Is WVKO AM in trouble??

[XtraXtra]

Someone in another thread mentioned "Short term LMA" .. My guess with how its being done again.. the "103.1 La Mega" simlucast that was heard yesterday evening and overnight will become perm come after election time.

I'm the one who mentioned that, and to me, that phrase screams "we're gonna throw this thing on for the runup to the 2012 election". It puzzles me. Gary is apparently a diehard liberal and believes in the cause, but he's been a radio pro for decades. He can't wait a week or two until all the pieces are in place?

I also wonder if WCPT is aware that the reincarnated WKVO progressive talk LMA is using their stream to power on-air programming.

Heck, there are plenty of Internet-based solutions Gary could probably use without directly feeding off of WCPT's public Internet feed. Couldn't Dial Global send up a clean Internet feed of Ed/Steph/etc.? They're probably used to stations having satellite dishes.

If Gary is around, he's probably calling me a rightwinger who wants the station to fail. Heck no, I want it to succeed. I am also an admitted Stephanie Miller fan, or at least I was when she was on here in NE Ohio (not counting 1460's operation, which I can't hear because I'm not on Cleveland's east side).

I'll fall back to my original stance...I'll give Gary a couple of weeks to work out the bugs. But he should have waited...instead, listeners are treated to more Spanish-language music than progressive talk, and are certainly wondering why, even not counting the "WCPT" mentions when they are in format.

Given how cheap solutions seem to be these days, there is no excuse for a crappy-sounding radio station. No excuse whatsoever. I also don't understand why you would pull the internet feed off of a Chicago station, when it seems like it would be easier (and more relevant) to be doing a simulcast between Cleveland and Columbus (think: the old WLW days).

Now if Gary really thinks he can influence the election with a third-rate operation on a shoestring budget getting a 1.0 share ... well, that just speaks for itself. Bottom line is that nobody really cares about conservative/liberal and all the hot button issues except for the diehards. The rest of us simply want the economy to boom again. Obama's had his chance and the only thing I've seen him do is increase my health care premiums 25%. With the economy booming you might be able to overlook that, but it isn't so you can't.

 

[borderblaster]

LMAing a station only up to the election in order to elect Democrats (unlikely to make a difference anyway). Can this be considered a campaign contribution? Does WVKO turn down a GOP ad buy? (You'll hear plenty of Democrats on WTVN)

 

[xmusicmatt]

I'll fall back to my original stance...I'll give Gary a couple of weeks to work out the bugs. But he should have waited...instead, listeners are treated to more Spanish-language music than progressive talk, and are certainly wondering why, even not counting the "WCPT" mentions when they are in format.

I just don't understand that one either myself.. Bernard could have easly ran the "St Gabriel is moving to 820 Loop" for a few more weeks or days to get the kinks worked out in the prog talk LMA before going live on 1/2/12.

I know I have been very vocal on here about the tech issues.. I am not against prog talk being on air either (I am not even a lib and feel they deserve a voice as much as the other side does) .. I just hate to see poorly run radio when I know you can do it cheap and still sound good.

 

[gabigley1]

You should have given VKO-AM at least two weeks before reviving this thread for crying out loud, That said, I personalty believe they weren't prepared to go on the air just yet.... But Gary would say, "I'm only trying to give the format a voice so leave me alone".. Bedsides, he had a
short notice.... This is what he told the Columbus Dispatch last Thursday:

http://www.dispatch.com/content/sto.../2011/12/31/1a-showtell31-art-grefbrv2-1.html

Station owner Bernard Ohio LLC offered Gary Richards, a previous station manager, the opportunity to re-embrace the liberal format on WVKO.

“So that’s what we’re doing,” he said. “It all came together very suddenly. It’s exciting.”

That said, this is what they(WVKO-AM) posted on their WVKO-AM Facebook page:

WVKO 1580 AM:

We will be simulcasting WVKO FM from 6 PM to 6 AM for the next week or so, until our satellite transmission link is installed. Thanks for you patience!
Like · Comment · 9 hours ago ·

I have a feeling it's going to be a LOT longer then a week or so!!!

Also, someone posted how bad the 3-6PM Dude is here.. this was posted on the VKO-AM facebook page:

Harry Yeprem Jr.

Please get rid of the 3-6pm show...it is unlistenable...

