Opinion: Nielsen, Arbitron And Hopes & Fears

From Consultant Jaye Albright, Partner Albright & O’Malley

Hopes And Fears

Well, now we know why Arbitron's Project Leapfrog hasn't hopped out of the development stage in 2012 in spite of lots of hype about it in 2011. 

With this morning's news that Nielsen is buying Arbitron the phrase "this changes everything" leaps to mind. 

I've blogged in the past about the precarious position of being a ratings company with revenues and EBITDA increasing faster than the underlying business which supports it. 

The stronger projected growth of television and multi-new-media put the TV ratings giant in a better deal-making position and certainly provides Arbitron stockholders with a very convenient, timely, profitable exit strategy.

Hopes 

It has seemed to me for some time that Nielsen had to do something to recapture market share and move away from expensive surveys toward more automated ways of collecting usage data because of Rentrak. 

FYI:  Rentrak CEO isBill Livek, former head of Birch and his compatriot, Bill Engel, is on the board of the emerging company which takes set top box data from AT&T U-Verse cable and at least one other multichannel provider, also known as return path data, and mix that with other information to create ratings.  

Large samples in some DMAs, next to nothing in others, but estimates everywhere.

Fears

There are some wonderful researchers toiling at Arbitron who have been comparatively transparent, open about their problems delivering reliable estimates amidst a swift-changing media and population landscape.  

Nielsen's huge international size makes the company more bureaucratic and "corporate" in their messaging to their clients. 

TV owners seem to dislike giving their money to Nielsen even more than radio companies do with ARB.  

Nielsen is a company with much greater pressures on their bottom line.  

Are they buying ARB for $1.26 billion to improve the media rating business?  

Or, to simply push their debt farther into the future? 

We're all about to find out.

Read More Now.

Stunner! Nielsen Acquires Arbitron For $1.26B

Nielsen Holdings N.V. announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Arbitron Inc., an international media and marketing research firm.

Nielsen has agreed to acquire all of the outstanding common stock of Arbitron for $48 per share in cash, representing a premium of approximately 26 percent to Arbitron’s closing price on December 17, 2012. Nielsen has a financing commitment for the total transaction amount. The transaction has been approved by the boards of both companies and is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory review.

“U.S. consumers spend almost 2 hours a day with radio. It is and will continue to be a vibrant and important advertising medium,” Nielsen’s chief executive, David Calhoun, said in a statement. “Arbitron will help Nielsen better solve for unmeasured areas of media consumption, including streaming audio and out-of-home. The high level of engagement with radio and TV among rapidly growing multicultural audiences makes this central to Nielsen`s priorities.”

Together, Nielsen and Arbitron generated total revenues of $6.0 billion and combined pro forma adjusted EBITDA of $1.7 billion based on the 12 months ended September 30, 2012. The combined assets will support Nielsen's strong cash flow characteristics and will enable continued investment in growth initiatives. Excluding estimated transaction costs and purchase accounting adjustments, the acquisition is expected to be approximately $0.13 accretive to adjusted EPS 12 months after the close and approximately $0.19 accretive to adjusted EPS 24 months after the close. Cost synergies associated with the acquisition are expected to be at least $20 million and will be largely driven by the integration of technology platforms and data acquisition efforts.

Nielsen today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Arbitron. fb.me/1pC6ps4TY
— Arbitron Inc. (@ArbitronInc) December 18, 2012

Nielsen Media Research was founded by Arthur Nielsen, who was a market analyst whose career had begun in the 1920s with brand advertising analysis and expanded into radio market analysis during the 1930s, culminating in Nielsen ratings of radio programming, which was meant to provide statistics as to the markets of radio shows. 

In 1950, Nielsen moved to television, developing a ratings system using the methods he and his company had developed for radio. That method has since become the primary source of audience measurement information in the television industry around the world.

Tom's Take:  Consolidation (survival) continues and with it comes lay-offs.

NBC News' Richard Engel Is Safe After Kidnapping

NBC News’ Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel and members of his network production team were freed from captors in Syria after a firefight at a checkpoint on Monday, five days after they were taken prisoner, NBC News said early Tuesday.

