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A thought I ponder as a PD/Air Talent/News Director

SomeRadioGuy

SomeRadioGuy

I think this comes across every radio persons mind, I don't care how little or big they or their station is.

Is anyone listening? and more importantly these days, is anyone visiting our website?

I know people are.. to both our air signal and website. But sometimes, with all the competition.. even as good as you are, you wonder if youre just yelling into the ether or publishing into the void?

NO, I am NOT looking for pats on the back or being told how great I am. I know I'm GREAT LOL just kidding.. I think I'm average at best most days.

And I KNOW people are listening to me. I've been recognized at least a dozen times at event simply because of my voice.... some people think of me as the weather guy, as I'm the voice of the companies severe weather and breaking news coverage 90 plus percent of the time. (a few people in town have recognized me as Paul Walker The Weather Guy, not the afternoon DJ with the same name as the actor)

I wouldn't be involved with these stations for 8 years... going from 1 to 4 stations...if no one was listening, streaming and reading our websites.

But you can't but help wonder that at least once in a blue moon/now and then. At least I can't
 
I did think that once. I worked for a station that flipped formats to conservative talk. We were running second and third-tier syndicated shows with nothing local except newscasts and some sports coverage. The owner wasn't interested in trying to outbid the incumbent station for Limbaugh or launch anything local. Our highest profile show was Michael Savage, and for some reason, his show was delayed to 10pm.

Well, the first book came in and Arbitron reported our cume persons was 900, and below the preaching/teaching AM. So there was a very real chance that when I gave the local news headlines on Saturday and Sunday morning, literally no one was listening.

Needless to say, that format didn't last long.
 
The universe has a way of humbling me and maybe thinking I wanna keep my mouth shut about the negative thoughts.

Not 30 minutes after I posted this, We get a vegetation fire alert with an evacuation notice for a rural part of our county. (we focus solely on Albany County, Laramie and ignore Cheyenne)

I was just about to go to bed.. my phone went off and I ran upstairs and got updates on the air on KLMI, KHAT, KIMX and KRQU in 10 minutes. ere I am monitoring all 4 stations.

I slipped in Glenn Campbell (Rhinestone Cowboy), Village People (YMCA) and Weather Girls (It's raining men) on KLMI. If I'm going to sit here late, I'm going to enjoy some music.

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I remember my first radio job at a "big" station - WIOG-FM in Saginaw, Michigan. Not a huge market (along with Bay City and Midland) but the signal was a monster. Back in the late 80s/very early 90s it was on the "Power Playlists" ranking in a trade (Billboard?) because we were earning more cume than stations in Seattle and Denver. We hovered around a 30 share in the Tri-Cities, were number one in Flint (which wasn't even our market) and even had a 2 share in Lansing, which was 90 minutes away. I'd show up at midnight, and the phones - all 4 lines - would ring non-stop until almost 2am. So yeah, people were definitely listening! It was a shock coming from a gig at a little station in a college town for sure, but it was also a great learning experience.

And hey, good stuff there, Mr. Weather Guy.
 


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