Goodbye TMW...Hello Vegas Valley View

It's time to hang the "Closed sign" up on TMW.

Hello Vegas Valley View. Yes, Vegas...as in Las Vegas!

Visit and bookmark the all-new Vegas Valley View on http://vegasvalleyview.blogspot.com/

Thank you, Greensboro, for the memories.

E.C. :)

Time Warner update

TMW continues to silently follow two bills in the state legislature designed to protect municipal utility monopolies, such as cable television.

One of those bills has essentially been gutted, thankfully.

My friend Jay Ovittore writes, via Facebook:

S1004 will be in the Public Utilities Committee tomorrow and for the first time I don't have to worry about it. The Senate used a procedural rule to gut the bill and replace all text with new text that allows Progress Energy to convert some of it's Coal fired plants to Natural Gas.

The [sic] is not a mere mention of cable, municipalities, Time Warner, none of it.

HB1252 is still alive and I will track it as always.

For now we can all claim another victory against Big Cable!

**********************
E.C. :)

More belt-tightening at Gannett

AP reports Gannett will cut over 1,400 staffers, or about 3% of its workforce. It doesn't mention if its newspaper or broadcast division will be affected specifically. Gannett is the parent company of WFMY-CBS 2.

E.C. :)

Robb Ellis doing well in Wilmington

After some well-deserved days away from the Triad, I'm back...and it is good to be back.

And while lounging around on Oak Island Beach, I was watching the NBC affiliate in Wilmington, WECT, and ran into former WFMY meterologist Robb Ellis. Seems as though he's fitting in quite nicely down there.

E.C. :)

Rowe looks into the changing landscape of local news anchors

N&R writer Jeri Rowe looks into why there are no more news veterans at local television stations, this in the wake of recent movements over at WFMY.

And yes, more reader comments. They are intense.

E.C. :)

Go digital tomorrow

Finally...

Are YOU ready???

E.C. :)

We know what newsradio is...but newsradio is NOT...

...newsradio is NOT a simulcast of a TV news broadcast. That's simply...a simulcast.

It's what college radio WNAA (90.1FM) does during the noon hours everyday with a simulcast of CBS-2 news @ noon. It is also what WXII did on their former 830AM signal before giving it up to Truth Broadcasting's WTRU back in 2000.

Just venting...I see Roch is venting too...

E.C. :)

Bloggers watching the media in upcoming municipal elections

At least one Greensboro area blogger will be watching the media for what he calls "potential biases" in the city's closely-watched upcoming municipal elections this fall.

Dr. Joe Guarino says in a post on his blog that "there is enormous potential for biased media coverage of the 2009 elections." He posted a link to a story in a recent issue of YES! Weekly.

Guarino:

A reader has brought to my attention a story about the 2009 City Council elections.

One should note the discussion of the District 4 race. Challengers Joel Landau, and to a much lesser extent, Teresa Jobe, are given favorable ink. Incumbent Mary Rakestraw is not...Watch for sympathetic, positive portrayals of Joel Landau in particular; and watch for, at best, the absence thereof for Mary Rakestraw.

And when this happens, we need to point it out as best we can.

He also adds:

...it would be a mistake to give the voters too much credit in a place like Greensboro-- particularly when the media does not do its job well in terms of covering candidates and elections.

**********************
E.C. ;)

June 3 Storm Coverage: TV gets an "A", radio gets an "F"

(N&R)

Wall to wall storm coverage yesterday afternoon as the City of Greensboro nearly flooded with a record amount of rainfall.

Local TV did a fairly good job of covering the storms during the event itself. I thought FOX-8 and News 14 Carolina had pretty good coverage.

Local radio...noooope!

After leaving work early last night to rush home to ensure everything was AOK at the Huey ranch, I was disappointed that there was nothing on local radio, and driving conditions between Winston-Salem and Greensboro on I-40 were terrible at 8pm last night. Nothing on WSJS nor WZTK. WMFR? Nope. College stations...WNAA? No. WSNC? No. WUNC? No. WFDD? No.

Discovery? You bet...the Triad has NO local news radio station at all. Pathetic, in a time like last night. Even more pathetic is when WSJS is running promos on its station touting that they stay on the air during weather emergencies.

Something to think about...perhaps an opportunity can be created here.

