1460 goes progtalk 8/1

[HHH]

500 w day, 100 nights

http://www.clevescene.com/scene-and...veland-to-get-liberal-talk-radio-station#more

>>"It’s as if the conservatives have a corner on the market"

And the liberals have NPR

http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WABQ&service=AM&status=L&hours=D

There is a very big difference between the kind of "soft" Liberalism of some of the news programs on NPR (the newscasts themselves are pretty straightforward, tho), and Sean Hannity calling his program "The Stop Obama Express" and taking calls that often end with "you and I, sir--and all good Americans listening--have to do everything that we can to make sure Obama is a one term President blah blah blah blah". So, no, they are not the same thing.

Shultz and Stephanie Miller try to do a right-wing style hatefest for Liberals, but their ratings suck, even on big signals. Not sure if Liberals don't care for the shrill nature of the presentation, or what, but it is a notable contrast.

 

[johnbasalla]

I remember tuning into WATJ during a spring or summer and hearing them signing off at 5:00pm, which was required only in the dead of winter, when the sun went down at that time. I thought then that they must have not been doing well. I also remember somewhere along the way that they played some really strange country-like music, but they weren't hits and were not very, let's say, radio friendly.

 

[raccoonradio]

As with the cable news channels, we do have to make a distinction between news and opinion shows/talk shows (O'Reilly, Hannity, Maddow, and the now-on-Current Olbermann are not newscasters, and neither is Bill Maher). If NPR's news coverage tries to be objective or centrist
then fine; I would think Fox News Radio's TOH casts may skew a bit to the right or perhaps mention some stories the "drive by media" doesn't choose to cover, and the same could apply to other nets possibly skewing left.

Yes Sean's Stop Obama Express (formerly Stop Her--Hillary--Now in 08) is agenda driven but he's certainly a talk show/opinion and others can choose to rebut him if necessary, even if it means being made fun of or shouted down by him. Boston's Howie Carr has a bit of fun with liberal callers like Steve from Montreal and Josh from Vermont, with Howie alleging they "haven't taken their meds",
and Josh refusing to answer questions Howie asks him, preferring to just go ahead with the next statement on his index card, no doubt!

The book Rush Limbaugh: An Army of One starts with the author (who said he disagreed with
Rush on many subjects but still enjoyed listening) mentioning what a breath of fresh air it was
to have someone on the Right doing a show and making it entertaining, since most radio talk shows seemed to come from the Left it was said--at the time). As we've said before lib talk radio THESE
days (Air America and later stuff) tried to respond with their own versions of Rush, and perhaps they never got a fair shake from programmers who put them on weaker signals and it didn't quite work out, and this is where I say "well there's always NPR".

Indeed in Boston even if libtalk flops on WWZN 1510, there ARE two powerful non-comm signals
in WGBH and WBUR, with shows like Talk of the Nation, Fresh Air, and locals Emily Rooney and Candy Crossley. Even if commercial lefty talk fails, I would think it does well--at least I don't picture those shows as right-leaning--on FM with NPR.

You do have a good point about the approach these shows (Steph Miller) etc have and so far they aren't quite challenging Rush just yet but they are out there. And both sides admittedly
can be strident or even hateful; both can play with facts and ignore certain things (as filmmakers ranging from Michael Moore to the guy who did the NPR sting) in making their case more convincing...
In any case, the new format for 1460 is something for the left-thinkers, if they can pick it up,
to check out should they wish to do so

 

[Tim]

1460 may cover 25% of the Cleveland metro area. A lot of Lake county and some of Geauga county (both are mostly Republican) .

It may cover 20% of the east side of Cleveland with marginal coverage daytime, and nothng at night.

Waste of time. Poor format choice for the daytime coverage area.

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

And you're probably being charitable with those numbers, Tim.

My gut tells me 1460's listenable signal in Cuyahoga County probably covers less than 15 percent of the market.

 

[gabigley1]

Whats the latest on this new progtalk radio station? Where is their website URL?

It appears to be overshadowed by all the talk of a new FM Sports talk radio station in Cleveland...

