Oregon Media Insiders

I am stuck some place without internet for a few days, so if you've been waiting for your comments etc to be approved, you'll have to be patient. If I'm lucky I'll be able to hop on once a day. Things will be back to normal, or as normal as they ever are around here, by Monday.

Here's your open thread.

Were the Portland stations still too busy congratulating and criticising themselves over Gearhart coverage to get the story of the day Wednesday? At least 9 people from Southern Oregon killed in the worst air firefighting disaster in American history. The Oregonian was all over it. So guess we'll see you today?

Over at the Forest Grove News Times, longtime KATU reporter Grant McOmie says he's in negotiations with other stations:

“Fortunately, the competition in town disagrees with (KATU’s) decision, so I’ve been in discussion and negotiations with other channels,” said McOmie, who added that he is hoping to begin work again in September or October, reporting on the great outdoors like he has for the last 25 years of his life. ...
“I’ve had hundreds of e-mails and phone calls and letters from viewers, who wished me the very best,” said McOmie, admitting he was surprised at the outpouring of encouragement and praise he has received since he was let go.

“It was, honestly, one of the most humbling experiences I’ve ever gone through in my life. When you work in television, you never get to really sense the experience of the audience – you can’t see them or hear them or know what they think. We never really get a chance to get feedback, and I got a lot of feedback this time.

“It was all so positive and so humbling.”

Trolls wander into every website now and again, including here at OMI. Please don't feed them. That means not responding to their posts. Some trolls respond to their own posts anonymously to make it look as if people are talking to them; this is referred to as sock puppetry. It has happened here quite recently, and quite a bit.

Trolls want attention. That's why they're trolls. Don't give it to them. Thank you.

Spring Arbitrons are in for Portland. As usual I don't have the demo, but I do have the 12+. And the market leader, for the first time, is a Spanish language station, El Rey 93.1. The top ten stations:

KRYP-FM Regional Mexican 6.4
KWJJ-FM Country 5.5
KKCW-FM AC 5
KGON-FM Classic Rock 4.7
KUPL-FM Country 4.7
KEX-AM News/Talk 4.1
KINK-FM Triple A 3.6
KKRZ-FM CHR/Top 40 3.6
KPOJ-AM Talk 3.5
KUFO-FM Rock 3.4

Who saw this coming? I sure didn't!