The Cumulus/ABC coverage this afternoon and evening was excellent. It was, for a time, simulcasted on all of the CloudNetwork's stations. Brad Barton and Mark Davis led coverage, with Brad breaking away to present EAS/Texas NN bulletins. It was really impressive. Luckily I was traveling, but I did listen to WBAP on the trusty iPhone. I did not get a chance to listen to KRLD, but I am sure they were just as bad as always.
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WBAP, KLIF, The Ticket, The Wolf and Severe Weather
- Thread starter wpb1999
- Start date
Mark Watkins, not Mark Davis.
Mark and Brad did a great job. But why couldn't the Ticket use the FM feed? They apparently simulcast rebroadcasting the AM signal, with resultant sound quality.
The Hardline is back on and talking weather, which is what makes the Ticket awesome.
Mark and Brad did a great job. But why couldn't the Ticket use the FM feed? They apparently simulcast rebroadcasting the AM signal, with resultant sound quality.
The Hardline is back on and talking weather, which is what makes the Ticket awesome.
D
dfaulkner
Guest
Thought BAP's coverage was outstanding, as always. Liked what I heard on KRLD as well. Had them both on for a time. If I'm at home, I often have Channel 5 on muted & listen to Brad Barton (for years on 1080, now on BAP.) Sometimes I leave the sound up on TV & radio.
The decision to simulcast on all the Cumulus stations was incredibly smart.
Only other thing they could have done would be to get the talent from all the stations involved in the coverage. (not that I really want life-or-death information from The Hardline, but we do hear so many "eyewitness accounts" from unknown listeners during things like this that any of the regular talent would have some credibility)
Only other thing they could have done would be to get the talent from all the stations involved in the coverage. (not that I really want life-or-death information from The Hardline, but we do hear so many "eyewitness accounts" from unknown listeners during things like this that any of the regular talent would have some credibility)
I just saw this initial post and almost spit tea on the screen. If I understand this poster, he only had a iphone and was listening to WBAP but he somehow knows the entire Cumulus group did a good job. Nice try pal. I'm sure your GSM appreciates your efforts. I didn't have a chance to hear much radio coverage because I was watching unbelievable pictures on TV. I am sure WBAP did a good job because they always do, but I couldn't let this sales pitch go unanswered. This smacks of a Cumulus employee.wpb1999 said:
Yes, Kudos to the news talk stations that provided wall to wall news coverage. That is as it should be. Having teams of reporters anchors and meteorologists on duty during such a disaster was a great service.
Unfortunately, I was not well served.
I kept up with conditions at the NOAA website, but the first warning I got of the approaching tornado was a facebook post by Steve McCauley, showing the radar and the circulation indication over Kennedale. I went outside, and heard the sound of the freight train, then the sirens. I got the wife into the 'safe place', and stayed there til the sirens quit. The first indication that there had been a touchdown was seeing insulation, tar paper and roofing material in the yard. The first indication that there was serious damage was seeing the Channel 8 helicopter hovering over the neighborhood. The power was out, so I cranked up the emergency radio.
First thing I heard was how hail was falling in Coppell, and how some people might be able to get a new roof out of it.
I heard about the tornado in Lancaster, and the tornado in Forney, but only brief mention of the tornado in Arlington. I wanted to know when power might come back on, and what was going on at Martin High (1/4 mile from the path) but heard nothing. The anchor called in the reporter to tell how many homes were without power, and the reporter said he didn't know, and couldn't find out.
Driving up Little road, seeing the damage, stuck in traffic, I heard very little about my side of town.
As I turned off Arkansas onto Green Oaks, I heard how Green Oaks was closed at Arkansas. Not quite. A little while later while stuck in huge backups on Little Road, I heard the traffic pitch to Tarrant county... and the only report was that I-35 was running smoothly.
Later on, I heard Mike Rogers compelling report on Forney, then the anchor said we'll take a look at Arlington after Traffic and Weather.
I heard a reporter's interview with a woman who rode out the storm in her bathroom, then mention that trees along Green Oaks were up-rooted. Nothing about the hundred homes damaged, or the half-dozen destroyed.
At 11pm, unable to sleep, I turned it on again. Only brief newscasts, nothing on whether there would be school at Martin, nothing on when power might be restored. I did hear the Batchelor show come on, and on another station, there was a 20 minute interview with the meteorologist, about how much he knows about North Texas Weather. Good for him. He's a beloved and knowlegeable fellow, but I knew that. I needed to know where the shelter was, when power would be back, if classes would be held, but... didn't.
You may be thinking this is just the ranting of a former radio newsman, but I gotta tell ya, despite how exciting it is to hear how people saw the tornado and narrowly escaped, I needed INFORMATION, and didn't get it.
here's the kicker... I called Mom in San Antonio to tell her we were al right. She went on line, and told me about the the damage along I-20 and Kelly Ellliot, described pictures of the tornado in Lancaster, and gave me more information than I ever got from local radio.
