Is Anyone Here?

[Stevens]

Drive Verity Parkway through Middletown. Drive around downtown. Take in all the empty storefronts. Ask yourself what's next at the old Manchester Inn site? Drive out to the mall. Worthmore just closed after 92 years. Head across the street to the Target that's closing soon. Then consider how much NKU wants for 910. How do you pay down that debt? And remember that Doug Braden had country on 105.9 to help subsidize the operation of 910. But you'll be a standalone. No FM to help you pay the way.

How many of those formats did Braden try in the last ten years? Standards. Classic Country. Political talk with all the second string hosts that the Cinti and Dayton stations didn't want and didn't have locked up. Nothing worked. Replace "political" with "sports." By your own admission, the big sports hosts are locked up in Cinti and Dayton too. Oldies? Look south to the struggles of our friends at 1480. And you're going to program that in the empty storefront economy of Middletown with a much smaller potential audience.

Yeah. I guess I'm just one mean ol' buzz kill pessimist. Or maybe not. One of the few things I think 910 might still be usable for is if the operators at 97.7 were to pick up 910 and program it as a another listening option for the region's Hispanic community. Maybe Sacred Heart could use it to extend their radio outreach. Either way, only if they could get 910 for a reasonable price. No. I'm afraid it may be time for NKU to do with 910 as Braden did with 1400 in Portsmouth. Turn it off, delete it at the FCC and take the loss. Sorry. Just how I see it.

 

[Radsio25]

Is Anyone Here?

What I am surprised at is how everyone centers their attention on the state of the City of Middletown. Yes there are empty store fronts in Middletown BUT
WPFB does not have to be only a Middletown Radio station. There is no local station serving Springboro, Lebanon, Monroe as well as Trenton.

Joe Mullins has proven you can make money and have an audience with his version of Classic Country.
I am not looking through rose color glasses on the various limits WPFB has with power and being on AM but still I believe you can make money being the LOCAL station as Martyparty has said and getting someone who understands and lives AM Radio while serving these growing cities outside of Middletown.

In sales a lot of radio pros look at the numbers whether a station can produce results for its clients. In fact a lot of sales pros can only sell with the NUMBERS. They don't know how to sell DIRECT SELLING. The businesses in the cities mentioned will not be buying Cincinnati and Dayton stations on a regular basis. The small business owner wants results and AM can be a viable avenue for them.

I was told by a member of the Braden family one time (while they had the Rebel on the air) how the Classic Country AM 910 made money for them.
One of the reasons was the low Overhead. The Rebel made money but the overhead was much higher than it needed to be.

I am sure many of you will tell me that WPFB can't make it. I respect your input. Still, there are many operators such as Joe Mullins showing the critics wrong.

 

[88.9 Miracle]

What I am surprised at is how everyone centers their attention on the state of the City of Middletown. Yes there are empty store fronts in Middletown BUT
WPFB does not have to be only a Middletown Radio station. There is no local station serving Springboro, Lebanon, Monroe as well as Trenton.

Joe Mullins has proven you can make money and have an audience with his version of Classic Country.
I am not looking through rose color glasses on the various limits WPFB has with power and being on AM but still I believe you can make money being the LOCAL station as Martyparty has said and getting someone who understands and lives AM Radio while serving these growing cities outside of Middletown.

In sales a lot of radio pros look at the numbers whether a station can produce results for its clients. In fact a lot of sales pros can only sell with the NUMBERS. They don't know how to sell DIRECT SELLING. The businesses in the cities mentioned will not be buying Cincinnati and Dayton stations on a regular basis. The small business owner wants results and AM can be a viable avenue for them.

I was told by a member of the Braden family one time (while they had the Rebel on the air) how the Classic Country AM 910 made money for them.
One of the reasons was the low Overhead. The Rebel made money but the overhead was much higher than it needed to be.

I am sure many of you will tell me that WPFB can't make it. I respect your input. Still, there are many operators such as Joe Mullins showing the critics wrong.

There will be soon, a station serving Middletown, Springboro, Monroe, Lebanon and most of Warren County. WYNS was granted a CP to go to 2,500 watts, moving from 89.3 to 89.1. It is possible that eventually it could be amended for over 6,000 watts. It will be built soon.

