Obama Out of the Chute

[Obama and the Press] Not that the guy was under any pressure or anything--his first presidential news conference while he's struggling to push his whopping economic stimulus package past balky congressional Republicans--but Obama did all right last night.

At least that's the way Howard Kurtz, media columnist for the Washington Post, seems to be reading the performance. Some White House reporters were eager to stir the shit, trying to build controversy where there isn't any. Namely, AP's Jennifer Loven, who got the first question and whose story on the news conference ran in today's Salt Lake Tribune. Reading Loven's kinda, sorta news story on the event made me do one of those "were we listening to the same man, at the same time?" headscratchers. Wrote Loven:

In an hourlong press conference Monday, Obama shot back repeatedly with biting, sarcastic asides about GOP lawmakers who say the bill is too big, loaded with pork-barrel spending and won't create jobs.

You know, I was listening on my car radio, so I may have missed facial ticks, frowns and eye rolls--your basic indicators of sarcasm. What I heard was a president who won last fall in a landslide, standing firm on an economic plan he has vetted with his experts and needs desperately to get passed in Congress. Loven and the rest of her pals in the White House press corps have gotten too comfortable writing for each other--a common malady of journalists who never change beats and who never travel farther than 10 miles beyond home base. 

One uplifting sign: Obama called on Sam Stein, reporter for The Huffington Post, the first blogger to be recognized at a presidential news conference. That was very cool. (Holly Mullen)

(Not) According to Jim--D.C. Version

[Political pouter] Well, Utah's predictable right wing posters may object to City Weekly calling out Rep. Jim Matheson, (D-kind of, Utah) for refusing to talk to our reporters for more than three years. But someone in Washington D.C.--the other place where Matheson hangs out--noticed and let people know about it.

(Holly Mullen)

In Touch With You!

[Media-ish] Our favorite faux-weekly, the ever-sexy In Utah This Week from local mom-and-pop print shop MediaOne, is asking what you like and dislike about their product. Actually, they're not asking their target readers--who, according to In's advertising index, are all 18-34s who make $150,000 a year while still attending college and buy BMWs on a whim.

Since those folks are far too busy with their local supermodel and/or pro snowboarder careers, In sent a survey out to "influential" people in local entertainment and business. No, City Weekly wasn't on the list, but one was forwarded to us--and now we're bringing it to you. Why should you be excluded from having an opinion about a publication read by dozens of local heiresses and Hot Topic models?

Just answer the following inquiries, copy-paste and e-mail to jshoemaker@mediaoneutah.com. We've included a few of our own answers; feel free to write over 'em:

IN is now in its third year. What are your general thoughts?
About In or the carbon footprint of three years of wasted trees?

What do you like most about IN?
It doesn't make my brain hurt from too much "thinking."

What don’t you like about IN?
Not enough articles about kitties.

Complete this sentence… I would either start advertising with IN or increase my advertising presence with IN if they…
Lowballed prices to the point that other local publications without the backing of a multi-million-dollar corporation couldn't match them. Or threw in some kitties.

In your own words how would you rate these features? Which is the best? Which do you not care for?
* Sexy in SLC: It's like jury duty for friends of the staff, right?
* Scene in SLC: Slightly better than reading a resume.
* Scene Team Photo Page: Slightly worse than going to The Hotel.
* Club Grid: Lists almost a quarter of the clubs in Salt Lake--and most are still open.
* Sarah Nielson’s “That’s What She Said”: Clever title, never heard that one before.
* Restaurant Guide: See "Club Grid."
* Bar Guide: See "Restaurant Guide."
* We Ate It: It's so edgy I have to look away.
* Coffee Break: Random questions to random people? Genius!
* Classifieds: Do the Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret News know you've reprinted their Classifieds?

What coverage would you like to see that you don’t currently see?

You're neglecting the 3-12 demographic; more woobie coverage, please. And more repurposed articles from the Tribune would be great, too.

Even though the comparison can sometimes be unavoidable because they are both weekly newspapers, how would you describe IN’s difference from City Weekly?

I don't feel the need to commit to In beyond 2009; it's quite freeing. Not like the separation pain of losing the Afternoon Buzz.

Where else do you use your marketing dollars?

Flush them down a solid-gold toilet, due to my immense disposable income.

As far as distribution goes, do you find IN is available to you at the places you frequent? Where do you think IN should be that we’re not?

It's usually conveniently stacked on top of City Weekly racks, with plenty of previous weeks' In issues lying around untouched.