E.C. :)

YES! Weekly unveils redesign

This week's edition of the YES! Weekly is summed up in one word...sharp. A redesign of the area's alternative weekly shows many surprises.

Editor-in-chief Brian Clarey:

The new YES! Weekly is sleek, clean and more sophisticated in its appearance than we ever thought it could be.
I think it looks like Rolling Stone, before it got tiny.

Big props go out to the new design team — Art Director Lindsay Emeigh, Ashleigh Waters and Loren Bailey — who logged some pretty serious hours on this project.
And kudos to Publisher Charles Womack, who was bold enough to drive this redesign through and see it home.

Don't worry — YES! Weekly still has the same great content from the same great writers, but we look a whole lot prettier.

I agree.

E.C. :)

How to fix CBS-2?

Comments are pouring in on just how to fix WFMY CBS-2. And the opinions are strong on both sides. It obviously shows the brand name of WFMY and its effect on this area. But this appears to be a golden opportunity on how to fix the ailing station.

H/T to John Robinson, who points us to this article in the American Journalism Review on what some other local stations outside of North Carolina are doing to re-jig their local news formats...and it seems to work.

See what the article says about WUSA-9, the Gannett-owned CBS affiliate in Washington, DC:

At WUSA-TV in Washington, D.C., the revamped early morning news looks nothing like the competition. The program appears to be channeling ESPN's SportsCenter. Video that used to be full-screen is now boxed on the upper left side, with a scrolling "rundown" on the right listing upcoming stories and rotating headlines on the bottom. Weather and traffic information, a priority for morning audiences, is always on screen.

"It's a visible strategy that puts information out for people whenever they want it, not when we want to give it to them," says Lane Michaelsen, vice president of the WUSA information center. He calls the rundown a "convenience item" that helps viewers decide when to watch. "They can run to get the paper or brush their teeth and not miss something they want to see."

If viewers can absorb it all without getting a migraine, they can easily catch the top news of the day in less than five minutes. Which raises the question: Why would anyone bother staying tuned longer?

"The hope is we are covering relevant things they want to watch," Michaelsen says. And even if viewers don't stick around for long, he believes they'll come back. "They'll see us as the station that's interested in [their] time."

Bold stuff is what's needed, folks. Why NOT try something different? And I'm not talking Sinclair's NewsCentral-different (that floundered and flubbed and failed)...let's talk something uptown.

How would YOU fix WFMY?

E.C. ;)

CBS-2's Hughes announces her retirement

Longtime CBS-2 (WFMY) anchor Sandra Hughes announced last night she will retire from the Gannett-owned station after 37 years. In her on-air announcement last night, Hughes said she will "ease away" from the station sometime next year.

The move comes only days after nightly co-anchor Kent Bates exited after his contract was not renewed.

Today's News & Record has more and editor John Robinson speculates about forthcoming changes at the Gannett-owned station.

Robinson:

With the announced retirement of anchor Sandra Hughes and the departures of anchor Kent Bates and sports anchor Greg Kerr, WFMY is losing a great deal of experience, institutional memory and brand value. (As jerseyfreeze commented on twitter: "Perhaps the station is moving to an all-weather format.")

I wouldn't go that far, but the station does have a golden opportunity to do something different and innovative with its news programming. The four news stations in this market tend to be the same. News, weather and sports. Nice chatter. Neat graphics. Live standups. They're even nearly right after each other on the cable dial: 9, 10, 11 & 14. Cookie cutter -- and I say that with all due respect.

Here is where we are: Advertising revenue is suffering. Technology has made everyone a publisher/producer. People's news consumption habits are changing. With all the change in the air -- plus vacancies in three of the four chairs in the studio -- why not do something interesting and radical with the newscast?

Maybe if 2 takes the blinders off and discovers the counties outside of Guilford, they may end up making a dent in some of FOX-8's numbers...maybe? Not....

Segmented news is dead.

But I do agree that with the financial problems Gannett is having up in Tysons Corner, Va., coupled with the new brass in the front office, this will be an opportunity for 2 to make some serious changes, and for the better. It can be done.

E.C. ;)

Brian Clarey, unplugged

MonkeyWhale Productions brings us a candid one-on-one interview with YES! Weekly editor Brian Clarey. And in this new era of newsroom and media cutbacks, YES! Weekly continues to be a local success story.

