Twenty-four hours after a major technical meltdown, the folks at CBS News Radio were on a conference call with stations…and taking notes!
Background: when I came to Ely in 2008, KELY was an ABC and Paul Harvey News affiliate until Harvey passed. After a brief run as a True Oldies Channel affiliate, KELY went to Salem Radio for our News services until our late owner, Fred Weinberg, and his partner, Floyd Brown, purchased the failing USA Radio Network and rebuilt their news services. Following Weinberg’s passing and the issues with USA, we went back to Salem Radio and their Town Hall news service. Following the assassination attempt on President Trump in Butler County, Pennsylvania, the absolute weaknesses of Town Hall and SRN were glaring. To put it bluntly, our station was exposed. Town Hall was not an asset in news coverage, but a liability. Salem DID do extended coverage, but a large number of stations weren’t notified, including KELY. Massive failure.
The crew at CBS News Radio had gone “wall to wall” with coverage and also four live updates every hour. We expedited a move from Salem to CBS and have never looked back. The change paid off when there was a second, thwarted attempt two months later in West Palm Beach and when President Biden withdrew from the 2024 Presidential race. The resources and communication that CBS News Radio provides to KELY and other stations is unbelievable. It paid off in so many ways. Live coverage and multiple special reports by CBS News Radio have been available to our tiny station and so many others.
The Capital Jewish Museum Shooting in May. Live coverage of FBI press briefings.
The June bombing of Iranian Nuclear sites under Operation Midnight Hammer. The President LIVE on KELY. Live Pentagon briefings.
LIVE Presidential and Vice-Presidential debate coverage.
While many of our hosts criticize the CBS Television News team, (and in some cases, justifyably so) I have nothing bad to say about CBS. Even our 9am-Noon host, Todd Starnes, uses CBS News Radio on his station, KWAM in Memphis. Their news presentation on the radio is head and shoulders above anyone else on the air. Bar none.
(By the way, I keep going out of my way to point out that there is a difference between CBS News and CBS News Radio. While CBS News Radio does use some assets from the Television news division, it is separately produced. And in many ways, the radio product is better because of that separation. )
That brings us to August 4th. The day of a big oops.
An equipment failure at satellite provider Skyview Networks left the ENTIRE National Network without a 3pm, 3:31pm, or 4pm Newscast. The big issue here is that the 4pm World News Roundup is locally sponsored. If you were listening, I jumped into the seat and did a makeshift newscast that was sub-par, even by my low standards.
Fortunately, CBS News Radio does a monthly Zoom call. It all could have been just an email mea culpa. But the staff did something that we all forget to do every so often. They listened. They took notes. They actually APPRECIATED suggestions. And THAT is the mark of a good business. When there’s a failure, listen to see what could have been done better. Sometimes, that customer might have a suggestion that could help your company DO BETTER.
CBS News Radio listened to suggestions from little old KELY in Ely, Nevada. It could help them - and us - in the long run. We’ll see.
In the meantime, I’ll keep getting my “here’s what the planned headlines are” every 30 minutes from CBS. I’ll keep getting my “We’ll have live feeds of this event” emails. I’ll keep gett ing my “These reporters are available for interviews” emails. I'll have live access to audio from newsmakers and reporters at the touch of a button. Stuff we never got from our other providers. It keeps us prepared for live breaking news. And for when the delivery system breaks. We’ll be ready.
Because in the final analysis, you deserve access to the best available radio news coverage in America. And it’s not from Fox. Trust me.