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FOX 970 STARTS NEW MORNING SPORTS SHOW

C

clangham

The article doesn't say when he starts, but they've got roughly two weeks before The Fan stomps on them like the
giant foot at the beginning of "Monty Python's Flying Circus."

Perhaps when Renda gets tired of WJAS, they can bring back Double-Double.

C.
 
Geeeeez... just bring back 3WS-AM and do a straight simulcast or a 50's & 60's rock and put Fox 970 out of its misery.
 
Make it an all 60's radio station. Mark my wise words, someone is going to turn one of these pea shooter am frequencies to all 60's and with some limited success.
 
We Boomers haven't all died yet. :) And with the economy, I doubt retiring to Florida is going to be much of an option. :mad:

I'd listen to it. As it is, WLSW is the music station I listen to the most.
 
And just as I said in the context of maybe flipping it to liberal talk, with an oldies format during the day you could still run the Dave Wannstedt Show or Duquesne Basketball at night without much impact.
 
If an AM station went Oldies - not satellite oldies, but locally programmed with at least a few live personalities and
an effort to evoke the golden era of AM Top 40 radio - I'd listen and I think some others would too, enough to give
it a shot at being successful and profitable.

This is what I've tried to do with the Saturday countdowns on 620 (currently on hiatus for the winter until the day
power kicks in earlier, come Spring). 770 plays Oldies much of the time, but they're more of the obscure, doo-wop
titles best known to Pittsburgh Oldies collectors. (Which is to say, you won't hear the Beatles.)

Pick a ratings-challenged AM that truly covers Pittsburgh, and do it: 540, 620, 660, 730, 770, 810, 860, 970, 1080,
1360, 1410, 1510. I realize some of these stations are successful in their own right (KQV has been all-news for 35
years) ... I'm just sayin'.

C.
 
Allegheny County reportedly has the 2nd oldest population demographic in the nation. Plus us geezers still have some money to spend.

Pick a playlist timeframe. I'd say 1958-74 (give or take). Some of the old DJs are still aroiund (Porky, of course, or 'Your Leeeeader!!!!", for example) for occasional guest appearances. But I hear Jeff Christy has a different gig these days.

But I'm not sure about bringing back sock-hops. ;D
 
I'm sure Linnelli will do a decent job, but I don't know why CC would put more money into a pithy little AM station. They shouild just simulcast oldies. Paying another announcer seems to be a waste. Paying Bendel is a waste to me, I'd take his showoff and just run satellite on 970. But, then again, CC has been pulling some really stupid moves of late.

Parttimer, you're right about putting an oldies there. It would be easy to put those shows like Wannstedts and all the pitt programming. I wouldn't put any local people on. I'd put satellite, til these local sports programs like pitt games, etc.
 
Raymond I was thinking the same thing. I like Linelli alot but the logic here doesn't make much sense unless they got him really cheap. He is already with CC, so maybe they are just adding to his responsibilities with little financial renumeration. They did this before with Tim Benz, having him do the moring show on 105.9 then turn around and do a show with Bendel during evening drive on 970.
 
When WBGG announced they were going to be "The Burgh" about 10 years ago, there was the thought that it would start beating ESPN 1250.

After all, they had all of the play-by-play contracts and ESPN 1250 didn't. Scott Paulsen would be going head-to-head against Mark Madden and many felt Madden would meet his match. The 970 signal would be at least comparable, if not superior, to 1250.

It didn't exactly work out that way, did it?

Maybe The Fan has more going for it than The Burgh did and maybe they don't. I personally think The Fan has some fine programmers and am intrigued by more local shows, giving Jon Burton a slot, and what seems to be a return to more caller-driven shows (as opposed from the more interview orientated shows on ESPN).

But I hardly think it means the immediate elimination of Fox Sports 970; especially with their play-by-play contracts.

That's why I say instead of pooh-poohing the creation of the morning show, we should be congratulating Greg Linelli, a young, hard-working sportscaster, for getting his own show. We need more of these success stories.

Historically 970 has done well when they had their own morning show- Tunch and Wolf once brought three times the overall rating to the station they enjoyed previously.

Can three sports stations survive in Pittsburgh? I don't see why not- we had three rock stations, we have had three news-talk stations, and for as long as Clear Channel will be a player for PBP contracts, which I can't see stopping even if they lose one or two, then it makes sense for them to have such an outlet.
 
I am not pooh poohing it, I like Linelli, I just think that given the track record of what CC has been willing to spend on 970 in the past I doubt they dumped huge bucks into a morning show now. Tunch and Wolf, for all of their successes, were buying time on 970 and as soon as football season ended it was back to the dish for the station. That doesn't strike me as much of a commitment on management's part.
 
Pratte4life, not pooh-pooing Linelli either, I think he is a hardworker and does a good job and he should get his share. But, throwing him this bone, that they most likely will take away, seems wrong. Don't you think?

Once Football season starts and Tunch and Wolf buy their time back, Linelli moves back to being their producer. And not to discredit Linelli, but T&W got their phones lit up every morning because of their dynamic personalities and background. They know football inside and out. They've had life experiences. People want to hear what they have to say and their stories.

Gosh, if I were CC management, I'd have hired THEM fulltime. If I were the Fan, I'd have made an offer to have T&W work at the Fan. Let's see: an FM station with lots of watts or a two-bit AM station you can hardley hear?

I wish the best for Linelli, but let's face it, they're using him just to have a local sports talk show on the AM before the Fan hits. Insert your joke hear! ;)

I just don't see how or why CC would pay any local person (Bendel included, and I've never seen why they'd pay him as much they probably are) for a little low-watted AM station. Cut costs...simulcast or use the syndicated programming.
 
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