TRN Unveils All-News Format For Radio

Talk Radio Network announces plans to launch a new syndicated radio network comprising entirely long-form news, in three-hour blocks.

Because of a void in long-form news radio, and the ever-increasing and vital “need to know” for the listener, this presidential election cycle may well see a 25% to 40% increase in News/News-Talk stations by 2012, predicts Mark Masters, CEO of Talk Radio Network.  “There is not enough quality syndicated long-form news radio programming to fill the gap,” he says. “The upcoming demand -- especially with FM’s’ move into the format -- must be filled with up-to-the-minute breaking news programming that works for both revenue and ratings.”

The first three-hour daypart is expected to launch in January, with four more three-hour blocks to follow throughout the year, to put 15 live hours of news on the air by the end of next year. Stations will be able to use individual news blocks within their existing lineups or use the blocks back-to-back to create an all-News station.

Masters said, "The flexibility of being able to ‘cherry pick’ certain three-hour long-form news blocks, or go all news, all the time will be unprecedented and highly profitable for our affiliates."

TRN President/Programming and Talk Radio Networks Syndications Ltd. President Phil Boyce said, "The Monday-through-Friday news programming the news network will be launching is designed to drive the news cycle and make our new news network the place to go for breaking news stories on radio first."

He continued, "Because of the greatly increased speed of the news cycle in recent years, as well as the massive cost at the radio group and station level for radio news rooms -- costs which they can no longer afford -- many operators are now saying that long-form syndicated radio news is now essential to the syndication landscape. We agree."

Today, the sheer revenue efficiency of News/News-Talk has resulted in approximately 45 of America’s top 100 markets now having News or News-Talk stations on the FM band.  These FM News/News-Talk stations are growing like wildfire.  This is in large part because there are simply four times more listeners on the FM band in the 25-54 demo than the AM band, and the AM band already has amassed a huge spoken-word audience in itself.

FM's transitioning to News and News-Talk means that there will be far more need for News and News-Talk content -- just in time for the next presidential election cycle, says Masters.

Long-form news has long been the exclusive province of large market stations with expensive news rooms, which in this economic environment has just become too costly for most markets.  However, Masters says his long-form “syndicated” variants are built “ground up” with localism in mind, customizable to individual news stations’ needs, without losing quality.   In fact, quality and pacing may actually improve with the syndicated product.

Masters states, “The best part about syndicated long-form news blocks – either on a standalone basis within a talk station line-up or back-to-back in an entire news only format -- is that they are beautifully produced, highly informative, fast paced and generally will not be boycotted locally or nationally by the institutional advertising marketplace.  Opinion radio can be, in rare cases, a boycott-laden space of “super sensitivities” for certain buyers in the national advertising marketplace.   Because our anchors are just reporting the news, breaking news stories or interviewing news makers, the co-hosts won’t be offering opinions, just great energy and focus on the important topics of the day. News radio is a ‘safe buy environment,’ the type of environment which is usually bought by music or top of the hour news buyers, making it the best of both worlds.”