A Nashville Radio Phenomenon for 2007

[jetfli]

WGFX did a great job yesterday with the day-long Preds Tickethon, great for our city, yada, yada, yada...

But just how well the hosts did or how many season tickets the Preds sold is not quite the 2007 phenomenon I'm hear to post about...

From my radio point-of-view, it's simply this: On Thursday, July 19, 2007, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., a Nashville FM station went LIVE and LOCAL for 15 consecutive hours...

:'( Makes me quite nostalgic for radio days gone by...

 

[scottwmro]

WGFX did a great job yesterday with the day-long Preds Tickethon, great for our city, yada, yada, yada...

But just how well the hosts did or how many season tickets the Preds sold is not quite the 2007 phenomenon I'm hear to post about...

From my radio point-of-view, it's simply this: On Thursday, July 19, 2007, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., a Nashville FM station went LIVE and LOCAL for 15 consecutive hours...

:'( Makes me quite nostalgic for radio days gone by...

While I have sympathy & all due respect for your comments, you have to look at things from the GM's point of view. I don't know if you have been in this position in the past 10 years or so, but consoidation is the REASON, radio is not as local anymore, as it was say 20 years ago. The FCC sits there with there thumbs in thier mouths and wonders why this is all happen and why it won't stop! Go back to 1996 and see.

Take a good look around you at other industries besides radio, this is where a good portion of you miss the boat, and have no economic understanding here. Wal-Mart has killed most of the mom & pop retail businesses off, big banks like AmSouth has killed off little banks like Citizens Bank, and the internet itself is killing terrestrial radio, websites we can do shopping on, etc. You can blame big groups like Google owning businesses outside the box I'm typing this message on! They DON'T BUY LOCAL RADIO!

It must have of cost the preds and the station a pot full of money to do what they did.

All of you, who are in this business, who want to sit on your can, running the board, yacking your mouth all day need to WAKE UP! Your the same ones who shop at Wal-Mart and are keeping these big corporate giants alive. That's the sad reason local radio is almost gone! Why, they even sell XM receivers at Wal-Mart. Can't you put the puzzle together and see what's happen to the business world?

RANT OFF!

 

[Marv-L.A.]

When the true blue 'radio guys' were replaced by the beancounters at CC, Emmis & the like, this dull, safe and predictable brand of radio was bound to happen in market after market.

 

[scottwmro]

Marv,

The machine that we are posting these messages on are is taking our jobs and almost controling our lives. The beancounters have leaned this, and not just in radio, but other industries have learn that the PC can take and do the task of humans. Look at Kroger and Wal-Mart, automated check out, no clerk! Yea, right now it's a bit clumsy, but in 5 years, the bugs will be out of it and it will replace the human touch of being checked out at the grocery store.

Some people on this board need to get thier head out of the sand, and look around them!

 

[romer979fm]

the PC can take and do the task of humans.

just curious: don't you run WMRO without live jocks via computer?
can't have it both ways.

 

[scottwmro]

Yes Chris, I do run this without live jocks, except on Sundays. Sundays there is somebody sitting here all day long, due to we go all religion on Sundays. We are using ABC's Hot AC Music Format, monday thru saturday.

Kind of wierd: WQKR is running ABC's "Timeless Oldies Format", (for the 55 plus). and it's jockless except Lee Dorman.

WHIN is running ABC "Real Country Format" (a mix of current and classic county. Jack Williams is the only live jock in the very early morning time, 6-7 AM

In Sumner County, ABC has all three stations jockless for the most part. None of us can afford to run live jocks, besides, you get top notch talent for nothing and no bumbs tearing up your equipment!

The ABC Hot AC format is one of the best!

The ONLY way small AM can survive these days is to be automated! I've seen many AM's sell out or go dark in the past 20 years running live jocks, unless the owner of the little AM station has hit the lottery and can afford such help!

