WHOOOOOAH Doctor!! You've IMPRESSED me with articulation, intelligence and a defense that would hold up in ANY court. So thank you for letting me counter.
1. Whether you agree with me or not, remember I'm IN that company. I see every BCA employee, and don't recall any of 'em being called "Dr. Wu".
DaveMasonsd said:
1. In this day and age, just about every company is CUTTING BACK on everything. BCA has, instead BUILT a new radio station. We just moved into new studios and while there are wires all over the place we're in better shape now than most stations.
Granted. Everybody's cutting back. We know that. However, this statement isn't really a justification - it's the teen-age classic "How come you're picking on me? All my friends do lots worse things." So I have to reject that as an excuse. ((Wasn't meant as an excuse. A statement of fact. Not trying to justify a darn thing. Just stating a fact, your honor.)))
2. I don't know for sure, but last I heard John Lynch's wife wasn't selecting programming elements for our stations. John has hired people to do the job that needs to be done, and ya know what? They're doing it.
Specious rumor. Whoever posted that was in the wrong. <<The problem with blogs. That's why the e-mail is at the bottom of the post>>
3. We have a small staff, to be sure. But, see element ONE. Other companies decided to go hog-wild in buying stations and then realizing that they couldn't afford to run 'em had to cut back. At least BCA isn't doing THAT.
"Jeez Dad, Kenny brought home all Cs. And you get mad at me for a couple of B-minuses?" See my comments on item 1, above. No go.
<<Again no go or "go" - - you're talking to a passenger on the BCA bus. I'm not the driver. However I'm a pretty content passenger. We're not flying USAir here. There's a big pair of shoes in the front office who has a few investors he's responsible for. Take OUR business model against others and you'll see that we're not bleeding cash like the others. May not meet YOUR expectations - yet - but as we crawl first we will be walking, and it probably won't be through a bloodbath like you'll continue to find at other "major" companies. >>>
4. So Cal has one of the most crowded radio dials in the country. 105.7 is here (Tecate for XHPRS-FM), Hemet and on. 105.9 blasts a nice signal out of L.A. 105.3 and it's incredibly profitable HD signal doesn't help much in the Mt. Soledad area. (Power 106 also has an HD signal I think-but not sure.)
I don't know why this was even brought up. My post was about programming and formatics, not signal quality. <<Other posts mentioned the signal, and this was not directed solely at "Dr. Wu" - -but at the whole blog overall. Until I jumped in, not ONE "fact" was substantiated. Remember, I'm in the building daily. I don't have to guess. I don't have to speculate. >>
5. "The Walrus" has, by design, a very low commercial load. We do THREE HOURS of non-stop tuneage every day 9a-12noon, taking out FIVE hours a week of extra income from morning drive.
OK, good point. But my complaint was not about units per hour or even minutes per hour - it was about formatic positioning of your stopsets at seemingly the
exact same times as every other major outlet in Southern California. When I was on the air, I hated dial surfers - now I am one
And when I hear a KRTH, KFI or one of my other P1 stations launch into one of their famously l - o - n - g spot breaks, I go searching for other entertainment. One of the stations I have searched on is yours. But your breaks are aligned with the other guys', and so I leave, disappointed. <<There's a real reason that stopsets fall where they do. Arbitron. Like THAT or not, it's a fact. We get revenue from ratings. Ratings come from Arbitron "Estimates". By delaying the stopset to :20, or :35, we can gain another 1/4 hour from a given listener. PLUS---when the other guys stop - it's usually for 5 or 6 minutes. We're away from product (2 of 3 times an hour) for less than 2 minutes. So if you leave . . . come back in 90 seconds and guess what? We're playin' another bunch of hits.
An excellent example of counterprogramming (one of the few, actually) is Hot 92.3 in Los Angeles. I often listen to XHRM (92.5), but when the stopset hits (again, aligned with everyone else's), one click south lands me on KHHT, whose stopsets are offset by 5 - 8 minutes. And guess what? I stick around, because their programming is good, too.