Here's why:

Daughtry visits FOX-8

Local "Idol" Chris Daughtry popped in the FOX-8 studios yesterday, one day earlier than expected. Daughtry had his days crossed, the interview was supposed to be Wednesday. At any rate, he sat down with FOX-8's Shannon Smith covering a range of topics. The interview will air tomorrow.

Hat-tip to the TVPhotogBlog for the coverage and skinny on this one.

E.C. :)

PPMs changing radio listening habits

Major radio station changes lately may be the result of the new PPMs--portable people meters Arbitron is using to track listener habits. Diaries are out, the electronic age is in.

Apparently, the PPMs are more accurate in gaging listening patterns in terms of how audiences are measured.

But the PPMs are causing controversy.

Phil Rosenthal, Chicago Tribune:

Some have questioned the quality and weighting of the sample listeners and cast aspersions on the results. Others point to the difficulty of getting some to participate, for one reason or another.

"I haven't worn a beeper in years, and nothing I've got goes with it," Tom Joyner joked after he was bounced from Clear Channel's WVAZ-FM 102.7, forcing him to buy airtime on Crawford Broadcasting's WSRB-FM 106.3 and WYRB-FM 106.3. "PPM has systematically rated urban stations much lower than they have been in the past. The diary method that Arbitron used to use was more favorable."

The Federal Communications Commission last week announced an inquiry to determine if the new methodology undercounts audience for radio stations targeting minorities. Arbitron responded by saying it welcomed the opportunity to explain the advantages of PPMs.

Something to consider as the lay of our local radio landscape changes. Here's how the PPM works, courtesy of the Chicago Tribune:

More silliness from "Cheap" Channel

TMW reported last week on the flipping of KISS-fm to “The All New 105-7 Hit Music Now.’’ Local Clear Channel executive Kim Pyle also fed a load of bull to the News & Record on the format change:

“This is not a drop from Clear Channel on high,’’ said Kim Pyle, the vice president and market manager for the four stations. “This is being done locally so we can be nimble, agile and react to the needs of the listeners in the marketplace. This is for Greensboro, Winston-Salem and High Point.’’

If you believe that, I have a tunnel (complete with toll booths) to sell you.

Consider this...on the same day this happened here in Greensboro, in another larger urban market (Chicago...my hometown) where Cheap Channel...err, Clear Channel has a lock on the radio dial, long-time smooth jazz outlet WNUA folded after 22 years. The home of the locally-produced Ramsey Lewis morning show, Clear Channel fired Lewis and replaced the station's format with Spanish hot adult contemporary.

Chicago apparently went nuts over the weekend, primarily because of what CC did to destroy this station over the past few years. And they succeeded. I remember the day WNUA went on the air...I was in high school, during study hall and was fascinated at the music I heard through my "walkman" one day.

The interesting tidbit is this...a "low-powered" station picked up the former smooth jazz format way at the low end of the dial (87.7FM) and is rebroadcasting it under the "Smooth Jazz" network. The rebroadcast is being provided by Broadcast Architecture...which is owned by you guessed it...Clear Channel. (Hat-tip to Phil Rosenthal at the Chicago Tribune for the good blog coverage on this one...RadioInfo.com has also had a good conversation on this one, Chicago clearly does not trust CC...I can't blame them)

I mean, you just don't fire Ramsey Lewis and get away with it.

Back to the Triad...and another thing to chew on with this 105.7...WKZL also uses the "Hit Music Now" in some of their promos in between songs...I wonder when 105.7 will be forced to change the moniker because of this.

E.C. :)

More homogenized radio in the Triad

It is no secret that I am not a fan of the company known as Clear Channel.

The things this company has done to destroy locally-owned radio in this country is flabbergasting. And this company has destroyed it. We as listeners of terrestrial radio are now forced with stations with the same songs played to death, over and over again. The listeners are not paid any attention to, and smaller artists are left to fend for themselves, or via the Internet for any type of airplay.

A good example is what Clear Channel has done to destroy smooth jazz stations all over the U.S. It started off as a good format, with a mix of smooth, contemporary and classic jazz sounds blended in. Then once Clear Channel-owned stations started mixing in "old soul," the format was destroyed. Kool-and-the-Gang is not smooth jazz...it's not jazz at all. Hence, the ultimate and untimely demise of these types of stations across America...in big urban markets.

