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FMAMGM
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| Joined: | Thu Feb 22nd, 2007 |
| Location: | USA |
| Posts: | 25 |
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Posted: Thu Aug 16th, 2007 09:02 pm |
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Having read a thread on the Springfield board, I thought I'd raise these issues for the smalltown stations and related personnel.
I'm of the opinion that keeping the potential listening audience updated on weather bulletins will bring a station its due "props". Especially small market/smalltown stations become "top of mind" when it comes the time for severe/extreme weather - those stations who broadcast Severe Thunderstorm Watches and Warnings on a regular basis, will find that listeners tune in and listen longer. In fact, those stations whose perpetual weather coverage is known throughout their listening area (which may only be two towns with 11-thousand people in total) have historically sold extra commercial inventory to clients, which funds the existence of the "live body" that brings that coverage to the listener.
Think about this:
How often did you go through a chiefly rural area on a daytime vacation? While you're driving along, you can see a set of storm clouds. So, you scan the dial - AM and FM - trying to find ANY station which can give you the information you need: is my family (you're spouse and children) in the path of a dangerous storm? Well, the obvious thing is to check out that lone AM talk station you find. But, alas, there's a national program, let's say Dr. Laura...and the computer is working fine, thank you very much, as it goes to breaks nearly on-time and plays 4 minutes of commercials. But - no LIVE person updating the weather. IF there was a live body, someone COULD HAVE opened the mic and taken 30 seconds to say "a severe storm watch is in effect until 8 pm, and there is a line of heavy storms - not severe at the moment - across northern Johnson county. If you're heading west along Rural Route 174, north of Genoa City, expect travel problems near the Wachovia Creek Bridge, as the sheriff's office is reporting water over the eastern approach of the bridge. Use state Route 134 as an alternate between Los Bulemos and Archetypical Mountain over the Wachovia. For local weather alerts, stay tuned to 1670 KRPP." This is followed up by a local :30 spot by a local bank or other business, which "sponsors weather alerts on the station that brings you color RADAR updates to keep you abreast of weather information day and night - 1670 KRPP." The station served the listener AND the advertiser.
Would you prefer the station with NO update during Dr. Laura (assuming you're listening to her in the first place), or be more likely to praise the station which used :60 of time to let you know that, since you're on Route 134, you're okay?
Imagine that is a NIGHTTIME scene. Even more scary. It's 10:57pm, you see the lightning. Do you get any coverage of that SEVERE THUNDERSTORM which has already dropped one tornado in a town two counties to the west? If you're lucky, someone stays up late and does an update...they take the last two minutes of an hour of the "network program" and give you the WEATHER WARNING. This could save your life, or the lives of others who are rolling along an Interstate in a rural region.
So. You have a choice.
One of my former co-workers told me about a station manager who had an edict that "unless there's a tornado on the ground hitting town, doing weather is useless." That station manager probably didn't think about the :30 or :60 sponsorships they'd get to sell, or the additional revenue generated by those messages. Let alone the IMAGE that is projected by that station, which could be vastly improved - along with revenue - by using something as OBVIOUS as weather coverage.
I think WEATHER COVERAGE can bring you both listeners and money. Consider the impact.
I'd like to hear opposing views or similar viewpoints
GM
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Buddy Dornster
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| Joined: | Sun Feb 4th, 2007 |
| Location: | Missouri USA |
| Posts: | 144 |
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Posted: Fri Aug 17th, 2007 12:54 pm |
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| We always had a standing sponsorship with a local insurance agency, even in a small town. They got spots during and 48 hours following the storms, and paid for the staff overtime to cover the thing.
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DougSki
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| Joined: | Mon Apr 2nd, 2007 |
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| Posts: | 33 |
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Posted: Thu Aug 30th, 2007 04:05 am |
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| Our former owners aligned the stations with "Weather eye" and it comes in real handy for weather updates, when nobody is technically in the building. They call me when a severe storm is just a few counties away and then they have the capability to interrupt our programming to deliver severe weather updates. Even when we are doing our storm coverage live, they call and bring us information that only meteorologists have and explain it very well. I enjoy the service immensely.
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Will Sterrett
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Posted: Fri Aug 31st, 2007 03:59 am |
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Severe weather coverage is a great way to make some bread in rural areas. It's also some of the best radio you'll hear, period. Back in the spring of '03 (when MO & KS had tornado warnings every day for a week) I happened to be in Rogers AR when a major system began rolling through, and I had to get back to Omaha. For virtually the entire trip I was listening to KKOW/Pittsburg KS. Even after I was well away from the storm, I kept listening because long-form severe weather coverage is some of the best on-location reporting stations like this do. In small town America, severe weather is the only event that offers a shred of urgency, and it's where a lot of small-market talents really get to bust out of their shell. Great radio!
Even when the big Nebraska storms rolled through Omaha, I wouldn't go to KFAB (the 50kw legend.) I'd listen to KWPN/West Point, NE (about 60 miles north of Omaha.) These guys had everybody possible in the field, doing live reports from all over hell's half acre, coupled with in-studio radar updates.
Oh, and every small-market station I've heard do long-form coverage knows how to attach money to it. Insurance agencies are no-brainers. So are body shops (after all, somebody's gotta fix the hail damage to your truck) and roofing companies (hail damage anyone?) And as someone who's anchored long-form weather before, I appreciate the sponsors as much for what they pay for as for the chance it gives me to catch my breath!
Severe weather is one area where the small markets have the big-timers beat, thanks in large part to the radio vs. TV disconnect. Let's face it - it's a whole lot easier to have a radio guy hop in the car with a cell phone vs. have a TV reporter meet up with the camera guy and/or field producer, set up a live shot, THEN go live. A lot of the areas where radio succeeds at long-form weather are also great distances from TV stations, only adding to the dominance.
We get some pretty intense storms about once a week down here. Those are the times I really miss being able to monitor those small stations that bring their A-game during severe weather. And almost all of 'em know how to turn that coverage into money. It's not that hard.
As a brief aside, a lot of small markets really provide awful day-to-day weather coverage. SIMPLIFY. Most people really don't know what barometric pressure is. Eliminate it. Peg an exact high/low temp (not 65-70 - it's 68), and if you insist on forecasting wind speeds, do the same (not 10-20 MPH - it's 15MPH). Just streamline it!
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