I may have tuned in a little late yesterday and since I listen to KDWN online out of state, I believe HEidi Harris was briefly discussing open lines. Apparently, there were some calls complaining why the station doesn't let anybody talk about what they want.
Well, here's my perspective on the subject. KDWN AM 720 did have a open line format for about 30 years and while did have a good showing in the books in the early 1980's. They began to slip around 1989 and continued a downward spiral since then. I did enjoy the open line because it was the last few stations that did that.
Unfortunately, most of the subjects talked about were not interesting. Most of the callers were a bunch of crabby old people in their mid 70's to early 80's. KDWN had a much more youthful calling audience in the mid 1980's until about 1990. Subjects were a continuing soap opera of the same thing. Bill Clinton, Janet Reno, etc. This continued even after Clinton left office. Other constant topics were the Waco incident and the Oklahoma City fiasco with some callers even defending Timothy McVeigh and David Koresh. Rumors that the old owner was a cheap and did not want to spend money on modern equipment. KDWN was probably the only station in town as of the year 2000 that used 4-track carts, reel to reel tape and vinyl albums with a turntable. Music collection was mostly alot of Big Band, 70's MOR music.
The old owner AJ Williams had already passed away and the contract with the plaza hotel was not going to be renewed again.
The new KDWN AM 720 taken over by Beasley still runs a conservative to libertarian format but seems to attract different callers and a more youthful audience versus the old cranks they used to get.
What Heidi was saying was you can't let people talk about what they want because sometimes it's boring when it's off topic, nobody will listen. You are going to be screened accordingly and if it's not fascinating enough, it doesn't get on the air. It has to be on the subject matter for that hour.
If KDWN remained the other way, it probably would be more of the same. More of the same ten callers calling every day complaining about Bill Clinton, Janet Reno, etc. More calls about the waco incident and many many more subjects including whatever happened to Big Band music.
Well, here's my perspective on the subject. KDWN AM 720 did have a open line format for about 30 years and while did have a good showing in the books in the early 1980's. They began to slip around 1989 and continued a downward spiral since then. I did enjoy the open line because it was the last few stations that did that.
Unfortunately, most of the subjects talked about were not interesting. Most of the callers were a bunch of crabby old people in their mid 70's to early 80's. KDWN had a much more youthful calling audience in the mid 1980's until about 1990. Subjects were a continuing soap opera of the same thing. Bill Clinton, Janet Reno, etc. This continued even after Clinton left office. Other constant topics were the Waco incident and the Oklahoma City fiasco with some callers even defending Timothy McVeigh and David Koresh. Rumors that the old owner was a cheap and did not want to spend money on modern equipment. KDWN was probably the only station in town as of the year 2000 that used 4-track carts, reel to reel tape and vinyl albums with a turntable. Music collection was mostly alot of Big Band, 70's MOR music.
The old owner AJ Williams had already passed away and the contract with the plaza hotel was not going to be renewed again.
The new KDWN AM 720 taken over by Beasley still runs a conservative to libertarian format but seems to attract different callers and a more youthful audience versus the old cranks they used to get.
What Heidi was saying was you can't let people talk about what they want because sometimes it's boring when it's off topic, nobody will listen. You are going to be screened accordingly and if it's not fascinating enough, it doesn't get on the air. It has to be on the subject matter for that hour.
If KDWN remained the other way, it probably would be more of the same. More of the same ten callers calling every day complaining about Bill Clinton, Janet Reno, etc. More calls about the waco incident and many many more subjects including whatever happened to Big Band music.
, other callers may not be as good.