 

[yorkie9]

While I have sympathy & all due respect for your comments, you have to look at things from the GM's point of view. I don't know if you have been in this position in the past 10 years or so, but consoidation is the REASON, radio is not as local anymore, as it was say 20 years ago. The FCC sits there with there thumbs in thier mouths and wonders why this is all happen and why it won't stop! Go back to 1996 and see.

1996? Try 1922. Consolidation occured with the formation of NBC Red and NBC Blue, as far as I know. Why did it happen? Because station owners realized consolidation of resources saved $$$. Radio was a business and not a non-profit back in '22 just like it is today.

Take a good look around you at other industries besides radio, this is where a good portion of you miss the boat, and have no economic understanding here. Wal-Mart has killed most of the mom & pop retail businesses off, big banks like AmSouth has killed off little banks like Citizens Bank, and the internet itself is killing terrestrial radio, websites we can do shopping on, etc. You can blame big groups like Google owning businesses outside the box I'm typing this message on! They DON'T BUY LOCAL RADIO!

If consumers weren't pinching every penny down to the bare nub, we wouldn't have to shop at Wal-Mart and the like. Let's march on the White House and demand a better economy for the lower and middle class. Oh, wait - we can't even get the lower and middle class to vote. Wal-mart did not kill off the Mom and Pop businesses - WE did. Our demand for cheap cheap cheap and our move toward being a disposable society not worried about paying for quality. Our standards are lower than they were 30 years ago because we can finance ourselves into the grave. Don't forget - Wal-mart just reported the lowest same stores sales increase in 27 years and they are cutting even more prices! Why? Because they are not trendy enough. We can get better looking cheaper items somewhere else. Our demands for national ATM networks so we didn't get nailed with fee's brought down the hometown banks like Peoples Bank right there in Gallatin. WE did that.

These guys don't buy local radio because they don't have to!!! There are hundreds of tv channels now (there we not in 1987). There is the internet (there was not in 1987). Technology has changed and the way to get messages to consumers has changed. I bet the newspapers made the same argument in 1922 that you are making now and it just does not float. We have to change with technology or we get left behind.

It must have of cost the preds and the station a pot full of money to do what they did.

Yep. And they had prime time exposure on every television newscast in Nashville. Sounds like a smart investment to me.

All of you, who are in this business, who want to sit on your can, running the board, yacking your mouth all day need to WAKE UP! Your the same ones who shop at Wal-Mart and are keeping these big corporate giants alive. That's the sad reason local radio is almost gone! Why, they even sell XM receivers at Wal-Mart. Can't you put the puzzle together and see what's happen to the business world?

Is all local radio suffering? Here in Lebanon, WANT seems to work. They have local news and sports that you can't get anywhere else. They are not locally programmed 24 hours a day, but they creep onto the Nashville ratings now and then because they are a viable and important member of the community. Local radio that serves as a "relay" with little to no local programming is exactly why local radio is dying. You're very much against consolidation yet you play and profit off of a network produced satellite service - sounds like the pot and the kettle to me.

Also, you've posted on this board about 102.5 FM - bemoaning that it does not do well. You've agreed with those of us who wrote about the signal and the sound and you're attempting the same programming on a lo-fidelity AM station! I'm not sure who you expect to listen to Hot AC on AM, but it's the big businesses and the consolidators that are driving local AM down and not this choice of format? Maybe AM's going dark have to do with the listeners wanting a different product. The music business is no different. The old guys like George Jones and the such complain that big radio keeps them off the air when it's the voice (and $$$) of the listener that keeps them off the air. We have to program to what will get us the most listeners so we can make revenue and afford to have on-air talent, etc. etc. etc. It is not just our right to have this success. The evil consolidators have to work just as hard as the little guys.

I don't know you Scott and I have nothing personal against you, but a lot of the posts you've written just make me scratch my head. You can blame some of it on the big guy but not all of it. I've had just as many business ups and downs as you appear to have had and you can either make the choice to go with the flow or get run over by it.