“After being kidnapped and held for five days inside Syria by an unknown group, NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel and his production crew members have been freed unharmed. We are pleased to report they are safely out of the country,” the network said in a statement.

The captors were unidentified and were not believed to be loyal to the Assad regime.

.@richardengel recounts being kidnapped in Syria: "It was a traumatic experience. We’re very happy to be here." nbcnews.to/12mxzh1
— NBC News (@NBCNews) December 18, 2012

Engel, 39, along with other employees the network did not identify, disappeared shortly after crossing into northwest Syria from Turkey on Thursday. The network had not been able to contact them until learning that they had been freed on Monday.

Engel, who is divorced and doesn't have children, was promoted to NBC News's chief foreign correspondent in 2008. He runs NBC’s Middle East bureau and has been reporting on the ongoing conflict between rebels and forces backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Reuters: The #Egyptian pound fell to its lowest level in eight years against the U.S. dollar Thursday
— Richard Engel (@RichardEngel) December 6, 2012

He last reported from inside Syria on December 11. He is also known as a regular Twitter user, his last Tweet was Dec 6, prior to being kidnapped.

The network said there was no claim of responsibility, no contact with the captors and no request for ransom during the time the crew was missing.

After entering Syria, Engel and his team were abducted, tossed into the back of a truck and blindfolded before being transported to an unknown location believed to be near the small town of Ma’arrat Misrin. During their captivity, they were blindfolded and bound, but otherwise not physically harmed, the network said.

Early Monday evening local time, the prisoners were being moved to a new location in a vehicle when their captors ran into a checkpoint manned by members of the Ahrar al-Sham brigade, a Syrian rebel group. There was a confrontation and a firefight ensued.  Two of the captors were killed, while an unknown number of others escaped, the network said.

The NBC News crew was unharmed in the incident. They remained in Syria until Tuesday morning when they made their way to the border and re-entered Turkey, the network said. They were to be evaluated and debriefed, but had communicated that everyone was in good health.

Read More Now.

Alex Weprin at TVNewser notes NBC’s chief competitors, including ABC, CBS, CNN and Fox News all refrained from discussing Richard Engel‘s disappearance in Syria at the request of NBC.

While Engel’s disappearance may have been newsworthy, most major news organizations have had similar situations happen to their correspondents, and almost certainly would make the same request of NBC.

Journal Broadcast Hires Jim Arnold For Tucson TV/Radio

Jim Arnold has been named the new Vice President and General Manager for Journal Broadcast Group-Tucson Operations.

Jim Prather, executive vice president of television and radio operations for Journal Broadcast Group made the announcement.

“Jim Arnold knows Tucson. He studied at the University of Arizona, was an award-winning Country Music personality on KCUB, and most recently spent a decade as general manager at KOLD-TV. His depth of experience across sales, programming and community outreach is a perfect fit for our great collection of stations in the Journal Broadcast Group Tucson cluster.”

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to join the Tucson stations of the Journal Broadcast Group.  Many of the talented people here have been peers and friends for many years and I look forward to working with them and the entire team in serving our audiences and advertisers,” Arnold said.

From 2000 to 2010, Arnold was the vice president/general manager of the CBS affiliate KOLD-TV in Tucson, where he led the station from #3 in local news, market revenue and community image to become the market leader at that time in all three.

Journal convinced Arnold to come out of retirement for the opportunity.

Fresno Radio: Clear Channel To Debut ‘Power Talk 96.7’

Goodbye Alice, Hello Rush

After years of being heard on KMJ (AM 580), Limbaugh -- along with Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Andy Dean, Clyde Lewis and George Noory -- will be part of the new "Power Talk 96.7" lineup on local Clear Channel station KALZ (FM 96.7).

It will replace the adult contemporary programming on 'My Alice'.

According to the Fresno Bee, the talk lineup will be simulcast on Clear Channel's KRZR (AM 1400) in Visalia.

Along with the syndicated talkers, the lineup also will include a return of Bill Manders to the Fresno market. He will host the 3-6 p.m. time slot. Manders hosted the afternoon slot at KMJ (AM 580) from 2000 to 2003 before leaving to take a job at Reno's KKOH (AM 780).

