WBAL-TV, WBAL-AM and WIYY-FM in Baltimore are all owned by Hearst. The three properties actively co-promote and provide services to each other where it makes sense.
WBAL-TV, WBAL-AM and WIYY-FM in Baltimore are all owned by Hearst.
The news on WBAL-TV, Baltimore’s NBC affiliate, is rated No. 1 in practically every newscast on the air, according to John Baldwin, creative services director.
WBAL-AM, with a NewsTalk format, is the highest rated AM station in the market.
WIYY-FM, called 98 Rock, is No. 1 weekdays from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. among adults 25-54 and adults 35-64.
Both WBAL-TV and WBAL-AM earned a regional Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence in 2023.
Three highly successful media properties in one city all owned by one broadcast company. Seems like a natural opportunity to work together.
The three properties actively co-promote and provide services to each other where it makes sense.
For example, the WBAL-TV weather team provides the forecast for both radio stations throughout the day.
Given all three properties are in the same building, it’s easy for the TV and radio talent to interact with each other.
One of the WBAL- TV’s 4 p.m. news anchors will visit both the AM and FM stations with a look at what’s coming up that day on the newscast.
“It’s good for everybody,” Baldwin says. “It gives news content that is fresh, and it gives a little exposure for your news people on two radio stations.”
And there’s a segment in WBAL-TV’s morning newscast where one of the hosts of WBAL-AM’s programming appears with some level of news and commentary.
In a more unusual collaboration, WIYY-FM’s morning team, Justin, Scott and Spiegel, have a TV show, Justin, Scott and Spiegel Shouldn’t Be On TV, which airs after Saturday Night Live on WBAL-TV.
“It’s a perfect time for them to get the audience after SNL, their demo for watching the show,” Baldwin says.
Baldwin says the TV station helps them put the show together.
Baldwin says Dan Joerres, the general manager of all three properties, is always looking for opportunities to exploit the synergism between the radio and TV stations.
“You want to build on the relationship and power of the three stations to make Baltimore a better place to live,” Baldwin says.
One way the three stations make Baltimore a better place to live is when the TV and radio stations unite their efforts to help the community.
“There’s not a lot of public service messages that we do that we don’t co-promote with the radio stations,” Baldwin says. “We always are asking that question, can we involve the radio stations somehow in what we are doing.”
For example, in July the three properties are supporting a food drive for the Maryland food bank.
“We hope it feels like a nice warm hug to the city when you have the three of us banding together to make a difference in the lives of people,” he says. “We are always involving the radio stations in those kinds of co-promotions.” Baldwin says.
NOTE: If your TV station doesn’t own a radio station in your market, find a top-rated radio station whose demos match yours, and see if a partnership can benefit you both.
Or maybe you already have a relationship with radio stations in your market that you want to share. Contact me at [email protected] or 817-578-6324.
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