Grumpy Editor

BLACK RADIO NEWS NETWORK DEBUTS

 

A news network focused on the Black community made its debut last week on 15 stations around the country, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

Black Information Network (BIN) was launched by iHeartMedia which promises to add more stations over the next two months.

 

The Wall Street Journal mentioned that BIN will “also provide news for all of the 91 hip-hop, R&B and gospel stations operated by the nation’s largest radio broadcaster,” adding “the company says the network aims to be an objective, accurate and trusted source of continual news coverage with a Black voice and perspective.”

 

In the launch, the network mostly tapped journalists from iHeartMedia’s existing news service” and plans on hiring outsiders to expand its talent pool.

 

BIN will provide a mix of local and national news, weather, traffic reports and sports in the markets it serves.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

 

 

Bulldog edition rolls off presses early.

 

BULLDOG EDITION.  Merriam-Webster points out the bulldog edition term has been in use since the early 20th century, used by newspaper editors to denote an early edition of a morning paper printed (and even sold) the day before its publication date.

 

HOUSE INCLUDES FUNDS FOR STARS AND STRIPES.  A House committee’s version of the annual defense spending bill includes $15.5 million in federal funding for Stars and Stripes after the Defense Department proposed cutting the military newspaper from its 2021 budget.  Stars and Stripes first appeared during the Civil War, and has been continuously published since World War II.  The daily newspapers are distributed to U.S. military troops around the world.  A web site is updated with news 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

 

CHINA SEEKS DETAILS ON U.S. NEWS ORGANIZATIONS.  China, hitting back at what it calls Washington's "suppression of Chinese media," is demanding four U.S. news organizations declare details of their finances and staffing in the country. The Associated Press, United Press International, CBS News and NPR News must submit relevant paperwork to the Chinese government by this week.

CARDBOARD "FANS" SET FOR OAKLAND ATHLETICS.  With a delayed baseball season starting soon, the Oakland Athletics is selling cardboard cutouts with fans' photos that will be put in Coliseum seats.

AIR LEVIATHAN PRODUCTION TO END.  Bloomberg reports Boeing "is pulling the plug on its 747 jumbo jet, ending a half-century run for the twin-aisle pioneer."  The last double-decker 747-8 will roll out of a Seattle-area factory in about two years, it adds.

DENNY'S IN HIRING MODE.  Denny's, in a "poised for growth" mode, plans to hire 10,000 restaurant employees by the end of this year. The restaurant chain operates over 1,700 restaurants in the U.S., Canada and other countries. 

NO WAY OUT.  A Tampa, Florida man who operates the Zaksee Parrot Sanctuary and takes care of hundreds of rescued parrots, macaws, cockatoos and other exotic birds, finds he can’t leave his property because the only path out winds through another tract whose owners recently placed locks on the gates.

WHALE OF A STORY.  Three family members on a recreational boat just outside Auke Bay, north of Juneau, Alaska, are injured after the craft collided with a humpback whale.  The boat immediately returned to shore, where some family members are transported to a Juneau hospital.

 

TWO DADS COMMENT OUSTS POPULAR RADIO TALK SHOW HOST

 

 

Grumpy Editor notes popular conservative radio talk show host Heidi Harris, after two years on CBS’ KXNT in Las Vegas, is suddenly bounced from the station after commenting on her Facebook page that “it would be better for a child to have a mother and a father, rather than two fathers.” 

 

The comments followed an ad showing two men teaching a baby how to walk.

 

Her listeners, backing her comment, then take to the local newspaper’s “Letters to the Editor” page to express their unhappiness with 50,000-watt KXNT, vowing to boycott the station.

 

Harris is a two-time winner of the Electronic Media Award for "Best Local Radio Talk Show.” 

 

She also is among  "America’s 100 Most Influential Hosts” tallied by Talkers Magazine.

 

The executive vice president, communications, CBS Corp. in New York did not respond for comment. 

