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KUOW’s
coverage of COVID-19 deaths in Seattle area
nursing
homes Is heard frequently on NPR News magazines
Image
courtesy of KUOW
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Earlier
this week, KUOW in Seattle announced that the station made an editorial
decision to stop airing live White House briefings on COVID-19.
The station
said they made the change because they believe President Trump is giving false
and misleading information about the COVID-19 pandemic.
KUOW
said that they are continuing to cover the White House briefings with heir
own reporters.
Trump’s
opinion-filled press conferences have been increasingly criticized for statements
that are different than public health officials.
The
Washington Post praised KUOW's decision in an editorial [link] that said in part:
“Doing the right thing on the Trump briefings
requires passing up juicy audience numbers. Yet those [big ratings] grind in
two directions: On the one hand, airing the briefings live means that you’re
providing a commodity demanded by many people; on the other hand, airing the
briefings live means that you’re complicit in dispersing garbage information to
many people.”
KUOW’s
move is important because Washington was the first state to report a case of
COVID-19 in
and it is where the first death related to the virus occurred in early March. Infections and deaths continue to rise in the state.
Other
news sources such as MSNBC and CNN are now cutting away from Trump’s lengthy
and rambling briefings, a decision that angered the White House.
On
Tuesday (3-24), KUOW issued a statement [link] about their decision. You can
see the full statement is on the right.
In
the statement, KUOW said the action was taken after station’s news staff heard President
Trump make remarks including:
• “Nobody knew there’d be
a pandemic or an epidemic of this proportion,” President Trump said at
a live White House briefing on March 19 despite warnings from the U.S.
Intelligence community earlier this year.
• “You’re seeing very few
empty shelves,”
our listeners heard live from President Trump on March 20. Local reporting
shows many stores are out of basic supplies, including hand soap.
• “We’re going to be able
to make the drug chloroquine “available almost immediately” said President Trump on
March 19. The president claimed, incorrectly, that the FDA had fast-tracked
approval of its use to treat COVID-19. There isn't current medical evidence of
the efficacy of that drug in treating COVID-19.
Last
week, NBC News reported that an Arizona man died after ingesting chloroquine.
The man’s wife told reporters that he heard of the drug while watching a White
House briefing.
KUOW’s
decision caused some people to question whether this decision was politically
based. KUOW’ said it was not. When asked about KUOW’s action, a White House
spokesperson said:
“It's not surprising, but
also a failure of their duty to the American people, that some media outlets
would choose to block their audiences from receiving accurate, up-to-date
information on President Trump's whole-of-government approach to slowing the
spread of COVID-19. No other administration has been as transparent and
accessible as the Trump administration."
THE LOS ANGELES TIMES
PROFILES KUSC & KCRW IN A SPLENDID ARTICLE ABOUT L.A. RADIO’S SERVICE TO LISTENERS
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KUSC host
Alan Chapman at his home studio.
Image
courtesy of KUSC
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On
Wednesday (3-25) The Los Angeles Times
published a cool story by reporter Randy Lewis [link] titled “How L.A. radio is responding to the
coronavirus crisis.”
We
give this article our highest recommendation. If you love radio and Southern California,
it is a special treat.
In
the article, Lewis features Classical KUSC and NPR News and Progressive Music
KCRW. Hosts from both stations are doing
their shows from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lewis
says that most radio stations in Los Angeles are seeing increased listenership as the
spread of the virus has prompted more and more people to stay closer to home.
Though Nielsen PPM ratings for March won’t be released until mid-April, data
for station’s digital platforms and listener feedback indicates that listening
and engagement are strong.
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KUSC host
Brian Lauritzen working in his
makeshift
home studio
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According
to KUSC’s President Judy MacAlpine, “KUSC’s Facebook page this week over last
week showed a 479% increase in reach, and 2,565% increase in engagement. She
told The Times:
“What people are looking
for even more than music to comfort them is [the human] connection. People need
to engage with each other.” They are also finding that…our hosts, are a
welcome respite right now.”
Lewis
quotes listeners such as Pasadena resident Loren A. Roberts, who wrote the station
last week in appreciation of the programming heard on KUSC: “I get into my cartakes me to a better place
(psychologically, if not physically) immediately. Thank you!!
Another
KUSC listener, Cloe Yun from Los Angeles wrote on the station’s Facebook page. “I’m happy that we have music to listen to
and all you guys’ comforting human voices. :) Stay healthy.”
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Jennifer Ferro
Image courtesy LA
Weekly
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KCRW
President Jennifer Ferro told The Times:
“Our arts commentator,
Lindsay Preston Zappas, is normally talking about what’s going on in art
galleries; now she’s doing things like, ‘Here’s an art project you can do at
your house.’
“
“We
are reformulating how we connect with people. KCRW has a trove of in-studio
music specials [that are hosted with artists from Los Lobos and Tom Jones to Nashville
indie singer-songwriter Soccer Mommy and experimental jazz
musician Nate Mercereau."
Thanks
to readers Kathy Gronau and Gregg McVicar for forwarding the LA Times article to us.
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