Triad Media Watch

Goodbye TMW...Hello Vegas Valley View

2009-09-22T22:07:00.000-04:00

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

2009-07-08T10:31:00.002-04:00

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

2009-07-02T11:48:00.001-04:00

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

2009-07-02T11:40:00.002-04:00

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

2009-06-11T11:30:00.002-04:00

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

2009-06-11T11:21:00.000-04:00

Finally...

Are YOU ready???

E.C. :)

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

2009-06-04T12:44:00.002-04:00

...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

2009-06-04T09:23:00.002-04:00

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"

2009-06-04T09:11:00.002-04:00

(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

2009-06-03T15:19:00.002-04:00

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?

2009-06-02T12:41:00.003-04:00

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

2009-06-02T08:04:00.001-04:00

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

2009-05-29T11:24:00.002-04:00

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

2009-05-27T08:12:00.002-04:00

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

2009-05-26T11:26:00.002-04:00

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

2009-05-26T08:24:00.002-04:00

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

2009-05-23T12:41:00.003-04:00

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

2009-05-22T08:06:00.002-04:00

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

2009-05-21T14:58:00.002-04:00

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?

2009-05-20T14:29:00.002-04:00

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?

2009-05-19T12:19:00.002-04:00

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

2009-05-18T09:20:00.003-04:00

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

2009-05-18T08:05:00.002-04:00

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

2009-05-18T07:51:00.002-04:00

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

2009-05-15T07:48:00.003-04:00

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

2009-05-14T12:51:00.002-04:00

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

2009-05-13T11:59:00.003-04:00

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

2009-05-12T10:35:00.002-04:00

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"?

2009-05-12T07:17:00.002-04:00

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

2009-05-07T11:48:00.002-04:00

This announcement from this week's YES! Weekly:

E.C. :)

N&R recognizes its own...

2009-05-07T11:29:00.001-04:00

...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

2009-05-05T15:00:00.002-04:00

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

2009-05-05T14:46:00.003-04:00

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?

2009-05-01T11:14:00.003-04:00

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

2009-04-30T08:08:00.002-04:00

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

2009-04-30T08:01:00.002-04:00

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

2009-04-29T13:18:00.002-04:00

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

2009-04-29T11:22:00.003-04:00

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

2009-04-27T12:48:00.002-04:00

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

2009-04-27T11:04:00.004-04:00

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

2009-04-27T10:54:00.002-04:00

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. :)

Elmquist leaves N&R

2009-04-27T10:51:00.001-04:00

N&R cops-and-crime reporter Sonja Elmquist seeks greener pastures from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. JR wishes her well.

E.C. :)

N&R makes big changes

2009-04-27T10:46:00.002-04:00

TMW predicted some major changes were coming to the N&R and it has happened...combined sections will begin printing later this week. Wonder if they're going to the "book format" a la NewsDay/NY Post/Chicago Sun-Times?

Editor John Robinson:

The move also essentially codifies a practice we've been following for a while -- we're a local newspaper first. Two sections made sense when the front section was for national and world news and the second section was for local. But in this day and time, when we normally fill the front page with local news, having the two sections seems disorganized.

E.C. :)

Thanks for the recognition

2009-04-27T10:42:00.003-04:00

After a one week hiatus, I'm back...and right on time...thanks and mega-kudos to YES! Weekly (and you) for the honorable mention in this year's "Best of the Triad" in the 'Best Blog' category.

Thank you all again...

E.C. :)

TW postpones pricing scheme, insults Triad's customers

2009-04-17T07:33:00.003-04:00

Do they honestly think we're that stupid?

Yesterday's 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.

Excerpts from the announcement:

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.”

Time Warner spokeswoman Melissa Buscher:

Company spokeswoman Melissa Buscher said Time Warner still believes tiered pricing is the best option for customers.
“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 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 this state 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.

Ed Cone and Sue Polinsky are talking this up. Roch chimes in also. Let's hear from you too.

E.C. :)

N&R sheds jobs

2009-04-17T07:24:00.002-04:00

Sad news from E. Market Street as the News & Record yesterday cut 25 more jobs, six of which were newsroom positions. It is unknown publicly just who from the newsroom may have received walking papers.

N&R:

The News & Record has had previous job reductions, an early retirement program, buyouts and unpaid furlough days to lower payroll costs. The company has also tightened its operating expenses, including using less newsprint.
"Unfortunately the effects of this economic recession are more severe than we had anticipated, and all of these efforts have not been enough to bring our operating expenses in balance with our revenues," publisher Robin Saul stated in an e-mail Thursday afternoon to employees.

Saul stated that the job cuts and other expense reductions are designed to ensure the "long-term financial stability and health of the News & Record."

Further expense reductions, including changes to the newspaper, will be implemented during the next few weeks, Saul stated. More details will be shared with employees beginning next week.

TMW mentioned recently that something big was coming down the pipeline shortly from the N&R. Guess this is the other shoe dropping.

E.C. :)

N&R site unveils redesign

2009-04-16T07:37:00.002-04:00

News & Record officials unveiled a redesign of its News-Record.com website this morning. The paper said today the changes include:

Snapshot of key stock market indices at the top of the home page
Expanded weather information throughout
A cleaner, easier-to-use site menu
Simplified site search
Convenient access to helpful tools

N&R officials also said the redesign was intended "to give news-record.com a fresher, more engaging treatment while reducing the number and size of elements users' web browsers were required to download in order to properly display the site."

E.C. :)

CBS-2 has the best weather, according to WeatheRate

2009-04-16T07:24:00.003-04:00

CBS-2 (WFMY) is now laying claim to having "the most accurate weather in the Triad." This, according to an independent firm called WeatheRate.

Triad Media Watch investigated WeatheRate, here's what was found:

WeatheRate is a Phoenix-based firm that's been in business since late 2003. According to the site's Q&A section, its representatives review the four-day forecasts from local TV stations in major U.S. metropolitan areas. The forecast and observed weather data are fed into its software, which compares the forecast with the actual observed conditions. Through a series of mathematical calculations, WeatheRate determines which TV stations have the best daily, weekly and monthly accuracy. Then, every March, they offer their "seal of approval" to the TV station that provides the most accurate weather forecasts in their list of cities.

The company claims it is the only independent, non-partisan, weather verification company in the United States.

Although I find it interesting that the firm has not issued a press release since early 2006.

I report, you decide.

E.C. :)

CBS-2 News @ Noon sounds like a community bulletin board

2009-04-15T12:00:00.002-04:00

Not necessarily a criticism but merely a thought...if you watch CBS-2 (WFMY) News @ Noon, it sounds like a community bulletin board for 22 minutes. Where's the hard news, Channel 2? List the upcoming events on your website, and save the news...for the news.

Just a thought...

E.C. :)

Brad & Britt defend decision not to discuss Time-Warner situation

2009-04-15T11:22:00.002-04:00

Time for your daily dose of Road Runner Rampage...the rampage over Time Warner's new internet metering billing scheme for its Road Runner internet service.

Briefs for Tax Day, April 15, 2009:

1. WZTK's Brad & Britt (101.1fm) are publicly defending their decision not to discuss the Time-Warner situation on their morning radio show. See, Time Warner advertises heavily on the duo's show, with both airing original spots on behalf of the cable giant.