 

[scottwmro]

Mr. Yorkie,

First, listener's are secondary. Advertisers are what keep you in business, with out them, shut the thing down and leave it off. As I said in an early post, I'm not going to dupicate what someone else here is doing in Sumner county. WQKR-AM (1270) is doing Oldies, WHIN-AM (1010) is country, WYXE-AM (1130) is hispanic, and I'm so close to WLAC-AM (1510) on the dial, there is no point in doing talk.
I find that V-102.5 has a weak signal into Sumner County, especially into the northern part of the county, so I have found my nitch. While I may not agree with the decisions corporate makes, I roll with the punches and for 15 years, I've made this thing work. It was all gospel when I got it, and it fell flat on it's face and went dark! Gospel programming has no listeners during the week, just on Sunday. This station is LIVE all day long on Sunday, and I make more on Sundays than I do any other day of the week.
I'm very PRO satellite radio. V-102.5 does it at night and the weekends. I think it coming from Jones Satellite in Denver. It does sound good. ABC really kicks, and it was Lee Dorman at WQKR that lead me to ABC. ABC has made less work for me, and is putting $$$$ in my pocket. Why I'm against big business, I change and adapt with the times.
There in Wilson county, there is WCOR-AM (1490), that just sits there for the most part and simucast 98.9 WANT-FM. Why not you go talk to Susie Bay and sell time for her and do your type music on 1490.
I have a guy that buys time from me on Sunday's and he plays what he wants. THAT'S HOW TO MAKE MONEY WITH A AM STATION. They pay you for the time, you don't pay them!
Oh by the way, if I need a Program Director, I'll call Dean Warfield at V-102.5.
He's the ONLY man in this market in my opinion that can program a station right!
That's how it's all done at WNAH-AM in Nashville. They canned the guy they were paying to sit there and play all the Southern Gospel Music. The station went all paid programming.

Oh, my website monitors listener responce, and I've found that Lee Dorman was right, Hot AC is working.

No disrespect towards you, I'm sure your a nice guy, and your entitled to your opinion, but my thoughts are that one must look at both sides to the tracks and adapt to the ways of the world, even if we don't like it. Another example: GAS PRICES!

 

[jwk1979]

From my radio point-of-view, it's simply this: On Thursday, July 19, 2007, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., a Nashville FM station went LIVE and LOCAL for 15 consecutive hours...

:'( Makes me quite nostalgic for radio days gone by...

According to the liner notes used on Supertalk 99.7 WWTN and on their website, WTN is LIVE AND LOCAL EVERYDAY from 5:30 AM until 8:00 PM, even though both Dave Ramsey and Phil Valentine are syndicated and are aired in several other markets. That's 14 1/2 hours every weekday.

 

[yorkie9]

First, listener's are secondary. Advertisers are what keep you in business, with out them, shut the thing down and leave it off.

I've always thought advertisers bought to reach listeners and more listeners meant more ads bought. Maybe I'm wrong.

As I said in an early post, I'm not going to dupicate what someone else here is doing in Sumner county. WQKR-AM (1270) is doing Oldies, WHIN-AM (1010) is country, WYXE-AM (1130) is hispanic, and I'm so close to WLAC-AM (1510) on the dial, there is no point in doing talk.
I find that V-102.5 has a weak signal into Sumner County, especially into the northern part of the county, so I have found my nitch. While I may not agree with the decisions corporate makes, I roll with the punches and for 15 years, I've made this thing work. It was all gospel when I got it, and it fell flat on it's face and went dark! Gospel programming has no listeners during the week, just on Sunday. This station is LIVE all day long on Sunday, and I make more on Sundays than I do any other day of the week.
I'm very PRO satellite radio. V-102.5 does it at night and the weekends. I think it coming from Jones Satellite in Denver. It does sound good. ABC really kicks, and it was Lee Dorman at WQKR that lead me to ABC. ABC has made less work for me, and is putting $$$$ in my pocket. Why I'm against big business, I change and adapt with the times.

