Since the dawn of the broadcasting era, it has been at the forefront of covering major events across the globe. Now, after almost a century, America’s CBS News Radio is shutting down.
In confirming the closure, CBS News cited a shift in radio programming strategies and challenging economic times as the reason for the decision.
CBS News Radio programming will officially wind up on May 22, with all jobs on its radio team to be axed.
Some 700 affiliated radio stations across the U.S had carried CBS News Radio programming.
In a statement, CBS News President Tom Cibrowski and Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss said:
“For nearly 100 years, CBS News Radio has delivered original reporting to the nation — from Edward R. Murrow’s World War II reports in London to today’s daily White House updates,” they said. “Our signature broadcast, ‘World News Roundup,’ remains the longest-running newscast in the country. CBS News Radio served as the foundation for everything we have built since 1927.”
The news has sent shockwaves through the Australian radio industry, with veteran journalist and CBS correspondent Scott Mayman saying the closure marks a dark day for broadcasting.
“I feel gutted. I’m heartbroken.”
“CBS News was a major part of life, not just for me, but for the millions of Americans. Edward R Murrow, Walter Kronkite, you name them. For 100 years or so, History was made and broadcast thanks to the tireless volumes of journalists who did the right thing.”
“For 24 years, I was one of them, both in the United States and also as a correspondent here in Australia. Worst of all, this is the closure of an entire news department in which all of my colleagues will be without a job from May 22.”
Image: CBS
Applying a possible scenario to whats happening to the loss of CBS News news feeds to the 700 stations to Australia.
In the USA, a station receiving the CBS feeds may do either (a) take a feed from other news sources such as ABC or Fox (b) revert to cheaper talkback personality programming with sponsored content or (c) shut down completely as many AM stations are shutting down in the USA.
Consumers are transferring their news sources to social media for news and commentary.
For most social media it's attention seeking click bait and exaggerrated content with no verifiable sources.
But social media does have the "citizen journalist" with the mobile phone taking pictures of breaking news stories. For example Nick Shirley took his phone to a child care centre in Minnesota receiving government grants but no clients. It was known as "The Quality Learing (sic) Center".
For some channels it's in depth commentary with over one million views. Think of Joe Rogan, Patrick Bet David 'PBD'.
One channel Shawn Ryan attracted over three million views for a four hour intervew with an exorcist and theologian Fr Chad Ripperger, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2p_cfipbEw .
Many of these channels attract a larger audience than mainstream media. But it would be difficult for a broadcast talk station to accommodate in depth talk.
For broadcast radio it will be extremely difficult in an era of declining ad revenue to sustain a rolling news coverage.
It will also be difficult for broadcast radio to hold in depth Joe Rogan or even a Shawn Ryan podcasts for hours.
For broadcast radio in Australia it is fortunate that radio stations have been repurposed and not shut down.
The last shut down was 2BE (Burgin Electric not 2BE Bega) in 1929, Sydney.
2GB as a talk station began as a rolling news station in 1982 and revived in 1999 after being in the doldrums during the 1990s.
Since 2020 it has lost its rolling news coverage for more in-studio talk and sponsored content/advertorials.
It is still the market leader.
Yet there is declining ad revenue and the question will 2GB be sustainable in its current format?
I suggest a parallel with alternative (b) in the USA mentioned earlier. 2GB is in that category by ditching its rolling news.
Unless the new owners the Laundy family research the viability and risk of investing the revival of 2GB as a rolling news talk service it will be impossible as a rolling news station.
The situation the Laundys face with media choices and declining ad revenue was not there when John Singleton took over in 1999.
But there is ABC News Radio and Sky News Radio on DAB+ as sources of rolling news coverage.
For the latter, audience measurement methods for broadcast radio is not the same for DAB+ making it difficult to measure how much of 2GB's audience went to Sky News Radio.
It would be of benefit for all parties concerned including Sky, The Laundys and advertisers to have the same audience measurement systems for broadcast and DAB+.
Anthony, Strathfield South, in the land of the Wangal and Darug Peoples of the Eora Nation.