Look What They Did! WHUM in Columbus

[radioho]

Bruce Quinn:

I've said before and will say again if an owner can play radio the way HE wants, and doesn't have to be concerned with the income side - more power to him and wouldn't we all like to be there ... nothing to criticize there. He's the one that has to listen to the station all day, why not play what you want? If he has to please an audience, he'll have to cater to them, if it doesn't matter, then play what you want!!!

IndyDan:

That was a VERY interesting take on hendricks county's radio history - I found it informative.

And by the way - what WAS the old lady's name - I didn't realize she had that much control on those stations? I just remember hearing her on a few occasions when I was in town before moving here. By the time I got to Indy, it was sold to the self-loved owner who homogenized it to where it is today.

Since all of you work at KLU - can I hear FREEBIRD again please? Don't hear that one near enough!

 

[pot-up-the-bird]

In all my years as a broadcaster, I have never met so many trifling, backstabbing, vicious, maligning excuses for human beings from the board monkeys, to the on-air personalitis, to the arrogant, self-proclaimed successful owners. If the jocks are not busy reading cue cards during a live shift at some stations, the rest are busy tracking on multiple stations for the same company. I agree with Indy Dan. We would all love to be in Bruce Quinn's shoes & just do our own thing without all the office/control room politics. I am ashamed of my field of work due to the pain & hate you so called members of the media have created amongst yourselves. Has it occurred to you, it is probably the person sitting next to you or in your building throwing the most punches while in disguise on this board. The hateful things said here should make you want to say a prayer for forgiveness. You will need it. I was told over a decade ago never to burn my bridges in this field. It appears many of you no longer have a bridge to cross.

 

[IndyDan]

And by the way - what WAS the old lady's name - I didn't realize she had that much control on those stations? I just remember hearing her on a few occasions when I was in town before moving here. By the time I got to Indy, it was sold to the self-loved owner who homogenized it to where it is today.

Since all of you work at KLU - can I hear FREEBIRD again please? Don't hear that one near enough!

That would be Irma Lee White. Gotta give her credit, she seems to know almost everyone in the county as long as she's been involved in radio. She was also community affairs director for those stations, for what that's worth.
I am not sure how young she is these days, but I would guess in her early 70's by now. She's actually a very nice person who just got frustrated from time to time.

 

[radioho]

In all my years as a broadcaster, I have never met so many trifling, backstabbing, vicious, maligning excuses for human beings from the board monkeys, to the on-air personalitis, to the arrogant, self-proclaimed successful owners. I am ashamed of my field of work due to the pain & hate you so called members of the media have created amongst yourselves. Has it occurred to you, it is probably the person sitting next to you or in your building throwing the most punches while in disguise on this board. I was told over a decade ago never to burn my bridges in this field. It appears many of you no longer have a bridge to cross.

Then this is probably NOT the professional forum board for you. Are we to change for YOU? The point is you CAN be annonymous here - accept it or don't read it.

And if your first sentence is true - you either haven't been in the business long - or you don't get out much. Arrogance, backstabbing, dirty owners - THAT IS RADIO! Give me an example of a station in Indy that doesn't have those elements - I'll apply!

 

[Ur-A-Dawg]

Sounds like someone had a sour experience. Too bad. But you have to be thick skinned to survive
in this business. Lots of this backstabbing going on and you better be able to take it.

 

[Timewarp]

The only way I can listen to WHUM in West Lafayette is by the internet. I can't say
listening through a computer is that handy. Maybe I need one of those new WIFI radios?
Dream on!

Anyway, I don't think Bruce and Mitzi Quinn are WHUM's only listeners. There are many of us
who need something different than corporate cookie cutter formats.

Columbus is lucky to have them.

 

[MightyFrenchman]

I can also remember back to when 98.3 was WJMK, operating from a guy's garage in the middle of Plainfield with the stick in his back yard. (The "old lady" worked there as well). It was a true Hendricks county station and did well for it's time before it got sold and evolved into what is now Radio Disney.