 

[Stevens]

Of course, we're going to center our attention on Middletown. That's the local community that 910 was licensed to serve. And the harsh reality of the Middletown economy is a severe handicap to any potential buyer of 910.

But now it's about a regional station serving "Springboro, Lebanon, Monroe as well as Trenton." How many of those communities have any kind of synergy with Middletown? Trenton? Maybe. But Lebanon or Monroe? That growth stems from Cincinnati. The overwhelming majority of residents consider themselves to be part of Cincinnati. As for Springboro? Look to Dayton.

Those persons are served by and listen to Cincinnati and Dayton radio. All but a few listen to FM. Getting the residents of those growing communities to tune to AM is about as likely as getting them to buy buggy whips. Many have never tuned to an AM station. Most of those who have will soon be or now are at an age that is long forgotten by most advertisers.

I know the history of WBZI. It has a heritage in country music that dates back to the 80s. When Joe Mullins bought it in the 90s, he had Moon to help enhance the country heritage that was already in place. Joe, Bucks and Chubby still deliver that heritage to the current WBZI. It's locally staffed through the day, 7 days a week.

The problem is when you try to suggest that the reality of WBZI means classic country will also work on WPFB. In it's final decade, 910 was all but a throw away for Doug Braden. It went from standards to talk to classic county. And while they may have made money, remember how they did it. Not with a seven days a week staff like WBZI, but with a generic "it's :19 past the hour" satellite feed from an empty AM studio. Low overhead...no staff.

As for sales pros that know direct? You can find them but how long can you keep them? There's far more easier money to be made without burning through the stress, time and energy needed to sell an upper demo format on an outdated AM radio band. And those small businesses? They're the ones where you hear those Cincinnati and Dayton FM stations playing as background music. The same FM stations that their customers listen to. And you want someone to walk into those businesses and say "I have this new AM radio station you need to advertise on?"

Again allow me to stress "NEW AM" station. Any buyer of 910 will not have the heritage and good will in the community that Joe Mullins has with WBZI. 910 doesn't have that history. Any real heritage 910 might have had in classic country went away with Moon and Chubby in 1989 - 25 years ago. Most of the time since, 910 was a standards station. It's been three years since NKU started the simulcast on 910. A good part of that time, the station was off the air.

My criticism isn't with WBZI. It's with the mistaken idea that a placing a satellite music service on a long forgotten AM station can replicate what WBZI has taken three decades to build.

 

[Radio25]

To 88.9, I believe you are referring to Spryex Communications station.
Would they be the new owners of the station?

 

[gr8oldies]

There was a time where Middletown had it's own economy with the steel mill. Those days are long gone. If you're living in Middletown, chances are really good you work in Dayton or Cincinnati, and you're listening to stations in one of those markets. Springboro is essentially a suburb of Dayton, how are you going to get the good folks of Springboro-who undoubtedly do not work, shop and play entirely in Springboro (or Lebanon, Monroe, Trenton, etc) to listen to what would amount to a radio version of a suburban newspaper--and even those are struggling. Even if NKU offered reasonable terms for 910, or even gave it away, it would be an uphill struggle with a very upper demographic, if there was an audience at all.

 

[jry]

There was a time where Middletown had it's own economy with the steel mill. Those days are long gone. If you're living in Middletown, chances are really good you work in Dayton or Cincinnati, and you're listening to stations in one of those markets. Springboro is essentially a suburb of Dayton, how are you going to get the good folks of Springboro-who undoubtedly do not work, shop and play entirely in Springboro (or Lebanon, Monroe, Trenton, etc) to listen to what would amount to a radio version of a suburban newspaper--and even those are struggling. Even if NKU offered reasonable terms for 910, or even gave it away, it would be an uphill struggle with a very upper demographic, if there was an audience at all.

As i have mentioned before. My Son in Law is from M Town and his parents are still there. It's a bedroom community, at best. Sad, but true. Maybe 910 is best suited to be dealt off to some local community college or something like that. Some of our smaller colleges in Michigan have done very well with their AM signals. I wonder if there are any operators on 890 - 930 that would benefit from WPFBs absence.

 

[Unregistered]

Probably 920 in Columbus. They had to pull in from the sw to put that one on the air in the late 50's. But it may be too little too late. There is not a huge amount of audience being missed that way with their current coverage. And the signal is hanging on by a thread right now.

