Just cruised their website.  So much for "Citizen Bloggers".

Check each one out and you'll see that some entries have a whopping 2 responses.  Most have none.

HI
I Really dont understand - please explain.  If I go on the  website there is a blog?  I had high hopes for this one for had all I needed through out the day (weather and traffic to get to appointments).  

"Give us 15 minutes we'll give you stammering amateurs. "...........?

sorry guys I am trying to learn

Not impressed with this station.  My evening commute 1700-1800 results in searching (other stations) for traffic reports and relevant news.  This station provides world news, sports, entertainment news and LOTS of commercials for products that i will never buy.  But I am stuck in traffic.  I NEED traffic reports.   This station provides too few traffic reports during this crucial hour.  And there is very little local news.  And the announcers keep forgetting what station they are working on - constantly calling it 630 CH.... and then changing in mid-sentence to inews880.

I am starting to sense a concensus here about the new, little station.

They have six bloggers on their site, assigned to geographical zones, writing about issues which, apparently, they consider to be relevant.  At least two of these guys are former radio news people.  They write and they write, but obviously they have no audience.  There is virtually no response to any of the comments (if they were smart, they'd get an iNews/CHED staffers to sign up with bogus user names and at least PRETEND to be a responder to the blogs.  It's called saving face, boys and girls).

Listened again the last few days.  And still, the stammering and butchering continues.  I've heard better reads from first-year NAIT students (most of the iNews/CHED guys sound like they are at least second-year NAIT'ers).

I am by no means standing up for those who stammer and plod their way through a newscast.  But at the same time, how could anyone on this site want a Rogers newswheel in Edmonton?  I believe the lack of experience is merely set by the watered down state radio is in now.  With stations like I-News and 660 in Calgary, the talent pool that has been getting better in smaller markets is all of a sudden being given opportunities in major markets after a year or less in the biz.  You're not going to be able to pull guys with 5-10 years experience to these stations because they've all been scooped up elsewhere.  And you've gotta staff these stations somehow.  The other factor is not everyone with 5-10 years experience is going to go to a major market for small market money.  How anyone could expect any more from stations like I-News and 660 is beyond me.  You'll get a few diamonds in the rough, but you're also gonna get people with a year experience that should be plying their trade in a smaller market, but they were given the opportunity and who wouldn't jump at that opportunity?

Don't disagree with you at all, OldUnreliable.

My point is, they sound like crap.

Quoted from Old Unreliable

The other factor is not everyone with 5-10 years experience is going to go to a major market for small market money.

According to numbers tossed around at the recent CRTC hearings, Corus has 32% of the $82 million Edmonton ad market. That's $26 million and change.

Seems the only thing 'small market' here is the thinking.

I don't have a problem with what management is doing at iNews, really.

If I could promote a package and call it all-news all the time and get away with shortcutting the cost of running it, I'd be laughing too.  However, I think this time Corus has crossed the line and cheaped-out just a little too much.  As one sales manager colleague of mine in the biz once said, "music and news are the filler between commercials."  This would seem to be the logic behind iNews880.

Unfortunately, there does have to be a delicate balance between the programming and sales.  You can't sell a crappy product and I think this time, this may catch up with Corus.

Excellent comments, folks.

Meanwhile and as sponsorship mentions are an ongoing reality and are required, instead of "brought to you by", perhaps a less innocuous approach would be  a little more acceptable - something along the lines of : "a presentation of".

Besides, that fits with my broadcast communications model of one-to-unspecified.

I just don't understand the criticisms.  I don't get to listen that often - maybe an hour or two once a week.  Today is the first time I've heard the morning show at all.   Brenton and Sheila sound great.  Traffic sounded fine.  I tuned in this morning expecting a freak show after reading the comments.  You've left me disappointed!   ABC Radio newscasts even have a few stumbles - but I haven't heard any on iNews in the last half hour.

It's not the morning run that sounds like the amateur hour...but it's pretty much any other daypart.

This morning, I drove to work in silence.   The radio was off.  I am just as informed on the day's events and traffic conditions as I would have been if I had listened to inews880.  Therefore, I will keep the radio off from now on, it's easier on the nerves.

LOL.  Couldn't agree with you more, Bob.

Really?  Did the weather, news, traffic, sports, entertainment, and markets all just fly into your brain magically?  C'mon - unless you live next door to your office I doubt you don't pick up ANY information when  you listen to the radio.  But if it soothes you not to listen to the radio - then by all means relax.  

Quoted from Lawrence

Really?  Did the weather, news, traffic, sports, entertainment, and markets all just fly into your brain magically?  C'mon - unless you live next door to your office I doubt you don't pick up ANY information when  you listen to the radio.  But if it soothes you not to listen to the radio - then by all means relax.  

Ummmm, I read the papers ....?   Online ....?    But it's generally last night's news, hence the comment that,  when inews880 actually reports local news, inbetween commercials and assorted fluff pieces, I've already been informed of these stories.  I suspect they are getting their info from the same sources.   I check the City of Edmonton's online traffic cameras before leaving for work - good thing too, because the traffic reporting is not frequent enough on inews880.

You must work for inews880, you seem to think it's doing its job.  It's not.