Is WKLU breaking it's Promise

[spark gap]

Just to make it fun, I am checking aircheck.net to see if we can pull a promo from last fall. However I don't think they keep audio that long. But the following is from an earlier post... The transcript of the interview with the General Manager of WKLU in NUVO:Clearly. So how did it happen? Clark laid it out:• More music, fewer commercials. They play 12 to 13 songs an hour and only one break with four commercials. Can they make money that way? “We do,” Clark says.Check out the complete article:http://www.nuvo.net/archive/2005/06/08/klu_quintuples_their_ratings.html

 

[Hionradio]

Gap...your lame efforts to say that WKLU lied to its LISTENERS is pathetic. Just because Clark said that they can make money at 4 commercials....that has nothing to do with lying to listeners (which they never did). Are you making yourself feel better about working for a corporate guy who abuses listeners all the time? (and you know that's true) You never addressed ONE of my points. Everyone on this board is crystal clear that you and South are grabbing at straws. The LISTENERS have spoken. And what they say is in the last Arbitron.

 

[spark gap]

Hion...you're right in the big scheme of things it is not that big of deal six spots vs. four and whether or not you're lying to your listeners and your customers....but it has been fun getting under your skin. Besides what other topic has generated 42 replies and 768 views in recent history on this board. It's all about bored radio people entertaining themselves.

 

[Hippychick]

Well guys, I normally don't even read these blogs, but someone forwarded it to me, so I feel obliged to respond. First, we have never lied at WKLU. Never, ever did we go on the air and say we were only going to play 4 units an hour. In the beginning, we did say "Now starting off 56 minutes of music at the New WKLU 101.9, where we only stop once an hour." I guess that is where you made the assumption that we were only going to play 4 units. (You know what they say about assuming). Therefore, we have lived up to our promise of only stopping once an hour. We thought long and hard before adding any additional units above the original 4 we started with. We do not take our programming lightly. Secondly, are you insane to think that Russ wouldn't try and sell the station for a profit in a couple of years? I have always known, although it has never been said, that Russ will one day sell the station for a huge profit. He would be crazy not to. And when he does sell the station, he has absolutely no control what happens when the new owner takes over. Who knows who he will sell it to, and for how much, but when he does, what do you want him to do? Have a clause in the contract that says I'll only sell if you promise not to whore out the station? Get real. Enjoying the view by the fireplace sippin' Kool-aid> > > > P.S. Dan, thanks for noticing our stellar engineer! I put him on the same high pedestal I have always put you on. > >

 

[11south]

Secondly, are you insane to think that Russ wouldn't try and sell the station for a profit in a couple of years? I have always known, although it has never been said, that Russ will one day sell the station for a huge profit. He would be crazy not to. And when he does sell the station, he has absolutely no control what happens when the new owner takes over. Who knows who he will sell it to, and for how much, but when he does, what do you want him to do? Have a clause in the contract that says I'll only sell if you promise not to whore out the station? Get real.

God no, we're not insane. We always knew this was going to be a "flip this house" kind of deal. You'll also notice that none of us ever said anything derogatory about the programming.The bottom line is we all have to satisfy our owners. Some are stockholders, or as in your case an individual who wants to cash out big and needs to have the cash flow to justify the asking price. So in order to accomplish it...add units.Like it or not, we are all in the same boat.We need a new topic

 

[Hionradio]

South...Oh now you want to sanitize the situation and move on. The difference between WKLU and the corporate guys is that WKLU is willing to "stretch" to 6 commercials plus a :10 mention (an hour) to accomplish their goal. Your station is willing to do ANYTHING...including firing jocks, engineers, automate, adding spots (like 24 an hour) and strangle all the creativity and good that ever existed in station in order to make unrealistic amounts of money for Wall Street. There's a huge difference between a guy like Oasis who will "stretch" to 6 spots to make a couple of bucks and your guys who will play 24 while saying "hey everybody...we're fixing radio with less is more." You and Spark Gap started this with your comments about WKLU lieing to their audience. You and your station have no moral high ground in this discussion. It's just too bad that you can't admit that it's more fun to work for people who really love radio rather than people who couldn't give a crap as long as they sell their 24 spots an hour. To your guys, radio is just a dumping ground for spots...nothing more. AND YOU DEFEND THEM!

 

[colbyjack]

all i want to know is ... can i get a hug? ???i think we all need hugs.maybe i've had two much kool-aid ... time to go back to artificial sweetner.

 

[Steve]

11 south...you've lost all credibility here. You criticize WKLU, then once you're called out, you back down and call for a new topic. New topic, indeed. GO WKLU!! Russ and Libby must be doing something right to get everyone's panties in a wad like this. Raise your glass of Kool-aid in a toast!!

