WFAE focuses on DNC protests

As part of its Community Conversations series, WFAE-FM (90.7) will host a public forum at 7 p.m. Thursday on First Amendment freedoms and issues involving protests expected during the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte in September.

Among the topics in the 90-minute meeting will be how the city is preparing for large demonstrations that accompany political conventions. 

 
Greg Collard, WFAE's news director, will serve as moderator. On the panel will be Bob Hagemann, Charlotte city attorney; Ken Davies, attorney for Occupy Charlotte; and Mark Newbold of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.

It is free and will begin at 7 p.m. in the James B. Duke Auditorium on the first floor of the Mint Museum-Uptown.

WFAE altering 'Charlotte Talks' during DNC

"Charlotte Talks," the WFAE-FM (90.7) local affairs program, will undergo a format change during the week of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte.

Tuesday through Thursday the week of the convention, the 9 a.m. show, hosted by Mike Collins, will take on more of a magazine format to focus on DNC topics, says program director Dale Spear.

Originating from WFAE's Spirit Square studio, the show will be in the midst of the convention district.
Also at WFAE, local news breaks will be added during the day beginning next week. WFAE already carries local news during the second half of NPR news on the hour during "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered." Now the station, which has expanded its news staff, will add local newscasts throughout the day from Marshall Terry, says news director Greg Collard.

'Kat' surges to lead in country radio war

WKKT-FM, "Kat," surged in the latest Arbitron rankings above its key competitor, WSOC-FM, but the two powerful stations remain locked in spirited battle near the top of the Charlotte radio ratings. Both have been performing strongly for more than a year, just behind perennial powerhouse WBAV-FM. They were tied in the May rankings and "Kat" has moved ahead in the June numbers.

WKQC-FM continues to gain strength in the adult-contemporary realm, landing at No. 5, while its main competitor, WLYT-FM, came in at No. 15. WLYT, long known as "Lite," changed formats this month and now brands itself as "Lake" and plays variety hits.

Classic rock's WRFX, the "Fox," is having a good summer. It has trended up more than a percentage point since May.

Here are the top radio stations in Charlotte and the percentage of the audience they reach as measured by Arbitron:

1. WBAV-FM ("V" 101.9) -- 8.9%
2. WKKT-FM ("Kat" 96.9) -- 8.4%
3. WSOC-FM (103.7) -- 7.3%
4. WPEG-FM ("Power 98" 97.9) -- 6.9%
5. WKQC-FM ("K" 104.7) -- 4.9%
6. WEND-FM ("End" 106.5) -- 4.8%
6. WRFX-FM ("Fox" 99.7) -- 4.8%
8. WHQC-FM ("Channel" 96.1) -- 4.6%
9. WLNK-FM ("Link" 107.9) -- 4.3%
10. WNKS-FM ("Kiss" 95.1) -- 4%
10. WPZS-FM ("Praise" 100.9) -- 4%
12. WBT-AM (News-Talk 1110) -- 3.7%
13. WFAE-FM (NPR 90.7) -- 3.1%
13. WRCM-FM ("New Life" 91.9) -- 3.1%
15. WLKO-FM ("Lake" 102.9) -- 2.9%
16. WQNC-FM ("Q" 92.7) -- 2.7%
17. WMIT-FM ("The Light" 106.9) -- 2.1%
18. WFNZ-AM (Sports 610) -- 1%
18. WDAV-FM (Classical 89.9) -- 1%
20. WBCN-AM (Talk 1660) -- 0.3%
21. WZGV-AM ("ESPN" 730) -- 0.2% 
21. WNSC-FM (NPR 88.9) -- 0.2% 
21. WSGE-FM (Gaston College 91.7) -- 0.2%

Source: Arbitron

Kim Brattain making DNC documentary

Longtime WSOC (Channel 9) anchor Kim Brattain is planning to do a short documentary on the Democratic National Convention this September.

Brattain, who left Channel 9 in 2008 after 16 years, now runs her own production company, Phase2Productions.

She's planning an upbeat documentary that goes behind the scenes of the DNC.

"Charlotte is going to get criticized," she says. "All that's going to linger are the things we did wrong. This is hopefully going to be a piece about how our gracious Southern city rolled out the red carpet."

Collaborating with Brattain will be well-known portrait photographer Mitchell Kearney, who has been interested in branching out into film.

Brattain says she's aiming for a 10-minute documentary, which is an optimum length these days to get considered for film festivals. Her first documentary, "A Glimpse of Grace" about hardships in the Congo, was a finalist in three film festivals. She plans to follow people contributing behind the scenes like Stacie Jacobs, a Cabarrus event planner busy coordinating events for the delegations staying in the Concord area.

WTVI to carry DNC?

WTVI (Channel 42), Charlotte's independent public television station, hasn't decided yet whether it will carry the PBS nightly coverage of the Democratic National Convention, which opens here in September.
WTVI is not a primary PBS affiliate, meaning it has access to only a limited number of PBS shows, and not always in the same time slots they are carried on other PBS stations.
Jeff Lowrance of Central Piedmont Community College, which took control of the station this month, says the station is waiting to find out whether PBS's nightly coverage will be made available to WTVI. Some other shows, like the network's annual Fourth of July coverage, are offered to non-primary stations for contemporaneous broadcast, he says.
Both UNC-TV and S.C.'s ETV statewide networks, which are available to Charlotte viewers, are expected to carry the PBS coverage, which stays with the convention throughout the evening hours. Commercial networks tend to broadcast one hour of wrap-up coverage at the end of the night.