LEGENDS 102.7: NOW THAT'S VARIETY FOR YOU!!

[The Voice of Reason]

VOR -
Music rotation and library depth aren't really money issues. What do you mean by "the right way or the cheap way"?

Music rotation and library depth are money issues because if the station continues to play the same songs on a continuous basis, the station will experience an erosion in audience, thus impacting future rating books and make it tougher for your sales department to make money. Ad agencies look for trends.
The "right way" is to look towards the future; not next year but five years down the road. Think about expanding not only Legends play list but also trying to lure some popular name talent to your station. ( Excuse me if I'm wrong but I believe you work for Legends in some capacity, and I correct?)
Perhaps "cheap" was too harsh of a word, but what I meant was that while Legends does have some full-time staff, I believe the majority of your on-air talent is made up of part-time or casual employees; am I correct?
It's always great to have good part-time help, but it's has been my experience that stations who employ mostly part-time people do so in order to avoid having to pay for medical or other insurance. What I am suggesting, again, is for Crawford to spend a few extra dollars by hiring some good local talent....full-time.....even if they have to work a Saturday shift. Maybe you don't need a morning drive team, but you sure do need a news presence, especially if you are going for an older audience.
If you want to compete against the big-boys,( Clear Channel & Entercom) Crawford is going to have to spend some money. The question is do you want to spend money hiring on-air talent that will attract a larger audience, or find someone to sell what you're currently offering?

 

[scooterodell]

"Some capacity," yes, but definitely low on the totem pole!

As for music rotation, I can say that the LGZ playlist is significantly larger than what you'll find at most stations. I can't speak to how the music is scheduled, but I know that there are more songs added often.

As for the talent, I can say that the major dayparts all have full-time staff. AM drive host has been on the air in the market for over a decade, midday and PM drive for nine years. The evenings and weekends all have local hosts as well--no out of town VTs. Some of the most experienced hosts--the ones with proven track records in the market--don't want to do more than a weekend shift with a fill-in spot here and there. I'm not influential in who gets on air and who gets hired, but I know that we've got a good group of folks here right now.

As for news, again, I'm not influential there either, but I personally am not a big fan of news on music stations. I know there are others (like you, VOR) who disagree, and I respect that. It's not my thing, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't be good for LGZ. Fortunately, I don't have to worry about making that decision!

As for Crawford spending money, it remains to be seen what will happen in Rochester. I know that in other markets, the company has brought in some "big names" who had local significance when the timing worked for all parties involved. We'll see what happens here. I haven't heard any rumblings... not that I would reveal them if I had!

 

[umtrr-author]

Last night's "drive off the road" selection on 102.7 was "Sister Christian" by Night Ranger. This was followed by "It Must Be Him" by Vicki Carr and then "Hippie Hippie Shakes" by The Swingin' Blue Jeans. You can't say that's not variety... and add Night Ranger to the list of common artists between Legends and Fickle (and probably Warm and maybe even Sunny as well).

Re: "Topsy" and "Topsy II" by Cozy Cole... I know that's in my dad's collection of 45's back in NJ. I have not heard that song in ages-- hello, Legends Request Line? However, I believe that Meco (of Star Wars/Cantina Band disco remake, #1 single in 1977 - somebody had to buy it!) remade "Topsy". I know Meco has a "Topsy" but I don't know if it's the same song.

 

[Desert Pete]

The following post was cut and pasted from another thread because it really beongs here.

cee
rimember


I've tried to be polite in earlier assessments of Legends 102.7, but Element 9 is right. It's just an awful station. There a few good people on the air, but it's hard to sound good on a bad station. Weekenders Mike Vickers and KB Cooper sounded much better when they worked full time for WBBF and WBEE respectively. The whole presentation is bad. Like many of us on this board, I could be tempted to do some on-air work on the weekends, but I would never even apply to this station. I wouldn't want people knowing I worked there.

 

[Desert Pete]

And, while I'm at it, here's part of another post that belongs here. What follows is part truth and part prophesy.

The Voice of Reason
rimember

"Let's put the cards on the table. No matter what advise or suggestions some of us have given Crawford to improve WLGZ, it appears management isn't listening, which is a shame because if they continue to go down the path they currently are, eventually they will find their audience has eroded out of frustration or boredom".

Many of us (listeners, jocks who have worked the format, and former oldies programmers) have spoken directly to Legends through this board out of simple concern and our love for the format. They ARE listening. They have, after all, moved that stupid Broadway show (that shouldn't even be on the air in the first place) to somewhere other than Friday drive-time, and they've started playing Sinatra studio cuts instead of those hideous live cuts.

