Is this a joke?

[dxer720]

I'm listening to WGN about 7:30 Saterday night, to Simon "Rendevous" Badinter. Is this guy real? His bio is http://www.wgnradio.com/shows/simon/, but he sounds so fake. True or not, why would WGN go with a French man in Chicago. I'm not sure, but I don't think French is the top ethnicity in Chicago.

This seems to be another example of WGN becoming a joke. And this is supposed to lure the younger demos? What's next?...hours of a show done in Donald Duck voices?

 

[audioguy]

What's wrong with injecting a little culture into Chicago radio? I think the show sounds interesting, but unfortunately I have to finish my project status report.

People are not supposed to be listening to the radio on Saturday night anyway, are they?

 

[dxer720]

You've got a good point there, audioguy. I'm probably one of the few Saturday night leseners.

I did use sone harsh words. Listening further, he did have some interesting topics. He's so unusual and different from the usual WGN fare, that it's hard to take hime seriously.

This is only the opinion of one person. He may take off, but I won't be listening.

 

[b344077]

This may be WGN's way of pushing the traditional listener out the door. The Cubs will carry the numbers for the summer and then WGN will launch whatever they plan to launch.

These weekend folks are not quality talent; especially Shawn Wasson. He reports stories and uses bloggers to substantiate his reports. Here is an example: Obama is closing only dealerships owned by Republicans. But then he brings on a "bloggers" to discuss whether that is accurate. It sounded like two guys sitting in a bar. Now that is credible? Next comes Jerry Agar who is the loud mouth bully in the bar.

It almost as if WGN was a Starbucks and the new owners are turning it into a biker bar.

 

[radioman148]

This may be WGN's way of pushing the traditional listener out the door. The Cubs will carry the numbers for the summer and then WGN will launch whatever they plan to launch.

These weekend folks are not quality talent; especially Shawn Wasson. He reports stories and uses bloggers to substantiate his reports. Here is an example: Obama is closing only dealerships owned by Republicans. But then he brings on a "bloggers" to discuss whether that is accurate. It sounded like two guys sitting in a bar. Now that is credible? Next comes Jerry Agar who is the loud mouth bully in the bar.

It almost as if WGN was a Starbucks and the new owners are turning it into a biker bar.

Boy, that's good radio!

 

[talk_radio_nut]

The answer to your question is yes, WGN is now a joke. A pathetic excuse of its former self. Sad. I'm starting to get over it and have found other things (mostly podcasts, which I financially support) to fill the void.

 

[Dick Skinner]

I'm listening to WGN about 7:30 Saterday night, to Simon "Rendevous" Badinter. Is this guy real? His bio is http://www.wgnradio.com/shows/simon/, but he sounds so fake. True or not, why would WGN go with a French man in Chicago. I'm not sure, but I don't think French is the top ethnicity in Chicago.

This seems to be another example of WGN becoming a joke. And this is supposed to lure the younger demos? What's next?...hours of a show done in Donald Duck voices?

What's so wrong with Donald Duck voices?

 

[DToTheJ]

I'm listening to WGN about 7:30 Saterday night, to Simon "Rendevous" Badinter. Is this guy real? His bio is http://www.wgnradio.com/shows/simon/, but he sounds so fake. True or not, why would WGN go with a French man in Chicago. I'm not sure, but I don't think French is the top ethnicity in Chicago.

Simon says... bad radio.

 

[radiotower40]

I finally listened to the new host this past Saturday. I find him to be rather annoying. This of course is just
my opinion. I don't care what country he comes from, it's his personality I don't like. I do not judge a host
on nationality, race or gender, I judge them on their personality.

I don't even want to know what WGN was thinking when they hired him. I would have to agree, that the only
reason they could have possibly hired him was to further push away WGN's loyal listeners.

I have said this in another post, WGN needs(or needed too) change some things around due to ratings, however
they should have went a little slower as to not alienate their current base, while starting to attract the different
audience that they are looking for.