 

[HHH]

As with the cable news channels, we do have to make a distinction between news and opinion shows/talk shows (O'Reilly, Hannity, Maddow, and the now-on-Current Olbermann are not newscasters, and neither is Bill Maher). If NPR's news coverage tries to be objective or centrist
then fine; I would think Fox News Radio's TOH casts may skew a bit to the right or perhaps mention some stories the "drive by media" doesn't choose to cover, and the same could apply to other nets possibly skewing left.

Yes Sean's Stop Obama Express (formerly Stop Her--Hillary--Now in 08) is agenda driven but he's certainly a talk show/opinion and others can choose to rebut him if necessary, even if it means being made fun of or shouted down by him. Boston's Howie Carr has a bit of fun with liberal callers like Steve from Montreal and Josh from Vermont, with Howie alleging they "haven't taken their meds",
and Josh refusing to answer questions Howie asks him, preferring to just go ahead with the next statement on his index card, no doubt!

The book Rush Limbaugh: An Army of One starts with the author (who said he disagreed with
Rush on many subjects but still enjoyed listening) mentioning what a breath of fresh air it was
to have someone on the Right doing a show and making it entertaining, since most radio talk shows seemed to come from the Left it was said--at the time). As we've said before lib talk radio THESE
days (Air America and later stuff) tried to respond with their own versions of Rush, and perhaps they never got a fair shake from programmers who put them on weaker signals and it didn't quite work out, and this is where I say "well there's always NPR".

Indeed in Boston even if libtalk flops on WWZN 1510, there ARE two powerful non-comm signals
in WGBH and WBUR, with shows like Talk of the Nation, Fresh Air, and locals Emily Rooney and Candy Crossley. Even if commercial lefty talk fails, I would think it does well--at least I don't picture those shows as right-leaning--on FM with NPR.

You do have a good point about the approach these shows (Steph Miller) etc have and so far they aren't quite challenging Rush just yet but they are out there. And both sides admittedly
can be strident or even hateful; both can play with facts and ignore certain things (as filmmakers ranging from Michael Moore to the guy who did the NPR sting) in making their case more convincing...
In any case, the new format for 1460 is something for the left-thinkers, if they can pick it up,
to check out should they wish to do so

Good points all, Raccoon.

I guess I long for the days of Jerry Williams in Boston, who was a feisty populist, and didn't seem to drink either side's Kool Aid.

Today's breed of radio (and many TV) talk hosts are generally Red or Blue Kool Aid drinkers. I don't even have to listen to Hannity or Shultz, because they will simply blame every problem on their political opposition, neat and clean, end of story. Simplistic nonsense for team zombies. We have big, fundamental problems with government in this country and both sides are responsible for recklessness. But in the simplistic world of Steph Miller or Mark Levin, the solution is simple. Get rid of the ___________s (fill in the blank) and everything will be OK. It's kind of entertaining, yes, if you don't actually think these people are 100% serious, which--by the way--I question anyway, since this is show biz.

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

Is this even on the air yet?

I was within range (far range) of the 1460 signal last week, going up the I-271 corridor to I-90.

1460 was deeply buried by static, but at least you could tell there was a gospel station under that static, just north of the Chagrin exit. It became semi-listenable past Wilson Mills Road, and listenable (with some occasional static) right before the I-271/90 merge.

We went west from that point on I-90, and kept 1460 a surprising distance towards downtown, with static kicking up right before MLK.

You could still listen into downtown, with a marginal signal (which disappeared entirely under the series of bridges right past Dead Man's Curve).

So, whenever Gary puts this thing on, maybe he has a shot at some East Side listeners, but I suspect the signal is marginal or not even usable in some of the liberal strongholds south of 90...

 

[Tim]

One thing to consider about static/man-made-noises under radio signals (especially AM stations)....over the decades billions & billions of miles of cable & DSL lines have been strung, a lot more steel-reinforced buildings have been built. Just a couple of major sources of noise on radio stations.

With AM stations...ground systems under their towers have eroded and the antenna system becomes less and less effective (not to mention copper thieves!).

And, radio manufacturers are building cheaper and cheaper AM bands in radios of all shapes & sizes, especially car FM/AMs.

