Happy *hiccup* 2007!

[OldPort]

Well, friends!

It's been a while, but I thought i would check in and wish you all a happy 2007!

So what will the New Year bring?

Will Coast be able to coast to another ratings victory?

Will Randi K. start playing "Wavelength" by Van Morrison on Oldies?

Will WPOR still conquer all?

Will Hooters ever open in Portland?

Will Frank rebound from their last tough book, or will WBLM rise toward the top like the old days?

Will WRED, WCLZ or The Bone get any listeners?

Or will I spend my bottle money on satellite radio and just be done with it all?

Most importantly, will I be able to shake this hangover by dark?


All the best! I'll be hanging out on the Free St. sidewalk in front of Mathews!

Love,
Old Port Wino

 

[Erie_Lackawanna]

OPW ! Welcome back and Happy New Year...

to answer your questions -

2 yes

2 no

2 maybe

1 - what are you, crazy???

1 - most likely, not much.

oh... you wanted those answered in order???? sorry. my bad. pass the Boone's Farm, willya.

 

[Underminer]

We shall see, my red-nosed friend, we shall see. I predict Portland returns to being a 2-owner market, as the Blimp finishes off what's left of Stank, I mean Frank. POR back at the top, dancing on The Wolf's grave. Who is on the Bone anyway? Anyone local? The Coast and the Q battle for 25-44. Oldies and HOM battle for the auld folkes. CLZ actually stands for Causes Loud Zzzzzzzzzz. How many times can Tad say his name, anyway? Ah, Portland radio. The way life should be.

 

[ray ting]

Just had a few Old-Fashioneds at The Bag, and I've gotta say: I'm now definitely in The Bag. What? They closed how many years ago? Damn, OldPort, why didn't you tell me?

But since I'm seeing double, I'm sure that what I see for 2007 will be doubly accurate.

1. WLOB will go Top 40 in an attempt to relive its glory days. For complete authenticity, J.J. will air some old tapes of newscasts that Walter Thomes did on the Snyder & Snyder show back in 1969.

2. WRED will have new Hip-Hop competition from WHOM: "Homey 94.9".

3. Coast will get its first ever HD listener.

4. In an attempt to flank every possible competitors' special programming, WYNZ will go "All-Easter" on March 15th.

5. The Spring Arbitron is released on August 1. Let's all congratulate Portland's new #1 station: WBZ.

 

[ThreeFer]

I predict Portland returns to being a 2-owner market, as the Blimp finishes off what's left of Stank, I mean Frank.

Sometimes Christmas comes late. I'm crossing my fingers.

 

[Erie_Lackawanna]

Just had a few Old-Fashioneds at The Bag, and I've gotta say: I'm now definitely in The Bag. What? They closed how many years ago? Damn, OldPort, why didn't you tell me?

The Bag is closed? man - looks like it's lunch at Carbur's with a nightcap at F.Parker Reidy's...

my thoughts for 2007, fwiw -

the Q will remain strong as the area's best (and only) CHR station

the Blimp will learn to not drive the voice-track levels so hot that they distort during playback

Coast will hit its groove and hang onto its regained perch

WPOR will benefit from another "up" cycle for Country music while the Wolf will offer the button-pushers an alternative

JJ's WLOB will gain a bit more ground on WGAN thanks in part to the aforemention button pushers

Frank's simplified moniker will aid them in getting through another year - provided Nassau doesn't take the money and run.

 

[argytunes]

Erie....

I agree with your comment about JJ and WLOB. What will really kill WGAN is if WLOB (or some other talk-oriented radio station) offers a LIVE, LOCALLY-PRODUCED SHOW in during afternoon drive?

Not only would this be a way to acquire additional listeners, but also additional revenue!

Of course...this would also mean that a radio station or two in Maine and/or New Hampshire would have to give up "canned programming" in favor of investing a little time and money to promote a NEW AND HOPEFULLY DIFFERENT local or regional show?

