101.1 FM Warsaw ... it's back

[Juan Bodley]

Heard it first time last night...the usual construction noises, and some voiceovers about the NEW 101.1. I think there was an ad for a sales position, a computer generated (at least that's what it sounded like to me) time and temp voicer... There were some dropouts in there; I don't know if it was my reception or just the bumps in the road to getting back up and running.
Also I noted that 1300 AM, the sister station based in Huntington, is dark right now.

There were most notably music bits played like a club mix...material I don't recognize. If I take that as a hint of what it will become, it's a grand departure from the old Q101. At least it's coming back.

 

[Juan Bodley]

Since I posted I have heard 1300 AM back on the air, with no changes.

 

[kwlz993]

Chris Larko's fiance has worked a deal with a former staff member from Oasis to put it back on the air as a CHR- however the money used to put it back on the air is from another party who plans (or at least that's what he thinks) to lease it at some point and turn it into a southern gospel format of all things. Mike Peters put the station back on the air Thursday, with the studio still in Fort Wayne, and the transmitter just outside of Sidney on SR 13. There was a huge push recently to get it back on the air to run the license renewal announcements, as it was never listed with the FCC as being dark for the past 10 months.

There is a lot more to this story, as there has been for a while. It's been the subject of many conversations over the past 3 plus years, as an engineer friend of mine has been attempting to purchase it since before Larko passed away. As with all things Q101, there's something very fishy about the story we got Friday about how it's on the air, who's actually involved, and the future of the programming.

 

[jo-nathan]

I remember hearing Q101 when I worked at a Rent-A-Center in Warsaw. I thought it was a pretty quirky station and I really enjoyed the old jingles they played (this was in 2006). I also liked that it was called Q101 because that was the name of the station I worked at in Mississippi.

 

[Juan Bodley]

For this part of the state of Indiana I hope they don't turn another station into a religious station...come on people, get original and do something out of the book that wasn't published.

I'll be curious but don't count me as a dedicated listener...

 

[kwlz993]

Kinda like what WRSW USE to be with the outside the box programming? I remember you saying some very positive things about that station 3 years ago about the mix on that station...

 

[Juan Bodley]

I USED to like what WRSW was playing then they cut it back to middle of the road music.
I like a good rock format like they USED to have on, but somebody must have said cut it back. It's alright. Serves the market well.

 

[fwmw]

with a former staff member from Oasis to put it back on the air as a CHR

Keith Harris?

 

[kd8hho]

For this part of the state of Indiana I hope they don't turn another station into a religious station...come on people, get original and do something out of the book that wasn't published.

I'll be curious but don't count me as a dedicated listener...

yea like Indiana needs another religious station. considering it seems like 25-35% of the current stations in any area are bible bangers.

 

[fwmw]

yea like Indiana needs another religious station. considering it seems like 25-35% of the current stations in any area are bible bangers.

What's wrong with that format or percentage figure? Others listen, even though you may not.

 

[Juan Bodley]

I'd rather see these frequencies go to potential owners who want to get in the business, maybe some of them to groups that don't have access to an open LPFM channel, let them have a higher power station and see where it goes.

As for religion: I don't care for organized religion. I've had my "share" of it, and I'm done with it.

 

[kd8hho]

yea like Indiana needs another religious station. considering it seems like 25-35% of the current stations in any area are bible bangers.

What's wrong with that format or percentage figure? Others listen, even though you may not.

whats wrong with it? nothing per say. but honestly to many of them. and how many people actually listen? honestly not that many really. I dont know a single person who listens to it. so honestly all these full power,lpfm,translator bible bangers could actually be used by something better like how about serving the community.

its pretty bad when out of the 25-35% of the bible bangers 99% of them is the same damn programming. so yea no need for them all to be on when its the same crap.

but the powers to be want to crap up the FM dial fine, I dont listen (and people wonder why people are tuning away from broadcast)

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

yea like Indiana needs another religious station. considering it seems like 25-35% of the current stations in any area are bible bangers.

What's wrong with that format or percentage figure? Others listen, even though you may not.

"The Church" through the years has gained the respect of community because it demonstrates it's message through action. (Feeding the hungry, comforting the sick, and of course, sharing the "Good News" under circumstances where and when people want to hear it.

Religion on the radio on the other hand does little or nothing to gain the respect of community. Religion on the radio does virtually NOTHING to demonstrate it's message through action.

Religion on the radio has too often tried to mix politics and religion which turns a lot of people off.

Radio people (like people participating in this thread conversation) also know that some religious broadcasters are more motivated to simply "occupy" channels so it will be impossible for liberal programming or for NPR programming to have those channels.

If the people who really like relgious programming want to see it remain viable, they need to send a message (along with their checks) that they want the "industry" to rethink the questions: Who are we, what are we doing, why are we doing it, and is it working?

Full Disclosure: GRC at one time managed a station that was broadcasting religious programming in Indiana. I have been a long time observer of the genre. A very colorful day in my life was the day my own pastor looked me in the eye and said: "Hoss, there is enough ignorance delivered EVERY DAY on your one radio station to "ignorance the whole world".