Many of the new cars/trucks have windshield and/or those stubby little antennas on the back of their roofs....that's not good for pulling in AM stations in particular (not really that great for FM signals either, but especially poor for AMs).

 

[HHH]

Is this even on the air yet?

I was within range (far range) of the 1460 signal last week, going up the I-271 corridor to I-90.

1460 was deeply buried by static, but at least you could tell there was a gospel station under that static, just north of the Chagrin exit. It became semi-listenable past Wilson Mills Road, and listenable (with some occasional static) right before the I-271/90 merge.

We went west from that point on I-90, and kept 1460 a surprising distance towards downtown, with static kicking up right before MLK.

You could still listen into downtown, with a marginal signal (which disappeared entirely under the series of bridges right past Dead Man's Curve).

OMW:

There is no way on earth that 1460 will get any listeners in Cuyahoga county. Yes, if you are a radio fan and you dig for them through static and noise on a decent radio you can make them out in parts of eastern Cuyahoga county.

But let's face it. Regular people don't listen to the radio like that. Plus, as was mentioned, AM radios are crap these days even in cars, where FM gets the antenna tech and AM tags along. Plus, as was also mentioned, more interference than ever before.

Unless you have a strong signal on AM, you are screwed. Even old standbys like 1260 and 1420 are a challenge to get these days, and they have in-market transmitters.

 

[johnbasalla]

I tend to judge a radio stations signal effectiveness by ones ability to pick it up clearly in the house. Stations can be picked up further in the car. So, if your picking up a station with just a little static in the car, it has a good chance of being close to, if not unlistenable, on an average radio in the house.

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

Yeah, my little test was just a "drive by", seeing what commuters might encounter in drive times. Since I don't live up there, I can't check in-home listening (I have friends within 1460's signal range, maybe I'll check next time I'm visiting them.)

There is no way on earth that 1460 will get any listeners in Cuyahoga county. Yes, if you are a radio fan and you dig for them through static and noise on a decent radio you can make them out in parts of eastern Cuyahoga county.

One side note to that: whatever audience there is for liberal talk radio in 2011, they WILL endure subpar signals if they have to. (Or maybe by this point, they'll just use their smartphones and not bother with the AM band at all.)

Oh, there's no question that this is a battle for Gary to get listeners, with a subpar, rimshot AM that doesn't even hit "hot" areas for a liberal talk audience. If you can't get the thing on Coventry, why bother?

Maybe he'll snag some commute listening in drive times on the I-90/271 corridor. But even there...at 271 and Chagrin, when I was trying to detect gospel music under heavy static on 1460, little WELW/1330 was easily listenable with Dave Ramsey on the air.

 

[static_cling]

If the majority of the audience you're trying to reach can't hear you, what's the point? Need we again discuss WATJ's success as a sports talk station licensed to Chardon, but targeting Cleveland? No? I rest my case.

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

Oooh, I love it when someone brings up WATJ...Cleveland's SportsRadio 1560!

That was sheer insanity, and IIRC, that was an even worse signal into Cuyahoga County than 1460.

When I say "he may pick up some listeners in the I-90 corridor", particularly east of Euclid, please lower your expectations. I'm basically talking "a handful" here.

Gary isn't challenging WTAM with this signal. Gary isn't challenging WTAM's office intercom with this signal. He's not even challenging 1330 or 1490, even on that side of town.

But he operates (by his own admission) on a shoestring. How many listeners does he need to even make a couple of bucks, in the Lake County-and-really-next-door area?

I think he'd have a better shot at Cuyahoga County liberals with a signal like 1540, even.

 

[Rusty Muck]

If the majority of the audience you're trying to reach can't hear you, what's the point? Need we again discuss WATJ's success as a sports talk station licensed to Chardon, but targeting Cleveland? No? I rest my case.

Careful... Dino Costa may have something to say about that...

 

[gabigley1]

Oooh, I love it when someone brings up WATJ...Cleveland's SportsRadio 1560!

That was sheer insanity, and IIRC, that was an even worse signal into Cuyahoga County than 1460.

I think he'd have a better shot at Cuyahoga County liberals with a signal like 1540, even.

When I was in Cleveland in 1995, I could not pick up the station, even on a GE SuperRadio just west of downtown Cleveland.

