Central CA-It took a while but a familiar face to Central Valley viewers made its way back to HDTV screens. Rich Rodriguez, long-time newscaster, is back.

That is no small accomplishment considering the state of broadcast television these days. Rodriguez is spending weekends doing news for the Central Valley FOX affiliate, KMPH FOX 26.

In some ways, it is a stronger fit for Rodriquez. His new news position has him broadcasting on the most powerful station in Central California. Now, his stories will potentially reach more viewers than ever before.  

Rodriquez was sitting around for months after the NBC affiliate in Fresno let him go. The news veteran had options, especially since his resume included a news stay in Los Angeles.

However, Rodriguez held on to hope of working in his home region and KMPH came through.  

Television is currently facing a financial crisis, the likes of which has never been seen in the broadcast industry. News jobs are harder to come by, so Rodriquez is one of the few to bounce back after the current wave of news anchor cutbacks.

Anywhere, U.S.A. — There aren’t many TV shows these days that are appointment TV. Viewers do not have to rearrange their schedules to be in front of the TV. It does not work like that anymore. 

With On-Demand, Internet, and other viewing conveniences, the good old days of families gathered in front of the TV, on TV’s terms, are fading to black. However, a few shows can still force the audience into old habits. American Idol is one of them. People will stop what they are doing to watch A.I. 

Especially to watch this guy. Adam Lambert is the obvious front-runner in 2009. His performances continue to astound the studio audiences, the panel of American Idol judges, and many of the millions watching on the other side of the television.

Lambert is so good it begs the questions, “Who passed on this guy in previous auditions? Were they impaired or passed out?” It is obvious that the guy can sing. The pride of Central California, Steve Perry, should feel honored. Lambert is a Journey lead singer throw back.

The more Lambert performs and shows his vocal power, the more one has to wonder how this talent slipped through the Hollywood cracks. It is apparent that Lambert is destined for stardom no matter what the outcome on American Idol.

There has to be a few agent-producer-director types who are cringing and switching over to Dancing with the Stars on Idol night just so they do not see what they missed with Lambert. It is probably not a good idea to admit that you were the one who said “Thank you. We’ll be in touch. Next!” at previously unsuccessful Lambert auditions.

M. Brace Coines-RLTV

Central CA— A vast majority of U.S. shoppers have no idea what a “Gottschalks” is. That is because Gottschalks has been the little train that could for most of its existence. It started as a small chain of department stores in the Wild West town of Fresno over 100 years ago, and grew to 58 stores.

Just like that, Gottschalks vanishes from the retail landscape. In the blink of an eye, 5,000 jobs and thousands more shoppers are left out in the cold. Some will say Gottschalks should have stayed close to home, stake its claim in the Central California region, and leave it at that. Others will say they never would have been able to compete without the retail buying power of more stores.

Nevertheless, what happened to Gottschalks is another great loss for the information industry. Broadcasters and newspapers relied heavily on Gottschalks’ advertising to generate income. In some cases, Gottschalks was the #1 advertiser, but not anymore.

It is another economic victim of our times, another significant loss with trickle-down consequences for so many in the path. One-hundred years disappears just like that. Some will say that is the cycle of business life. Many customers and employees on all sides of Gottschalks say that “stinks.”

Central CA—Advertising: a whole industry depends on it. Furthermore, your news and information depends on it as well. Right now, many in the news industry are learning a hard lesson in economics: no money, no job. It has a lot to do with news and broadcasting depending on a single revenue stream.

Take another kind of business, like auto. There are new car sales, used car sales, service work, warranties, parts, accessories; multiple money streams. If one part of the business lags, another can prop it up.

In television, radio, and even newspaper, “advertising” is it. Paper sales and rebroadcast rights trickle in money, but it is not enough to support the “information” industry.

So the next time a business decides that advertising is a nuisance and a needless expense, the business’ decision maker might want to consider this…without advertising we are less informed.

You might find this next plea almost as jarring as the current “Newsweek” with Uncle Sam pointing and saying, “I want you to start spending!” Business owners, you need to start advertising!

Take pity on the slick-talking, annoying salesperson who smilingly strolls in your front door; they actually serve a purpose. They connect you to advertising, a “tool” that benefits your bottom line, generates new business, and keeps your neighbors and customers employed. Your news people; your program people; your advertising people; your ad agencies; your commercial makers; your sign makers; your print people; your entertainers; the “YOUR” list is a long one and they all depend on YOU Mr. or Ms. Advertiser.

Now more than ever, find an “ad campaign” and embrace it. Many others depend on it. Besides, right now you can get some unbelievable deals. There is a new tune about it all, working its way through the industry, click and listen:

adparody1

E.Brace Coines-RLTV

Central CA—He is baaack! It did not take long for Central California sportscaster Alexian Balakian to land on his seat. The locally focused broadcaster went right down the street, McKinley Avenue in Fresno to be exact.

Balekian moves from KSEE TV (NBC affiliate) to KMPH TV (Fox affiliate). KSEE removed Balakian, a Central Valley favorite, from the sports staff right before Valentine’s Day 2009. The blame was the current fiscal dilemma in broadcast television.

Coincidently, TV neighbor KMPH needed fill-in sports help, so Balakian was asked to join the news/sports department. It is a temporary arrangement for now, but some feel that is the case with any TV job these days.

Advertisers pulling ad campaigns in this current slow economy have hit the broadcast industry hard, a cause and effect that has rocked broadcast booths nationwide.

An update to this story: Balakian has moved on again.  This time he’s heard but not seen as a sportscaster on KMJ-FM radio in Fresno.