In October, Premiere Radio Networks, a subsidiary of Clear Channel, decided to pull Limbaugh and Hannity from KMJ after a 25-year relationship. The switch to KALZ means that Clear Channel will broadcast the programming rather than selling the shows to competing stations.

KMJ 580 AM, 105.9 FM will fill the lost syndicated programming with locally produced programming hosted by Ray Appleton, Chris Daniel, Inga Barks, Alexan Balekian and Jennifer Lipp. That's why station management is not lamenting the loss of Limbaugh and the others.

"KMJ's 90-year heritage and commitment to Central California listeners and advertisers goes far beyond a few syndicated talk shows. Unlike other news and talk stations around the country, KMJ never cut back on local news and local talk shows," says Patty Hixson, senior vice president/market manager of Peak Broadcasting, owners of KMJ.

The weekday talk lineup for KALZ will be Beck, 6-9 a.m.; Limbaugh, 9 a.m. to noon; Hannity, noon to 3 p.m.; Manders, 3-6 p.m.; Dean, 6-9 p.m.; Lewis 9-10 p.m.; and Noory 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Read More Now

Chicago Radio: WGN Announces Lineup Changes

Beginning Wednesday, January 2, 2013, Jonathon Brandmeier's morning show will be extended one half hour, shifting to a 6 a.m. start time and airing until 10 a.m.  Mike McConnell will air from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., followed by the return of The Noon Show with host Carol Roth from 12-1 p.m.  Mike McConnell will return to the airwaves from 1-3 p.m. and Garry Meier and WGN Sports Night will continue to air during their respective 3-7 p.m and 7-10 p.m. time slots.  On Monday, January 7, Turi Ryder takes over the 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. time slot.

Carol Roth

The Noon Show host Carol Roth is a bestselling author and national media personality who can be seen weekly on a variety of television outlets, including Fox Business, CNBC, Fox News, CNN and MSNBC.


Her show will provide news and information, lifestyle segments, and will include business and agricultural reports from legendary WGN Radio broadcaster, Orion Samuelson.

Turi Ryder

Host Turi Ryder returns to the Chicago airwaves after previous stints at WLS AM, KFI Los Angeles, KIRO Seattle, and KSTP Minneapolis.

Most recently she presented the nationally syndicated editorial humor feature, "Turi Ryder’s Exception to the Rule" for CBS Radio.

Extension 720 with Milt Rosenberg ends its 39-year run on December 20 with a final retrospective show featuring notable moments, guests and previous discussions that have aired on this illustrious program.

"Milt has added another rich chapter to WGN Radio's history and we thank him for his service," said Jeff Hill, GSM/Interim General Manager of WGN Radio. “Though Milt will not be a full-time program host, he will continue to be a show contributor and have a presence at the station.  We’re also very excited to add two female voices to our lineup and to Chicago radio in Carol Roth and Turi Ryder.”

CRM'S Larz notes with John Williams exiting the station in just a few days, Tribune Broadcasting now is looking to free up even more salary from its still-bankrupt books by releasing Milt Rosenberg from its line-up and canceling the long-running "Extension 720" show.

On Thursday, Milt Rosenberg will do a final program for WGN Radio, with a retrospective show, featuring some of his favorite moments from the nearly 40 years he has been the "Extension 720" host. Unfortunately, along with the financial savings, with the loss of both Williams and Rosenberg, the station also loses its two most cerebral hosts.

New schedule effective January 2013:

6-10a.m.: Jonathon Brandmeier

10a.m.-12p.m.: Mike McConnell

12-1p.m.: The Noon Show – Carol Roth

1-3p.m.: Mike McConnell

3-7p.m.: Garry Meier

7-10p.m.: WGN Sports Night

10p.m.-1a.m.: Turi Ryder

1-6a.m.: Bill Leff

Opinion: Rosenberg Departure Due To Mismanagement

From Robert Feder at timeoutchicago.com:

Milt Rosenberg, the University of Chicago psychology professor who hosted Extension 720 on news/talk WGN-AM (720) for 39 years, is the latest casualty of mismanagement and financial distress at the Tribune Co.-owned radio flagship. 

The final broadcast of the nightly call-in show Rosenberg described as “intelligent radio featuring the movers and observers of history being made” will air Thursday. His departure and the cancellation of Extension 720 were announced Monday as part of a revamped lineup that will go into effect on WGN January 2. 

