Bringing Back Talk Radio's Golden Age?

[Don62]

Back to the radio owner from St. Pete circa 1991 who said that if they beefed up thier power to the (projected) 25KW day 2500 night..

"That's thousands more people that can hear us but won't listen..so what's the point of that? And I'll have to buy 15 more acres of prime real estate to erect two more towers..I'll never make my money back"

What's the value in an increased signal, when LOCAL programming is what's needed to fight the "good fight" WFLA is clearly doing what people want to listen to (Thanks randy K) so whatever goes on 820 and that giant signal better be able to impact listeners in a wider arena than just Tampa Bay..

Says who? What study or research did the station do?
I think it was a matter of removing personalities and bringing in syndication, primarily to svae money. This all started when CC came in and wanted to clean-out Lassiter so it could run cheaper proramming.

 

[naughtytalker]

Lassiter is dead. His talk show was a downer. Yes, he was talented, but not in the last 5 years of his life. Listening to him was an invitation to psychotic depression and suicide. Misery loves company and Don62 obviously can't find enough help with his.

 

[FiveStar]

Contrary to vapid ignorant speculation, 970 WFLA has significantly expanded the news staff during the past two years because of increased demand for the newsrooms product, which required those who remained to step up their game to meet the new challenges. Those who left did so, of their own free will at the earliest opportunity for any radio job they could get. The remaining players at Tampa Bay's top rated News/Talk station prefer not toiling in ratings obscurity and can be proud of the results. Sorry about your luck.

Ok, do a story count on the local news segments and tell me how much content is in those stories. 15 to 20 seconds, maybe? with a piece of phone interview, maybe? New challenges? Like feeding news casts to markets you know nothing about, regurgitating stories rewritten by the barely literates at AP or maybe stolen from a newspaper website and that's just the anchors. Reporters have to feed stories to FRN, customize stories for the "spoke" markets, upload pictures to the website, while writing separate stories through the clunky website tools.

Yeah, you might have more bodies, but they're doing one hell of a lot less local news. 970 used to proudly call itself "the station of record". Now it's just a headline service at best. That's no fault of the people who are there. They're doing a damn good job all things considered, but unfortunately what that amounts to is not being eaten alive by piranas, or having an overwrought supervisor screaming at you because while you were juggling half a dozen eggs, you dropped one.

Yeah, I'm one of those who left and you better believe I'm better off for it. Better money, people who respect me and my abilities and believe in things like "vacations, personal time and bonuses". Yeah, you better believe I'm glad I'm out. If all that makes me a "loser" in your book, fine. You're the one that's the equivalent of the abused spouse getting beat up every day and rationalizing that it's your fault for somehow failing at a job that's impossible to do well and barely possible to do at all.

 

[RMarino]

Lassiter is dead. His talk show was a downer. Yes, he was talented, but not in the last 5 years of his life. Listening to him was an invitation to psychotic depression and suicide. Misery loves company and Don62 obviously can't find enough help with his.

Uh, Lassiter wasn't on the air during the last 5 years of his life. His last day on air was 1999 and he passed on in 2006. What station were YOU hearing him on during the last 5 years of his life?

Anyway, you are sadly mistaken, Bob sounded great right 'til the end. Just listen to the aircheck of his final show on WFLA. When was the last time your heard anything with that much passion in Tampa Bay radio? Now all we have are Lex & Terry T&A jokes, the MJ/Bubba pi**ing match, and wondering where the WHBO call letters will end up.

 

[TampaDan]

To me, the "golden age" of talk radio was before Limbaugh turned the genre into ideological rants in the late 80's. Hosts could get listeners interested in or fired up about all number of things happening in their community. It wasn't all about politics (my side is always right, and your side is always wrong).

So we could have 24 hours of all local talk, but if they're just going to ideologically discuss national issues it might as well be from a satellite feed from somewhere else.

 

[FiveStar]

Back to the radio owner from St. Pete circa 1991 who said that if they beefed up thier power to the (projected) 25KW day 2500 night..

"That's thousands more people that can hear us but won't listen..so what's the point of that? And I'll have to buy 15 more acres of prime real estate to erect two more towers..I'll never make my money back"

What's the value in an increased signal, when LOCAL programming is what's needed to fight the "good fight" WFLA is clearly doing what people want to listen to (Thanks randy K) so whatever goes on 820 and that giant signal better be able to impact listeners in a wider arena than just Tampa Bay..