6. You'd be singing a different tune if the Padres were winning. It's a tough season this year.
Horse hockey. I am a Padres fan, and sometimes I listen to the broadcasts, when my schedule permits. But when I tune to an Oldies station,
I want oldies. Not baseball. Not football. Not coverage of Olympic Ukrainian Goat Herding. How can you expect to build a solid base of Oldies listeners when baseball forces you to cut out three hours of music programming and toss it in the trash? I would object to this even if the Padres were in first place, for the same reason I object to paid block programming on News/Talk stations. It just doesn't belong. <<<<"The Walrus" was envisioned after a couple years of 105.7 being the FM signal for XHPRS-AM. When 105.7 switched from "La Pantera" do you think they had planned to simulcast for 2 years and then switch? I wasn't in the building back then. I don't know what the thinking behind the "XX" project was any more (or less) than you do. I read John Lynch's comments about the "XX" switch. I also know that the company did a multi-year deal with the Padres with the assumption that "XX" would be on both frequencies. Ya have to give them credit to realize that there was another void in the market to be filled. Will the Padres always be on 105.7? I don't know. I do know that, as a business, it's essential to hold up our end of the deal. If we said we'd broadcast the Padres on 105.7 til 2030, then that would be it. End of story. We'll know soon enough whether The Padres is right for 105.7 or not. The powers that be will look at budgets, look at ratings and make that decision. Remember, these are the same people who took a look at the "XX" simulcast and realized that it wasn't necessary to duplicate the programming, to make the investment in new people and a new format. In some markets it took years to realize that Top 40 was really a viable format and they could do away with the hour news blocks and devote the programming full-time to the music. Will that be the case here? Will gas prices go UP or DOWN? I don't know that answer. If this were MY station I'd have that answer. I'm employed by BCA and the people at the top are making the final call. When they ask I'll give them my opinion. By the way, when the Padres are on, the music streams at much higher quality than other stations on
http://www.walrusfm.com commercial free. Ya want oldies? We're there too.>>>>>
7. We're probably the most accessable company in town. I'll answer any and all questions,
[email protected] and so would Bob Harlow, the PD
[email protected].
I give you full marks for having the stones to post your emails here. Thank you for joining the conversation. And let me reiterate: I like the music selection, which is wider than KRTH's and has given me some great "oh wow" moments. I give you kudos for the music selection. But my other remarks stand.
<<<Here's MY favorite part. The fact that "The Walrus" is being talked about. We know we've got a long road ahead of us. We also know that as our audience grows, we'll have a much clearer path to success. The Padres are done at the end of September and then you'll have your wish. Oh yes, there's a pretty good chance they'll be back in the spring. It's a money maker for the company and great marketing for The Padres. You've got other choices. KRTH with a limited playlist, and long stopsets. KURS with a limited signal and long stopsets. Even KYXY has decided to do "70's" weekends. Nothing new there. They've had a substantial library of Motown hits since they started. There are dozens of websites streaming "oldies music".....and I'm sure you could express the good and bad there too. I'm glad you're talking about us. Some of us got into the business because we love what we do. We wanted to "create" great radio, and have fun doing it. Others are in the business because they're great business people and love crunching the numbers. Whether you're running a 100,000 watt blowtorch or a 250-watt daytimer, it costs money. John Lynch doesn't share financials with me. He doesn't have to. He smiles when he walks down the hall, he's proud of what he's put together, and he's a lot smarter at it than I will ever be. He's responsible to many people. His employees (to which he's very faithful), his investors and his sponsors. If things went the way the vocal majority wanted, there'd be NO jocks, 100% music chosen by each individual listener and NO commercials. If you want to pay for that, you've got Satellite, Music Choice on Cable and sooooo many more choices. The fact that we're on your radar is a real plus for what we've started at 105.7. Remember, to grow, the Walrus has to eat. To eat, the Walrus has to have money to buy the food. We'll NEVER make you 100% happy, but we'll also NEVER be "just like" any other station in San Diego. Just as long as we can at least have your ears for a few hours a week, as long as we can bring you those "oh wow" moments and as long as we continue to grow, we'll only get better. Keep your comments coming, Doc. I'm sure your passion will continue to be contagious.
Dave>>>>>>
-- Doc