 

[Bizman]

I worked at WPFB in the day. The only thing that was making money on AM was Paul "Moon" Mullins the news and high school sports. AM struggled back then. The FM couldn't find itself with religion so they tried disco for a while. The background music sub carrier brought in a tidy sum.

Today, there are no local restaurants, only chains. No local retail stores, only chains. No manufacturing, only a skeleton of it's formal self steel mill, with corporate offices long gone. A mall that can't support a new sign or remodel. A Target store that's closing. Could Sears and Elder Beerman and Kohl's be far behind? I housing market that is in shambles. Section 8 housing everywhere. Roads that are crumbling. Red light cameras for revenue. A city tax department that will cheat you blind with fees and made up new revenue laws. Middletown is done! The other cities in the area don't want anything to do with Middletown. No one associates themselves with it. Even the library changed it's name. The newspaper changed it's name. People are running as far as possible to get away.

How could this town ever support radio again? It can't. NKU over paid for the FM's in the deal and they can't come to grips that they need to write off 910. I hate it, but it's over.

 

[John From Owensville]

What about moving WPFB to Batavia...

And using it to simulcast Class X? Here on the east side of Cincinnati, there isn't a way to receive Class X on any radio unless you're lucky enough to get fringe reception of 88.9 (very unlikely due to WOBO bleedover) or 89.1 (If you're within 5 miles of WOBO, forget that option also) and we would love to hear the new breed of rock, even if it is on AM. Or, move WOBO's retirement home music to 910 AM and bring Class X to WOBO's 13,000 watt FM blowtorch.

Grandpa won't miss big band on FM.

 

[gr8oldies]

Another thing to consider when you talk about the WBZI trimulcast. Just how long before their entire very upper demo audience dies off? Who's going to be there to replace them?

Of course, we're going to center our attention on Middletown. That's the local community that 910 was licensed to serve. And the harsh reality of the Middletown economy is a severe handicap to any potential buyer of 910.

But now it's about a regional station serving "Springboro, Lebanon, Monroe as well as Trenton." How many of those communities have any kind of synergy with Middletown? Trenton? Maybe. But Lebanon or Monroe? That growth stems from Cincinnati. The overwhelming majority of residents consider themselves to be part of Cincinnati. As for Springboro? Look to Dayton.

Those persons are served by and listen to Cincinnati and Dayton radio. All but a few listen to FM. Getting the residents of those growing communities to tune to AM is about as likely as getting them to buy buggy whips. Many have never tuned to an AM station. Most of those who have will soon be or now are at an age that is long forgotten by most advertisers.

I know the history of WBZI. It has a heritage in country music that dates back to the 80s. When Joe Mullins bought it in the 90s, he had Moon to help enhance the country heritage that was already in place. Joe, Bucks and Chubby still deliver that heritage to the current WBZI. It's locally staffed through the day, 7 days a week.

The problem is when you try to suggest that the reality of WBZI means classic country will also work on WPFB. In it's final decade, 910 was all but a throw away for Doug Braden. It went from standards to talk to classic county. And while they may have made money, remember how they did it. Not with a seven days a week staff like WBZI, but with a generic "it's :19 past the hour" satellite feed from an empty AM studio. Low overhead...no staff.

As for sales pros that know direct? You can find them but how long can you keep them? There's far more easier money to be made without burning through the stress, time and energy needed to sell an upper demo format on an outdated AM radio band. And those small businesses? They're the ones where you hear those Cincinnati and Dayton FM stations playing as background music. The same FM stations that their customers listen to. And you want someone to walk into those businesses and say "I have this new AM radio station you need to advertise on?"

Again allow me to stress "NEW AM" station. Any buyer of 910 will not have the heritage and good will in the community that Joe Mullins has with WBZI. 910 doesn't have that history. Any real heritage 910 might have had in classic country went away with Moon and Chubby in 1989 - 25 years ago. Most of the time since, 910 was a standards station. It's been three years since NKU started the simulcast on 910. A good part of that time, the station was off the air.

My criticism isn't with WBZI. It's with the mistaken idea that a placing a satellite music service on a long forgotten AM station can replicate what WBZI has taken three decades to build.

 

[88.9 Miracle]

Radio25 said...
"To 88.9, I believe you are referring to Spryex Communications station.
Would they be the new owners of the station?"