Local blogger "gedblog" chastised Brad & Britt for not discussing the issue on the air:

Britt Whitmire is extremely tech savvy and has dragged his older partner, Brad Krantz, kicking and grumbling into the world of Facebook and Twitter. Britt’s even joined the fake Twitterer’s club and created for-fun accounts for Fake Dan Rather and Little Rush so we can enjoy his musings at any time of the day or night. But even Britt seems powerless to rock the boat when it comes to corporate sponsorship.

When the news about Time Warner’s preposterous rate changes first broke in Greensboro, I sent an @reply to Britt to see if they could raise the topic on their morning show. Britt’s response disappointed me, but deep down, I understood it. I often must resist writing blog posts critical of services or companies for which I do design work for at the Iconfactory. But unlike Britt, my job isn’t to get people talking about national and local news & events. FM Talk’s management have no doubt cut the duo out of the loop on this important issue, which is unsettling.

Britt tells gedblog:

Just to clarify, neither of us has been told by management to avoid the topic. We have made that decision on our own.

So there...

2. Demonstrations are planned in front of Time-Warner's offices on Spring Garden Street this Saturday. News & Record reports the protest will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 1813 Spring Garden St.

N&R:

The announcement was met with outrage from customers and threats of legislation to block the change. In reaction, Time Warner postponed its tests in Austin and San Antonio, big areas for tech business.

For the Triad and Rochester, the company announced two additional tiers, including a “budget” tier allowing 1 GB of data use per month for just $15 and a “super-tier” allowing up to 100 GB of data use for $75. The company also said it would limit overage fees to no more than $75, essentially creating an “unlimited” plan for those willing to pay the fees.

Many Triad customers are still angry about the plan, saying that Time Warner has a virtual monopoly on high speed cable Internet in the area and is using it to make customers pay more unless they bundle services, order Digital Phone service or pay more for a Business Class Internet plan. Customers have contacted city leaders, state representatives and even their congressmen. Other customers have filed complaints with the Better Business Bureau and contacted the attorney general's office.

3. Apparently, the Triad is not tech-savvy enough. Whereas Time Warner postponed this scheme in Austin and San Antonio, Greensboro and Rochester have become ground zero in this protest. And that has small businesses up in arms. As Ed Cone said over the weekend, this proposal threatens the livelihood of tech businesses, small businesses, and for that matter...anyone who chooses to call the Triad home.

Today's News & Record points this out:

“It’s the same amount of bandwidth if you use their service or someone else’s,” said Stephen Matlin, a self-employed Greensboro Web designer who uses Skype for phone calls through his Time Warner Cable Internet service. “Why would they charge only the people who choose not to pay for their digital phone service? It’s to discourage competition, to penalize you unless you subscribe with them.”

Last week, Greensboro Mayor Yvonne Johnson said she would look into bringing in competing Internet providers such as AT&T U-Verse and Verizon FiOS but no progress has yet been reported.

City leaders in High Point said they’re also concerned about how it will affect residents — especially business people.

“To single our area out at a time when we’re trying to attract new business, when everyone is trying to cut costs, is bad for the city,” High Point City Councilman Mike Pugh said. “We shouldn’t be at that disadvantage.”

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E.C. :)

Road Runner rampage for 4/13/09

2009-04-13T13:03:00.002-04:00

Herein, the latest from the insanity that is Time Warner...

1. Ed Cone inks a great column in yesterday's News & Record talking about the potential economic impact from Time Warner's flawed scheme.

Cone says:

This is a big deal for local consumers. Even if you don't watch much Web video now, your habits might change as your options continue to grow. Renting DVDs is unnecessary when movies arrive via the 'Net. Television shows, new and old, are available online whenever you want to watch them. Last year's Olympics were online, too -- but the site had a warning label advising people with metered plans not to watch. Meanwhile, applications beyond entertainment, such as communications with your health care providers, will become increasingly popular.

There are broader issues as well. As a test market, we will face economic development constraints not felt by other cities across the country.

And their latest pricing model, released late last week stirred up even more angry feelings among local consumers. Like Ryan Shell says, it is becoming a local public relations nightmare for the local cable monopoly.

2. Not to mention, Time Warner continues to run spots all over TV touting their "price-lock" bundled guarantee for new customers. Will all that change as a result of this?

3. Time-Warner owned-News 14 Carolina also is stepping up its advertisements lately (have you noticed???)...saying it's not available on Direct TV, not available on Dish, not available from the phone company. Think they're feeling the pressure, by proxy?

E.C. :)

Court rules in favor of Rhino Times

2009-04-13T12:55:00.003-04:00

Judges with the state Court of Appeals have granted approval for the Rhino Times to go to court to determine the actual and punitive damages to be awarded in its long-withstanding trial with the Ku Klux Klan.

The Rhino Times had sued a branch of the Klan for wrapping its propaganda around copies of the Rhino Times. Rhino brass have repeatedly objected to its material being used to promote Klan literature and viewpoints.

View the story from the Rhino here.

E.C. :)

Time Warner's inept response

2009-04-10T07:09:00.002-04:00

At least, they recognized that they caused a firestorm.

And now, the evil empire has responded:

Statement from Landel Hobbs, Chief Operating Officer, Time Warner Cable
RE: Consumption based billing trials
4-9-09

Some recent press reports about our four consumption based billing trials planned for later this year were premature and did not tell the full story. With that said, we realize our communication to customers about these trials has been inadequate and we apologize for any frustration we caused. We’ve heard the passionate feedback and we’ve taken action to address our customers’ concerns.

With the ever-increasing flood of content on the Internet, bandwidth consumption is growing exponentially. That’s a good thing; however, there are costs associated with this increased Internet usage. Here at Time Warner Cable, consumption among our high-speed Internet subscribers is increasing by about 40% a year. As a facilities based provider, we’ve built a network that must be maintained and upgraded. We have increasing variable costs and we have to continue to invest in the network itself.

This is a common problem that all network providers are experiencing and must address. Several other providers have instituted consumption based billing, including all major network providers in Canada and others in the U.K., New Zealand and elsewhere. In the U.S., AT&T has begun two consumption based billing trials and other providers including Comcast, Charter and Cox are using varying methods of monitoring and managing bandwidth consumption.

For good reason. Internet demand is rising at a rate that could outpace capacity within a few years. According to industry analysts, the infrastructure may not be able to accommodate the explosion of online content by 2012. This could result in Internet brownouts. It will take a lot of money to fix the problem. Rather than raising prices on all customers or limiting usage, we think the fairest approach is to move to a tiered model in which users pay more if they use more.

If we don’t act, consumers’ Internet experience will suffer. Sitting still is not an option. That’s why we’re beginning the consumption based billing trials. It’s important to stress that they are trials. The feedback we’ve received from our customers has been very helpful. We’ve made changes to the terms in our current and upcoming trial markets as follows:

• To accommodate lighter Internet users and those who need a lower priced option, we are introducing a 1 GB per month tier offering speeds of 768 KB/128 KB for $15 per month. Overage charges will be $2 per GB per month. Our usage data show that about 30% of our customers use less than 1 GB per month.

• We are increasing the bandwidth tier sizes included in all existing packages in the trial markets to 10, 20, 40 and 60 GB for Road Runner Lite, Basic, Standard and Turbo packages, respectively. Package prices will remain the same. Overage charges will be $1 per GB per month.

• We will introduce a 100 GB Road Runner Turbo package for $75 per month (offering speeds of 10 MB/1 MB). Overage charges will be $1 per GB per month.

