By Sue White
The Saginaw News
Published on 8/01/04
Excerpt:
On the technical end, the station sends out 1,000 watts, enough to carry the signal into Saginaw, Bay and Midland counties, with some carrying into Tuscola County and up to Tawas. Meredith has applied for, and the FCC has approved, a boost to 5,000 watts during daytime. In comparison, WSGW broadcasts at 5,000 watts during the day and 1,000 watts at night.
But the biggest challenge facing the WNEM project, predicts Al Tompkins, is one of time pressure. Tompkins, a member of the broadcast and online journalism staff at the St. Petersburg, Fla.-based Poynter Institute, which offers intense journalism workshops, once worked for Meredith and trained at Channel 5.
With lax FCC regulation regarding cross-ownership among broadcasters, Tompkins says, Meredith's acquisition is hardly unusual. Clear Channel is the dominant force in that corner, owning more than 1,000 radio stations and more than 30 television stations across the country, many in the same markets.
Tompkins points out several major markets where it works well, such as Chicago, Boston, Houston and in Fort Lauderdale, where a radio station actually sits in the print newsroom.
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