Glens Falls Stuff

[TenForty]

This has pretty much become a Hudson Valley only board, but I'm still surprised there has been no mention of the sale of the old Entertronics stations in Glens Falls. I'm not sure what a company like onTargetjobs will do with 3 minor stations in northern New York (the company's press release announcing the acquisition mentions nothing about the stations), so chances are they will likely be spun off yet again. Any chance there might be someone with the stones to make these laughing-stocks actual radio stations?

 

[MHVRadiofan]

This has pretty much become a Hudson Valley only board, but I'm still surprised there has been no mention of the sale of the old Entertronics stations in Glens Falls. I'm not sure what a company like onTargetjobs will do with 3 minor stations in northern New York (the company's press release announcing the acquisition mentions nothing about the stations), so chances are they will likely be spun off yet again. Any chance there might be someone with the stones to make these laughing-stocks actual radio stations?

These radio stations were included in the sale of the remains of Strauss Media. What targetjobs was really after was Strauss's help wanted network (local location) helpwanted.com . , such as hudsonvalleyhelpwanted.com . They proably have little interest in the radio stations.

 

[TenForty]

Exactly my point. So is there a group that WOULD be interested? Would Cumulus come into a market like Glens Falls? Pamal already owns its quota in the market and CC isn't interested in the "smalls" any more. The there's the retired ex-owner who has returned from his 40 days and 40 nights in the desert and can't seem to stay away from the building. Maybe his new "trophy" girl friend needs a hobby.

 

[warm590]

Interesting; while the sale of entertronics is old news, at least 2 yrs, I was wondering why mgt hasn't done anything with WCKM....they still have that awful backslappin' morning show, VT'ed on middays, and afternoon drive is live but the music selection awful and all over the place for an oldies station...used to be good when they first signed on, and the music selection was terrific, but that was then...only bright spot is Kip Grant's great gold plus on sat mornings, other than Kip, who is a consummate professional, the rest of the so called talent is awful. Their spot load seems full but I understand that before they changed hands they were traded out to the max. Potential for this station would be good if the got their s*it together and tightened things up. Don't know about the rest of 'em, what about froggy????

BTW, I believe GF is an unrated market???

more discussion???


warm590 ;D

 

[AMonFM]

Potential for this station would be good if the got their s*it together and tightened things up.

yeah... 'cuz CKM absolutely needs to sound just like every other goddamn oldeez radio station on the frikkin' planet. Boy, you guys complain about cookie-cutter radio from the big conglomerates, then take a small station from a one-horse-town and rip it to shreds for trying to be locally oriented and unique. It's funny that there's no shortage of listeners around the area, and the only folks who seem to endlessly bitch about CKM are the out-of-towners who listen what, once a year on their way up the Northway? Yep, nuthin' but experts postin' here.

BTW: in case you weren't paying attention in class: that playlist that's 'all over the place', is exactly what the oldies radio format has morphed into. Anybody heard that abomination on 98.3 lately? that's right boys & girls, CKM was doing the so-called 'classic hits' format long before it became cool. Call it what you will, but CKM was way ahead of the curve, not to mention trying to fill two shoes, since said one-horse-town doesn't have a mainstream AC of it's own. Heck, even Stevie Wonder could see what's goin' on up there. Or are you guys trying to advocate the complete abolishment of local radio once & for all and write into law that all radio stations must stick only to the top 400 research company pre-approved songs that supposedly 'belong' in any particular format?

 

[FM AM]

WCKM really isn't an Oldies station...maybe it was for the first year or so its miserable existence, but even than the play list was barely listenable. It has been an abomination ever since. I truly hoped that the old WHTR (Wheels 107.1) which was a syndicated but quality Oldies prsesentation would have either put them out of their misery or at least force them to get their act together. That never occurred. They have had a CP to move to 99.1 in effect for years now, off and on, and they never do anything with that either. Consequently, WCKM and WTRY which are first adjacents are constantly fighting it out between Saratoga and the delightful town of Glens Falls, making either one difficult if not impossible to listen too...The Albany area once had an amazing Oldies station, breifly in the early 90s. Known as SHO-FM, it simulcast on 98.3-WSHZ and 103.5-WSHQ. (Presently WTRY and WQBJ)
There was nothing cookie cutter about that station. They had an amazing playlist, jocks that knew the music and they were live 24/7...

 

[warm590]

So, AMonFM, you talk about 2 formats when referring to 'CKM, oldies and a/c, so which one is it, sparky?? And they used to run a feature called "back to the future" where they played a current top 40's stinker "just to let the listeners know that they were in touch with the presesnt day music. WTF is that all about. And you use the term classic hits....a lot of that is in the interpretation; supposedly "CKM uses CBS-FM as its classic hits model. Got news for you.. a lot of the stinkers they are playing were never hits, and if you don't believe that Pick up any of Joel Whitburn's books and look 'em up. Unless you are one of the 2 jokers on the morning club, I don't know why anyone would listen to hours of selfserving, backslappin' and inside jokes, unless you are one of the "club"...thats what that morning show needs is to be hit by a friggin' club and put out of it's misery. Replace it with someone who will play MUSIC, whatta concept!!! And possibly some intelligent, and clean commentary.

