Any failing stations want to experiment with a format? I have an idea

[johncbrown450]

I'm new to this board, but I noticed there are alot of people on here who have connections in the radio business. I've also noticed there are alot of failing stations in this town (100.3 the Fan, WDJO, WCVN, WGRI, WPFB-AM, just to name a few). I have an awesome format idea I'd like to pitch. My dream has been to be a radio DJ, but I don't have the degree that stations want nowadays. And the volunteer public stations are full. But anyway, here's my idea:

Station Name: Channel X
Call Letters: WCHX
Format: Listener Supported variety- A hand-picked selection of rock (1965 to today), pop (1965 to today), country (from 1990 to today), oldies (60s, 70s, and 80s), alternative (90s through today), bluegrass, and whatever else the listeners want to hear. No daytime automation. No iHeart coast-to-coast satellite garbage. Just pure, locally run, locally supported radio. On air personalities will be volunteers (saves money that way). I also want to have a show.
Slogan: The Radio Revolution
Target Demographic: Ages 50 and under

I doubt this post will do anything, but I'd love to be part of breathing new life into the radio dial in this town. Clear Channel, Hubbard, Cumulus, Radio One, etc. don't know what they are doing.

 

[Ken Tucky]

Sounds like WOBO to me!

 

[johncbrown450]

definitely NOT WOBO!!!!! WOBO is more towards old geezers and European immigrants with their big band music, gospel, polka, and German music.

My idea is trying to compete with what's currently on FM. Mainstream music

 

[johncbrown450]

Think WOBO's volunteer operation and lack of automation mixed with WGTZ and WAOL's failed formats plus more variety into the music blender. That's my idea

 

[88.9 Miracle]

John we've got air openings. Give me a yell.

 

[microbob]

I was just about to mention ClassX. They are about the closest to that Rock format you're thinking of minus the Country Music. WOBO and WAIF both air Bluegrass programming as well as 50-60's Oldies.

 

[johncbrown450]

I know about ClassX all too well. I love their rock variety! And they're also the station I can never listen to due to adjacent channel splatter from WOBO and WMKV (It drives me nuts having big band and polka mixed with my Floydian Slip!!!!!!). Also, I'm a pizza delivery driver currently living in Batavia. With $4 gas and most of my income going to fuel the rolling pizza hut AKA my car, I highly doubt I could do a volunteer show all the way in Hamilton. I just don't have the financial means. I kind of need an entry level DJ gig. Even if I'm paid minimum wage and do one 2 hour shift a week. That's $15.70 a week before taxes. BARELY enough to cover gas, but it would be doable. And I'm not picky about the station. ClassX and WDJO would be in my top 2 non-wall street owned stations because I can stand the music. But I'll even settle for a gospel station. I am a Christian. I may not be a saint (I'm bisexual, former pothead, I still have a tendency to curse at times, by all means NOT a minister or a saint), but I do believe in Jesus and it might actually benefit my faith and my life to work at a station that's spreading the word.

Also, while we're talking about ClassX, is there any way to get a translator out here???? If CC can get 2 that are blasting DIGITAL channels on ANALOG (AKA 100.7 and 106.3 the Project), Why can't Spryex put a 250 watt FM translator on WOBO's tower with a massive directional yagi pointed towards either Crittenden or Miamitown to pick up the distant ClassX signal and relay it out here.

 

[88.9 Miracle]

In order to get a 250 watt translator, the translator contour must reside inside of one of our Full powered contours. We are working on some ideas and we do have a translator on the way, but not for the east side. Hopefully for the valley of Cincinnati/Newport/Covington though which may help some part of our east side coverage. Dealing with the FCC does take time.

 

[wjf82]

WGRI has only been around since February. And how would you know if they're failing or not? They don't subscribe to Arbitron, therefore we don't know what their numbers are like.