IN has a opt-in texting program, are you familiar with this type of marketing and do you think it’s of interest?

As long as I get instant info about kitties and woobies, sign me up!

IN has thought about doing a glossy cover. Do you think you would find more value in advertising with IN if it had more of a magazine, high-end look?

Like wrapping a turd in gold foil? Sold!

Remember: Answer, copy-paste and e-mail to jshoemaker@mediaoneutah.com.

Why You Aren't Reading 'The Paper'

[Media] This Ted Rall strip ran in last week's City Weekly, but it's too perfect to resist a rerun (plus, ironically, it didn't print all that clearly; click for full size):

(Bill Frost)

God's Newspaper Gets Frugal

[Stingy Media] While Sandy Mayor Tom Dolan and his top administrators are getting hammered for taking routine and generous salary bonuses, it's a whole other story over at the Deseret News.

City Weekly recently acquired an April 11 memo to the editorial staff from DN Board Chairman and homebuilding-magnate-millionaire Ellis Ivory, which announced the end of the newspaper's annual holiday bonus program.

"As you know, the newspaper industry is facing difficult economic times. The Deseret News is not immune to those difficulties," Ivory wrote.

"Because of declining revenue and our continued concern about the difficult financial road ahead, the Deseret News Board of Directors has voted to eliminate the annual bonus program. We are very sorry to have to do this, but believe it to be essential for the economic viability of the paper. Even though the bonus is generally paid in November, we are announcing this step now so as to give you as much advance notice as possible." Ivory noted that merit-based bonuses will be covered on an "as-needed" basis.

Ivory concluded: "Despite this difficult economic climate, we believe the Deseret News has a bright future. With your continued best efforts, we believe there are great opportunities in print and online, to become an even better general circulation newspaper and fully develop our specialty niches, such as Mormon Times and MormonTimes.com"

One staff member says the holiday bonus, which has been paid out as long as anyone can remember, is based on salary level and years of service. "[Bonuses] ranged from a couple hundred to a couple thousand dollars," the staffer says. "For many big families, the bonus paid for their Christmas. They passed out the memo because lots of people were complaining--including the company suck-ups who never utter a negative word about the paper."

For Salt Blog readers who may be living in a sensory-deprivation chamber, the Deseret News is owned and nicely subsidized by the LDS Church. The no-bonus memo was issued the same day DN editor and former Washington D.C. lobbyist Joe Cannon announced the paper would drop the "Morning" from its masthead. Observers of the local media scene say the change was to help sell the heralded "niche" publications referred to above. The name Deseret News is traditional, and resonates nicely with those who read it only for faith-building information. Very "niche." (Holly Mullen)

Give Me Freedom or Give Me Spam

[Media] How exactly will complying with this pop-up keep it "free"? Just askin' ... (Bill Frost)

Revelation: The Trib watches KSL

[Local Media] ... but the Trib obviously doesn't read City Weekly, or else it would have known that we were the ones who broke the Lohra Miller story -- hours before KSL did and in much greater detail.

We understand. It must be hard for a daily to admit it got scooped ... by a weekly. (Brandon Burt)

Media None

[Media] Main Street has been infested with yellow-jacketed drones handing out copies of Afternoon Buzz, the Newspaper Agency Corporation/Media One's latest waste of perfectly good trees.

If you've not had one forced upon you, the Buzz is free news and entertainment stories boiled down to insubstantial micro-paragraphs that leave you feeling approximately 60 percent dumber for having tried to read them. It's pulled off the heretofore impossible feat of making the craptastic In Utah This Week look like The Village Voice.

So we'd like a volunteer or two to stand next to the yellow-jackets outside of the City Weekly offices and hand out copies of our paper. When anyone asks, "What's this?" just say, "It's free like that, only with actual content and local relevance--oh, and you get to keep your soul after reading it." Any takers? (Bill Frost)

Upon Further Review ...

[Media] A critic is a critic, right? If you know how to blather about one thing, you know how to blather about everything. After all, it's not as though some people at this very publication don't walk more than one beat.

But here's the thing: If you're going to send a TV critic to review a local play, there's a potential price you pay in someone not knowing whereof he speaks. The retirement in December of long-time Deseret Morning News theater critic Ivan Lincoln left an opening which -- in keeping with daily newsroom practices around the country -- has thus far been filled by committee. That meant the job of reviewing Pygmalion Productions' staging of Lisa Loomer's Living Out went to D-News TV writer Scott D. Pierce. And whatever thoughts one might have about such insights as "'Living Out' will make you laugh. It might make you cry. And it will make you think", you'd hope a writer would at least know enough about his subject matter not to toss off this howler:

"([Actress Daisy] Blake struggles to maintain an accent, which is either British or upper-crust American.)"