[And before you ask what types of formats might work...I've already thought of at least 2 possibilities]!

argytunes

 

[Erie_Lackawanna]

I agree with your comment about JJ and WLOB. What will really kill WGAN is if WLOB (or some other talk-oriented radio station) offers a LIVE, LOCALLY-PRODUCED SHOW in during afternoon drive?

Not only would this be a way to acquire additional listeners, but also additional revenue!

it's been done and it has failed, both in listenership and in revenue - WGAN has tried several versions (Al Diamon, John MacDonald, et al) and it just does not work. phones get hot for a few days, a few advertisers nibble at the initial offering, then the well goes dry on both fronts. and there has been ample promotion of said attempts, in print, on tv and on the air, with several of these attempts having come at a time when the station was trying to improve an already-strong position in the market/ratings.

you yourself probably hear the comments from those who might listen while you're on the air but simply never take, make or have the time to actually call at that moment. Portland is still, as it has been, an "entertain me - i dare you" kind of radio market. it's not that those who take the time to listen to our stations should be held in contempt because they don't want to help us do our jobs, which is what listener interaction essentially is - free labor. it's a simple case of knowing the market, and in this case, the Portland area is peopled by those who know what they like, what they don't like, and when they care to choose to weigh in on an issue or take part in a discussion. and to get an idea as to how many are really out there - give away a couple of hundred or thousand dollars - you'll hear from them then, for sure.

 

[argytunes]

Erie...

Since you obviously have a 'better head for dates' than I do, perhaps you can tell me the last time John MacDonald, Al Diamon and a few of the others have attempted to succeed in afternoon drive? ???

And if all of them failed...was it because there WASN'T an audience? Or because the "topics of conversation" were boring? Not having access to the promos that were aired for either Al or John, I can't tell you if they were affective or not?

We both know that just mentioning somebody's on-air name to a total stranger during a cluster of sweepliners...and expecting him or her to listen...really doesn't say much? Why should anybody tune into the show when there's "no hook?"

I've received feedback from many listeners about live afternoon local programming and most of it has been positive. But the consensus seems to be that after a man or woman has completed a stressful 8 or 10 hour workday, they don't want to be 'bombarded by broadcasters' whose only mission it to tell them how terrible their politicians are, how unresponsive the President is, or how horrible things are in Iraq? Those topics are covered during the morning talk shows and in practically every newscast!

The temperment of an afternoon drive audience is considerably different than that of an audience who begins their workday with the same radio station. There's a major difference between "telling it like it is" to a 6-9AM listener as opposed to repeating the same information to a listener coming off of a job who doesn't want to be yelled or screamed at? [I'm sure there are at least one or two bosses or supervisors who probably did their share of screaming during their 8-10 hour workday?].

Scanning several radio stations in Maine (between 4 & 7pm) late Thursday afternoon and evening, I found that the only radio content from most of the national talk show hosts involved "democratic party developments" as well as more "President Bush bashing!" Don't you think this wears thin after awhile? While NPR offered news and a little bit of personal commentary, most of the commercial talk show radio hosts I heard WERE BASICALLY ANGRY!

Regardless of who was hosting the talk show...(Michael Savage, Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity)...the content and conversation was pretty much the same.

If Portland IS truly an "entertain me---I dare you" type of market (as you've claimed in your earlier response to me)....don't you think it's time for a few radio stations to take the challenge and try something different?

And before you ask: LIKE WHAT....I definitely have a few thoughts on format alternatives too!

argytunes

 

[Erie_Lackawanna]

Erie...

Since you obviously have a 'better head for dates' than I do, perhaps you can tell me the last time John MacDonald, Al Diamon and a few of the others have attempted to succeed in afternoon drive? ???

And if all of them failed...was it because there WASN'T an audience? Or because the "topics of conversation" were boring? Not having access to the promos that were aired for either Al or John, I can't tell you if they were affective or not?

We both know that just mentioning somebody's on-air name to a total stranger during a cluster of sweepliners...and expecting him or her to listen...really doesn't say much? Why should anybody tune into the show when there's "no hook?"

