1150 -- wassup w/those guys??

[RBW]

I just realized that 1150 AM has changed calls to WUTI and is running an automated...jockless...commercial-less 24hr "jukebox" AC format... with the occational "ID" spoken by what sounds like a 17 yr old female whose mouth has been numbed with novacaine.

I know they were sold by the public radio network... but do they know what they're doing now ???

 

[PhilMusic]

It has been going on for months. I'd love to knock on their door and ask to see their public file and how they are serving the community. In fact, maybe I will!

 

[therealjm12]

Wow, that's still going on?! I was in the area at Christmas time and they were playing sorta an adult contemporary format. Between every song it sounded like a child doing a legal ID. My guess it was Windows Media Player running things. It's sad to think what was a once great station has sunk so low. I know it's too late now, and it was tried before, but an all sports format, run right, coulda worked. Maybe Progressive talk?

 

[RBW]

Wow... I didn't know it had been going on for so long!! Since WAMC got `em awhile ago, they fell off my radar. I guess I've been out of touch with them. I actually think the music mix is pretty good, I just don't understand how they're staying afloat by doing what they're doing.

 

[TheBigA]

It has been going on for months. I'd love to knock on their door and ask to see their public file and how they are serving the community. In fact, maybe I will!

Do you have an address?

 

[JustPastBuffalo]

What became of those classic 1150 WRUN call letters which were once spoken by none other than the legendary Dick Clark? Quite historical.

 

[therealjm12]

The WRUN calls were moved to WAMC's repeater FM station in Remsen. They should have been left on 1150. DYK that actually WRUN-FM (now WFRG)was on the air before the AM. That's the station Dick Clark Jr. announced on. The AM had problems with the directional array so it was delayed. They did beat the WIBX switch to 950 (from 1230) by a few days. Dick Clark's father (Sr.)wouldn't let him on the AM because "people were listening". After all it was the 1940's. Believe it or not, Dick Clark, himself, told me the story. He thinks it's pretty funny.

 

[JustPastBuffalo]

Thanks JM. Great story! WRUN-WKGW was a monster, with a signal that would burn leaves off the trees around the Hamilton college campus.

 

[BobRoss]

Do you have an address?

They are on Thomas Road in Oriskany. I don't know if there's a "number" for the address. Thomas Road is a very short road that runs north off NY Route 69 near Airport Road ("airport" referencing the former location of the Oneida County Airport). The road dead-ends in the station building's parking lot -- the station property abuts the CSX railroad line there.

 

[RBW]

I can't imagine there'd be anyone AT the station! Sounds like the stations' hard drive is doing fine on its own.

 

[Adman4120]

Hello....I was told that Bud Williamson, known to many in the area is the owner. Not sure if true or not, but was also told that the Station ID is his son and not a female.

Last...was told that he is trying to sell the station for around six figures, or possibly lease the station. Not sure if either one makes sense. I believe the ground system is still in terrible shape and I drive by the towers everyday and see so much rust on them, I'm surprised they don't collapse.

I still believe if someone had the money to invest in the signal quality, they could give WIBX a run for their money with a good news department and some local and national talk and, for sure local high school and college sports.

The WIBX signal is horrible compared to years ago. I understand they have some tight nulls toward the South and West, but I do not ever remember the station almost being non existent in the Turning Stone Resort parking lot, and toward Sylvan Beach and Camden. Can't even pick the darn station up on Route 12B in Clinton good at all. If these areas were good for reception before, they should still be good today. Something with their pattern array seems out of whack. WIBX also has about the lowest modulation on the dial, no compression, no nothing. Just listen at Noon when Rush is on WGY, WSYR and WIBX. WIBX sounds like they are in a tin can or funnel. There local programming also sounds so flat. Finally, it wouldn't take much to compete against their news department either.

 

[RBW]

Rusted towers on 1150? .... It doesn't seem to affect their eastern signal pattern. I was in Cooperstown on Sunday on they were comin' in just fine. I'm just east of Amsterdam, and with my CCRadio and Terk antenna, I get FULL BARS on them.