 

[KFodor]

I'm new to this board, but I noticed there are alot of people on here who have connections in the radio business. I've also noticed there are alot of failing stations in this town (100.3 the Fan, WDJO, WCVN, WGRI, WPFB-AM, just to name a few). I have an awesome format idea I'd like to pitch. My dream has been to be a radio DJ, but I don't have the degree that stations want nowadays. And the volunteer public stations are full. But anyway, here's my idea:

Station Name: Channel X
Call Letters: WCHX
Format: Listener Supported variety- A hand-picked selection of rock (1965 to today), pop (1965 to today), country (from 1990 to today), oldies (60s, 70s, and 80s), alternative (90s through today), bluegrass, and whatever else the listeners want to hear. No daytime automation. No iHeart coast-to-coast satellite garbage. Just pure, locally run, locally supported radio. On air personalities will be volunteers (saves money that way). I also want to have a show.
Slogan: The Radio Revolution
Target Demographic: Ages 50 and under

I doubt this post will do anything, but I'd love to be part of breathing new life into the radio dial in this town. Clear Channel, Hubbard, Cumulus, Radio One, etc. don't know what they are doing.

Just a few thoughts from someone who works in commercial radio:

First of all, your idea of "volunteer" DJ's, assuming you're going to operate this station as a business, would probably not pass muster with the Wage and Hour people of the government. You have to pay people for their services. Volunteers can work in non-profits, but not commercial businesses. It's the law.

Secondly, your format is nothing new. I remember working for a small town station just like that in the 1970's. It was Adult Contemporary in the morning, A/C and beautiful music at midday, A/C with some country mix in the afternoon and rock at night. Saturday mornings was country and Sunday mornings was religion and beautiful music. Requests by listeners were played and often.

The station was bankrupt in 3 years.

Your format is targeted, so you say, at the under 50 crowd. Yet, a good part of the music you say you want to play appeals primarily to the over 55 crowd, which is not acceptable to advertisers. Also, you are mixing music that is typically incompatible. (Play Def Leppard followed by Flatt and Scruggs to The Beatles to 3 Doors Down to Taylor Swift). When you try to appeal to everyone, you end up appealing to no one.

Lastly, any attempt to put this on AM would result in abject failure as few people under 50 even sample AM stations anymore. The audience, typically, does not move from FM to AM.

WPFB-AM is not on the air because its owners have no desire to operate what, at best, could be a local AM radio station. And "at best" is assuming a whole lot of things. Who owned it? A college that operates an FM station that is almost as eclectic as the format you want to put on your station. It's barely showing in the last ratings I saw for the FM station.

Look...I appreciate someone's frustrations about the way stations are run today. I even agree with some of those feelings. But, if you could run a station successfully the way you suggest, you could already cite several cases where it is being done successfully. There are still independent stations. Not every station is run by the Clear Channels, Cumulus's, etc.

Having said this, it is true that there is no station anywhere that can't get a listener. Someone listens to any station at some point in time. But thinking your way will gather a mass audience is highly questionable at the very least.

 

[johncbrown450]

I'm new to this board, but I noticed there are alot of people on here who have connections in the radio business. I've also noticed there are alot of failing stations in this town (100.3 the Fan, WDJO, WCVN, WGRI, WPFB-AM, just to name a few). I have an awesome format idea I'd like to pitch. My dream has been to be a radio DJ, but I don't have the degree that stations want nowadays. And the volunteer public stations are full. But anyway, here's my idea:

Station Name: Channel X
Call Letters: WCHX
Format: Listener Supported variety- A hand-picked selection of rock (1965 to today), pop (1965 to today), country (from 1990 to today), oldies (60s, 70s, and 80s), alternative (90s through today), bluegrass, and whatever else the listeners want to hear. No daytime automation. No iHeart coast-to-coast satellite garbage. Just pure, locally run, locally supported radio. On air personalities will be volunteers (saves money that way). I also want to have a show.
Slogan: The Radio Revolution
Target Demographic: Ages 50 and under

I doubt this post will do anything, but I'd love to be part of breathing new life into the radio dial in this town. Clear Channel, Hubbard, Cumulus, Radio One, etc. don't know what they are doing.

Just a few thoughts from someone who works in commercial radio:

First of all, your idea of "volunteer" DJ's, assuming you're going to operate this station as a business, would probably not pass muster with the Wage and Hour people of the government. You have to pay people for their services. Volunteers can work in non-profits, but not commercial businesses. It's the law.

Secondly, your format is nothing new. I remember working for a small town station just like that in the 1970's. It was Adult Contemporary in the morning, A/C and beautiful music at midday, A/C with some country mix in the afternoon and rock at night. Saturday mornings was country and Sunday mornings was religion and beautiful music. Requests by listeners were played and often.