So, while I've got their attention ... for the 3rd time ... the music can be fixed by simply playing relevant (to the format) hits, and nothing BUT the hits. These can be found on, say, CBS-FM's stream. Listen to it. Play what they play and nothing they DON'T play (no, for example, Alison Kraus singing "Baby Now That I've Found You"). That should work to start. It can be tweaked along the way.

I hate to disagree with Savage, but those "old-timey" jingles suck. They gotta go.

And, sorry ... but Gramps on Saturday night's request show? He and his 45 collection have got to be replaced by a radio guy who knows what he's doing, has done it, is available, and would be willing to do it again. Mike Saffran comes immediatly to mind.

 

[Savage]

Desert Pete, you must have misread my post about Legend's "Radio A Go-Go" jingles. I meant they fit on a modern music-format FM about as well as cracking the mic and sounding off a stadium air horn between songs.

I have previously opined that they're ancient-sounding and laughably cartoony. I love old jingles, but maybe on a 60s oldies request show. If you want to hear old PAMS jingles used properly check out XM's "Sixties on 6." And not even that narrow all-oldies channel uses Radio A Go-Go. They chose several of the more recent, less dated PAMS Series, such as 31 (Music Is Our Middle Name) and 33 (Fun Vibrations.)

No, the jingles should go. They sound ridiculous.

 

[candy_kisses69]

I have a few issues with Legends 102.7. The main ones are is they play I swear also stuff from the pre 50s it sounds like to me. Their span is too big. I swear some stuff from maybe sometimes from atleast the 90s. I don't know they played something from Queen Latifta and Kelly Clarkson. I think they should get rid of the Frank Sinatra hour and the broadway hour. My last issue with them is they don't come in very well on a small portable radio that only has head phones. I wish they would move somewhere else on the dial or up their power. Where I am it seems like a country station or religious station interferes or even Sunny 102.3 interferes also
I wish there was another oldies station that would give them a real run for their money.

 

[Bill Myers]

I agree with Bob Savage - Hi Bob - You're right the jingles have gotta go or at least get 'em updated. All those jingles are are mixouts from the 990 jingles. I spoke with the PD there, Mark, and he said the reason for not updating the jingles was because he already hit up corporate for the move from 990 to 102.7 he didn't wanna ask 'em for a new jingle package. Some of those jingles sound dumb cuz most of em are 'beds' where the 990 sing used to be.

It does sound disjointed to hear one of the PAMS jingles segued into Elton John's Sacrifice or you get the idea....Heck, why don't they add the reverb to the audio out while they're at it.

I love the Saturday night oldies show cuz Joe plays songs that don't come out of the 'these are safe to play' pile. Oldies that you've heard a half a zillion times before. However, he does need some coaching or something. Talking over jingles, over the intros to songs, sometimes they get the 2 feeds mixed together as they're trying to break away from the simulcast of 990 and 102.7 at 10pm. He's no Dick Bartley that's for sure.

Bob, I'd love to hear you host the show. That would be a pleasure to listen to. Reminiscient of your WIBG or KB days but certainly a departure from your Warm Nights nights.

Bill

 

[Savage]

Thanks for the nice comments, Bill. So Legends doesn't have the budget for new jingles? How about this:

Just take 'em off! They'd be better off having some nice imaging liners done by an out-of-market voice instead of running 43-year old silly sounding old jingles. Crawford is a big company. They've gotta have somebody somewhere they could press into service.

 

[therealjm12]

Aren't there jingle companies that "trade" anymore?

 

[Savage]

You mean Pepper-Tanner, for D-Con and Preparation H spots? Ahhh.....no.

The reason Pepper used to trade was, way-back-when Preparation H spots were considered "in bad taste." These days a butt-salve spot pales in comparison with radio commercials regularly scheduled for condoms and um, "female products." (To say nothing of the HD Alliance promos with two teens talking about the wonderfulness of HD, one describing it as "radio with a boob job.")

I am not making this up: the foot-thick tension during my bar examination in Tennessee was considerably lightened when I encountered an actual question on a lawsuit involving Pepper-Tanner in the essay questions. Recall, Pepper was headquartered in Memphis.

 

[Play Freebird]

My business partner Lloyd recalls a "legend" once told about William B. Tanner. He was attending a radio convention, and while returning to his car, a mugger approached him.

The scoundrel got away with $1000 in cash -- and $2000 in trade.

 

[therealjm12]

I remember that WRUN & WTRY used to trade out with the Quinn (Gwuen?)sound for some pretty good jingles. They ran an awful religious program tucked away on Sunday mornings. I worked for a station that traded out spots for jingles and promtional items- pens, lighters , etc. but that may have been a Pepper-Tanner deal.
I had (have) a friend that worked for TM Productions (several years ago)and he would work out trades. I remember he was in Rochester and gave me a call. He had an appointment with WVOR the next day. I don't know what came out of it.

