The only niche I see as viable for WECK is "real oldies" - the rock & roll era from '55 to '69, focused on the pop side of the music aisle. Resurrect a "legend" or two via VT, and you might have something - even on AM. I'd tweak the processing to go as broadband as possible, and you might draw a fly or two.
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I'm with you Rox....Sinatra to Coldplay???? What's that all about?
G
GeorgeKramer
Guest
The mainfesto has been found.
It aired on 2/15/11, meaning Brad's run at taking out Entercom Buffalo didn't even make it to 5 months.
Enjoy:
http://t.co/Mmadxvf
It aired on 2/15/11, meaning Brad's run at taking out Entercom Buffalo didn't even make it to 5 months.
Enjoy:
http://t.co/Mmadxvf
SirRoxalot said:
Safe, easy to understand, easy for sponsors to understand. Throw in some old AT40 countdowns or specialty programs on the weekend.
VoiceGuyJack said:
Sounds like they might try the "updated" standards route; "Bennett to Buble'" is another translation.
There's a station in Las Vegas I heard when I was there that I thought did a nice job. Their approach is almost soft AC with a little "Rat Pack" thrown in. They stream too: http://www.kjul1047.com/
The "Bennett to Buble" route might work on a fringe FM that hit a couple of white-collar suburbs, but I don't see it making inroads here on an AM station. I also don't see any advantage to taking on WHLD and/or a couple of Canadian stations running standards and/or smooth jazz.
Brad had a couple of years as an air talent with little restriction to nudge the needle. It didn't happen. He had other issues at WGR besides Andy Roth (his genius can be described in a single word - SABRES). The "manifesto" was a big gamble, and it looks like he lost. I don't know where he goes from here, but I doubt that Buffalo radio is in his immediate future.
I feel a little sorry for Nick Mendola. He bought into Brad's manifesto, and is likely to be tainted by the results. I hope that he gets another opportunity to develop a nascent talent under better circumstances. There's not enough young blood in the radio industry right now.
Brad had a couple of years as an air talent with little restriction to nudge the needle. It didn't happen. He had other issues at WGR besides Andy Roth (his genius can be described in a single word - SABRES). The "manifesto" was a big gamble, and it looks like he lost. I don't know where he goes from here, but I doubt that Buffalo radio is in his immediate future.
I feel a little sorry for Nick Mendola. He bought into Brad's manifesto, and is likely to be tainted by the results. I hope that he gets another opportunity to develop a nascent talent under better circumstances. There's not enough young blood in the radio industry right now.
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GeorgeKramer
Guest
Would love to hear Brad or Nick or Tom Schuh (now working for Greene as a "consultant") address some of these thoughts, comments, questions and suggestions.
Brad has been quiet since he was terminated.
Speaking of which, was Nick terminated or did he resign? Buffalo News story makes it sound he quit after not accepting the sales position, but the Business First story makes it sound like Brad and Nick were axed.
Clarification from someone in the know please.
Brad has been quiet since he was terminated.
Speaking of which, was Nick terminated or did he resign? Buffalo News story makes it sound he quit after not accepting the sales position, but the Business First story makes it sound like Brad and Nick were axed.
Clarification from someone in the know please.
[/quote]
I wonder if Brad sealed his fate last week when I heard him saying how horrible the Laura Ingraham show is, but he can't even get rid of it because the owner likes it. So, his hands were obviously tied, too, but maybe not a great idea to call the owner on it over the air.........He did the same type of thing at GR, calling out Andy over the air there.
It's part of the reason I like him. He seems to say what he wants, even when it might get him trouble.
[/quote]
A serious PD doesn't go on the air and start ragging on other hosts on his station or bleat about a programming disagreement with his boss. Unprofessional beyond belief. Keep it in the building or expect to be fired. (I know, I know...it's old school thinking.)
Nick Seneca
I wonder if Brad sealed his fate last week when I heard him saying how horrible the Laura Ingraham show is, but he can't even get rid of it because the owner likes it. So, his hands were obviously tied, too, but maybe not a great idea to call the owner on it over the air.........He did the same type of thing at GR, calling out Andy over the air there.
