What's The Frequency Kenneth?

Whatever the answer to that cryptic and of late overused headline one thing is certain, its not the frequency used by Houston based CBS Radio affiliate KPRC. The station is no longer carrying Dan Rather's Daily Broadcast.

The decision to pull the broadcast was made in response Rather's 60 Minutes report on George Bush's National Guard Service that was based in large part on forged documents.

"I felt no anchor ... should ever be the story or bigger than the story," Ken Charles, program director of the news-talk station, said Monday. "I thought it was appropriate to take him off the air."

The station did not feel the recent statement in which Rather apologized because CBS could not authenticate the documents was not enough to warrant resume carrying the broadcast.

"For right now, I'm not convinced there's any reason to put him back on the radio station," said Charles.

Another station, WNIS in Norfolk, VA, has dropped all CBS content from thier broadcast.

This, I think, is the start of trend that is gong to continue as long as Dan Rather is still the face and the voice of CBS news. There are undoubtedly more station managers like Ken Charles, and more listeners like those he has heard from.

Charles said he's received more than 300 e-mails about dropping Rather's five-minute news-and-analysis program.

"It's been overwhelming ... over over overwhelmingly supportive," he said. "Four of them called my mother really bad names, which is unusual because I thought liberals were nicer."

Posted by: Stephen Macklin at 09:33 AM | No Comments | Add Comment