November 29, 2007
WWOR 9 Under Fire For Not Being Jersey Enough
WWOR/channel 9 got a wake-up call that it's supposed to be a New Jersey TV station when the FCC held a hearing about the station's license renewal. Critics say the station's license shouldn't be renewed because it has failed to discuss NJ news and issues.
The station, owned by News Corporation whose local media holdings include WNYW/Channel 5 and the NY Post, was moved to NJ in 1986 due to FCC law that each state have a VHF channel. But, as the Star-Ledger reports, non-profit "Voice of New Jersey cites WWOR's own FCC "Service to New Jersey" reports indicating the station ran 1,354 New Jersey news stories between 1999 and 2006, an average of fewer than 170 stories a year, or one every two days." Not only that, most of the NJ stories that aired were "lurid, tabloid" stories about killings and crimes.
At yesterday's hearing held at Rutgers, Senator Frank Lautenberg complained, "When you pick up your remote and turn to Channel 9, you are not getting sufficient information about New Jersey’s schools, roads or neighborhoods...Routinely, the news is about New York, and New Jersey news is largely forgotten or buried deep into newscasts." From the NY Times:
...the home page on the station’s Web site features an image of the New York skyline. (Less than two hours after the hearing, WWOR replaced the skyline image with one of the George Washington Bridge.)...Of course, masking tape can't cover everything: The WWOR website happens to be www.my9ny.com (www.my9nj.com isn't available, so we expect WWOR's site to redirect there soon!).WWOR’s vice president, Lew Leone, responded to the criticism by showing a video that included clips of the station’s New Jersey coverage. The video ended with the words “My9 and New Jersey: Perfect Together.” (What appeared to be masking tape had been placed over the letters “NY” in the “My9NY” slogan on a WWOR television video camera that was recording the proceedings.)
The license will probably be renewed, but the issue has brought up an interesting debate about the awkward place NJ is in, especially being between two major media markets like NY and Philly. But could a mostly-NJ station survive?
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Just like the Giants and the Jets.
But come on, now: Can you ever REALLY be "Jersey enough"?
WOR ain't Jersey -- it's ghetto!
Of the New York stations, WNBC seems to have the best coverage of New Jersey and have broken some major stories in the state and has some very good coverage of New Jersey politics.
There is one network affiliated station, other than WWOR, in New Jersey. It is WMGM, which is in Atlantic City and is an NBC affiliate. The funny thing is that it is an incredibly low budget station with a limited viewing area.
NJN, the New Jersey PBS station, has a 5 day a week newscast, that also airs on WNET (which is licensed to Newark), which is more issues based than topical. You won't see the crime of the day, but instead a report about how the DMV is making more secure documents.
Perhaps some sort of independent station, with a license between the two markets (say central Jersey somewhere) and seen in both, could work provided it had some good programing and relevant programing - say Rutgers athletics, a New Jersey newscast and some local New Jersey focused programs (think Uncle Floyd).
As for WWOR, NewsCorp got an exception from the FCC, since it owns a newspaper and another TV station in the market which some have questioned the kosherness of since such a thing is usually verboten according to FCC rules, unless an exception is made.
Can you really blame them?
Jersey is awesome.
Does Hoffman beverages still advertise on WOR with the Joe Franklyn show?
Of the New York stations, WNBC seems to have the best coverage of New Jersey and have broken some major stories in the state and has some very good coverage of New Jersey politics.
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Yeah, the news director there wore a diaper and dog chain while at WWOR producing the Howard Stern Show. It's easily found on videotape; copies are known to be at the union offices representing NBC's technicians.
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"Beverages by Hoffman, my friends ... Matzoh by Streits ... and Martin Paint, it ain't just paint" -- Joe Franklin as channeled by Billy Crystal.
Ah the dangers of cut-and-paste stenography:
An article in some editions on Nov. 28 about a hearing on whether WWOR, a New Jersey-based TV station owned by Fox Television Stations, covers New Jersey sufficiently to merit renewal of its broadcast license referred incorrectly to a WWOR video camera that recorded the proceedings. Although there was a piece of masking tape on the camera, it was not in fact covering the letters NY. Fox says that the station's cameras are labeled My9 and do not have the letters NY on them. (Fox uses ''My9NY'' as a slogan and as part of its Web site address.)
NY Times, 12/7/07