1460 goes progtalk 8/1

[Tim]

Something to consider: if most progressive talk radio fans can't really hear the station on the radio that well or at all (due to the coverage problems and typical AM interference due to power lines, static, etc....).....even if they run the best audio stream in the world...without literally hundreds of thousands of dollars of mass media advertising to drive potential listeners to the stream...how will people know the stream even exists?

And, social media can only do so much.

Right now, at their very beginning, the most important things to do is to grab as many local/area ad dollars as they can generate.

Also, in order to spread the word that the station exists and begin to build audience, do a barter with the local/area newspapers for display ads to promote the new station in Lake County/far NE side of Cleveland (maybe even on local cable TV systems?). Trade commercials on AM1460 for ads on other media. Barter/trade has been pretty common in media for years. Helps both medias.

 

[Tim]

p.s.: Even with the growth of listening on I-phones & through various web streaming sources...the far, far, far largest percentage of listeners to radio stations are off the radio station itself.

This will change in the future, for sure. But, not in 2011.

 

[Rusty Muck]

So, the word "need" above is pretty weak. And as much as gabigley and other fans of the former WVKO want it, Gary has no "need" to cater to his former audience in Columbus. He's not running "WVKO North" here, he's running a Lake County radio station that can be heard in Cleveland if you're not under a power line.

I noticed Gary did not include WVKO-AM, WVKO-FM and WWCD in his WABQ bio. It appears he wants to forget all the years worked in Columbus radio. Why else would he want to change the name he used in Columbus from Gary Richards to Gary Webster when he gets back to Cleveland?

*FACEPALM*

You. Cannot. Be. Serious.

That's because Gary Richards is NOT TAKING AN ON-AIR ROLE. Gary Webster is a different person. Did you not understand anything that was written in the bio you copied-and-pasted by rote from their website?

Gary Webster

Gary Webster is a graduate of Kent State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in electronic communications.

Prior to the new Talk 1460 WABQ, Gary worked for WBKC in Chardon, Ohio, 1979-1982 as both morning and afternoon drive disk jockey, sports director including play by play of Chardon High basketball, program director, music director, and interview show host.
[size=20pt]Gary has been with WBKC/WABQ in Painesville since 1990 as both a contributor and later host of both the morning and afternoon news blocks, disk jockey, producer, interview show host, sportscaster (play by play and color commentator for high school football and basketball) and operations manager.[/size]

I am stupefied. How in the hell you can confuse these two different people is beyond comprehension.

Especially when it's noted DIRECTLY IN THE BIO that Gary Webster HAS BEEN AT THE SAME DAMN STATION SINCE 1990 (and prior to that, at WBKC's original frequency, the long-dead AM/1560 Chardon, SINCE 1979)!

HOW IGNORANT CAN YOU BE??!!??

I discussed Webster - and wrote how I was concerned how he might not be retained - EARLIER IN THE THREAD! And I tried my damnedest not to confuse the two in the article on WABQ I wrote for OMW.

Ah, forget it. Sometimes I wonder if this is just an act being done on purpose to get attention by others. I can tell by the act you've pulled on the Columbus boards, at least.

 

[Rusty Muck]

Something to consider: if most progressive talk radio fans can't really hear the station on the radio that well or at all (due to the coverage problems and typical AM interference due to power lines, static, etc....).....even if they run the best audio stream in the world...without literally hundreds of thousands of dollars of mass media advertising to drive potential listeners to the stream...how will people know the stream even exists?

And, social media can only do so much.

Right now, at their very beginning, the most important things to do is to grab as many local/area ad dollars as they can generate.

Also, in order to spread the word that the station exists and begin to build audience, do a barter with the local/area newspapers for display ads to promote the new station in Lake County/far NE side of Cleveland (maybe even on local cable TV systems?). Trade commercials on AM1460 for ads on other media. Barter/trade has been pretty common in media for years. Helps both medias.

Totally agree. Even WELW/1330 has a simulcast arrangement with a local community access channel on Comcast channel 99.

Barter/trade ads are simple to do, and the News-Herald's sister paper, the Lorain Morning Journal, frequently does that for the WOBL/WDLW combo. Even for a niche format, that's still a very good - and practical - way for Gary R. to get WABQ's name out there (especially for the local drive-time programming and high school sports).

Anything and everything Gary can do to create public awareness of WABQ is paramount, because, aside from a few people, fans of the format, and those that frequent R-I, no one knows the station even exists.

 

[Tim]

It's very possible to run a successful, local radio station...even though there's a lot more challenges if it's on AM.

It's a given the programming has to be appealing and compelling to a portion of your local, strong-signal coverage area.

