Come Sunday, August 30, some 962 affiliates of Cumulus Media’s Westwood One News will receive their final news update from the service. After that 11:30pm Eastern report, editors and journalists associated with the 5 1/2-year-old operation will be out of a job.
What happens next for all of those stations? While Westwood One is offering AP Radio News as a replacement, a host of competing organizations have ramped up their jockeying for soon-to-be former WWO News affiliates.
There’s money in those affiliates — not only for the stations but for the networks selling inventory. And, the quest to sign them up is turning into a big battle as COVID-19 concerns continue to eat away at profits. Aligning with the right network could aid any recovery of lost ad revenue.
Among the first radio news providers to step up its marketing efforts is USA Radio.
Advertisements appearing at trade publications such as Radio Ink are designed to appeal to Talk radio programmers who eschew “left-tilting news” — an accusation that USA Radio makes of Westwood One News.
A similar tone is being taken by Phil Boyce, Salem Radio Network SVP and Director of Salem Media Group’s Spoken Word Format properties.
“Urgent” advertisements note that “the best is still available” for those stations losing Westwood One News.
Those options are Salem’s Townhall News and SRN News.
As Boyce sees it, “You’ll never hear an opinion masquerading as news.”
He’s also very clear in how he views the replacement news service for Westwood One News affiliates that don’t make a change and go with the default option. “Associated Press leans left,” Boyce says. “What I hear from affiliates are lots of complaints about the left-leaning attitudes of most network radio news. We play by the middle — we don’t skew our news to the right to the left.”
Meanwhile, Boyce strikes another tone in stating that AP News closes its doors during certain hours. “What you are going to get from our news product is a 24/7 operation,” he says. “Right now, AP doesn’t offer that.”
Townhall News and SRN News are based in Washington, D.C., with a secondary operation in Dallas. SRN origins are as a news service for Christian radio stations, and is designed for :53 after the hour. Townhall is a more unique brand for Talk stations, in partnership with Townhall.com.
Another option for radio programmers to consider is the 24/7 News Network, which alongside NBC News Network are offerings of Total Traffic & Weather Network. That’s the Premiere Networks-administered entity led by its President, Julie Talbott.
“The satisfaction of affiliates is our main priority, and it speaks volumes about the quality of the products we offer,” Talbott tells RBR+TVBR.
Does the closure of Westwood One News change the network landscape in a significant way?
“I don’t think the landscape will change that much because there are great options in the news category,” says Talbott, who also points to Fox News Radio, another Premiere-distributed offering.
Salem’s Boyce believes there’s no more important time for radio news than today. Thus, the Westwood One News closure will provide a growth opportunity for another service provider.
“The news cycle has never been hotter than it is now, and it started with the election of Donald Trump,” he says. “We had the pandemic, the business shutdown, the protests and rioting, and we’re still in the middle of this. This is the biggest news cycle I’ve ever seen in my history in radio, and losing a news service isn’t a great thing.”
Adding news to a station that may not normally offer such content may also be more important than ever, given the continuing COVID-19 crisis. Says Boyce of Salem’s offerings, “There are a variety of inventory packages that start at six minutes a day and work up to 24 minutes a day. On some of music affiliates, they will take six minutes a day and take the opportunity for breaking news.”
Talbott adds, “These are extraordinary times, so there’s an increased demand for news and talk radio as consumers look for information and connection while navigating these events and the impact on their lives. Advertising dollars during the pandemic have been a challenge across all media given the disruption of many businesses. However, higher ratings attract advertisers, so we’re seeing growth across the category.”
AFFILIATE VALUE
There’s a certain value to a news network for an affiliate, and for ABC Audio, “affiliates are the lifeblood of our business,” says Stacia Philips Deshishku, ABC Audio VP/GM.
“It’s not simply a transactional sales relationship; it’s a true partnership,” she continues. “When stations choose ABC as their news provider they are placing their trust in our news judgment. They are also incorporating our brand value into their own, which is ultimately what they represent to their listeners. The reverse also is true: their identities become part of ours. When we partner with stations known as news leaders in their markets, their listeners know inherently they can rely on ABC for the same quality coverage of national and world news.”
Deshishku also dismissed a misconception floating around the radio industry that news providers only care about large market stations. “That’s just not the case,” she says. “Affiliates may not come with the same size audience or come from the same size market, but the listeners in those markets are the same. We value them equally. So an affiliate is as important to a news network as a listener is to a radio station. Each and every one matters. They also help us find and report news we might not discover on our own. This is invaluable, as we’re not able to have staff in every corner of the country but know the stories being told in those communities are just as important.”
Speaking on the demise of Westwood One News, Deshishku says, “Obviously anytime you lose a news provider it gives stations and listeners fewer choices. There are still strong content providers out there, like ABC, but it becomes more competitive to be selected as the news provider to the stations in need of content. We are in one of the biggest news cycles in history, with no end in sight, and listeners are voraciously looking for news they can trust. Stations also need options in terms of newscast lengths, variety of cuts, text and video content for their websites and social material. And more than ever, they need crisis coverage, live anchored coverage of breaking news, and special programming digging into the unique, complex issues of 2020.”
With CBS Radio News another option on the table, there will likely be lots of decision-making for programmers and sales teams in the next month.
Some, like Boyce, will also be lamenting the closure of a competitor.
“I feel bad for the demise of Westwood One News,” he says. “Radio stations will survive because they are going to work harder than any other industry, and we will get through this.”