"I'm on the older side, obviously, but I'm still full of piss and vinegar," the 87-year-old Rosenberg told me Monday. "Publicly, I want to say it's mutual. Obviously, they initiated it." 

“I’m not going to do a big farewell shmear every night,” he said. “I’ve just got three regular programs scheduled. And then on Thursday night, I’ll make my farewell. I’m going to play some clips from some old treasured moments, say a few words, thank people and fade into the night.” 

A man whose towering intellect and curiosity matched a prodigious ego, Rosenberg presided with ease over a wide array of topics and commanded a worldwide following on the Internet and through podcasts downloaded by the millions. In the latest Arbitron survey, his show (which aired from 10pm to midnight Sunday through Thursday) averaged a 6.9 percent audience share — outperforming WGN’s overall 4.5 share.

Read More Now.

WTOP Anchor Had In-Law Inside Sandy Hook Elementary

Debra Feinstein

Teacher Laura Feinstein, a reading specialist, was inside Sandy Hook Elementary School when the shooter began his rampage. Laura is the sister-in-law of WTOP mid-day anchor Debra Feinstein and she spoke with WTOP hours after the shooting.

Feinstein recalled the moments when she realized a shooting was taking place in the school. She describes to WTOP the action she took:

To Listen To WTOP Audio, Click Here. 

"I was not an eyewitness to the shooting. I did not see the shooter or any potential victims. I was in the back of the building, in my classroom. Getting ready to greet my students. 

They were on their way down and I heard an unusual noise, which was kind of metallic sounding - 'pop, pop, pop.' It sounded like gunshots. 

And I hurried my two kids into the classroom, I locked the door and called the office. And the office secretary picked up the phone and I said, 'Is everything OK?' And she said, 'There's someone in the building shooting.' And then I hung up. 

I took my two kids, we were hiding under the computer desk and behind the shelves. I tried calling 911, but my cellphone didn't have reception so I texted my husband and asked him to call for me and we were just waiting." 

And we just kept hearing shots and shots and shots and shots. It was a lot of them. I don't know how many, but lots. We just waited and hoped and prayed that someone would come get us out safely and they did."

Feinstein says she and her two students waited 40 minutes before someone came in and let them out of the room. She says it felt like an eternity. 

Feinstein says she could hear what was happening in the school's main office as the intercom was left on.

Read More Now.

Study: High News Interest in Newtown Shootings

The shootings at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn. on Friday have drawn widespread public interest. A weekend Pew Research survey finds that 57% of Americans say they followed news about the tragedy there very closely. That is higher than interest in the shootings at an Aurora, Colo. movie theater in July (49% very closely), though not as great as interest in the Columbine shootings in 1999 (68%).

Nearly six-in-ten (57%) say they followed news about the Newtown shooting very closely, making it by far the public’s top story last week. 

News interest in the Newtown shooting is higher than for other recent gun tragedies, including shootings in Aurora, Colo. (41% very closely), Tucson, Ariz. (49% very closely), and Virginia Tech (45% very closely). 

In April 1999, somewhat more followed news about shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo. very closely (68%).

Read More Now

Ke$ha’s ‘Die Young” Hits Loses Airplay

Ke$ha's new hit "Die Young" has fallen on deaf ears ... after radio stations around the country yanked the song from their rotation after the Newtown tragedy ... TMZ has learned.

"Die Young" clocked in at #3 on the radio playlists on Friday (the day of the shooting) ... reaching 167 million listeners nationwide, this according to Mediabase, a company that tracks radio airplay.

By Saturday , the day after the shooting ... airplay dropped by 3 million listeners ... a sign that stations were slowly pulling the song off the air.

By Monday ... "Die Young" took a huge hit on the radio ... dropping down to 148 million listeners ... a 19 million drop from what had been a pretty steady rotation before the shooting.

The Boss Has Highest-Earning Rock Tour of 2012

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band had the highest-grossing rock tour of 2012, according to Billboard's newly published list of the 25 most profitable concert tours of the year.

Springsteen played 72 shows to nearly 2.2 million fans on his Wrecking Ball trek, earning $199 million. Springsteen's final earnings were actually higher for 2012, since he played nine more shows after Billboard's deadline of November 13th.