Now, I digress...one thing Clear Channel is good at doing is flipping formats when one fails. The Triad's market is no exception.



Clear Channel has relinquished its battle of R&B stations, dropping its homogenized "KISS-fm" R&B format on 105.7 FM late Friday afternoon, and debuting “The All New 105-7 Hit Music Now.’’

Yawn.

So, while it couldn't compete with WQMG (97.1-fm) and 102-JAMS (WJMH), it will now wage war with Dick Broadcasting's locally-owned 107.5-fm (WKZL).

Yawn.

News & Record:

The All New 105-7 is part of the audible tweak ongoing among the four stations owned by Clear Channel Radio, a corporate radio giant out of Texas.

In February, Clear Channel dropped syndicated morning show “The John Boy & Billy Big Show’’ from its rock station WVBZ (100.3 FM) , better known as The Buzzard.

Earlier this month, The Buzzard became The Buzz and inserted a playlist that leaned more toward Green Day than Lynyrd Skynyrd.

And now, The All New 105-7 becomes Clear Channel’s latest move. It drops the three-year battle against the Triad’s two urban giants, WQMG (97.1 FM) and WJMH (102.1 FM), and goes head to head against WKZL (107.5 FM), a station owned by Greensboro’s Dick Broadcasting.

“This is not a drop from Clear Channel on high,’’ said Kim Pyle, the vice president and market manager for the four stations. “This is being done locally so we can be nimble, agile and react to the needs of the listeners in the marketplace. This is for Greensboro, Winston-Salem and High Point.’’

Yeah...right. That's the problem, Kim...nothing from Clear Channel is done locally. Nothing.

Coverage from RadioInsight.com here.

E.C. :)

WUNC program to broadcast from GSO next week

Hat-tip to Greensboro's Ed Cone for passing this along...91.5 FM WUNC's Triangle-based radio show "The State of Things" will broadcast live from the affiliate's Greensboro Triad Stage studio next Thursday and Friday. Live local talent will perform.

Call the Triad Stage Box Office on 336/272-0160.

E.C. :)

History Channel to profile Bowman Gray Stadium

News 14 Carolina reports The History Channel will breeze into Winston-Salem this summer to film a new reality series about the goings-on over at Bowman Gray Stadium.

News 14:

“They're filming a TV series here that's going to be on the History Channel. And it's about the life and struggles of a Saturday night short tracker here at Bowman Gray Stadium,” Chris Fleming, a driver from Mount Airy, said.

The track is NASCAR’s first and longest running weekly race. Drivers began running their cars at the stadium just one year after NASCAR started.

“There's a lot of history here at this race track, a lot of family rivalries,” Fleming said. “We are one big family here, but there are also family rivalries.”

*******************

E.C. :)

Bailout? or a loan on success?

TMW reported on the Carrboro Citizen not long ago. Now comes word that the paper received a loan from that town's Board of Aldermen...to expand its operation.

Hmmmm....

...thoughts?

E.C. :)

Are Sweeps Stunts still effective?

Last night, we were treated to a story on CBS-2 (WFMY) on so-called unlicensed teachers that was riddled with holes. Simultaneously, the morning team from NBC-12 (WXII) switched with the evening team throughout the day.

It's sweeps time. (yawn)

And as sweeps winds down, the question needs to be asked...are local sweeps still effective? I contend they're not.

Case in point, as the 11:00 news wound down on WXII last night, we saw sports anchor Craig Thomas being given a back massage in the newsroom. I'm sorry, but where's the news value in that?

If sweeps are 'the best of the best' and if this is all these guys have, it's no wonder they're hurting for viewers and ad revenues.

E.C. :)

Good Morning Show's getting irritating

Anyone who survived this morning's "Good Morning Show" over at CBS-2 WFMY is lucky. Their new tie-in with Jeff Roper and Angie Ward over at local radio's 104 WTQR is getting very old, very fast.

This morning, viewers who stayed with the show during the 6am and 7am hours were treated to a very irritating bit featuring someone on a YouTube video getting off an incredibly bad laugh.

