I think Pittsburgh radio sucks

[clangham]

I like "Bob" here in Pittsburgh, but is there really no station in Lancaster that plays 80s music?

Just wonderin'.

The Rose (WROZ) plays some 80s, but also 90s and todays hits, but that's about all unless you can tune in Reading or Philly stations.

 

[DXDXDX]

STUPID management and ownership is dedicated to "doing it on the cheap" mentality. Then to justify their mentality, they blame talent and listeners. The ONLY reason listeners go to other places such as the web for a decent music format and news is because local stations have given them the shaft in that regard because they can fire the staff and bring in some crap by satelite...like this broken record of left versus right BS! All you need to do is tune in for five minutes and you've heard the whole broadcast day!

Radio is CIRCLING THE DRAIN not because of talent or listeners, but because of STUPID management and ownership.

 

[SteelRocker]

I like "Bob" here in Pittsburgh, but is there really no station in Lancaster that plays 80s music?

Just wonderin'.

The Rose (WROZ) plays some 80s, but also 90s and todays hits, but that's about all unless you can tune in Reading or Philly stations.

There's no similarities to To WROZ and Bob-FM in Pittsburgh.

Clangham: Did you know that WARM 103-FM is now called "WINK 103"? Makes no sense because it's a sister station to WINK 104 in Harrisburg.

 

[TheBigA]

The ONLY reason listeners go to other places such as the web for a decent music format and news is because local stations have given them the shaft in that regard because they can fire the staff and bring in some crap by satelite.

Tell me about the great DJ staffs at Pandora, Spotify, and the rest.

Listeners go to the web because they don't want someone else picking music for them. OTA radio could continue to pay full local staffs just as though it still was the 1980s, and the listeners would still want to use personalized music channels. They were heading in that direction 20 years ago, long before the layoffs and consolidation.

 

[xmusicmatt]

Tell me about the great DJ staffs at Pandora, Spotify, and the rest.

Listeners go to the web because they don't want someone else picking music for them. OTA radio could continue to pay full local staffs just as though it still was the 1980s, and the listeners would still want to use personalized music channels. They were heading in that direction 20 years ago, long before the layoffs and consolidation.

BINGO!

Society has become the "I only want to hear what I want and when I want and anything else sucks" mentality... so that's why stations try to program the same 30 songs over and over instead of lesser-unknown stuff and that's also why people adore things like "Lady Gaga on Pandora"

 

[Seltzer]

I like "Bob" here in Pittsburgh, but is there really no station in Lancaster that plays 80s music?

Just wonderin'.

The Rose (WROZ) plays some 80s, but also 90s and todays hits, but that's about all unless you can tune in Reading or Philly stations.

There's no similarities to To WROZ and Bob-FM in Pittsburgh.

Clangham: Did you know that WARM 103-FM is now called "WINK 103"? Makes no sense because it's a sister station to WINK 104 in Harrisburg.

Cheap Cumulus management. And bad programming by the current PD the past few years led to this once great station being thrown on the junk heap for basically duplication out of Harrisburg.

 

[Boss Radio]

Over the last 30 years, music radio turned itself into a jukebox. "More music, less talk" stations identified anything other than music as clutter.

Now there are smartphones and other mobile devices that play personal playlists. There's a better jukebox, and people don't need the middle man of radio to get music.

 

[Boss Radio]

Radio is suffering from self-inflicted wounds that might be fatal.

 

[TheBigA]

Now there are smartphones and other mobile devices that play personal playlists. There's a better jukebox, and people don't need the middle man of radio to get music.

Radio is still cheaper, easier, and more convenient. But when you leave your house, which device do you take? Your phone or your radio?

The real question you need to ask is if the only role for radio is as a music delivery service. If that's the only role, you're right.

The second question: Is radio in the towers and transmitters business or the content business? If the answer is #2, then what do you know about digital delivery systems? If the answer is nothing, then that has to change or you'll be left with towers and transmitters.

 

[PTBoardOp94]

Its possible that WESA-HD2 has a larger audience than PGHJazzChannel. Which is basically none. Jazz did well for DUQ for years, but the audience has now splintered.

 

[uncamark]

Its possible that WESA-HD2 has a larger audience than PGHJazzChannel. Which is basically none. Jazz did well for DUQ for years, but the audience has now splintered.

And aged. And are very hostile to any form of radio programming that isn't jazz music--especially NPR programming. And perpetually sitting on their checkbooks come pledge drive time.

 

[PTBoardOp94]

Jazz listeners are something like 8 years younger than classical listeners on average - 55 vs 63. I can't disagree with you, though.

 

[Pratte4Life]

Where can one hear this jazz station?

A friend of mine was lamenting the demise of WDUQ for not having jazz the other day.

Can this station be heard in one's car?

Please forgive me if these questions seem elementary.

 

[hypwr]

Its possible that WESA-HD2 has a larger audience than PGHJazzChannel. Which is basically none. Jazz did well for DUQ for years, but the audience has now splintered.

And aged. And are very hostile to any form of radio programming that isn't jazz music--especially NPR programming. And perpetually sitting on their checkbooks come pledge drive time.

I can't imagine that many people want to listen to talk programming after 7PM. Essential Public Media may want to reconsider their foolish decision to remove jazz from their main channel. A few more fund beggings that fall short may force them to do so.

 

[gimmus]

@Pratte4Life The Pittsburgh Jazz Channel http://pghjazzchannel.net Options for using smartphone listed there for mobile listening in cars equipped with audio in jacks or Bluetooth radios.

 

[corporateradiosucks]

I can't imagine that many people want to listen to talk programming after 7PM. Essential Public Media may want to reconsider their foolish decision to remove jazz from their main channel. A few more fund beggings that fall short may force them to do so.

I got insane amounts of begging letters this last time around - much more so than ever before. Needless to say, they all went in the recycling box.

 

[uncamark]

I can't imagine that many people want to listen to talk programming after 7PM. Essential Public Media may want to reconsider their foolish decision to remove jazz from their main channel. A few more fund beggings that fall short may force them to do so.

Tell that to all of the commercial talk stations. Are they playing music after 7 p.m?

Five years ago, WBEZ in Chicago dropped jazz for pretty much the same reasons as WDUQ. They're doing more than OK. The news-talk audience gives the money, the jazz audience doesn't and won't--and there's no crossover. Public radio stations around the country have dropped evening music programming--are they all "foolish?" The stations are a business and can't run programming that isn't listened to or supported by the listeners--and classical, jazz and folk music don't get the support that news-talk programming or the AAA music WYEP plays gets.

 

[MsMusicRadio]

WUSF in Tampa is NPR talk from 5AM to 9PM and then all nite jazz.

 

[Whiplash]

Sorry but I have to agree with the subject title of this thread. Pittsburgh has become one of the worst and stale radio markets in the country. What a giant disappointment, when it once was so great.

 

[SteelRocker]

Sorry but I have to agree with the subject title of this thread. Pittsburgh has become one of the worst and stale radio markets in the country. What a giant disappointment, when it once was so great.

I'm curious what other markets you regularly visit that have better stations, and why? Just curious. I've made my comments in this thread already, because after a dozen years in Pittsburgh, I'm now suffering badly in Central PA York/Harrisburg/Lancaster/Berks markets for the past 3 years. You just don't know what you have until you spend any time in other markets.