Disappointed....

[superset weekend]

I just have to get this off my mind, nothing personal. I TRIED, i REALLY tried to listen to WECK. For 5 minutes the other day, i tuned in to hear Tom Schue and Brad Riter talking endlessly and aimlessly about Bruce Springsteen and their opinions on concerts. It could not have been worse. I was literally ready to ride of the road because it was so bad. Nothing was compelling AT ALL. With so many things going on in the world, THIS was the topic? And it just droooned on and on... Nothing personal to these 2 fine broadcasters, but i KNOW they have more talent than this, and i really am in doubt of the capabilities of this station with content like that.

Maybe i am wrong, again, just my opinion. I just had to vent....but wait, there more....

WHTT! You gotta be kidding? THIS is going to change the dynamic of radio in Buffalo? Just incredibly lame, and lifeless. The SAME crap, over and over, with no fanfare, no buzz, no enthusiasm. Just radio at it worse. It took 3 years to figure this out for HTT? Like the subject says....just "disappointed".

 

[The Voice of Reason]

I just have to get this off my mind, nothing personal. I TRIED, i REALLY tried to listen to WECK. For 5 minutes the other day, i tuned in to hear Tom Schue and Brad Riter talking endlessly and aimlessly about Bruce Springsteen and their opinions on concerts. It could not have been worse. I was literally ready to ride of the road because it was so bad. Nothing was compelling AT ALL. With so many things going on in the world, THIS was the topic? And it just droooned on and on... Nothing personal to these 2 fine broadcasters, but i KNOW they have more talent than this, and i really am in doubt of the capabilities of this station with content like that.

Maybe i am wrong, again, just my opinion. I just had to vent....but wait, there more....

WHTT! You gotta be kidding? THIS is going to change the dynamic of radio in Buffalo? Just incredibly lame, and lifeless. The SAME crap, over and over, with no fanfare, no buzz, no enthusiasm. Just radio at it worse. It took 3 years to figure this out for HTT? Like the subject says....just "disappointed".

Not to come across as being sarcastic but you can always change the channel if you don't like what you hear. I do all the time because personally I'm sick of the repetitious music formats or some talk show host suffering from foot-in-mouth disease

 

[topsound]

Bruce booked a show in Buffalo in November. In my opinion that was newsworthy and worthy of discussion. As a matter of fact the topic of discussion was Brad wondering if it truly was a big deal or not. I thought it was a lively talk and to me "5 minutes" isn't "endless." Admittedly I am a fan so it was in my "wheelhouse."

You're certainly entitled to disagree and I appreciate the comments. I wish there were more feedback about WECK on this board. Hopefully you'll tune back in once in a while and again let us know what you think.

Schuh

 

[SirRoxalot]

C'mon, let's hear some controversy on WECK. It doesn't matter if it's contrived blather, as long as they're plenty of yelling and mayhem. It's not the content, it's the controversy that matters. Look at how well that's worked out for Jerry Springer. Maybe if you showed ripped T-shirts on your website...

And WHTT isn't exciting enough either. Maybe they should have done the "Stripper Pole format" or "Chinese Opera" to generate a little excitement before switching to Classic Hits. Oh, wait - they DIDN'T want to alienate all their existing listeners? And, the flip was done on the cheap by a company staring bankruptcy in the face, likely in a hurry, and with very little in the way of personnel resources.

Whew. I guess I'm just in a sarcastic mood this morning. Personally, I hope WECK makes it. I also think that WHTT is more entertaining than it was a week ago. Could both be better? Yup. WILL both get better? I hope so.

 

[Philip_Airtime]

As a big fan of Bruce myself, I probably would have found the exchange between Brad and Tom engaging. I don't think, Superset, that you can reach a conclusion about the sound of a radio station when listening for just five minutes. WECK is what it is. After consuming the news on NPR's Morning Edition and a bit of WBEN, I tune in WECK to hear Lorraine and Tom. They're well-informed and entertaining. They obviously have a good rapport. Would I make WECK my exclusive source for news? Of course not. But when I've had my fill of the serious stuff, I find WECK a great alternative. In fact, I usually find myself tuning in every Friday morning at 8:50 for the movie reviews with Michael Caleri. So, I do think the criticism was a bit harsh.

