Radio Days

Thought I'd pass along to my few intimates, a piece I wrote ... and which was reproduced today (Saturday, 4/8) on Don Barrett's widely read LARadio website (LARadio.com):

Time to rethink the all-news business

Isn't it time to rethink the whole damn radio news business ?

1. Major outlets have to decide who/what their audience is. I think it's a waste of time, money and valuable broadcast air, to appeal to the undereducated know-nothings. Let them watch those stupid, no-talent "talent" shows on tv. They're certainly not going to listen to all-news radio. Instead, appeal to those (and they're not just the over-40's !) who want to know what's going on in Washington and the world, as well as important local news.

I bit of sophisticated humor, now and then, won't hurt.

Traffic news is important, especially between 7am and 9am, and between 4pm and 6pm and it shouldn't be rushed to the point of unintelligibility, as it is now.

Film and tv reviews are important to these listeners - do 'em short and sweet, but frequently (twice an hour). Find new, interesting and sophisticated talent for this.

I also think that the classical music stations should be presenting more short/tight world news summaries and important traffic, like major accident-caused freeway stoppages. SHORT - no more than 20 or 30 seconds.

2. The TV people should start thinking about giving up the decades-old concept of early-evening news broadcasts - that age-old standard 4pm-7pm thing. One - maybe just one - of the net tv stations should consider a half-hour news program for either 8pm or 9pm, and do away with the early evening thing (and again ... no traffic accidents, unless they're truly newsworthy ... like, for example, Thurday's deaths of the well-known tv producer and his son, hit head-on by an alleged drunk).

In summary: Rethink the whole radio business - including the stations - especially along the west coast - that aim themselves strictly at at the Spanish-speakers.

Cheers, from a broadcast veteran - Gary Franklin