OK - that explains why you seem to be so against consolidation yet you use a satellite service 6 days a week. I'm not going to knock you no being local 24 hours a day. I understand doing what you have to do to make a profit. I just didn't agree with the argument that everyone else is to blame for the state of small AM stations across the country. We used to buy vinyl and watch VHS tapes also. The passing of time is just as much to blame for the decrease in AM listenership as consolidation and big business.

There in Wilson county, there is WCOR-AM (1490), that just sits there for the most part and simucast 98.9 WANT-FM. Why not you go talk to Susie Bay and sell time for her and do your type music on 1490.

I have no idea what "my type of music" you're referring to is. I'd be hard pressed to play music that appeals to a younger demo (18-44) on AM, if that's what you're looking for me to say. If it works well for you, I think that is wonderful. I still listen to AM. But the far majority of people your format is geared toward do not.

Remember - Jetfli's original comments were about a Nashville FM station - with plenty of income - using that income to program locally. Your response comparing operating WGFX to operating a 1000 watt AM station is a bit of a stretch. These are the comments you made:

"this is where a good portion of you miss the boat, and have no economic understanding here."
"All of you, who are in this business, who want to sit on your can, running the board, yacking your mouth all day need to WAKE UP! "
"Can't you put the puzzle together and see what's happen to the business world?"

I don't sit at a board all day. Also, I am not a GM of a 1000 watt AM station, but that does not make me or any of the other people on this board clueless.
I don't blame Wal-Mart or Clear Channel or anyone else for the "state of the industry". I could take the easy way out and jump on that bandwagon, but at the end of the day my survival or failure is on me.

Another example: GAS PRICES!

Well - you totally have me there. ;D

 

[scottwmro]

First, listener's are secondary. Advertisers are what keep you in business, with out them, shut the thing down and leave it off.

I've always thought advertisers bought to reach listeners and more listeners meant more ads bought. Maybe I'm wrong.

As I said in an early post, I'm not going to dupicate what someone else here is doing in Sumner county. WQKR-AM (1270) is doing Oldies, WHIN-AM (1010) is country, WYXE-AM (1130) is hispanic, and I'm so close to WLAC-AM (1510) on the dial, there is no point in doing talk.
I find that V-102.5 has a weak signal into Sumner County, especially into the northern part of the county, so I have found my nitch. While I may not agree with the decisions corporate makes, I roll with the punches and for 15 years, I've made this thing work. It was all gospel when I got it, and it fell flat on it's face and went dark! Gospel programming has no listeners during the week, just on Sunday. This station is LIVE all day long on Sunday, and I make more on Sundays than I do any other day of the week.
I'm very PRO satellite radio. V-102.5 does it at night and the weekends. I think it coming from Jones Satellite in Denver. It does sound good. ABC really kicks, and it was Lee Dorman at WQKR that lead me to ABC. ABC has made less work for me, and is putting $$$$ in my pocket. Why I'm against big business, I change and adapt with the times.

OK - that explains why you seem to be so against consolidation yet you use a satellite service 6 days a week. I'm not going to knock you no being local 24 hours a day. I understand doing what you have to do to make a profit. I just didn't agree with the argument that everyone else is to blame for the state of small AM stations across the country. We used to buy vinyl and watch VHS tapes also. The passing of time is just as much to blame for the decrease in AM listenership as consolidation and big business.

There in Wilson county, there is WCOR-AM (1490), that just sits there for the most part and simucast 98.9 WANT-FM. Why not you go talk to Susie Bay and sell time for her and do your type music on 1490.

I have no idea what "my type of music" you're referring to is. I'd be hard pressed to play music that appeals to a younger demo (18-44) on AM, if that's what you're looking for me to say. If it works well for you, I think that is wonderful. I still listen to AM. But the far majority of people your format is geared toward do not.

