My armchair advice:
AM radio is really hard to do these days, even with a great signal, and especially with one like WULM's.
That's why you can't be trying to compete for listeners, and on the side be trying to preach to them as well. You can't serve two masters. When Disney first owned ABC, they were wanting them to cross-promote Disney properties, and the TV people were worried about meeting Disney standards, or using Disney productions. Ratings have improved after they started letting the TV people focus more on TV. Now at big radio groups you have people trying to program music stations to compete with stations across town, but not compete with their corporate sister stations. Often neither goal is met.
Serving Springfield makes a lot of sense, because that signal's not going to be a factor in Dayton. So loading up on the talk shows that WHIO rejected and calling yourself a Dayton station's not likely to fly. Find the shows that Springfield wants, not the ones Dayton didn't want. Lots of local news and weather will help. WHIO has had a lot of success with a lineup dominated by syndicated talk shows and I suspect because they have 24-hour news (look how they emphasize that during Hannity). Nearly identical lineups in other cities, minus the local news presence have not had similar success. Obviously you can't afford a 24 hour news staff, so getting that kind of local presence at all hours is another challenge for you.
A format that goes with local sports is great. Sports is something you can sell right away. But there's not enough of it in Springfield to base a whole station on it.
Once you figure out a format, change the calls to go with it. WULM means nothing to most people and it means religion to some other people.
I have an idea for the nighttime signal which is legal, although even this modest idea may be too expensive: rent some land from the parks department or Wittenberg or someone else who has a lot of grass or scrub land and put a free-standing nighttime-only eighth wave tower (75-80 feet) smack dab in the middle of Springfield, thus bringing a significant number of people into the 34-watt nighttime signal's three-mile range. You tell the city or whomever, we'll pay you $30,000 to fence off a 12x12 foot area, and then a $1000/year for the privilege of putting and keeping some wires on the ground, as long as you keep a few acres in grass.
(WDBZ in Cincinnati has the same arrangement in that city's Eden Park. Click this link: http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=qhk59s7ys3fs&style=o&lvl=2&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=9136441&sp=Point.qzf45z7prgn2_2950%20W%20Carroll%20Ave%2C%20Chicago%2C%20IL%2060612-1755%2C%20United%20States___&encType=1).
to see a picture.)
The reason to have a separate site for the day signal is it's a multi tower array, needing much more space, or a big power reduction to use a signal tower.
AM radio is really hard to do these days, even with a great signal, and especially with one like WULM's.
That's why you can't be trying to compete for listeners, and on the side be trying to preach to them as well. You can't serve two masters. When Disney first owned ABC, they were wanting them to cross-promote Disney properties, and the TV people were worried about meeting Disney standards, or using Disney productions. Ratings have improved after they started letting the TV people focus more on TV. Now at big radio groups you have people trying to program music stations to compete with stations across town, but not compete with their corporate sister stations. Often neither goal is met.
Serving Springfield makes a lot of sense, because that signal's not going to be a factor in Dayton. So loading up on the talk shows that WHIO rejected and calling yourself a Dayton station's not likely to fly. Find the shows that Springfield wants, not the ones Dayton didn't want. Lots of local news and weather will help. WHIO has had a lot of success with a lineup dominated by syndicated talk shows and I suspect because they have 24-hour news (look how they emphasize that during Hannity). Nearly identical lineups in other cities, minus the local news presence have not had similar success. Obviously you can't afford a 24 hour news staff, so getting that kind of local presence at all hours is another challenge for you.
A format that goes with local sports is great. Sports is something you can sell right away. But there's not enough of it in Springfield to base a whole station on it.
Once you figure out a format, change the calls to go with it. WULM means nothing to most people and it means religion to some other people.
I have an idea for the nighttime signal which is legal, although even this modest idea may be too expensive: rent some land from the parks department or Wittenberg or someone else who has a lot of grass or scrub land and put a free-standing nighttime-only eighth wave tower (75-80 feet) smack dab in the middle of Springfield, thus bringing a significant number of people into the 34-watt nighttime signal's three-mile range. You tell the city or whomever, we'll pay you $30,000 to fence off a 12x12 foot area, and then a $1000/year for the privilege of putting and keeping some wires on the ground, as long as you keep a few acres in grass.
(WDBZ in Cincinnati has the same arrangement in that city's Eden Park. Click this link: http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=qhk59s7ys3fs&style=o&lvl=2&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=9136441&sp=Point.qzf45z7prgn2_2950%20W%20Carroll%20Ave%2C%20Chicago%2C%20IL%2060612-1755%2C%20United%20States___&encType=1).
to see a picture.)
The reason to have a separate site for the day signal is it's a multi tower array, needing much more space, or a big power reduction to use a signal tower.