Reprinted by self-permission from The Blare Blog
News radio requires constant busy work unless the programs are pre-produced from outside sources and automated.
KDX Worldround Radio is able to exist thanks to many splendid outside sources that give permission for airing their programs.
However, as news director, time is quickly eaten up if I decide to pursue particular stories not covered in available programs.
At the height of California's fires we were able to tap into Fire Updates from KZYX in Philo, but the Updates vanished as fire containment improved, and not even California newspapers seem to be saying much about the recent status of the fires, but I'll spend more time searching.
Meanwhile in Hawaii as the hurricane ("Lane", I think it's named) took the stage the volcano went silent and we wonder whether the hurricane meets the volcano at any point, perhaps dowsing it in plumes of steam.
John McCain's death is mentioned on all the newscasts and all of them say very nice things about him, and a side-story comes to mind about how people never speak badly of the dead because of some kind of unwritten superstition. There's a story in it.
Lazy American News Bureaus
This morning we became aware that Tropical Storm Gordon was developing in the Gulf of Mexico along the southern side of Florida, but nothing was said about it on either VOA nor NPR news casts.
By 2-PM we have determined through several online news sites that Gordon is assalting Miami and expected to hit the Gulf coast of Mississippi, yet both VOA and NPR are still reporting only stale news from Friday.
It's chincy for them to pretend they have active news departments when what they're really doing is grilling meat.