The station was bankrupt in 3 years.

Your format is targeted, so you say, at the under 50 crowd. Yet, a good part of the music you say you want to play appeals primarily to the over 55 crowd, which is not acceptable to advertisers. Also, you are mixing music that is typically incompatible. (Play Def Leppard followed by Flatt and Scruggs to The Beatles to 3 Doors Down to Taylor Swift). When you try to appeal to everyone, you end up appealing to no one.

Lastly, any attempt to put this on AM would result in abject failure as few people under 50 even sample AM stations anymore. The audience, typically, does not move from FM to AM.

WPFB-AM is not on the air because its owners have no desire to operate what, at best, could be a local AM radio station. And "at best" is assuming a whole lot of things. Who owned it? A college that operates an FM station that is almost as eclectic as the format you want to put on your station. It's barely showing in the last ratings I saw for the FM station.

Look...I appreciate someone's frustrations about the way stations are run today. I even agree with some of those feelings. But, if you could run a station successfully the way you suggest, you could already cite several cases where it is being done successfully. There are still independent stations. Not every station is run by the Clear Channels, Cumulus's, etc.

Having said this, it is true that there is no station anywhere that can't get a listener. Someone listens to any station at some point in time. But thinking your way will gather a mass audience is highly questionable at the very least.

Ok... What would your ideal radio station be if you were targeting younger people? Currently, Q102, Kiss 107, 101.1 the Wiz, WEBN, 96 Rock, and B-105 are the favorites of my generation (ages 18 to 30). Some people my age also like WGRR, WOFX, and WREW because we grew up listening to it with our parents and we also like it. Problem is, these stations are way too repetitive. They have a revolving playlist of MAYBE 100 songs that they play to death. They have hosts like Ryan Seacrest and Kidd Chris (What the fudge is wrong with CC?????????????) piped in from Hollywood. We would love to hear more variety and more local DJs. If we want satellite programming, we'll subscribe to XM. Radio is local. That is why you can't listen to a Cincinnati station in New York on a terrestrial radio (Unless it's nighttime and its WLW).

 

[MTHBSTR]

Kidd Chris is in Cincinnati. Seacreast is this generation's Casey Kasem and Dick Clark rolled into one.
This board just gets more bizarre everyday.

 

[marconis gallbladder]

I doubt this post will do anything, but I'd love to be part of breathing new life into the radio dial in this town. Clear Channel, Hubbard, Cumulus, Radio One, etc. don't know what they are doing.

Ok... What would your ideal radio station be if you were targeting younger people? Currently, Q102, Kiss 107, 101.1 the Wiz, WEBN, 96 Rock, and B-105 are the favorites of my generation (ages 18 to 30)...Problem is, these stations are way too repetitive. They have a revolving playlist of MAYBE 100 songs that they play to death.

Problem for who? The stations you name, for the most part, are quite successful. Are you sure that you're not putting your issues on the rest of the world?

 

[MTHBSTR]

It's too bad you weren't born 40 years earlier. A 21 year old, pot smoking, pizza delivery driver would probably have gotten a high paid PD gig in the 70s.

 

[partymarty]

Mr Brown. While I am no fan of Mr Buster, he is right. If radio is your passion, you need to pay some dues between deliveries.... drop the ROI and jump in. If you are looking for a hobby I have Ramsey FM 100b that I will sell for cheap.

Don't let me or anyone stomp on your dream. c'mon and prove us wrong. If you think you have a better plan..make it happen.

Cheering you on.

 

[johncbrown450]

It's too bad you weren't born 40 years earlier. A 21 year old, pot smoking, pizza delivery driver would probably have gotten a high paid PD gig in the 70s.

Mr. Buster, I am offended by you calling me a pothead. I USED to smoke pot. I quit last year because I wanted to do something better with my life than burn it away with every joint. But I will agree with your point about a 21 year old pizza boy having a chance at radio 40 years ago. From what I've heard, those were the great days of radio. I'd love to have a time machine.

As for Marty, what price you got on that FM-100b? I'm interested.