 

[11south]

South...Oh now you want to sanitize the situation and move on. The difference between WKLU and the corporate guys is that WKLU is willing to "stretch" to 6 commercials plus a :10 mention (an hour) to accomplish their goal. Your station is willing to do ANYTHING...including firing jocks, engineers, automate, adding spots (like 24 an hour) and strangle all the creativity and good that ever existed in station in order to make unrealistic amounts of money for Wall Street. There's a huge difference between a guy like Oasis who will "stretch" to 6 spots to make a couple of bucks and your guys who will play 24 while saying "hey everybody...we're fixing radio with less is more." You and Spark Gap started this with your comments about WKLU lieing to their audience. You and your station have no moral high ground in this discussion. It's just too bad that you can't admit that it's more fun to work for people who really love radio rather than people who couldn't give a crap as long as they sell their 24 spots an hour. To your guys, radio is just a dumping ground for spots...nothing more. AND YOU DEFEND THEM!

No...I was just tired of saying the same thing over and over...WKLU lied to their audience and lied to their customers, and had an attitude of "we do radio different"...all the while planning to flip the station, and now realizing it can't be flipped until the cash flow justifies the sale. Breaking the four spot an hour promise by adding more avails.To one of your points above...radio is a business. The listener is the product and the advertiser is the customer. We have to cultivate an audience to sell to the advertiser. It is not an art form. If you want art form..work at a station below 92 on the dial.The argument is real simple. Business ethics. You either lied or you didn't and I think you protest too much.Let's bring up a new topic on business ethics...bumping spots for spots with a higher rate without telling the advertiser with whom you have contracted. Care to comment Hion?

 

[South_port Road]

Let me see if i have this straight...1) WKLU has lied to their audience about the number of spots they will play.2) They have lied to their customers about the number of spots they will play.3) They are constantly throwing their potential suitors under the bus in public forums.How does that old saying go with not being the brightest bulb in the box?Oh, has WTHR placed their Fall buy with WKLU yet?

 

[Hippychick]

Here's your hug Colby Jack , now I gotta go make some more Kool-Aid.

 

[colbyjack]

This room needs more kool-aid ... it's incredible to me that this thread has evolved into this mess ... none of the critics have really backed up their accusations of lies ... folks are still listening to wklu, so clearly they're not being hurt ... so, this is a couple of folks with nothing better to do then stir the pot.Anything wklu says regarding corporate radio has to be taken tongue and cheek ... hippiechick (libby?) even acknowledges that russ will probably sell the station at some point ... and as a listener ... I say more power to him.Look ... this is no different then arguments over commercialization of the internet ... bottom line is people want to make money ... and if folks along the way are getting something they want (decent music) and the only folks being harmed are competitors ... then what's the big deal? If the competition thinks wklu is doing something wrong ... challenge them over the airwaves rather than over a forum where only a vocal minority see a message.If you want to turn this into some sort of inter-rival bickering ... fine ... call it that ... but get off your high horse if you think wklu is the only one guilty of something here. Clearly there are other agendas at work.

 

[BSURadioGeek]

Just to make it fun, I am checking aircheck.net to see if we can pull a promo from last fall. However I don't think they keep audio that long. But the following is from an earlier post... The transcript of the interview with the General Manager of WKLU in NUVO:Clearly. So how did it happen? Clark laid it out:• More music, fewer commercials. They play 12 to 13 songs an hour and only one break with four commercials. Can they make money that way? “We do,” Clark says.Check out the complete article:http://www.nuvo.net/archive/2005/06/08/klu_quintuples_their_ratings.html

This is the closest anyone has come to backing up their facts that KLU lied. And if you look at it, it doesn't say, "we will only play 4 commercials an hour forever and to infinity." It just says they can make money that way.Otherwise we have slander. At least we would if we had evidence of it. Too bad I'm too lazy and don't really care.

 

[bigtime]

Is this all leading to a "Bush lied" rant? I bet Neil Young & the Dixie Chicks started this thread.

 

[spark gap]

Let me see if i have this straight...1) WKLU has lied to their audience about the number of spots they will play.2) They have lied to their customers about the number of spots they will play.3) They are constantly throwing their potential suitors under the bus in public forums.How does that old saying go with not being the brightest bulb in the box?Oh, has WTHR placed their Fall buy with WKLU yet?

Well written

 

[radio2100]

I bet Neil Young & the Dixie Chicks started this thread.

Great tie in, because KLU plays both of those artists. They play everything, except Bananarama. Darn.

 

[11south]

Just to make it fun, I am checking aircheck.net to see if we can pull a promo from last fall. However I don't think they keep audio that long. But the following is from an earlier post... The transcript of the interview with the General Manager of WKLU in NUVO:Clearly. So how did it happen? Clark laid it out:• More music, fewer commercials. They play 12 to 13 songs an hour and only one break with four commercials. Can they make money that way? “We do,” Clark says.Check out the complete article:http://www.nuvo.net/archive/2005/06/08/klu_quintuples_their_ratings.html

This is the closest anyone has come to backing up their facts that KLU lied. And if you look at it, it doesn't say, "we will only play 4 commercials an hour forever and to infinity." It just says they can make money that way.Otherwise we have slander. At least we would if we had evidence of it. Too bad I'm too lazy and don't really care.

