Glenn Beck Back On New York Radio?

[radioguy39nj]

Plus WOR had their own reasons for canceling him. They won't do any better with Mike Gallagher there, I can tell you that. It's a wholesale mess of a station.

None of this has a common thread, except that they are mostly stations on the east coast or Midwest that wanted to go local in the timeslot... sans WOR, of course.

I agree! WOR is a mess! Instead of offering a true alternative to WABC, they're just happy to simply scratch out a living. WABC is NY's leading talk station for only one reason: there's no real competition! WOR needs to be completely re-invented. As it is currently, it offers no alternative to WABC.

In every market Beck was dropped in, the station went back to local programming. Not WOR! Live and local is coming back in many markets. NOT NEW YORK!

 

[scott5]

I agree! WOR is a mess! Instead of offering a true alternative to WABC, they're just happy to simply scratch out a living. WABC is NY's leading talk station for only one reason: there's no real competition! WOR needs to be completely re-invented. As it is currently, it offers no alternative to WABC.

In every market Beck was dropped in, the station went back to local programming. Not WOR! Live and local is coming back in many markets. NOT NEW YORK!
[/quote]

WOR's problems is not necessarily due to their on air personalities (lets not talk about Lou Dobbs who has a voice for TV....) but rather the lack of up to date professional sound or whatever the right term is, i'm not an engineer. Is this a money issue to fix it or what ??

 

[scott5]

Plus WOR had their own reasons for canceling him. They won't do any better with Mike Gallagher there, I can tell you that. It's a wholesale mess of a station.

None of this has a common thread, except that they are mostly stations on the east coast or Midwest that wanted to go local in the timeslot... sans WOR, of course.

I agree! WOR is a mess! Instead of offering a true alternative to WABC, they're just happy to simply scratch out a living. WABC is NY's leading talk station for only one reason: there's no real competition! WOR needs to be completely re-invented. As it is currently, it offers no alternative to WABC.

In every market Beck was dropped in, the station went back to local programming. Not WOR! Live and local is coming back in many markets. NOT NEW YORK!

WOR's problems is not necessarily due to their on air personalities (lets not talk about Lou Dobbs who has a voice for TV....) but rather the lack of up to date professional sound or whatever the right term is, i'm not an engineer. Is this a money issue to fix it or what ??

 

[Rusty Muck]

Plus WOR had their own reasons for canceling him. They won't do any better with Mike Gallagher there, I can tell you that. It's a wholesale mess of a station.

None of this has a common thread, except that they are mostly stations on the east coast or Midwest that wanted to go local in the timeslot... sans WOR, of course.

I agree! WOR is a mess! Instead of offering a true alternative to WABC, they're just happy to simply scratch out a living. WABC is NY's leading talk station for only one reason: there's no real competition! WOR needs to be completely re-invented. As it is currently, it offers no alternative to WABC.

In every market Beck was dropped in, the station went back to local programming. Not WOR! Live and local is coming back in many markets. NOT NEW YORK!

WOR's problems is not necessarily due to their on air personalities (lets not talk about Lou Dobbs who has a voice for TV....) but rather the lack of up to date professional sound or whatever the right term is, i'm not an engineer. Is this a money issue to fix it or what ??

Could it be from the IBOC carrier? Some stations don't tune it properly - Radio Disney channels are a notorious example - and end up with muddled, quiet air sounds as opposed to the general 5 kHz bandwidth most AM spoken word stations use. (Until Citadel abandoned it, WJR/Detroit employed a 10 kHz bandwidth for their IBOC carrier!)

Most of their programming is stodgy and dated to begin with, so that doesn't help. I'm sorry, but how can anyone defend a lineup with Mike Gallagher, Joan Hamburg and Lou Dobbs back-to-back-to-back? Seriously.

 

[scott5]

Joan Hamburg , i heard is the money maker for WOR. But of course she is bad for the TSL (time spent listening) which makes a big diff in the overall ratings. Same with Smerchonish who follows Savage, no synergy there either.

