1110 WKZV

[FreddyE1977]

maybe we should all take up a collection to buy them a backup
transmitter on Ebay? ???

 

[Talk_Dude]

I had to look this station up on Wikipedia. What's the big deal? It's like WZUM, but without less history and stuck in an even smaller little patch of ground in terms of potential listeners. I don't want to see anyone's business tank, but if this one does, it does. What's the big deal?

 

[Whiplash]

Talk Dude! I appreciate your posts, and enjoy reading them. While owning, and even stronger, turning around an AM can be a challenge, you have to look beyond what is there, be creative, and come up with sometimes new fresh ideas.

I've often said, its not the size of your stick, it's what you do with it. What would I do with WKZV? I'd continue its classic country format, without its current air talent, and tie it into perhaps the Wheeling Jamboree, using it as a vehicle from parts of Pittsburgh to Wheeling to help drive Jamboree ticket sales, and other ideas.

Washington hasn't supported it for a long time, its time to find a community that does. That's just one idea!! Think!!

 

[Talk_Dude]

Talk Dude! I appreciate your posts, and enjoy reading them. While owning, and even stronger, turning around an AM can be a challenge, you have to look beyond what is there, be creative, and come up with sometimes new fresh ideas.

I've often said, its not the size of your stick, it's what you do with it. What would I do with WKZV? I'd continue its classic country format, without its current air talent, and tie it into perhaps the Wheeling Jamboree, using it as a vehicle from parts of Pittsburgh to Wheeling to help drive Jamboree ticket sales, and other ideas.

Washington hasn't supported it for a long time, its time to find a community that does. That's just one idea!! Think!!

You're missing the point. Lots of things in life are a challenge. There's a wise old saying that applies here. "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. But if you still haven't succeeded, give up. There's no sense being a damn fool about it." Those are words I've lived by.

It's sometimes called "picking your battles". Sometimes it's called "weighing the odds". A guy I once knew spent hours teaching his dog to walk on its hind legs. When he was done, all he had to show for all his work was a dog that walked on his hind legs.

I have no doubt that some rich fool could sink enough money, effort, and imagination into a loser like WKZV and turn it from the verge of bankruptcy to something as profitable as a McDonald's franchise. However, anyone with enough money, effort, and imagination to do that could also direct that money, effort, and imagination to a project that made more sense, and would likely end up with something an order of magnitude more profitable.

I'm reminded of the guy who worked in the circus cleaning up after the elephants. All he did was shovel elephant by-product from where the elephants deposited it into a cart and then hauled it somewhere else to dispose of it. An old friend of him asked why he didn't find another job. "What?", said the elephant poop disposal technician, "And give up show business?"

 

[Whiplash]

And what fun would that be? Ask CC officials what is like to be in debt? Why have any debt, when you can purchase a property cheap, and take your time to fix its equipment and problems. And when your done, you've saved something and accomplished something great.

Sure, we'd all love to be handed the perfect station with the perfect format. The handfull I people that I know, who have purchased dark or distressed AM's and turned them around, are truly great broadcasters.

 

[KeyTimes950]

I've often said, its not the size of your stick, it's what you do with it. What would I do with WKZV? I'd continue its classic country format, without its current air talent, and tie it into perhaps the Wheeling Jamboree, using it as a vehicle from parts of Pittsburgh to Wheeling to help drive Jamboree ticket sales, and other ideas.

Washington hasn't supported it for a long time, its time to find a community that does. That's just one idea!! Think!!

I appreciate idea #1. It could be a real promotional hit.

I'm not so sure I agree with idea #2. If Washington hasn't supported AM 1110 for a long time, it probably isn't Washington that went away. I remember WKEG and Earl Bugaile's efforts at news there. I also remember him from WEDO-810, a station that once was a great force in McKeesport, even as a daytimer. When a change in ownership included a virtual end to CBS affiliation (it dumped everything but three daily CBS newscasts), that was not a good sign.

Would news blocks as he had them at WKEG, one in morning drive, one at noon, one later in the day, work today? Who knows? But I still think the old idea of "public interest, convenience and necessity" can drive a station.

WJPA is a great oldies station. It also is a great public service to Washington.

 

[Talk_Dude]

And what fun would that be? Ask CC officials what is like to be in debt? Why have any debt, when you can purchase a property cheap, and take your time to fix its equipment and problems. And when your done, you've saved something and accomplished something great.

Sure, we'd all love to be handed the perfect station with the perfect format. The handfull I people that I know, who have purchased dark or distressed AM's and turned them around, are truly great broadcasters.

Well, the guy I know who trained his dog to walk on his hind legs was truly a great dog-trainer.

What you just said is exactly what I was getting at with the bit about the elephant poop-scooper not wanting to leave show business.

 

[Whiplash]

My recommendation dude is to go buy a station, and then post!

 

[Talk_Dude]

My recommendation dude is to go buy a station, and then post!

First, if I did have the money to buy a radio station, I wouldn't buy an AM station. If I had the money to buy an AM station, I'd take the money and invest it in a production studio to make audio and video programs that I could syndicate to broadcast and cable stations. Such a studio would also be suitable for recording music, which could possibly generate hit records that would be played on the radio, and could even be used for making music videos.

One doesn't have to be a player in an industry to be able to make effective and accurate observations about it. In fact, an objective outside can often recognize things that insiders miss because of their too-close perspective.

You've mentioned that some of your "successful" stations you use technology and voice tracking. Other people have noted how many stations just plug into some feed from a satellite. If you want to call that "being a broadcaster", I suppose that is one way to do it. If I was faced with having to get into the broadcasting industry that way, I'd rather get into the business of providing content to send up to the satellite than just operating a passive through-put device in between the satellite and the ultimate listener.