 

[KFodor]

I'm new to this board, but I noticed there are alot of people on here who have connections in the radio business. I've also noticed there are alot of failing stations in this town (100.3 the Fan, WDJO, WCVN, WGRI, WPFB-AM, just to name a few). I have an awesome format idea I'd like to pitch. My dream has been to be a radio DJ, but I don't have the degree that stations want nowadays. And the volunteer public stations are full. But anyway, here's my idea:

Station Name: Channel X
Call Letters: WCHX
Format: Listener Supported variety- A hand-picked selection of rock (1965 to today), pop (1965 to today), country (from 1990 to today), oldies (60s, 70s, and 80s), alternative (90s through today), bluegrass, and whatever else the listeners want to hear. No daytime automation. No iHeart coast-to-coast satellite garbage. Just pure, locally run, locally supported radio. On air personalities will be volunteers (saves money that way). I also want to have a show.
Slogan: The Radio Revolution
Target Demographic: Ages 50 and under

I doubt this post will do anything, but I'd love to be part of breathing new life into the radio dial in this town. Clear Channel, Hubbard, Cumulus, Radio One, etc. don't know what they are doing.

Just a few thoughts from someone who works in commercial radio:

First of all, your idea of "volunteer" DJ's, assuming you're going to operate this station as a business, would probably not pass muster with the Wage and Hour people of the government. You have to pay people for their services. Volunteers can work in non-profits, but not commercial businesses. It's the law.

Secondly, your format is nothing new. I remember working for a small town station just like that in the 1970's. It was Adult Contemporary in the morning, A/C and beautiful music at midday, A/C with some country mix in the afternoon and rock at night. Saturday mornings was country and Sunday mornings was religion and beautiful music. Requests by listeners were played and often.

The station was bankrupt in 3 years.

Your format is targeted, so you say, at the under 50 crowd. Yet, a good part of the music you say you want to play appeals primarily to the over 55 crowd, which is not acceptable to advertisers. Also, you are mixing music that is typically incompatible. (Play Def Leppard followed by Flatt and Scruggs to The Beatles to 3 Doors Down to Taylor Swift). When you try to appeal to everyone, you end up appealing to no one.

Lastly, any attempt to put this on AM would result in abject failure as few people under 50 even sample AM stations anymore. The audience, typically, does not move from FM to AM.

WPFB-AM is not on the air because its owners have no desire to operate what, at best, could be a local AM radio station. And "at best" is assuming a whole lot of things. Who owned it? A college that operates an FM station that is almost as eclectic as the format you want to put on your station. It's barely showing in the last ratings I saw for the FM station.

Look...I appreciate someone's frustrations about the way stations are run today. I even agree with some of those feelings. But, if you could run a station successfully the way you suggest, you could already cite several cases where it is being done successfully. There are still independent stations. Not every station is run by the Clear Channels, Cumulus's, etc.

Having said this, it is true that there is no station anywhere that can't get a listener. Someone listens to any station at some point in time. But thinking your way will gather a mass audience is highly questionable at the very least.

Ok... What would your ideal radio station be if you were targeting younger people? Currently, Q102, Kiss 107, 101.1 the Wiz, WEBN, 96 Rock, and B-105 are the favorites of my generation (ages 18 to 30). Some people my age also like WGRR, WOFX, and WREW because we grew up listening to it with our parents and we also like it. Problem is, these stations are way too repetitive. They have a revolving playlist of MAYBE 100 songs that they play to death. They have hosts like Ryan Seacrest and Kidd Chris (What the fudge is wrong with CC?????????????) piped in from Hollywood. We would love to hear more variety and more local DJs. If we want satellite programming, we'll subscribe to XM. Radio is local. That is why you can't listen to a Cincinnati station in New York on a terrestrial radio (Unless it's nighttime and its WLW).

John:

Your question is reasonable, so let me attempt to give you a reasonable answer, from my perspective.

First thing you have to remember is that this is "broad-casting". That means we cast a wide net to try and get as many people as we can to listen. I'm not trying to talk down to you here, but this is a fact that many people on these boards don't seem to get. You can't tailor a radio station to every single individual's musical taste. Internet radio is trying to do that, in a sense, right now (I'm referring to the notion of "everyone can have a radio station"). How many of those are commercial successes at this time? Answer: A few, but not a lot. Those that are have targeted specific programming tastes not served by terrestrial radio that can generate large numbers of listeners who will support it by subscription (perhaps with some advertising support) on a national or worldwide scale. They are "casting the net" for the widest possible number of listeners. They are not trying to "serve the universe".