The 72 he did play were enough to put him at Number Two on the overall list behind Madonna, who earned $228 million from an equal number of gigs but played to less people -- just over 1.6 million.

Third on the list was former Pink Floyd bassist/singer Roger Waters, whose new production of The Wall raked in $186 million from 1.7 million concertgoers, also spread out over 72 gigs.

Despite canceling more than 30 summer shows, Van Halen's trek behind its A Different Kind Of Truth album still finished eighth on the list, bringing in $54 million from 46 shows for 522,000 fans.

Two other classic rockers, Elton John and Rod Stewart, came in at Numbers 19 and 21 respectively, with both earning more than $30 million apiece.

Other rock acts that made the list included Coldplay, Nickelback, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Pearl Jam.

Boston Radio: Meehan Departs WTKK

WTKK 96.5 FM Boston talker Doug Meehan has announced he’s leaving the station…for a return to television.

Sad to report this is the final "Doug Meehan Show". Can't share all of the details yet but will be returning to television soon. #wtkk
— Doug Meehan (@dougmeehan) December 17, 2012

Meehan has been doing a 2-hour talk show frok 10a to noon  since July 2011.  He replaced Jay Severin.

Meehan’s departure adds to speculation that WTKK will flip its format at the first of the new year.

Meehan’s media experience includes flying a helicopter for seven years as Fox 25’s morning news helicopter reporter.

He’s done TV reporting and anchor work in Dallas, Tampa, Austin, Hartford and Providence.

Charlotte Radio: WLNK’s Holloway Adds TV Gig

Radio personality Ramona Holloway has been named the new co-host of “Charlotte Today,” the lifestyle and entertainment show that airs on WCNC-TV.

According to the Charlotte Observer, Holloway will share hosting duties with Colleen Odegaard, who launched the morning show in 2010. She’ll make her first appearance on Jan. 7.

“Charlotte Today” airs at 11 a.m. weekdays on WCNC (Channel 36).

Holloway is one-half of the “Matt & Ramona” afternoon show on WLNK-FM (“Link” 107.9).

Joining the morning show won’t be Holloway’s first venture into television. She and her radio co-host Matt Harris are stepping down this month from “Fox News Edge,” a half-hour program that airs at 10:35 p.m. on WCCB.

“Charlotte Today” features segments on topics like fashion, decorating, beauty tips, recipes, and music.

Read More Now

R.I.P.: KKLA's Frank Pastore Was 55

UPDATE 12/21/2012: A memorial service for KKLA/99.5 FM Christian talk show host Frank Pastore will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 29, at Calvary Chapel Chino Valley, 12205 Pipeline Ave. in Chino.

Original Posting...

Frank Pastore, a former Major League Baseball pitcher who became one of the nation’s most popular Christian-radio hosts, died Monday from complications he suffered as the result of a motorcycle accident a month ago.

He was 55.

KKLA 99.5 FM, owned by Salem Communications,  confirmed the death of Pastore on it’s website:

According to the Hollywood Reporter, just three hours prior to his Nov. 19 accident, Pastore spoke of the dangers associated with his penchant for motorcycles. Radio station KKLA 99.5-FM in Los Angeles on Monday posted a short announcement of its host’s death as well as audio of what it was calling Pastore’s “prophetic sound bite” from the day of the accident. Click here for soundbyte.

On that day, Pastore was discussing an episode of Through the Wormhole, a TV show on the Science Channel hosted by Morgan Freeman. The episode explored the possibility of life after death.

Pastore was born August 21, 1957 in Alhambra and died in Upland, California.

He was a retired Major League baseball player who pitched for the Cincinnati Reds from 1979 until 1985 and for the Minnesota Twins in 1986.

Pastore was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the second round of the 1975 amateur draft.  He made his major league debut on April 4, 1979, at Riverfront Stadium, pitching three scoreless innings in a loss to the San Francisco Giants.

Though primarily a reliever during his rookie season, he moved to the starting rotation in 1980.

Pastore’s best statistical season came in 1980 with the Reds, as he posted a record of 13 – 7 with an ERA of 3.27 in 27 appearances.