 

[ChiefEngineer]

Amen. Most pastors have little interest in religious radio. 90 percent in the church don't listen to it. Church leaders are more interested in non religious (secular) radio. This is the next path for Christian Broadcasters.

 

[borderblaster]

K-Love and Air1, and other CCM stations have a loyal audience, not so sure the rest but most of the individual national preacher shows track where contributions are coming from. The feds aren't interested in favoring or disfavoring any formats, but claim to be interested in minority ownership.

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

Our conversation in this "Warsaw" thread about religion on the radio is lacking any observations about the unique situation that exists in Warsaw that might make it different than the average town in Indiana, or the average town in the Midwest... or the average town anywhere!

My memory is that there is a campus on the shore of Winona Lake that has been the home of religious gatherings for maybe 100 years. Didn't Billy Sunday headquarter there in the early days? There is at least one seminary or Bible school there and I think one or more small denominations have their national headquarters there. I have no knowledge of this guess, but much like Montreat, NC I would guess that Warsaw has been a retirement community of choice for pastors and missionaries.

All of that creates a real dilemma for anyone who would choose to do religious broadcasting in Warsaw: Do you cater to the unique values of the people connected to "organized religion" there, or do you pretend that broadcasting religion in Warsaw, IN is no different that broadcasting in Greensburg, IN or Crossville, TN or Aurora, Mo?

 

[Juan Bodley]

I'll step up and take blame for starting the religious slant in this thread...it was a knock about the amount of stations in the (mainly) Fort Wayne area that have come along that are religious in nature. I personally would like to see more stations get off the bandwagon and get original. But I can't have the sun and the moon can I?

As for Warsaw, Billy Sunday is well known around the area, Winona Lake specifically. I have nothing more on that.

 

[ChiefEngineer]

The religion part of broadcasting goes to the early days when preachers had airtime not entire stations. This seemed to be a good thing. My recent look at the Indy Arbitron numbers show 50 kw WGNR at 1%,and market leader K Love at 3%. The AU station is at .4. Being in radio and in the Christian broadcasting area I am shocked to see such low numbers for stations with good signals.

Am I more interested in secular listeners to pass the message to? Yes. If you treat the message as underwriting and have a good sounding station that may play any type of music and actually have listeners is this better?

 

[borderblaster]

It would seem to be that if you are going to bring the Christian message to secular radio, it needs to be as a commercial (as some done) or maybe a Sunday morning talk show that's interesting enough to get listeners and maybe even invite some controversy. I'm not convinced about traditional Sunday morning preacher shows on secular stations. I'm more convinced about the digital world...including mobile apps.

In the case of the Warsaw area, Winona Lake is a small town attached to Warsaw, which is the county seat of Kosciusko County. It does have Grace College/Theological Seminary. The Free Methodist Church had a headquarters there before moving to Indianapolis. A lot of the county includes Lake Wawasee and Lake Suracuse (where I grew up until age 10). I don't know that there's any more opportunity for religious broadcasting than any similar sized area with a Christian college (Cedarville University in Ohio sold it's network of stations to the K-Love folks recently). There's still plenty of sinnin' going on in that area, I'm sure.

Chris Larko's untimely passing at 51 was sad..and looks like his stations have not recovered

 

[kwlz993]

For what it's worth, religious "broadcasting" is running rampant in Warsaw. Recently Warsaw has had two more translators sign on at 98.7, and 99.7, with another one that's been on the air for sometime at 88.7. WRSW and WIOE-LP both run religious programs on Sunday mornings- nothing syndicated- local churches with their message.

In Warsaw, you can also get K-Love from Plymouth, and 90.3 from Fort Wayne, along with Pulse from South Bend at 96.9. The translator at 99.7 is WFRN, which comes booming into Warsaw at 104.7, so I'm not sure what the reason was behind the translator at 99.7. I'm not sure who signed on at 98.7. I honestly don't keep up with the religious stations/translators. I guess my point is they have PLENTY of religious broadcasting outfits in Warsaw.

I'm with Juan- it would be nice to see some out of the box programming. People in Warsaw are SCREAMING for something local and different and programmed accordingly. WRSW USE to be that, but has gone to playing 15 songs- by direction of Clint Marsh who was put into place as the GM- while almost all of their help gets in their cars and drives to Fort Wayne or South Bend. It comes across on the air that nobody cares about the programming... it's was put together strictly from a spin report of top 20 markets, not what Warsaw wants necessarily.

It would be nice to have somebody with some true radio experience, with a solid promotions department, and a PD who thinks that "Subdivisions" from Rush is not a "flavor" song get their hands on a signal in K County. If you did the afore mentioned with true local news, and add being very involved with community events, it would be a force to be reckoned with.

Anyway, back to something in regards to the original subject: Q101 is still stunting, and they have added Star Wars music to the stunting lineup. I wait patiently for the launch of the format.... ;D