MID-DAY LISTENING IN BUFFALO

[GeorgeKramer]

What are people listening to lately between noon and 3 pm?

I'm flipping between 1270 AM, 104.1 FM and 102.5 FM.

Just haven't been in the mood lately for any talk radio.

Anyone else care to weigh in?

 

[Yeziknoradio]

Being closer to the border when I'm working one of my many places, the radio is glued to River 105.1, but sometimes it's a nice change of pace to switch over to Z101.
(Sorry for not being right in Buffalo.)

 

[Philip_Airtime]

I was working out at the Y during the noon hour today, so I thought I'd tune the radio to WECK to check out the midday talk show for the first time. And all I heard were these two guys spewing more right wing talking points. I thought why am I wasting my time with this and tuned to WNED-AM for some really interesting and great content about what happens to our digital lives after we die as part of the the noon-hour program "Hear and Now." Now, you'd think WECK would do its best to keep anyone from tuning in to stay tuned. They need the listeners. Perhaps if they were talking about the Sabres or a local issue, I might have stayed. But it was more blah, blah, blah about "overtaxed" rich people. It's funny because when I hit the sauna with my morning News, I read a couple of op-ed pieces from much more credible sources that talked about how the wealthy are paying fewer taxes now than they were in 1993. But that's a debate for another venue. As far as my radio listening goes, I know I'll always find something interesting on "Fresh Air" on WBFO or "Hear and Now" on WNED to get me through to the end of a workout. Don't think I'll be back checking out WECK -- or should I say -- W**K anytime soon.

 

[SirRoxalot]

W**K is just trying to fill a need. Heaven knows that there isn't enough right-wing talk about national subjects on the radio. Perhaps they're trying to present a younger, less mature point of view.

 

[VoiceGuyJack]

WECK dropped the ball (in my humble opinion) when they got rid of Dennis Miller mid-days. Miller is clever and entertaining. The replacements sound like kids "trying" to do college radio (poorly). In fact, with the exception of Tom Donohue, the whole staff needs to be replaced. Dick are you listening?

I'll bet WECK is on the market in six months.

 

[Element9]

I'll bet WECK is on the market in six months.

How do we know it's not already on the market with Lockport sister WLVL. After all, isn't "everything for sale at the right price."

 

[leelee]

The Noon hour on Thursday is a paid program by some tea party lunatic. Mendola leans more to the left.

 

[bbb]

The Noon hour on Thursday is a paid program by some tea party lunatic. Mendola leans more to the left.

Thanks for clearing that up. I was wondering what he was talking about. I couldn't picture Mendola going on right wing rants.

 

[intheeno]

Harry Nilsson, 1941

"When he looked around, he saw a clown
And the clown seemed very gay
And he set out that night to join that circus clown and run away"

 

[Yeziknoradio]

Remember, American laws do not permit international ownership, but they are free to rent!
On that note, I guess anyone on the Canadian side can rent the station and do whatever with it if they so desire.

 

[EdTheEngineer]

I'm sampling 1270 AM and 1230 AM. No real desire to deal with Rush at this point in time (maybe next year at this time when the presidential campaign is really in full swing) and Rome's act has become old and stale to me.
I also will check out the NPR programs and flip around the FM dial from time to time. I have no personal favorite FM on-air talent during mid-days at this point in time.

 

[Nick Mendola]

I'm not going to call myself a finished or polished product for a long time, but the amount of "kids" references constantly made on here is hilarious. I hope I never get to the point where I'm calling anyone under the age of Bill O'Loughlin a kid.

 

[SirRoxalot]

I think that "kid" is a reference to professionalism, not the age.

 

[EdTheEngineer]

Definitely a profesionalism comment, nothing to do with the age of those who are on the air.

Less "uhhhs" and "ummms" and reduce the number of strange references to movies and TV shows that most of us over the age of 50 don't comprehend or understand.

I like Nick and applaud his enthusiasm but there appears to be a lack of focus if there are not designated guests being interviewed and the tendency to go off on tangents if incoming phone calls or his producer can't keep him on task is distracting, if that makes any sense.