But, even more important is a decent local sales staff, who are in the community you serve, developing on-going relationships with business owners who can become your local advertisers.

And, just as critical...especially in a large, multi-station market like Cleveland...where listeners all over the area have 30 or 40 (or more) signals to choose from....you simply MUST do long-term, mass-media advertising so that you have a shot at attracting potential listeners to your station....a station over 80% of the listeners in your area, don't even know you exist (and, if you're an AM, most never will).

Barter/trade...whatever...keep pitching your station's story in other local media.

Don't be stupid like so many radio station owners in 2011, foolishly believing that the only marketing you need to do for your station is free: running promos on your own station, and that doing so constitutes "advertising", and that sooner or later thousands of people will constantly tune up and down the band, and "find you" and love your station.

That type of thinking is so yesterday, so 40-years+ out of date, it's incredible. But, sadly...many stations, especially local stations in over-radio'd areas, die/go out of business due to those foolish, outdated attitudes by station owners.

 

[gabigley1]

Why else would he want to change the name he used in Columbus from Gary Richards to Gary Webster when he gets back to Cleveland?

[/quote]
Gary Richards & Gary Webster are two different guys.
[/quote]

Thanks for clearing up the confusion. I simply confused Gary Richards with Gary Webster partly because I haven't ever heard of Gary Webster and expected Gary Richards to take on an air roll because of his 'shoe string' operation.
Not to mention I didn't read the Ohio Media Watch piece close enough on the the new station, my fault.
Of course if I would have Googled "Gary Webster" before I posted, I would have seen they
are two different people. Then, it also would have helped if I lived in Cleveland and not Columbus all these years, then I would have known who Gary Webster was!. ;D

Nathan Obral, We all makes mistakes and that is one of the reasons I post. So, I can get information and contribute information
to the board. At least I hope so. Oh, and you can't always believe everything you hear and only half of what you see. Never hurts to question every now and then.

 

[Rusty Muck]

Why else would he want to change the name he used in Columbus from Gary Richards to Gary Webster when he gets back to Cleveland?

Gary Richards & Gary Webster are two different guys.

Thanks for clearing up the confusion. I simply confused Gary Richards with Gary Webster partly because I haven't ever heard of Gary Webster and expected Gary Richards to take on an air roll because of his 'shoe string' operation.
Not to mention I didn't read the Ohio Media Watch piece close enough on the the new station, my fault.
Of course if I would have Googled "Gary Webster" before I posted, I would have seen they
are two different people. Then, it also would have helped if I lived in Cleveland and not Columbus all these years, then I would have known who Gary Webster was!. ;D

Nathan Obral, We all makes mistakes and that is one of the reasons I post. So, I can get information and contribute information
to the board. At least I hope so. Oh, and you can't always believe everything you hear and only half of what you see. Never hurts to question every now and then.

You're fine. I'm sorry I blew up over that matter. Bear in mind that there have been other deeply personal issues (not necessarily relating to this board) that I've had to deal with recently. I hope the article I wrote made sense about the station and its' situation.

Again, my apologies.

Now, if only I knew as to "Joe Cleveland's" actual identity... lol

 

[Rusty Muck]

It's very possible to run a successful, local radio station...even though there's a lot more challenges if it's on AM.

It's a given the programming has to be appealing and compelling to a portion of your local, strong-signal coverage area.

But, even more important is a decent local sales staff, who are in the community you serve, developing on-going relationships with business owners who can become your local advertisers.

And, just as critical...especially in a large, multi-station market like Cleveland...where listeners all over the area have 30 or 40 (or more) signals to choose from....you simply MUST do long-term, mass-media advertising so that you have a shot at attracting potential listeners to your station....a station over 80% of the listeners in your area, don't even know you exist (and, if you're an AM, most never will).

Barter/trade...whatever...keep pitching your station's story in other local media.

Don't be stupid like so many radio station owners in 2011, foolishly believing that the only marketing you need to do for your station is free: running promos on your own station, and that doing so constitutes "advertising", and that sooner or later thousands of people will constantly tune up and down the band, and "find you" and love your station.

That type of thinking is so yesterday, so 40-years+ out of date, it's incredible. But, sadly...many stations, especially local stations in over-radio'd areas, die/go out of business due to those foolish, outdated attitudes by station owners.

Totally agree. It's how the smaller station operators survive. Gary will need to do anything and everything possible to get WABQ's name out there, and to reverse nearly 20 years of mismanagement from prior owners/operators.

Sure, it's nice to see the station's website get a nice re-do. But it matters more to have the station's name get exposure from all media - newspaper, cable TV, internet, billboards, everything.

