Martini Radio

[WTUX]

I got stuck in a big traffic delay on I-95 Monday afternoon and decided to listen to a station I had not tuned in for awhile: 1340. Martini is a beverage that definitely ties to the station. You need to have consumed two or three if you are to listen for any length of time.

I love standards and like jazz. But this mixture of a few familar songs with a lot of obscure ones really leaves me confused. Who are they trying to reach? Standard lovers will listen to some unknown material if by favorite artists. But there is too much off the wall stuff on this station. It just sounds strange.

I did hear an ad or two (AARP must be their ad agency!) but it was mostly national stuff.

 

[Julius Leonard Marx]

There was an FM station in St. Louis that tried an approach to standards they called "Red." They had voice tracked female DJs who were all supposedly red-heads. And they kept trying to create an image of smoke-filled saloons. It didn't last long, although there was a lot of industry-hype and high hopes for it.

Maybe the time for standards on the radio has passed. But when it worked as a format, on stations like WNEW and WPEN, it was about music and the personalities who played the recordings. And it wasn't focused on saloon songs but on the entire "great American song book."

For me, standards goes better with coffee than with booze.

I change batteries less often than this station changes formats. I wonder what they will try next?

 

[rtetro]

Maybe the time for standards on the radio has passed. But when it worked as a format, on stations like WNEW and WPEN, it was about music and the personalities who played the recordings. And it wasn't focused on saloon songs but on the entire "great American song book."

This is true, at least for WNEW, where I was working when "the end" came in 1992. (In fact, I pushed the button to shut it off for the last time). The great thing about the WNEW format in those last few years (particularly under Quincy McCoy, and later Tom Tracy's, music direction) is that there was still plenty of room for the great artists of the past -- Sinatra, etc. But, the station also gave a lot of air time to up and comers who were carrying on the tradition of a great standards station. So, it was not merely a "nostalgia" station, but a station that presented the "great American Songbook" -- a term coined by WNEW's Jonathan Schwarz -- in all its glory by contemporary artists as well as the giants of the past. There was also a lot of Jazz mixed in the format, which was a natural extension of WNEW's history. WNEW, for instance, presented the very first outdoor jazz concert in 1939 at Randall's Island.

During the 1970s and 80s, WNEW lost its focus by attempting to compete with "adult contemporary" stations, by adding things like The Carpenters. (Somehow the thought of William B. Williams playing "Bread" or some soft "Beatles" cuts is almost heretical!). But, the station always was at its best when it stuck to its guns, was true to it's origins in the jazz age, and focused on the development of the genre throughout the years (which, of course, includes "standards" - largely a by-product of jazz and the musical theater). When they later began to refocus on their heritage format, WNEW once again sounded as good as it ever did. And when we shut down in December 1992, as Bloomberg took over and switched to the Business News format, we were once again pulling decent numbers.

It was fifteen years ago this week that the music died on WNEW. I have been saying ever since that it did not have to happen. It's demise was premature.

 

[DToTheJ]

It was fifteen years ago this week that the music died on WNEW.

Technically, it was December 2, 1992, so the anniversary just passed.

 

[doublecashkgb]

You guys sound like dinousars. Buble' Bobby Darin, Sinatra, Diana Krall, and others
are today's standards.

 

[wprt949]

There was an FM station in St. Louis that tried an approach to standards they called "Red." They had voice tracked female DJs who were all supposedly red-heads. And they kept trying to create an image of smoke-filled saloons. It didn't last long, although there was a lot of industry-hype and high hopes for it.

Maybe the time for standards on the radio has passed. But when it worked as a format, on stations like WNEW and WPEN, it was about music and the personalities who played the recordings. And it wasn't focused on saloon songs but on the entire "great American song book."

For me, standards goes better with coffee than with booze.

I change batteries less often than this station changes formats. I wonder what they will try next?

it was called RED 104.1 and emmis owned it then sold it to radio-one

 

[WTUX]

Red was a format I thought would work, but it tried a combination of music that turned off listeners. That is the trouble with mixing generations of music. You have to include some artists from today, but the mix is difficult.

One note from when I was trying Martini again yesterday. They are begging for money! That's right, they are asking listeners to become "patrons" of the station and send in donations.

The owner is a radio consultant and if this is the best he can do, he better try mowing lawns for a living.

 

[Julius Leonard Marx]

First alternative. Now standards. Music on AM!

I searched back aways and it seems like a lot of people here were cheering this guy on. Maybe he's not the only one who should be moving lawns.

I keep hearing people on this board saying radio management is all about money. If so, this guy should have put his money in tax-free munis.

 

[Phillyradiogeek]

According to a newspaper story (I don't remember which one), people started sending in donations on their own before the station started asking for them. Is this even legal? At the very least, the station should make it clear that they are a commercial station (no, airing commercials doens't necessarily count as notification).

