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L
lash
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Did they go dark?
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raymond_shaw
Guest
I listened to their webstream a little while ago and I heard what sounded like a church service going on. Could this be a simulcast of sister station AM1120, WBBF?
On their homepage, they ask people to support KB's prog talk format because they say there are rumors Entercom is about to switch to another format.
Right now(5:03pm, Sunday, 12/17/06) I'm listening to The annual Christmas Show on WITR's Whole Lotta Shakin Oldies show with local dj/songwriter/musician/comedian Del Rivers sitting in. Beats the normal generic crap on the commercial dial.
Obtuse1 said:
I'm not entirely sure the fate of AA itself has been decided has it? That's the real question---will there even be an AA Network going forward? Even if someone buys or bails out the network, they're losing affiliates fast!
WHLD Left Out
We'll know more Monday morning.
It's not likely WHLD will go dark techically, but after reviewing the WHLD1270 website, it appears the progressive talk format is history, only to be another answer to a Buffalo radio trivia contest and another page in Buffalo radio history. Pity. The WHLD1270 website farewell reads more realistic than their programming ever sounded, although the website farewell contains some mistakes. Tim Wenger is NOT the GM of WBEN-WWKB and WWKB has NOT cut back to 10kW to save money. If and when WWKB runs 10kW, it does so only to test its third transmitter and secondary backup transmitter.
Sorry. I don't mean to speak ill of the dead.
On its website linked in the previous 'graph, WHLD believes they gave it a good shot. It may have been their best shot, but it wasn't good enough. In reality it could have and should have been better. The post mortem says this is what happens when academics, idealists and inexperienced parties attempt to program a radio station without adequate broadcast experience, advice and direction.
I have every respect for academics. And where would we be without idealists, those who say they look at situations "and ask not why, but why not!?" But radio is a business: Cruel, tough, demanding and unforgiving. Successfully launching a new format, especially news-talk, requires attention to detail and allows very little room for error. Witness WWKB as an oldies station, then WWKB as a progressive talker. And now we have WHLD throwing in the towel on progressive talk.
To be certain, Air America didn't help matters with its feckless and lame attempt at competing with the established right wing gasbags.
This should be a lesson to all of us. A lesson to the ideologists. A lesson to the visionaries. Radio, especially in Buffalo... especially on AM and especially in the face of the competition here, places demands on people and finances. As Will Rogers once said of politics, "it ain't bean-bag!" The same can be said of radio.
The WHLD license is held by Citadel, which more than likely will return to block programming featuring ethnic programs and the occasional paid political shows. It would be interesting to hear a Standards format or Oldies format on WHLD, but I suspect it's only a matter of time until one of those formats re-appears on WWKB or WECK.
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We'll know more Monday morning.
It's not likely WHLD will go dark techically, but after reviewing the WHLD1270 website, it appears the progressive talk format is history, only to be another answer to a Buffalo radio trivia contest and another page in Buffalo radio history. Pity. The WHLD1270 website farewell reads more realistic than their programming ever sounded, although the website farewell contains some mistakes. Tim Wenger is NOT the GM of WBEN-WWKB and WWKB has NOT cut back to 10kW to save money. If and when WWKB runs 10kW, it does so only to test its third transmitter and secondary backup transmitter.
Sorry. I don't mean to speak ill of the dead.
On its website linked in the previous 'graph, WHLD believes they gave it a good shot. It may have been their best shot, but it wasn't good enough. In reality it could have and should have been better. The post mortem says this is what happens when academics, idealists and inexperienced parties attempt to program a radio station without adequate broadcast experience, advice and direction.
I have every respect for academics. And where would we be without idealists, those who say they look at situations "and ask not why, but why not!?" But radio is a business: Cruel, tough, demanding and unforgiving. Successfully launching a new format, especially news-talk, requires attention to detail and allows very little room for error. Witness WWKB as an oldies station, then WWKB as a progressive talker. And now we have WHLD throwing in the towel on progressive talk.
To be certain, Air America didn't help matters with its feckless and lame attempt at competing with the established right wing gasbags.
This should be a lesson to all of us. A lesson to the ideologists. A lesson to the visionaries. Radio, especially in Buffalo... especially on AM and especially in the face of the competition here, places demands on people and finances. As Will Rogers once said of politics, "it ain't bean-bag!" The same can be said of radio.
The WHLD license is held by Citadel, which more than likely will return to block programming featuring ethnic programs and the occasional paid political shows. It would be interesting to hear a Standards format or Oldies format on WHLD, but I suspect it's only a matter of time until one of those formats re-appears on WWKB or WECK.