Gary might have had a less-complicated task had he flipped WABQ to a less-niche format, but it probably adds to the excitement... and the overall achievement, should he make the station a player in Lake County (and eastern Cuyahoga County) once again.

 

[gabigley1]

http://talk1460.com/ is streaming as of today!

Also, The staff at Talk 1460 is mad they aren't listed in a morning radio poll on WOIO-TV. If the 1460 signal can't be heard in most of the Cleveland
Metro, how do they expect to have a competitive morning show? ???

http://talk1460.com/

CHANNEL 19 IGNORES US!!!
November 2

Hello listeners! Joe Cleveland here. If you’ve been listening to the morning show (of course you have been), you’ve heard us discussing (OK, whining about) Channel 19′s “Radio Wars” poll on their website, which gives listeners a chance to vote for their favorite morning show. And the East Side Morning Drive, with Joe Cleveland, is not on it! Nine morning shows are mentioned, but ours IS NOT. We are outraged, and not just INTERNET OUTRAGED, (which is common and boring), but actual HUMAN BEING OUTRAGED. Thus, I fired off this exceedingly polite outraged e-mail to Channel 19 VP/GM Bill Applegate: Dear WOIO Channel 19, Although our mustaches

 

[gabigley1]

Oh, I was expecting talk 1460 to start streaming by early November. That is because the station is on low power for most all of it's Friday Night
Football games since Standard time started this week. They waited until the last second to stream but it was apparently driven by the Friday Night
Football broadcasts.

 

[Rusty Muck]

http://talk1460.com/ is streaming as of today!

Also, The staff at Talk 1460 is mad they aren't listed in a morning radio poll on WOIO-TV. If the 1460 signal can't be heard in most of the Cleveland Metro, how do they expect to have a competitive morning show? ???

http://talk1460.com/

CHANNEL 19 IGNORES US!!!

[ ... ]

I do find it a bit funny that they are trying to out-do the most over-the-top news operation in the Northeastern Ohio area.

Or maybe it is a purposeful jab, as Applegate has usually delivered editorials that tend to be conservative-leaning.

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

The volume sounds low to me, but it could be my setup...

And there's a good reason 1460 isn't on 19's list, aside from the fact that the 19 series probably didn't do any segments on small, suburban AM stations: you can't pick up 1460 in the basement of Reserve Square.

 

[DToTheJ]

I remember hearing the tinny stream from the old WVKO/Columbus. Is this relatively better quality?

 

[vjm]

I remember hearing the tinny stream from the old WVKO/Columbus. Is this relatively better quality?

It's not tinny, that's for sure.

It's a good solid stream, especially on Windows Media Player.

 

[gabigley1]

Their streaming audio also sounds low to me. Noticed that right off the bat yesterday.

 

[gabigley1]

Is WABQ 1460 covering the CHARDON High School shootings? This is a big story so I went to
the WABQ website http://talk1460.com/ and the site was not available. I was trying to hear the
latest on this story. WABQ is just a few miles away from Chardon so I thought they would be
covering the story big time.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162...stody-in-ohio-high-school-shooting/?tag=stack

 

[vjm]

WABQ hardly has any employees, much less on-air talent to cover anything.

Unless Joe Cleveland extended the morning show and blew off Stephanie Miller at 9, then it was business as usual.

 

[gabigley1]

Maybe Joe Cleveland is reporting live from Chardon because he is familiar with Chardon. From the talk 1460 website:

"Joe Cleveland Your's truly, Joe Cleveland, was born in Painesville. Prior to the new Talk 1460 WABQ, Gary worked for WBKC in Chardon, Ohio."

Their website is down so I have no idea if Joe Cleveland is reporting live from Chardon.

 

[johnbasalla]

I had to do a location shoot on the far east side of Cleveland. Around noon as I left the job site, I turned on WABQ. I heard the full airing of a hard rock song, followed by some dead air, and then a song by Guns and Roses that was used as part of the opening for "The Ed Schultz Show". There was a reference to liberal talk in there somewhere too. After that, the station became unlistenable as I was heading towards downtown.

 

[xmusicmatt]

I had to do a location shoot on the far east side of Cleveland. Around noon as I left the job site, I turned on WABQ. I heard the full airing of a hard rock song, followed by some dead air, and then a song by Guns and Roses that was used as part of the opening for "The Ed Schultz Show". There was a reference to liberal talk in there somewhere too. After that, the station became unlistenable as I was heading towards downtown.

Wow it's good to know WABQ is living up to the broadcast standards of it's sister station 1580 WVKO down here in Columbus.