DJJack1 said:
Maybe we should re-title this thread "Grumpy Old Men"
Perhaps our age gives us a broader perspective as to what constitutes good versus bad radio, no?!!
Some good points on both sides of this issue but I tend to agree with those who've noted that WLW is a habit. They could throw just about anything on those 50,000 watts and get decent ratings because:
1) Clear Channel has neutered the competition and owns the only other competitive AM signals in the market;
2) WLW's signal alone is enough to propel it into at least the top 5, especially without any realistic competition. This from a company that tends to push the conservative principles of free markets and competition.
3) The Reds, Bearcats, and other sports are a significant draw;
4) They have the only real radio news department in town, if you want to call it that.
None of this makes Tracy Jones, Mo Egger, or Eric Deters good air personalities. And no amount of debate here changes that. WLW is trying to get by on the cheap and everyone here knows it. WLW may be a brash, in-your-face, aggressive talk station, as DJJack1 says, but I've heard this style of radio done better in markets a lot smaller than Cincinnati. The quality of the callers alone has gone so far downhill that it merely reinforces the left's redneck stereotype of conservatives. And Tracy Jones' extreme disrespect for women is not male-oriented radio. It is childish, unprofessional, and a turnoff to not only half of WLW's potential audience, but to any man with a sense of decency.
Some of you can defend WLW all you want. I'm accepting the fact that I don't fit in anymore and I don't need WLW. That's fine. I don't patronize their advertisers either since I don't hear them much anymore. But apparently they're only interested in the beer-for-breakfast crowd anyway.