They are not the NEW owners, but have been the owners, even when Lash was running it as Hybrid FM. It was Spryex that suggested that name and format to him. It's ClassX now, but will it remain ClassX. We shall see! We are plotting!

 

[Stevens]

...how are you going to get the good folks of Springboro-who undoubtedly do not work, shop and play entirely in Springboro (or Lebanon, Monroe, Trenton, etc) to listen to what would amount to a radio version of a suburban newspaper--and even those are struggling.

Nicely said. Great analogy.

 

[Stevens]

I worked at WPFB in the day....The background music sub carrier brought in a tidy sum.

That's key in remembering how Braden operated his radio stations. Braden was the first owner I worked for - WSMJ Greenfield, IN. My first day on the job I was emphatically told that the FM radio station comes second. Priority one was keeping Braden's Musiplex service on the air. I made the mistake of not changing one of the holiday music tapes on time during my first weekend shift - Thanksgiving 1978. Nearly lost my job over it. Seems our office manager had a Musiplex tuner on all the time and was listening from home.

 

[96StereoLane]

Of course, we're going to center our attention on Middletown. That's the local community that 910 was licensed to serve. And the harsh reality of the Middletown economy is a severe handicap to any potential buyer of 910.

But now it's about a regional station serving "Springboro, Lebanon, Monroe as well as Trenton." How many of those communities have any kind of synergy with Middletown? Trenton? Maybe. But Lebanon or Monroe? That growth stems from Cincinnati. The overwhelming majority of residents consider themselves to be part of Cincinnati. As for Springboro? Look to Dayton.

Those persons are served by and listen to Cincinnati and Dayton radio. All but a few listen to FM. Getting the residents of those growing communities to tune to AM is about as likely as getting them to buy buggy whips. Many have never tuned to an AM station. Most of those who have will soon be or now are at an age that is long forgotten by most advertisers.

I know the history of WBZI. It has a heritage in country music that dates back to the 80s. When Joe Mullins bought it in the 90s, he had Moon to help enhance the country heritage that was already in place. Joe, Bucks and Chubby still deliver that heritage to the current WBZI. It's locally staffed through the day, 7 days a week.

The problem is when you try to suggest that the reality of WBZI means classic country will also work on WPFB. In it's final decade, 910 was all but a throw away for Doug Braden. It went from standards to talk to classic county. And while they may have made money, remember how they did it. Not with a seven days a week staff like WBZI, but with a generic "it's :19 past the hour" satellite feed from an empty AM studio. Low overhead...no staff.

As for sales pros that know direct? You can find them but how long can you keep them? There's far more easier money to be made without burning through the stress, time and energy needed to sell an upper demo format on an outdated AM radio band. And those small businesses? They're the ones where you hear those Cincinnati and Dayton FM stations playing as background music. The same FM stations that their customers listen to. And you want someone to walk into those businesses and say "I have this new AM radio station you need to advertise on?"

Again allow me to stress "NEW AM" station. Any buyer of 910 will not have the heritage and good will in the community that Joe Mullins has with WBZI. 910 doesn't have that history. Any real heritage 910 might have had in classic country went away with Moon and Chubby in 1989 - 25 years ago. Most of the time since, 910 was a standards station. It's been three years since NKU started the simulcast on 910. A good part of that time, the station was off the air.

My criticism isn't with WBZI. It's with the mistaken idea that a placing a satellite music service on a long forgotten AM station can replicate what WBZI has taken three decades to build.

Point of order... I agree with 99% of what you are saying, but THREE decades? When I worked for Great Trails, 25 years ago, and quite awhile after that, WBZI was simulcasting it's sister Xenia FM, WDJK. Wilmington was owned by someone else, and Stanley Coning still owned 1130 Eaton. "Three Decades" is stretching the truth quite a bit. However, I admire what Joe has been able to do with less than ideal facilities. That's for sure.

 

[Stevens]

Thanks. My "devotion to accuracy" appreciates the correction. I seemed to recall WBZI playing country since the late half of the 1980s. I know it was in the 90s before Joe bought the station. I was around town when he picked up Wilmington and Eaton. I was referring to WBZI itself and the full extent of their history in country, not just the time of Joe's ownership of 1500 and the simulcasts.