Oh baby - stations promote the competition's news??

Once upon a time, air personalities and reporters would get disciplined for even mentioning the competition. These days it is becoming more commonplace.

In Chicago this morning, a WLS-TV news anchor gave birth to a baby on one of Chicago's expressways.

Yet - here is the story about it on a site that is part of WGN-TV and CLTV (the Chicago cable news outlet), as well as WGN Radio. Adding to this insanity is the link (included as of press time) right to the WLS-TV web site for the story.


http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/10/wls-ch-7-anchor-judy-hsu-gives-birth-on-the-ike.html

So why call this site "ChicagoBreakingNews.com", when it refers you to the competition, which obviously broke the story first??

I'll bet management was sitting in a meeting wondering why WGN-TV News is losing viewers of late and why WLS-TV News remains a solid #1 in the market.

It is bad enough how many media stories report what some other media news source is reporting instead of looking to break a story themselves, but this might be a new low.

I'm reporting that my own blog, RadioRecordings.blogspot.com, is complaining about this. I'd rather not credit anyone else, competition or not.

The end of an era in St. Louis

Wow. It almost seems un-American. To see the latest radio ratings for St. Louis and not see KMOX in the top spot. First time in more than 40 years that has happened.



http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dailyrft/2009/10/the_mighty_mox_has_fallen_kmox_out_as_no_1_station_in_st_louis.php

Now it will be interesting to see if or how the station rebounds from this.

But I have to tell you. I think this is the start of the decline of KMOX. Just like WGN in Chicago, the one-time "full service" stations have gone the more typical "radio way" and stopped caring about continuity and programming. Listeners, especially the older audience who grew up with these stations, are smart enough to notice that the effort just isn't what it used to be.

Radio "sadness" from Los Angeles

Two radio stories in the news over the past few days each bringing a different form of sadness.

First, sorry to learn of the health struggles of Bob Coburn, now even more limited in his ability to do even a weekend shift on KLOS Radio. Coburn has been a fixture on KLOS going back more than 20 years, and is also remembered fondly in Chicago from his days on WLUP around 1980. He was the first to put "Ma Nugent" (Ted's mother) on the radio and discuss the issues with her. This was in the days when album rock stations didn't do any phone bits other than the morning show, and back then most morning shows were music driven.

Next, a great memory brought back in the Los Angeles Times story about KRLA, KFWB, and KHJ and its personalities.


http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-then4-2009oct04,0,3720458.story


It is great to read the memories this story brings back, but sad in the sense that it reminds us how local personalities continue to go away in practically every market.

While this is not intended to be a plug for the RadioRecordings airchecks, it might help to know that many of the Los Angeles personalities mentioned in the story are available via airchecks at http://www.MajorLeaguePrograms.com

I would be delighted to share memories that you have of these great personalities.