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90 Minutes of WECK

Is this an accurate, valid, and reliable definition/explanation of "Adult Standards"?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adult_standards

If not, what is?

The definition is whatever a stations programming to a target of 55 and over says it is. There is no format police.

The Wiki article is outdated. Today's adult standards is pretty much what Buddy is playing at WECK, although there are plenty of variants that are possible.
 


The definition is whatever a stations programming to a target of 55 and over says it is. There is no format police.

The Wiki article is outdated. Today's adult standards is pretty much what Buddy is playing at WECK, although there are plenty of variants that are possible.

OK. But...

Originally Posted by Buddy Shula
We do not play rock and roll and British Invasion. We play a genre call adult standards. Look it up.


So, I tried to "look it up." Now it seems that the so-called format is completely at the discretion of each station.

Am I right to expect that were I to listen to the stations listed in the Wiki thing, each could be playing different stuff? Weird. What's the point of "formats" if they are so varied?
 
Mike, you posted this on the day I turned 65! Being a life-long broadcaster, I admire what Buddy's doing.
 
Sorry David, but lots of people like "I Am The Walrus". They also like other Beatle Rockers like "Revolution", and too many others to list. Many 60 somethings may also like newer music from heritage artists. The toothless WECK playlist doesn't represent the tastes of everyone 55-75...

Obviously, not every single person 55 -75 is going to like every song, on any format. The WECK playlist does not represent EVERYBODY in that demo. It is targeted to the people in that demo that love Adult Stands. , which "I am the walrus" is not. Wikopedia what Adult Standards music is.
 
"Splitting hairs?" Perhaps. But it says here, a 55 year old is not listening for "More Today Than Yesterday," "Walk on By," "Ferry Cross the Mersey" and such. As great as those songs may be, and they are on a number of accounts, they're not in the "55-64 every day wheelhouse." WECK strikes me as "the Vidler's of radio" (an obscure-to-outside-the-market-posters who will just have to look it up to understand the context), along with WJJL, WLVL and WXRL. Nothing wrong with "being Vidler's," as long as what's on the shelf and in stock can be sold.

People come all over the world to see Viddler's. Ask them.
 
Since I am the one who started this firestorm I'll toss in a few more comments: I was raised in the frozen wilds of Kenmore and am not a former broadcaster. In fact, like Buddy, I am an owner/manager of a station that plays "timeless hits" though I do country instead of pop. I did not listen to 90 minutes of WECK and did record it and played it back hours later. I do this often to see what my competition is up to. If a fellow radio executive 1800 miles away offered a critique of my station I would be flattered and certainly not offended. My age group is apparently the demographic that WECK is after. When I was a youth I listened to "The Great George L" as Joey used to call him. I still love the rhythm and blues songs from the 1950s and 1960s. I like the Midnighters and Jackie Wilson and early James Brown but hardly any stations on earth plays that anymore. One notable exception is WJJL which is really unique. But they are on a money saving kick and don't stream which is too bad.
If we're looking for old folks why not advertise some funeral homes? Many are basking in cash that could be spent on advertising. On the whole I applaud what Buddy is doing. Unlike most radio stations his idea for programming is more than just keeping the station on the air in the cheapest possible way. But again, the most important question is whether the advertisers are coming out far enough ahead to justify the cost. If they are, WECK will continue to do okay. With no agencies in the mix you'll find out in a hurry if your clients are happy with what they are getting.

FYI- 50% of WECK businesses is now agency
 
Post a link to your station and maybe Buddy might oblige. Over to you...

The poster owns KAVV in Benson, AZ. That is a station that has a 60 dbu coverage of slightly under 16,000 persons. The station has been for sale of recent.

The site for the station is www.cavefm.com

A description of the property being offered for sale is at http://www.cavefm.com/forsale.htm In the listing, the owner states that the station is not profitable.

The station was involved with in a controversy that I don't even want to describe. Details at http://www.bensonnews-sun.com/news/article_423a55d8-3672-11e7-9fc6-4b5ac795ca09.html

There is also a picture of the station, which has to be the second most ugly station I have ever seen in all my travels.
 
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That sure doesn't sound like what someone who "never worked in radio" would say. Why so bitter, "average radio listener"?

OK. Hold on. This thread is not about me (is it?). LOL. But this is the third time there's been some implication that I am a 'radio guy'. Setting the record...

I had a part time job at a WLVL in the mid-1980's that lasted maybe a couple of weeks +/-. It was not for me. But I tried it. I did not then... nor do I do now hold any ill will or negative thoughts about the station, Dick Green, or 'radio' in general. I also do not hold it up on a high pedestal. Any suggestions otherwise are absolute pure 100% fabrications. Period. Do you suggest otherwise?

I listen to both regular over the air radio (both am & fm) and satellite regularly in my car. Couldn't tell you much about the behind-the-scenes of either... other than what I've seen in three threads on this board over just the past couple of months. I like radio. I like local businesses. i am not, however, even what I would consider to be an enthusiast.