But I will say this. Talk show hosts need to be very careful and remain focused at all times. They never know when a listener is tuning in for the first time on a particular day. A couple of weeks back, I got out of work and put on WGR for Schopp and the Bulldog. The Bills are in training camp, so I wanted to get caught up on what happened that day. Well, the guys, along with their sidekicks, were involved in some vapid discussion that was so lame I can't remember the topic. But I do remember switching stations. At that point, Schopp and the Bulldog had already been on the air three hours and probably were bored by their Bills talk. But here I was a listener tuning in for the first time that day and was so disenchanted by what I was hearing that I tuned away. What I won't do, however, is color the entire station as unlistenable. In fact, yesterday those same hosts came through for me big time with the very latest on the Michael Vick rumors when I tuned in. I'm just saying that talk radio hosts need to keep in mind that new listeners are coming on board every second and that they need to stay focused on the important topics of the day.

 

[John C]

As a big fan of Bruce myself, I probably would have found the exchange between Brad and Tom engaging. I don't think, Superset, that you can reach a conclusion about the sound of a radio station when listening for just five minutes. WECK is what it is. After consuming the news on NPR's Morning Edition and a bit of WBEN, I tune in WECK to hear Lorraine and Tom. They're well-informed and entertaining. They obviously have a good rapport. Would I make WECK my exclusive source for news? Of course not. But when I've had my fill of the serious stuff, I find WECK a great alternative. In fact, I usually find myself tuning in every Friday morning at 8:50 for the movie reviews with Michael Caleri. So, I do think the criticism was a bit harsh.

But I will say this. Talk show hosts need to be very careful and remain focused at all times. They never know when a listener is tuning in for the first time on a particular day. A couple of weeks back, I got out of work and put on WGR for Schopp and the Bulldog. The Bills are in training camp, so I wanted to get caught up on what happened that day. Well, the guys, along with their sidekicks, were involved in some vapid discussion that was so lame I can't remember the topic. But I do remember switching stations. At that point, Schopp and the Bulldog had already been on the air three hours and probably were bored by their Bills talk. But here I was a listener tuning in for the first time that day and was so disenchanted by what I was hearing that I tuned away. What I won't do, however, is color the entire station as unlistenable. In fact, yesterday those same hosts came through for me big time with the very latest on the Michael Vick rumors when I tuned in. I'm just saying that talk radio hosts need to keep in mind that new listeners are coming on board every second and that they need to stay focused on the important topics of the day.

Well said, Philip. I'm a huge Bruce fan too and since it's the final show of this tour I do think it's a big deal and 5 minutes is a very reasonable time frame for that discussion. Also, I thought you were very fair with your Schopp and the Bulldog comment. Sometimes they are not worth listening to and I will turn the station. At other times I find they can be entertaining and informative.

 

[mimo]

Phillip has NAILED it with his post. Not all listeners are tuned in 24/7 or even to an entire show, no matter how much they love it. Any air personality should be aware that someone may be tuning in for the first time that day, or ever. It's important to keep them from reaching the button to switch the station, while keeping those who've been listening for however many minutes or hours from yelling "enough already on this!" and reaching to change the station. A go0d flow is important without being overly repetitive and saying the same points or facts over and over.

 

[topsound]

Some good points being made. Thanks.

 

[Steven21]

I just have to get this off my mind, nothing personal. I TRIED, i REALLY tried to listen to WECK. For 5 minutes the other day, i tuned in to hear Tom Schue and Brad Riter talking endlessly and aimlessly about Bruce Springsteen and their opinions on concerts. It could not have been worse. I was literally ready to ride of the road because it was so bad. Nothing was compelling AT ALL. With so many things going on in the world, THIS was the topic? And it just droooned on and on... Nothing personal to these 2 fine broadcasters, but i KNOW they have more talent than this, and i really am in doubt of the capabilities of this station with content like that.

Are you sure you don't just have this opinion subconsciously because you KNOW that WECK is at such a disadvantage to WBEN? In other words, if the hosts on WBEN were on WECK, would they suddenly be boring too?

 

[jamesk]

I've been lurking here for quite sometime and I never felt the need to post because the regular posters here cover everything so well. From deregulation to the current sorry state of Buffalo radio, you guys/girls covered all the bases. However in regard to WECK I feel compelled to come out of my shell FWIW.

I had such high hopes for WECK. Sure, I knew that with such a small budget there would be growing pains but I felt with Tom S on board the station would find smoother waters sooner rather than later. After a long review I'm really disappointed. What makes WECK stand out? Why not maybe a over the top left leaning format to go after BEN? God bless the old pro Tom D but the morning show is nothing special. Bill O? Are you kidding me? He must be contributing $$$ in form or another because he is basically unlistenable. Laura Ingram? Wow guys, way to set yourself apart from B&B at BEN.

