Hartsville station sold.....

[knoxbob]

The original asking price was $200k but sold for $191k.

 

[deltas69]

that price does make a little more sense..but..apparently it did not sell..is that correct ? I tried to research the situation online..but couldn't find any recent news on it..thanks for the update..

 

[CommoChief]

I'm pretty much clueless on whatever you just wrote Pat...but for a journey to Lebanon broadcasting for a while, the Hartsville station first went on the air in 1966...I was the origianl joc/news guy/restroom cleaner/ sweeper and house shoe wearing guy at the station.....don't ask if you don't know. I know they did a lot of selling in the nearby markets, and had a strong signal when I was there. Please don't tell me technically why the signal is not as strong as it was....probably like me.....older

I "briefly" worked the standard (seven days a week) afternoon shift during the Chester years. My first day in-brief from the morning announcer contained the words "I will tell you now that you will soon be fired because Chester fires everybody" within the third sentence of our conversation. We had a NASCAR race on the first Sunday afternoon I worked. That was the first time Chester began carrying on a one-way conversation with me over the giant ear piercing speaker located in the equipment rack. He said he would be there 10 minutes prior to sign-off to start the recorder. I honestly did not know what he was talking about. But sure enough, exactly 10 minutes before sign-off, the strategically eye-level placed flood lamp in front of me lit up like a bonfire and Chester entered the front door. There was about 25 laps left in the car race and he began recording it and instructed me to sign-off the station. Chester then told me that he would replay the end of the race sometime the next morning because listeners would gladly tune in to find out who won. I asked wouldn't they find out tonite during the sports segment of the 10 o'clock news instead? That's when he grunted and growled and stated that I would never make it in the radio business. :'(

 

[firepoint525]

This "Chester" guy reminds me of the GM of a station that I worked for down in west Tennessee back when I lived there. But he is still the GM of that station, so he will remain anonymous here. The station will remain anonymous, too!

Working for one such ogre was enough for me!

 

[deltas69]

Chester always reminded me on some character off Green Acres........just not as bright..

 

[firepoint525]

I "briefly" worked the standard (seven days a week) afternoon shift during the Chester years. My first day in-brief from the morning announcer contained the words "I will tell you now that you will soon be fired because Chester fires everybody" within the third sentence of our conversation. We had a NASCAR race on the first Sunday afternoon I worked. That was the first time Chester began carrying on a one-way conversation with me over the giant ear piercing speaker located in the equipment rack. He said he would be there 10 minutes prior to sign-off to start the recorder. I honestly did not know what he was talking about. But sure enough, exactly 10 minutes before sign-off, the strategically eye-level placed flood lamp in front of me lit up like a bonfire and Chester entered the front door. There was about 25 laps left in the car race and he began recording it and instructed me to sign-off the station. Chester then told me that he would replay the end of the race sometime the next morning because listeners would gladly tune in to find out who won. I asked wouldn't they find out tonite during the sports segment of the 10 o'clock news instead? That's when he grunted and growled and stated that I would never make it in the radio business. :'(

At my first station, we carried high school football, tape delayed. We had to sign off at 6:00 p.m. (or earlier), well before kickoff. I remember the GM telling me that sponsors were dropping the broadcast, because the local team had not been winning very many games that season. I never played back a high school game, since I never worked a Saturday morning there, but I remember playing back a couple of delayed junior high games during my weekday shift! Yes, we actually carried tape-delayed junior high football games at my first station!

 

[Nashsound]

you think that's bad...before I got my first radio job I was scorekeeper/PA for one of the Little Leagues in my town..The guy who did the football PBP for the station would record the Friday evening game and play it back on Saturday morning- they had sponsors too.

 

[deltas69]

That is not unusual at all..sell the live broadcast..as well as the rebroadcast Saturday mornings..Live sponsors paid a lot more than the replay sponsors..some sponsors would buy both..we did it for years in Gallatin..

 

[firepoint525]

The station that I was referring to had to sign off at sunset (although they never stayed on past 6:00 p.m. even in the summer months when they could have). Sponsoring a "live" broadcast back then wasn't even an option because a "live" broadcast simply wasn't available (yet).

 

[deltas69]

So did WHIN until we bought 104.5..The AM did rebroadcasts for many years on Saturday mornings..In fact when we told Gallatin High in 1971..that we were going to do the games LIVE on Friday nights..they refused at first..saying it would keep fans away from the game since they could hear it on the radio "LIVE'..We finally convinced them otherwise..but at first..they were dead set against it..The money we made off just one live ballgame paid the nut for the entire month back then...good times

 

[CommoChief]

So did WHIN until we bought 104.5..The AM did rebroadcasts for many years on Saturday mornings..In fact when we told Gallatin High in 1971..that we were going to do the games LIVE on Friday nights..they refused at first..saying it would keep fans away from the game since they could hear it on the radio "LIVE'..We finally convinced them otherwise..but at first..they were dead set against it..The money we made off just one live ballgame paid the nut for the entire month back then...good times

I Think most of the small AM stations around Tennessee were basically printing money on Saturdays during football season in the 1970s. WRKM (Carthage) started with the replay of Friday night’s Smith County High game. That was followed by Leonard’s Losers, a down home spin on college predictions – comically predicting losers rather than winners. And finally, the University of Tennessee pre-game and football game. That took us to an hour or so until sign-off. There were wall-to-wall commercials all day. And while I’m on the subject, WRKM was usually “sold out” of commercial time throughout the November/December months. Good Times indeed. ;D

 

[firepoint525]

So did WHIN until we bought 104.5..The AM did rebroadcasts for many years on Saturday mornings..In fact when we told Gallatin High in 1971..that we were going to do the games LIVE on Friday nights..they refused at first..saying it would keep fans away from the game since they could hear it on the radio "LIVE'..We finally convinced them otherwise..but at first..they were dead set against it..The money we made off just one live ballgame paid the nut for the entire month back then...good times

How did you get around that "Shell Dinner Hour" to do high school football? Did they take the night off on Friday evenings?

 

[deltas69]

LOL...We bought the station just before football season started..and began looking at the hand full of sponsors on the books..The sponsor of the "Longest Running Dinner Program" was paying five dollars per week..that's seven hours of programming for five bucks. When the new owners were advised of how much football would generate..the Shell Dinner Hour was dropped...with little fanfare Beginning at 5:00 pm on game night..There were various game related sponsored shows, then the pre-game show, first half..halftime show..second half, post game show..nightly wrap-up and a look at next weeks game..The repeat on the AM Saturday morning was preceded by a coaching show about the previous nights game....and like most other AM'ERS..We did Leonards Losers, The UT game,All of this was sold out for the entire season in week one...got back to music on the AM usually around 4pm..I worked the live game on Friday's..as well as sign on Saturday's..I got a LOT of football... The Shell Dinner Hour is still a running joke amongst the jocks that worked there..