Top 40 radio (or CHR today) was designed after a jukebox, so the story goes. What does a jukebox do? Plays the same songs over and over. Why? The jukebox was stocked with the most popular songs of the day and that makes people put their nickels (today: quarters) in to play their favorite songs. Today there are digital jukeboxes that can access tens of thousands of songs. And yet, when I go in a bar with a jukebox, I still am treated to songs like "Thrift Shop", "Pour Some Sugar On Me", Taylor Swift and maybe an occasional Beatles song over and over. The songs on a jukebox tend to be the same of "what's popular right now" and "what's always been popular".

Now, could you create a station that plays from different formats? It already exists. It's called "Adult Hits" or "Jack" or "Bob" or "Fred" or "Herman", or whatever. And there's a number of different ways that format is being executed. But the more focused these stations are, the more successful they are ratings-wise.

But the way you determine if you can do what you want to do in a local area is: ask the potential listeners. Research your idea. Don't just "assume" you are brilliant and can revolutionize the industry. Many fail trying just that. But, it's probably unrealistic to shoot for "people under 50". It's too big of a target. If you want to go after the younger crowd, OK. Find out what people age 18-34 want to hear. Make 100-200 phone calls to random households in the area you want to serve, get somebody in that age group on the phone and ask. Tell them you want to create a radio station that's different. Ask them what they would want in a "perfect" radio station. Then try and design your format idea that way. Just remember, though: you can't be all things to all people.

You want local DJ's? Great. When FM rock started back in the late 60's and early 70's, guess what it was...largely automated. (Ask us old fogies in our 50's about stations like WONE-FM, WJDJ and a few others I can think of if I had more time here.) Stations then dipped their toe in the water with a live DJ in a daypart or two. When it worked, they expanded. But, just remember, nothing is free...and the government won't let you have volunteer DJ's in a for-profit business.

The Clear Channels and Cumulus's of the world are doing what they are doing, I suspect, largely because they are heavily in debt. Going to "national" programming platforms is a cheaper way to provide "quality" programming. For now. Remember the history of local radio. DJ's were a cost cutting move when they came into play in the mid 1950's. Stations like WLW back then had a full time staff of over 150 actors, actresses, newspeople, musicians, singers, poets, etc. When it was proven you could be popular with just a guy in a studio playing records, there was suddenly no need for all of that. You could cut your staff to about 20-40 people. And that's what radio did.

I was a DJ in the 70's. And it was fun. But it wasn't entirely great, either. Pay sucked for the most part. Few stations offered any real benefits like medical coverage and you could get fired at the drop of a hat. But we were all young back then and few of us needed it. Guess you could say not much has changed. But, the bennies and pay are better than 1973 or 1974 if you can establish yourself in the business.

Marty is right about one thing: we should never be discouraging you from trying. And I totally agree with him: if you think you have a better idea, find a station that will hire you, and try it. You can start on a small scale. But just remember, we have the benefit of experience. Take what we've learned, and improve it if you can. The pros on these boards will welcome that.

And remember: not every company is Clear Channel or Cumulus. There are still independent operators out there. Not as many as before, but they exist.

 

[cardradio]

And, all that said..... You might want to change your call letters. WCHX is already in use in Lewistown, PA. Damn all the details....

I'm new to this board, but I noticed there are alot of people on here who have connections in the radio business. I've also noticed there are alot of failing stations in this town (100.3 the Fan, WDJO, WCVN, WGRI, WPFB-AM, just to name a few). I have an awesome format idea I'd like to pitch. My dream has been to be a radio DJ, but I don't have the degree that stations want nowadays. And the volunteer public stations are full. But anyway, here's my idea:

Station Name: Channel X
Call Letters: WCHX
Format: Listener Supported variety- A hand-picked selection of rock (1965 to today), pop (1965 to today), country (from 1990 to today), oldies (60s, 70s, and 80s), alternative (90s through today), bluegrass, and whatever else the listeners want to hear. No daytime automation. No iHeart coast-to-coast satellite garbage. Just pure, locally run, locally supported radio. On air personalities will be volunteers (saves money that way). I also want to have a show.
Slogan: The Radio Revolution
Target Demographic: Ages 50 and under

I doubt this post will do anything, but I'd love to be part of breathing new life into the radio dial in this town. Clear Channel, Hubbard, Cumulus, Radio One, etc. don't know what they are doing.

