A study by the Radio and Television News Directors Association shows the number of radio stations doing news is down four per cent from last year, and it was down nearly eight per cent in the previous survey.
It's so sad.
There are radio stations out there jumping formats all the time. Why not a try at actually connecting with your audience? Yes, news is expensive-- but it pays off in the long run. There are some very successful news stations out there. No one says you have to go wall-to-wall. A strong presence could work rather nicely.
Hurricane season is here, and I cringe at the thought of a major emergency. In most parts of our area, radio stations are ill equipped to serve their communities.
CNN is running a documentary series, produced by Tom Hanks' company, called The Seventies. Like The Sixties, it's really good, and I can tell that just two episodes in to the run. I have a minor criticism of the Watergate centered broadcast. It was factual, but it really failed to capture the emotion of the time.
In spite of everything going on, Nixon still had his supporters. There was a lot of hate, as well. The show touched on those, but it needed more. 1974 was a fascinating time. I remember hanging at the playground down the street with my friends, then rushing home at 9 PM to watch Nixon resign. I still remember where I was when I watched the farewell speech and the helicopter departure from the White House the next morning.
FOX broadcast the U.S. Open golf tournament over the weekend. It's the network's first shot at big time golf. The coverage was very good, with some nice innovations, including a leader board constantly on the screen. Say what you want about FOX, but it's clearly an innovator-- first with football and baseball, and now golf.
It seems like the gang at The Weather Channel is disappointed Tropical Storm Bill wasn't a major disaster. They hype the heck out of storms, then pat themselves on the back for doing a public service.