• Overage charges will be capped at $75 per month. That means that for $150 per month customers could have virtually unlimited usage at Turbo speeds.

• Once we implement this trial, we will not immediately start billing customers for overage. Rather, we will first provide two months of usage data. Then we will provide a one-month grace period in which overages will be noted on customers’ bills, but they will not be charged. So, customers will have an opportunity to assess their usage and right-size their service packages before usage charges are applied.

• Trials will begin in Rochester, N.Y., and Greensboro, N.C., in August. We will apply what we learn from these two markets when we launch trials in San Antonio and Austin, Texas, in October, but we will guarantee at least the same level of usage capacity in these trials.

• As we launch DOCSIS 3.0 in the trial markets, we plan to offer a 50/5 MB speed tier for $99 per month.

Again, the Internet is dynamic and continually evolves, so our plans will evolve as well and aren’t set in stone. We appreciate the feedback we’ve received. We’ll look forward to more dialogue as we progress in these trials. You can send your comments and feedback to us at realideas@twcable.com.

Landel Hobbs
COO
Time Warner Cable

For questions, etc:

Jeff Simmermon
Director, Digital Communications
Time Warner Cable

Find us on Twitter at: @jeffTWC, @MsmarTWC, @MelissaTWC_TX

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Thanks to TMW reader Bruce for passing this link along after midnight last night. What does this mean for you and I?

Reader Bruce says:

Honestly it makes less sense to me than the first set of plans did. Can you look into it and let us know what it means? To me it looks like I will pay close to $150 for my internet when my current cable bill plus internet is only $120 (Internet is $49). On the bright side it looks like we are getting faster speeds so we can go over the cap quicker.

Thank you
Bruce

I would tend to agree. I'll be monitoring what Roch and Sue say later today and will have a follow-up shortly.

News & Record has a story here.

E.C. :)

Times-News here to stay, says editor

2009-04-09T10:47:00.002-04:00

Burlington Times-News editor Madison Taylor writes in his blog a few days ago that any rumors regarding the early demise of the Burlington Times-News is just that...rumors.

Taylor:

Today, however, the Times-News is part of the rumor. We did not create this situation. It’s now my job to clean it up. Whether that’s fair or not isn’t the issue. It’s my job.

So here it goes: The Times-News is not closing - not no way, not no how. We are not shutting the doors and locking them behind us today or next week or next month or six months from now.

There, I said it.

Need more? Well, our reporters are still reporting, our photographers are still shooting and Frances Woody continues her remarkable run of dispensing common sense advice and two columns a week. Our advertising agents are traversing the asphalt for clients, our graphics artists are designing and our classified advertising representatives are standing by. At night our copy editors are writing headlines, our pressmen are plating up and carriers are depositing our daily product upon thousands of Alamance County driveways.

And for those who come through the front door, Vicki Davis is there with a smile same as always.

I submit this for your approval, as the late Rod Serling might’ve said, to clear up a, “Rumor has it …” in the community that the Times-News is closing and soon. In short, it’s untrue and then some. Fact is, the Times-News is operating in the black even as some of our larger brethren are deep in the red.

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E.C. :)

Danville paper saved with new editor

2009-04-08T13:00:00.002-04:00

TMW learns that the Danville Register & Bee has been saved from extinction, partly due to a new editor...in Danville (not Lynchburg).

via Danville Register & Bee/Life at a Media General Newspaper:

Rumor has it that Robert Benson is the new editor of The Danville Register and Bee. That's possibly the BEST thing that could have happened to the newspaper. Robert has toiled hard behind the scenes, kept his mouth shut when he was supposed to and opened when it was expedient. An award winning writer he knows Danville, has solid values and COULD quite possibly turn the newspaper around if Lynchburg doesn't hamstring him. Look for good things from Robert once things settle down. He's waited a long time for this. Congratulations Robert!!

E.C. :)

WUNC opens Downtown Greensboro studio

2009-04-08T12:37:00.002-04:00

The Business Journal reports WUNC (91.5FM) has opened its long-awaited Greensboro studio. Located on S. Elm Street just above Triad Stage, the NPR affiliate will use its new facility to continue improving its service to the Triad. Reporter Jessica Jones, who joined WUNC in 1999, will staff the bureau, the article says.

E.C. :)

WTQR personality discusses his battle with lung cancer

2009-04-08T12:29:00.004-04:00

WTQR (104.1 FM) afternoon personality Bill "Brother Bill" Dotson spoke with NBC-12 (WXII) last week about his recent battle with lung cancer.

He tells Channel 12:

"Freaked me out dude. I was on an emotional roller coaster there for awhile," he said. "But I was lucky because we caught it early."

He expects to back to work in a few weeks.

God bless you, Bill.

E.C. :)

Online radio audience doubles over the last three years

2009-04-08T12:20:00.002-04:00

Media Daily News reports that 42 million Americans over the age of 12 listen to radio during an average week, more than double the 2005 figure of 20 million, and up 27% from 33 million in 2008. The figures mean that online radio currently reaches about 17% of Americans over the age of 12, up from about 8% in 2005 and 13% in 2008.

MDN:

This week, Katz Online Network and Ando Media renewed and expanded their deal for measurement of radio audience. Under the terms of the new deal, data from Ando's measurement platform will be made available, in real time, to all national sales agents who work in digital radio. Overall, the Katz Online Network delivers more than 4 million listeners per week, or 10% of the total online radio audience according to the figures from Arbitron and Edison Research.
In October, Targetspot, another big online radio ad network, acquired Ronning Lipset Radio, creating a combined network of over 1,000 online radio stations, including the Web portals of traditional radio stations. At the time, the network reached more than 6 million listeners a week. Among the merged network's partners are CBS Radio, Entercom, Yahoo, AOL and Live 365.

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E.C. :)

Road Runner rampage for 4/8/09

2009-04-08T10:07:00.005-04:00

Herein, the latest news on Time Warner's Road Runner rampage for April 8, 2009:

1. Greensboro Mayor Yvonne Johnson is open to discussing recruiting alternative competitors for Time Warner's beleaguered Road Runner internet service, now under major scrutiny for implementing a new metering pricing scheme. Good soundbites from Sue Polinsky also (click the Channel 2 icon below for the story):

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2. Two new sites have popped up in recent days:

Stop TWC (at http://www.stoptwc.info)

And

Drop Time Warner Cable (at http://droptimewarnercable.com)

See their commercial here:

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3. Lawmakers in Washington are getting wise to Time Warner. Online Media Daily reports U.S. Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.) is vowing to stop Time Warner from forging ahead with its metering plan and may introduce legislation soon to do just that.

OMD:

"This is an incredibly ill-conceived idea and a very repressive step backwards," U.S. Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.) said of the cable company's plan. "At the very moment when access to digital information is at the heart of economic recovery, they're going to go for corporate greed."
Massa added that he is considering introducing legislation to rein in the company. "In many markets they are a monopoly and we are going to invoke every tool necessary to ensure they don't proceed with this," he said.
Massa's district includes Rochester -- one of four cities in which Time Warner plans to test the new pay-per-usage billing system. The others are Austin and San Antonio (Texas), and Greensboro, N.C.
Massa also issued a statement Tuesday criticizing Time Warner's plan as "an outrageous, job killing initiative."

4. The new digital divide? News & Record editor John Robinson late yesterday called this fight "a different digital divide." Is he right?

