I started working for Learfield Communications on June 4, 1984. The company had one statewide news network (The Missourinet); one sports property (University of Missouri Tigers); and a farm network (The Brownfield Network). Blink.
In an article titled “Radio News Blues,” Tom Laskin –a staff writer for the “Isthmus:” — reports that “local reporting is dying in Madison (Wisconsin) and across the country.”
“Upwards of 1,000 of about 5,500 U. S. (radio) stations dumped their news operations between 1994 and 2001, according to Vernon Stone, professor emeritus at the University of Missouri School of Journalism.”
“While the number of news/talk stations continues to grow around the country (more than 1,300 stations now embrace the format), radio stations have taken a hatchet to their news staffs — staffing was cut by a whopping 57% between 1994 and 2001, according to the Radio-Television News Directors Association.”
Mary Quass spoke to this point in the interview I did with her this week:
“We stripped everything out of our music formats years ago. I believe we need to be able to look at our products and say what can we provide that our audience wants in a today kind of fashion? And if that means that we go back to doing news on the hour –but that news is relevant to the audience– then, you know what? That’s what we ought to be doing.”
Hmmm. I wonder if broadcasters will someday wistfully recall a time when listeners tuned to them for hourly newscasts.
It`s good news week,
Someone`s dropped a bomb somewhere,
Contaminating atmosphere
And blackening the sky,
It`s good news week,
Someones found a way to give,
The rotting dead a will to live,
Go on and never die.
Since I started blogging (February, 2002) I’ve probably helped a couple of dozen folks get started but none drank the blog Kool-Aid like long-time friend Chuck Zimmerman. He didn’t just take a sip, he’s started chugging and hasn’t stopped. And his blog, AgWired.com is rapidly becoming one of the best sources for news about agriculture in the midwest. His focus is agrimarketing but he’s branching out quickly.
Chuck is a blogging machine. He is single-handedly covering more news than a bus-load of NAFB reporters and tired old print publications. He recently rolled out a new look and his blog is easily the best looking ag site on the net. Chuck is a classic example of citizen journalism. From their home, Chuck and his wife Cindy are demonstrating how just two sharp people armed with a laptop and a digital camera can tell a story. Tell a lot of stories.
Prediction: long after a lot of tired old print publications go belly up and begin collecting dust in the basement, AgWired.com will be a major source for agriculture news for thousands of daily readers. You heard it here.
Mary Quass has been doing the radio thing for a long time. She bought her first station in 1988 and was right in the thick of the consolidation “land rush” of the late ’90s. Mary’s from a small town in southeast Iowa (Fairfield) and got her first radio job in 1977 selling advertising at KHAK in Cedar Rapids. She became sales manager of the station for two years (1979-82) and then served as GSM at KSO Des Moines until she returned to Cedar Rapids to purchase KHAK.
Ten years later, Quass Broadcasting merged with Capstar to form Central Star Communications, and Mary oversaw all aspects of the radio stations in her region. In July 1999, when the company merged with Chancellor Media to become AMFM Inc., Central Star Communications consisted of 66 stations in 14 midwest markets.
I’ve known Mary for a long time and she’s been a good friend to our company. Mary is one smart lady and she doesn’t think out of the box because she doesn’t know there is a box. So I called to get her take on what’s happening “out there.” I asked her about satellite radio, podcasting, consolidation, blogs, Internet radio and a bunch of other stuff.
AUDIO: Interview with Mary Quass 30 min MP3
Correction and update: I knew that Mary had been interviewed by Radio Ink in 2003 –and mentioned it in the interview– but when I went back to check a couple of things I thought I was looking at a new interview. I wasn’t. But I found a couple of interesting nuggets while re-reading the piece. Remember, this was two years ago.
“We cant just stick our heads in the sand and think that the Internet wont have an impact on Radio. This is the first technology to mean that anybody can have a radio station as good as, if not better than, whats out there today and it has nothing to do with a license. I want to be in and out of the business by then. When I was growing up, I could tell you my favorite radio station, and I was adamant about it. Well, a 12-year-old today can tell you the artists, but they may or may not have a Radio station where they know the DJs. Im very concerned about this, because we havent remained relevant to these people.”
“As an industry, we got away from that and have lost sight of the fact that we must give people product that they cant get everywhere else. If we dont differentiate our product when the Internet becomes wireless, it will be a whole new ball game for all of us. We had better be ready, or the frustration we feel will only grow.”
This might be the way I’ll listen to Internet radio and consume Google news with my Cheerios. The Nokia 770, which will go on sale this fall for about $350, is a miniature tablet intended primarily for surfing the Web over a Wi-Fi connection. It’s designed for the casual Web browser, at home or at the nearest cybercafe. The tablet, which uses a 4.1-inch touch screen, can play videos and download music, photos and syndicated news from the Web. The rechargeable battery is good for up to three hours of browsing.
I can imagine myself turning this rascal on instead of booting up the Thinkpad.
Whoever created (and emailed) this fake magazine cover is obviously trying to say something about the publication. I’m guessing this is some kind of Old Media/New Media thing. According to their website, they are the “global hub for agribusiness.” I think that’s new. I wonder if they started using that after we started using “America’s Ag New Source?” How do we trump global? How about, “The Intergalactic Source for Ag News?”
I had lunch this week with a long-time acquaintance who happens to be one of the most successful small market broadcasters in the country. His stations generate millions of dollars in ad sales and have for years. He asked us to come up and talk about the Internet and I was expecting the usual “Don’t waste your time on that Internet bullshit” line. So, when he said (paraphrasing here) if broadcasters don’t figure out the Internet, they’ll perish… the hair on my arms stood up. He went on to say he thought radio’s audience was as big as it’s ever going to get. And that most small market radio stations are breaking even at best. Oh, and he said he didn’t know any young people that listened to the radio these days. Digital radio? Gonna be bad, not good, for rural broadcasters. He said more but I was in such a state of shock I can’t recall everything.
And I’d heard it all before. Online, not from a life-time broadcaster. I didn’t get the impression he’s shared his concerns with other broadcasters. Sort of the elephant in the room that nobody is talking about. And I’m not going to out this guy. Besides, nobody would ever believe he said –or believes– any of the above.
This must have been the mood when the plains Indians saw the first wagon trains roll over the hill. It ain’t gonna ever be the same again. Might be good. Might be better. But it ain’t gonna be the same.
After almost four years of working out (weekly) with a personal trainer, I’ve decided to go it on my own. The lady I’ve been working with is very good. Four years ago an hour of her pain cost about $25. This week the fitness center (I assume it was their decision) raised her hourly rate to $50 an hour (there were a couple of bumps along with way). $2,600 a year + a few hundred for club membership and you’re right at three grand a year. I can buy a used car for three thousand dollars, so we parted ways. It reminded me of breaking up with a girlfriend in high school. Painful. I stuck as long as I did because I figured I’d stop working out altogether withour the weekly reinforcement. And now we’ll see.