Feature Story News, which had launched its FSN Reports in the wake the demise of Free Speech Radio News, announced plans to end the program, effective October 3.
In a Sept. 23 email to the radio stations carrying the daily half-hour program, Simon Marks, president of Feature Story News explained FSN had underwritten some of the costs to produce FSN Reports.
“Unfortunately, we’re at the point where we now need to devote our resources in a different direction,” Marks wrote. “It’s been a pleasure and a privilege to provide you and your audiences with the program over the past year, and I hope that you’ve found it useful.”
In an interview for Radio Survivor, FSN’s Director of Business Development Rob Flynn called FSN Reports “a labor of love” that FSN took up in the vacuum created by the folding Sept. 27, 2013 of Free Speech Radio News.
“We love producing the program, but it was resource intensive and not making what it costs to produce,” he said. “Ultimately it was just not feasible for us to continue.”
Flynn added FSN had considered scenarios such as making FSN Reports an hour long to increase chances for survival. Costs proved too much to overcome, he indicated.
FSN will continue its smaller headline package services to broadcasters.
The end of FSN Reports represents a potential challenge, particularly for community radio stations without the resources to generate regular news reporting. At its height, Free Speech Radio News claimed over 200 stations airing its program.