IndyDan, there were many, many years between those 2 historical events you mention. Primarily the 22 1/2 years that 98.3 FM was Love 98. We discovered what Tom Allebrandi no doubt discovered before the statiion was purchased from him and that is, that Plainfield businesses would not advertise on the Plainfield radio station. Nevertheless we maintained our broadcast presence in our Plainfield studio long after stations like WZPL & WENS had abandoned their cities of license. In fact, you were our mid-day DJ for quite awhile from the Plainfield studio. You were great. I remember when you and Nancy also did a remote from the Target store in Carmel when CCM artist Carman made an appearance there.

 

[media1170]

WHUM is an LPFM, so there is little "for profit" motive as is the norm for the rest of the industry.
I don't think anyone needs the lectured about why LPFM was created.

But, it frees up the programming side side to be less "make it sellable" so as to make it more local. Bruce had a lot of community events on the air at WKLU because they we sellable as well as "local".

The catch 22 is that LPFMs have very poor cash flow so they have fewer resources than Commercial stations. But I understand WHUMLP was on top of all the weather related closures and city problems as a result of the recent bad weather.

Judging by the large number of local signals in Columbus, radio there can't be very profitable. I would like to invent a new market term, a follow up to the "rim shot" term used to descibe a suburban stations attempt to serve a larger nearby city. This term would be to describe a station trying to the serve the rim shot's market:
A Three Pointer (as in NBA/ABA three point range field goal).

Edinburg is a Three pointer-serving Franklin who's station is serving Indy.
Cinero serving Carmel, Danville serving Brownsburg, Elletsville serving Bloomington. Cloverdale is even better, Plainfiield/Bloomington/Brownsburg and Morristown for Greenfield and Shelbyville.

There are some other really stupid setups that are not to hard to spot.

 

[IndyDan]

IndyDan, there were many, many years between those 2 historical events you mention. Primarily the 22 1/2 years that 98.3 FM was Love 98. We discovered what Tom Allebrandi no doubt discovered before the statiion was purchased from him and that is, that Plainfield businesses would not advertise on the Plainfield radio station. Nevertheless we maintained our broadcast presence in our Plainfield studio long after stations like WZPL & WENS had abandoned their cities of license. In fact, you were our mid-day DJ for quite awhile from the Plainfield studio. You were great. I remember when you and Nancy also did a remote from the Target store in Carmel when CCM artist Carman made an appearance there.

Yeah, I realize that there was a large time span...I think when Tom bought the station from the original owner, he changed the call to WART and ran some sort of obscure country format (I remember a frog wearing a cowboy hat as the logo) and moved the studio to a house in Downtown Plainfield, behind the car wash. When the original guy sold/retired, he also sold his house where WJMK was located and the new owners wanted that 250+ foot monstrosity in their back yard removed, but I think WART used it for a while before the new tower was built in Avon. Seems like WART only lasted a couple of years with the country format before becoming WXIR. The folks at WXIR very good to our ham radio group for allowing us to put our radio repeater antenna on their tower and providing space in their transmitter building for the equipment. ABC promptly booted us when they took over the station.
And no, sorry, I am not the person you are thinking of....I was never on the air at 98.3, although I had been in the Plainfield studios a couple of times.

 

[pot-up-the-bird]

Well Radio Ho I certainly wouldn't want this amusement park to change for ME! As for YOU looking for a gig without malicious politics, GOOD LUCK, because you will find that in any workforce. For example, let's say Steak n' Shake has jealousy & hate among co-workers. The only difference is you would most likely make more money at any restaurant then you would as a jock. However, over inflated egos will accept low wages & haters to be a "radio personality" in Indianoplace. Thick skin, your damn right or I wouldn't have put up with the slander/libel for over a decade. Oh that reminds me of the few jocks you should be afraid of. They may sue the station for stubbing a toe. Every station in the Indy market knows who these people are. They burned their bridges & didn't get a dime. There is one who still has a job, but Dinosaurs eventually are put out to pasture. The other downside of the biz. NO JOB SECURITY!! WATCH YOUR BACK & YOUR CHAIR. Here today...gone tomorrow. Yes, the ten years plus have been a roller coaster ride, but I still have my chair. A multi-billionaire told me many years ago to follow my brain & not my heart. Should have taken his advice. I would have a hell of a lot more money if I did. Kudos to BOB & TOM the only terrestrial jocks with money in the bank.

 

[radioho]

The other downside of the biz. NO JOB SECURITY!! WATCH YOUR BACK & YOUR CHAIR. Here today...gone tomorrow.

