I was talking to a former reporter in Arkansas the other day and they told me this story which made me shake in my boots as a long time journalist.
This person had covered a city council meeting where the station's morning jock is also on the council. The councilman had made some very controversial statements at the meeting about annexation and his remarks had become the focus of he entire night.
The now former reporter (they had already turned in their resignation to take another job outside radio) wrote a story about what the councilman had said.
The story was yanked quickly the next morning by the station manager (a person with only a sales back ground and on their first manager's job) over claims it made the station "look bad."
No, the station LOOKS BAD for not running the story. The dj was a councilman and what he said was not as a radio person. The reporter did the RIGHT THING! By they way, the council had a second session on what the councilman had said and a Springfield tv station was there to provide coverage. The reporter who was at the first meeting couldn't provide a story on it.
You can't build audience trust the way the station did this. Period. If the station can't report the news in an objective manner without a story being yanked by management then maybe it ought to do what 90-percent of all other stations in the nation do...JUST PLAY MUSIC. That is the safe way.
Last edited on Fri Apr 25th, 2008 09:36 pm by morrisjames
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