Nassau programming woes in NH

[nhradioguy]

Ok... a breakdown of Nassau's central/southern NH cluster of Oldies 99, Frank-FM, Hawk, Wolf and JYY.

Oldies: Can't complain too much... rotation of music isn't half bad, imaging a little hit and miss however.
Frank: Largest music library in Southern NH?!? That's a load of BS, seems as though they play the same 75 songs over and over and over...
Hawk: I like the stations sound, simulcast can be flawed sometimes, afternoon and night guy could use some work but all and all not bad.
Wolf: No complaints..
JYY: WHERE do I begin?!? Here's this for a start. PRINCE, Will Smith what kind of CHR is this exactly??? and like all the other Nassau stations.. more liner cards! they all sound the same, hour after hour! Jocks are decent, morning show seems a little stale... middays are OK... afternoon jock needs to yell a little less and night jock I can't complain too much I suppose!

Thoughts anyone?

 

[radiokiddy]

Oh....where to begin??

First of all, I cannot speak for the stations in that area, but, I can safely speak for Nassau NH/VT as a whole.

Nassau is interested in only one thing, the bottom line. They are very "cookie-cutter" radio.....that's why you have Oldies 104.9 in the Lakes Region, Oldies 99 in Concord and Oldies 104.3 in the Upper Valley...all with the same logos, playlists and jocks. Warren Bailey (NICE GUY) is heard on all three stations. VP of Programming Mark Edwards said one time, "You know how wherever you go, you see a McDonalds? No matter where you are, the menu is the same." Well, that's his programming philosophy too. Oh yes, there's a WOLF here in the UV too...same playlist, same logo. same blah blah blah.

Nassau couldn't care less about it's employees, just the bottom line. I know for a fact that they are working with a skeleton crew in the Upper Valley, the regional director of programming screwed things up SO badly that everyone has either been fired, or quit, like your humble narrAtor. A skeleton crew SO scarce that the sales department doesn't even sell remotes anymore because there's no one to do them.....ON THREE STATIONS...ONE of them a 50,000 watt stick.

And yes, the "75 songs" is about true. When I was there, the station I worked for had a playlist of around 250 songs...and it was an OLDIES station! You would hear the same Oldie twice in the same day! After TONS of complaints, the idiotic Regional PD decided to add 150 more songs to the playlist for a HUGE GRAND TOTAL of 400, again, on an Oldies station! And we had to bill it as "Playing More Different Oldies." We had to say it EXACTLY like that! Not only did he not go to programming school....he apparently didn't go to "Grammar" school either.

Sorry if I am rambling....I'm just waiting for the Non-compete to run out!

Kisses to all of you, including Dikky Dawson AND MilkMaid Mary!

 

[radiokiddy]

I just read your post again, and forgot to agree with you about the "Liner Card" statement. It's true. That's all this Regional PD wanted, was liner cards. "That was.....this is..." That's all he wanted. Had to keep bits over intros....longer than that, and I was told that the listener was "tuning out." I was also told DAILY, that I wasn't conversational enough...like Warren Bailey. He wanted that sound (no offense Warren) in ALL dayparts.

Awful.

 

[nhradioguy]

I couldn't agree more Kiddy, it's pretty crazy. "Read the card and shut up" sell the station and thats it. No artist info, no being yourself... It's kind of sad actually. What do you think about the jocks? Any of em have potential?

 

[Ms_Milk_Maid_Mary]

yes radiokiddy and nhradioguy, just what will the princeton princess of programming think of next. Nassau loves the cookie-cutter radio show, as well they should. We always said "stupid is as stupid does" and that's not just what my mama told me up on the farm here in Sharon either. When you put people in charge, who have no background in the field that they're plowin' things can end up rotten to the core. Take for instance the West Lebanon/Claremont outfit. My big girlfriend at cc says things are continuing to suffer in that portion of the company, as well as everywhere in Nassau. No local talent, a couple of part-timers, and a tender tea-tasting engineer staff. Looks like the welldone frisch team are still preaching to the sales department 'this company is for you' all the while looking over their shoulders. As long as Nassau wants to lose, they'll keep losers in place...Nuff'said, I must get back to the barn. Next time, I'll tell you sexy boys bout' Norma Jeans baked ham dinner -woof-woof!