Where's the news? Where's the traffic? Where's the credibility? Channel 2 getting like Channel 12 in the morning. The silliness is getting old.

E.C. :)

WFDD hits 79% of goal in Spring pledge drive

NPR affiliate 88.5 WFDD concluded its spring pledge drive last week hitting 79% of its goal. The final tally was $157,647.

Denise Franklin, General Manager of WFDD, said in a statement:

"It is truly rewarding to receive such a strong outpouring of support during these challenging economic times. Our listeners tell us how much they value WFDD as a locally owned and operated public radio station with relevant local and national programming. During this membership drive they demonstrated their commitment to public radio and our entire Piedmont Triad community. We are also confident our listeners and members will step forward and help us raise the $42,000 we need to hit our $200,000 goal by the end of our fiscal year in June."

E.C. :)

Tolly Carr to be cut loose today

Published reports today say that former NBC-12 (WXII) anchor Tolly Carr will be released from prison today, less than two years after Carr pleaded guilty to DWI charges related to a fatal drunken-driving wreck.

As a condition of his release, Carr will also have to perform 100 hours of community service and pay a $10,000 fine to the public school system.

E.C. :)

Kerr is out at CBS-2

First, it was Kent Bates, now the other shoe has dropped...sports director Greg Kerr is out at CBS-2 (WFMY). TMW reported a couple of days ago (via NewsBlues) that the gauntlet would begin to fall over at WFMY this week. Now TMW can confirm (via the N&R) that Kerr will also be gone by month's end.

And you all are talking about it...and responding. Apparently, there seem to be very few WFMY fans out there. The comments on the N&R story (and John Robinson's blog) say it all.

The firing of Kerr is notable, however. This is the second local station in as many months in letting a sports director go.

Dave Goren, former sports director and anchor over at NBC-12 (WXII) was cut loose by the Heart-Argyle owned Channel 12 back in January, right when this blog started. Could this be an open door for him? But then again, would Channel 2 call on Goren?

Seems as though what's left watching locally is 8 and 14.

E.C. :)

Kent Bates to exit CBS-2

TMW reported two days ago (via NewsBlues) that the gauntlet would begin to fall over at WFMY any day now. Now TMW can confirm (via today's N&R) that evening anchor Kent Bates will soon leave the CBS affiliate after six years.

Bates, in a reported e-mail, says the station declined to renew his contract.

E.C. :)

Remembering Nick Maheras

I was terribly shocked and saddened to learn of the recent and rather untimely passing of Nick Maheras. A long-time lifestyles and religion reporter for the High Point Enterprise, Maheras was a friend and former colleague of mine at the Enterprise when I was a young cub reporter there from late 2000-2001. Maheras was often soft-spoken, but a hard-nosed reporter. He loved news and loved the people he not only worked with but those he interviewed. He was someone I was proud to know, and I will miss him.

Take care of yourself, Nick; we'll see you soon.

E.C. :)

WFMY makes big changes as it turns 60

CBS-2 (WFMY) will ring in 60 years young with a new news director. Jim Platzer, a former news director at WAND-TV in Decatur, IL, officially takes the reigns, replacing Gina Katzmark who left the Gannett-owned WFMY in January after 3 1/2 years as news director.

Platzer also worked for WBOY-TV in Clarksburg, WV, and has also worked at stations in Johnstown and Altoona, PA, Mobile, AL, and spent seven years in Florida, working in both Orlando and Tampa.

And there's no rest for the weary, as Gannett is cutting two top anchors at WFMY, according to NewsBlues. We're on the trail to find out who they may be.

E.C. :)

What's "This"?

You're seeing the commercials about "This." But what's "This?"

"This" will debut on NBC-12 WXII's digital channel 12-2 (Time Warner Cable channel 541), it is the channel now occupied by NBC's WeatherPlus. WeatherPlus is going bye-bye, a natural decision since it now owns The Weather Channel.

So again...what's "This"? It is 24 hours of classic TV and movies, according to the station.

“We’re excited to be able to provide viewers with a top quality movie network that will add to the choices they have for free over-the-air local TV service,” says station chief Hank Price, in a recent statement.

E.C. :)

YES! Weekly, Rock 92 unveil new partnership

This announcement from this week's YES! Weekly:



E.C. :)

N&R recognizes its own...

