Posted by Bud on January 05, 2010 at 13:18:34:
In his Sun-Times media column today, Lewis Lazare interviews a handful of Chicago media personalities to see what their predictions are for 2010. Among those interviewed are Mark Suppelsa, Anna Davlantes, Rob Johnson, Larry Wert, Emily Barr, Mitch Rosen, Bill Gamble and others.
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Broadcasters' hopes high, but anticipate pitfalls in 2010
January 5, 2010
LEWIS LAZARE
Just about everyone in the Chicago broadcasting industry agrees they are happy to see a new year replace a very difficult 2009. But we wondered what will be some of the things to watch for in 2010. Here are what some local broadcasters told us to expect:
Rob Johnson, anchor, WBBM-Channel 2: I think what we are doing in the station's news department is resonating with viewers, and we want to continue to try and stand apart from our competition in the way we present the news.
Rod Zimmerman, market manager, CBS Radio Chicago: We are actually optimistic going into the new year, especially on the revenue front, where our stations were down 10 to 12 percent in 2009. We are predicting an upward tick of between 5 and 9 percent in our revenue for 2010, which is good news.
Emily Barr, general manager, WLS-Channel 7: 2010 feels like the seas will calm down a bit, though new technology will continue to make waves.
Six upcoming local political debates on WLS point to the need to keep it relevant and keep it local.
Bill Gamble, program director, country WUSN-FM (99.5) and adult contemporary WCFS-FM (105.9): Quicker ratings delivery with the portable people meter, real time streaming information and instant access to radio stations via social networking will give listeners an unprecedented voice in programming.
Larry Wert, president, central and western region, NBC local media, including WMAQ-Channel 5: If Comcast closes on its deal to acquire NBC Universal, the newly combined company will launch a new array of possibilities in our local media landscape. This will include new opportunities for advertisers and viewers, including more and deeper local content and more ways of electronic delivery for consumers to choose from. And I predict the telecast on NBC stations of the Winter Olympics from Vancouver will be the most-viewed programming event of 2010!
Mitch Rosen, program director, sports talk WSCR-AM (670): Digitally speaking, www.670 thescore.com is up over 300 percent in page views year to year, and that growing Web site traffic in turn kicks up the radio audience base. Overall, the sports radio format is larger and healthier than ever, and my prediction is it will continue to grow and move toward more of a mass appeal option for radio consumers in 2010.
Mark Suppelsa, anchor, WGN-Channel 9: Fierce competition for fewer eyeballs will continue in 2010. No surprise there. What may surprise more casual TV news observers is the eye-opening question whispered among several varied sources: Will every newsroom survive the year?
Anna Davlantes, contributing anchor and reporter, WFLD-Channel 32: I think 2010 is going to be one of the more fascinating years in Chicago broadcasting. There are so many big news events in the offing: major political seats are up for grabs; the Rod Blagojevich trial is scheduled to begin, and viewers continue to feel the pinch of the recession.
Ron Gleason, director of news and programming, all news WBBM-AM (780): From the competition, we expect more changes in talent lineups. With a number of big-name personalities having lost their shows because of the economy and declining ratings, you just know one or two will wind up taking a pay cut and resurfacing.
Don't be surprised to see a former music station personality switch to hosting an all-talk program. And one or two radio stations will change formats in 2010. It happens every year.