Job losses in the newspaper industry are likely to affect the depth and quality of U.S. radio and TV news coverage.
While radio and television stations employ their own reporters, they don't have anywhere near the depth of staff that newspapers do. They receive a significant amount of news from newspapers and/or the Associated Press wire.
I haven't seen as much "rip-and-read" usage of newspaper news on TV and radio in Salt Lake City, but listen to almost any local morning radio show and you will hear radio news reports spurred by newspaper stories. It happens at times on TV, too.
(It happens in reverse, too. Sometimes newspapers get ideas and information from TV or radio.)
Radio and television mostly do capsule reports because they don't have much time for lengthier reports.
Due to reductions in advertising revenue newspapers, radio and TV stations are trying to do "more with less."
• RADIO HAPPENINGS — KBYU (FM-89.1/89.5) will air an hour of Christmas holiday programming from the 1940s, including comedy and drama, as well as secular and sacred music on Dec. 20, 3 p.m., and Dec. 24, 2 p.m. The show also offers firsthand recollections of the era and scholarly analysis.
— Radio and Records reports that 2009 will be radio's worst economic year since 1954 due to a huge downturn in automobile advertising.
— The big Christmas contest this month on KSOP is a "Holiday Flyaway" to anywhere in the country, plus hotel accommodations.
— "Fisher and Peggy" on KOSY are giving away at $1,000 Dec. 13 shopping spree at the Gateway.
— KBZN is collecting news toys for the "Toys for Tots" charity. Drop toys off to 257 E. 200 South, Suite 400.
• TEN YEARS AGO IN SALT LAKE RADIO — CBS halts broadcasts of "Mystery Theater." ... "More country, less bull" is KKAT's new slogan. ... Tom, Rick and Dawn make up the KKAT morning show.
E-mail: lynn@desnews.com