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Chicago gets another alt rock outlet -- Q101.com goes to WJJG 1530

cyberdad said:
radioman148 said:
cyberdad said:
stereolane said:
What, if anything, was WJJG billing with the talk format?

My guess is that Joe made more selling one new Chrysler than he did in a month of running WJJG.

LOL--You're probably right.

Well, I mean seriously....

Joe was a hoot to listen to (assuming you could actually get WJJG, and not WSAI/WCKY blowing his doors off).
He poured out his heart every morning. Like him or not, what you got was sincere and genuine. He believed in what he was doing. But my guess is that most of the "business" you heard on the station was barter if not gratis. Possibly with the exception of some brokered stuff.

Joe was having fun. Radio was a hobby for him.
 
I never heard Joe's show. I heard terrible talk shows, and what sounded like infomercials being played on an old Emerson cassette deck with dirty heads. ??? I do recall hearing promos and spots with Joe's voice that were folksy, but good. The weekend oldies show seemed to have a loyal following.
 
To be clear, I wasn't knocking Joe in the slightest. Frankly, I'd like to see owner/operators like him serving local communities. My comments pertain strictly to the fact the number of advertisers....and hence revenue...seemed to be minimal.

But think of what Joe (and current management) was/is up against. Numerous "big time" local signals and talent. Plus your own high dial position signal is not only weak, but it's also subject to getting trashed by a 50,000 flamethrower relatively close by.

And Joe was a great listen. Cornball, opinionated, caustic, and "Lord-knows-what-he'll-say-or-do-next." When you're the boss, you can get away with anything (at least so long as its legal).

It sure made for a clear and refreshing contrast from the computerized, rigid, formula stuff from the big sticks.
 
cyberdad said:
To be clear, I wasn't knocking Joe in the slightest. Frankly, I'd like to see owner/operators like him serving local communities. My comments pertain strictly to the fact the number of advertisers....and hence revenue...seemed to be minimal.

But think of what Joe (and current management) was/is up against. Numerous "big time" local signals and talent. Plus your own high dial position signal is not only weak, but it's also subject to getting trashed by a 50,000 flamethrower relatively close by.

And Joe was a great listen. Cornball, opinionated, caustic, and "Lord-knows-what-he'll-say-or-do-next." When you're the boss, you can get away with anything (at least so long as its legal).

It sure made for a clear and refreshing contrast from the computerized, rigid, formula stuff from the big sticks.

Joe certainly was a good listen. Much much better than all the canned robotic programming we get now.
 
Joe was genuine, and not at all interested in changing to fit whims of the moment.

I miss him, and the comfortable pace the station had when he was around.

It was the difference between a folksy, slow down, general-store feeling vs the rush of a "convenience store" experience.

Apparently we Chicagoans will just prefer the blander prepackaged product rather than make our own.

I would hope something better than "music programmed from elswhere" is eventually offered.

Even if I'm eating a prepackaged cheeseburger, I might at least like it cooked and assembled right there at the moment,
by a human. Having it pre-cooked, frozen, shipped, and then I'm supposed to nuke it is hardly the same thing or experience.
 
I'm with you all. Joe did a shoot from the heart show. He was polite, folksy, had strong opinions on things, unlike others like Rush, Sean, Mancow, Eddie and the rest, I actually think he was saying what he felt, not what one side or the other wants to hear.

The "Hometown Station" branding fit Joe well. I read on one of those other Chicago sites, I think it was the blue one that hurts my eyes, that this would still make a good local station, I would agree. Trying to parade as a full Chicago station will never work.

If the owners are listening send me a message, I've handled stations with worse signals and did well. I would be happy to come back
to Chicago and run it for you. You don't even have to pay me, just give me a share of the money I make on sales ;D ;D
 
Going back to Nashville said:
I'm with you all. Joe did a shoot from the heart show. He was polite, folksy, had strong opinions on things, unlike others like Rush, Sean, Mancow, Eddie and the rest, I actually think he was saying what he felt, not what one side or the other wants to hear.