They were classic hits before it was cool???? Not they way CKM does it

What stations/ market or Mcdonalds do you or have you worked for, FMonAm...oh wait, you were doing the tater tots at Mr. B's best, thats right.....

Bring it on.....

warm590

 

[Studio20]

Look, when it comes to Glens Falls, I -----


wait, Mr B's is still around?

 

[AMonFM]

So, AMonFM, you talk about 2 formats when referring to 'CKM, oldies and a/c, so which one is it, sparky??

Like I said... Classic Hits. You can open it up to any interpretation you want, but the format is here to stay. I know you don't consider 80's music to be 'oldies', but that stuff is getting on 20+ years old. By what interpretation is music deemed to be classic? The whole concept of the '55-'72 oldies station is headed the same way that the standards format was, it'll either fade off into history or be relegated to AM. And I brought up AC because the two formats share much of the same music and audience, so it's easy for a station like CKM to bridge the gap when there isn't a local AC. Sorry if you didn't quite understand that.

And they used to run a feature called "back to the future" where they played a current top 40's stinker "just to let the listeners know that they were in touch with the presesnt day music. WTF is that all about.

Geez, don't get personally offended by a radio station that you can't even hear. Again I ask, why have such an axe to grind? Sounds to me that either, A: they were poking fun at new music, or B: just trying to do something fun. I know you wouldn't have that on your station though... it's not formula radio, right? Need more "clean commentary"... less entertainment.

And you use the term classic hits....a lot of that is in the interpretation; supposedly "CKM uses CBS-FM as its classic hits model. Got news for you.. a lot of the stinkers they are playing were never hits, and if you don't believe that Pick up any of Joel Whitburn's books and look 'em up.

Wow, you're thumping the Whitburn bible.... I'm impressed (not).... saying that radio stations should not be allowed to play any deep cuts, rarities, or radio hits, or even a stiff here & there. Shame on you, what a lack of imagination. Good thing you're not in programming, what a boring station you'd run.... hammering out the same 300 records over & over & over & over. And where did you hear that CKM follows CBS-FM? Hmmm, last I looked the only thing related is the old Jams jingle package, which is used a little less these days on CKM and hasn't been used in ages on CBS-FM.. Although come to think of it, I'm hearing much of the same 80's tracks on both stations... could be a trend there, eh?

Unless you are one of the 2 jokers on the morning club, I don't know why anyone would listen to hours of selfserving, backslappin' and inside jokes, unless you are one of the "club"...thats what that morning show needs is to be hit by a friggin' club and put out of it's misery. Replace it with someone who will play MUSIC, whatta concept!!! And possibly some intelligent, and clean commentary.

Are you in an old folks home or something? I'm not fond of the morning show myself, but it is this: live, local and supportive of the community. And they do play music in the AM... but if you actually listened you'd know that. Or should we yank them to put on, who...a Wink Martindale wannabe?

Also, Mr B's? What is this, 1984?...get with the times already. Or was that the last time you were even in this area?
Bring it on?? Cripes, no wonder this board is lame. Or are you just pissed that there's somebody here who dares to disagree with you?

To address some other comments:
Wheels 107.1 sucked... playlist only as deep as a kiddie pool, non-local 24/7, bad processing, and off the air every time it rained.. and just a stupid name for a radio station. Froggy is eminently better sounding, and operated.
SHO-FM was a great station... but that's what, almost 20 years ago? Geez, WABY was a great Top 40 in 1961 too.... so what?

 

[TenForty]

Like I said... Classic Hits. You can open it up to any interpretation you want, but the format is here to stay. I know you don't consider 80's music to be 'oldies', but that stuff is getting on 20+ years old. By what interpretation is music deemed to be classic? The whole concept of the '55-'72 oldies station is headed the same way that the standards format was, it'll either fade off into history or be relegated to AM. And I brought up AC because the two formats share much of the same music and audience, so it's easy for a station like CKM to bridge the gap when there isn't a local AC. Sorry if you didn't quite understand that.

Well, here's the problem with that. By definition an Oldies station HAS to be all over the road. They have to play AC and Rock and Roll even some Country (if they were hit songs). But if you play Street Fighting Man and segue into You Light Up My Life, there go the Stones freaks. That doesn't mean you can't play ballads on an oldies station, they just have to be better, more thought out choices (note, I didn't say better RESEARCHED choices). And, have they stopped playing that disco version of Knock On Wood yet? SHEESH!

