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Curtis doing Sports in Greeensboro Market

I REALLY hope WSJS doesn't do the PM Drive paid commercial programming thing. It may have worked from a sales standpoint, but I think it's worse than terrible to listen to. Companies love being able to get on the airwaves and drone on and on. I'm sure they think they're really interesting and it's a huge ego-boost for them, but the truth is they sound awful, they're boring as hell, and the ratings usually reflect it! That coupled with WSJS running 6 to 7 to 8 commercials in a row is just the kiss of death for me as a listener. I can't stand it!
 
In effect, Curtis has a lot of signal problems covering the whole market.

As Mike pointed out, the new sports network has a signal deficiency in W-S. 1230 does not do all that well up there (really a High Point signal), 1320 is a Greensboro signal and 1200 is a Burlington signal.

On the WSJS side, 600 is OK-to-not-so-great in Greensboro (it gets power line interference, etc.). 1200 wasn't great over there, either...about as usable as 600 is there. 600/1200 wasn't a two-city solution for WSJS, and now, with the sports network, 1230 has the same problem up in W-S.

Those are my impressions from a handful of visits to the market over the past few years.

830 would about be the only reasonable full-market solution, at least when it comes to the heart of the market.
 
Problem with 830 is coverage to the more rural areas of the metro.

Of course, power line interference is here to stay for AM. And computers, and virtually everything electronic. Sad, but true.

I do believe streaming is part of the answer. SJS streamed for several years in the Clear Channel days and you could see the difference in the mid-day, at-work listening.

As for the "paid guests", very few of them can add listeners. I always felt Mike Wells was a good draw, and the money shows. Home improvement (back when Dalrymple did it), computers (on Saturday - although the show was never the same after it was sold to The Computer Place). Weekends are the best times for those kinds of shows - cume is down anyway, might as well make some money. You can draw a specialty cume for a couple of hours.
 
XTalker said:
Problem with 830 is coverage to the more rural areas of the metro.

Of course, power line interference is here to stay for AM. And computers, and virtually everything electronic. Sad, but true.

I do believe streaming is part of the answer. SJS streamed for several years in the Clear Channel days and you could see the difference in the mid-day, at-work listening.
Click to expand...

It looks like Curtis brought back streaming. You think it was a factor in them being willing to let go 1200 to the sports network?

Good point about 830. It's still the best AM signal in the entire market, no? And presumably, news/talk is a more urban creature than some other formats.

Of course, 830 will likely never leave the Epperson Empire.
 
I don't think 830 has the best AM signal in the market. Again a bit of a narrow signal - and while covering the urban areas well, there are a lot of talk fans in the outlying counties. Back before SJS cut of the toll-free calls at the North Carolina line, there was large contingent of fans in the Galax, SW Virginia region.

Switch phone provider in the late 90s and restricted the toll free to NC calls only.

SJS streamed for about three years before CBS pulled the plug. The deal with Yahoo Broadcast was a sweet one. They provided the server, the T-1 and paid the royalties.

Then, when CBS began streaming all of their NT stations, WSJS was left out. It was a pretty solid clue that the station was on the block!
 
XTalker said:
I don't think 830 has the best AM signal in the market. Again a bit of a narrow signal - and while covering the urban areas well, there are a lot of talk fans in the outlying counties. Back before SJS cut of the toll-free calls at the North Carolina line, there was large contingent of fans in the Galax, SW Virginia region.
Click to expand...

OK, would it be the best signal for a news/talker if they cleaned up the engineering?

If so, what AM signal is there? WSJS is fine where it is, but anything east of Greensboro (or even G-boro itself) is a challenge for it. I consistently lost the station under power lines in G-boro itself. Is there a better signal that would provide solid coverage in both W-S and G-boro?
 
I don't think any AM stations were designed, when they were designed, to cover the whole market. So it's doubtful it could happen in the 2010s.

830 tried from the center of the market in the early 90s when they were WETR for a short while, running news/entertainment/talk [and then-owned by a newspaper, but I forget which one, and running CNN Radio was it?] but "whole market coverage" has never seemed to be what any stations have been shooting for in the Triad.
 
Curtis may have to cut a deal with Salem and buy either 980 or 1340 in order to get better signal in Winston-Salem. The best of all alternatives in that area would be 1380, but I don't think Que Pasa would sell it.

Later . . . .
 
Matt Smith said:
Curtis may have to cut a deal with Salem and buy either 980 or 1340 in order to get better signal in Winston-Salem. The best of all alternatives in that area would be 1380, but I don't think Que Pasa would sell it.

Later . . . .
Click to expand...

Que Pasa doesn't own WTOB 1380. For what I heard they are lossing sales to 98.3-FM, so if they can produce Dollars they might just return the station (same as they did last year).

:eek:
 
I was counting on WMFR mor WCOG doing oldies or classic country. It looks like my needs are met in both departments, at least in the immediate area. Where I live in the car it's now a wasteland.
 
If I did it, I would have put sports on 830. That's a great signal, could carry one of the major ACC teams, along with local sports. If the Triad got an MLB team, that's where I'd put the games.

WXII used to be good when they were News/Talk.
 
I don't believe 830 WXII was ever news talk - just news - WXII TV and AP Network News.
 
Yeah channel 12 is the newspaper I was thinking of. :)
I heard it was supposed to be "Entertainment Talk Radio" when it was WETR, but they never materialized past just news before they sold out.
 
Will this series of stations make money? Sure.


Will the host they have actually be either compelling or controversial. Not likely.


The problem with sport talk in NC in general is not for lack of teams or topics but with the kid glove treatment everyone gives them, especially Carolina. Why is this? 'Cause everyone is afraid of not having 'access'. Then again the politbureau AKA Steve Kirschner and Co really do not provide much access to begin with. Our government could learn a thing about sealing leaks from the UNC athletic department.

As for the NCAA investigation of the UNC football program, sure they are talking about it, but from what I am hearing they are walking on eggshells while doing so. Then again with spineless retreads like Taylor Zarzour I for one am not surprised.
 
Good morning. I don't know Mr. Zarzer and won't comment on whether or not he is in possession of a spine. What I will say is that I like what I am hearing in Greensboro. Zarzer, David Glen and Packman are all over this Carolina thing (I'm a Heel hater) and showing zero mercy while still being fair about the facts. Their coverage from the ACC meetings last week was great. I think I heard just about every football coach interviewed at one time or another. Packman is at Panthers camp as well. My friends at work have caught on to the new station immediately. I just wish they would stream and hope it is in the plans.

Have a good weekend!
 
Well they are talking about it, but I do not hear 'all over it' in their coverage. They are going from what the powers that be tell them, which is zero.

I am a Tarheel man, and I legitmately know people who have real contacts inside the program, and this program is in a LOT more trouble then they are letting on. And it goes a lot further than Marvin Austin, in fact from what I hear in essence the program is being run in a rogue fashion. Don't let the pious christian act fool you, Butch Davis is a mercinary win at all costs kind of coach, and he does not care who falls in his wake, he is the anthisis of what one considers a 'Carolina' guy.

And don't let these guys fool you, they know that this is a lot more widespread than they are letting on, but again it comes down to wanting to keep access, report on things that are unflattering and you will be cut off.
 
Personally, I don't care if Butch Davis goes 0-12 this year. I was just commenting on the new sports format. If you are like most Tar Heel fans I know you probably appreciate more of this not coming to light, so I can't figure out your beef with Zarzer and Glenn. And if they do know more, why go for the jugular when you know you'll need access to the program either way?

Enjoy the day. I'm out.
 
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