Bell’s endorsement raises questions
February 17, 2020A few weeks ago I got two emails regarding Wendy Bell’s endorsement of Newsmax on KDKA Radio.
Now, I must issue a caveat or two.
- I haven’t asked anyone about this, therefore (aside from the quoted emails) the drivel I express here forth is mine and mine alone.
- I don’t work for KDKA so it would probably be best that you tell THEM you’re not going to listen if you don’t like what you’re hearing. (But between you and me, it’s even better just to turn the knobs on your radio.) Despite opinion to the contrary (since 1998) PBRTV has little if any effect on the format and programming decisions of local stations – kind of like the FCC!
Eric, I heard Wendy Bell’s commercial for Newsmax on KDKA radio this morning, where she tells listeners to ask their cable providers to add Newsmax to their channel lineup, so they don’t have to listen to what CNN, MSNBC & other Major Networks say about Donald Trump & I wonder if what she said about those ‘other networks’ applies to CBS /Entercom, who’s now paying her salary?
Now that I have heard Wendy Bell’s endorsements for Newsmax which is “an American news and opinion website founded by Christopher Ruddy and operated by Newsmax Media. … Newsmax Media also operates a print magazine called Newsmax as well as the cable news channel Newsmax TV.” (According to Wikipedia… which I know isn’t the best resource.) I’m guessing it to be a conservative outlet which is working to get its channel on cable systems to compete against CNN and MSNBC… and maybe even Fox News.
I feel certain to say Entercom is fully aware of the advertisement as they are collecting a portion of the income the ad brings in. I am assuming that Wendy gets a cut for her endorsements, and given her viewpoint, it fits well. I would assume that while they would be happy to take viewers away from CBS (KDKA Radio’s former owner and still current radio network affiliation), Newsmax is looking to steal you away from other cable news networks in particular once they are on your local system.
I assume the next email is from somebody different as it came from a different address but neither is signed…
Eric, Saturday afternoon I had KD radio on & briefly listened to a replay of one of Wendy’s programs with a guest from Newsmax, which I turned off once they both started claiming all cable & network newscasts air lies about the president & only Newsmax tells the truth. Sadly, my family & I, who have been longtime listeners of KD radio won’t be listening to that new, conservative, propaganda anymore. Thanks
If you choose not to listen, that’s your choice and I’m not here to change your mind. But I will say that I can’t remember a time during the all news/talk years that KDKA didn’t have a conservative slant of some kind. It seems to me that the late Fred Honsberger and the late Mike Pintek, among others, leaned in that direction. Maybe not to the extreme that Wendy Bell does? I don’t know for sure. A few of the hosts have been more moderate over the years and it does seem that KD is pushing them aside. But remember, it’s a highly contentious election year and it seems that the ratings will likely bump with this type of programming. We’ll see, won’t we?
Your opinion may vary. If you choose to comment, be careful with your statements and please stick to this precise topic. Name calling and such will get your comment deleted not only from this site, but our social media pages as well. BE KIND! People are allowed to have their opinions! But PBRTV does not tolerate rudeness. 🙂
Pretty much all cable networks that aren’t widely distributed run this ad. Someone semi-notable asking you to call your cable company and ask for that channel. We are bombarded with Pitt Athletic Director Heather Lyke telling us to call our cable provider and DEMAND tha ACC Network. This is much ado about nothing.
I believe KDKA radio started to go right-wing when they hired John Cigna after he lost his job at the old “Grand Central Station,” WJAS-AM, circa 1973.
Having said that, I supported Wendy Bell’s right to communicate what she did after the horrific shooting in Wilkinsburg. That commentary cost her a job. But I didn’t see it as a part of the larger puzzle, just her right to opine. Now I do.
There are more than enough right-wing pundits polluting the airwaves at present. They far outweigh what’s on the air from the left, or even the center. So this nonsense they’ve been broadcasting about the “liberal” media is severely outdated.
