

Contrast two old warhorses doing fill-in and weekend hourlies at CBS Radio News. Both Sam Litzinger and Gary Nunn have good voices, but neither have the deep, classical, male newscaster sound (think Frank Settipani).

But they're the two most compelling anchors at the network. Their newscasts draw you in. And they do it with different styles.

Gary Nunn goes heavy on inflection, varying his tone and emphasizing all the right syllables to reengage your with the story. He's in his mid to late 70s and does that style as well as, or better than anyone else working today. Certainly the kids coming out of J-school don't learn anything like that.

Sam Litzinger uses speed to keep you dialed in (so did Charlie Rose, btw, when he'd substitute on the CBS Evening News). He'll read the copy and increase or decrease the pace of his sentences to keep you engaged, speeding through the background and slowing down for the important parts. And then, he'll drop his voice almost to a whisper for the hook. If you really listen to what he's doing, its clear he's mastered an art form.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Voice quality is still important in radio, and in fact, TV. My point is the old "deep voiced" product isn't as important today.
 
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