No wonder there are no ads

[jhguthlac]

Left work later than usual and was listening to Sean on WILM. Bottom of the hour news break. Weather Channel forecast. Little snow tonight, then more snow tomorrow, but not much in total. I thought, that's strange, since I'd been hearing we are going to get 5-8". Then I realize what's wrong. They are still airing Friday's forecast!

When a storm is blowing in and "Delaware's News Station" is still airing a forecast from three days eariler, there's a problem! Who is going to pay to run ads on an amateur operation like that.

 

[MikefromDelaware]

As a former employee of WILM news radio, it pains me to see a former great news/talk station sink to the depths it's sank. Back in the day, we had only 30+ year old equipment that was held together with a wing and a prayer (thanks to the station's engineer), in a building that was falling apart and yet had a great news product Delaware could be proud. Today, WILM is in a beautiful state of the art facility with the latest high tech equipment, and seem to be an amateur station. Funny, how many called the former WILM the hobby station. I think they had it wrong, today's WILM is the hobby station. How sad that WILM is so understaffed that they can't or forget to update the pre-recorded weather info for their local spot breaks.

I was able to today also pick up WDOV and WILM during AM drive and switched back and forth and noticed a couple of things. I believe Bruce Elliot is broadcasting from WILM and yet, the show was 7 seconds behind WDOV. WILM was on delay and WDOV was not. WDOV also seemed to have a lot of PSA's, they weren't the same ones as airing at the same time on WILM, but I was surprised at how few actual spots were playing on WDOV. It seems to me, that WILM/WDOV could somehow better coordinate those freeby's (PSA's) and for now run less and offer more news, even if it is rip and read from the AP. Why air a 4-5 minute PSA block after Fox News update? That's a lot of Smokey the Bear, Colin Cancer Screening, High Blood Pressure PSA's to have to endure. If they get more actual spots as WDEL has then sure you'd have a reason to have so many spot breaks, but you might build up an audience better now with less and shorter spot breaks since they are 99% PSA's anyhow.

And YES, please update the weather info.

 

[MattParker]

@MFD: As you are fond of saying, we will have to agree to disagree. Your use of the word "great" to describe this station and its product seems unwarranted, not widely-shared, and possibly influenced by your own personal involvement. The station was called a "hobby station" because the owner seemed uninterested in operating the station as a business. The station did not have audience ratings nor advertiser support to give much evidence of pride. It was a small, struggling station and it provided a number of people with a start in broadcasting. It was at times perhaps overly ambitious and it's on-air product was generally rough around the edges. It may get high marks for effort but to call it "great" is giving it undeserved credit. This station was consistently out-performed by its competitor in ratings, in revenue, in its ability to get stories with a smaller staff and in the quality of on-air presentation.

@jhguthlac: Wilmington radio generally suffers from a lack of ads and ad revenue. BIAfn reports for 2009 (2010 numbers aren't out yet) that while Wilmington ranked 77th in population, it ranked 85th in ad revenue.

 

[DaveWilliams]

A story about updating the weather and WILM. There was a blind fellow from New Castlle, Pat Cassidy, who use to gather weather info and was actually doing local weather info and forecasts for a few stations during the 80's. When the weather service closed their Wilmington office at the airport, WILM's 'Weather Line' was the only place he could get the info he wanted. If the forecast wasn't updated on the Weather Line, he would call the station and remind them to update the information! Or if they forgot a reading, he would call them and remind them. But its understandable if the info isn't updated on time, if there aren't people there to do it (or enough people). Its a shame Pat passed away last year or WILM wouldn't be airing 3 day old forecasts, he'd certainly be after someone!

 

[MikefromDelaware]

@MattParker, probably my use of the word great is stronger than I should have used, but given the handicaps we all had to work with at 12th and French Sts frankly its amazing we could put any sort of quality programming on the air. Many of us wondered, how great WILM could be IF we had the same facilities and state of the art equipment that WDEL had. I've been to both places and believe the difference between WILM's studios at 12th and French Sts and WDEL's studios on Shipley Road are astronomical. Today's WDEL pretty much is what WILM would have been like with the great facility and equipment. So disagree if you must.

Now in terms of ratings, WILM did have good ratings, quite often better than WDEL for many years prior to the CC takeover. WILM also had far more spots than they have today, granted, still not at the level of WDEL as they had WSTW to piggyback with and WILM back then as a stand alone AM station. So, it's not exactly apples to apples.

@Dave Williams, yes I do remember Pat as he'd call me during my weekend shifts about updating the weatherline. Finally, I had to explain to him, as he'd call every weekend, every hour, that I was alone in the building and was on the air, so I didn't have time to update the weather phone every hour on the hour, partly due to the fact that the AP weather update didn't appear until after the hour, making it a half hour late as I'd take the time to update during the 30 minute feature taped shows (Delaware State of the Arts, those APR, or Radio DI programs, etc,) we'd air after the 30 minute newsblock. If the AP update had occurred before the hour, I could do it during the 5 minute CBS radio newscast, but unfortunately the update never came before the hour, but usually around 7 minutes after the hour. But at least it was only a half hour late, sometimes an hour and a half late depending on what else was going on that I couldn't control vs the three days late jhguthlac referred in his post.

