At Tanner Friedman, we try to stay up to date, on a daily basis, about the media changes affecting the way our clients communicate. Whenever possible, we try to share those changes with you on this blog.
In the past 24 hours, two media outlets have reported on trends we first told you about on this site. First, yesterday, The Detroit News reported on changing coming at one local radio station to inject more localism and personality into its product – something we have been calling for since we started this forum. We appreciate the opportunity to be included in the story’s analysis and have this blog mentioned as source for current trends and topical discussion, as part of the article by reporter Susan Whitall (one of the most knowledgeable journalists covering music and radio, anywhere).
Additionally, the Wall Street Journal reports on a subject we told you about right here – the unprecedented financial challenges faced by local television stations across the country. The Journal reports that in addition to cost cutting, it seems no other option for survival is “off the table.” Sweeping changes could be coming along the same lines of what we are seeing with newspapers and magazines going “online only.”
Finally, we have written here about decisions made by radio ownership that we either don’t like or don’t understand. Now, one station group owner is going on-line to talk about changes from the owner’s perspective. Tony Renda, Jr. of Renda Broadcasting, which owns stations in multiple states, has just started this new blog. We recommend that you follow it to get insight from a different point of view. Full disclosure – Tony and I were classmates at Syracuse University and worked together at WJPZ-FM on campus.