 

[Nick Mendola]

Definitely a profesionalism comment, nothing to do with the age of those who are on the air.

Less "uhhhs" and "ummms" and reduce the number of strange references to movies and TV shows that most of us over the age of 50 don't comprehend or understand.

I like Nick and applaud his enthusiasm but there appears to be a lack of focus if there are not designated guests being interviewed and the tendency to go off on tangents if incoming phone calls or his producer can't keep him on task is distracting, if that makes any sense.

Like I said, not a finished product, but if you're not "hip" with what the majority of Americans under the age of 50 is, how is that my fault? Honest question, because when "older" hosts reference 1960s or 1970s things I wasn't alive for without context clues, it's infuriating and an automatic station changer. I constantly think of context when I'm about to make said reference, or when I'm saying why a guest should be important and has been booked as a guest on my show. The "uhhhs" and "ummms" are certainly something I work on, but most non-national hosts have this issue as well well into their careers (and as I shoot for "great things" I am trying to be national quality on a Buffalo stage). These folks don't criticized or called juvenile. Tom Donohue on our morning show is a good example of a guy who makes great references in context... and talk is so much different than a selected (often-prerecorded) DJ conversation set, isn't it? A lot of stuff is on the fly and makes the "ummms" even harder to avoid. I've cleaned up my "likes" and other peccadillos (word use? bah), but those will be harder.

I appreciate the compliments, by the way. I know it's a tremendous honor to be given a shot at a mid-day show before 30. I know I'm going to get "there."

 

[SirRoxalot]

Perhaps the first thing you need to consider is your target audience. You have defined a target audience, right? Let me give you a clue: You're on an AM station that used to be "Standards". The fact that you're on AM, and the shows that surround you, ought to give you the idea that most of your listeners are 50+, and your audience is likely to stay that way without a major promotional effort outside the radio station. See that happening soon?

If your target audience is 50+, "hipster" references will be lost as background noise at best, and as an annoyance at worst. Perhaps the best answer is to keep the show from being too trendy. There are universal themes, and universal references that aren't age related. Those are the ones you want in your arsenal. Pretend you're talking to your not-so-hip uncle. You might get closer to your audience.

 

[Nick Mendola]

BUT, most of my listeners AREN'T 50+. Maybe, terrestrially, but our web listeners are simply not. And with signal strength being the prime criticism of us, should I cater to terrestrial listeners? Read a little and you'll get it. Even the Beastie Boys put "Patty Duke" in context in a rap song (Context: the Beastie Boys are a hip-hop group that started in 1981 and have a new album coming out).

 

[EdTheEngineer]

I tend to think that more of the "regular" radio listeners who happen to stumble upon the station are a bit older.

 

[yugoidar]

BUT, most of my listeners AREN'T 50+. Maybe, terrestrially, but our web listeners are simply not. And with signal strength being the prime criticism of us, should I cater to terrestrial listeners? Read a little and you'll get it. Even the Beastie Boys put "Patty Duke" in context in a rap song (Context: the Beastie Boys are a hip-hop group that started in 1981 and have a new album coming out).

So Nick, sounds like you feel that there are more people listening on the web than to the over the air signal, huh? Curious? Is this just your feeling or is it the overarching view that's driving the current programming philosophy and direction?

 

[Paul_Warren]

BUT, most of my listeners AREN'T 50+. Maybe, terrestrially, but our web listeners are simply not. And with signal strength being the prime criticism of us, should I cater to terrestrial listeners?

Nick, that begs the question - Which is the tail and which is the dog? If the online presence is the priority, and 1230 kHz is just a repeater, then someone paid way too much for the RF stuff.

I realize that wasn't your call, just playing devil's advocate. Ed also expressed a similar philosophy in the thread, "Reading Facebook, Twitter Comments," (where you're also mentioned,) and appears to be struggling with AARP Eligibility Onset Disorder. It's tough when you realize the world no longer cares what your demographic thinks!