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WOWO’s ratings during the Pat White show in the coveted “Adults age 25-54) have dropped 31% in the last two years, (fall 2007 through fall 2009). Charly Butcher’s show is also tanking in the same demo, having lost 18% share in the same period. Rush Limbaugh is holding steady, and Glenn Beck’s number are very impressive. Click the image below to enlarge.

During Pat White’s 3pm – 6pm time slot, WOWO was 6th. WBTU, WBYR, WXKE, WQHK & WMEE all beat him.

I was told by several people that the removal of Pat White had been in the works for at least two weeks. I’m also told that his remarks regarding “Blacks” on Thursday caused station management to yank him off the air early.

If I were Charly, I’d be putting a little polish on the resume.

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Ben Lanka missed a point this morning in his political column in the Journal. His error, while slight, gave me time to think about the media in Fort Wayne.

Ben chided the mayor, Tom Henry, an old-family Fort Wayner, for referring to State Boulevard as State Street. So? Most of the old-timers in Fort Wayne, most who have been raised here would know it that way, not just as State Boulevard. Point for the mayor flub for the out-of-town reporter. Ben, however, is a very nice guy, works hard at his craft, but blew that one.

That brings me to the media. It is poor to lamentable around here. There is no radio news to speak of. The TV stations are staffed by youngsters who barely know the difference between Lafayette and Clinton before they move on to another gig in a bigger city. The editors don’t seem much more aware of the history, even recent history, of the city. As for the papers, you can now toss a hand grenade into the newsroom and only be charged for property damage.

Doonsbury once lamented the “vacuous brunettes of TV news.” I fully agree. They are ambulance chasers locally. They pick on government for most of their stories and the weekends are stories about one charity event after another. Watching council over the past few years, observing the reporters who “cover” council, it is clear that beauty is a prerequisite to carrying a microphone. The reporters, men and women, are usually very pretty. They are good on camera, but do they know the background on a story. Probably not. These young people come to us from Philadelphia, Cleveland, Columbus, Milwaukee and other larger cities through IU on their ways back to bigger cities. Fort Wayne is a training ground where some rise to the next level and others find the loves of their life, marry and become PR reps for local industry, the school district or other major employers.

Mass Fire Drill on WOWO Radio in 1948 with Bob Sievers on right.

The radio stations are worse. Once upon a time WXKE had a nine-member news staff. Gone. WOWO once had real journalists. Gone. . There were a half dozen newsrooms competing to ferret-out a scoop. Gone. Now, they are more concerned with timing stories, with drama, than with content and explanations. WBOI has stepped up its local coverage, but depends on “rip ‘n read” wire copy which is often flawed and written with Indy, not Fort Wayne, in mind. Sad. All sad. The decline and fall of local news.

As for the papers, there are a few good reporters left, some who are very good. While I have given up on TV news I have bulked up on newspapers, just to get the information I want and need. The News, JG and Wall Street Journal come to my door. I also ready the NY Times and the Guardian on line. Left to right. Balanced, if not fair.

The problem is money. Always is. Newspapers have lost revenue to Craig’s List, to myriad other on-line sites. TV is afraid of ticking-off a sponsor so they seldom if ever criticize business. Government is their target, when they can pull themselves away from a spaghetti fund raiser for some perhaps worthy charity. Easy copy, smiling kids for the 10 O’clock news.

They don’t even cover government well. It is a “big” moment when the reporters show up for council, and they do not dare sit through the whole meeting. They are there for a big issue, for a quick quote, for a highlight. The business of the people in a 20-second sound bite. They miss many of all of those big moments because they are so understaffed. They missed the 80 to 100 blacks who showed up on Wayne Township Trustee Ricky Stevenson’s call to “raise hell” over a recycling center on Pontiac. And, they did raise hell. For those of us who where there and who are there regularly it was a moment of high-political drama and substance. The TV folk, the radio folk all missed it. They were surprised to hear about it, so superficial is their coverage.

So, I don’t blame Ben Lanka for not knowing State is also called Street, not just Boulevard. I doubt he knows the Coliseum Boulevard was once the Circum Urban and before that portions were called the Krauskopf Road and Bueter Road. He can’t be expected to. His editors, however, should. Shame on Tracy Warner.