Robinson:

What does it mean that one group is abuzz and another is quiet? It is a different sort of digital divide. Naturally, bloggers would be upset by TW's tiered pricing plan. It socks them in the digital solar plexis. As Allen says, there is fierce discussion on the blogs and in the comments.

Letter writers to the newspaper? (Warning: This is an assumption, an informed assumption but an assumption nonetheless.) Many letter writers are primarily newspaper readers and seek the forum that the printed editorial page provides. They spend time online -- most of the submitted letters come via e-mail -- but they don't live online. They don't tend to be of the generation that watches video online or builds Web sites from home or measure time in gigabytes.

No big deal, you might say. Different audiences. Different ways to express opinion. Personally, I think that Time Warner's pricing plan should interest everyone who is a customer of the business. And that is most of the people around here. (I admit I was surprised by two council members who said they were not customers of Time Warner. Dish users? Rabbit ears? No TV?)

More to come...in the meantime, let's talk about it.

E.C. :)

Consumer Tips to fight Time-Warner's Predatory Pricing Scheme

2009-04-07T08:00:00.004-04:00

Cross-posted with GreensboroMetro...

The case with Time-Warner's new predatory pricing scheme with its Road Runner internet service has two issues...one, complaining to the proper individuals themselves...and two, the tepid response by those supposed to represent us.

First, the response, and Roch Smith has been all over this, doing a heck of a job with his citizen journalism. See his two-action plan here and here.

Second, the delayed and albeit-terrible reply by Greensboro City Council. N&R story today explains some of their responses, but it was Smith that broke the story that the city no longer has a franchise control over Time Warner.

It puts Greensboro (and the larger metro area) at a terrible disadvantage economically.

Sue Polinsky had a good point recently...she worked so hard to bring ConvergeSouth to Greensboro all those times, and yet it seems as though only one Greensboro City Council member embraced it.

Sad. The lack of progressiveness of this area is really disheartening.

E.C. :)

Wendy (of Bob & Wendy) joins Relay for Life

2009-04-07T07:42:00.002-04:00

Wendy Gatlin, one-half of the show formerly known as "The Bob & Wendy Show" on Majic 94.1FM has become a big fan of Triad Media Watch since their former show ended a couple of months ago.

This time, Wendy writes in and asks for your help in a very noble cause:

I wanted to see if you could direct folks to a blog that I have. It's usually dedicated to American Idol, but I am joining in on Relay for Life this year. My father was diagnosed with rectal cancer last July, and has had a bevy of challenges, since. It's been truly a challenge for our family, as I'm sure it is for many other families.

I am seeking donations in an unconventional way. I am circulating a video on the internet that I hope can be shared and resent over and over...kind of a pass it on kind of deal.

The blog is www.thegat.blogspot.com

Thank you so much,

Wendy

Your father will be in my prayers, Wendy. Let's help them out, shall we?

E.C. :)

Concert Review: Smooth Jazz Guitarist Does Not Disappoint Loyal Triad Fan Base

2009-04-05T22:11:00.004-04:00

A better-than-modest crowd poured into the High Point Theatre Saturday evening to witness smooth jazz recording artist Stanley Jordan.

Known as the innovator of the “tapping” technique of guitar playing, in which notes are created by tapping the fretboard, rather than via conventional strumming and picking, Jordan and his trio (including bass guitarist Charnett Moffett and drummer Kenwood Dennard) took the stage at 8:10pm and failed to disappoint his loyal and diverse Triad fan base for 110 minutes.

Performing renditions of old favorites from "Someone to Watch Over Me," "Mercy Mercy Mercy," and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," to tracks from his latest CD titled State of Nature, Jordan even fascinated the audience with a unique and jaw-dropping performance of "Mozart's Piano Concerto # 21," part of his State of Nature album.

At one point in the show, Dennard engaged in a fierce percussion solo during a rendition of Bob Marley's "Get Up, Stand Up" that had the audience on their feet for several minutes. The standing ovations were numerous and the hoots and hollers for more of the melodic sounds were proof positive that the show won fan approval almost instantly.

Jordan and his Trio even made it a point to meet the audience and sign copies of State of Nature in a receiving line immediately following the show, a move indicative of the closeness smooth jazz artists have with their loyal, niche fan base.

And the acoustically-pleasing intimate venue of the High Point Theatre could not have been more of a perfect location for this show.

From the radio spots promoting the show on WZTK's (101.1FM) "Smooth Jazz Weekend," it was clear from the Saturday evening show that smooth jazz fans from across the Triad ache for more of this blend of music and more visits from these artists to our area.

Said concert-goer Leo Bucey of Jamestown, who signaled his seal of approval, "All I needed was a bottle of scotch to go along with this show and it would have been perfect."

Scotch or no scotch, the show was indeed...perfect.

E.C. :)

More Time-Warner Fallout

2009-04-03T11:00:00.005-04:00

I wouldn't want to be working in Time-Warner's media relations office this morning (right, Ryan Shell???)

That's because the fallout from yesterday's announcement of a new internet metering scheme here in Greensboro has angered so so many people that many calls are going out for citizens to cancel their service in protest, to the News & Record comment section overflowing from this morning's article, to links of protest websites surfacing.

Make no mistake,this case reopens the discussion advocating for true competition of cable and internet services in the Triad. And a great many of those in the echo chamber want Verizon's FIOS to make a grand entrance in this area.

More coverage today:
Sue Polinsky
Roch Smith
Ed Cone
News & Record-Allen Johnson, Doug Clark
StoptheCap.com
Talk back to Time-Warner here. And here.

Or call them:

Melissa Buscher
Director, Media Relations (919) 654-4618

Susan Leepson
RVP, Communications (704) 206-6964

E.C. :)

Time Warner prepares to rip off Road Runner subscribers

2009-04-02T11:40:00.004-04:00

Unfortunately, the bird seed will be charged by the consumption very soon.

In fact, what can be compared to a back-door consumption tax, Time Warner Cable's Road Runner internet subscription service will begin expanding metered internet usage pricing to the Greensboro market. In plain English, Time Warner plans to charge internet customers based on how much data they consume with a new tiered pricing scheme in several markets. Beside Greensboro, markets in New York and Texas are also going to be affected.

My friend Roch Smith is all over this:

Smith:

According to Business Week, Greensboro will be the Guinea Pig for TWC's attempt to "upend a longstanding pricing strategy among Internet service providers." This is a serious affront to Greensboro's economic viability and demands all hands on deck.

If ever Greensboro was serious about inspiring innovation, attracting creative young people and fostering prosperity in industries of the future, it must recognize that impeding access to broadband internet in a way like only three other U.S. cities is a big, bold, speedy move to the bottom. It is the modern equivalent of being one of only a few cities where citizens must pay a fee for every mile they drive. Nobody would move to such a place. No business would expand to such a place. No energetic college student is going to stay in such a place after graduating.

This move demands swift and decisive action from Greensboro's leaders. This cannot be met with genteel, sleepy contemplation.

I wholeheartedly agree.

I'm with you, Roch. And TMW will assist in getting your complaints all the way to the front office, if necessary. I'm in complete opposition to this.

As Roch is suggesting, we need to demand the city rework (or even yank) the franchise agreement with Time Warner. Why don't we have viable competition for cable in this area? Ask or demand they postpone implementation and simultaneously, our city leaders need to look at municipal WiFi. The flip-side is that you will see a stepped-up presence by other ISPs such as AT&T and Clearwire because of this.