It's part of the reason I like him. He seems to say what he wants, even when it might get him trouble.
[/quote]
A serious PD doesn't go on the air and start ragging on other hosts on his station or bleat about a programming disagreement with his boss. Unprofessional beyond belief. Keep it in the building or expect to be fired. (I know, I know...it's old school thinking.)
Nick Seneca
GeorgeKramer said:
Everyone knows I'm an outsider here. But the almost-always-colorful posts re: WECK over the past months have piqued my interest, and when the All Access piece was posted, I came back to this thread and clicked on the manifesto.
Although I didn't have a stopwatch...it seemed like it was four minutes or more before Brad started getting into any of the meat of his subject matter, and a good twenty minutes (including a stopset) to actually get to the manifesto.
Much of the sixteen minutes inbetween sounded like sour grapes..."Entercom fired me and I'm gonna get back at them...they're the big mean corporate monster outsourcing local jobs but we're gonna be live and local...oh except Dennis Miller is coming up at 1:00".
With all due respect to everyone on all sides of the issue...this just sounds like bad radio to me. Pure and simple.
And the one thing I don't remember hearing at all was how WECK's being live and local would benefit the listener. I heard no compelling reason to give them a chance over 'BEN. A different POV? A half-hour of a Corey Griswold talk show? It might be awesome but Brad spent the time that could've been used to re-introduce Corey as a talk host...beating to death the bad programming decisions of predecessors instead, along with everything wrong at Entercom.
Brad confessed he didn't even have a mission statement formulated in his mind. Here's the new boss, sounding as unfocused and off-the-cuff as can be...talking about how unfocused the station was before he became PD. He sounds like he's apologizing for not having a news department...he kept coming back to this point when there was nothing for which to apologize! Why wasn't it..."we're calling upon the worldwide resources of Fox News and the local resources of Channel 2..." or something of that nature?
Wouldn't it have been better to actually hire away some quality people, put together a lineup and then roll out the manifesto?? And then prove to the listener why WECK is the better choice?
But what do I know? I thought when you declared war, you had the troops - and your battle plan - in place. Of course in war you have to adjust on the fly but you still have a plan and are able to communicate said plan in a way that gets the listener to buy-in...to come to your side...to make him/her a fan.
I've preached "live and local" over and over...but without content the listener wants to hear, presented by someone who sounds like you'd actually like them in real life, you've got nothin'.
Also, Nick Seneca is right. Doesn't mean you can't ever stir the pot ocassionally - doing great radio's going to mean controversy once in awhile - but this sounds like a disgruntled child airing dirty laundry. We who post on message boards might get a kick out of it but in reality it leaves a mess for sales staff and management trying to move the needle and make their way.
Ok the outsider has said his piece...tell me where I'm wrong. Is there something I'm missing...
Tom Donahue said on-air that Friday 3pm is the changeover to "The Breeze"
Hi Guys:
I've been following the thread here, and now (with management approval) I'd like to hop in. For now, just a couple things:
1) There won't be any Coldplay (at least at first
Rather than have me try and explain what it is, people should listen and decide for themselves. My hope is that there will be significant listener input, and that will help determine where we go musically. A new website will be a key part of that. It will launch shortly after the station goes live.
2) The Yankees will continue.
3) At least some of the "long-form" shows will continue.
4) Brad has taken more than his fair share here. I want to say that he has handled the situation like an absolute pro. He's a great talent, and will be heard from sooner rather than later.
More to come.
I've been following the thread here, and now (with management approval) I'd like to hop in. For now, just a couple things:
1) There won't be any Coldplay (at least at first
Rather than have me try and explain what it is, people should listen and decide for themselves. My hope is that there will be significant listener input, and that will help determine where we go musically. A new website will be a key part of that. It will launch shortly after the station goes live.
2) The Yankees will continue.
3) At least some of the "long-form" shows will continue.