Central CA—Glamour, glory, golden…the three Gs that ruled the TV industry for years. Unfortunately, all of that is rapidly changing. There may still be some glamour and glory in TV, but it’s not nearly as golden as the golden years of the ‘80s and ‘90s.  

In the past, a TV station making money was never an issue, but rather, how much. That’s why the salaries of on-air personalities and upper management got so enormous. Now, a lot of that is coming to a screeching halt, as you may have guessed.

Many broadcasters are in a daze as layoffs and cutbacks continue to stun the broadcast industry nationwide.  The news gatherers never had to think about money running short; it was TV for crying out loud!

There used to be the perception that TV was a fully funded fun house of financial stability, a glamour job with a golden glow. But now with a sputtering economy and TV’s number one customer (the auto industry) on the ropes, that perception is not reality. TV is just like every other business now. If it can make money, the business will grow. If not, cutbacks will occur.  You can’t just flip a switch and be successful.

Stand by for the next shock. If business doesn’t get better soon, some news outlets will have no choice but to disappear completely. RealLocalTV.com may have an answer to part of the problem; keep coming back for a look.  

M.Brace Coines-RLTV.com

Fresno, CA—RealLocalTV.com has been sounding the warning for some time—the dismantling of the local news right before our eyes.  

There is more evidence of this difficult change. Two TV news icons were sent packing right before Valentine’s Day 2009. KSEE released long-time sports anchor Alexan Balekian and veteran weatherman Jim Guy with little fanfare and a lot of shock.

The departures are the latest indicators of tough economic times for the news industry. The economy (or lack of) has hit the once-lucrative news business hard. A week before the KSEE shock, Fresno’s legendary newspaper experienced another rattle. The Fresno Bee reported huge losses and more cutbacks ahead.

Both are examples of reduced advertising revenues and increased competition. Newspapers and local TV newscasts have been under assault by increased Internet options. That e-transition, along with the current economic downturn, has created the dismantling of conventional news.

See the kind of thing that made Balekian a favorite in local sports coverage. Click on his picture on the RLTV.com home page and see the bet that made him famous.

Central CA—Perhaps the math will explain it. You make a dollar. It costs three dollars to do the news. You can’t do the news anymore. That is an over simplification of the situation but it is precisely what is happening to your local news.  

Early indicators are it will get worse before it gets better. This news outlet (RealLocalTV.com News) would like nothing more than to paint a rosy picture for the local news. However, it would not be the truth. For the first time ever, really, newspapers and newscasts have to reinvent themselves.

The news industry is getting a hard lesson in economics. Education needs to pay close attention or students will come out of the halls of higher learning with news skills that are woefully inadequate and incomplete. If the news student does not learn multi-tasking to gather the news (sights, sounds and words), it appears there will not be a job waiting when school is out.

Who would have guessed local news of the ‘70s, ‘80s and some of the ‘90s would be the golden era of local news. It sure seems that way now. The days of sitting around the newsroom rubbing elbows with people like Tom Brokaw are a distant memory, made hazier by the lack of finances.

Central CA—This might come under the heading of TMI for TVV (too much information for TV viewers). There are up to 1.5 million people in California’s Central region. A recent business negotiation created a lot of static for a large segment of that population.  

The FOX affiliate in Central California, KMPH, had a difference of opinion with one of the local cable providers, Comcast. It was a negotiation for re-transmission rights. The local affiliate wanted its fair share for rights to its programs. The definition of “fair” created the tension.

The TMI for TVV comes in after the two sides went public. The cable company hit the cable lines with its message. The TV station went to the airwaves warning that FOX programming might disappear. Just a small warning, a matter of seconds really, that just so happened to run in American Idol. The “Idol” threat stirred thousands watching. The notion that “Idol” might disappear was too much.

Advertisers were uncomfortable with the tension. Distressed viewers flooded both sides with calls. A dilemma was brewing. What will we do if cable drops FOX?

It demonstrated how quickly we change and forget. We changed from free TV, to pay for cable, then to pay for satellite, and forgot that all that FOX stuff (and more) is up in the air for FREE. People with antennas had nothing to worry about, but still there was a panic that cable would drop FOX.

In Central California, cable watchers make up perhaps a third of the audience but the idea of going back to antenna’s had a majority of the viewing public, even those with rabbit ears and dishes in a uproar. Before the confusion escalated further something magical happened. 

Poof, after the announcement on American Idol’s premiere night, it was a done deal. Vocal viewers may have helped speed it up. No matter what the case, it was amazing to see what happens when you substitute TV screens for picket signs.  Only a third of the viewers would have been effected by a day without cable, but you’d never have known it by the public reaction.

M.Brace Coines-RLTV

Central CA—Pay close attention and you will notice a shrinking newspaper or a shriveling news team. There is one big reason for the reductions. It is called advertising dollars. When the advertising dollars dwindle, so does the news, or at least the ability to provide it. 

It may take a while for all of this to sink in but the communication business has forever changed. The main causes include digital conversion in television, Internet acceptance worldwide, and the demand for instant information. Pick your favorite reason or make up a new one. Regardless, there is no turning back.

Throw in the ”current economy” excuse and you have confusion with no real end in sight. There is no way of knowing exactly how the public will react to television’s new world order in February 2009-DTV. However, one thing is for sure: there will be even more options for public consumption and more choices will strip broadcasters and newspapers’ power base.  

Old methods of reaching customers may be outdated, but don’t think that advertising is obsolete. On the contrary, it is far from it. You just need to use the TV and the newspaper differently to make sure people get the information they need and want before they step outside.

This is precisely why RealLocalTV.com exists and why you will want to visit this site repeatedly. To see the change as it happens. We are a part of it.

M. Brace Coines-RLTV