What about our schools, public buildings, health facilities, all of whom are likely Time Warner/Road Runner customers? Contracts, already inked...

This is probably more for my sister blog GreensboroMetro, but this area had better start getting serious about its long-term future. Because frankly, its viability and vitality are in serious doubt.

More from the News & Record, BusinessWeek.

E.C. :)

FOX-8 censors The Osbournes

2009-04-02T08:00:00.002-04:00

Since FOX-8 (WGHP) is no longer a network O&O (owned and operated) station, they are no longer bound by the network to air the network slate on time. Which is apparently what FOX-8 officials decided to do with the airing of the new Osbournes show this past Tuesday.

The News & Record reports the show didn't air locally until after midnight Tuesday, a decision made by station manager Karen Adams after viewing a preview of the show late last week. Adams reportedly objected to some of the content in the show.

According to a Washington Post report, several other FOX affiliates around the county either chose not to air it or to delay broadcasting of the episode.

N&R:

WGHP station manager Karen Adams said she opted to delay the show after seeing the preview video Friday night. The hugely popular "American Idol" is a family-friendly show, Adams said. This debut episode of "Osbournes Reloaded," she added, was not.
When "American Idol" ended at 9:25 p.m. Tuesday, WGHP ran a special episode of "Deal or Dud," a news segment that evaluates popular consumer products.
"I like Ozzy," Adams said. "I just didn't like him at 9:25 coming off of 'American Idol.'"
Adams said the station got about 60 e-mails from viewers. About 40 percent praised the decision to not air it in prime time. The remaining 60 percent were critical. Adams said many of them had missed the station's announcement that "Osbournes Reloaded" would be delayed and did not see the show.

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I can see why Adams may have made this decision, but I'm not the biggest fan of censorship in this matter. I'm not defending the show, but let families and households make the decision to turn the channel or turn the TV off, as is done in our home.

And believe me, the stuff young people watch today, either on cable or online, or on their portable video players/i-Pods illegally brought to school, is a lot more haunting compared to what's on the Osbournes show.

E.C. :)

"Big Brother" casting call this Saturday

2009-04-02T07:51:00.002-04:00

CBS Television is hosting an open casting call for its hit show "Big Brother" this Saturday, April 4. Open auditions will be held at the Carolina Kia/Hyundai dealership on N. Main St. in High Point beginning at 10am. Click here to go to CBS-2 WFMY for additional information.

E.C. :)

Jazz artist Stanley Jordan at High Point Theater this Saturday

2009-04-01T14:27:00.002-04:00

A little off-topic, but I said before that I'm a big jazz fan, and I'm a big connoisseur of contemporary jazz. Having said that, one of the things I'd like to do in the coming months is to profile those in the local media scene who have some sort of relationship with jazz, be it jazz DJs (WNAA and WSNC come to mind) or what-have-you.

Anyway, just a shameless plug (I'm not being paid for this) for this Saturday's jazz concert at the High Point Theater featuring contemporary jazz guitarist and legendary recording artist Stanley Jordan. I don't have tickets, can't afford tickets, but I saw this guy in concert many years ago and he can burn up some guitar.

The show is this Saturday, April 4. Doors open at 8:00 PM. Tickets are $25
orchestra, $20 balcony, available through www.highpointtheatre.com. Kudos to the High Point Theater for bringing this guy to town.

E.C. :)

Our tape-delayed CBS Early Show and the Peay Brothers

2009-04-01T13:55:00.002-04:00

I don't want to speculate on why the Greensboro's Peay Brothers lost the CBS Early Show's Singing Family Face-Off Competition, but one has to wonder...did the fact that the CBS-2 (WFMY) tape-delay of the Early Show by one hour contribute to the brothers not winning? A number of other major markets around the country obviously had a jump-start on the voting likely because the Early Show broadcasts from 7-9am live. I don't have a dog in the fight one way or the other, but again, one has to wonder.

E.C. :)

Chicago Sun-Times bankrupt, CSM ends print pub

2009-03-31T10:07:00.004-04:00

One of which was a paper I read religiously, and daily. One of which was a publication of occasional reading for me, usually in the realm of a reference point for projects and research papers coming up in school. Sadly, both papers are threatened.

The latter first...Friday will be the final printing for the Christian Science Monitor. AFP reports the CSM, like other print publications, had been losing money. The publication will go 100% web-only in the coming days.

AFP:

Like other US dailies, the Monitor had been losing readership and print advertising revenue to online media for years and circulation was hovering around 50,000 by the time the decision was made to shut down the presses.
Editor John Yemma said the award-winning newspaper will still print a weekly edition for subscribers and a printable three-page daily news digest by email but the main focus will be on its website, CSMonitor.com.
He said visitors to the website, which currently attracts more than two million unique visitors a month, should not expect an immediate and dramatic change overnight but a steady improvement over time.

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The Chicago Sun-Times was always a staple in my home growing up on the South Side of Chicago. When my father told me: "Son, always read the newspaper everyday..." I never knew how his words then would resonate now into a career I was once proud of, of one I miss dearly, and now fear for.

That paper, which I, in fact, did read everyday--whether it was on the CTA bus in the morning going to high school or the commuter train headed for work--is now threatened. The Sun-Times Media Group announced this morning it was filing for bankruptcy.

Sun-Times:

The company has one significant creditor -- the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS has said Sun-Times Media Group owes up to $608 million in back taxes and penalties from past business practices by its former controlling owner, Conrad Black, now imprisoned for theft from corporate coffers.
Unlike other newspaper owners that have filed for bankruptcy amid steep dropoffs in advertising, including Chicago-based Tribune Co., Sun-Times Media Group has no bank debt. But its IRS debt thwarted efforts to raise new capital.
[Chairman Jeremy] Halbreich said Sun-Times will continue talks with the IRS while implementing a "strong and impressive" business plan. It also will pursue a deal with buyers and has hired Rothschild Inc., which was involved in the bankruptcy of United Airlines' owner, to field offers.
Several potential buyers have approached Halbreich since he took over Feb. 10 as chairman and interim chief executive, he said. "We're very confident that there's going to be some interest here," he said. "We intend to start that process immediately."

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

Just please...accept NO offers from McClatchy, Media-General, Scripps, Hearst, or any other money-losing media outlet.

The way newspaperin' is going lately, I somehow suspect they won't make it. Reading the Sun-Times was a major impetus in me wanting to choose journalism as a career. If they shut down, I will definitely be in mourning.

E.C. :)

More positions cut at the W-S Journal

2009-03-31T08:28:00.002-04:00

Thirteen Winston-Salem Journal staffers are no longer Winston-Salem Journal staffers this morning as the Media-General-owned publication cut more positions yesterday from the employee rolls.

My friend and former High Point Enterprise colleague Richard Craver inked this piece in today's issue, saying that including vacancies, 23 positions were eliminated out of a full-time staff of 260 at the paper. 85 part-time employees are also employed at the paper.

W-S Journal:

It is the third job-cut announcement by the Journal since December, totaling 37 positions through eliminated positions and unfilled vacancies.

In recent weeks, the newspaper also has reduced the number of pages, eliminated weekly redelivery in the Winston-Salem area, and reduced vendor support and circulation-promotion spending. Employees have taken and will continue to take unpaid furlough days.

The bleeding at Media General sadly won't stop.