Note: Daisy Blake is British. Welcome to covering local theater, Mr. Pierce. (Scott Renshaw)

KRCL Update: Get Ready for Baby Boom Radio

[Focus Group Hell] A consultant hired by KRCL 90.9 FM presented findings of his focus group research to the station’s board of directors last night (see City Weekly's Jan. 31 cover). The upshot: Focus groups really like listening to the Beatles, Stones, Doors, Dylan and Hendrix.

The KRCL focus groups can’t stand indie (“too crazy"), or Americana (too “twangy”). They really hate black music. (Those rap people use bad words.)

Babs De Lay, one of the KRCL’s volunteer programmers who attended the board meeting at Horizonte, wanted to know if the consultant had asked any black people?

The consultant’s response: How many minorities, are there really in the Salt Lake valley? (That brought grumbling from some at the back of the room, considering KRCL has for years been telling granting agencies that serving Utah’s minority communities was the reason for its existence.)

It’s all a numbers game, Peter Dominowski, principal of Market Trends Research, told volunteers and the board: Don’t get all high and mighty thinking you are providing some special service.

“Public service equals audience. They are synonymous,” he said. “Getting people to listen is the mission.”

Those who hoped focus groups of KRCL listeners would behave any differently than focus groups anytime, anywhere, were sorely disappointed. The pinheads who participate in focus groups said what they always say:

They want music that is “comfortable and familiar.” Music that is “appropriate” to listen to at work; that’s “uplifting and calming.” They don’t like to be challenged, or “work too hard” listening to the radio. As one focus group participant put it: “Different kinds of music, I just don’t like them.”

Focus groupies do like to hear the same songs over and over again. People don’t form emotional attachments to music, or a music station, without repetition, said Dominowski. And those emotional attachments are what make listeners contribute to fund drives.

KRCL should “adapt” techniques used by commercial stations. It should play “time tested artists,” and avoid “stressful,” “odd” or “polarizing” music during primetime, said Dominowski, who has been consulting public radio since 1985, providing focus group magic to more than 100 stations in the past two years.

Dominowski knows what the people want, because, with KRCL’s program director, he played music to six focus groups of 10 people each in late November. All participants were KRCL listeners. Two groups said KRCL was their favorite station. The other four were made up of people who sometimes listened to KRCL, but liked other stations better.

The guinea pigs were played five different two-and-a-half-minute music mixes, then asked to rate the music and give their thoughts.

Focus groups weren’t played any blues, jazz, or R&B. Those music types had already been excluded by analysis of Arbitron data measuring KRCL’s historic listener numbers.

• The “heritage rock” mix of Beatles et al. had the broadest appeal across age and gender lines. (“All bands that I know,” said a focus groupie. “Felt like an old friend.”)
  
• The Americana mix (including Lyle Lovett and Alison Krauss) got the thumbs down.
  
• The indie mix (including Tegan and Sara and TV on the Radio) was “not uplifting” said focus groupies, who somehow were scared by the poppy The Thermals.
  
• Older listeners hated the “urban contemporary” mix including M.I.A. and The Roots.
  
• On the other hand, the “modern adult contemporary” mix (including Josh Ritter and Feist) was “well accepted.”

The consultant’s bottom line: KRCL should play a mix of “heritage rock” and “modern adult contemporary.” In the future, the difference between KRCL and the oldies station will be that KRCL will play the B sides.

Dominowski said the sound would be like (all together now) WXPN in Philadelphia. That just happens to be the direction station management was hinting at more than one year before the consultant ever set foot in Salt Lake City.

Much of Wednesday’s presentation to the board was made up of bar graphs segmenting KRCL’s listeners in categories like “loyalty by half hour.” Several volunteers noted that, according to the Arbitron charts, KRCL’s most successful current programs were playing exactly the types of music that would be banished from daytime in the proposed format switch. ("That's half of what we play," one said.) Currently KRCL's days from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. have among the highest listener “loyalty.”

But the consultant said people tuning into today’s popular KRCL programs were “fringe” listeners who listened only to a few programs and would never become “loyal.”

In addition to the recommended format change (KRCL should be all-music “minimally” from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays), the consultant recommended KRCL hire paid programmers.