...this time with awards, not with pink slips. Take a look at the list, and congratulations to the winners.

E.C. :)

Kevin Connolly to be honored by NCHSAA

Congrats to FOX-8 sports anchor Kevin Connolly who will be honored this Thursday at the annual meeting of the NC High School Athletic Association in Chapel Hill. Connolly will be receiving the Tim Stevens Media Representative of the Year award (hat tip: GSO Sports).

Well done.

E.C. :)

102 Jams leads local winter radio ratings

Local "hip-hop" station 102 Jams (WJMH-fm) led the Arbitron winter ratings book with an 8.6 share, that's up from their 7.2 ranking in the fall. WQMG came in second with a 7.8 share, followed by WMAG with a 5.4 share. WMAG's numbers were down from the 6.4 share they gathered in the fall.

Here's the local tally:

AQH Share for Persons 12+, Mon-Sun 6AM-Mid
Greensboro - Winston-Salem May 4 2009
Station	Format	SP08	SU08	FA08	WI09

WJMH-FM	Rhythmic Contemporary Hit Radio	7.7	8.5	7.2	8.6
WQMG-FM	Urban Adult Contemporary	7.7	7.4	7.6	7.8
WMAG-FM	Adult Contemporary	4.8	5.1	6.4	5.4
WKZL-FM	Pop Contemporary Hit Radio	5.8	5.3	5.6	5.1
WTHZ-FM	Classic Hits	3.8	2.6	3.4	5.0
WTQR-FM	Country	5.4	5.8	6.4	5.0
WPAW-FM	Country	5.5	6.9	5.1	4.4
WKRR-FM	Classic Rock	3.3	3.7	4.5	4.0
WMKS-FM	Urban Adult Contemporary	3.9	3.7	3.1	3.4
WVBZ-FM	Album Oriented Rock	3.2	2.6	2.9	3.4
WSJS-AM	News Talk Information	2.8	2.9	3.9	3.1
WZTK-FM	News Talk Information	2.8	3.0	2.9	2.9
WSMW-FM	Adult Contemporary	3.5	4.7	2.7	2.5
WGBT-FM	Mexican Regional	2.0	2.2	2.9	2.2
WSGH-AM	Mexican Regional	*	*	0.5	2.2
WIST-FM	Classic Country	1.7	1.8	1.7	1.4
WBRF-FM	Country	1.3	1.4	1.1	1.2
WEND-FM	Alternative	1.4	2.0	2.6	1.1
WDCG-FM	Pop Contemporary Hit Radio	1.0	1.1	1.3	1.0
WQOK-FM	Urban Contemporary	0.5	0.5	0.7	0.8
WPOL-AM	Gospel	0.5	1.5	0.8	0.7
WBLO-AM	All Sports	*	0.7	*	0.5
WFXC-FM	Urban Adult Contemporary	*	*	*	0.5
WPCM-AM	Oldies	1.0	0.5	0.4	0.5
WTRU-AM	Religious	0.9	0.6	*	0.5
WKEW-AM	Gospel	0.6	0.5	0.6	0.4
WSOC-FM	Country	*	*	*	0.4
WBBB-FM	Album Oriented Rock	0.5	*	*	*
WEAL-AM	Gospel	0.7	0.4	0.4	*
WLNK-FM	Talk/Personality	0.6	*	*	*
WMFR-AM	News Talk Information	0.5	0.4	0.4	*
WNKS-FM	Pop Contemporary Hit Radio	*	*	0.5	*
WPEG-FM	Urban Contemporary	*	0.4	*	*
WPET-AM	Southern Gospel	*	*	0.6	*
WQDR-FM	Country	0.6	*	*	*
WROV-FM	Album Oriented Rock	*	0.4	*	*

Who has the best traffic reports?

This is a criticism of the local traffic reports on local Triad-area radio...they stink. And NCDOT doesn't help much either.

Case in point...I'm making my daily bi-county jaunt from Greensboro to Winston-Salem yesterday afternoon to go to work at the nite gig...I'm westbound on US 311 approaching I-40 west. After passing the Clemmonsville Rd. exit, I head north on US 52.

Bam!