 

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

 

 

ILLEGALS COST MOUNTS.  Swelling population of illegal immigrants is costing American taxpayers $135 billion a year, the highest ever, driven by free medical care, education and a huge law enforcement bill, according to a report cited by the Washington Examiner.

 

STOCK MARKET BEHAVES IN SEPTEMBER.  The stock market sets the least volatile September on record.  But stock watchers caution this month historically has been the most volatile of the year.

 

WSJ CLIPS EDITIONS.  The Wall Street Journal is ending publishing European and Asian editions.

 

NFL PLAYERS KEEP POLICE BUSY.  On average, one National Football League player is arrested each week and the longest time on record that the NFL has gone without one of its players being arrested is 65 days, reports CNSNews.com.  It points to NFLarrest.com that says the average time between arrests is seven days.  Players get arrested, it adds, "for a variety of crimes: drunk driving, drug offenses, domestic violence, assault and battery, gun violations, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, theft, burglary, rape and even murder.”

 

BILL CLINTON NOVEL SET FOR TV.  Showtime secures television rights to “The President Is  Missing,” a mystery novel being co-written by former president Bill Clinton and author James Patterson.

 

MOVIE SCRIPT BEATS ESTIMATED VALUE WITH SALE.  Actress Audrey Hepburn’s personal shooting script for the film, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” sells for $846,610 at Christie’s.  That’s seven times its pre-sale estimate.

 

CBS MULLS SALE OF VAST STUDIO.   CBS Corp. is pondering the sale of its historic site --- known as CBS Television City — in Los Angeles’s Fairfax district, reports the Los Angeles Times.  The complex is known for its state-of-the-art television production, The city’s construction boom propels developers to seek new places to build.   

 

HEFNER REMAINS CLOSE TO MARILYN.  Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, who died Wednesday at 91, made plans to be buried next to Marilyn Monroe at Westwood Village Memorial Park in Los Angeles.

Police files take spotlight in current news coverage

Hey, is there any good news around?

Apparently not much, using Saturday morning’s edition of a newspaper, largest in its state, as an example of something to kick off the weekend with perhaps some indigestion along with morning coffee and a muffin, notes Grumpy Editor.

Most stories seem to originate from law enforcement agencies.

Front page gets right into it with one of three long pieces devoted to a local man “accused of trafficking teenager.”

Among other items in the opening pages: Mental evaluation for Fresno suspect; Prosecutors file charges in genital mutilation case; Man kills 2, injures 1 before shot dead at office; More than 100 men accused of seeking sex from minors; record homicides reached since 2011 cartel clashes; Violence leaves dozen dead in Venezuelan capital area; Stabbing suspect believed cartel was after him; Parking lot shooting injures one, arrest made; Blood-covered nude man hospitalized, critical; Officers, drivers injured in crash amid traffic stop; Victim of rollover crash identified; Teen, city settle lawsuit over molestation by cop.

Any good news in the edition?

Well, sort of.  On the religion page, top story is on “Taking steps to combat hatred.”

Ads contribute to gloom and doom, too.  A quarter page security screens pitch, for example, carries the headline, “Protect your home, protect your family.”  Included is an illustration of  a masked bad guy in black garb ready to swing a baseball bat.

Other newspapers --- and broadcast outlets --- also go heavy on crime these days.

Whatever happened to coverage of  Boy Scouts helping little old ladies?

Well, there’s always the weather forecast --- unless rain  is predicted.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

