The move by WDEL to the FM spectrum may have been the biggest media story to date in Delaware.
But unless you listened to a Delmarva Broadcasting station or stopped by this website and the Bulletin electronic business journal you may not have known about the acquisition of the frequency of KISS.
KISS was an R&B station whose 101.7 frequency is now used by WDEL. The station had a sizable audience in Wilmington and adjacent areas.
Most in media stayed with the ancient practice of not mentioning the competition.
That’s too bad. Delmarva’s investment in its flagship news and talk station was a compelling story in an industry undergoing the same turmoil as its print counterparts
Delmarva was at a crossroads as overall AM radio listenership has declined over the years.
WDEL, despite a strong signal that ran through much of the state, often did not reach faster growing areas in Delaware.
That was due to the need for directional signals that would not interfere with other stations in a crowded region.
Delmarva and WDEL did not have to make the news and tealk. move. In fact, it might have made more money sprucing up the KISS format.
Instead it we will continue to have a news-based option online and on the air. that has the size and quality of its big city counterparts.
Delmarva realized that the news media would not be trumpeting its FM presence and made perhaps the biggest billboard deal in recent memory to get the word out as shown by the trio of messages it posted in a photo on its Facebook page.
Comings and goings in communications
Rana Fayez, who had been digital editor of the Delaware Business Times, is now communications manager for the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce. She takes over for Matt Amis, who is taking a communications management position at the Rodel Foundation, the organization that has been a key player in public school improvement efforts in Delaware.
Also, Ellen Roberts, a longtime communications professional, is now Director of Corporate Communications at Sallie Mae.
If you are looking for some interesting writing and writing you might want to check out a site known as Delaware News Feed.
The origin of the news aggregation site remains a mystery, although the Twitter handle says it has been around since 2013.
You can also donate to the site, via Paypal, to something known as the US Information Network. It appears to be part of continuing efforts to automate the process of news gathering.
Big media organizations are beginning to use the technology to write up coverage of sporting events.
The news feed website is not to be confused with DelawareFreeNews.com, a site believed to be operated by former News Journal staff or staffers.
Some sort of language translation software may be at work in scraping content if the following headlines are any indication.
1 dead, 2 harmed in glow during unit formidable in Newark, Del. The text for the story was equally interesting
Here’s the second paragraph of the piece:
The glow was reported during 10:30 a.m. Friday during a Possum Park Apartments in a 600 retard of Old Capitol Trail.
Here’s another gem:
Wilmington military examine probable shooting
The website is not to be confused with DelawareFreeNews.com, a breaking news site believed to be operated by former News Journal staff or staffers.
Speaking of the News Journal, we received an invitation a while back to become part of the inner circle, so to speak from Editor Susan Leath.
| “Today I am thrilled to personally extend to you an exclusive preview of Insider, the new program only for subscribers of The News Journal. |
| Your subscription to The News Journal gives you automatic access to Insider, where you can connect to the unique experiences of Delaware, exclusive content and value that only The News Journal can bring you.The Insider is part of what is sometimes called the “Velvet Rope” approach that offers the lure of insider access to retain print and digital subscribers.
A look inside the Insider showed offerings ranging from a feature on Vice President Joe Biden to a chance to Groupon-like deals for restaurants and the chance to win Phillies tickets. A word of praise should go to the Newark Post. The century-old newspaper has shown a few signs of life of late and recently obtained an outline of plans by the city for the possible acquisition of the dormitory site of the University of Delaware. UD, which now has the vast STAR Campus to the south and plans to sell the property off Main Street, formerly Elkton Road. The site would be used to help control drainage. That’s hardly earth-shattering news. However, to obtain that information, the Post made a Freedom of Information Act request. Such requests are not unknown in Delaware, but have been uncommon among weekly papers. |