Remember - Jetfli's original comments were about a Nashville FM station - with plenty of income - using that income to program locally. Your response comparing operating WGFX to operating a 1000 watt AM station is a bit of a stretch. These are the comments you made:

"this is where a good portion of you miss the boat, and have no economic understanding here."
"All of you, who are in this business, who want to sit on your can, running the board, yacking your mouth all day need to WAKE UP! "
"Can't you put the puzzle together and see what's happen to the business world?"

I don't sit at a board all day. Also, I am not a GM of a 1000 watt AM station, but that does not make me or any of the other people on this board clueless.
I don't blame Wal-Mart or Clear Channel or anyone else for the "state of the industry". I could take the easy way out and jump on that bandwagon, but at the end of the day my survival or failure is on me.

Another example: GAS PRICES!

Well - you totally have me there. ;D

\


Well Bud, I sum it up like this, then I'm gone and you can cuss me out all you want: ( and I sincerly hate to be disrespectful to others, but I'm left with no choice.)

"It's my money, I paid for the station, it's paid for, and I do what I damn well please and what I think is right". I don't need rookies on a message board trying to dictate what I should do. I'm NOT going to let some wanna be or some know it all tell me HOW TO OPERATE MY BUSINESS OR HOW TO SPEND MY MONEY!
The big guys are not listening to any of you, and neither am I. I've been in this business for 30 years and have paid my dues, now I'm going to do what I want and nobody will tell me what or how I should do something. Those are the ones not welcomed in my house! BYE! Have a nice life in your sandbox!

 

[jetfli]

Remember - Jetfli's original comments were about a Nashville FM station - with plenty of income - using that income to program locally. Your response comparing operating WGFX to operating a 1000 watt AM station is a bit of a stretch.

Look folks, sorry this led to such a fuss... just wanted to say a continous 15-hour live and local broadcast, as was the Preds Ticket-thon, was a phenomenon in 2007. All I was doing was expressing nostalgia for days gone by, when things were far more live and local. Wasn't trying to prompt the kind of discussion that followed.

But I will step back into the conversation to say Supertalk is defintely NOT continously live and local between 5:30 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., because

• Dave and Phil might be broadcasting from the Nashville area, but they are doing a national show, not a local one
  
• Isn't Phil's show broadcast live from 3-7 p.m. Eastern Time? Which of course is 2-6 p.m. Central, so they are most likely airing 4-6 p.m. live and then picking up the first 2 hours from the replay for 6-8 p.m.
  
• While I don't consider stopping for a short network newscast to be a break in a live and local broadcast anymore than a commercial block is, it's hard to discount Uncle Paul's full 15 minute network program.

 

[yorkie9]

Well Bud, I sum it up like this, then I'm gone and you can cuss me out all you want: ( and I sincerly hate to be disrespectful to others, but I'm left with no choice.)

"It's my money, I paid for the station, it's paid for, and I do what I damn well please and what I think is right". I don't need rookies on a message board trying to dictate what I should do. I'm NOT going to let some wanna be or some know it all tell me HOW TO OPERATE MY BUSINESS OR HOW TO SPEND MY MONEY!
The big guys are not listening to any of you, and neither am I. I've been in this business for 30 years and have paid my dues, now I'm going to do what I want and nobody will tell me what or how I should do something. Those are the ones not welcomed in my house! BYE! Have a nice life in your sandbox!

Because I don't agree with every thing you say, you pick up your toys and head home. Sorry I jumped all over this - I was just curious as to why you feel the way you do. Now, I know. You jump on here and take a stance that we're all rookies (which is far from the truth) and you're the only one right because it's you against the world. That's a sad way to feel since you're really preaching to the choir here.

 

[romer979fm]

yorkie...

you just beat me to the post: the fact that Scott believes that "listeners are secondary" pretty
much explains all his other posts. critical error.
and I'm not a 'wannabe' or 'rookie'...or whatever name calling scott degenerated to in that last post.
of course it's about making $$$...when you boil it down...it's just another business.
but...if you want long-term advertisers...you MUST have listeners...and get results.
just that simple.
just that difficult.