Traffic comes to a screeching halt. It's not until AFTER I get on Hwy. 52 that there's a NCDOT message board that warns of an upcoming accident 2 miles away. Now common sense (if there is such a thing at the NCDOT) would tell you to put the same message on a message board on I-40, that way, motorists can avoid 52 and find an alternate route, right? Well, that would be too easy. That would be thinking.

So I had on 600/1200 WSJS on the radio...and their traffic report? Nothing about an accident, which at 4pm is snarling a major thoroughfare through their prime listening area, Winston-Salem. Not even anything about another accident I passed while passing through Jamestown on the way to Hwy. 311 only 20 minutes earlier.

So this begs the question...who has the best triad traffic reports on the radio? Chime in and let me know what you all think?

A disclaimer...I worked part-time for a few months back in late 2004 in the former Triad Traffic Center over at Curtis Media-owned FM Talk 101.1 (WZTK). Then, we relied on a consistent and accurate volunteer team of motorists who phoned in traffic conditions on area roadways...and it worked well. And as you know, Curtis now owns WSJS.

Simply put, don't report conditions are okay when they're not.

Off the soapbox...

E.C. :)

Huey inks op-ed for StopTheCap.com

Your humble host inked a recent guest blog post for StopTheCap.com, a protest blog site that gained traction surrounding the recent Time Warner internet metering case, which is far from over:

Do they honestly think we’re that stupid?

The sudden announcement by the cable monopoly known as Time Warner to not cancel–but postpone its Road Runner internet metering/pricing scheme–is not a victory by any means. If anything, this company ought to be downright ashamed at insulting the intelligence of its Piedmont Triad customer base.

The Triad area of central North Carolina stretches into a 12-county area engulfing mid-size metros of Greensboro, High Point and Winston-Salem, about an hour from Charlotte and Raleigh, respectively. And while this area is not a tech-heavy base, Time Warner, unfortunately, has a cable monopoly here. AT&T and Clearwire are other providers of Internet service, but are not as big players here as Time Warner.

And while we’re an area that’s been in major transition even before the recession started (with a dwindling economic base, double-digit unemployment and a huge brain-drain), for this company to pull the stunt it attempted to pull off was laughable.

Its customer base was furious, and the outrage it caused in this area was enormous.

But company officials still believes tiered pricing is the best option for customers:

Time Warner Cable Chief Executive Officer Glenn Britt said, “It is clear from the public response over the last two weeks that there is a great deal of misunderstanding about our plans to roll out additional tests on consumption based billing. As a result, we will not proceed with implementation of additional tests until further consultation with our customers and other interested parties, ensuring that community needs are being met. While we continue to believe that consumption based billing may be the best pricing plan for consumers, we want to do everything we can to inform our customers of our plans and have the benefit of their views as part of our testing process.”

The (Greensboro) News-Record quoted Time Warner spokeswoman Melissa Buscher:

“It’s clear from the response we’ve gotten from Greensboro and other areas that there’s a lot of misinformation out there,” Buscher said. “What we heard is no one knows what their usage is.”

To solve that issue, Time Warner is developing ways to help explain the fee structure and educate customers on their usage. Buscher said the company is working on a Web site that customers could go to that would monitor their Internet usage, similar to some utility company sites.

Do you think your Triad customer base is that “backwoods” and uneducated, Melissa? Are we that stupid?

For a company that just announced big losses and layoffs in its core cable television business not long ago, one would think that perception, customer service and respect would be a priority. Sadly, that didn’t happen. And as a commenter said, it was Time Warner that was just educated by its customer base — now a dwindling customer base.

It is also saying a lot when it takes a U.S. Senator from NEW YORK to open his mouth for something to get done in North Carolina. The leadership (and response) in North Carolina to this issue was horribly pathetic; the response among our local representatives was equally paltry.

And for this company to say it will postpone its plans tells us that they plan to roll it out once again, eventually. What few customers this company has left by that time will be ready…to bolt. My household is already looking at what few options there are to shelve (using their words) Time Warner in favor of another provider.

What’s needed? Competition. Plain and simple. Our customer base is not stupid, but this issue squarely points out that our local leadership needs to get wise and get techno-savvy very quickly.

Erik Huey is a local community activist, a local public education and local media analyst and a communications/political strategist residing in south Greensboro. Huey is a former journalist for the High Point Enterprise and Las Vegas Review-Journal newspapers, a former reporter for various airline business trade publications in Washington, DC, and a one-time Guilford Co. Board of Education candidate in 2008. Huey now runs Triad Media Watch, which monitors the media across the Triad.

