I think some good points are made by GoodTimesandGreat Oldies.
AM radio is, especially under the umbrella of a major metro market such as Atlanta, is not just as "write-off" -- it must be carefully, with dedication, with hard work and with knowledge be nursed to success -- it doesn't just "happen."
Especially when people who may have been interested in the station come to its aid and support when -- it's too late and the station has, for whatever reason, gone off the air.
Catastrophic equipment problems? Sure. Blame it on something or someone -- and I have no doubt that in their minds, the owners worked very hard to make the station more than a "community service" success. They found that owning a radio station at a couple of thousand watts requires even more hard work, more dedication and more ability and knowledge that just putting in a satellite receiver and letting Fox, Premier, TRN, Dial-Global or whatever have disjointed control of your radio station.
And that means not selling "ads" -- but having business interests in town who want to "buy" your product, just as we want listeners and consumers to do. Selling "ads" is only part of the equation. Obviously, with all those "alternatives" out there, management and ownership felt that it was a a battle that they couldn't overcome.
That's the way it is in so many similar and larger size markets. It's not just a problem of large corporations -- plenty of other stations and small corporations have the same problems, that being not enough knowledge on what it takes to be successful in this business. That's a shame.
There are quite a few "cheap" radio stations for sale today, many not breaking the "nut" of expenses -- and the blame is "no one is buying." Many aren't, but there are ways to change that -- and merely doing street corner remotes or putting a glut of national talk shows on the air, locking up the building at 3 p.m. and saying, "Well, the station's running ..." is not the answer.
Just because you can have syndication cheaper than paying a staff that is more than your morning guy -- and the right morning guy for the community -- is not the way to do it, even in small communities. Those are the ones that you have to be even better than the lousiest station in Atlanta -- and make a statement as valuable as the very best in the market.
It takes a LOT of work. The business doesn't walk in the door. And management/ownership has to know what is working in their community and what is not. Just "picking" a format is not the means to success. It involves being able to pay the bills while satisfying the needs of the local community.
"But I can't afford to do that," is a common excuse for those making $5,000 or $10,000 a month in billing. Then, maybe, you should seek another career option. Maybe it's not your fault, but maybe you can't make your success just by owning a radio station.
Some small communities are conducive to making two or three times that amount of billing -- but it takes a lot of work and constant work, at that. That's why, frankly, I think there may be too many radio stations. If it's not worht the time and trouble to build it without excuse, then, it's time to go dark.
And let's face it -- there's more talk over this little station that couldn't than when it was operating in the last five years. Is live and local the real answer? Who knows -- without a bit of study and a lack of "I want to do this format," instead of what the market really can bear.
It will be a tough call -- and small bank lenders hate small radio stations -- who can blame them? And unless the original owner has deep pockets, is he really willing to make the investment to do what's right? Only time will tell.
And the time is now. The reason? There aren't enough people listening to the station to matter right now. Three pages of public messages on a radio board won't solve the problems. Only a committed attitude with knowledge and ability will save the station.
It has, in all reality, nothing to do with "format." It has to do with making money while serving the community's needs and it may be completely different than what we might think.