-9-
Great analysis, Element 9. WHLD best chance of success was at its birth last February. Having Ray Marks as a morning host lent the station instant credibility. But management didn't pay attention to detail. Having newscasts delivered over a telephone, as an example, sent a message that the station was not going to be a serious news/talk competitor. And when Ray left, the station was doomed to failure. It was just a matter of time. Joe and Grady, idealists though they are, weren't broadcasters. I stopped listening. Still, even if they had done everything right, the task was daunting. A news-talk format, properly done, is expensive. And taking on the giant, WBEN, would have required a sustained marketing campaign. I was rooting for the people behind WHLD. As I often stated, they were in it for the right reasons. Not like Entercom and WWKB. I wonder if Entercom will stick with progressive talk. If WHLD's listeners go to WWKB, the latter could end up with a 1.3 to 1.5 share -- about what it was getting with oldies at a fraction of the cost.
What were the ratings for WNSA like?
Why not just go sports and continue where 107.7 left off?
Why not just go sports and continue where 107.7 left off?
Steven21 said:
This morning, WHLD was billing itself as the New Gospel 1270 and it appears the station is simulcasting what's broadcast on AM daytimer, WBBF 1120. At first listen, it seems like a format that has more potential than progressive talk ever had on WHLD. Maybe, just maybe, this will be the ticket because it's an exclusive format. Yes, WDCX is a Christian format, but it's not Gospel.
Progressive Talk on WHLD was a victim of its own ineptitude, as pointed out by the previous posters. Sales lacking good programming cannot succeed; good programming without the support of a strong sales staff also is doomed.
As to picking up where WNSA left off with sports, that's another prescription for failure since WGR is the established sports station. If nothing else, the short-lived liberal talk format on WHLD proved a format cannot be slapped together on a frequency and become a success on a whim. I'll miss Randi Rhodes... some days, at least.
WWKB now stands alone in the Progressive Talk format, but it wouldn't surprise anybody if KB flipped to Standards or some blend of Oldies and Standards. The format's out there for the taking, it was a success, it billed well and nobody's doing it... so, who flips first? WWKB or WECK... tick, tick, tick. A lot of 60+ listeners could have a very nice Christmas gift waiting for them.
The Voice of Reason
They should have known. After all, when was the last time that we, the population of WNY, listened to Reason?
I tried to listen to them. I really tried, but AA was/is awful. The local component had interesting moments, but they were too few and far between. The lack of local news content also hurt. The loss of Ray Marks cost them their final link to radio reality.
They should have known. After all, when was the last time that we, the population of WNY, listened to Reason?
I tried to listen to them. I really tried, but AA was/is awful. The local component had interesting moments, but they were too few and far between. The lack of local news content also hurt. The loss of Ray Marks cost them their final link to radio reality.
raymond_shaw said:
If Entercom were smart, they'd beef up the lineup on KB. One look at their schedule just screams neglect. They run Leslie Marshall's show twice, for cryin' out loud! At least they moved Ed Schultz to his new live nationwide slot, which is smart. Ed's going places.
Why not pick up Thom Hartmann, who is probably one of the few bright spots at Air America right now (though he owns his show and merely syndicates it via AAR)? Even on an evening delay, it's better than what they've got now. Maybe even throw AAR a bone and pick up Randi Rhodes on delay. They do appear to have four hours of evening time to fill before Lionel comes on.
I think KB could do reasonably well, if Entercom wanted to actually do something with it. Now that their direct competitor is gone, here's the chance to do just that.
Unfortunately, WHLD insists on publishing hearsay and inaccuracies on their website.
KB is not running 10 kW, and has never run 10 kW for any reason other than maintenance. To do so would be illegal, as well as self-defeating. If you had trouble hearing it yesterday (12/20) between 10am and 4pm it is because power was reduced to 1 kW and a modified directional pattern to accommodate tower maintenance.
The folks at WHLD should stop spreading rumors, especially ones that imply illegal operation that could result in actions by the FCC. Very unprofessional.
KB is not running 10 kW, and has never run 10 kW for any reason other than maintenance. To do so would be illegal, as well as self-defeating. If you had trouble hearing it yesterday (12/20) between 10am and 4pm it is because power was reduced to 1 kW and a modified directional pattern to accommodate tower maintenance.
The folks at WHLD should stop spreading rumors, especially ones that imply illegal operation that could result in actions by the FCC. Very unprofessional.
EC said:
A bunch of ideological, protesting-type liberals who hate real capitalism running a business? Professionalism? :
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raymond_shaw
Guest
Liberals hate capitalism? Yeah, right. I'm a liberal and I co-own a small business. Many liberals do. Perhaps you believe government is the whole problem. I personally believe that abuse of power is the problem - in government and big business. Money + Power = the little person gets screwed. Protesting? Conservatives do it all the time. It's in the constitution, so voice your opinion in private or in public. The WHLD subletters obviously weren't experienced radio business people - we knew this from the beginning. What is real capitalism anyway?
Spare us the silly ad hominem attacks. They belong on the Off the Air and Take it Outside boards.
The power issue were addressed in a lengthy analysis by Element9 on the sixth post of this thread. My interpretation of the statement on the 1270WHLD website is that they just got it wrong: Bad information or misinterpretation of the facts and not intentional. Hey, it happens.EC said:
I had to chuckle at the mention of "spreading rumors1." Isn't that one of the many reasons we read this board?
[/MR]- Status