West Georgia Radio

[wavo]

I've spent some time in the Carrollton area lately and I have to recognize Graddick Communications, owner of all the Carrollton stations, as one of the best radio operators I've heard in quite some time.

I was in the area during a tornado outbreak a couple of months back. Graddick Communications owner, Steve Graddick was on air, Saturday afternoon, giving radar information specifically for Carroll County. He was even looking at cloud tops...something only a person schooled in meteorology would understand...to warn the appropriate micro areas. It was the best weather reporting I have heard on radio - on par with Kurt Mellish at WSB...and that's a compliment! It was full service radio at its best! Every station, there are 7-8 counting the translators, was running this with no commercials.

One of the stations is a 50KW AM at 1060 and runs one of the best classic country formats I've ever heard. It also has a translator at 93.7 which covers the area well. This is ALL local and sounds top shelf professional. (Rubarb Jones was doing mornings there before he died as was WQXI morning man back in the early 60s, Red Jones.)

Graddick is the son of Les Graddick, a longtime radio owner/operator and also an engineer (back when you had to know how to actually design something without a computer) Les Graddick operates a full service country format in Jacksonville, Al. It also sounds major market and very local.
The stations all sound, technically, like they are owned by engineers. They are, hands down, some of the best sounding FMs in the Atlanta area.

We complain about "cookie cutter" radio here a lot...here is an example of a real broadcaster serving his/her community and doing it well!!

 

[MRFLASHPORT]

We complain about "cookie cutter" radio here a lot...here is an example of a real broadcaster serving his/her community and doing it well!!

and this, I believe, is the future of over the air radio: back to it's roots where small local/regional operators will put a QUALITY product on the air with QUALITY content, QUALITY sound thanks to QUALITY engineering with LOCAL relevant content supported by LOCAL advertising/underwriting. It won't make billions or even millions, just enough to keep the lights on and enough of a paycheck for folks to come to work- but their dedication to their art will keep it going.

Soon the iFarts and Cloud company's corporate toilet bowls will have become so 2005, the big bucks mega-million congolomerates will have been drained from the swamp that is corporate radio, and those like Graddick will be here to carry on and shine into the future as their local programming is relevant and serves their respective communities with content people will actually tune in (whether it be OTA or via a streaming device) to hear.

 

[TheBigA]

On the other hand, all that works well in an area where the living costs are much lower, and the cost of doing business is lower. Move that into Atlanta, with the added expenses and everyone's hands out wanted to get paid, and it's not so easy. The scary thing for some of these stations is what happens after COVID when even more small local advertisers disappear? Who will sponsor the high school sports?

 

[wavo]

On the other hand, all that works well in an area where the living costs are much lower, and the cost of doing business is lower. Move that into Atlanta, with the added expenses and everyone's hands out wanted to get paid, and it's not so easy. The scary thing for some of these stations is what happens after COVID when even more small local advertisers disappear? Who will sponsor the high school sports?

Small market operators get $5-10/minute, if lucky. Atlanta major market top 5...100 times that.

If the country remains closed until after a democrat wins the White House then we're ALL scr*wed. All we'll have is Amazon for Christmas...

 

[TheBigA]

If the country remains closed until after a democrat wins the White House then we're ALL scr*wed. All we'll have is Amazon for Christmas...

Has nothing to do with whether or not the country remains closed. It has to do with public confidence. The stores are open in Georgia, but only a small number of people are shopping. That's a problem. And yes it's safer to buy from Amazon that walking into a store and interacting with someone who may be sick.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

and this, I believe, is the future of over the air radio: back to it's roots where small local/regional operators will put a QUALITY product on the air with QUALITY content, QUALITY sound thanks to QUALITY engineering with LOCAL relevant content supported by LOCAL advertising/underwriting. It won't make billions or even millions, just enough to keep the lights on and enough of a paycheck for folks to come to work- but their dedication to their art will keep it going.

Soon the iFarts and Cloud company's corporate toilet bowls will have become so 2005, the big bucks mega-million congolomerates will have been drained from the swamp that is corporate radio, and those like Graddick will be here to carry on and shine into the future as their local programming is relevant and serves their respective communities with content people will actually tune in (whether it be OTA or via a streaming device) to hear.

and hwo do you propose ma and pa get the millions to buy these stations? banks aren't lending....

 

[MRFLASHPORT]

and hwo do you propose ma and pa get the millions to buy these stations? banks aren't lending....

Listener supported? Seriously, no one knows what the next year is going to bring. I work in local government. The word "furlough" has been tossed around. I'm an essential public safety employee, was even brought into my chief's office in March and made to sign an affirmation statement acknowledging that, despite my position description classification as "essential public safety", I was signing that if I fail to show up, be on call, etc instant termination with no recourse. Saying all this to say, no one is "essential" enough for the bean counters to make cuts.

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/...0200514-andrbvcsczao5e7c2ayvh64s4u-story.html

If Miramar, FL in sunny affluent Broward county, FL can tell their fire and PD folks to sit out and suffer, it can happen here. I imagine all media will feel the pinch when advertising dollar stops coming in. Bills for power and utilities, site rent, etc will come in. It's the same in my shop, I service and maintain a 15 site public safety radio system used by 19 agencies with 15,000 subscribers. American Tower ain't giving the county a break on any rent for any of our sites. $3400 a month ain't cheap. They don't care that it's public safety communications. The cell boys pay, and so should you. They'll be the "ultimate slumlords" and sans some Federal mandate, they'll cut locks and lock out/tag out anything with a past due balance.

My guess is with banks aren't lending, the good ol' government that everyone wants to "stay the hell out of their business" will be the first stop with the handout for corporate welfare. As my father who worked in commercial finance used to tell me growing up when I hit him up for money:

"If your banker won't loan you money, why should I?"

Yet the taxpayers will be bailing out into the trillions for the next generation to pay off. I predict the corporate casters will start threatening to "go dark" if they don't get their welfare money.

Sucks for them, this current administration is no fan of "fake news" and I am sure fingers won't be lifted with any rush to assist when it comes to that.