WOR is probably the most diverse radio station in NYC , those who listen to Gambling/Gallagher do not listen to Hamburg. Dobbs ill bet has 0 ratings. Malzberg/Savage probably one audience, then the liberals in Manhattan tune in to Smerchonish , women to Dr. Joy, and then dr. Hofmann.... No TSL whatsoever.

But Buckley is happy. He got the problem , it was Glenn Beck...

 

[badjef]

You might as well suggest that CC change WLTW's format and go all conservative talk. Who wants those desirable demos when there are plenty of elderly waiting to purchase those new fangled FM radios to hear their beloved Beck, Limbaugh et al. This is NY not Mississippi. Those neocon talk shows are one step below infomercials and have the entertainment value of a visit to a crematorium.

You can get some good ideas about what to do with the remains of such highly sucessful ventures such as Air America during your crematorium visit.

BTW, I have to go north to visit Mississippi. I did, there was less common sense as I ventured further north from there.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

 

[radioguy39nj]

In every market Beck was dropped in, the station went back to local programming. Not WOR! Live and local is coming back in many markets. NOT NEW YORK!

Most of their programming is stodgy and dated to begin with, so that doesn't help. I'm sorry, but how can anyone defend a lineup with Mike Gallagher, Joan Hamburg and Lou Dobbs back-to-back-to-back? Seriously.

Not only is WOR's sound quality poor, the programming is also very dated. WOR needs to be re-invented and rejuvenated. To be different from WABC, they need to be more local and talk to New York City and the tri-state area. Last but not least, they need to migrate to FM. Will any of this happen? I doubt it! Rick Buckley wouldn't spend the money to accomplish that. He should sell to an operator who would.

The WOR call letters have a great legacy in NY, but are becoming increasingly irrelevant. Only a complete re-invention of the station can make it an important player in NY radio.

 

[Rusty Muck]

In every market Beck was dropped in, the station went back to local programming. Not WOR! Live and local is coming back in many markets. NOT NEW YORK!

Most of their programming is stodgy and dated to begin with, so that doesn't help. I'm sorry, but how can anyone defend a lineup with Mike Gallagher, Joan Hamburg and Lou Dobbs back-to-back-to-back? Seriously.

Not only is WOR's sound quality poor, the programming is also very dated. WOR needs to be re-invented and rejuvenated. To be different from WABC, they need to be more local and talk to New York City and the tri-state area. Last but not least, they need to migrate to FM. Will any of this happen? I doubt it! Rick Buckley wouldn't spend the money to accomplish that. He should sell to an operator who would.

The WOR call letters have a great legacy in NY, but are becoming increasingly irrelevant. Only a complete re-invention of the station can make it an important player in NY radio.

I completely agree. Two questions nag at me, tho:

Whom outside of CC or Cit-*** could afford to buy WOR? Should Buckley ever decide to sell, it won't come cheap, that's for darn sure.

Can any future owner for WOR be able to salvage the station's legacy (whatever amount of it remains) and at the same time open up a consistent - and younger - audience? Considering how Randy Michaels and Kevin Methany spectacularly failed at WGN/Chicago last year, I'm not sure they can... unless a very good programmer takes the reins.

 

[radioguy39nj]

I completely agree. Two questions nag at me, tho:

Whom outside of CC or Cit-*** could afford to buy WOR? Should Buckley ever decide to sell, it won't come cheap, that's for darn sure.

Can any future owner for WOR be able to salvage the station's legacy (whatever amount of it remains) and at the same time open up a consistent - and younger - audience? Considering how Randy Michaels and Kevin Methany spectacularly failed at WGN/Chicago last year, I'm not sure they can... unless a very good programmer takes the reins.

Nathan, we're having quite a good discussion! Last year, there was some speculation that CC was interested in buying WOR and flipping it to Rush Radio. That didn't happen and that's a good thing! Sometimes there's speculation that Rick Buckley wants to sell but there's no substance to it.

What Bonneville did with WTOP, KSL, KTAR and KIRO is exactly what WOR needs. Bonneville took those legacy talk and news stations and re-invented them on FM. Of course, Bonneville doesn't own WOR and never will. Any operator who might purchase WOR will have to be prepared to spend money, both on sound quality and programming. When that's done, they'll need to migrate WOR to FM. A very tall order indeed! I don't know who might be interested in this reclamation project!

