From: Bob Davis (earthjuice_at_prodigy.net)
Date: 2003-08-11 05:43:50
This is one of the most important media news stories of this century.
(and I'm not kidding)
And I realize that some of you are going to accuse me once again of talking about "white folk
binnis", that has nothing to do with YOU.
(However I would ask you to read this material with an open mind)
In radio, Clear Channel has been doing voice tracking for the past few years in order to cut
costs..
Voice tracking is where the Disc Jockey and production staff of a radio program are locaded in
a different city than where the broadcast is being heard.
Cut in's for local news and commercials are done in such a manner that the casual listener
doesn't even realize that the program may be originating thousands of miles away.
Thus Clear Channel is able to in effect produce a "local broadcast", that is pumped into
hundreds of cities. This has enabled them to fire hundreds of DJ's and radio production
employees who formerly did local shows.
Now to be fair, Clear Channel isn't the only entity that uses viece tracking as a method of
eliminating local radio staff.
For example in every city where Tom Joyner and Doug Banks is broadcast, voice tracking is
used.
And in each of these cities, the previous Black morning Disc Jockey along with the local radio
production staff at that station has been FIRED.
Voice tracking is bad for two reasons...
1. It means the elimination of thousands of jobs for Disc Jockeys and other radio production
people.
2. Even worse is that it leads to the homoginization of culture (ex: the creation of a vast
nationwide network of "SOUND-ALIKE-KNEE-GRO-RADIO-STATIONS"), is an economic creation of
voice tracking.
3. Ultimatly this level of "cultural homoginization", leads to a FASCIST enviornment where
only ONE MESSAGE (that of the owners of the media outlet/the government) will be heard.
Now I realize that a few of you out there think that all of this is simply "white folk
binnis".
However in a....
FASCIST
MEDIA
ENVIRONMENT
(just who do you think is going to get hurt FIRST and WORST?)
Now Clear Channel is doing the same thing with the TV stations that it owns!
Check out this story.
Stay tuned....
-----------------------------------------------------------
WUTR ends local newscasts
Utica-area viewers to see program produced in Syracuse
Sat, Aug 2, 2003
JESSICA RYEN
Observer-Dispatch
The Mohawk Valley lost a local news outlet Friday when WUTR-TV 20 announced it is shutting
down its Smith Hill-based news operation, resulting in a number of layoffs for WUTR employees.
When viewers of the ABC affiliate watched the start of Friday's 5 p.m. newscast, they saw the
logo of WIXT NewsChannel 9 and the faces of two anchors based in Syracuse. The anchors
welcomed Mohawk Valley viewers, then cut to their first story on a union protest in front of
Carrier Corp. in Syracuse.
WUTR's 5-6:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts have all been replaced by WIXT newscasts. Morning
newscasts already were produced elsewhere.
Both stations are owned by Clear Channel Television Northeast. The company said the WIXT
newscasts would feature some Utica news, a portion of it provided in a partnership with the
news operation of local Clear Channel radio stations.
"We needed to take a look at small-market television as it exists in today's world," WUTR vice
president and general manager David Males said. "Being a small market, are there enough local
advertising news dollars to compete? It's a very difficult challenge."
Males would not reveal the number of employees who were terminated.
"That number is proprietary," he said.
Males confirmed that Steve Osterhaus, WUTR's former news director, was let go. Osterhaus would
not comment. Males said there would be opportunities for WUTR employees throughout New York
state, should they choose to accept them.
"It was very surprising," sports reporter and anchor Adam Shadoff said. "It happened very
quickly and there wasn't a lot of warning. The future is very uncertain for me."
The only positions that remain untouched were the station's sales jobs, Males said.
The change comes a little over a year after the station discontinued its live weekend
broadcasts and started airing 6 a.m. Daybreak broadcasts through Clear Channel-owned stations
in Binghamton and Syracuse.
For several years, WKTV has done significantly better in the Nielsen ratings. In the spring
sweeps, WKTV drew three, five, even eight times as many viewers for key newscasts.
"This is a sad day for the television viewers in Utica," said Stephen Merren, vice president
for Smith Television of New York Inc., which owns WKTV, and general manager of WKTV. "A voice
has been silenced, and we never wanted to lose a competitor."
In the next five to 10 years, many other news stations will go dark and drop news because it
is so expensive to run a news station, Merren said. He pointed to St. Louis, the 22nd largest
market in the country, where a Sinclair Broadcasting station ended its newscasts and
eliminated a 47-person news staff two years ago.
"That was a shock to many of us in the business," he said. "If you have a strong competition,
it makes it that much harder."
In its press release, Clear Channel Television emphasized WUTR viewers would see more weather
news. WUTR will call itself the "Mohawk Valley's Weather Authority," and provide regular
weather updates for Utica-area viewers.
Starting Monday, updates every hour on the hour will be supplemented by weather details at 20
and 40 minutes past the hour.
"This will allow us to bring improved, more concise weather content," Males said. "Research
shows that the number one reason people tune in is for the weather."
Breaking news in Utica will get to WIXT, Males said, and be voiced on-air. But Merren noted
that running Syracuse news in Utica has never proven to be very well received in the
community, as is the case with WTVH Channel 5, the Syracuse CBS affiliate that airs on
Adelphia cable.
Clear Channel higher-ups are currently exploring new formats for delivering information to
Utica viewers, the press release said, including a partnership with Clear Channel radio
stations and other regional providers of news.
"This gives us more opportunity to think outside the box," Males said. "We are breaking the
mold."
_________
Bob Davis
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