Navy veterans are shaking their heads over the changes being made in submarines --- for women now serving on them.  Designers are giving women sailors more doors, washrooms, sleeping and bathing areas, plus with more privacy, along with lowering of some overhead valves and installing steps leading to triple-high bunk beds.  These will be incorporated in the upcoming USS New Jersey. But the ship is not scheduled to be delivered until 2021…Bill O'Reilly reportedly will receive up to a $25 million payout following his exit from Fox News...How strange is North Korea?  Otto Warmbier,who was a 21-year-old University of Virginia student from suburban Cincinnati, remains behind bars after being sentenced last year to 15 years of hard labor in a North Korea prison after he confessed to (ready for this?)--- trying to steal a propaganda banner...Tesla Inc., the electric car maker, discloses its billionaire Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk paid at least $593 million in income taxes last year…Sinclair Broadcast Group is adding 14 television stations via purchasing Bonten Media Group Holdings...A U.S. federal judge ordered Volkswagen to pay a $2.8 billion criminal fine in the rigging of diesel-powered vehicles case... IBM, once the darling of business editors in grabbing space in their sections, posts its 20^th straight quarter of falling revenue, despite a 12 percent gain from its new businesses…America's chief federal banking regulator admits the agency failed to act on numerous "red flags" at Wells Fargo that could have stopped the fake account scandal at the bank years earlier. It cites an overlooked key red flag In January 2010, when the regulator was aware of "700 cases of whistleblower complaints" about sales tactics”…Google is planning to introduce an ad-blocker on the mobile and desktop versions of its Chrome internet browser…University of Tennessee’s student-run newspaper, Daily Beacon, is cutting its print edition to twice weekly in the fall from five days a week during the past five decades…The number of out-of-work people collecting unemployment checks dropped to a 17-year low in April.

 

British insurance company Aviva’s annual Home Report surveys 2,004 people on how they handle relatively common tasks around the house and finds one in five not being able to change a light bulb.

Radio set to top newspapers with advertisers in 4 years

Radio has come a long way since the days of The Shadow and The Lone Ranger, and it’s coming back strong, observes Grumpy Editor.

BIA/Kelsey’s 2017 Investing in Radio report indicates  radio will surpass newspapers and become the fifth-largest media category among advertisers by 2021.

The report adds that nearly a century after radio stations began accepting commercials, the medium now takes about 10 percent of all local ad revenue and its fastest growing segment is on digital platforms.

BIA/Kelsey notes radio stations digital advertising income was up 14 percent last year, along with a slight increase in over-the-air income that continues to grab the biggest chunk of about $14.1 billion.

“In an age where consumers have many entertainment choices, local radio maintains its strength and popularity in the marketplace among national and local advertisers,” says Mark Fratrik, senior vice president and chief economist at BIA/Kelsey.

The report projects radio revenue reaching $14.9 billion this year, topping $16 billion by 2021.

The news-talk category shows the most improvement for 2016.

Highest earning local radio station last year: WTOP,  Washington, D.C. with $67.5 million in ad revenue.

Direct mail remains the most lucrative segment of local ad spending.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

California on Saturday upped the state tax on a pack of cigarettes by $2, making the average cost per pack now a steep $7.89…Monthly  index of pending home sales jumped 5.5 percent in February, 2.6 percent higher than a year prior…Investigation into possible connections between Russian agents and the Trump campaign was the most-talked-about story on news/talk radio last week, notes Talkers magazine...Along with that, Grumpy Editor observes a daily overused phrase since before the November election:  Russian meddling… Quote of the week?  At the daily White House briefing, Sean Spicer, press secretary, tells media, "If the president puts Russian dressing on his salad tonight, somehow that's a Russian connection”…Wells Fargo agrees to pay $110 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over accounts its staff opened without clients' consent. It marks the first private settlement that Wells has reached since paying $185 million to federal and local authorities last year over its sales practices…Now sprouting gray hairs is the PR department at Bank of America after a bankruptcy judge issued a $45 milliion fine, citing the bank's treatment of a Calif0rnia couple who fought to save their home as "brazen" and "heartless"...The White House staff is joining in skipping this year’s White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner…Despite California’s steepest Sierra Nevada springtime snowpack in years --- with snowdrifts up to 20 feet deep at higher elevations, the Golden State remains under drought declaration…The Guardian, London, reports a Staffordshire bull terrier mauled its owner to death while he was being interviewed by a BBC film crew...Rule:  Don’t get your newspaper carrier upset.  A 42-year old newspaper carrier in the northern German city of Lueneburg stabbed a 51-year-old customer multiple times with a knife, killing the subscriber who police say repeatedly complained about delivery problems.

