Idaho Radio News Etc.

One of my favorite parts of the month is getting a copy of The Borah Senator delivered to my desk. It’s where I got my journalism start – and I’m always impressed by what these young journalism students dig up each month. This month they put together a great “Vs.” issue – comparing things like The Flicks and Edwards, Swine Flu and Seasonal Flu and more.

The paper also compared Boise Weekly and the Idaho Statesman’s Scene magazine. Writer Felicia Arnold talked to reps for both BW and Scene – Amy Atkins and Michael Deeds.

The Boise Weekly is a local newspaper that has articles that range from news to opinion, arts and entertainment to previews/reviews, interviews with extraordinary people, and letters to the editor. The Boise Weekly comes out every Wednesday.

“We do cover some of the same stories as the Statesman–that’s always going to be the case for media outlets in a relatively small market–but we work to cover them differently, from different angles, with a different voice. Better,” stated Boise Weekly’s A&E Editor, Amy Atkins.

The Boise Weekly’s competitor is The Idaho Statesman Scene magazine. Scene is a local magazine that expands the community’s horizons and publishes more articles about news, entertainment, reviews, interviews, and calendar listings.

“We focus exclusively on entertainment. They don’t. They’re free. We’re not. Our circulation is twice theirs. Really, it’s sort of apples and oranges,” commented Michael Deeds, Scene editor.

The Boise Weekly and Scene both have their advantages. The Idaho Statesman’s Scene is a little larger, and not free, whereas the Boise Weekly is free and about things around town.

What struck me was the tone of Deeds’ comment to the young journalist. He also has a key fact wrong – since Scene is available free in those teal boxes all over town.

(Disclosure: I am on the Borah High School Journalism Advisory Committee – along with reps from BW, the Statesman and other organizations).

Nathaniel Hoffman wrote up a story on a poll that the Idaho Statesman ran this week. I’ll let you read the story here.

I don’t have an opinion on the reporting one way or the other — except that I’m glad to see someone reporting on the paper. Statesman opinion editor Kevin Richert DOES have an opinion on the piece. But he pulled out one of his favorite tricks — calling out Hoffman by name, then saying this:

In pursuit of one of his journalistic habits — jabbing at the Statesman — the Boise Weekly writer accuses us of push polling, because of a survey question we asked about the Boise Downtown streetcar project.

Sound familiar?

Day… took to his Idaho Radio News blog Sunday to blast the Statesman. No big news there.

This is a device Richert seems to use when he is emotionally tied to the subject. He tries to discredit the source by pointing out that they dared criticize the newspaper in the past.

Kevin’s a smart guy and a great writer. His output is simply amazing. I think you could ask him to defend the merits of a round coffee table vs. a square one and he could give you 500 compelling and convincing words. The bottom line: he can argue anything. It’s the route he takes to get there that leaves me stymied at times.

All I can say is… welcome to the club Nathaniel!

The Best of Weekly rolled out its annual Best of Boise reader’s picks this week. This summer, we got the chain newspaper’s chain survey (mmm…. McDonald’s french fries!) – and now we get the local newspaper’s local survey!

See, Boise Weekly (mostly) limits its winners to locally-established businesses and people.

Just like last year, we’re honoring only locally owned and operated businesses that meet our local-business criteria because, let’s face it, this is about honoring the best of Boise, not the best of (insert random U.S. city here)

So. Um. Most media companies aren’t locally owned (shh, don’t tell anyone). In fact, other than the Boise Weekly itself and Impact Radio – Boise has no major commercial media outlets that are actually… local.

Editor Rachel Daigle told me the media carousel presents a unique challenge.

“It’s the one category we have such an issue with year after year,” she said by e-mail. “There are so few of we media people who work for truly independent companies in town.”

But a local DID win the “best radio station” category – albeit one owned by the State of Idaho. KBSX/Boise State Radio News 91 grabbed the top honor.

We like to think BW’s audience is NPR/Boise State Radio’s audience. Why? Plain and simple: Professionally, we respect the hell out of what 91.5 delivers; personally, we’re big listeners ourselves.

Second place was KRVB/94.9 The River – with KSRV/96.1 Bob FM snagging third.

The best DJ category went to a pair of familiar names: Ken & Tim:

Rock test! Name the reigning champions of Best of Boise’s best DJ category. Here’s a hint: There are two of them. Is it A: Bill and Ted, B: Amos and Andy or C: Ken and Tim? Here’s another hint: Their names are in bold nine lines above. Ken Bass and Tim Johnstone, The River’s dynamic morning duo, have been claiming numero uno in this category for so long that we can appropriately refer to them as “The Reigning Champions”

The dynamic river duo also won this award in 2008. And 2007. And ought-six. They didn’t win waaaay back in 2005… but that might be because they didn’t work together then. Just a hunch.

KCIX/Mix 106 morning hosts Mike & Kate got second place this year – with KSAS/103.3 Kiss FM host KeKe Luve grabbing third.

Congrats to all the winners!

The Boise Weekly’s annual poll of all the things that are known as the “best” around these parts is out.

In the media categories, KRVB/Idaho’s 94.9 The River snagged the top spot for both best personality and best radio station.  Tim Johnstone and Ken Bass took top honors and got a nice big pic of themselves in the local alt-weekly.  KCIX/Mix 106 hosts Mike Kasper and Kate McGwire took second place, with Big J from KQXR/100.3 The X in third.

Back to the station category, KBSU-FM/NPR News 91 took second place, and KSRV/96.1 Bob FM took third place (too bad my headline couldn’t have been Bob wins BOB!…)

Oddly enough, Boise State Radio took out a nice full apge ad thanking folks for “voting Boise State Radio for Best of Boise.”  I suppose the ad still works – since it is technically thanking those who voted… not for the act of voting them tops…

Elsewhere, KSAS/103.3 Kiss FM program director KeKe Luv took an editor’s pick honor for “Best Breaking a World Record for a Good Cause.”  The props came after Luv’s “Live for 175″ stay-awake-athon last spring.

The love for Kiss continues in the Arts and Entertainment section, as morning host “Hooker” is named “Best Hooker.”  There’s a nice little bit of irony in this: “If you’ve ever been to a function sponsored by KISS 103.3 FM, then you know they have a buttload of promotional material.  If they ever change their point on the dial, they’ll have to spend a fortune on Sharpies.”  Of course, KSAS is moving – to 103.5. It’s part of that weird station swap that will take place… eventually.  Maybe we should start a Sharpie fund for the Kiss kids.

Jon & Chris were named editor’s pick for “Best Talk Soup.” The veteran pair are called “insightful, often irascible, somtimes irritating and occasionally incredible.”