In addition to not supporting Wendy Bell any longer, I think those of us who prefer a truly balanced radio, TV, online, and print media should just say NO to these right-wing outlets until the media landscape is back in balance again. That is unlikely to happen without restoration of something akin to the Fairness Doctrine, but we need to do what we can as citizens in the meantime.
“…enough right-wing pundits polluting the airwaves at present….” So are you implying that there should be no right-wing pundits since they pollute the airwaves?
Nope. I’m saying stations should balance their on-air staff left-center-right. And they should promote themselves that way.
When discussing a dying industry like terrestrial AM radio, there’s not a whole lot of difference between being #10 or #110. AM Broadcast radio is barely hanging on at all. The stations that will survive won’t be because they have any sort of mass audience. Survival will be based on careful niche marketing. A station that gets 90% of a tiny little specialized market demographic has more chance of financial stability that a station that shoots for a mass audience where no mass audience exists.
For a political commentary talk station to attempt to mix a balance of left-center-right in order to be all things to all listeners would result in the same results as a music format station playing a balance of hip-hop, country, and classical music. It would fail. It would worse than fail. It would crash and burn.
Talk Radio is just another kind of entertainment. Music format radio sticks to specific genres of music to appeal to a certain market segment. It seems to me that talk radio likewise sticks to specific genres of talk for the same reason. I don’t know if this is carefully planned or just works out that way. But I know from listening that just as one music station might play only classic hits and another only country, one radio talk station might program only conservative talk while another might program only sports talk, or only “happy” talk. I don’t see that talk radio does anything other than preach to the choir, so issues of “fairness” or “balance” are pretty much moot in the 21st Century.
True enough, since the Fairness Doctrine ended. In the “modern” era — It was the FCC’s biggest mistake, just like Citizens United was SCOTUS’ biggest mistake.
If Wendy Bell promoted a news outlet that was slanted toward the left, all the conservatives would be complaining as well. We say the 2nd amendment is under siege? So is the 1st amendment! If KD management had a problem with her and her opinion, I would guess it would have been addressed with her and the endorsement/commercial would be discontinued.
Folks it really doesn’t matter much how the talent leans politically at KDKA radio. Nor what they endorse for money. The station has literally NO audience under the age of 54. And total listeners for the station are quite low as well. The station is no longer a player in the Pittsburgh market. Remarkable it survives at all. Too bad because they do have some good talent (Wendy is one). But a few of them either “phone it in” or are unlistenable, or both. You fill in the names.
According to http://www.radiolineup.com, there are 77 FM radio stations and 56 AM radio stations in the Pittsburgh, PA area. KDKA-AM is #10, according to https://www.statista.com/ for November 2019. I remember when KD was #1, so your point is well taken but #10 is where 123 other stations would probably like to be.
Broadcasters, like every other business, follow market signals. Left-leaning talk radio formats have been tried repeatedly, and have failed repeatedly. If right-leaning formats achieved a different fate its because those are the listeners who are actually willing to tune in. It’s really not more complicated than that.
I’m a listener under 54. ~10 years below that. I can’t the the only one.
You likely aren’t alone. 🙂
You are not the only listener under 54. However, a group meeting of all the under 54 listeners could probably be held at a picnic shelter in South Park. And it wouldn’t be crowded.
Turn the knob if you don\’t like it. There are as many people that like the format as don\’t.
People complain too damn much. There are many alternatives in this day and age!
I think most people are sick of whining and complaining!
Most people might be sick of whining and complaining, but the market segment that enjoys whining and complaining is big enough to be a profitable target. Enough people like whining and complaining, so long as it’s whining and complaining that they agree with, to make news/talk radio a viable and profitable format. No radio format attracts a majority of the listening audience, unless you lump all music formats together into one single bucket. For those people who enjoy listening to conservatives shining and complaining about liberals, there are NOT a large number of alternatives. That’s true for every niche format, which means ALL niche formats. Do you want to hear old-school country music? Get satellite radio, or an in-dash MP3 player. Want to hear polkas and other Eastern European folk music? Tune in to a battery powered AM station that signs off at sunset. Want to listen to local talk? Sorry, you’re SOL.