I've received feedback from many listeners about live afternoon local programming and most of it has been positive. But the consensus seems to be that after a man or woman has completed a stressful 8 or 10 hour workday, they don't want to be 'bombarded by broadcasters' whose only mission it to tell them how terrible their politicians are, how unresponsive the President is, or how horrible things are in Iraq? Those topics are covered during the morning talk shows and in practically every newscast!

The temperment of an afternoon drive audience is considerably different than that of an audience who begins their workday with the same radio station. There's a major difference between "telling it like it is" to a 6-9AM listener as opposed to repeating the same information to a listener coming off of a job who doesn't want to be yelled or screamed at? [I'm sure there are at least one or two bosses or supervisors who probably did their share of screaming during their 8-10 hour workday?].

Scanning several radio stations in Maine (between 4 & 7pm) late Thursday afternoon and evening, I found that the only radio content from most of the national talk show hosts involved "democratic party developments" as well as more "President Bush bashing!" Don't you think this wears thin after awhile? While NPR offered news and a little bit of personal commentary, most of the commercial talk show radio hosts I heard WERE BASICALLY ANGRY!

Regardless of who was hosting the talk show...(Michael Savage, Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity)...the content and conversation was pretty much the same.

If Portland IS truly an "entertain me---I dare you" type of market (as you've claimed in your earlier response to me)....don't you think it's time for a few radio stations to take the challenge and try something different?

And before you ask: LIKE WHAT....I definitely have a few thoughts on format alternatives too!

argytunes

argy - stations have tried "something different" in afternoon drive and historically speaking, it hasn't worked. i'm trying to remember the last time i made it a point to listen to PM Drive and a specific station - the best i'm coming up with is when Harry Nelson was doing afternoons on JBQ and we could pick up Howard on a winter afternoon skip from 66 WN.... BC. prior to that, Bruce Bradley made afternoons very enjoyable on WBZ.

Al Diamon was on 'GAN afternoons for at least 3 years late 80's, early 90's - and his format was not angry and in your face. matter of fact, i truly looked forward to the Friday Beer Show.
John MacDonald's pm interludes were bookended around Al Diamon's thing and were a bit varied than his current on-air focus of vox politic. i can tell you that the on air and other media promotion of the shows had both frequency and reach - the keys to a successful campaign. and i can tell you that you can parse the info (or lack of info) all you want - the shows were well done, well produced and a very good companion for the afternoon - and i had nothing to do with those shows, so it's not me touting creative genius for the sake of discussion.

at the moment, Howie Carr offers some "grown up" talk and choices of subject matter - occasionally funny and informative. of late, the boy from Munjoy Hill spends more time shilling his book than anything.

Don&Mike - not local and geared towards the teen-tween-twenty-somethings who find "titillating" talk fun. granted, when i was 20-something, Mark Parenteau's envelope-pushing bits made me snicker, too.

the rest of the stations stick with what they do best - and will not, under any circumstance, try something different. i can not change that, nor can you, regardless of how "many of your listeners" tell you to do it.

let the "many of your listeners" open up their wallets and either buy the block of time (a brokered show, if you will) or buy you a station. until then - it's not gonna happen.

and i'll bet you a beer (as that's about all i can afford as a broadcaster) that there is nothing, and i mean nothing you can do on the radio in the afternoon in the Portland market, short of cheap, dont-try-this-at-home stunts, that will set the radio market on its ear, in any daypart. look at the recent rise and "settling" of Nassau's Frank as an example - they dared to be different, dropped a lobsterboat full of money into the market and had some pretty impressive instant success. since then, they are still Frank, but Frankly, the bloom is off that rose.

although i'd sworn to myself that i wouldn't get into this type of a forum discussion in response to any of your posts, i'm here and have said my peace. now feel free to tell me how wrong i am and how great your ideas are. later.