Unfortunately, we are a pass through market, so the electronic people are just there for mild entertainment. I expect more, though, from the papers. Sometimes, I get more from them, but with increasing money woes, decreasing circulation and many other news and information options I do not expect the New Sentinel to last much beyond this year. I hope I am wrong, but money talks and times are tough in the local media.

Photo credit: historyofwowo.com

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1. Get the hell out of my sandbox If anyone outside of Fort Wayne is following the story...

He goes on to explain how he was *so* impressed with their services, he cut a deal with them to save you money. If you mention his name or, when on their web site and use “Pat White” in the promo code box, you get 10% off.

He’s full of crap.

He didn’t cut a deal with them. Just like he didn’t pay for his sleep number bed. From the web site www.lifelockaffiliates.com you can find their affiliates program where it states:

Our affiliate program has a rev-share program that pays you a 30% commission.

So go ahead and use his promo code, and he gets a nifty 30% commission. Then again, if you don’t want to line his pockets because he flat-out lied to you, go to this link and use a different promo code.

This is really nothing new. Rush, Hannity, Kim Komando all use the same affiliate marketing programs. Just don’t believe Pat when he tells you he cut you the deal of a lifetime.

I bet Pat won’t lift this story off the blog for show prep.

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Dear Friends

July 15, 2009

If you thought living in Indiana didn’t mean being on the front line of the culture war, think again. Although the East and West Coasts are where we see much of the battle going on over the legal validity, social acceptability, and cultural plausibility of same-sex marriage, that battle has once again come to the Midwest. On Sunday, July 12, the Elkhart Truth newspaper published in its announcements and engagements section the notice that a same-sex couple with ties to the Elkhart area recently got engaged, and will soon be married in Iowa.

Click the link below to continue reading

This development is something that is almost unheard of for Indiana newspapers. Indiana does not allow same-sex couples to marry, and we do not recognize the “marriages” of same-sex couples in other states. Our law holds that only one man and one woman can be married and, conversely, this means that any other type of so-called “marriage” is invalid and non-existent. What the Truth published was an announcement of something that is not recognized in Indiana law or accepted in Indiana culture.

As an attempt to justify their actions, some of the leadership of the Truth has pointed out that the New York Times publishes notices of same-sex engagements and marriages. Additionally, they have argued that it is not their job to agree with the news, but only report the news. This thinking hardly makes what took place appropriate. What Greg Halling, [email: ghalling@etruth.com] the managing editor of the Truth, must know is that Indiana is not New York, and what was published was not “news” because it was not something that can take place in, or be accepted in, Indiana.

Marriage in Indiana has been under assault before, and this is only the latest attempt to undermine our state’s position that traditional marriage is the only kind of marriage that is acceptable or right. Please take action today and call the Elkhart Truth’s parent company, Federated Media, and urge them to stop the Truth from publishing the engagement and wedding announcements of same-sex couples. Indiana does not recognize such unions because they can never be equal with true marriage.

You can reach John Dille III, CEO of Federated Media, by calling 574-295-2500 or email jdille@federatedmedia.com. Your polite but firm message to him, and his company, regarding this matter will make a difference. If we fail to speak out about this first incident, there will be another incident, and then another, until it becomes a regular and accepted practice. You and I must stand up for the traditional values that we believe in; the values that form the foundation for the greatness of our country.

Sincerely,

Brian Sikma
Reclaim Our Heritage
www.reclaimourheritage.us

Note: Federated Media’s local properties:

WFWI-FM 92.3 – Classic Rock
WBYR-FM 98.9 – Active Rock
WOWO-AM 1190 – NewsTalk
WKJG-AM 1380 – ESPN SportsRadio
WMEE-FM 97.3 – Hot Adult Contemporary
WQHK-FM 105.1 – Country
WFGA-FM 106.7 – Adult Contemporary
WAWC – Willie 103.5 Country

Other contacts:

Tony Richards E-Mail: trichards@federatedmedia.com
Chief Operating Officer (574) 295-2500

Mark Osborn Email: mosborn@federatedmedia.com
Director of Sales (260) 471-5100

Jim Allgeier E-Mail: jallgeier@federatedmedia.com
General Manager, Fort Wayne North (260) 447-5511

Mark DePrez E-Mail: mdeprez@federatedmedia.com
General Manager, Fort Wayne South (260) 447-5511

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