This would be a perfect time for some smaller AM's that reach most of the Chicago to go with lifestyle talk, whether
syndicated or local(syndication would be more likely), and sprinkle in some news, weather and traffic. It could be
rather cheap and it would gain some traction, with some of WGN's more mature(and VERY loyal audience), that WGN
seems intent on getting rid of.

 

[radioman148]

I finally listened to the new host this past Saturday. I find him to be rather annoying. This of course is just
my opinion. I don't care what country he comes from, it's his personality I don't like. I do not judge a host
on nationality, race or gender, I judge them on their personality.

I don't even want to know what WGN was thinking when they hired him. I would have to agree, that the only
reason they could have possibly hired him was to further push away WGN's loyal listeners.

I have said this in another post, WGN needs(or needed too) change some things around due to ratings, however
they should have went a little slower as to not alienate their current base, while starting to attract the different
audience that they are looking for.

This would be a perfect time for some smaller AM's that reach most of the Chicago to go with lifestyle talk, whether
syndicated or local(syndication would be more likely), and sprinkle in some news, weather and traffic. It could be
rather cheap and it would gain some traction, with some of WGN's more mature(and VERY loyal audience), that WGN
seems intent on getting rid of.

Any chance the Tribune could sell WGN? They were in financial trouble before the economy went south.

 

[KeithE4]

Any chance the Tribune could sell WGN? They were in financial trouble before the economy went south.

In the near future (10 years at the most), WGN, like every major AM station, will have to move to FM. They cannot do so under Tribune Company ownership due to the 1968 court ruling that said that they cannot own a newspaper, AM, FM, and TV station at the same time. This is when they donated WFMT to Channel 11. I can't see Tribune selling WGN radio or TV unless the bankruptcy court orders it.

They don't need to care about their current "core" audience since that audience is dying of old age, and will be pretty much gone in 10 years. They do need to care about the Cubs, Black Hawks, and their other sports programming that is profitable. They won't get listeners under 60 for non-sports programming as long as they remain on AM.

Maybe the Tribune Company can get that ruling overturned now, since newspapers aren't what they used to be. But even if they could, who would (or could) sell their station to them? Maybe if the FCC wises up, gets TV off of 76-88 MHz (all-but-useless for digital TV), and expands the FM band into that spectrum, they can move there. The receivers already exist as 76-108 MHz, or portions thereof, is the Asian FM band. They would just need to be imported to North America.

WGN-FM 77.7 anyone? ;D

 

[radioman148]

Any chance the Tribune could sell WGN? They were in financial trouble before the economy went south.

In the near future (10 years at the most), WGN, like every major AM station, will have to move to FM. They cannot do so under Tribune Company ownership due to the 1968 court ruling that said that they cannot own a newspaper, AM, FM, and TV station at the same time. This is when they donated WFMT to Channel 11. I can't see Tribune selling WGN radio or TV unless the bankruptcy court orders it.

They don't need to care about their current "core" audience since that audience is dying of old age, and will be pretty much gone in 10 years. They do need to care about the Cubs, Black Hawks, and their other sports programming that is profitable. They won't get listeners under 60 for non-sports programming as long as they remain on AM.

Maybe the Tribune Company can get that ruling overturned now, since newspapers aren't what they used to be. But even if they could, who would (or could) sell their station to them? Maybe if the FCC wises up, gets TV off of 76-88 MHz (all-but-useless for digital TV), and expands the FM band into that spectrum, they can move there. The receivers already exist as 76-108 MHz, or portions thereof, is the Asian FM band. They would just need to be imported to North America.

WGN-FM 77.7 anyone? ;D

So what will happen to the AM band in the future?
All infomercials all the time?

 

[KeithE4]

So what will happen to the AM band in the future?
All infomercials all the time?

I don't think 530-1700 kHz will be reallocated for anything else, but its days as "Standard Broadcasting" died 30 years ago. I thought in the past that the big 50 kWers like WGN would stay put and the smaller stations would move to FM, but it looks like AM as a major medium will die with its audience, making this impractical.