Here's a quote from the owner in the Indianapolis Star from last November..."After four or five commercials, half the audience is gone," says WKLU owner Russ Oasis. "At only four commercials an hour, your audience stays."Here is the complete articlehttp://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051127/ENTERTAINMENT05/511270368/1082

 

[Hionradio]

And so what's your point? What he said was true. Unlike the corporate guys who say "Less is more" when they play MORE units, at least he tells the truth. Where in that article did he say that WKLU would never play more than four commercials? South, you deserve to be right where you are. As pointed out a million times, by everyone who reads this thread, you have not addressed ONE point which has been brought up. (Edited for personal attack)

 

[11south]

you have not addressed ONE point which has been brought up. (Edited for personal attack)

What do you mean I haven't adressed one point...Secondly, are you insane to think that Russ wouldn't try and sell the station for a profit in a couple of years? I have always known, although it has never been said, that Russ will one day sell the station for a huge profit. He would be crazy not to. And when he does sell the station, he has absolutely no control what happens when the new owner takes over. Who knows who he will sell it to, and for how much, but when he does, what do you want him to do? Have a clause in the contract that says I'll only sell if you promise not to whore out the station? Get real.My response:God no, we're not insane. We always knew this was going to be a "flip this house" kind of deal. You'll also notice that none of us ever said anything derogatory about the programming.The bottom line is we all have to satisfy our owners. Some are stockholders, or as in your case an individual who wants to cash out big and needs to have the cash flow to justify the asking price. So in order to accomplish it...add units.That was one...here's another (Oh my gosh...that sounds like one of your DJ's)South...Oh now you want to sanitize the situation and move on. The difference between WKLU and the corporate guys is that WKLU is willing to "stretch" to 6 commercials plus a :10 mention (an hour) to accomplish their goal. Your station is willing to do ANYTHING...including firing jocks, engineers, automate, adding spots (like 24 an hour) and strangle all the creativity and good that ever existed in station in order to make unrealistic amounts of money for Wall Street. There's a huge difference between a guy like Oasis who will "stretch" to 6 spots to make a couple of bucks and your guys who will play 24 while saying "hey everybody...we're fixing radio with less is more." You and Spark Gap started this with your comments about WKLU lieing to their audience. You and your station have no moral high ground in this discussion. It's just too bad that you can't admit that it's more fun to work for people who really love radio rather than people who couldn't give a crap as long as they sell their 24 spots an hour. To your guys, radio is just a dumping ground for spots...nothing more. AND YOU DEFEND THEM! My Response:No...I was just tired of saying the same thing over and over...WKLU lied to their audience and lied to their customers, and had an attitude of "we do radio different"...all the while planning to flip the station, and now realizing it can't be flipped until the cash flow justifies the sale. Breaking the four spot an hour promise by adding more avails.To one of your points above...radio is a business. The listener is the product and the advertiser is the customer. We have to cultivate an audience to sell to the advertiser. It is not an art form. If you want art form..work at a station below 92 on the dial.The argument is real simple. Business ethics. You either lied or you didn't and I think you protest too much.Let's bring up a new topic on business ethics...bumping spots for spots with a higher rate without telling the advertiser with whom you have contracted. Care to comment Hion?Here's another response to ZV who was responding to Spark Gap:Spark Gap has hit upon the great irony that is KLU. They promote themselves as the great anti-corporate radio station, yet all the while, the plan is to get the station to a point so the owner can do what? Sell it to the highest corporate bidder.It's kinda funny.My Response:This is the essence of the whole WKLU plan. It was never about great radio, flip it...just like a house in need of some TLC in a neighborhood. Then move on to the next project."Wow I really like what you have done to the old place...great curb appeal with the ratings and all...so tell me about the the taxes...er I mean cash flow?"BTW Nice job on being edited for the personal attack.TTFN...need to mow the yard

 

[Hionradio]

South, you're good at rhetoric. So you DID learn something at work. Irrespective of your last response the facts remain:1) WKLU NEVER promised that they'd never play more than 4 commercials per hour. They promised that they'd only stop once an hour.2) Oasis NEVER promised that they'd never play more than 4 commercials per hour.3) The "Underwritten by" lines are NOT added value.4) The jocks are NOT low paid and it is NOT cheaper to have live jocks 24/7 than to voicetrack (as your cheap place does).5) WKLU never told advertisers that they'd never play more than 4 commercials per hour.I hope you enjoy defending the folks that you have to tiptoe around at work (for fear that you'll get terminated next). While you're saving your boss $25 in the overnight show, we're all over here sipping some kool-aid. MMMMmmmm...it's good. Makes us feel good....kind of like the old days in radio. I hope you enjoy recording those voice tracks today.