Says who? What study or research did the station do?
I think it was a matter of removing personalities and bringing in syndication, primarily to svae money. This all started when CC came in and wanted to clean-out Lassiter so it could run cheaper proramming.

You're both right. Having a blowtorch signal removes one excuse for poor performance, but it's not a substitute for programming that engages and retains the audience. More local programming would be a start, but again, second rate local programming is not the answer, either. I applaud Genesis for stepping up, but it's going to be a long, hard road to being competitive in this market and it's going to take innovative and at times risky strategy to derail the 970 juggernaut. It can be done. Remember when Q-105 was untouchable? Does Genesis have the smarts, the patience, the guts and the money to make history repeat itself? In the immortal words of Gordon Solie "That remains to be seen."

 

[sbe1]

Reason for power upgrades

The main reason for power upgrades is not only to reach areas farther away. Actually, that is a secondary reason. The real reason is to put a lot stronger signal into their primary area. AM radio today is plagued by poor reception caused by noisy power lines, metal office buildings, and interference from computers and fluorescent lighting. When you go from 5kw to 50 kw, all things being the same you are putting in 10times the signal. That makes the signal a lot easier to listen to. That is really important. When WFLA upgraded to 25kw from 5 kw, they improved significantly the signal in the Tampa area and up I-4. Today, you can upgrade almost any directional station to 50kw. I know this is a Tampa board, but look at Detroit. They moved a Flint station to south of Detroit with a searchlite 50kw signal, They also moved 950, 1200, 1270, 1440, to the same status. That can be done here if they want to. I have made my living in radio in the technical end. I have a lousy air voice. It really bothers me to hear some of the worst audio I've ever heard on stations in the Tampa area. Even some of the FM's have terrible audio. Watch the mod monitor on some of these stations, and the needle doesnt even move....

 

[Don62]

Contrary to vapid ignorant speculation, 970 WFLA has significantly expanded the news staff during the past two years because of increased demand for the newsrooms product, which required those who remained to step up their game to meet the new challenges. Those who left did so, of their own free will at the earliest opportunity for any radio job they could get. The remaining players at Tampa Bay's top rated News/Talk station prefer not toiling in ratings obscurity and can be proud of the results. Sorry about your luck.

Right. Nearly "rip and read," and mostly headline news. "For more, visit www..."
That's not news, or at least it's very weak news.
And they don't even bother with news at night anymore. Just let the lame Fox news "celebrity" or "this day in history so and so had a big hit.." crap news run.

Just like their so-called "talk" format, CC is doing it the cheapest- and most mediocre- way.
Nothing to brag about there.

Don62... "BITTER," table for one

There's a big assumption here. Though I have worked in radio news, before going to TV, I never worked for CC.
Please tell us how long you have worked for CC. Full disclosure required here.

 

[naughtytalker]

Please tell us how long you have worked for CC. Full disclosure required here.

You're on a need to know basis. And I don't need you.

 

[naughtytalker]

What station were YOU hearing him on during the last 5 years of his life? Anyway, you are sadly mistaken, Bob sounded great right 'til the end.

I was refering to his radio life. As for sounding "great right 'til the end," what Bob Lassiter were YOU listening to? Obviously not the one racked by disease and lost to clinical depression.

 

[naughtytalker]

Yeah, I'm one of those who left and you better believe I'm better off for it. Better money, people who respect me and my abilities and believe in things like "vacations, personal time and bonuses". Yeah, you better believe I'm glad I'm out. If all that makes me a "loser" in your book, fine. You're the one that's the equivalent of the abused spouse getting beat up every day and rationalizing that it's your fault for somehow failing at a job that's impossible to do well and barely possible to do at all.

FYI - I do everything well and find nothing impossible. Success is the proof of the pudding. The fact that you couldn't cut the mustard doesn't make you a loser, just not a winner. I'm glad your focus is now "vacations, personal time and bonuses." We all have priorities, I'm sure Genesis is happy to know yours. To quote Dirty Harry, "A man's gotta know his limitations..." then the gunshot.

 

[radiodork]

If you mean "priorities" as being respected for your work vs. having a gun pointed to your head while knowing your limitations, I have to side with Five Star on this one (who doesn't work for Genesis, by the way).

It's hard to "cut the mustard" at $8 an hour doing news and traffic reports for 12 different stations (most not even in this market), while it's much easier to enjoy life with an employer who actually enjoys YOU and what you bring to the table (the increased salary, bonuses, vacations, etc. are a nice touch too).