E.C. :)

FCC Should Reconsider Newspaper Ownership Rule (Bloomberg)

2009-03-30T08:24:00.002-04:00

Acting FCC chairman Michael Copps says the agency should reconsider restrictions on combined ownership of broadcast stations and newspapers as daily publications struggle with a plunge in revenue, according to a recent Bloomberg News story.

Bloomberg:

Members of Congress and Attorney General Eric Holder have said they’re concerned with the newspaper industry after four bankruptcies in as many months. Sales and advertising are dropping amid the recession and a migration of readers to the Internet. Daily papers have announced staff or pay cuts in New York, Atlanta, Washington, D.C. and Boston in the past two days.

Copps, a Democrat, said the FCC’s rule didn’t meet “the needs of the industry, the economy or the public.” The rule generally bans combined ownership of a daily newspaper and nearby broadcast station, except in the largest markets.

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E.C. :)

FOX-8, WSJS take home AP awards

2009-03-30T08:15:00.003-04:00

FOX-8 (WGHP) were among stations that took home top honors at the NC Associated Press Broadcast Awards this past Saturday. The station accepted awards for best feature, best sports feature, best photography, best consumer report and best series.

Separately, 600/1200 WSJS reporter Alex Meade won rookie of the year in Radio Division One.

Congratulations to all.

E.C. :)

Greensboro Telegram reports on N&R correction

2009-03-30T08:07:00.003-04:00

The Greensboro Telegram inks an article on the recent correction of a column written by the News & Record's former columnist Lorraine Ahern regarding the high-profile Scott Sanders case. Ahern may have been demoted as a result of what was printed in that column.

Embarrassing.

E.C. :)

Lenslinger ponders how TV coverage of spot news is changing

2009-03-26T14:32:00.002-04:00

FOX-8 cameraman Stewart Pittman, a.k.a. "Lenslinger," covered yesterday's job fair at GTCC, and makes some startling comparisons:

1) Our nation is in dire peril. For a community college job fair, there were more forty-something Dads with lost looks in their eyes than at Home Depot on a Saturday morning, and 2) the average news crew has dropped a lot of weight…

Of the four fancycams in attendance, three were being operated by teams of one. Not by shooters sleepwalking through their third spray-job of the day, not by college kids with lenses the size of yo-yo’s, but by reporters who shoot, shooters who speak (and one jack-ass photog who thinks he’s Hunter S. Thompson). My point: The future is here. With on-air advertising in the cellar and TV stations about to go through the same cutbacks now eviscerating the newspaper industry, the solo-newsgatherer now walks among us.

As Bruce Hornsby sings so eloquently..."gonna be some changes made."

E.C. :)

More furloughs from Gannett

2009-03-26T13:06:00.002-04:00

Employees at Gannett are being ordered to take more unpaid time off to offset the company's steep decline in advertising revenues. This may mean more unpaid furloughs for employees at the Gannett-owned CBS-2 (WFMY).

This, from Editor & Publisher and the AP:

The furloughs spelled out Monday in a company memo are being imposed to avoid laying off more employees as Gannett tries to offset a steep drop in advertising revenue.

This marks the second time this year that most of Gannett's 41,500 workers have had to give up a week's pay. Most employees, including CEO Craig Dubow, were furloughed for at least five days during the first three months this year.

This time around, the owner of the USA Today and more than 80 other daily newspapers is requiring its higher-paid workers to relinquish up to two weeks pay during the April-June period.

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E.C. :)

Carrboro Citizen editor believes in the future of journalism

2009-03-26T08:43:00.002-04:00

The Western Triangle's Carrboro Citizen celebrates three years this week, happy anniversary.

Its editor, Kirk Ross, opines in an open letter that the paper remains committed to the community despite the overall state of newspapers (and the sobering amount of layoffs at the larger Triangle paper, the News & Observer):

To be honest, when we started that was a pretty lonely place. Some of the better business minds in the area were quick to point out that we were daft since print is a dying part of the information industry. Our contention was then, and is now, that print may be shrinking, but it is hardly dying. Having the opportunity to start from scratch, post Internet, provided us with the chance to incorporate a lot of hard-learned lessons.

So yes, we’ve got blogs and Twitter and Facebook and Flickr and, according to the N.C. Press Association, operate the third-best website in the state for papers our size.

But all that and the print product too would be worthless without the one thing that gives purpose to our endeavor: journalism. It is quality work, solid reporting and good storytelling that empties the racks each week. Technological advances can enhance that, but not replace it.

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E.C. :)

Newspaper readers are reading

2009-03-26T08:31:00.002-04:00

Research shows that local Triad-area consumers are reading newspapers on a somewhat regular basis, this from the media research company Scarborough Research, via the N&R's John Robinson.

Our combined GSO/HP/W-S area shows that seventy-four percent of our citizens read the newspaper in print or online, slightly better than Charlotte (72%) or Raleigh (71%).

See the numbers here.

But Mike Orren from Pegasus News in Dallas asks a pertinent question:

...how do those numbers break out online vs. print? The disconnect is that while so much of the reader value is online, the ad dollars are in print.
Until that is solved, it doesn't matter if the total market coverage is 105%.

Robinson replies:

I don't have an answer for you there, Mike. (I haven't seen our Scarborough results.) I will say, though, that readers do find value in the print publications, too, with the evidence being that they pay for it.

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E.C. :)

Bye-bye Bee?

2009-03-26T08:18:00.002-04:00

News from the Northern Piedmont and fresh from rumor-ville...apparently the Media General-owned Danville Register & Bee is in serious trouble. A blogger reports that the entire paper may fold as soon as the first of the month.

Excerpt from this post:

The newsroom hasn't been shuffled around yet, but since some editing is going to India, obits and ads are in Lynchburg and now the newspaper layout itself is in Lynchburg as of April 1, 2009 (not a joke), pretty soon we'll all have to go to Lynchburg to read the Danville News!

Maybe the NORTHERN end of the county will finally get some coverage now that the Danville paper is mostly stationed in Lynchburg eh?

May have something to do with this bit of news broken earlier in the week from Winston-Salem Journal editor Ken Otterbourg about the reorganization of Media General (see their corporate spin here).

We'll be watching.

E.C. :)

Newspapers as nonprofits?

2009-03-25T12:41:00.003-04:00

It was mentioned recently that newspapers may be looking toward nonprofit status in an effort to survive. Now a bill just introduced in the US House aims to allow just that.

From the Boston Globe:

US Senator Ben Cardin introduced a bill to allow newspapers to operate as nonprofit organizations, following four bankruptcies in the industry in as many months.

Under the proposed bill, advertising and circulation revenue could be claimed as tax exempt, Cardin, a Maryland Democrat, said yesterday in a statement. Newspapers would be barred from making political endorsements.

Los Angeles Times owner Tribune Co., the owner of the Philadelphia Inquirer, and two other publishers have sought bankruptcy protection since December. Hearst Corp. last week halted the print edition of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer after ad revenue plunged.

Wait and see...

E.C. :)

Arbitron announces personnel cutbacks

2009-03-25T12:37:00.002-04:00

Things seem to be getting tough for Arbitron. The radio ratings firm announced yesterday it is cutting 10 percent of its workforce.

Arbitron:

“The company is realigning and restructuring in order to focus on our strategic priorities: strengthening our radio measurement service and developing new, multimedia services. This restructuring is also designed to speed decision-making so that we can better capitalize on growth opportunities,” said Michael Skarzynski, President and Chief Executive Officer.