After baseball Pastore began a long schooling, earning degrees in business administration, philosophy of religion and ethics, political philosophy, and American government from various universities with graduate degrees in both theology and political science. His book with Tyndale House and Focus on the Family is titled "Shattered: Struck Down, But Not Destroyed."

On 5 January 2004 Pastore became the host of The Frank Pastore Show on KKLA 99.5 FM in Los Angeles. Pastore’s show became the largest Christian talk show in the US.

Read More Now.

Stewart To Overnights Live At WCBS-FM NYC

Longtime WPLJ overnight jock Dave Stewart is now keeping listeners up all night on WCBS-FM. In a radio industry where pre-dawn voicetracking is the norm, particularly on music stations, Stewart is delighted to be live each weeknight on the Classic Hits mainstay.

“CBS-FM is my dream station, so I can’t even express how honored I am to work under that logo,” Stewart tells FishbowlNY.

It’s a change for CBS-FM where Joe Causi was on “tape” during overnight. When Causi was promoted to evenings, music director Lenny Bloch handled the voicetracking duties.

“The people at CBS/New York have welcomed me like family,” Stewart says. “I will do my best to uphold the legacy.”

Stewart debuted on CBS-FM Friday morning.

After 22 years at his station, Stewart left WPLJ in October 2011, as part of layoffs at the Cumulus New York cluster.

Read More Now.

Pandora Knows Christmas Music Preferences

The holiday season is in full swing - whether you like to listen to your favorite holiday tunes in the warmth of your own home, alone during your morning commute or openly during grand sing-alongs at the office - Pandora knows that since the beginning of November, millions ohave rocked out to holiday music.

It's up to you to decide how you prefer to enjoy the holiday classics, but have you ever wondered how the rest of the country does?

This year Pandora created a holiday survey to find out exactly how Americans across the country feel about holiday music and you will not believe the interesting tidbits that came out of it!

Also Must Read:

The people behind Pandora's Christmas music genre stations. Click Here.

San Diego Radio: ‘The Mighty 1090’ Is Back

San Diego's XEPRS  XX 1090 AM will have a dramatic new look heading into 2013, starting with the return of the town's premier sports talk team, Scott Kaplan and Billy Ray Smith to the station following a ten month absence, according to SDS Radio.

The duo will hold down the 3-6pm afternoon slot, which many experts call the keystone of a successful sports radio station and debut on Monday, December 17th.  Kaplan and Smith will continue their morning show on UT-TV and their print column in the Union Tribune.

Commenting on the return, 1090's VP-Market Manager Norm Feuer said,

"When I got here in September I was determined to build the best sports talk station possible.  The moves we announce today are the culmination of that determination which started with our announcement of a three year Padres renewal.  Scott and BR's 12 year heritage as a must listen to program was at the top of my list." 

"We are incredibly stoked to get back on the airwaves, re-connecting with the listeners of 1090, our great friends, and getting back on radio in addition to our TV and print platforms.  It's about connecting with fans in every way, throughout the day, and that's what Billy Ray and I are all about.  Game on!"

SDS Radio reports, Feuer also announced that Jim Rome will be joining 1090 AM on January 2nd, 2013.  Rome is moving networks in 2013 and will appear exclusively on 1090 AM in San Diego.  "Jim Rome has been the highest rated network personality in this town for nearly a generation," said Feuer, "and he's now going to be part of our superstar line-up."

Joining Scott and BR and Rome in the new 1090 AM line-up will be current personalities Lee "Hacksaw" Hamilton, who will move into morning drive (6-9am) for the first time in his long career, and Darren Smith who will move into the 12-3pm shift.

Rounding out the new line-up is Coach John Kentera handling 6-9pm with the rest of the evening being handled by ESPN personalities.

The other major announcement from the station involves the return of an iconic name to San Diego's radio airwaves, The Mighty 1090 AM (50kw).

"We did a big research project a few months ago and it was clear that the station's former name was beloved, and in fact the way many still identified us.  We look at it like a sports franchise going back to a classic uniform.  And, with our new line-up of Hacksaw, Rome, Darren Smith, Scott and BR and the Coach, plus the Padres and nearly every major sports event from the Super Bowl to the World Series to the BCS Championship, The Mighty 1090 AM is the perfect name for who we are," Feuer added.