Unfortunately, I was not well served.
I kept up with conditions at the NOAA website, but the first warning I got of the approaching tornado was a facebook post by Steve McCauley, showing the radar and the circulation indication over Kennedale. I went outside, and heard the sound of the freight train, then the sirens. I got the wife into the 'safe place', and stayed there til the sirens quit. The first indication that there had been a touchdown was seeing insulation, tar paper and roofing material in the yard. The first indication that there was serious damage was seeing the Channel 8 helicopter hovering over the neighborhood. The power was out, so I cranked up the emergency radio.
First thing I heard was how hail was falling in Coppell, and how some people might be able to get a new roof out of it.
I heard about the tornado in Lancaster, and the tornado in Forney, but only brief mention of the tornado in Arlington. I wanted to know when power might come back on, and what was going on at Martin High (1/4 mile from the path) but heard nothing. The anchor called in the reporter to tell how many homes were without power, and the reporter said he didn't know, and couldn't find out.
Driving up Little road, seeing the damage, stuck in traffic, I heard very little about my side of town.
As I turned off Arkansas onto Green Oaks, I heard how Green Oaks was closed at Arkansas. Not quite. A little while later while stuck in huge backups on Little Road, I heard the traffic pitch to Tarrant county... and the only report was that I-35 was running smoothly.
Later on, I heard Mike Rogers compelling report on Forney, then the anchor said we'll take a look at Arlington after Traffic and Weather.
I heard a reporter's interview with a woman who rode out the storm in her bathroom, then mention that trees along Green Oaks were up-rooted. Nothing about the hundred homes damaged, or the half-dozen destroyed.
At 11pm, unable to sleep, I turned it on again. Only brief newscasts, nothing on whether there would be school at Martin, nothing on when power might be restored. I did hear the Batchelor show come on, and on another station, there was a 20 minute interview with the meteorologist, about how much he knows about North Texas Weather. Good for him. He's a beloved and knowlegeable fellow, but I knew that. I needed to know where the shelter was, when power would be back, if classes would be held, but... didn't.
You may be thinking this is just the ranting of a former radio newsman, but I gotta tell ya, despite how exciting it is to hear how people saw the tornado and narrowly escaped, I needed INFORMATION, and didn't get it.
here's the kicker... I called Mom in San Antonio to tell her we were al right. She went on line, and told me about the the damage along I-20 and Kelly Ellliot, described pictures of the tornado in Lancaster, and gave me more information than I ever got from local radio.
Far be it from me to defend Cumulus (I worked for them for 6 1/2 years), but I listened to the coverage online from WBAP's website quite a bit, and it was made abundantly clear throughout the coverage that they were simulcasting, initially just with KLIF, but ultimately all the stations in the cluster were brought online with it. The mere fact that EVERY ONE of the stations carried coverage during the height of the outbreak indicates that they did indeed do a good job. The coverage was stellar, and kudos to the local DFW management team at Cumulus for doing EXACTLY what makes local radio great. If you have the traffic, weather and news resources available (as WBAP apparently does), why not take advantage of it for all of your stations?
Perhaps the above-quoted poster's vitriolic hatred of the "4C's" of radio taints his/her opinion of this matter. If you didn't listen to ANY of the coverage on ANY of the Cumulus stations (or any other radio, for that matter), how the heck do you know how they did? Just wondering.
TDO
grantchester said:
First off, I'm glad you and your wife are safe.
Second, you have to realize that there were about 5 significant stories going on at the same time. You had the Kennedale/Arlington tornado, the southern Dallas County tornado (which was reported by eye witnesses at the time to have split into 3 separate funnels, tornado warnings issued for at least 4 different areas, another major cell bearing down on the airport, and a huge cell moving into Johnson, Tarrant, and southern Denton Counties. Given all that was going on I think the news outlets did a phenomenal job. If the tornado that went through your part of town was the only significant event you would have had a more customized coverage. I don't mean to sound insensitive but I think you're expecting a little too much.
Yes, it was smart to simulcast. But was this a "want to" decision or a "have to" decision? I find it hard to believe any of those stations- except maybe WBAP- each have enough employees to perform up to par in what could have been a life-saving situation for listeners. When will they realized they are consolidating radio to death?
idiggraves said:
This morning the Musers said it was the Catman's decision to simulcast and that no directive came from above his head.
Again, great job by WBAP. I'm sure the other outlets did a good job as well but everyone I've talked to who wasn't in front of a TV said they listened to BAP. There's no way of knowing how many lives they saved with their coverage. Truly amazing.