Frankly, calling the act of running a radio station that's nothing but a passive repeater of satellite programming "being a broadcaster" is like calling someone who runs a McDonald's franchise "being a restaurateur". Operating a passive repeater for satellite is to "being in broadcasting" what shoveling elephant poop in the circus is to "being in show business".

On the other hand, there are stations like WJPA in Washington that, back when I lived in Pittsburgh, did their own programming in-house, did remote sportscasts of college and high school sports, carried the Wild Things games, and often did "real" remote broadcasts from the Washington County Fair and other events. The guy who runs WJPA is a broadcaster worthy of that name. He doesn't use voice tracking. He plugs in syndicated stuff overnight and weekends when it's not profitable to be local, but the rest of the time he has real human beings in the studio playing records and answering phones for requests. He even has (or had, back when I lived there) a real news operation that actually sends reporters out to cover stories. I don't know the guy, but if he were to log in here and say anything about being a broadcaster, I'd believe him.

 

[loeper]

WJPA is owned and operated by Mike Siegel who is indeed a good broadcaster and a gentelmen as well. his staff has worked for him for years and the station is a news and advertising force in Washington county, Pa. hope they continue for years to come.

 

[Talk_Dude]

WJPA is owned and operated by Mike Siegel who is indeed a good broadcaster and a gentelmen as well. his staff has worked for him for years and the station is a news and advertising force in Washington county, Pa. hope they continue for years to come.

I'll bet there are lots of broadcaster out there who, if they wanted to brag, could brag about the quality of what they put out over the air. People like that are rare, and should be treasured and respected. Then there are also those who know how to make money pushing crap out of their antennas. One has to wonder about anyone who will brag about how successful his stations are when it comes to making bank deposits, but who doesn't post links to his station's websites where anyone can actually listen to what he's selling.

Don't get me wrong, I respect people who can make money, even if they make it selling third-rate crap. But I admire people who can produce a quality product they can be proud of.

 

[Whiplash]

Thank you Talk Dude for being honest. You don't have the money, so you really can't play. That said it all for me.

Post my websites? Sure!

www.youngstownscountrylegends.com

www.1570theblizzard.com

One is local and live and tracked, and the other is a network with local news updated each hour, using our staff in that direction. We also carry around 5 to 7 local and national sporting events a week.

 

[Talk_Dude]

Thank you Talk Dude for being honest. You don't have the money, so you really can't play. That said it all for me.

I'm curious. How many of the participants in this forum have enough cash on hand or good enough credit to buy a radio station? If the only people who could express an opinion about radio stations were those rich enough to buy one, how many people would be left to post in this forum?

 

[Whiplash]

I actually have wondered the same thing. I don't think many owners post here. Its not always about the cash, its about the structure of the deal.

 

[Talk_Dude]

I actually have wondered the same thing. I don't think many owners post here. Its not always about the cash, its about the structure of the deal.

How many stations are actually owned by individuals? Or, more importantly, of the total listening audience, what percentage are usually listening to stations not owned by a corporation instead of a sole proprietorship? Who is the more authoritative radio "expert", the owner of a small AM station, or the hired manager of several FM stations that dominate a major market?

To use an analogy as an illustration, who knows more about being a ship captain, the individual who owns a 35 foot yacht or the hired captain of a major luxury liner?

As for the "structure of the deal", what did you think "or good enough credit" referred to?

 

[FreddyE1977]

Thank you Talk Dude for being honest. You don't have the money, so you really can't play. That said it all for me.

I'm curious. How many of the participants in this forum have enough cash on hand or good enough credit to buy a radio station? If the only people who could express an opinion about radio stations were those rich enough to buy one, how many people would be left to post in this forum?

Or, to turn that around, how many people have the money and financial resources to buy a radio station, but then have nary a clue of how to actually run it?

(that seems to be the more typical pattern based on most people you talk to...
one guy told me for example he worked for an owner who made all of his money in the insurance business, but if asked to change a lightbulb at his station he probably couldn't do it)

 

[Talk_Dude]

Thank you Talk Dude for being honest. You don't have the money, so you really can't play. That said it all for me.

I'm curious. How many of the participants in this forum have enough cash on hand or good enough credit to buy a radio station? If the only people who could express an opinion about radio stations were those rich enough to buy one, how many people would be left to post in this forum?

Or, to turn that around, how many people have the money and financial resources to buy a radio station, but then have nary a clue of how to actually run it?

(that seems to be the more typical pattern based on most people you talk to...
one guy told me for example he worked for an owner who made all of his money in the insurance business, but if asked to change a lightbulb at his station he probably couldn't do it)

I believe you are dead-on correct about that. To take it a step further, a great many small businesses are like that. It's an all too common story about someone making a big pile of money in one field, then buying their "dream" business that they haven't got a clue about. Radio stations are one good example, but an even better example is bars and restaurants, and car dealerships. I read once where the most common ways that former pro athletes lose the money they made in the NFL, MLB, or NBA is opening either a bar/restaurant or a car dealership.

I'd be curious to see some sort of statistics about where the owners of most small scale radio station operators made their first pile of money.

 

[FreddyE1977]

not knowing how to change a lightbulb of course did not stop him from going to an NAB convention in
Vegas and buying a transmitter! :

My sister worked as a Private Banker for several years. She told me that most of the people out there
who are walking around with great gobs of disposable income are looney as a fruitcake!

 

[Talk_Dude]

not knowing how to change a lightbulb of course did not stop him from going to an NAB convention in
Vegas and buying a transmitter! :

My sister worked as a Private Banker for several years. She told me that most of the people out there
who are walking around with great gobs of disposable income are looney as a fruitcake!

That would make them ideal candidates for buying low-powered AM radio stations!

 

[Whiplash]

Now that was funny and correct! or a lot of LPFM's for that matter.