 

[wprt949]

and if power 105.1 flips to talk i cant wait to hear the rant from funk master flex lol

 

[scott5]

@radioguy39nj.

Why is it a good thing that the CC speculation didn't happen ??

 

[radioguy39nj]

and if power 105.1 flips to talk i cant wait to hear the rant from funk master flex lol

There will be lots of ranting if either Power 105.1 or Hot 97 flips, regardless of what they flipped to! Emmis isn't doing well either.

Not sure if 105.1 would flip to talk. Rush Radio in Boston isn't doing well, though it is on AM. It did so poorly they changed the branding to Talk 1200. I doubt Rush Radio would do well in NY. CC wouldn't create more income with Rush Radio on 105.1 than it does currently with Power, IMHO.

 

[radioguy39nj]

@radioguy39nj.

Why is it a good thing that the CC speculation didn't happen ??

Rush Radio on 710 would've done no better than it did in Boston. If CC's plan was to take WOR mostly local, like KFI, than it might've been a good thing. KFI trounces KABC in LA. WOR could've had a big impact on WABC if CC were to follow the KFI plan.

IIRC, the speculation was that CC would buy WOR for the sole purpose of flipping it to Rush Radio.

 

[scott5]

Rush radio works everywhere besides Boston , sounds more like a weak signal issue with WXKS in Boston.

 

[radioguy39nj]

Rush radio works everywhere besides Boston , sounds more like a weak signal issue with WXKS in Boston.

Why then when WPHT dropped Beck and Hannity did CC not flip one of their Philly FMs (104.5 or 106.1) to Rush Radio? I thought that one of those stations was a candidate for a flip.

 

[wprt949]

they wont flip 104.5 in philly if they do talk most likey it will be 106.1

 

[Rusty Muck]

Rush radio works everywhere besides Boston , sounds more like a weak signal issue with WXKS in Boston.

And it was on an AM signal on the same band that featured established competitors WRKO, WBZ and even all-sports WEEI with decades of history behind them in the spoken-word format. Had CC placed "Rush Radio" on an FM signal, I betcha it would have seriously crippled WTKK-FM, the lone FM talk station with a long trend of inconsistent programming and mediocre (at best) ratings.

As it is... the only hope that CC has for a talk format in Boston is to buy another FM signal, but they are boxed out of the market.

 

[DToTheJ]

Face it, if they really wanted to implement "Rush Radio" in a big way, you'd see stations on FM's in New York, Philadelphia and Boston with it by now.

As it stands, it's on a handful of markets like Raleigh and Greensboro, and doing so-so in those markets. The AM performance in Boston might have been a wake-up call for them, though.

 

[badjef]

Rush radio works everywhere besides Boston , sounds more like a weak signal issue with WXKS in Boston.

Weak signal issues are common here in Sa-ra-so-ta!. There are areas that are getting worse year after year as a result of interference from other electronic devices.

A 5kw station, years ago, had better coverage in a car than a 25kw signal has now.

I have noticed the same with WABC from their transmitter in Lodi. That signal is barely audible in Northern Ocean County in areas I would I listen years ago.

The front ends are only part of the problem.

Rush still pulls huge numbers because of the demographics and lack of competition during the 12-3p.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

 

[radioguy39nj]

Face it, if they really wanted to implement "Rush Radio" in a big way, you'd see stations on FM's in New York, Philadelphia and Boston with it by now.

As it stands, it's on a handful of markets like Raleigh and Greensboro, and doing so-so in those markets. The AM performance in Boston might have been a wake-up call for them, though.

In Raleigh, Rush Radio 106.1 on WRDU has severely impacted heritage news/talk outlet WPTF, even with a 50 kW AM signal. Premiere pulled Hannity and Limbaugh from WPTF when CC launched Rush Radio on WRDU. Not sure if Beck was on WPTF or another station in the market.

IMHO, CC isn't ready to push Rush Radio in NY or Philly because of what happened in Boston.