LOSING THEIR VOICES? A Look at Local Radio

When small town radio first swept the nation, many towns gained their voices with a local station. It was where citizens turned for news, obituaries and church services, traded junk on the swap shop and followed local athletic teams.

As the country changed, so did radio. In an era of multi-station owners, satellite radio and digital, some question whether local AM and FM stations can survive.

"LOSING THEIR VOICES? A Look at Local Radio" looks at those changes and how some stations in South Carolina have survived while others have failed. The documentary features station owners and personalities, local politicians and local talent, and even the fever of Friday night football in a sports-mad state. The president of the National Association of Broadcasters, the NAB Senior Vice President for Radio, a leading Southern technical consultant, and numerous station owners are also interviewed.

While set in South Carolina, LOSING THEIR VOICES? has wide appeal across the nation as stations struggle to survive.

Producer Haney Howell is an associate professor of mass communications at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C. He was a producer and correspondent for CBS News, a producer at ABC News in New York and an anchor/reporter in Denver, Col. He turned to teaching 20 years ago but has stayed on the air at several area stations.

Executive editor Mark Nortz is an instructor in the Department of Mass Communications as well. He worked for many years as a photographer, reporter and producer in the Watertown, N.Y., market. They team teach classes that produce a weekly half-hour news show and several documentaries each year.
 

NOLA code:

LVLR 00 K1

Program title:

LOSING THEIR VOICES? A Look at Local Radio

Episodes/length:

1/30

Feed date/time:

Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009 @ 2200-2230ET/SD 07
"Feed-For-Record"

Closed captioned:

Yes

Stereo:

No

SAP:

No

Format/version:

SD Base

Aspect ration:

4x3

Suggested TV rating:

TV-G

Short description:

When small town radio first swept the nation, many towns gained their voices with a local station. It was where citizens turned for news, obituaries and church services, traded junk on the swap shop, and followed local athletic teams.

As the country changed, so did radio. In an era of multi-station owners, satellite radio and digital, some question whether local AM and FM stations can survive.

This documentary looks at those changes and how some stations in South Carolina have survived while others have failed.

Suggested scheduling:

 

Flags:

None

Broadcast history:

SCETV's Southern Lens

Tag:

None

Rights:

UNLIMITED releases over three years (UNL/3YRS) beginning 11/1/09; SCH/UNL; VOD/UNL; and non-commercial cable rights granted. Royalty free to members and subscribers of the National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA).

Producer:

Haney Howell & Mark Nortz
Winthrop University
Rock Hill, S.C. 29732
howellh@winthrop.edu

Presenter:

SCETV

Date produced:

2008

Funding:

Winthrop University Research Grant

Underwriting:

Local underwriting is permissible

Web site:

www.scetv.org

Viewer contact:

Haney Howell, howellh@winthrop.edu