3 hours ago
Harry Yeprem Jr.

 

[gabigley1]

And get this.. In the "You Can't Please All The People All The Time" dept.

http://www.urbaninsite.com/?p=19765

The legendary WVKO, Columbus is now syndicated talk. As you know syndication can do strange things to a black community. A company called Clear Conscience Communication introduced a new line-up and there are no blacks hosting at all. The chosen ones are: Ed Schultz, Stephanie Miller, Thom Hartmann, Mike Malloy, Bill Press and Leslie Marshall, seven days a week. The Vibe in Columbus is legendary call letters and NOT ONE black talk show host could be found for this Progressive lineup either local or syndicated? Not even Rev Al Sharpton or Warren Ballentine could get a call.

They forgot the station is running gospel music on Sunday. This from the Columbus Dispatch:

http://www.dispatch.com/content/sto.../2011/12/31/1a-showtell31-art-grefbrv2-1.html

Plans for the rest of the day remain tentative, Richards said.

In a nod to the history of WVKO, the programming will include gospel music on Sundays.

 

[Nu_Roo_2]

LMAing a station only up to the election in order to elect Democrats (unlikely to make a difference anyway). Can this be considered a campaign contribution?

That's all we need, the FCC regulating motivation for an LMA.  Maybe oversight re format motivation comes next?  And heck, why not bring back the Fairness Doctrine while we're at it?   Even if Richards' motivation is solely to elect Democrats (eminently doable given the intense vulnerability of all the potential Republican presidential contenders -- and Kasich's severe political blunders), that fits perfectly with the spirit of the Supreme Court's ruling that "corporations are people too," i.e., are fully entitled to engage in political spending.

 

[del_griffith]

I listened a bit to Bill Press this morning. It's difficult to say how well it sounded as I live near Groveport and am at a place where there is a lot of signal ingress when the station is on night pattern. That being said, it didn't sound too bad and the breaks were being hit. Actually kind of enjoyed the program.

 

[in3media_be1]

Some posts from this thread have been moved to Take It Outside...


http://boards.radio-info.com/smf/index.php?topic=204333.msg1822674#msg1822674

 

[KFodor]

And get this.. In the "You Can't Please All The People All The Time" dept.

http://www.urbaninsite.com/?p=19765

The legendary WVKO, Columbus is now syndicated talk. As you know syndication can do strange things to a black community. A company called Clear Conscience Communication introduced a new line-up and there are no blacks hosting at all. The chosen ones are: Ed Schultz, Stephanie Miller, Thom Hartmann, Mike Malloy, Bill Press and Leslie Marshall, seven days a week. The Vibe in Columbus is legendary call letters and NOT ONE black talk show host could be found for this Progressive lineup either local or syndicated? Not even Rev Al Sharpton or Warren Ballentine could get a call.

They forgot the station is running gospel music on Sunday. This from the Columbus Dispatch:

http://www.dispatch.com/content/sto.../2011/12/31/1a-showtell31-art-grefbrv2-1.html

Plans for the rest of the day remain tentative, Richards said.

In a nod to the history of WVKO, the programming will include gospel music on Sundays.

Well, given the history of the station...it would be understandable for some of those in the Urban community to think they should air, say Sharpton or one of the other progressive black talk shows. But, I'm not sure that the station wants to have the image of being the "old heritage black station", anymore. They want to be a progressive talker, period. And that could be a potential issue for them. Who would really get numbers? Would they get bigger ratings airing, let's say, Al Sharpton as opposed to a Mike Malloy? Simply because one might be more notable than the other? And, with listeners who tend to be largely progressive in thought, might one of the urban shows make more sense? Interesting point to ponder...

 

[redsfan1966]

Apparently, I have been banned from the WVKO facebook page for asking jokingly, "Yo hablo espanol?'. Guess all Progressives don't have the same sense of humor that good old Stephanie Miller does...

 

[Nu_Roo_2]

I really have a hard time listening to Sharpton. His style drives me up the wall.

 

[Nu_Roo_2]

Apparently, I have been banned from the WVKO facebook page for asking jokingly, "Yo hablo espanol?'. Guess all Progressives don't have the same sense of humor that good old Stephanie Miller does...

Unless there's more to it (and I'm sure you would have passed that along), banning you just for that is wacky.