Also, that KRCL’s music director program all music that is played during the days. No more having “inconsistent” DJs picking the music that goes out over the air.

Formally, KRCL’s board of directors won’t vote on the recommendations until Feb. 7, two days after a scheduled meeting of volunteers to discuss the proposal. But in fact the train has left the station. KRCL is already advertising for a new music director. Volunteer daytime station DJs were given their walking papers two weeks ago. It now appears that station directors agreed to hire paid DJs sometime this summer when KRCL signed a contract with the Corporation with Public Broadcasting, the agency paying for the station makeover.

All but lost in the general confusion and hubbub of the consultant’s presentation Wednesday was one of the his last recommendations: “Weekend primetime is just as important,” read the phrase projected on the wall.

Meaning that KRCL’s remaining volunteer DJs—the weekenders who thought they’d been saved in the switchover—may want to start getting nervous. (Ted McDonough)

News Flash from The Mormon Times!

[Media] Oh how I treasure knowing that the D-News has shed light on what's going on with that mysterious segment of Utah's population, known as "the Mormons." You may have thought the D-News' LDS news line column, Religion and Ethics column or...the rest of it's paper, was covering the latest coming off the Latter-day wire, well you were wrong.

The latest breaking news The Mormon Times tells us is a list the Church is presenting on LDS vocabulary they are officially retiring. Some of these quaint terms were quite apropos during the nifty fifties but apparently don't have a place any longer in the modern church vocab.

Just for fun I'll list some of the obsolete terms and you try and guess why the church is reluctant to be using them anymore (just for help I will provide some italicized hints).

Deseret Sunday School Union: the original name of the church's Sunday school program.

(The last man to organize a Sunday school union strike against the church disappeared Jimmy Hoffa-style... into outer darkness)

Rainbows: a name for primary age girls. (Damn hippie children ruined that one for the LDS kids)

Gaynotes: original name for girls in the Liahona or "little homemaker" program. (insert own joke here)

M-Men and Gleaners: young men and young women's departments in the church's 1921 MIA program. (I swear I saw an ad for M-Men and Gleaners somewhere in the back of one of the City Weekly classifieds around here somewhere...) (Eric S. Peterson)

Headline Writing 101

[Media] Some news items deserve to be separate

Don't do drugs, kids. Don't have unprotected sex. And take care of your appendix?

(Jamie Gadette)

Gone Crawlin'

[Media] As if 20 (!) separate blogs weren't enough, your local Colorado-based daily newspaper has gone and added another. Damn--we have a hard enough time keeping up on one.

Apparently, this is the new "superblog" alluded to previously here on Salt Blog; one that's posted to several times throughout the day--which wasn't even that novel of an idea when we stole it from Seattle's Stranger a year ago, but whatever.

The difference here is that it's one guy all the time instead of several voices ... so it's really just like all the paper's other blogs. So ... super!

And if you're celebrating all things online and "cyber," why the newsprint and ripped-paper graphics? And what's with the hands? Have they run out of "casual columnist" poses already? Look at your watch, prop a foot up on a chair, toss a Frisbee, point playfully off-camera, anything! My guess is that he's just not wearing pants. (Bill Frost)

Smut Alert!

[Media] Did anyone notice if local CBS affiliate KUTV 2 once again dumped the annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show that aired on the Eyeball Network last Tuesday night at 9 p.m.? Did they instead plug in something wholesome like a CSI rerun about tranny strippers murdered by midget serial rapists or something?

Only asking because local CW Network affiliate CW 30 has scheduled that same Victoria's Secret Fashion Show at 8 p.m. tomorrow night, an hour earlier than it would have run on KUTV, in place of a Reaper rerun. While the loss of even a repeat of Reaper is sad (the show probably ain't long for this world), it's nice to know CW 30 is picking up more than whatever KSL 5 deems as "inappropriate" NBC material (Saturday Night Live, etc.) for fully functional adults who should know how to operate remote controls and V-Chips. You know, because it's always about The! Children!

In case you need further enticement to find CW 30, check this Fashion Show review from the ever-vigilant Parents Television Council: "As in years past, the event featured profiles of the top models, musical performances, and a flesh parade featuring Victoria's Secret's latest buttock-and cleavage-baring ensembles. Although the special aired at 10 p.m. on the east and west coasts, families living in the central and mountain time zones had to scramble to find their remote to keep their children from accidentally stumbling across this televised peep-show during the 9 p.m. hour."