I used to listen to WIBX all the time. It always surprised me how well they got out there. I'll definately check them out again though. As far as I know, I can still get them here ok. As I recall, I heard them recently during a band check on the northwest side of Albany. As I say... their eastern signal has always been pretty good. They null to the west for 950 Rochester.

I know ONE station that's ALWAYS had that tin-can sound... 850 WYLF Penn Yan. It takes me back to that smalltown AM sound that seemed more prevelent some 20-25 years ago!

 

[therealjm12]

I thought WAMC was going to put up new towers and adjust the night pattern and lower the power slightly. Are you sure they are not just using towers 2,3, & 4 24/7 and letting 1 & 5 rust away?

 

[therealjm12]

And P. S. I'll bet there is nothing in the building on Thomas Rd except the transmitters. The phaseing equiptment is out in a little building by the towers in the swamp. There probably is not even running water except what's on the cellar (bomb shelter) floor. That building was in sad shape 30 years ago. It probably needs to be torn down except for the original brick part of it. I don't think anyone bought anything of value except the license. I was a jock there for many years and even the chief engineer for a very, very short time- and that was only because I had a first ticket and everyone else had quit. I was taught how the array worked but George "Woody" Woods who built the station, for whatever that was worth.

 

[RBW]

NOW WHAT'S GOING ON ??? ???

I can't get them this morning!!

Are they OFF the air now ??? ???

 

[CNYRadio.com]

And P. S. I'll bet there is nothing in the building on Thomas Rd except the transmitters. (...) That building was in sad shape 30 years ago. It probably needs to be torn down except for the original brick part of it.

I never worked in the building while it was active, but visited once as a kiddie contest winner in the KG104 days, well before I even dreamed of working in radio. Saw the inside of the building again in the early 2000s, when I was full-time at Lite 98.7. We were trading in the old station van for a new one -- but since the old van was a lease, we needed to put the back seats back into the van -- they had been taken out to make room for equipment. Where were the old seats stored? The WRUN building.

Mind you, this was several years ago, but I recall the building was not in great shape. An old production studio was filled with old audiotape reels, with defunct station labels like 96 Frog and KG104. I saw something referring to WRUN's old "Business Radio 1150" format. Studios were pretty much gutted -- no consoles, microphones or anything else of value. Upstairs, all the offices were empty, save for a few stray papers and a broken window or two.

After Regent sold WRUN to WAMC, it appears they made some improvements, at least to the outside of the building. The Erie Canalway Trail crosses Thomas Road right near the building... so during a bike ride a couple summers ago, I stopped by for a look. Had my camera, so I also took a few pictures, which I later used as a CNYRadio.com Picture of the Week.

http://www.cnyradio.com/2008/09/19/potw-the-wrun-transmitter-site-2008/

Some co-workers of mine who used to work in this building told me it was not pleasant. Aside from the creepy, out-of-the-way location, they said the building would shake a little anytime a train passed on the CSX mainline, which is literally no more than 10 feet behind where I was standing (at the edge of the parking lot) for the second shot on the page linked above. Either way, definitely an interesting piece of local radio history.

And yes, WAMC had received permission to build new towers for WRUN in late November 2008, a move that would require changing the COL from Utica to New Hartford... but just a few weeks later, they signed WRUN-FM on the air. By the following July, WRUN(AM) was sold to Williamson. The CP is still active per the FCC's website, but I haven't heard if Williamson plans to follow through with WAMC's plans, or if he'll just keep doing what he's doing and just let the CP expire.

 

[therealjm12]

Re: 1150 -- wassup w/those guys?? A little history of 1150

I have the day off, and the car is in the shop, so I thought I'd write a little history lesson of WRUN. Note: This will be based on my personal recollections and what I have been told by people long gone. Go ahead dispute any of this. I don't care. It is just my recollections. There used to be a scrapbook at the station with pictures and newspapers articles about the station, but who knows where that is now.
In the past I have written about other stations in the area, the writings seemed to be appreciated, so here goes..........