Gear up for National Pet Day April 11, get a

goodie for your dog, cat --- or turtle.

Shhh! Keep it quiet, public gives mass media low rating

 

Grumpy Editor notes most print and broadcast editors last week made sure a new Gallup poll finding that focused on news media remained hush-hush: Americans' trust in media remains at an historical low.

Just 40 percent of those surveyed Sept. 9 to 13 said they have "a great deal" or "a fair amount" of trust and confidence in the mass media (newspapers, radio, television) to report the news fully, accurately and fairly, reported Gallup.  

The great deal/fair amount percentage was at 54 percent in 2003-2004 and slightly higher at 55 percent in 1998 and 1999.

Gallup added that trust in media ranked significantly lower --- 36 percent vs. 53 percent 10 years ago --- among those 18 to 49 than those 50 and older, continuing a pattern evident since 2012.  However, the 2015 figure was up one percent from 35 percent last year.

One factor behind the low ratings was that "major venerable news organizations have been caught making serious mistakes in the past several years," observed Gallup.

Meanwhile, two days before the Gallup poll was released, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on CBS’ 60 Minutes, declared, “Some of the media are among the worst people I've ever met. And I mean a pretty good percentage is really a terrible group of people.  They write lies, they write false stories. They know they're false. It makes no difference.”

But some trust remained out there. 

A Suffolk University/USA TODAY finding, released two days after the Gallup poll, revealed 23 percent of those quizzed named Fox News as the television news or commentary source they trust most.  CNN came in second with 15 percent, followed by NBC with 10 percent, CBS with 9 percent and ABC with 6 percent.

 

In case your favorite news outlets missed these... 

While U.S. stocks gyrate as investors (every other day, it seems) worry about the health of China's economy, Chinese are on “an L.A. spending spree,” buying expensive homes in the area and swank goods in Beverly Hills, reports The Hollywood Reporter, adding, “In 2014, a full 20 percent of the city’s $8 billion in real estate sales was purchased by Chinese buyers. Showing no signs of slowing down, this injection of Chinese capital and influence can be felt at every level of L.A.’s culture of consumption”…A record 94.6 million people were not in the labor force in September, 579,000 more than in the previous month, reports the Bureau of Labor Statistics…Bloomberg Businessweek names Ellen Pollock as editor. Currently deputy editor, she will be the first woman editor to lead the 86 year-old magazine…The U.S. Post Office issues a Charlie Brown forever stamp, 50 years after “A Charlie Brown Christmas” first aired on television and to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the Peanuts comic strip…Dunkin' Brands plans to shutter 100 Dunkin' Donuts stores within the year...Scientists are fascinated about a “blob,” a large low temperature area in the North Atlantic near Greenland that is record cold in some locations…Washington’s National Press Club is hoping to get as much as $15 million, via a Nov. 19 New York City auction, for a Norman Rockwell painting of a small-town American newsroom titled, "Norman Rockwell Visits a Country Editor."

Grumpy Editor, who gets some strange non-media news releases, is still trying to figure this one from a Cherry Hill, N.J., public relations firm.  The subject line:  Re: Feat/Int: Embrace the Machine! Sales Management Radical Cuts Out Commissions in New Field Guide.

 

Related articles

Obama's clean air regulations smack U.S. coal industry

Reporters unload colorful words to describe Trump

Private company challenges ‘recess’ appointments, wins

In connection with Friday’s federal appeals court 46-page ruling that President Barack Obama violated the Constitution when he bypassed the Senate to appoint three members to the National Labor Relations Board, most media overlooked the source that triggered the action leading to the decision, notes Grumpy Editor.

Noel Canning, a Washington state family-owned contract canning and bottling facility (that includes Pepsi), sued the NLRB, challenging the board’s decision, citing Obama made so-called “recess” appointments without the Senate being in recess. 

It’s noteworthy because Republicans, legal scholars, Constitution experts and editorial page editors were silent in raising eyebrows on the “recess” appointments.

