[Kzyxtalk] Local vs syndication

[Joel Waldman]

Yes, but only on the condition that the kill

Switch

Be mine.


On May 19, 2014, at 8:48 AM, Tim Bray wrote:

> Diane, EVERYBODY wants more good local public affairs programming,  
> and especially more well produced local news.   John Coate most of  
> all!
> I spent some time talking with him yesterday and this is a high  
> priority with him.   He is actively working on expanding the local  
> coverage.
>
> In another message you mentioned a desire for more "edgy" public  
> affairs hosts, and this echoed some remarks I heard from John as well.
>
> I think you would be surprised to find how closely aligned you are  
> with station management in terms of what you want on the radio.   I  
> wish they could communicate that to the listeners more clearly.
>
> The problem is finding the people who can and will produce that kind  
> of content, reliably and consistently.   It's not just a KZYX  
> problem (as you note, FSRN couldn't make it work either) but our  
> location and demographics make it even tougher.
>
> Or as my mom used to say:  "Wantin' and gettin' is two different  
> things."
>
> So, if you know a smart person who has a good voice, can learn the  
> tech, is reliable (and not a toxic personality), has the time  
> (several hours per week) and the inclination to produce a program  
> that will inform and/or entertain people - tell them to get in touch  
> with Mary and find out how to submit a proposal.
>
>
> Here's the current breakdown, in hours per week:
> NPR 32.5
> Other syndicated news & public affairs: 43.5
> Local public affairs: 12
> Syndicated music: 7
> Local music: 73
>
>
> Tim
>
> On 5/18/2014 7:09 PM, Diane Paget wrote:
>> Tim says that "the schedule currently includes 83 hours/week of
>> syndicated programming, of which 32.5 hrs/wk come from NPR; and 85
>> hrs/wk of locally-produced content.  So, just over 50% of the  
>> airtime is
>> in fact "community" radio, just under 50% is "canned".  Less than  
>> half
>> the syndicated programming is NPR, the rest includes things like
>> Democracy Now! and other popular programs."
>>
>> But, when we dig deeper and try to clarify what we are talking about,
>> how much of the total programming is local and how much is syndicated
>> isn't really the issue, because we are not talking about music
>> programming. At least I'm not, and I doubt that most of the others in
>> this discussion (and those who agree with us) are either. This is  
>> really
>> a discussion about public affairs and news programming. Do you have  
>> the
>> stats for that Tim?
>>
>> All the hours of NPR news are fine with me -- sometimes I listen,
>> sometimes I don't. Referring to people who want more local good local
>> public affairs programming as NPR haters is a red herring. Yes, there
>> are people who have advocated for not having any NPR, but most of us
>> understand that KZYX serves a lot of different needs and tastes, and
>> needs to have a bit of a bunch of different kinds of programming.
>>
>> What we used to have, and what I miss and want back is well produced
>> local news, more alternative news sources (Free Speech Radio News no
>> longer exists as an audio broadcast -- but it exemplified what I want
>> --  voices from the global grass roots)  and good interviews with  
>> local 
>> people -- Supervisors, County officials, ag people, all kinds of  
>> local
>> people.
>>
>> I like Ann's suggestion of surveying the community to see how people
>> feel. But for the stats to be meaningful it would have to survey  
>> random
>> people on the phone. If you do as she suggests and just put surveys  
>> out
>> for people to take and complete, you will only get responses from  
>> people
>> who care a lot about the issue and/or people who like to take  
>> surveys.
>> Doing a meaningful survey would be costly in either volunteer time or
>> money.
>>
>> Doug, thanks for the clear explanation about the PAC proposal.
>>
>> Diane
>>
>>
>>
>
> -- 
> Oak & Thorn
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