U. S. Radio (Oct 1957-Dec 1958)

assortment of "oldies" and listenable modern tunes plus top albiuns and semi-classical numbers. AVNEB Worcester, Mass., appeals to all age groups. It publishes a weekly top 50 sheet that is compiled from actual record sales in the metropolitan area. In Huntington. W. Va., WSAZ also caters to the broadest range of listeners. WSAZ, according to its reply, reports that its audience is "slower-paced, more rural minded than a strictly metropolitan station," so that programming ranges from farm services to a Monday evening classical music block. Key Facfor One of the key factors in the presentation of musical programming is the quality of the transmission. As a consequence, the engineers at many stations are kept in close contact with the format. At WKAB Mobile, Ala., the engineering staff is closely supervised. "This is of prime importance," the station states, "because not only do they cut many transcriptions which must be of top quality, but the levels of all voices and music on the air must be kept uniform. Their job is to give WK.\B a sound of first-rate production." A development of this is that weekly meetings are held with the programming and engineering departments. News programming on radio has presented a continual challenge to broadcasters. Radio's immediacy has placed the medium in a position ot prominence as a prime source of news as it is happening. Stations across the country have incorporated news as part of their basic format. Indeed, many stations report that they program primarily news and interpretation. Others say they use the popular five-minute news break at the hour. Between these two divergent applications lie various approaches, ranging from mobile units on the local scene to network reports from remote corners of the globe. KGB San Diego inaugiuated a new format last February that is based on news and information. The approach is called "Pulsebeat" and is programmed seven days a week from 5:30 a.m. to midnight. It contains news and information on current issues, events and people. One week's programming consists of 281 news and conmientary programs; 107 local news programs; 22 local discussion and interview programs, and 80 entertainment programs centered around personalities. The reply from KSTP Minneapolis, Minn., indicates that it has an extensive news operation comprising 18 fidl-time newsmen. Its mobile facilities include five cars equipped with two-way shortwave radios. A four-passenger helioplane also is on full-time news duty. A radio dispatching room with two full-time dispatchers is in constant touch with the mobile equipment as well as with all police, fire, highway patrol and sheriff's calls. Local and area news reports at WLW Cincinnati, O., are channeled through the station's Communications Exchange (Comex) . National and international news is provided by network feeds. The station places great emphasis on news and weather. In fact, a total of 267 newscasts are broadcast each week, coupled with 165 weathercasts per week from WLW's own weather station which is staffed by three accredited meteorologists. An original touch also is given to farm news by WLW. Its program, Everybody's Farm, centers around the station's own typical midwestern farm located at Mason, O. Before the Papers The accent on local news and sports is provided by WSTV Steubenville, O. "We aim to be first with the local news before the papers get a crack at it," the station declares. WSTV starts "piping local news to oin audience — fresh morning copy — no later than 6:30 a.m. We offer three 15-minute across-the-board programs every weekday at 9:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 6:15 p.m." WSTV covers high school, college and sandlot sports. For a radio station, a natural extension of the news function is public service. It is just this idea that is behind the programming of WTTM Trenton, N. J. The impression it is trying to build is that of a community institution. "We try to create the impression of service 24 hours a day, whether we are broadcasting information regarding traffic congestion, rerouting of l^ublic transportation due to fires. strike meetings, service ( lui) meetings or school closing Ijecause of inclement weather." To support its service programming, WTTM concentrates heavily on local news and local news indepth reporting with on-the-air features involving the actual voices of the people making the news. Mutual Exchange The Elliot stations, WCUE Akron, O., and WICE Providence, R. I., also emphasize the news-in-depth with regular commentaries on the news and with editorials. They are currently programming a featine called Speak Up Neighbor, which permits a mutual exchange of ideas on current happenings by listeners. The news formats of both stations are a part of an overall programming concept that is designed "to convey to listeners a strong station [:)ersonality which is at once warm and friendly, interesting and exciting, dynamic and thought-provoking." The service theme, built around its news operation, also is used by KRMG Tulsa, Okla., as reported in its reply. An example of what this can mean to a community came to light last May 17 to May 21 when the area was hit by disastrous floods. KRMG in that four-day period presented a total of 153 remote broadcasts from four mobile units. About 90 percent of all newscasts w^ere devoted to flood information. The total time consumed by the remotes amounted to 10 hours and two minutes. In Rochester, N. Y., last Fel)ruary's blizzard, described as the \\orst in the city's history, was the occasion for WVET to exercise its news and service idea at a critical time. With the use of its full-time mobile unit, WVET not only pro\ided a firsthand account of the storm and street conditions, but the vehicle also lent a hand where needed. The idea behind the news format at WTRC Elkhart, Ind., is "to present to the public any happening of local interest when and where it happens through 1 1 local newscasts every day, supplemented with NBC News on the Hour," the station states. "We have two battery-ojierated tape recorders to take to the (Cont'd on p. 85) U. S. RADIO May 1958 25