 

[WTUX]

When WAMS in Delaware was airing Gospel, they also begged for money. As I recall, however, the checks were to be directed to their not-for-profit entity. Currently, the Gospel station on 1510 is begging from the faithful. Back in the 60's, religious outlet WRBS in Baltimore did the same thing to raise money for a new transmitter (they had a terrible signal). Again, the funds were directed to the parent foundation, not the station itself.

No one can argue that 1340 is a profit making station. But not making a profit and being offically "not for profit" are two difficult things.

 

[Julius Leonard Marx]

Nothing illegal about asking for money.

If you all like reading my posts, please send me money. I'll post my Pay Pal info.

 

[DG02816]

With all the hoopla over WHAT's donations, it might be worth mentioning that another AM is doing the listener-supported model. WJIB 740 Cambridge-Boston went to that mode earlier this year after owner Bob Bittner's music licensing rates tripled due to his showing 1.0 ratings in the Boston book. He put out an appeal, and in just over a month got something like $80, 000! Bob runs a standards/easy listening format. He prefers running commercial free rather than have long spot blocks or brokered stuff. He DID have Radio France International on in the early morning, but that was pulled due to French government budget cuts. Hence, Bob's appeal to his audience. And WJIB is a 250 watter on 740 to boot. If a small station can do this, WHAT should be able to if done right.

 

[Interstate 78]

who cares if WHAT wants to ask for money. if people like the format, they'll donate. it cant hurt to ask and he may wind up with more cash than trying to go out and sell ads. people send WHYY thousands of dollars despite annoying and lengthy pledge breaks. martini is only asking for money between sets of music for a few seconds. nothin wrong with that. good luck martini!

 

[cbsstaffer]

This board takes me out, why all the negativity against WHAT, I think what they are doing is great and out of the ordinary, they are plugging a format hole. The music is different, new and exciting since the demise of 950 and 1290, is anyone else doing it "NO", does this format need to be in service in the area "YES". I know if the signal was improved, they would get the ratings they deserve and crack the top 10, what else should they do with WHAT that would make you all happy, play Rap music? Keep up the good work Martini.....

 

[Phillyradiogeek]

No one would love to see the station succeed more than me, but they have serious problems. I suppose it's their right to accept donations, but there just seems something odd about it to me. I also think they need to expand their playlist to include more big band stuff. And of course, the dreaded signal. But from what I've gathered from engineering folks on this board, there is apparently nothing that can be done to improve the signal--or do I misunderstand?

 

[DG02816]

The only way WHAT could improve its signal is to get off of 1340. It's pretty much boxed in by WRAW and WMID. Then, it would probably have to install a directional antenna-and that means putting up at least one more tower. Does it have enough land at its Manayunk site to do that?

 

[alanjohns]

Their site is at 3930 Conshohocken Avenue, the old home of WHAT and WWDB. They do not own the land and I don't think the current owner would stand for another tower.

 

[cbsstaffer]

They could improve the current tower and ground system, to improve the signal in the ratings metro. In the 60's, they had a good metro signal, day and night as good as 560 and 990 in the Philly area. A good example is WURD, what they accomplished from an old 3 tower array from the WFLN days to a nice new two stand alone system and a real good ground improvement and power increase and night status to make them a powerhouse in a 50 mile daytime radius without regard to 900 in Delaware problems...If they can do it WHAT sure can...

 

[SuperRadioFan]

And WJIB is a 250 watter on 740 to boot. If a small station can do this, WHAT should be able to if done right.

Dave, out of curiosity, I looked them up on Radio-locator which shows them as having 5 watts at night. FIVE watts!!??!! Do they really operate at night and if so how many can receive them??
Or is the nighttime power just the "authorized" power, not that they "take advantage" of it!

Point of reference, out here in Orange County, CA there's a religious station KBRT (ALSO 740 AM what a coinky-dink all these 740 AMs heh heh) which shows a nightime authorized power of 113 watts ... which they never use since they sign off usually around local sunset or 15 minutes after local sunset times as per the FCC. (Some months they they use the 15 minute after option but not every month)

http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/finder?call=KBRT&sr=Y&s=C&x=5&y=4

BTW when I was just a kid (approaching puberty) back in the early 60s my brother who is 10 years older than I built a 5 watt oscillator which he and I and my friends used to "broadcast" to our neighborhood in Franklin Twp, NJ (now known as Somerset, NJ next to New Brunswick) our home-made radio station. I used to take a walk with my Sears transistor and found the signal went about a mile and a half. That was fun-n-n-n-n!!

 

[DG02816]

WJIB does indeed use its 5 watt night power, as do we with our 6 watts at WVCH. The WJIB night signal is heard well in the area bounded by Rt.128 around Boston.