How I came to this board. As stated, I was at WLVL for a bit... A loooooong time ago. A couple of months ago, I was in Lockport, and happened to be reminded of the WLVL. Although, I wasn't even certain if the station still existed, as you might imagine, I tuned in. My memory was jogged to my experience there nearly a third of a century ago. I wondered what ever happened to some of the people I met there. (I kinda hope that maybe some/one of them might have thought of me at some point, too.) I could only remember bits n pieces, and not really much in the name department. It's the 21st century, so I did what many/most do... I headed to Google with WLVL in the search bar. This board was one of the top 'hits'. So, on nothing more than a whim, I posted. (See a WLVL thread in this website.) Truthfully, I didn't expect to even get a reply... but - low and behold - I got a (partial) response. I found some interest in the fact that the one guy I remembered - "Dave Quinn" - seems to probably be Tom Langmeyer... a name, by the way, that meant absolutely nothing to me... but I guess he's a big deal in the radio world. Assuming it's the same guy, bravo "Dave!"

Then, 'cuz I'm a nosy guy, I looked at a couple other threads... this being one of them. So, I chimed in. I won't go into my sociological reason for doing so.

The only other kinda sorta connection to radio I've ever had was a passing friendship in the early 2000's with a guy in a local country band who I later found out had previously been employed by WNUC(?). I only made the connection after months of thinking 'where do I know that voice.' Other than a brief (< 5 minute) conversation about it, it was never discussed... it wasn't pertinent to our interactions. That guy, with whom I've since lost touch is (I'm fairly certain) now involved somehow at WYRK. Good for him.

Sooooo, there you have it. If anyone that has ever had a part-time job in an industry and knew someone that had previously worked in that industry is somehow transformed into an "insider", then I'm shocked. Trust me, I'm as average a listener as you are gonna find. What might not be 'average' is my willingness to engage in just about anything.

I appreciate your interest in me. I'm flattered.

So, like I said, this is not (and should not be) about me.

Isn't this thread supposed to be about a mixture of second guessing and cheerleading WECK's activities? So please resume that. I'll start... WECK sounds old. (PS - When I tuned into WLVL, it too sounded old.)
 
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This is an interesting thread. Folks, I have been in radio since 1983. All in Buffalo. On air, in production, and sales. As much as it seems like I am a little defensive, I really do appreciate the comments. But please try to keep in not hurtful. What I had to go thru to get these stations was nothing less than hell. I always wanted WECK, because it is a metro station at a not metro price. It has all the potential in the world. The FM component appealed to me too. Then, by surprise, the FCC granted us 100.5 in the Northtowns. Again, this was not easy!!! We plan on lighting it up 2nd week of April. It will fully cover the Northtowns. For those who do not know, WECK has anywhere from 45 to 60k listeners per week. The trend in January was a 3.7 12plus. That beats atleast 2 50000 watt metro stations. Not bad. But it is going to get better with new new FM. Our lane is adult standards. Old. Sentimental. Memories. It’s a niche in Buffalo. I am so proud of my team. My airstaff, my sales staff, my business department, and my program director, Glen Topolski who works his ass off 24 hours a day to ensure the station sounds great. Many people on this board want to be in radio, or want to own a station. I was truly blessed, and I do not take it for granted. I have a responsibility to restore this great station to her prior glory. That is going to happen. It already has. I am not on here to be an ass. I like talking radio. I like to know what’s going on. Like you, it’s my passion. The senior adult population deserves a station like this. This could be the last chance for them to hear their favorite djs they grew up with. I am honored to provide that. It’s not easy, but nothing worthwhile is.
 
If I still lived in W.N.Y. I'd be one of your loyal listeners and fans. Like television,
isn't radio suppose to be entertaining????? Isn't that the main
reason it and television exist??? With all those capable, interesting, knowledgeable,
and usually funny on air staff, you provide something that every station should strive
to offer......entertainment.
 
People come all over the world to see Viddler's. Ask them.
Tourists. In and out, seldom if ever to return. Not the best comparison, Robert. A better response would have been: "Lots of people from Western New York visit Vidler's because it's unique and they tell their friends about the place, and they go there too." Keep up the good work. BTW, more Carpenters and Al Martino.
 
Nice post Buddy, you said it well. Thanks for providing something different. Age is just a number and old isn't a dirty word. Some think we need a dozen varieties of Rock. Also thankful it's not yet another All-Sports station. I listen on the web. As we say if you don't like it turn the knob. If I lived in WNY my radio would be on 1230 or 102.9.
 
... As we say if you don't like it turn the knob. ...

LOL. When any industry starts taking that approach, it's routing to demise is pretty darn certain. I cannot think of anywhere that being dismissive of (potential) 'customers' is a prudent element of a business attitude.
 
However the comment wasn't coming from "the industry."

True enough, just a listener. Everybody wants what they want but why does it seem to be to the exclusion of everything else?

It's one little station on 1230/102.9 that's filling a format hole, serving the community and making enough money to support the owner and staff. What's wrong with that?
 
LOL. When any industry starts taking that approach, it's routing to demise is pretty darn certain. I cannot think of anywhere that being dismissive of (potential) 'customers' is a prudent element of a business attitude.

LOL. This industry was taking that approach long before you were soiling your diapers.
 
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