cablewithaview
03-23-2006, 04:25 AM
WKYC program on Time Warner could sign off without ad support
A locally produced newscast for Akron and Canton is once again fighting for survival.
The news, carried on Time Warner Cable, is searching for a larger and steadier source of advertising.
If the newscast does not get more support soon, it could be off the air by the end of April, WKYC (Channel 3) news director Dick Moore said Tuesday.
The Akron-Canton newscast has been on Time Warner since July. WKYC oversees production of the news while Time Warner is responsible for selling advertising.
The news arrived there from WVPX (Channel 23) after that station's owner, Paxson Communications, decided to end an agreement with the Gannett Co., Channel 3's owner, to air a Channel 3-produced newscast.
That was the second time Paxson had dropped a local newscast. In the mid-1990s, when it bought Channel 23, it also dropped local news. The news was later restored under the deal with WKYC.
The newscast, anchored by Eric Mansfield, has been able to continue on Time Warner Cable with a staff of about 10, including three on-air people and four videographers.
Time Warner spokesman Bill Jasso said the newscast was valuable to his company because it was unique programming not available to satellite-dish company subscribers.
Still, the newscast has operated at a significant loss on cable, both Jasso and Moore said Tuesday. Neither would discuss specific numbers, but the annual loss appears to be in the mid-six figures.
Moving from broadcast to cable not only reduced the potential audience for the news, but it also took the telecast out of the local Nielsen ratings, where advertisers could find hard evidence for buying time in the news.
While the news still has advertising, it does not have consistent support from institutional advertisers such as banks and the University of Akron.
``It really takes the support of significant corporate players in the market, people for whom the (newscast's) coverage... is a significant part of their outreach,'' Moore said.
With help from Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic, Time Warner hopes to gather representatives of those corporate players in the first week of April to discuss how to keep the newscast going. A letter to community leaders should go out this week, Jasso said.
Neither Time Warner nor Channel 3 is looking to make big money, the two spokesmen said. But in a difficult economic climate for news organizations -- witness the sale-in-progress of the Beacon Journal -- companies do not want to sustain large continuing losses.
``This is about covering costs,'' Jasso said. ``This is not about making a profit.''
And if the effort does not work?
Channel 3 will continue to cover Akron-Canton, Moore said, but with a significantly reduced presence: one reporter (Mansfield) and two videographers.
http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/entertainment/14157487.htm?source=rss&channel=ohio_living
A locally produced newscast for Akron and Canton is once again fighting for survival.
The news, carried on Time Warner Cable, is searching for a larger and steadier source of advertising.
If the newscast does not get more support soon, it could be off the air by the end of April, WKYC (Channel 3) news director Dick Moore said Tuesday.
The Akron-Canton newscast has been on Time Warner since July. WKYC oversees production of the news while Time Warner is responsible for selling advertising.
The news arrived there from WVPX (Channel 23) after that station's owner, Paxson Communications, decided to end an agreement with the Gannett Co., Channel 3's owner, to air a Channel 3-produced newscast.
That was the second time Paxson had dropped a local newscast. In the mid-1990s, when it bought Channel 23, it also dropped local news. The news was later restored under the deal with WKYC.
The newscast, anchored by Eric Mansfield, has been able to continue on Time Warner Cable with a staff of about 10, including three on-air people and four videographers.
Time Warner spokesman Bill Jasso said the newscast was valuable to his company because it was unique programming not available to satellite-dish company subscribers.
Still, the newscast has operated at a significant loss on cable, both Jasso and Moore said Tuesday. Neither would discuss specific numbers, but the annual loss appears to be in the mid-six figures.
Moving from broadcast to cable not only reduced the potential audience for the news, but it also took the telecast out of the local Nielsen ratings, where advertisers could find hard evidence for buying time in the news.
While the news still has advertising, it does not have consistent support from institutional advertisers such as banks and the University of Akron.
``It really takes the support of significant corporate players in the market, people for whom the (newscast's) coverage... is a significant part of their outreach,'' Moore said.
With help from Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic, Time Warner hopes to gather representatives of those corporate players in the first week of April to discuss how to keep the newscast going. A letter to community leaders should go out this week, Jasso said.
Neither Time Warner nor Channel 3 is looking to make big money, the two spokesmen said. But in a difficult economic climate for news organizations -- witness the sale-in-progress of the Beacon Journal -- companies do not want to sustain large continuing losses.
``This is about covering costs,'' Jasso said. ``This is not about making a profit.''
And if the effort does not work?
Channel 3 will continue to cover Akron-Canton, Moore said, but with a significantly reduced presence: one reporter (Mansfield) and two videographers.
http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/entertainment/14157487.htm?source=rss&channel=ohio_living