Just a few thoughts from someone who works in commercial radio:

First of all, your idea of "volunteer" DJ's, assuming you're going to operate this station as a business, would probably not pass muster with the Wage and Hour people of the government. You have to pay people for their services. Volunteers can work in non-profits, but not commercial businesses. It's the law.

Secondly, your format is nothing new. I remember working for a small town station just like that in the 1970's. It was Adult Contemporary in the morning, A/C and beautiful music at midday, A/C with some country mix in the afternoon and rock at night. Saturday mornings was country and Sunday mornings was religion and beautiful music. Requests by listeners were played and often.

The station was bankrupt in 3 years.

Your format is targeted, so you say, at the under 50 crowd. Yet, a good part of the music you say you want to play appeals primarily to the over 55 crowd, which is not acceptable to advertisers. Also, you are mixing music that is typically incompatible. (Play Def Leppard followed by Flatt and Scruggs to The Beatles to 3 Doors Down to Taylor Swift). When you try to appeal to everyone, you end up appealing to no one.

Lastly, any attempt to put this on AM would result in abject failure as few people under 50 even sample AM stations anymore. The audience, typically, does not move from FM to AM.

WPFB-AM is not on the air because its owners have no desire to operate what, at best, could be a local AM radio station. And "at best" is assuming a whole lot of things. Who owned it? A college that operates an FM station that is almost as eclectic as the format you want to put on your station. It's barely showing in the last ratings I saw for the FM station.

Look...I appreciate someone's frustrations about the way stations are run today. I even agree with some of those feelings. But, if you could run a station successfully the way you suggest, you could already cite several cases where it is being done successfully. There are still independent stations. Not every station is run by the Clear Channels, Cumulus's, etc.

Having said this, it is true that there is no station anywhere that can't get a listener. Someone listens to any station at some point in time. But thinking your way will gather a mass audience is highly questionable at the very least.

Ok... What would your ideal radio station be if you were targeting younger people? Currently, Q102, Kiss 107, 101.1 the Wiz, WEBN, 96 Rock, and B-105 are the favorites of my generation (ages 18 to 30). Some people my age also like WGRR, WOFX, and WREW because we grew up listening to it with our parents and we also like it. Problem is, these stations are way too repetitive. They have a revolving playlist of MAYBE 100 songs that they play to death. They have hosts like Ryan Seacrest and Kidd Chris (What the fudge is wrong with CC?????????????) piped in from Hollywood. We would love to hear more variety and more local DJs. If we want satellite programming, we'll subscribe to XM. Radio is local. That is why you can't listen to a Cincinnati station in New York on a terrestrial radio (Unless it's nighttime and its WLW).

 

[jry]

I'm new to this board, but I noticed there are alot of people on here who have connections in the radio business. I've also noticed there are alot of failing stations in this town (100.3 the Fan, WDJO, WCVN, WGRI, WPFB-AM, just to name a few). I have an awesome format idea I'd like to pitch. My dream has been to be a radio DJ, but I don't have the degree that stations want nowadays. And the volunteer public stations are full. But anyway, here's my idea:

Station Name: Channel X
Call Letters: WCHX
Format: Listener Supported variety- A hand-picked selection of rock (1965 to today), pop (1965 to today), country (from 1990 to today), oldies (60s, 70s, and 80s), alternative (90s through today), bluegrass, and whatever else the listeners want to hear. No daytime automation. No iHeart coast-to-coast satellite garbage. Just pure, locally run, locally supported radio. On air personalities will be volunteers (saves money that way). I also want to have a show.
Slogan: The Radio Revolution
Target Demographic: Ages 50 and under

I doubt this post will do anything, but I'd love to be part of breathing new life into the radio dial in this town. Clear Channel, Hubbard, Cumulus, Radio One, etc. don't know what they are doing.

Nice post. I will nicely ask you to take WGRI off your little list of stations. Who is WCVN, BTW?
WGRI is alive and well, thank you very much.

 

[jry]

WGRI has only been around since February. And how would you know if they're failing or not? They don't subscribe to Arbitron, therefore we don't know what their numbers are like.

If it's any indication, the Face Book fans are over the top!