From: Dan in Akron
Q: Hi Frank, what did you think of the Channel 45/49 show about the loss of Akron's only local TV station?
A: I got a chance to Tivo the show on Saturday...and overall, I thought the show was pretty comprehensive, but at times really dragged on about factors that may or may not have contributed to the loss of WAKC as a news operation. Yes, WAKR/WAKC did have a factors going against it - but it may have been the lack of direct market competition that doomed it more. If Akron would have had 3 or 4 local TV stations, there would have been a much better chance of the city standing apart from the Cleveland market in Arbitron, then Nielsen's eyes.
But since there wasn't, the lone station just got absorbed into Cleveland - which then suffered because it never had ratings, in relation. I think the Berk family made a bad mistake is selling the station. They feared they couldn't compete, but I don't think had enough courage to keep the station going in uncertain times.
Of course what Bud Paxson did was unforgivable - promising to keep local news going, then basically turning off the lights only hours after Pax's purchase. It really goes to show how much more a business TV is than a committment to the community which the FCC should really re-explore when they take future action. It's good to see that companies, like Gannett, still have the community in their vision.
Send me your emails to: fmacek@wkyc.com