WRUN was originally put on the air by the Rome Sentinal company -the Rome newspaper hence the call letters Rome-Utica_News.
As I have mentioned before the FM (now WFRG)actually made it to the air before the AM. The FM was strictly an experimental toy. The ownership was very conservative and liked listening to the "beautifuL"music the station played. They were probably the only people that had FM recievers. Relatives, the Clark family were brought in to manage the station. Dick Clark Sr. was the manger Dick Clark Jr. was a teenage announcer and errand boy. The AM ran into some problems getting the directional arrray past the F. C. C. So it was delayed for a year , maybe longer. WRUN -am finally signed on as a daytimer. I think it took about a year to get the night time operation going. However it was the area's first 5kw signal. Beating WIBX's new frequency on 950kw by just a few days. Side note: up to that point WGAT (now WTLB) was the most powerful station in the area on 1310 at 1kw.
I think the original plan plan was to run the station as a network relayed (ABC) station. It was pre-TV days and I think they under estimated the future influence of TV. By the early 50's network radio was pretty much dead. They mostly relied on music to fill the void. They played the pop music of the day -Sinatra, Patti Page, etc. They ran Yankee baseball and other sporting events as well as Paul Harvey and other network offerings. I don't think they ever ran the Breakfast Club, but maybe. I know that Danny Fusco was the morning man in the late 50's & early 60's. He was very popular and got very got good "Pulse" ratings. He and his brother Mike, left WRUN to start their own station WBVM 1550. In the mid 50's WGAT became WTLB and went with one of the first top 40 formats in the country. A lot of speculation has been said over the years why WRUN didn't switch to top 40. Most opinions I heard was the ownership was too conservative to play Elvis and Little Richard, or just too chicken. WTLB just kicked a$$ from day one. Making WRUN and WIBX also runs. Of course both the stations had had a lock on the older audience, but at times WTLB had 75% of the available audience. WRUN continued along with their MOR and block formats into the early 70's Block programing meaning, sports, ethnic -a lot of Italian and Polish programs and even some "teen" times dabbling in the hits of the day. The sales dept. pretty much programmed the station.
In the early 70's Don DeRosa ( of WTLB, WABC, WPTR fame)became the G. M. He convinced the owner John Woods to go with a solid top 40 format. Don actually wanted to go top 40 (CHR) on WRUN-FM, RUN-FM. Woods refused but allowed Don to take over the AM. A short time later Woods launched KG-104 on the FM. Don had a plan to immediately unseat WTLB as the market leader. He made the very young and hip John Carucci his program director. They just signed on one Monday morning playing the hits. I mean the hits, over & over & over again. The playlist was shortest I've ever seen to this day. They put a screaming night guy on (Jimmy Dean) who put the kids phone calls on the air. The 1976 ARB's showed that WRUN was totally dominate in every daypart. A few years later the Regional group (WOLF in Syracuse) bought the stations.
I think their plan was to make KG-104 essentially the companion station to WOLF and WRUN was just thrown into the deal. Tom Shine and Fred Horton came to town. They relaxed the rotation a little, threw in a few more oldies and recurrents and were able to keep the ratings success and add some older demos. Both WRUN and WKGW sounded great. Something went wrong after that. I don't know if the ownership got into a financial bind or just lost interest. Of course AM was just starting to die at that point. I left town about that time and only know about the constant ownership & format changes on 1150 until it has been beaten down to what it is today. Maybe someone else can jump in and update this from 1980 on.

 

[JustPastBuffalo]

Outstanding overview of WRUN, JM and very enjoyable reading. Thanks for the TSP... Time Spent Posting.

 

[CNYRadio.com]

I can't get them this morning!!
Are they OFF the air now ??? ???

I was in Utica this past Saturday, May 15th... nothing at all on 1150AM. Tried tuning it in along the Thruway between Utica and Westmoreland, which passes only a few miles from the transmitter site. Usually no problem picking up the station there, but all I heard was static.

 

[therealjm12]

I am planning on a trip to the area this weekend to visit relatives. If I have time I take a trip to Thomas Road and see what's going on.
I'll report next week. Man, talk about deja vu.