Ms. Mary

 

[neutralparty]

After hearing the "now back to the guy who makes station management cringe" bumper going into Imus (who does make people cringe, just not in the way the liner intends) on Q this am, I couldn't agree with the thread any more. Here's a 50K signal serving bascially as a jukebox. The other Nassau stations in the Valley are pretty much the same. And, folks wonder why iPods and satellite are popular options?

 

[Ms_Milk_Maid_Mary]

good point neutralparty - this is so true, it's sad to say, but they just have no clue what they are doing. Nassau equals boring...And that just doesn't work up here on the farm in Sharon. My big girlfriend at cc told me she can't understand what the well-done is trying to do, but he must have the princess snowballed. Because they've lost the 50k q and killed the other lame stations too - I must say thanks to q for the 200 song playlist. I'm so glad everyday after 10 we've got the same list of commercial free music. Please, at least the commercials have some variety...I would rather listen to the champ here in the valley at least their jocks have teeth. Oh well, it's just little ol' me getting on my pretty john deere again. Go local produce - and farm fresh Vermont, meow!

Ms. Mary

 

[BenKarlow]

Nassau couldn't care less about it's employees, just the bottom line. I know for a fact that they are working with a skeleton crew in the Upper Valley, the regional director of programming screwed things up SO badly that everyone has either been fired, or quit, like your humble narrAtor. A skeleton crew SO scarce that the sales department doesn't even sell remotes anymore because there's no one to do them.....ON THREE STATIONS...ONE of them a 50,000 watt stick.

Funny, I remember people used to say the same thing back in the VOX days. As Joni Mitchell once said, "you dont know what you've got until it's gone." Yes VOX/Dynacom had its problems, but all their jocks were local except for Imus, and the sales staff had a great product to sell. Only a few years ago did Q-106 have a bigger playlist, more freedom for jocks to do their thing, etc. etc. They must have been doing something right given how long guys like Art Steinberg, Tom Hoyt, Guy Dark, Ted Bilodeau, Bob Lipman etc hung around. Again aside from Imus, there is not one person on the air on this station that was there even a year ago. What happened to Brian Ryea anyway?

Now most everything is out of market. A quick scan of other station websites show half the Wolf's tracking comes from Maine, Oldies from the Lakes Region and Maine, and Q from god knows where. C'mon, gang, at least show you're trying by making the jocks use different names like our puker friends Lefty Wright and Leon Strong! How are these people going to connect locally? They can't say they stopped in for a drink at Benning St. or had a great slice at EBA's or took the kids to the Montshire because they have no idea what these local institutions are!

The biggest mistake was letting Heath Cole go. I think we can all agree on that one. The next book will be a revelation.

It's time to blow up the Q entirely and start over and give the area a flame-throwing CHR.

Oh, and let me mention, in closing, former Q staffer Doug Daniels is sounding great on the WEQX morning show. I hope he enjoys a long career there.

 

[Ms_Milk_Maid_Mary]

BK you know how to hit the nail on the head. You and I should tangle, grrrrr!! My big girlfriend at cc couldn't have said it better than that. Let's be frank (not the nassau brand) for a moment. VOX/Dynacom had the best intentions from the get go. Why else would have so many hot hunks have lastest as long as they did. Problem was they lost its passion for greatness, something I tell the boys up here on the farm in Sharon all the time...and let me tell you, the boys are workin' on their pecks -meow! I've heard just too much about Nassau, it seems they destroy any former image the properties they've bought. Which is to bad too...its like buying the barn, then calling it Taj Mahal. It is what it is -as they say. Use and abuse the employees who come with these purchases...promise them good changes...then once you've learned how to turn the mic on. Get rid of them, by either forcing them to slowly hate their under-paid over-worked job. Or restruture them out...The princeton princess has proven that. Lets just look at the last year and half at the valley. First a guy named Mark Edwards then the old Well-done...Who, it seems couldn't even do an airshift without having the big H hold his hand...whats with that...I know, my big girlfriend at cc says I should just stay to farmin', but I used to love to listen to Lori, Chris, and Justin. Lefty Wright was a pleasure, but that Leon Strong, oh boy!!! oh, and lets not forget my man, who sent me flowers -Bud Hill! What a tiger!!! double Grrrr! I never got to meet DD, but I heard he was a wild fella'...and you know what Mary likes...good for him! Anyways gotta run, looks like a chance of a shower up here in Sharon. Let's end this with a final moment to remember, and to wish the very best to Norma Jean too...She's gonna need it.