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One other issue that I've pondered....the relationship between Time Warner and its News 14 Carolina division, and 14's role in this discussion. Here are some examples (hat-tip: StopTheCap.com) that should begin the dialogue on whether or not News 14 having a journalistic responsibility to report the story in a fair-and-balanced manner, or should it merely be the corporate cousin mouthpiece for Time Warner.

News 14 Carolina - Time Warner Shelves Usage Based Billing
by dampier

News 14 - Time Warner Introduces Metered Road Runner
by dampier

WFMY prepares to turn 60

Hard to believe that the big "2" is about to be 60...hat-tip to YES! Weekly for noting that CBS-2 (WFMY) station brass are preparing to commemorate its 60th anniversary. Events on May 20th will include a special celebration in Greensboro's Center City Park, the airing of historic news segments over the past 60 years, along with other community milestones.

E.C. :)

"New" N&R debuts as mixed figures on circulation/readership released

I haven't grabbed today's "new" new-and-improved version of the News & Record, but I plan to do so later today...just to be curious.

This as the paper's senior staff report that circulation is down, but readership is up, according to national auditors.

See editor John Robinson explain here.

E.C. :)

Clear Channel axes talent nationwide

Mega-conglomerate Clear Channel axed about 590 jobs at stations nationwide yesterday. Locally, we know of one victim, 105.7 (KISS FM) program director Brian Anthony (hat-tip: Radio Online).

From Inside Music Media:

Clear Channel President and CEO John "The Chiropractor" Hogan has now completed an adjustment on his patient.

In one day (yesterday) -- 590 people were fired from Clear Channel. Add this to the 1,800 or so that were cleared out in January and all the "little firings" in between and you can see why Hogan has become the CEO (Chief Execution Officer).

A sad day in radio.

E.C. :)

WZTK suffering from tropospheric ducting

Watch out for that tropospheric ducting, according to WZTK (101.1FM)...the natural phenomenon is making the station's incredibly strong signal weak in some parts of the greater listening area, according to station officials.

And what is tropospheric ducting?

Tropospheric ducting is a type of radio propagation where instead of radio waves reflecting off the ionosphere and back down again like as for a skywave, tropospheric ducting is where radio waves are reflected up and down in a duct formed by humidity and moist air, acting very much like an optical fibre. The ducting is most common at microwave and UHF frequencies, working its way down into the VHF range in pronounced cases. Tropospheric ducting often results in reception of television and FM broadcast stations hundreds of miles distant.

So there...

E.C. :)

Radio Disney suffers signal problems

If my daughter doesn't have her Radio Disney in the car, she's frustrated. And last Thursday provided that frustration as signal problems from the nationally syndicated network feed pulled the local Radio Disney affiliate (1320 AM) off the air periodically. Not to mention the signal seems to be incredibly weak lately.

TMW will keep a keen eye on what's going on over there.

E.C. :)

Stunning losses at MG, Gannett

Ouch!

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Media General Inc (MEG.N) reported a wider net loss on Friday and an 18 percent drop in revenue because of falling newspaper advertising sales, sending its shares down 12 percent.

The publisher of newspapers such as the Richmond Times-Dispatch and Tampa Tribune said its first-quarter net loss was $21.3 million, or 96 cents a share, compared with a loss of $20.3 million, or 92 cents a share, a year earlier. Revenue fell 18 percent to $159.5 million.

Publishing revenue fell on a 25 percent drop in ad revenue. Lower automotive ad spending contributed to a 19 percent drop in revenue at Media General's television stations, a trend that likely will show up at other U.S. TV station owners such as Meredith Corp (MDP.N) and News Corp (NWSA.O).

Media General, like other U.S. newspaper publishers, is grappling with weaker ad sales, especially in its classified ad business, as more people seek news online for free.

The financial crisis in the past year has accelerated an erosion of real estate, job and automotive ad sales.

The Richmond, Virginia-based Media General's results come a day after USA Today Publisher Gannett Co Inc (GCI.N) reported a 60 percent drop in its quarterly profit because of ad revenue declines.

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E.C. :)