The "Hometown Station" branding fit Joe well. I read on one of those other Chicago sites, I think it was the blue one that hurts my eyes, that this would still make a good local station, I would agree. Trying to parade as a full Chicago station will never work.

If the owners are listening send me a message, I've handled stations with worse signals and did well. I would be happy to come back
to Chicago and run it for you. You don't even have to pay me, just give me a share of the money I make on sales ;D ;D
You make a very good point. Trying to be like so many other stations won't work. The hometown idea is a good one, but you need people like Joe to pull it off.
 
I'm not there now, I can't confirm what they are playing now.

I did listen to Mike Baker on the internet and they dumped him. His final show was last weekend. What a loss.
 
stereolane said:
radioaircheck said:
Now the question is...Would Joe Gentile approve if he were still alive?

I think a more important question would be, can Matt make any money doing this? Frankly, I admire the guy for trying.

Frankly, about the only way I could see anything good coming out of this is if he offers something that FM stations wouldn't touch with a 20' pole! This could - but does not necessarily have to - include offering music by local artists (KKSN Vancouver WA [Partland OR] does this albeit it is a simulcast of an HD2 signal) http://www.947.fm/; a free form approach similar to WBZH in Pottstown PA http://www.wbzh.net/ or something similar.
 
This may sound crazy to many people, but how about Rock & Roll oldies from the 50s & early 60s on AM where they were originally heard?
I realize this isn't the most desirable demo to say the least, but nobody else is doing it. If you run it with a computer and no DJs it would cost very little to do.
 
radioman148 said:
This may sound crazy to many people, but how about Rock & Roll oldies from the 50s & early 60s on AM where they were originally heard?
I realize this isn't the most desirable demo to say the least, but nobody else is doing it. If you run it with a computer and no DJs it would cost very little to do.

CFZM/740. Toronto. 

A 50kw non-directional AM station with a monster signal and a condition of licence that it serve an over 50 demo. The result is mostly music, mostly vintage top 40, and mostly live and local (with automated music overnights).

Much as I'm usually opposed to government mandates, the Canadians may be on to something here.  Acting on the premise that the airwaves actually belong to the public and not corporate conglomerates, licences can be allocated on the basis of seeing to it that no population segment gets neglected.  Thus, the terms and conditions of your licence...and what you agree to when granted...probably won't get you top ratings or top revenues.  But if you're a good operator you can find a profitable niche in which to operate.  In the case of CFZM, the tadeoff for agreeing to accept specific terms, was an upgrade from suburban rimshot to big signal (when the CBC vacated it for FM). 

I think WIND/560 might be perfect for this type of approach...and it has a "heritage" in this type of programming to boot.  But, of course, it'll never happen under Salem management.
 
radioman148 said:
This may sound crazy to many people, but how about Rock & Roll oldies from the 50s & early 60s on AM where they were originally heard?
I realize this isn't the most desirable demo to say the least, but nobody else is doing it. If you run it with a computer and no DJs it would cost very little to do.
Just about every "Graffiti-Gold" station that ever signed on is gone. Don't get me wrong. I like the format so long as it's done right. I might suggest combining the following genres with early rock-era oldies: surf rock, R&B oldies from about the same period and a bit after and possibly "Carolina 'Beach music'".
 
Not only 560 WIND would be a good spot for this, but 1160 (the old WJJD) where Rock & Roll was first played in Chicago would be good.
Salem wouldn't do it, but could the ratings on 1160 be any lower than they are right now?
 
I don't think Salem really cares about ratings....at least from the standpoint of selecting formats for their stations. I view them as a religious broadcaster. Their main agenda....at least as it seems to me....is to advance their religious and political views.

Sidebar point....I agree that a CFMZ-type format would be equally appropriate on 1160. Or for that matter a "classic WLS" weekend evening time slot on WLS-AM. They've already got Biondi in the house to host it.

Never happen, however.
 
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