Ms Mary

 

[Ordell_Cretin]

Reguardless of what has happened, I don't think anyone misses the non-stop-commercial-a-thons of years past on the Q. Looks like Doug is at WEQX, doing ok, where'd the rest of that old airstaff end up?

 

[BenKarlow]

Reguardless of what has happened, I don't think anyone misses the non-stop-commercial-a-thons of years past on the Q. Looks like Doug is at WEQX, doing ok, where'd the rest of that old airstaff end up?

Art got out of the biz from what I know. Probably saw the writing on the wall.

Will Conrad moved south, I think to Florida.

Dave Cooper works at a local hospital last I knew. Seems to be happy outside of the radio business.

Lori is still working for the group but off-the-air.

Leif Erickson was "promoted" to Portland and Frank FM. Word is much of the Claremont/Lebanon airstaff were not happy about this as he was nothing more than a glorified part-timer. That was the beginning of the bitterness in that building... well, aside from the day everyone found out they'd be working for Bob Frisch.

Ted Bilodeau works for the Galaxy Radio Group in Syracuse.

Scott Antonivitch is down in Keene working for Saga.

Don Matsen is living in a cave, wearing a tin foil hat.

Wally Caswell has his own ad agency.

Mike Johnson, Jim Whedon and Bob Lipman are all reunited at WTPL-FM in Concord.

Again, any word on what happened to Brian? How about the artist once known as "The Real Don Glaze?"

 

[valhallafred]

The "Real" Don Glaze passed away 1 or 2 years back. He had been diagnosed with cancer years ago and thought it was in remission. After he moved to Florida it came back and he lost the fight. Very sad. He left behind a wife and 2 children.

 

[BenKarlow]

Wow, that is sad. Decent talent with great pipes from what I remember.

 

[THE_VIKING]

The "Real" Don Glaze passed away 1 or 2 years back. He had been diagnosed with cancer years ago and thought it was in remission. After he moved to Florida it came back and he lost the fight. Very sad. He left behind a wife and 2 children.

This is indeed sad news, first I have learned of his passing. He did not work for WHDQ for long (latter part of '01 to about summer of '02 I think) but was a pleasure to work with, sounded awesome in afternoons, and did indeed have a great set of pipes. I wish nothing but the best for Susan (also an on-air personality) and their kids.

 

[MACK184]

Nassau is interested in only one thing, the bottom line. They are very "cookie-cutter" radio.

Nassau couldn't care less about it's employees, just the bottom line.

While I can understand the frustration in these posts, I need to ask why are you surprised? Almost all of today's radio groups are fixed on the bottom line with little concern for their employees. But this is also no different if you were to work for American Airlines, AT&T or the Kroger Grocery Company. Making a profit is the basis of our economic system. But most companies have moved beyond profit to obscene profit at ANY cost. Most radio groups have for the most part, over-paid for their properties, and carry huge amounts of debt. To make the bankers happy, they have to not only cut to the bone, but then cut the bones in half and suck out the marrow. It's certainly sad to see what radio has become. But it's no different anyplace else. My wife is a nurse..the emphasis in her job is NOT on patient care and service, it's on the most minimum service at the maximum price. No one's grass is greener any more..it's all just different shades of gray. It's not pleasent, but it is true.

 

[BenKarlow]

Certainly radio is a business. Pissing off your longtime clients is bad business, and from what I hear, some longtime buyers on WHDQ now refuse to do business with the new ownership. They're under the impression they're getting less value for more money. And can ya blame 'em?