 

[Underminer]

Come on people, contribute! Don't ley [EDIT] highjack yet another thread!


[EDIT-inflammatory]

 

[argytunes]

Erie...

It's too bad you and I can no longer have a civil discussion about the broadcast business? :'( But if you choose to feel this way...there's very little I can say to change your mind. I guess you find it that it's easier to 'reference the past' and give up...instead of attempting to try a format that MIGHT work successfully in this market IN THE 21ST CENTURY? [I can think of at least 3 that haven't been tried].

To reference your dates concerning the last time a LIVE AFTERNOON DRIVE show was attempted in Northern New England...a lot of changes can occur in 20 years! The radio demographic is older than it was back in the late 80s/early 90s (during the Al Diamon Days]. People are buying satellite radio services because the local stations AREN'T giving them what they want.

And while Howie Carr certainly has a large following throughout New England, not everybody cares for his show...in spite of his "Munjoy Hill connection!"

You're probably right...it's a lot easier for the majority of Maine radio stations to just 'cop out by running a bartered syndicated show' instead of attempting to try to reach a larger audience? Do you honestly believe that any advertiser is going to throw his or her money at any talk show host who sounds identical to 5 or 6 others? Aside from whether he or she claims to be a conservative, a liberal or somewhere down the middle...can you really tell me there's a difference in the content of the shows hosted by Glenn Beck, Michael Savage, Laura Ingram, Bill O'Reilly, Rusty Humphreys or anybody else whose show is airing in the market? I know THAT I OCCASIONALLY HAVE A DIFFICULT TIME distinguishing one from another...so I'll bet the "average not-so-critical radio listener" feels the same way?!

I'll be happy to take you up on your "beer bet" about not being able to do anything different in the Portland market to bring back a few more local listeners! And just for the record, I'm on a strictly beer budget myself! :-[

argytunes

P.S....a side note concerning Frank FM....it's impossible to be "all things to all listeners!" Frank's original format idea was good...but the way the station was promoted and the format was executed...coupled with all the comparisons to WBLM...literally "helped Frank FAIL!"

 

[Underminer]

I GIVE UP

 

[producershemp]

You're probably right...it's a lot easier for the majority of Maine radio stations to just 'cop out by running a bartered syndicated show' instead of attempting to try to reach a larger audience?

I agree with your take on the satellite delivered conservo-programs that WLOB and WGAN seem to be running, but there are syndication success stories Argy.

As a broadcaster, you would kill to have Rush's or Howie's numbers on WGAN, Imus' or Don & Mike's numbers on WZAN, Howard's old numbers from The Bone....and I'd watch O&A on CYY in '07.

If I remember correctly, after Diamon was canned from 560, the ratings went up with the syndicated Gene Burns program.

It doesn't have to be local radio to gain an audience... it just has to be GOOD radio to work...local, syndicated or satellite.

Shemp

 

[nhradiochild]

OK, somebody asked for someone else to participate, so I'll take a whack at it. (Even not knowing what currently exists on Maine radio...)

First, I find no fault whatsoever in trying something new on a station. However, a format abstract to the traditionals having dramatic success is unlikely, particularly in Northern New England unfortunately.

As far as talk radio personalities are concerned, argy is right on the angry part. It's very difficult to find a talk show host that wishes to be taken seriously or considered credible to voice his/her views without feeling the need to be "angry" as so much that is talked about isn't something to be taken lightly. Further, it solidifies their stance on the issue, obliterating any questions of whether or not the host is serious about a certain issue. However, due to this, it does wear thin on the listener, although I have to say I find Glenn Beck is unusual with some of his topics and how he approaches them. He's different, appears to have his own mind about things (aka: does not subscribe to a blanket point of view) and I find him pleasurable to listen to. What I believe contributes to all this is the choice of topics. Most hosts limit themselves to politics which is always controversial because you are either for or against any one particular topic. And so, hosts align themselves to a particular set of values and theories that are akin to your political parties which makes them either great or suck depending upon your own political outlook. The problem lies in the fact that there are many who might be decent "all around" talk show hosts, but the working knowledge that you have to have to address any question on a whim with some degree of intelligence and retain your credibility on it is huge and not something most want to tackle. So you get your "area-specific" hosts. Which after a certain amount time gets boring, regardless of whether they are national or local. Call it "nature of the beast".