Here is a air check of the station from the 70s: http://musicmasteroldies.blogspot.com/2010/12/this-is-probably-going-to-be-oldest.html
for what its worth.

Gary isn't challenging WTAM with this signal. Gary isn't challenging WTAM's office intercom with this signal. He's not even challenging 1330 or 1490, even on that side of town.

But he operates (by his own admission) on a shoestring. How many listeners does he need to even make a couple of bucks, in the Lake County-and-really-next-door area?

I think he'd have a better shot at Cuyahoga County liberals with a signal like 1540, even.

Gary will probally tell you WTAM needs some competition and he is going to provide the said competition with his new-talk format on 1460. He was interviewed on Air America shortly after he put a progtalk format on WVKO-AM in Cleveland. He said that WTVN needed some competition and that was one of the reasons he put the news-talk format WVKO-AM on the air.

 

[swfl]

Oooh, I love it when someone brings up WATJ...Cleveland's SportsRadio 1560!

That was sheer insanity, and IIRC, that was an even worse signal into Cuyahoga County than 1460.

I think he'd have a better shot at Cuyahoga County liberals with a signal like 1540, even.

When I was in Cleveland in 1995, I could not pick up the station, even on a GE SuperRadio just west of downtown Cleveland.

Here is a air check of the station from the 70s: http://musicmasteroldies.blogspot.com/2010/12/this-is-probably-going-to-be-oldest.html
for what its worth.

Gary isn't challenging WTAM with this signal. Gary isn't challenging WTAM's office intercom with this signal. He's not even challenging 1330 or 1490, even on that side of town.

But he operates (by his own admission) on a shoestring. How many listeners does he need to even make a couple of bucks, in the Lake County-and-really-next-door area?

I think he'd have a better shot at Cuyahoga County liberals with a signal like 1540, even.

Gary will probally tell you WTAM needs some competition and he is going to provide the said competition with his new-talk format on 1460. He was interviewed on Air America shortly after he put a progtalk format on WVKO-AM in Cleveland. He said that WTVN needed some competition and that was one of the reasons he put the news-talk format WVKO-AM on the air.

Thanks for the great aircheck. Brought back some memories. I grew up in Lake County and lived there until the late 70's when our family moved down here to Florida. I remember WBKC, WPVL and WELW as our "local" stations along with the Cleveland stations. Best part was hearing the commercial for Colemen Dodge. My mother worked there for many years. Thanks again!

 

[Rusty Muck]

Gary will probally tell you WTAM needs some competition and he is going to provide the said competition with his new-talk format on 1460. He was interviewed on Air America shortly after he put a progtalk format on WVKO-AM in Cleveland. He said that WTVN needed some competition and that was one of the reasons he put the news-talk format WVKO-AM on the air.

gabigley, seriously. If Gary thinks that he could pull that off, then he's utterly nuts. And Dale Edwards is laughing all the way to the bank.

WABQ cannot cover Northeast Ohio even under totally optimal conditions. Nighttime is utterly pointless. It isn't even in the same stratosphere as WVKO - WVKO at least could cover most of the Columbus metro even while being at the high end of the dial, and the format's past life on 1230 afforded it enough word-of-mouth to get it some sort of listener base. Cleveland never had that, and former WARF/1350 Akron listeners will never ever ever ever ever be able to pick up WABQ.

Gary will be lucky to draw a few hundred listeners, if that. His bare-bones operations style will never afford WABQ the money it sorely needs in order to promote itself (frankly, few people in Lake County know that the station even exists). And this not signing on with the format doesn't help matters one bit.

It's only about trying to promote ideology.

 

[gabigley1]

Is the station on the air yet?

 

[Rusty Muck]

Is the station on the air yet?

I heard Stephanie Miller this morning faintly under a barrage of static and co-channel spillover from WLEC/1450. Sounds like they flipped. (Mind you, Avon somehow is actually in WABQ's western lobe... that totally misses most of Cuyahoga County otherwise.)

No, I have no idea if "Joe Cleveland" debuted yet. Along with a delayed launch, there's no website... no advertising... no marketing... no receivable signal... no nuttin'.

No hope.