 

[naughtytalker]

8 bucks an hour is minimum wage. If that's what you call a career, you might want to consider bagging groceries and avoid the stress of professional pressures.

 

[Don62]

Please tell us how long you have worked for CC. Full disclosure required here.

You're on a need to know basis. And I don't need you.

You claim to know everything about CC. You certainly know little of WWBA and Genesis. So fess up. Or shut up on something your post show you know little of.

 

[naughtytalker]

You claim to know everything about CC. You certainly know little of WWBA and Genesis. So fess up. Or shut up on something your post show you know little of.

I didn't claim to know everything about CC... I know everything about everything, including english, which your last sentence is not.

 

[radiodork]

8 bucks an hour is minimum wage. If that's what you call a career, you might want to consider bagging groceries and avoid the stress of professional pressures.

Exactly, yet that's what some of the jobs at 4002 Gandy are paying. Other jobs, not much more. That's why I'm quite satisfied with my pay at a job OUTSIDE of that building!

 

[FiveStar]

8 bucks an hour is minimum wage. If that's what you call a career, you might want to consider bagging groceries and avoid the stress of professional pressures.

If you're making more than that consider yourself lucky. However, one note of caution: there are students fresh out of the Connecticut School of Broadcasting eager to do whatever you're doing for that. As Satchel Paige used to say "Don't look back something might be gainin' on you."

 

[Don62]

Tampa Bay is closer to the "Golden Age" with Dro Silva leaving for Atlanta. Now, if they would dump the rest of the stations second rate talent we could enter a promising new era.

The move from 1040 to 820 gives WWBA a powerful new signal, but we get the same weak performers. A confused board-op with lame opinions, annoying italian banter and Dan Ruth's uber-liberalism too. It all adds up to a DIAL TURNER, which is why the station is lucky to get a 1 share.

And since when does 6 hours of lame local vamping, does a talk station make? (FYI... you might also want to pot-up the talk back feature so callers can hear the hosts cut them off.)

What an utter load of crap. You who claim to know everything about talk radio reveal your very ignorance.

This one little show has more spark in it than most of 970's daily schedule, which is lackluster and unimaginative. Dan York in one week likely has more talent than you likely ever had in radio.

Imgine that. Someone talking about Tamp and Fla. issues. And taking calls, too. FLA never heard of such a thing.

It's safe to assume the "incumbents" aren't to "scared" when it's a three-way tie for second place in the Tampa Bay market, just behind elevator music for the 60 to dead crowd.

Despite your head-in-the-sand attitude, I'd say a much bigger signal - twice that of 970 - and much more talk programming - makes them a lot more competitive.

You may think they have nothing to worry about, but I'm sure they're concerned.

 

[druidhillsradio]

Speaking of the Golden Age of Radio, WZHR in Z-Hills used to have a wonderful selection of Old Time Radio shows and music before Waggonturd Advertising wrecked it. I don't really enjoy that type of programming and Z-hills is a small market, but hey, they had advertisers and listeners.

Now it's been brokered ( i think) to Radio World Inc.

WDCF!!! Turn on your tower light at night!

 

[Don62]

You claim to know everything about CC. You certainly know little of WWBA and Genesis. So fess up. Or shut up on something your post show you know little of.

I didn't claim to know everything about CC... I know everything about everything, including english, which your last sentence is not.

Regarding your earlier defense of CC, looks like you do work there.

Contrary to vapid ignorant speculation, 970 WFLA has significantly expanded the news staff during the past two years because of increased demand for the newsrooms product, which required those who remained to step up their game to meet the new challenges. Those who left did so, of their own free will at the earliest opportunity for any radio job they could get. The remaining players at Tampa Bay's top rated News/Talk station prefer not toiling in ratings obscurity and can be proud of the results. Sorry about your luck.

Sounds like a cold-hearted S--- ownership there. "Do what we say or get the hell out of here at the soonest opportunity. Don't let the door hit you on your way out.."

Great way to encourage employee loyalty. Fire staff, increase workload, then tell them to leave if they don't like it. Still your station brags about how good it is and how on top of news it always is... BS.

BTW, you're wrong about WFLA "significantly expanding its news staff..." It's far from it.

So you, sir, can't get your facts straight. So much for knowing about "news." I'd say that's far worse than some trivial spelling error.