And quit being cheap. You all earn enough to at least buy each other a rack of "Natural Light"!

 

[Erie_Lackawanna]

And quit being cheap. You all earn enough to at least buy each other a rack of "Natural Light"!

mortgage, 2 car payments, 2 college tuition bills plus the other fun things in life - on a radio salary... nope, i gotta stick to springing for one. ;-)

 

[Runrigger]

Hey I'm in Maine only once a year in the fall but I'd love to hear an Erie & Argy morning show when I'm at Point Sebago next September. Can you work on that?

 

[Erie_Lackawanna]

Hey I'm in Maine only once a year in the fall but I'd love to hear an Erie & Argy morning show when I'm at Point Sebago next September. Can you work on that?

actually, we've done one before (collaborative effort) - "back in the day" in the late 80's -


and i have tried on a number of occasions to get Argy involved in that which i do, but seemingly one too many memories are not quite ready to forget or forgive.

and as i've stated before - i give major props to Argy's creativity, but it's the constant Norma Ray-like urging of those of us who need a paycheck to buck the system and daring of us to be different that makes the situation somewhat off-putting. Argy was once a Norma Ray sort of character, only to watch that which was encouraged fall sadly short, and the drum stick with its one-note samba was quickly put away - for the sake of a paycheck. Argy has done the same as the rest of us - worked at job to make ends meet. but Argy has not had the opportunity to work in today's corporate-mind broadcast biz with the day-to-day concern of everyone present as to when or it the next budgetary cutback will affect them.

 

[argytunes]

Hi Runrigger!

If Erie & Argy can ever convince an 'enlightened PD' about an on-air rematch..then COUNT ME IN! :-*

Shemp...I know that Al Diamon's numbers were lower than those of Gene Burns (and a few others). But this doesn't necessarily mean that the potential for GOOD live talk programming (aside from morning drive) is completely null and void, does it? [Actually, I'd be curious to know if Gene Burns had a lot of local advertiser support...or if the bulk of his commercials were bartered in order for the radio station to obtain his show FOR FREE]?

Erie....I'm well aware of the 'corporate mindset'---since the concept ISN'T EXCLUSIVE to broadcasting! In my travels, I've noticed that there are 2 types corporate people in EVERY BUSINESS! One type has enough trust in their employees and their judgement. So they permit them to do the job they were hired for and are being paid to do?

However, there are at least one or two others who fall into category #2 who can't be happy unless they can take something (or SOMEONE) that 'isn't broken'---but attempt to fix it anyway???

My 'broadcast issues' really have nothing to do with 'bitterness'...in spite of what Jeff Parsons and a few others have indicated about me in earlier Northern New England message board threads. However...I know that the practice of 'recycling' a good (or even a BAD) idea is considerably easier than coming up with...or even attempting...to TRY SOMETHING NEW?

When I've brought up the possibility of "test driving something different in the way of a programming format or even a creative promo"---there's never an argument as to why it shouldn't be tried? Instead...the excuses are: "Corporate won't like or go for it", "we couldn't possibly interest an advertiser in sponsoring it", or "our station did something like this 20 years ago and it didn't work then---so how could it possibly work NOW?"

Erie...I'm not suggesting that you put your a** on the line and risk the loss of an income? Knowing you have significant responsibilities to family members as well as to yourself, the security of weekly paycheck definitely comes into play!

But I'm willing to bet you a REAL BEER that I'm not the only person out in 'radio audience land' who'd like something more than a choice of listening to an angry talk show host---or to a music jock who really doesn't have slightest clue about the format he (or she) is trying to promote?

argytunes---who doesn't like drinking Light Beer in any form!