4) Brad has taken more than his fair share here. I want to say that he has handled the situation like an absolute pro. He's a great talent, and will be heard from sooner rather than later.
More to come.
B
Bob1370
Guest
What did WECK really need to compete with its talk-driven format approach?
A 5,000 watt or better signal that could cover the populated areas of Erie and Niagara Counties day and night, the way WBEN. WGR and WWKB do.
Unfortunately for them, Entercom already had a monopoly on all the good AM signals because FCC rules and communications law allow such concentrations to form.
Entercom's simply playing by rules that allow them to effectively block out all viable spoken-word format competition in the market...I'd do the same if I were in David Fields' position, just from a business point of view. But the rules themselves are at fault for allowing this to happen, and should be reviewed and revised so that no one company can dominate in a market except by full fledged, even-playing-field competition. There's little reason to doubt that WBEN, with its resources, people and tradition, would win a fair fight--only WGR, when it was under separate ownership, ever came remotely close. But a station like WECK with a better signal would have at least done well enough to remain alive as an alternative--and competition would have improved and invigorated everyone, WBEN included, most likely at the expense of the rather predictable run of music stations out there today.
A 5,000 watt or better signal that could cover the populated areas of Erie and Niagara Counties day and night, the way WBEN. WGR and WWKB do.
Unfortunately for them, Entercom already had a monopoly on all the good AM signals because FCC rules and communications law allow such concentrations to form.
Entercom's simply playing by rules that allow them to effectively block out all viable spoken-word format competition in the market...I'd do the same if I were in David Fields' position, just from a business point of view. But the rules themselves are at fault for allowing this to happen, and should be reviewed and revised so that no one company can dominate in a market except by full fledged, even-playing-field competition. There's little reason to doubt that WBEN, with its resources, people and tradition, would win a fair fight--only WGR, when it was under separate ownership, ever came remotely close. But a station like WECK with a better signal would have at least done well enough to remain alive as an alternative--and competition would have improved and invigorated everyone, WBEN included, most likely at the expense of the rather predictable run of music stations out there today.
Bob1370 said:
Hence the reason I emphasized that I'm an outsider, and therefore unaware of WECK's signal disadvantage.
I kinda pictured them having a decent enough signal to really take a run at 'BEN/'GR with the right programming, and 1230 isn't the worst place to be.
When I left CNY in '86 and moved back to my native Pittsburgh, I did AM drive on a 1,000 watt suburban station with poor grounding on 1430. The FCC had also licensed the frequency to a 1,000 watter in Altoona - only 150 miles from where our transmitter sat in Toronto, Ohio. And then of course we had to protect CJCL in Toronto, ON. So the pattern was some strange kinda figure-8 thing...
Signal problems 'R' us. I paid a buncha dues there then went to Wheeling and Larry Anderson. Country Music, 50kw, Jamboree In The Hills. On a clear night you could hear us north of Toronto...Ontario.
I take it WECK was originally intended to be "the Cheektowaga station" when first licensed?
topsound said:Hi Guys:
I've been following the thread here, and now (with management approval) I'd like to hop in. For now, just a couple things:
1) There won't be any Coldplay (at least at first
Rather than have me try and explain what it is, people should listen and decide for themselves. My hope is that there will be significant listener input, and that will help determine where we go musically. A new website will be a key part of that. It will launch shortly after the station goes live.
2) The Yankees will continue.
3) At least some of the "long-form" shows will continue.
4) Brad has taken more than his fair share here. I want to say that he has handled the situation like an absolute pro. He's a great talent, and will be heard from sooner rather than later.
More to come.
Great news on the Yankees. I agree that Brad is a great talent, and really hope that he's heard from sooner rather than later.......And, speaking of handling situations like absolute pros - you certainly have, too!
G
GeorgeKramer
Guest
The Buffalo Breeze website is being worked on.
You can visit it via Brad's website:
http://bradriter.com/
You can visit it via Brad's website:
http://bradriter.com/
G
GeorgeKramer
Guest
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