Are you in an old folks home or something? I'm not fond of the morning show myself, but it is this: live, local and supportive of the community. And they do play music in the AM... but if you actually listened you'd know that. Or should we yank them to put on, who...a Wink Martindale wannabe?

Also, Mr B's? What is this, 1984?...get with the times already. Or was that the last time you were even in this area?

FYI...there's still a MR. Bs on Route 9, next to McDonald's. Now if he said NEBA, then you've got an old timer on your hands.

Bring it on?? Cripes, no wonder this board is lame. Or are you just pissed that there's somebody here who dares to disagree with you?

Well, your argument is with Warm. My complaint about the Glen St stations, as well as the Everts Ave station is less with the music than the alleged personalities. Pete Cloutier? Please! Dan Miner sounds like he stopped caring back when he had hair. The news guy???? Dear god what a joke! And talk about Wink Martindale wannabees...what do you call Kenny? More puking than a nausea ward.

As for local service. Yes, they talk (and talk and talk) about some local stuff in the morning. But only their favorites. And god forbid you should need a weather update after 6pm. You know how silly they sound saying chance of flurries when there's 7 inches and it's still coming down? If you can't update the weather, don't play the weather! And if the power goes out on the weekend or, again, after 6pm, you're out of luck.

To address some other comments:
Wheels 107.1 sucked... playlist only as deep as a kiddie pool, non-local 24/7, bad processing, and off the air every time it rained.. and just a stupid name for a radio station. Froggy is eminently better sounding, and operated.
SHO-FM was a great station... but that's what, almost 20 years ago? Geez, WABY was a great Top 40 in 1961 too.... so what?

And emulating greatness should stop because it's old? Wheels was okay. Froggy is unlistenable, and not just because I don't care for country. Talk about putting kids on the air.

You ARE correct about the market not having an AC to call its own. I am on record for years as being a fan of WINK when it was a true AC, before the Vox real estate company took it over and got rid of a building full of professionals. That's the last station I ever spent money on.



[/quote]

 

[AMonFM]

But if you play Street Fighting Man and segue into You Light Up My Life, there go the Stones freaks. That doesn't mean you can't play ballads on an oldies station, they just have to be better, more thought out choices (note, I didn't say better RESEARCHED choices). And, have they stopped playing that disco version of Knock On Wood yet? SHEESH!

Now that I would agree with, and it's not something you hear an awful lot of when jocks are live. More of a fault of the scheduler not being properly programmed, and it's something that you do hear during periods of automation (something that's been improved on a bit under Straus mgmt). But considering the size of the library they have, I wouldn't want to sit there and retag everything either.
LOL, yep, Amii Stewart can still be heard... but that was a pretty big hit and it's a good go-to song for something uptempo. Certainly not something for regular rotation though, unless it's Sirius 7 we're talking about.

FYI...there's still a MR. Bs on Route 9, next to McDonald's. Now if he said NEBA, then you've got an old timer on your hands.

Isn't that a rib joint now? The Mr.B's I remember was mostly pizza & subs, located in every mall in the area. The last place to use those tabletop jukebox controllers too, at least at CCM.

Pete Cloutier? Please! Dan Miner sounds like he stopped caring back when he had hair. The news guy???? Dear god what a joke! And talk about Wink Martindale wannabees...what do you call Kenny? More puking than a nausea ward.

Oh c'mon, how can you pick on Jim Scott. The guy has been doing news since Glens Falls was still under the glacier. That's like taking a pot shot at the infirmed or something. Makes for great small-town radio. And every radio station that caters to the older demos has a yukker or two. Just listen to Ben & Jay swallow the mics on Magic sometime. Heck, even Condon is a puker to a certain extent... and he's a market legend!


My argument is about 2 things: folks expect these small market stations to sound exactly the same as their big town cousins, and that it's usually only the tourists who go out of their way to put down local radio up here (as if where they lived, it's any better).

Hey, we could always fire everybody and just run a 6000 watt iPod with commericals. Oh wait, CBS already tried that...

And emulating greatness should stop because it's old? Wheels was okay. Froggy is unlistenable, and not just because I don't care for country. Talk about putting kids on the air.

Hey, where else are these kids going to start? They're lucky to even have a place like Froggy to cut their chops in this day & age.

You ARE correct about the market not having an AC to call its own. I am on record for years as being a fan of WINK when it was a true AC, before the Vox real estate company took it over and got rid of a building full of professionals. That's the last station I ever spent money on.

Agreed, WNYQ, direct descendant of the original WENU, was a good FS station driven into the ground by blatant mismanagment. They died the second the Starguide was turned on.

 

[?????]

The bottom line is this....CKM always has and does really SUCK!!!!!