I must admit that I've never been a fan of Brad but the hour with Felser was very good. And that's where the compliments end. How is Brad droning on and on about things he finds on the internet and his comments about being a guy in his 30's any different from what WGR does?
He's limited at best and can't carry a show during slow sports/news days. "I dunno....I'm just a guy with a radio show" he repeats. Wow, very inspiring. And of course the unintentionally hilarious "The Brad Riter Radio Network" slogan. Regional network?...10-15 station? No, just 2. That's like saying I own a Saturn and an Escort therefore I have a fleet of cars.

Something as simple as having sports talk on the weekends to provide a much needed balance to the horror on GR is ignored.

I know that Tom has his hands tied to a degree but where is the edge and buzz to this station?
If it's just about barely surviving with below average content why bother?
The station needs a different and radical bent to it to set it's self apart.

All this being said, I really do wish for the station to succeed. I hope that the current lineup can pull in enough $$$ for Tom to do his thing. Somehow though, I doubt it.

 

[topsound]

I've been lurking here for quite sometime and I never felt the need to post because the regular posters here cover everything so well. From deregulation to the current sorry state of Buffalo radio, you guys/girls covered all the bases. However in regard to WECK I feel compelled to come out of my shell FWIW.

I had such high hopes for WECK. Sure, I knew that with such a small budget there would be growing pains but I felt with Tom S on board the station would find smoother waters sooner rather than later. After a long review I'm really disappointed. What makes WECK stand out? Why not maybe a over the top left leaning format to go after BEN? God bless the old pro Tom D but the morning show is nothing special. Bill O? Are you kidding me? He must be contributing $$$ in form or another because he is basically unlistenable. Laura Ingram? Wow guys, way to set yourself apart from B&B at BEN.

I must admit that I've never been a fan of Brad but the hour with Felser was very good. And that's where the compliments end. How is Brad droning on and on about things he finds on the internet and his comments about being a guy in his 30's any different from what WGR does?
He's limited at best and can't carry a show during slow sports/news days. "I dunno....I'm just a guy with a radio show" he repeats. Wow, very inspiring. And of course the unintentionally hilarious "The Brad Riter Radio Network" slogan. Regional network?...10-15 station? No, just 2. That's like saying I own a Saturn and an Escort therefore I have a fleet of cars.

Something as simple as having sports talk on the weekends to provide a much needed balance to the horror on GR is ignored.

I know that Tom has his hands tied to a degree but where is the edge and buzz to this station?
If it's just about barely surviving with below average content why bother?
The station needs a different and radical bent to it to set it's self apart.

All this being said, I really do wish for the station to succeed. I hope that the current lineup can pull in enough $$$ for Tom to do his thing. Somehow though, I doubt it.

Now we're cookin'

Again I appreciate the comments. I'm not goint to address them one-by-one because to do so would be defensive. Some of it is just a matter of taste to my ears. However, I do want to correct a couple of facts.

Entercom already competes with itself with an "over the top" liberal format. No need to do that. We've tried to have a mix of conservative (Dennis, Laura), liberal (Loraine and Brad) and middle of the road (Bill) hosts. The primary consideration is interesting radio, not political lean.

We do have sports talk on the weekends. Most hours outside of Yankees have Fox Sports, and we have the local "Sports Insiders" on Saturday from 10-12.

and "The Riter Radio Network" is not unintentional...

Keep 'em comin'....

 

[superset weekend]

This is great dialouge, and it is why i started the thread. I have all the respect in the world for Tom and Brad, as people and as broadcasters. However, radio content is more important than ever. This conversation, to me, sounded like no one knew what else to talk about. You can do it if you want, but i really do not think this is going to take you to the stratosphere. WECK has a ton of potential, just with the good signal alone, take it to the next level with something really compelling. Great insight ,all.

 

[jamesk]

Tom...now please. Brad and Lorraine aren't very liberal. They're like KB. Centrists. I'm talking a KGO like approach that would take on and torch B&B @ BEN. Don't tell me this city would be ready for that. It would certainly get you guys some much needed notice. How about a nighttime talker when the Yanks aren't on/season ends? GR goes canned at night (Sabres being the exception) so your have the live sports talk air to yourself. Or to go you one further, how about a competing Sabres post game? Many, many fans I know would love an alternative to the tip toeing GR does around the team. Just some thoughts.....now we're cookin'!