BTW scott...'paying your dues' never stops: there is no magic moment at which 'you've made it'
and i hope you get over you meltdown and stay on the board

 

[Tibbs4]

I'd liken Scott's situation to more like swimming upstream at Niagara Falls everyday. Tiny AM fringe signal near a major market is enough to drive anyone crazy. The fact that he is profitable with all of the obstacles should earn him at least a merit badge. I disagree with him once in a while, too, but you have to give him props for fighting the windmills everyday. I am surprised for all of your toughness, Scott, that you'd just not post anymore on this board. You're the one in the trenches everyday living it. Then again, I am surprised you have ANY time to devote to this with all that you have to deal with. To me, this RI, is a nice diversion for a few minutes from having to focus constantly on "work." Not a lot of posters would be willing to trade those "terrible" corporate radio gigs for yours. That's the real difference. I can all say what we want about Scott, but I have to respect him for pulling off what is nearly an impossible feat! Lash, too.

 

[scottwmro]

yorkie...

you just beat me to the post: the fact that Scott believes that "listeners are secondary" pretty
much explains all his other posts. critical error.
and I'm not a 'wannabe' or 'rookie'...or whatever name calling scott degenerated to in that last post.
of course it's about making $$$...when you boil it down...it's just another business.
but...if you want long-term advertisers...you MUST have listeners...and get results.
just that simple.
just that difficult.

BTW scott...'paying your dues' never stops: there is no magic moment at which 'you've made it'
and i hope you get over you meltdown and stay on the board

Chris,

I had to sneak back in here to get a good laugh! You know I can be a smart a**, and sometimes some folks take me all wrong, and they don't realize, I'm not trying to be disrespectful to anybody. I just tell it like I see it. Life is to short to sit and grimp, moan, and worry.
But you must admit, WNAH has hardly NO listeners, but makes mega money, and so does WNQM. Ole George, gee he was a grumpy guy, but he made money on people's ego. He would stomp around there saying **** music, and look at all the money those programs brought in. That's what I'm talking about. Look how long he had Gene Scott on one of those shortwave transmitters.
I do REAL WELL on Sundays, and I'm flat full, with back to back religious programs. That's what I'm refering to......Well, got to go...........give me a shout on the Land Line when ya can!

Scott


P.S. for Tibbs, Thanks for the nice comments. HEE HAW!!

 

[philjock]

slam duncan is a friend of mine at 98, and isn't wsix live and local from 6am until midnight on weekdays?
that's 18 hours. from a consolidation-happy company no less. that is even more impressive

 

[rfismyfriend]

no sir. you are wrong. they carry the Bid D and Bubba show in the afternoons. so they have syndication for part of the day.

 

[philjock]

"No Sir" right back at ya. The 98 show is not their syndicated show. They do a morning show that you can't hear on wsix, leave and come back for a 98 only afternoon show.

Get your story straight before you "put me or anyone else in my place". WSIX is live and local starting with Jerry, and going all the way up to overnights with Blair Garner show.

 

[scottwmro]

"No Sir" right back at ya. The 98 show is not their syndicated show. They do a morning show that you can't hear on wsix, leave and come back for a 98 only afternoon show.

Get your story straight before you "put me or anyone else in my place". WSIX is live and local starting with Jerry, and going all the way up to overnights with Blair Garner show.

The FCC reqires that if a station is to be a participating LP-1 or LP-2 EAS station for other stations in the market to monitor (live or automated) that the LP-1 or LP-2 station MUST be manned 24/7. Now I'm not sure if that means that they must do live programming or they can do computer voice tracking, but the LP-1 or LP-2 MUST HAVE A OPERATOR ON DUTY AT ALL TIMES. If this is this case, then instead of the operator sitting on thier can doing nothing, they might as well be doing a airshift and corporate would have something for them to do during non-emergency times.

I do believe that WSIX-FM is an LP-1 or LP-2. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but if this is the case, they must have a live operator on duty at all times.