 

Movement with short sale ‘unending nightmare’

Although previously-owned home sales of 4.65 million in 2012 were up 9 percent from the prior year and the best in five years, sales could rise even more --- giving the economy a lift --- without the heavy red tape,  indecisions, complications and paperwork of major banks.

John Taylor in the Las Vegas Sun on Jan. 20 detailed the “unending nightmare.” 

The sale took eight months to wrap up, said Taylor, a senior editor of local news.

His assessment:  “Beware of the not-so-short short sale.”

Read the full article here.

 

Havana’s Sloppy Joe’s bar reopening grabs space

Reopening of a nearby bar may be welcome news in local newspaper sections, but an Associated Press story on the return of Sloppy Joe’s in far-off Havana grabbed up to a quarter page of space, with art, in some weekend editions. 

The bar, in its heyday, attracted Hollywood stars and other celebrities. 

Founded in 1918, it indicates the bar must have a pretty good PR person, Cuban style, to warrant that sort or coverage in the U.S. press.

 

In case you missed these...

One phrase missing from coverage of the deep freeze sweeping the midwest and northeast:  Global warming (or climate change)…Country music is reappearing in New York City via Cumulus Media radio station WNSH, formerly WRXP…The New York Times is trimming its newsroom staff through buyouts and terminations, aiming for a reduction of 30…The Times also made headlines following a report in New York Magazine that real estate mogul Donald Trump has been holding meetings about possibly buying the New York Times Co…On the hiring side, Al Jazeera, which will be replacing Current TV with the launch of Al Jazeera America, has posted 105 available jobs in the United States with 98 based in New York City and seven in Washington…Strange ad in Bloomberg Businessweek and other publications from Toyota.  Under the line, Let’s Go Places, it shows a vehicle with rainbow colors fore to aft in a farm setting --- with no details on what the multi-hues are all about.

ABC News omits pinpointing blaze that destroys 20 homes

A news report about a growing wildfire always triggers concern for folks on the road and away from home. 

But omitting the precise, or at least the general, location is a faux pas (to use a delicate French term) that seems to be growing in radio news reports with fires and other disasters, notes Grumpy Editor after hearing a top-of-the-hour ABC News account about a wildfire in California’s San Diego County. 

Nowhere in the 30-second piece early yesterday afternoon did ABC correspondent Alex Stone mention the location of the blaze that caused evacuations and “at least 20 homes are gone, burned to the ground.” 

His report opened with “San Diego County.”  But that’s as far as it went in pinpointing the location. 

San Diego County, in the southwest corner of California, is the state’s second most populous with 3.1 million residents.  Major cities are San Diego, Chula Vista and Oceanside. 

The county, spanning 4,525 square miles, extends from the Mexican border to Orange County.

Only clue in the ABC radio report was that the fire was in a rural location stemming from a short quote from an evacuating resident who said he “loaded up the horses.” 

The lack of pinpointing continued today with a noon on-the-hour ABC News radio report noting only that the fire was "in San Diego County."

Meanwhile, U-T San Diego, said the fire, which started early Sunday afternoon, was near the Campo Indian Reservation in eastern San Diego County.  Campo is near the Mexican border. 

Officials yesterday said the fire had burned 2,000 acres and 80 homes continued to be threatened.

Where’s the fire? Media stumble in citing blaze near L.A.

All week media have been reporting on a fire slowly sweeping through Angeles National Forest in Los Angeles County, but in most cases --- for those on the road fearing their cabins or homes might be threatened --- radio reporters failed to pinpoint an exact location, notes Grumpy Editor. 

The blaze, consuming thick brush, has spread over 4,000 acres. 

When the fire started on Labor Day, about 12,000 people had to cancel hiking and camping plans.  But residents of Camp Williams, a small community north of Azusa, refused to leave. 

Print media and Associated Press gave general locations okay, mentioning nearby cities, but network radio and some TV news reports somehow merely wrapped it up as “near Los Angeles” or “in Angeles National Forest.” 