Gotta love that corporate spin...

E.C. :)

What the heck is Clear Channel up to?

2009-03-25T12:23:00.002-04:00

Jerry Del Colliano's Inside Music Media blog reports on some stunning stuff Clear Channel is up to lately, including eventually, running phantom radio stations.

Scary.

Treasure your terrestrial radio, and appreciate the radio stations that are not nationally or corporate-owned. Clear Channel's Triad stations include WCBT-FM (94.5), WMAG-FM (99.5), WMKS-FM (105.7), WTQR-FM (104), WVBZ-FM (100.3).

An excerpt from Colliano:

These latest developments raise a lot of questions.

• Number one -- Clear Channel appears to have been less than forthright about their intentions if I am correct.

• The mass firings are consistent with the march toward Repeater Radio.

• Someone at corporate or legal apparently has had second thoughts about Clear Channel's exposure in all of this. After all, it is unthinkable that the largest radio group could single-handedly take 800 licenses and rip up the local responsibility part for financial gain.

• Radio is sounding as bad as Wall Street but it hasn't stopped the new masters of radio from pissing all over radio listeners -- you know, the 234 million that Jeff Haley brags about. Hope they like voice tracking. Hope they like generic programming. Personally, young people have it right -- iPods, the Internet, NPR and file sharing.

• Will the GM or PD even remember to turn his or her cell phone ringer on for the night while this scam is perpetrated on the public?

• Will they have a way to get on the air on all their stations to get the word out? Will they have a way to find out what the word is?

• How will the minimum wage attendant be made aware of a public emergency in the middle of the night or at any time? Will they have a phone code to dial out? Or even a phone list of five or six management people she or he can call? (Come on, CC corporate, we have questions here!)

• Is the program director or air talent of today capable of sounding cogent for hours on end, talking about an emergency? Or is it all for show -- to justify the screwing that consolidators are about ready to give to Jeff Haley's 234 million best friends.

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

New radio project for the Washington Times

2009-03-24T14:46:00.004-04:00

I'll give it to the Washington Times...where other papers are slicing and dicing, the Times is doing something unique with radio.

The publication announced it is launching a syndicated radio show to exploit its newsroom's investigative reporting and accountability journalism.

It seems to be a little more than the typical one-on-one "newsmaker profiles" that we're seeing a lot of from other papers, including the N&R. And we're not talking Lorainne Ahern-style investigative reporting either.

Times:

The Washington Times will launch a syndicated radio show later this spring, dedicated to the newsroom's investigative reporting and accountability journalism, Executive Editor John Solomon said Sunday.

The three-hour morning show will feature investigations by The Times, exclusive interviews with national newsmakers and discussions with reporters from The Times newsroom.

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

E.C. :)

More DTV coupons are on the way

2009-03-24T14:44:00.003-04:00

The AP reports more coupons are being made available to beat the rush to the national digital TV conversion, set for June 12. Each household can apply for two $40 coupons that cover most of the cost of converter boxes.

Consumers can apply online at www.dtv2009.gov

E.C. :)

Burlington Times-News announces furloughs

2009-03-23T14:30:00.002-04:00

The bleeding continues among local media as the Freedom Communications-owned Burlington Times-News announced this past weekend that it is requiring its employees to take unpaid time off.

Times-News:

Freedom Communications Inc., the parent company of the Times-News, on Friday announced a companywide furlough program to cut costs.
Citing continuing weakness in advertising revenue, Freedom announced that employees at all levels will take five days off work without pay between April 1 and June 30.

"Although painful, this program will help us to weather the economic storm that every business today is facing while helping to preserve the greatest number of local jobs here at the Times-News," said Paul Mauney, publisher.

Freedom employees and supervisors will work together to schedule furloughs in a way that minimizes the impact on consumers and operations, said Scott Flanders, Freedom's CEO.

Editor Madison Taylor blogs about it here.

E.C. :)

The other shoe drops at McClatchy's Charlotte Observer

2009-03-23T14:03:00.002-04:00

Only a week after the first shoe dropped at the McClatchy-owned News & Observer of Raleigh, the other shoe drops in Charlotte.

The Charlotte Observer announced today a combination of layoffs and forced salary reductions.

Bleak.

AP:

"We have really looked every place we can," publisher Ann Caulkins said during a meeting with newsroom employees Monday morning.
The Observer said in a story on its Web site that the 14.6 percent reduction means a loss of 60 full-time and 22 part-time employees in several departments, including advertising, operations, circulation, marketing and the newsroom.
Of those, 30 job cuts are in the newsroom — 19 full-time and 11 part-time, said editor Rick Thames. In addition, 14 full-time newsroom employees have been offered reduced hours, said managing editor Cheryl Carpenter.

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E.C. :)

YES! Weekly contributor also earns top honors in local charitable dancing event

2009-03-23T13:06:00.003-04:00

An earlier mention of a local charitable version of Dancing with the 'Triad' Stars that occurred this past Saturday left out one striking notable.

Local performer Madelyn "Foxy Moxy" Greco was named "FIRST RUNNER-UP" in the event.

Greco, a well-known performer who not only is a familiar face in local productions, but is also an arts columnist and regular contributor to YES! Weekly, danced with Alyosha Anatoliy.

Congratulations, Madelyn.

E.C. :)

Larson changes syndicator, WSJS home in doubt?

2009-03-23T10:53:00.002-04:00

Syndicated conservative talker Lars Larson, heard weekday evenings on local talker 600/1200 WSJS, was dropped by Westwood One only days ago. Almost immediately, the Portland, Ore.-based Larson was picked up by Compass Media and will be official by month's end. (see coverage from The Source Weekly and JohnRook.com)

It is uncertain how WSJS will respond to the sudden change.

E.C. :)

FOX-8 reporter named winner of "Dancing with the Triad Stars"

2009-03-23T10:04:00.004-04:00

FOX-8 reporter Angela Rodriguez was among winners at a charity event this past Saturday, titled Dancing with the Triad Stars, benefiting the Carolinas Chapter of Operation Smile, which was held at the Sedgefield Country Club.

This from FOX-8:

Angela and Arturo Sveshnikov were chosen as the best couple by professional judges based on the style and technique of their dancing.

Other local media types and participants included:

Chris Kelly: The always outspoken morning DJ on Rock 92's "Two Guys Named Chris" show for over 10 years will be dancing with Gulya Asgarova.

Robbie Perkins: Currently a Greensboro City Councilman and co-owner of NAI Piedmont Triad Commercial Real Estate will be dancing with Dasha Chube.

Dr. Elizabeth Vaughan: A physican in Greensboro and a regular guest on WGHP FOX8 TV morning news and medical director for Natural Triad Magazine will be dancing with Sasha Tsyhankov.

HONORABLE MENTION: Kimberly Van Scoy: The sunrise anchor on WXII Channel 12 TV will be dancing with Ranko Bogosavac.

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E.C. :)

Students produce anti-bullying spot

2009-03-23T09:51:00.002-04:00

...cross-posted on Guilford School Watch...

Students at Northeast Guilford Middle School have produced an anti-bullying public service announcement to fight back against bullying in school, CBS-2 (WFMY) reports.

The children teamed up with the National Conference for Community and Justice to create the spots, which will play on the school's morning TV show.

The report says the Northeast students learned about "appreciating differences, building communication skills and getting to know people from other groups."