 

[Steven21]

Tom...now please. Brad and Lorraine aren't very liberal. They're like KB. Centrists. I'm talking a KGO like approach that would take on and torch B&B @ BEN. Don't tell me this city would be ready for that. It would certainly get you guys some much needed notice. How about a nighttime talker when the Yanks aren't on/season ends? GR goes canned at night (Sabres being the exception) so your have the live sports talk air to yourself. Or to go you one further, how about a competing Sabres post game? Many, many fans I know would love an alternative to the tip toeing GR does around the team. Just some thoughts.....now we're cookin'!

Nice ideas.

Nice ideas cost money.

To get decent talent (no offense to current staff) to really go after WBEN old-school-style, you've gotta get people with the chops to do it.

Again, nice ideas cost money.

 

[OneDaySale]

We all know that there is no more talent left in Buffalo. Anyone who was creative left for better money, or more creative employment in another field. It seems to me that most PD's inherited their positions (I'm looking at you EJ) and have no idea how to run a station. Others have been doing it sooooooooooo long that they are stuck in their ways and can't seem to break the cycle of christmas.

It's time to start blaming the lameness in buffalo square at the foot of the PD. They don't fight for the promotions they should be doing or the people to create and impliment them. Thier visions (imaging) is right out of the ol'consultant handbook. Grow some balls and start using your brain.

I'm more than dissapointed, I'm digusted with radio in Buffalo..... it's truly weak, and pitiful. I would be embarressed to be a PD

 

[Steven21]

We all know that there is no more talent left in Buffalo. Anyone who was creative left for better money, or more creative employment in another field. It seems to me that most PD's inherited their positions (I'm looking at you EJ) and have no idea how to run a station. Others have been doing it sooooooooooo long that they are stuck in their ways and can't seem to break the cycle of christmas.

It's time to start blaming the lameness in buffalo square at the foot of the PD. They don't fight for the promotions they should be doing or the people to create and impliment them. Thier visions (imaging) is right out of the ol'consultant handbook. Grow some balls and start using your brain.

I'm more than dissapointed, I'm digusted with radio in Buffalo..... it's truly weak, and pitiful. I would be embarressed to be a PD

Blaming the PD?

Wow. You must be woefully unaware of the evolution of the PD where actual power and control is concerned. I don't know of too many PDs, especially at clusters belonging to mega conglomerates, that don't have a corporate PD breathing down their neck or a GM scrutinizing every dollar spent---and I do mean EVERY dollar spent. The 80s-90s this ain't.

 

[JustPastBuffalo]

The initial compulsion to jump in here when the thread started was contained, but now that the thread has taken more shape and form I'll add my buck-3-80. Talk radio is a lot harder than it looks and sounds. I'm tempted to write what ALW might call a screed, but suffice to say, these are challenging times. And for talk radio especially, PDs make do with the resources they have. Look at what Tim Wenger has gone through at WBEN. No News Director, no live night guy. Think he wants that? Not really. But when corporate makes the call, the GM and PD jump and say "how high?" Personally, I think Tom Schuh has done an admirable job with WECK. Sit in the PDs chair for a day. It makes your head spin. Been there. Done that. Got the t-shirt.

 

[topsound]

How about a nighttime talker when the Yanks aren't on/season ends?

Hmmmmm...............

 

[SirRoxalot]

Hey, I hear that Pastrick's available. Can you beat the check he gets from NYS Unemployment? Maybe you need to talk.

 

[superset weekend]

Again, i am glad i started this thread..i think i'll start a few more. The banter i was listening to on WECK was a talent issue for that moment. It was boring, and all over the place, no reason to keep listening, no water cooler talk, nothing. Just some bad content that day, perhaps.

but as far as the station as a whole, i would not completly blame that on the PD. I think ownership has something to do with it. Tom, we all know you have a great record, that is not disputed. What i am going to say, is that i am a radio guy, not even just a passive listener, and if it weren't for this board, i would hardly even know WECK exists. That is really sad given the fact that radio needs to do more than ever to get noticed, not less. Contrary to popular belief, this does NOT cost alot of money, and even it did, it would be an investment that would pay off.

WECK is not WBEN and does not have the luxury of just being on air. You have got to do more, alot more. It may be a labor of love for now, but it would pay off long term.

Think out of the box, but think, nonetheless. This is just not gonna "happen". There are far too many other options. It is not hard to broadcast 1st rate talent with a syndicated show or shows, every station could have NY market programming for some trade spots. Just clean up the programming, get some compelling reasons to listen, and promote the S^*% out of it, grassroots. My 2 cents.