And we're not allowed to criticize the people who MAKE that a part of life in radio? Because it is it will always be? Radio sucks because the people who run it, in general, have come up through a system of crap, and perpetuate that cycle. Programmers that were once jocks and complained like the rest of us stop complaining when they get that extra buck and hour to be management -but the cesspool continues.

I'm not talking about a particular station, I'm talking radio in general. pick a city - i've been to many - I love radio, but it has forced me to the television side where at least the arrogance is deserved. In tv - while it's competitive - it's a 'team' environment. Radio is all the things you called it above, but the backstabbing usually START with the managers and works its way down.

 

[Ur-A-Dawg]

Commercial radio can be quite nasty with all the egos clashes. I am sure this has left a bitter taste in many a DJ's mouth.

 

[Tired-Old-Dog]

It goes like this....If I'm the boss, then I am the boss. I build a team that is loyal to me.
If our station goal is to go to the moon, we will all work together to get there.

If you are a back stabber or trouble, I WILL FIRE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!

Not firing people who deserved to be fired was the biggest flaw of Bruce Quinn's station
here in Indy

I do not have this problem.

 

[pot-up-the-bird]

Tired-Old-Dog I agree with you 110%!!!! Heard the Quinns should have cleaned house to rid the cancer from the building. I think it took a real toll on Bruce Quinn's health. I glimpsed at a Hendricks Co. Magazine yesterday, but didn't read the article on KLU until today. I can't help but think Oasis is in a fantasy world. What kind of fiction was he trying to sell? Another thing I have learned in my years of broadcasting, which I find despicable, is the B.S. reported by the media. The average Joe most likely believes the hoop la, but I have learned to read between the lines since most reporters mess up even the simplest facts, or are too biased to even be worthy of doing the story. I saw a picture of Bruce Quinn in the magazine & I'm happy to see time has been good to him. By looking at his picture it appears leaving the Indy market was a healing move. For some reason I pictured Oasis to be near 50 like Bruce, but by the picture in the magazine it appears Oasis is near 60. If not, life isn't as sweet as he tries to portray and it has taken a toll on him. Money doesn't buy happiness.

 

[pot-up-the-bird]

Tired-old-Dog I do agree the Quinns should have cleaned house to rid the tumors growing in the midst. My question to you is how do you get the staff to fly in the same direction? If you are indeed the BOSS, then you are very well aware of the workers against the Boss mentality. Unless you have a worm in your midst, how do you know they are not backstabbing YOU unless they are very blatant? Can't fire someone when you are wearing blinders, and don't acknowledge they ARE in your presence. That is just the facts when it comes to being the BOSS! GOOD LUCK FLYING TO THE MOON!!!!

 

[Tired-Old-Dog]

I can’t build a team if I have an employee who thinks the music stinks, the boss is a blooming idiot, and the station sucks. I have to fire that guy!

Hand pick employees who see it your way and build your team with them. Get to know them. Be hands on and involved in knowing everything.

If an employee needs to blow off steam, keep cool and listen. But public displays of disrespect can never
Be tolerated.

Have a good working professional relationship with employees. Treat them with the respect that you
Expect.

Many of my former employees come back to Indy from time to time. We visit and maybe go out
for a brew

Yes, Bruce Quinn should have started fresh when he changed WQFE to WKLU. There are reasons for this that he can explain now quite well, I am sure.

 

[Ur-A-Dawg]

Just wondering? Are Bruce and Mitzi Quinn so soured by some memories of bad employees?
Now, they are going it alone? They don't want any help? Just them, and their computers to run
WHUM? Is this the rest of the story?

 

[pot-up-the-bird]

Ur-A-Dog is this a joke? Do YOU have bad memories? Bruce & Mitzi Quinn have been doing their own thing for how many years now? A long time since the Oasis buyout. I agree with so many of the posts on this thread that I only wish I could be in their shoes. While they laughed their asses off all the way to the bank and a new station, some of the schmucks are still kissing corporate ass. Is that the rest of the story?

 

[redduck]

Here we go again :

 

[redduck]

Okay, when the Quinns owned WKLU who should have been fired, who was the "cancer"???
They had at least three people (lowly jocks) trying to save the station while all the time their plan was to sell.