 

[djcroaker]

OH MY GOD! WHY SO MUCH VENOM? IT'S JUST RADIO. OH, AND BY THE WAY THESE "YUKKER AND BACK SLAPPING ALL OVER THE ROAD" RADIO STATIONS AT 128 GLEN ST HAVE ALWAYS OPERATED IN THE BLACK. IN CASE YOU DON'T KNOW THATS FOR 14 YEARS. SOMEBODY MUST BE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT AND THEY HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT CONSULTING ANY OF YOU POSTING ON THIS WEBSITE. YOU HAVE TO AGREE WITH THAT LIKE IT OR NOT. ANONYMOUS POSTS DRIVE ME CRAZY. IT'S KINDA LIKE RUNNING PAST SOMEBODYS HOUSE, THROWING EGGS AND THEN HIDING IN THE BUSHES DOWN THE STREET, WHILE THIER LITTLE HEARTS RACE WITH COWARDLY EXCITEMENT. CHEAP SHOTS AT PEOPLE ARE TAKEN AT FACE VALUE BECAUSE THEY ARE ANONYMOUSLY MADE. THEY CARRY NO WEIGHT AND INDICATE,MOST OF THE TIME, SOUR GRAPES OR JEALOUSY. I WORK FOR DAN MINER. HE IS A CARING PERSON, AND DOES A LOT OF WORK FOR A LOT OF WONDERFUL CAUSES IN THIS AREA. HE GOES OUT OF HIS WAY TO HELP EVERYONE HE IS ASSOCIATED WITH, OFTEN AT HIS OWN EXPENSE. PETER CLOUTIER, LIKE HIM OR NOT HAS BEEN A MAJOR PART IN THE SUCCESS OF, FIRST ENTERTRONICS BROADCASTING, AND NOW THE REGIONAL RADIO GROUP. ANYONE THAT KNOWS ANYTHING ABOUT 128 GLENS ST, KNOWS THAT IT WAS PETE THAT PUT TOGETHER THE BUSINESS AND MADE IT WORK.
HE IS AN ACCOUNT REP ANY STATION WOULD LOVE TO HAVE. I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THE OPERATORS OF THIS WEBSITE REQUIRE EVERYONE TO USE THIER REAL NAMES WHEN THEY POST HERE. THEN AGAIN, I GUESS I SHOULD DO WHAT EVERY RADIO LISTENER SHOULD DO IF THEY DON'T LIKE THE MUSIC. JUST TURN THE DIAL. WARM590, AMonFM,TEN FORTY AND THE REST OF YOU, WHY NOT CONTRIBUTE SOMETHING CONSTRUCTIVE FOR A CHANGE. I KNOW A FEW OF YOU HAVE BEEN IN THE "BIZ" FOR A LONG TIME. AND HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE. I WONDER IF THE ORIGINAL CREATOR OF RADIO-INFO REALLY WANTED THIS SITE TO BE WHAT IT HAS BECOME...........................DAVE THOMAS, WCKM, 128 GLENS ST, GLENS ST, GLENS FALLS, NY 12804 SCREEN NAME "DJCROAKER" EMAIL [email protected].......

 

[warm590]

Well this is some good commentary anyway. Just stating my opinion. And if you ask anybody that works at Entertronics or whoever they are now, they will tell u that CBS-FM is their model. Was told that by 2 jocks that work there are and by Dave Covey before he sold out. Cove was running scared because everybody was shifting from 55-72 oldies to the later classic hits and he though he should also, much to the dismay of many folks there and many listeners. If you do catch CBS- FM, they play a lot of stuff from the 60's and mix in the rest ( properly) but shift to the older stuff at night. WBPM in Dutchess county calls itself "classic hits 92.9", but fails miserably in execution of the format. that particular stations's ratings are in the dumper. So- guess anything goes in an unrated market, and if it's making money, it's doing what the bo$$ wants it to. I just lament how a great station became unlistenable, and how a morning show that bad has been on for so long and hasn't been put out of it's misery. Make it classic hits OR ac..not both....

make that a large on the tater tots.......

warm590 ;D

 

[FM AM]

So...who is winning the battle of the bland in the delightful town of Glens Falls these days...WKBE or WCQL???

 

[TenForty]

Contribute something constructive? Sure. Hit your Caps Lock!

 

[djcroaker]

10-4 TEN FORTY I WILL, I mean I will. Thanks.... ;D

 

[warm590]

As I said previously- all IMHO- I don't expect a small station like 'CKM to sound like a large market station; their live and local programming was always fun to listen to. Used to have them on at my house 24/7.....What I don't get is what they have become now.

To beat a dead horse, the monring show is unlistenable, but if the station is running in the black it must be doing what mgt wants it to ???\

What we need is the Kipster doing morning drive

Fire at will

warm590 ;D