Angeles National Forest, unlike a community park, is about 75 miles wide, extending from near the Kern County line eastward along the San Gabriel Mountains to north of Rancho Cucamonga in San Bernardino County.  Widest point spans about 25 miles. 

Examples of fuzziness on location of the fire: 

A CBS radio reporter mentioned only that it was “near Los Angeles.” 

An ABC radio reporter near the fire lines said the blaze was “in the Angeles National Forest.” 

Another CBS radio reporter gave his location as “here,” not indicating where he was standing. 

However, pinpointing his location was Fox News television reporter Adam Housely.  He was in Glendora, 25 miles east of Los Angeles, and closest city to the blaze in mountains to the north.

Salty talk in the office grabs spot on ABC radio news

With all the happenings in the world --- ranging from a small earthquake in the Los Angeles area to pre-Olympic Games activities --- what’s a piece on “swearing at work can harm your career prospects” doing as one of the major news events heard Wednesday on top-of-the-hour ABC News on radio, wonders Grumpy Editor. 

Anyone who is on a company payroll or wearing a suit in job hunting should be well aware that repeatedly uttering naughty words is not tolerated in the business world. 

(An exception might be when brass at a major Madison Ave. advertising agency, for example, is notified it is losing a big account.) 

Yet, grabbing the attention of ABC News on a hot July day was a press release from CareerBuilder, Chicago, noting 64 percent of employers say they would think less of a worker who repeatedly uses curse words, while 57 percent say they'd be less likely to promote someone who swears in the office. 

Seeking more information, Grumpy Editor finds the Harris Interactive survey includes more than 2,000 hiring managers and 3,800 workers in companies of various sizes, according to CareerBuilder which describes itself as “the global leader in human capital solutions.” 

Noteworthy, though, is that the survey reports 51 percent of workers swear that they swear in the office.

(Perhaps that’s after they receive their paychecks.) 

Some 95 percent confess they cuss in the presence of co-workers, 51 percent say they do so in front of the boss, although workers were least likely to use expletives while facing senior leaders (13 percent) and their clients (7 percent), according to the survey.

(Saying salty words in front of a vice president is a sure way to get replaced.)

Among other survey findings in modern office culture:  Men are more likely to swear at work (54 percent) vs. women (47 percent); Washington, D.C. (home of Congress, the White House and 13,000 registered lobbyists) is the top-swearing U.S. city, and 35 to 44-year-old workers rank as the top swearing group.

 

Busy Huckabee does well on TV, growing radio outlets

Mike Huckabee, former Arkansas governor, is rapidly becoming a popular radio and TV personality, but publicity people are not fully promoting his fine efforts --- including solid interviews and comments on issues of the day --- in the competitive broadcasting arena, notes Grumpy Editor. 

The Mike Huckabee Show on radio airs “live” --- noon to 3p.m. Eastern --- opposite long-time top talk show host Rush Limbaugh.  

But trying to get an up-to date list of radio stations carrying Huckabee’s daily talk show is difficult. 

Cumulus Media Networks, which syndicates the radio program that debuted on April 9 on about 180 stations, doesn’t show all current outlets on its Web site.  

Noteworthy is that on June 14 Huckabee started airing on radio station KXAR in Hope, Ark. 

Why is the addition of KXAR considered nifty fodder for alert PR people? 

That’s the station where Huckabee started work at age 14. 

It led to basic training in broadcasting, including on-air chatter, which probably is why he does so well (without “errs”) now on radio and on his Fox News TV show, Huckabee, airing on Saturday and Sunday nights.

A radio listener yesterday welcomed his debut in the Hammond, Ind. area. 

So he’s building his radio coverage that includes the three-times-a-day The Huckabee Report syndicated on almost 600 stations. 

Ratings on Huckabee’s daily three-hour radio show would get a boost if some stations ran his timely remarks and interviews “live.” 

New York’s WOR, for example, delays airing his show until evenings.  Seattle’s KCIS trims his show to two hours in the late afternoon, seven hours after its live airing.