One thing I'd like to see is that, once 76-88 MHz is opened for FM and the major AM stations move there (should it happen), is that the AM band be used for specialty broadcasters with a maximum power of 250 watts non-directional (ethnic, community, religious) and Part 15 operations (increase the power to 1 watt output with a 15-meter antenna). Yeah, that would mean a band full of WSBC/WCEV/WNVR clones, some with a format of All Colon Blow All The Time. But who else would want the band?

 

[radioman148]

So what will happen to the AM band in the future?
All infomercials all the time?

I don't think 530-1700 kHz will be reallocated for anything else, but its days as "Standard Broadcasting" died 30 years ago. I thought in the past that the big 50 kWers like WGN would stay put and the smaller stations would move to FM, but it looks like AM as a major medium will die with its audience, making this impractical.

One thing I'd like to see is that, once 76-88 MHz is opened for FM and the major AM stations move there (should it happen), is that the AM band be used for specialty broadcasters with a maximum power of 250 watts non-directional (ethnic, community, religious) and Part 15 operations (increase the power to 1 watt output with a 15-meter antenna). Yeah, that would mean a band full of WSBC/WCEV/WNVR clones, some with a format of All Colon Blow All The Time. But who else would want the band?

So the companies that own all of these AMs will basically get noting for them.

 

[KeithE4]

So what will happen to the AM band in the future?
All infomercials all the time?

I don't think 530-1700 kHz will be reallocated for anything else, but its days as "Standard Broadcasting" died 30 years ago. I thought in the past that the big 50 kWers like WGN would stay put and the smaller stations would move to FM, but it looks like AM as a major medium will die with its audience, making this impractical.

One thing I'd like to see is that, once 76-88 MHz is opened for FM and the major AM stations move there (should it happen), is that the AM band be used for specialty broadcasters with a maximum power of 250 watts non-directional (ethnic, community, religious) and Part 15 operations (increase the power to 1 watt output with a 15-meter antenna). Yeah, that would mean a band full of WSBC/WCEV/WNVR clones, some with a format of All Colon Blow All The Time. But who else would want the band?

So the companies that own all of these AMs will basically get noting for them.

Well, they're not going off the air tomorrow, next year, or the year after that. But I'm sure that the big stations will be able to use creative accounting to write off any losses from their soon-to-be-useless transmitters if they can't sell them. Plus, the land underneath the WSCR, WBBM, and WGN towers in the west and northwest 'burbs is still worth multi-millions, even in this economy. That will make up the difference.

 

[radioman148]

So what will happen to the AM band in the future?
All infomercials all the time?

I don't think 530-1700 kHz will be reallocated for anything else, but its days as "Standard Broadcasting" died 30 years ago. I thought in the past that the big 50 kWers like WGN would stay put and the smaller stations would move to FM, but it looks like AM as a major medium will die with its audience, making this impractical.

One thing I'd like to see is that, once 76-88 MHz is opened for FM and the major AM stations move there (should it happen), is that the AM band be used for specialty broadcasters with a maximum power of 250 watts non-directional (ethnic, community, religious) and Part 15 operations (increase the power to 1 watt output with a 15-meter antenna). Yeah, that would mean a band full of WSBC/WCEV/WNVR clones, some with a format of All Colon Blow All The Time. But who else would want the band?

So the companies that own all of these AMs will basically get noting for them.

Well, they're not going off the air tomorrow, next year, or the year after that. But I'm sure that the big stations will be able to use creative accounting to write off any losses from their soon-to-be-useless transmitters if they can't sell them. Plus, the land underneath the WSCR, WBBM, and WGN towers in the west and northwest 'burbs is still worth multi-millions, even in this economy. That will make up the difference.

Yeah the land in those areas will always be valuable.

 

[stormy01]

WGN-FM 77.7 anyone? ;D

W-G-N 72.0 on your Radio! (okay, I know the FCC probably won't allocate even numbered FM frequencies like in Europe and Asia)

 

[radioman148]

WGN-FM 77.7 anyone? ;D

W-G-N 72.0 on your Radio! (okay, I know the FCC probably won't allocate even numbered FM frequencies like in Europe and Asia)

Good idea though ;D