 

[Radknowski]

What a wealth of information and opinion regarding WLGZ. Makes you wonder why they don't take advantage of some of the good suggestions in this thread: Refine the library, play the hits and maybe a few of the secondary songs from core artists (Beatles, Stones, Supremes, Temps, Tops, Four Seasons, Aretha, Motown, Rascals, Memphis, Monkees, Elvis, Roy, British Invasion, Barry White and radio-only disco hits of the 70s, Fleetwood Mac, Eagles) maintain music consistency (no train wreck segs) and discard the hokey jingles in favor of thematic sweepers. Institute daily features, e.g., Beatle Brunch, Five o'clock Car Tunes, Lunch Hour Requests, 60s at 6 or 70s at 7. Institute weekend themes and Two Fer Tuesdays. A PD who's proficient in Selector and Oldies-Classic Hits could get this done in a day.

 

[The Voice of Reason]

What a wealth of information and opinion regarding WLGZ. Makes you wonder why they don't take advantage of some of the good suggestions in this thread: Refine the library, play the hits and maybe a few of the secondary songs from core artists (Beatles, Stones, Supremes, Temps, Tops, Four Seasons, Aretha, Motown, Rascals, Memphis, Monkees, Elvis, Roy, British Invasion, Barry White and radio-only disco hits of the 70s, Fleetwood Mac, Eagles) maintain music consistency (no train wreck segs) and discard the hokey jingles in favor of thematic sweepers. Institute daily features, e.g., Beatle Brunch, Five o'clock Car Tunes, Lunch Hour Requests, 60s at 6 or 70s at 7. Institute weekend themes and Two Fer Tuesdays. A PD who's proficient in Selector and Oldies-Classic Hits could get this done in a day.

You answer your question " you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink." I think that's the scenario with the management at Legends. Apparently those in charge figure that since they are making progress in the ratings, why make changes. However it's not going to be that long before another radio station decides to go after Legend's audience. With Bob Savage's background, hopefully it will be 1220-AM. Even if Savage decides not to go in that direction, someone else will, and will program WLGZ's competition the right way.

 

[Ima_Talent]

My business partner Lloyd recalls a "legend" once told about William B. Tanner. He was attending a radio convention, and while returning to his car, a mugger approached him.

The scoundrel got away with $1000 in cash -- and $2000 in trade.

;D Now THAT'S funny!!!!

 

[Mike_Saffran]

a radio guy who knows what he's doing, has done it, is available, and would be willing to do it again.Mike Saffran comes immediatly to mind.

Thanks for the endorsement, Pete. Although "willing to do it again" is debatable, it's nice knowing someone remembers (I sometimes lament there's little to show for six years' hosting the Saturday night "Jukebox" on 'KLX/'BBF, aside from an entry on my resume and 6,000 miles of aircheck tape. But that's the nature of radio, I suppose.)

Also, great point about "playing the hits." Back when I was at 'VOR in the early '90s, we had a liner, "WVOR 100, where the 'V' stands for 'Variety'!" I thought it was a great line...just so long as we didn't actually live up to the promise! Listeners say—and often truly believe—they want variety (hence, great liner)...but they really want consistency and reliability. ("Fickle" offers another great example of what not to do, in my opinion.)

 

[qman]

The target demographic for Legends 102.7 is 35 & up. Hence, the different styles heard on Legends. Rest assured you will NEVER hear Pink Floyd, The Grateful Dead or Led Zeppelin on the station.

 

[Desert Pete]

Methinks they've finally got a talent coach over there. Or at the very least, somebody taught Gina Jones about basic Bill Drake formatics forward momentum stuff ... and NOT ONE MENTION (that I heard) of having a baby, being pregnant WITH a baby, how a baby has changed her life, or any of that yucky-poo drivel that makes everybody scramble for the buttons. Less than 15 seconds into the breaks. It was GREAT! Best she's ever sounded.

Today's drive-off-the-road music segue ... "Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me)" by the Doobie Brothers into Benny Goodman's "Stompin' At The Savoy". P-U.

 

[Mark Giardina]

I was listening around 7:15 this morning and actually heard News on the station, or something close to it.

We had a storm blow through the area knocking out power.
And the Buffalo Bills won their second straight game.

Well at least someone down there on Browncroft Blvd heeded my advice and decided to add news to their morning line up. Why it's being aired at :15 after the hour is beyond me....but at least its a step forward.