I'll be scrambling to find my remote tomorrow night! Thanks, CW 30 and PTC! (Bill Frost)

Ken, Again & Again

[Media] This just in: Local bookseller Ken Sanders has finally achieved complete media saturation ...

(Bill Frost)

Dick Nourse: Retiring One Bad Ass Mofo

[Media] Maybe it's just our cover on Ultimate Fighting in Utah this week, but when I think now of KSL's Dick Nourse retiring tonight after after 43 years on air, I can't help but lament that Utah has lost one of its most ... physically intimidating broadcasters.

Don't get me wrong, Nourse is a great broadcaster and journalist, and if you want to hear more of his praises in that regard, read any other tribute to him. I just thought I'd highlight the fact that KSL may no longer be able to claim that their evening broadcaster could most likely demolish any other local news broadcaster in a cage fight.

I mean look at the guy! I certainly wouldn't want to meet him in a dark alley somewhere. Having Nourse retire is like having Rhino from the Amazing Spider-Man series retire from crime. Who can fill those shoes? Who could go on ramming down steel bank vault doors with their head or knocking over armored cars like they were Matchbox toys?

Certainly no one in Utah broadcasting anymore thats for damn sure.

In fact I challenge anyone to come up with a Utah journalist that could go toe to toe with the "force of Nourse" for three rounds and even survive, let alone emerge victorious. (Eric S. Peterson)

You're Gonna Die! Tonight at 10 ...

[Media] As we've gone over here before, November Sweeps is the time when your local TV news stations trot out an alleged danger lurking just around the corner, then present their pat solution once they've hooked you. The latest round ...

ABC 4: Using a tanning bed this winter will kill your children! Unless they're under 18 and saw this same damn report the first 37 times on every other channel.

KUTV 2: There's lead in your dinner plates! Not enough to actually matter, but we'll test 'em for you anyway!

Fox 13: There's meth residue in your motel room! Of course, that's probably the least-concerning substance strewn about in most motel rooms; tune in for the special report "Utah Jizz: The Semen Scare" tomorrow at 9.

Sweeps ain't over for a couple of more weeks. Courage. (Bill Frost)

The New Mormon News

[Media] A few years ago we seem to recall the Deseret Morning News (then known as the Deseret News, sans Morning) tried to increase its readership by expanding its appeal to non-LDS readers. The reporting staff was beefed up. A hot shot, Pulitzer Prize winner was brought in to edit the paper. The News wasn’t going to be just for Mormons anymore.

Apparently, the plan didn’t work out as well as expected.

New editor Joe Cannon in a recent memo to staff explains that the D-News has found an exciting new niche of readers to target … Mormons. To that end, he has appointed a new “assistant managing editor for LDS faith and culture” and is planning several new publications to target the faithful.

“We also have the great fortune of having a second, perhaps even more valuable, niche: the LDS culture,” Cannon writes staffers. “The worldwide market for that niche is sizeable.”

The editor ominously ads filling that niche will require “real fundamental change.”

You can read Cannon’s memo here, as posted on “Memo’s sent to Romenesko,” a newspaper industry forum compiled by Jim Romenesko on Poynter Online. (Ted McDonough)

The Fast & the Spurious

[Media] If it's Sweeps month, it must be ... street racing! Joining the classic "investigative report" threats of "What You Don't Know About Your Microwave Could Kill You" and "Are Your Children Safe? Maybe We'll Tell You After the Break," the new annual favorite of local TV news stations seems to be street racing--tonight on KUTV 2:

"2News Special Report: Behind the Wheel With Utah's Street Racers: In a rare interview a Utah street racer says the cops don't worry him. Despite $600 tickets and towed cars the races continue. Victims of street racing crashes also have their say."

This one night after an "explosive real estate fraud" expose turned out to be simply the fault of some dumbass who didn't bother to read what he was signing. And what's the Investigative Report du jour at ABC 4? "Getting Back Into the Dating Game," which continues next Monday "right after The Bachelor." Of course ... (Bill Frost)

Bridge Mania Continues Unabated

[News] What does it say about Salt Lake City that, over the weekend, an anti-war protest at Washington Square had slightly more attendees than the event (?) of a new bridge being moved into place on I-215? The latter enjoyed the same amount of media coverage and reportedly even had a ... VIP area. If all the slack-jawed yokels, er, bridge aficionados were at 4500 South and I-215, who was left to stand outside KUTV 2's Main Street studio and wave like idiots, uh, TV anchor connoisseurs this weekend? Priorities, people! (Bill Frost)