WICO – Has the Tilghman Times Been Handed a Monopoly on Local News?
Driving down Route 13 yesterday, I almost jumped for joy when I first heard that WICO was also broadcasting on 92.5 FM, as well as 1320 AM. This was something that I had been hoping for for years since I usually can’t hear Bill Reddish south of the Rt. 13 by-pass or west of Mardela. For the first time I was able to hear my favorite radio station all the way to Pocomoke. I was genuinely thrilled, until I got back to my office and checked out Delmarva Broadcasting’s new web site for “Delmarva’s Talk Stations” (nice website BTW).
If you look at their new schedule, you’ll see something pretty shocking – all local programming has been stripped from the schedule. No Reddish. With the exception of 1 hour, twice a month on WSDL, there will no longer be any local news (except what gets read from the Tilghhman Times), no local interviews, nothing.
If this schedule holds, the Tilghman Times has just been handed a virtual monopoly on local news coverage. You’ll get some local coverage from WBOC and WMDT at the dinner hour. Don Rush will continue (hopefully) to give us those two hours a month on his Delmarva Today program. That’s it!
With one week to go until Salisbury’s elections, we should all be demanding MORE, not less, local programming. With the new, larger, footprint of WICO we should be hearing citizens and officials from Somerset and Worcester counties, as well as Wicomico.
Do you want to only receive local news sanctioned (and seemingly written) by Barrie Tilghman and her pals? If not, call Joe Edwards at Delmarva Broadcasting and DEMAND the local content we not only need, but deserve. You can reach Joe at (410) 219-3500 or email him at jedwards@dbc1.com.