E.C. :)

ABC-45: an example of doing away with local news

2009-03-20T15:10:00.002-04:00

The extreme possibility of doing away with sports desks at local television stations made me think of a case study...one only needs to look at ABC-45 (WXLV) and the cost-cutting that resulted in the closure of its news division not once, but twice. (see this neat Wikipedia entry for a short history lesson).

Sinclair Broadcast Group's commitment to ABC-45's news division was paltry and at best, pathetic. And it was their non-commitment that led to the news division's demise. More local media choices, not less, is always good for the consumer.

E.C. :)

No more sports? Could it really happen?

2009-03-20T11:28:00.003-04:00

...all jokes aside, it will be an issue if sports coverage is cut completely from local broadcast stations. Sadly, my friends over at GreensboroSports.com ponder what may happen if this comes to a head.

GS thinks large TV groups may consider this as a cost-cutting measure. The recent firing of Dave Goren over at NBC-12 (WXII) may have been an example of such a measure.

Time will tell...

E.C. :)

No prize...

2009-03-20T10:06:00.002-04:00

Every once in a while, one has to take a step back...and take it on the face. The last hour was one of those occasions.

A while ago, I wrote a post on how I thought the N&R reposted a wire story regarding a proposed tourist attraction in Martinsville to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Bassett Furniture.

To the first-time discerning reader (who, like me, knows nothing about furniture/never covered the local furniture beat--and probably never will after this), it appears as though the article could mean the anniversary is upcoming (as in 2012). Looking at the article a couple of times, I thought there was a mistake.

The paragraph I had a difficult time with was this:

That's what the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corp. plans to do with a giant chair made by Bassett Furniture Industries for its 100th anniversary in 2002.

I don't know, but if I was the article writer, I would have written:

That's what the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corp. plans to do with a giant chair made by Bassett Furniture Industries for its 100th anniversary, celebrated back in 2002.

Further investigation revealed that in fact, the article was correct, there was no mistake. I have pulled the post and I'm man enough to take it on the chin every once in a while. And it's probably why I'm no longer employed as a working journalist and selling airplane tickets at night.

So kudos to the N&R for getting it right and shame on me for falsely accusing them of getting it wrong.

Moving on...

E.C. :)

UNC-TV tackles Triad's economy

2009-03-20T08:37:00.001-04:00

From the Winston-Salem Journal:

UNC-TV will broadcast a live forum on the local economy at 8 p.m. April 1 at Research Triad Research Park in Winston-Salem.

Participating in the invitation-only forum are Dr. John McConnell, the chief executive of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center; Michelle Clark, a regional executive at American Express; David Congdon, the president and chief executive of Old Dominion Freight Line Inc.; Allen Gant Jr., the chief executive of Glen Raven Inc.; and Bobby Long, the chairman of the Piedmont Triad Foundation.

Shannon Vickery will be the moderator.

The forum is expected to examine current financial conditions and take a longer-term view to consider how the latest developments in population, wages, technology, education and training affect the Triad's economic climate.

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E.C. :)

WTQR raises money for St. Judes

2009-03-20T08:31:00.001-04:00

From the Winston-Salem Journal:

Radio station WTQR in Greensboro and its listeners helped raise $213,244 for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital during its Country Cares for St. Jude Kids radiothon on Feb. 26 and 27. This year, title sponsor New Bridge Bank hosted a penny drive, which raised $2,326, including a donation from New Bridge Bank. For the three weeks before the radiothon, Bojangles' was also a partner with WTQR for its "Boot Childhood Cancer" campaign. Thirty-seven area stores sold pinups to customers, resulting in a fundraising total of $47,707. Both organizations also volunteered in the phone bank during the two-day radiothon.

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E.C. :)

Majic 94.1 fills morning spot with local on-air vet

2009-03-20T08:20:00.002-04:00

Former Oldies 93 on-air personality Max McGann fills the morning spot over at Majic 94.1 (WTHZ), according to published reports. McGann fills the spot formerly owned by Bob Campbell and Wendy Gatlin (a.k.a the Bob & Wendy Show).

Campbell and Gatlin were recently fired due to what the station called "low ratings." (more from NBC-12 WXII)

Many of you are still voicing your comments about Bob & Wendy, and TMW is forwarding all of them.

E.C. :)

Class final: How to kill an American newspaper (SEA P-I)

2009-03-18T11:02:00.002-04:00

In a case study of how the Seattle Post-Intelligencer died, P-I columnist Bill Virgin discusses the state of American newspapers in context with not only how the P-I died, but how other newspapers may be going down the same slippery path as the P-I and the late Rocky Mountain News.

A sample:

What sorts of mistakes did the industry make? Its reaction to the Internet is a mother lode. Instead of using the Internet as a complement to its print product, the industry went chasing after the Web and offering its most valuable property -- the news it so carefully and expensively gathered -- for free, while chasing the chimera that online advertising would support the whole thing.

The trend was no service to either readers or advertisers -- people read far more in print, and see more ads, than in an online version. The bandwidth for delivering material may be nearly infinite online, but readers' ability to absorb it isn't, and it gets even narrower online.

In the process, what newspapers did was devalue their brands and the heritage and legacies built into them, their core products and the value proposition that brought them readers and advertisers in the first place.

The genius of the American newspaper was never that it was the only place you could get information. Given enough time, money and energy, even in the age of the telegraph you could assemble the same information
But the essential point was that you didn't have to.

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E.C. :)

Life without the newsprint?

2009-03-17T08:39:00.002-04:00

It's hard to fathom, but it is happening, and it is very real. Two major papers have shut down in a matter of weeks. And it has provided fodder for dinner conversation at the Robinson's.

News & Record editor John Robinson pens a blog saying that the conversation dealing with life without newspapers is not a lengthy one:

I was at a dinner with friends Friday, and we talked briefly about the future of newspapers. They were aware of the troubles the newspaper industry is dealing with. It wasn't a long conversation -- what is there to say? -- and we soon moved on to something else.

E.C. :)

Vote for us

2009-03-17T08:28:00.002-04:00

In its two short months, Triad Media Watch has very quickly become a regular "must read" among those who follow local journalism in the Piedmont Triad. And I'm happy to oblige.

To that end, I'm happy to announce that Triad Media Watch has been nominated among YES! Weekly's "Triad's Best" for 2009 for the area's best blog. Cast your vote here at YES! Weekly's site.

And for the support and kind words TMW has received recently, thank you. Please continue sending in your scoops, tips, press releases; I still want to hear from more of you radio stations out there. The e-mail address is triadmediawatch@gmail.com.

E.C. :)

Former Rocky Mountain News staff create new online venture

2009-03-17T08:23:00.003-04:00

Former Rocky Mountain News staffers announced a unique online venture called InDenver Times. Massive goal of 50,000 subscribers by April 23, the 150th anniversary of the first edition of the RMN, in order to go with a launch of a new site at www.indenvertimes.com on May 4.

Coverage from IWantMyRocky.com. See news conference below from DEN:

E.C. :)

Bye-bye P-I

2009-03-17T07:55:00.003-04:00

146 years...that's a lot of years, a lot of memories. Somehow, I don't think the online version will be the same. There is no feeling other than actually opening a newspaper on a daily basis.

Sadly, for many in the Seattle area this morning, this will be the last time they open up a copy of the Post-Intelligencer. Click here for wall-to-wall coverage from the SEA area.

A video tribute from the P-I staffers:

E.C. :)