How Much Newtown Coverage Is Too Much?

Spirited discussion on RadioDiscussions.com NY Board over the weekend concerning media coerage of the massacre at Newtown, CT.

From NYTimes Front Page 12/16/2012

From Marckd:

Okay - yes something this serious should be covered - maybe for a few hours - Maybe all day in the Hartford and New York City markets - MAYBE - MAYBE NOT - 

Here is what I find wrong. The coverage was redundant. They said the same 10 things 10,000 times all day long. Also with all this coverage - I believe it does far more harm than good. What it does is gives a few more crazy people ideas. Now I think there should be coverage of this Connecticut Shooting - BUT NOT NEARLY AS MUCH AS WE HAD...AND CERTAINLY NOT NATIONWIDE WALL TO WALL...All this does is give the ones that causes this attention. What scares me is this can happen anywhere we go. At the grocery store, at church, at Wal mart, at the mall, at a restaurant, at a gas station...Are we safe at any public place... 

Maybe at an airport terminal, a courthouse, some schools that have metal detectors, and at Six Flags parks which also have metal detectors...Will we have to put such devices everyehere we go??? Will we have to go through security checkpoints to eat at Burger King (where I was when I heard about the shooting around 1145 AM when only 3 people were (reported) dead...

WNTIRadio responded:

People tune in and out.  So you, listening to it non-stop, would be hearing the same things over and over.  Someone getting in the car would hear it for the first time. 

Also, what are stations supposed to do?  Ignore it and play happy pop music? 

Sometimes, people on this board are disconnected from reality.  Yes, radio is a business but sometimes it does take a back seat when there is a tragedy on this level.  And you know what else?  None of radio matters at all to the victims and their families.

TimeIsTight noted:

This was far far more than just a "National" story in the US. 

Out of curiosity on Friday, I picked up live TV news channels from all over the world.  The US shooting was the top story on NHK in Japan, and Al Jazerra-English from Doha.  There was wall-to-wall coverage on the BBC domestic news channel for the UK, and on BBC International for the rest of the world.  There was non-stop coverage on the France-24 where they had a related discussion on gun control.  Russia Today had full coverage and were talking to "experts" about gun violence in the US.  And PressTV out of Iran had a San Francisco-based editorial writer (the guy looked like an old hippie) on explaining how the "the US is a violent society, with unhappy young people who can't get a job, mentally crack up and do this kind  thing."  Even the Iranian host sounded like he wasn't buying it. 

I didn't bother to check Korean, Taiwanese, Australian, Irish or Canadian TV news broadcasts because I already knew what they were covering, and I didn't bother to fire up either of my short-wave radios to see what was on the few international news stations there.  I already knew. 

The point is that we now live in a global village, and the whole world is watching.  It was an unspeakable tragedy for that small town in Connecticut and all those unfortunate people and families, but the whole world was hurting with them, and the US image was once again internationally damaged by some mentally ill individual with too easy access to a gun made for soldiers or police. It was a national tragedy, and as with any other coverage of anything, when you have had enough you have the option to turn it off. 

There were radio and TV channels offering something else to watch or listen to.  You always have the option of taking a walk, reading a book, going shopping, or pulling out a DVD.  There is little doubt that everything we could have accurately known about the shooting could have been compressed into a ten-minute report.  But wall-to-wall coverage is the new international standard in massively tragic situations like this, the BBC and Al Jazeera still have multiple live reporters and crews at the scene, along with all the US networks and local stations.  Welcome to 21st Century news coverage.

Jmtillery chimed-in:

Although I realize this is way off-topic as it relates to radio, I will offer this opinion in rebuttal. 

With stiffer gun control laws enacted, the only people who will be unarmed are law abiding citizens - people who actually obey the law. Criminals, on the other hand, will always find a way to obtain a firearm. Furthermore, there are already laws in place to prevent the sale of any firearm to mentally challenged individuals. 

In conclusion, expect a public outcry and public demand to enact new legislation to "prevent" further tragedies as the one that occurred over the past few days. However, any new legislation is redundant since there are already laws that make it illegal to publicly display a firearm and furthermore use it to kill anyone.

Read More Now

What do you think?  Drop a comment....