Yes, it was a big event, and no I don't expect 'custom coverage' for my little neighborhood, but it wasn't the warnings and breaking news that bothered me. It was the mis-information and the lack of information. I understand how the emotion of an event gives a story 'juice', but how am I served by hearing someone's story of how they saw the funnel or how they hid in the bathtub?
There were things I needed to know, and with the power off, the phone dead and the internet down, radio was all I had left (until the Star-Telegram landed in my yard this morning).
C'mon, y'all. Lets do better next time.
I did hear a few callers describe the tornado they were seeing as an "EF-1" or similar. I had to laugh out loud.
The EF Scale designation isn't determined until the weather service does a survey of actual damage, and compare it to known values. Not by the size of the funnel.
If it's a tornado it can kill, no matter if it is a rope or wedge. People may dismiss the warnings if they hear some caller say it is "only" an EF-1.
The EF Scale designation isn't determined until the weather service does a survey of actual damage, and compare it to known values. Not by the size of the funnel.
If it's a tornado it can kill, no matter if it is a rope or wedge. People may dismiss the warnings if they hear some caller say it is "only" an EF-1.
Unaffiliated Observer said:
Truly amazing? That's a stretch. They did THEIR JOB. Maybe we're so used to lackluster broadcasting lately that doing what is expected of you- and what is in the interest of the public- is now truly amazing.
idiggraves said:
Sorry...next time Derek Holland throws a 4-hit shutout I'll refrain from calling it an amazing performance and just say he's doing his job since that outing, by your logic, is just the same as one where he gives up 4 runs in 7+ innings.
I'm not sure what you have against WBAP and the rest of Cumulus, and I really don't care, but if what happened the other day happens a dozen times a year then maybe I would say what Barton, Watkins, and the rest of BAP did was just another day at the office; but this was literally a once in a lifetime occurance. We face severe weather all the time but NOTHING to this extent. So yes, what they did was amazing. There's no way you can fully prepare for something like this and their execution was nearly flawless.
Sorry, Frank, I can't let this go unchallenged. Troy may have provided the regular weather segments, but he never 'phoned it in'. WFAA had a dedicated Telco loop to the radio station.
I can't speak to the daytime programming, but I do know that in the evenings and overnight, the station had extensive weather coverage. The Weather Channel meteorologists ALWAYS contacted the station for every weather warning. Meteorologists including Mark Woolsey, Richard Llewellen and others were always available to describe whatever event was taking place.
If severe weather was forecast, WFAA would provide a dedicated meteorologist. Steve McCauley, Meghan Danahey and others did an excellent job. They were accurate and concise. Their information was always up to date and their presentation always professional, with no stammering or 'treading water'. They reported the weather accurately, without exaggeration and without 'talking down' to the listeners, by telling them what they 'Needed' to do.
(The thing I liked best about them was they NEVER felt the need to retaliate if someone contradicted them or offended them.)
The National Weather Service meteorologists always came to the phone when needed, and patiently provided timely information.
The traffic reporters for Traffic.com, like Alan Barnes and Debbie Douglas, consistently reported accurate timely and CONFIRMED information.
Most of the board operators (especially Byron and Lance) were cool and efficient, and always got the EAS bulletins on the air in less than a minute... sometimes less than 20 seconds.
If there was a weak link, it might have been the news person on duty, but despite that, with the AP wire, the weather wire, the police/fire/ems scanners, the SkyWarn network, Weather Channel, WFAA and NOAA, severe weather was always much more than just 'Troy phoning it in'.
I can't speak to the daytime programming, but I do know that in the evenings and overnight, the station had extensive weather coverage. The Weather Channel meteorologists ALWAYS contacted the station for every weather warning. Meteorologists including Mark Woolsey, Richard Llewellen and others were always available to describe whatever event was taking place.
If severe weather was forecast, WFAA would provide a dedicated meteorologist. Steve McCauley, Meghan Danahey and others did an excellent job. They were accurate and concise. Their information was always up to date and their presentation always professional, with no stammering or 'treading water'. They reported the weather accurately, without exaggeration and without 'talking down' to the listeners, by telling them what they 'Needed' to do.
(The thing I liked best about them was they NEVER felt the need to retaliate if someone contradicted them or offended them.)
The National Weather Service meteorologists always came to the phone when needed, and patiently provided timely information.
The traffic reporters for Traffic.com, like Alan Barnes and Debbie Douglas, consistently reported accurate timely and CONFIRMED information.
Most of the board operators (especially Byron and Lance) were cool and efficient, and always got the EAS bulletins on the air in less than a minute... sometimes less than 20 seconds.
If there was a weak link, it might have been the news person on duty, but despite that, with the AP wire, the weather wire, the police/fire/ems scanners, the SkyWarn network, Weather Channel, WFAA and NOAA, severe weather was always much more than just 'Troy phoning it in'.
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