BRUCE STEVENS TO WNSX ELSWORTH/BANGOR

[grover750]

BRUCE STEVENS
WTIC -HARTFORD 13 YEARS
WBZ BOSTON.
WGAN PORTLAND ME MORNINGS
WIP PHILIDELPHIA
Starts at WNSX 97.7/Ellsworth/Bangor
On JULY 2ND
its LIKE working in a MAJOR Market
HERE!
AMAZING!
I never thought a Market this Size could sound this GOOD!
WELCOME BRUCE!

 

[Erie_Lackawanna]

yo - grover - what shift will Bruce be holding down? i had thought for sure that WTKK in Boston would've scooped him up full time by now. he sounded(sounds) great on 96.9 doing weekends and fills over the past few years.

is he relocating up that way, or is he going to v/t from out of town?

 

[ray ting]

I cut my teeth on radio in Portland and Lewiston and Augusta, and I remember Bruce Stevens. He was on WABK forever, and a couple of Portland stations, too, like WGAN and maybe even WJBQ? Back then I always wondered why he was still in Maine. Glad that he made it to the larger markets. I used to listen to him on WBZ, but I didn't know anything about Philly or Hartford.

I've heard third hand from my Capital City connections that Stevens has relocated to Maine and will be doing a sales gig at WNSX. Not positive, but I think that information is credible. I can't imagine that the station wouldn't find a way to use him on the air somehow, or at least make sure he's the talent on his own clients' spots.

I've heard McMillan, too. Major market. How are little guys like WNSX getting this big market talent? Hats off to them, cuz whatever they're doing for recruitment is working.

 

[Mainedude2007]

I've heard McMillan, too. Major market. How are little guys like WNSX getting this big market talent? Hats off to them, cuz whatever they're doing for recruitment is working.

Because the owner (former owner of Kiss 94.5) is an old-fashioned-local-radio guy with connections. As for the station, I like the music mix but the jocks sound too scripted and the breaks sound too structured with no room to ad-lib and it sounds like it could be VT'd from anywhere.

 

[ray ting]

Mainedude, now that you mention it, I'd have to agree. I've only really listened to Joe McMillan in his morning slot, but even though he's a great talent, he sounds like he's reading liner cards. Always goes into and comes out of the breaks with the same structure. Does management force him to be so damn stiff? Kiss didn't have that "stick up the butt" sound. Wish he could mix it up a little.

But to be fair, from what little I've heard of WNSX, it is one of the best sounding radio stations in Maine overall. And considering that they're in a mini-market, it's even more impressive.

 

[dabutler]

We do not script the shows on WNSX. That is all ad-lib.

 

[Erie_Lackawanna]

I cut my teeth on radio in Portland and Lewiston and Augusta, and I remember Bruce Stevens. He was on WABK forever, and a couple of Portland stations, too, like WGAN and maybe even WJBQ? Back then I always wondered why he was still in Maine. Glad that he made it to the larger markets. I used to listen to him on WBZ, but I didn't know anything about Philly or Hartford.


I've heard McMillan, too. Major market. How are little guys like WNSX getting this big market talent? Hats off to them, cuz whatever they're doing for recruitment is working.

Bruce Stevens & Nick Seneca made, without a doubt, one of the great career leaps of all time in 1984 when they left WGAN to do afternoon drive at WIP in Philadelphia. they were brought along by Cary Pahigian, who made his own galaxial leap from WGAN PD to WIP PD.

Bruce was the heir apparent to Bob Steele when he was lured away to afternoon drive at WBZ. he eventually got back into WTIC. and of late, he's been weekending it at Boston's WTKK.

Nick Seneca is alive and well and living in California - doin' radio and voiceovers out there in the land of market #2.

Bruce is a long-time friend of the owners of WNSX.

Mainedude, now that you mention it, I'd have to agree. I've only really listened to Joe McMillan in his morning slot, but even though he's a great talent, he sounds like he's reading liner cards. Always goes into and comes out of the breaks with the same structure. Does management force him to be so damn stiff? Kiss didn't have that "stick up the butt" sound. Wish he could mix it up a little.

But to be fair, from what little I've heard of WNSX, it is one of the best sounding radio stations in Maine overall. And considering that they're in a mini-market, it's even more impressive.

nothing wrong with saying the call letters and positioner consistently and frequently. the more you say 'em, the more ingrained they become in the mind of the listener.

 

[Mainedude2007]

nothing wrong with saying the call letters and positioner consistently and frequently. the more you say 'em, the more ingrained they become in the mind of the listener.

There's nothing wrong with mentioning it as much as possible, the problem is the liner card breaks (with nothing extra to add other than whats written) and the running every break through cool edit so you can delete any sound of a breath.

 

[Erie_Lackawanna]

There's nothing wrong with mentioning it as much as possible, the problem is the liner card breaks (with nothing extra to add other than whats written) and the running every break through cool edit so you can delete any sound of a breath.

as a pd once told me (when the format was a fairly hot-delivery oldies thing) -

if you have to breathe, you're done talkin'. shut up and start the spot. ;-)

the other thing to consider is: when you sign the paycheck, you get to make the rules. if that's what is asked of the on-air folk, then that's what they do.

 

[Nelz]

Hey dabutler,

I haven't had much time to listen, but Joe sounds great. Sometimes personalities sound so good and polished, they sound like the liner reader crowd. I'm not familiar with Bruce, but after reading the postings of the others on this topic, it looks like you've got a dream team in the making. I heard Brett Slater last weekend on NSX. He sounds fantastic. Tell him I said hello. And please say hi to Angie.

nelz

 

[argytunes]

I know I've brought this up before...HOWEVER...

Liner cards are wonderful tools for air personalities who have limited talent or can't ad-lib about the music they're playing! This also applies to talk show hosts who...err...shouldn't be discussing subjects that they know nothing about? :

The problem with liner cards is....they succeed in identifying a station's format to a listener....but (like so many overpromoted television shows)....the hype doesn't necessarily match the product that a listener (or viewer) is exposed to?

As much as any PD would like to believe his or her programming ideas appeal listeners and advertisers....QUITE A BIT OF IT DOESN'T! And while liners give a station a certain type of "format identity" in the market---some of 'em are downright BORING!

argytunes

 

[radiothis!]

Liner cards are a great training tool--but they should go by the wayside once you get some experience under your belt.

I have been fortunate to have PDs that treated liner cards just like training wheels. I'm always sad when a fellow jock points to an empty promo book and complains: "Now I've got nothing to talk about!"

There is always something to talk about!! (well, unless you live in Siberia. But I bet even there...)

radiothis.

 

[ray ting]

Listened to a lot of WNSX this weekend, although it's not easy with 97.5 and 97.9 banging up against it on either side.

I think I'd like to retract my "liner card" comment earlier in this thread. Sometimes the jocks sound just a little stiff, but no worse than any other tracked station around here, and they have a lot of local ad-libs and music/artist info. Nice balance. Maybe instead of "liner card", the term "over-prepared" could be substituted. But even that might be too harsh. Give 'em their props for being prepared in one form or another.

Hey Mainedude, I didn't hear anything on the station that sounded like they'd clipped out breaths with Cool Edit. I don't get what you mean. Pace sounded very natural, at least what I heard. I think the station has got it going on. And just think. No national PD guru. As far as I know.

And Nelz, your comments on Joe McMillan are probably more accurate than my earlier ones. He's good no matter how you slice it.