Pat was a nice guy and I enjoyed talking to him if he called during that 30 minute block of programming. About some readings missing, would be because they weren't available. For example: the regional temps might say Wilmington 50, Dover 49, Georgetown n/a, Salisbury 48, etc, etc. Sometimes, the hourly weather update wouldn't be available at all so we'd simply not update it until we had newer info. With Wilmington not having a real weather bureau at the New Castle Airport, we had no one we could call to get the updates and had to totally rely on the AP wire service. We did the best we could with what we had.

 

[MattParker]

@MFD: I realize in casual conversation many people tend to use superlatives ("great," "extraordinary," "awesome) casually. True greatness is any field is rare. KYW was great early on. Before its disastrous flirtation with all news, so was WCAU. NJ101.5 came close at one time but has slipped. NPR has done some great work but I wouldn't say they are consistently great. I know you have compared WILM with NPR but, honestly, they were never in the same league - nor would anyone expect them to be. I'm sorry but I can't accept old equipment as justification for the quality of the work-product ("A poor workman blames his tools" - English proverb).

Many stations keep old ratings books around for a time. If you check, you will find that the total AQH for the two talk stations in the markets was fairly consistent. Each station's ratings varied from survey to survey but WDEL was consistently in front; sometimes by a slight margin, sometimes by a greater margin. This is not surprising given a superior signal and Rush during the period before Clear Channel took over WILM. Even when both stations had the same stories, WDEL always had a superior presentation in morning drive, comparable to major market stations, such as WCAU, when they still did drive-time news blocks.

 

[MikefromDelaware]

("A poor workman blames his tools" - English proverb).

Matt, I'll turn the other cheek on your insulting English proverb about my work and the work of my co-workers at WILM. I'm very proud of the work I did at WILM. I'm sorry what you heard while listening to the old WILM at 12th and French Sts. didn't meet up to your expectations. It is what it is. You're right, we'll just have to agree to disagree.

I've compared WILM to NPR not saying the quality was the same (that would be presumptuous and arrogant as we were a small radio station not a network. It also would not be true as my radio skills are not in a league with the typical NPR staffer I've heard on the air. Some of the folks I did work with could qualify for a spot at NPR as many did move on to major markets and various radio networks. What I was referring to was the programming that WILM did, DW Radio, American Public Radio stuff, Commonwealth Club, Delaware State of the Arts, etc, were more like what an NPR station would air rather than a commercial news/talk station.

 

[MattParker]

("A poor workman blames his tools" - English proverb).

Matt, I'll turn the other cheek on your insulting English proverb about my work and the work of my co-workers at WILM. I'm very proud of the work I did at WILM. I'm sorry what you heard while listening to the old WILM at 12th and French Sts. didn't meet up to your expectations. It is what it is. You're right, we'll just have to agree to disagree.

I've compared WILM to NPR not saying the quality was the same (that would be presumptuous and arrogant as we were a small radio station not a network. It also would not be true as my radio skills are not in a league with the typical NPR staffer I've heard on the air. Some of the folks I did work with could qualify for a spot at NPR as many did move on to major markets and various radio networks. What I was referring to was the programming that WILM did, DW Radio, American Public Radio stuff, Commonwealth Club, Delaware State of the Arts, etc, were more like what an NPR station would air rather than a commercial news/talk station.

@MFD: I did not intend any reflection on your work, only your complaint about the equipment. I apologize for not being more clear. If you are proud of your work, why imply you were handicapped by equipment that was not "state of the art?" I'm not sure exactly how old your equipment was but I would suggest that it comes from a time when radio news had a higher standing and equipment like you used was used to produce some of the finest examples of the craft. Some radio people actually continue to prefer analog technology. Until recently, WHYY's Fresh Air recorded its interviews on reel to reel tape and the interviews were edited with razor blades. I understand the practice was discontinued because of problems with archiving the recordings, not dissatisfaction with the on-air product. If you weren't using razor blades to edit sound, you don't have much of a complaint.

 

[OldNumber7]

...partly due to the fact that the AP weather update didn't appear until after the hour....
With Wilmington not having a real weather bureau at the New Castle Airport, we had no one we could call to get the updates and had to totally rely on the AP wire service.

FYI the weather data that moves on the AP wire is from an outsourced provider, not AP.

 

[MikefromDelaware]

@OldNumber7: in any case, we didn't have access to that provider and had to wait for the AP update.

@MattParker: I was completely comfortable with that equipment. I've seen photos of WHYY-FM's reel to reel equipment and it was far newer than the old junk we had to use. The stuff we used was used until WILM moved into their new digs under CC a couple of years ago, and was the same equipment I used on AFRN in 1972 in Eielson AFB, Alaska. I mean this stuff was literally that old, not just the same technology, but was used hand me down equipment that was over 30 years old. Quality of sound with tape heads wearing after 30+ years of use, consistent speed of tape motors, static in the recording due to some capacitor failing or the pot being old and the level jumps from a whisper to way too loud pegging out your vue meter, assuming the meter needle was working, etc. Yea, it makes a big difference. Equipment that doesn't work as designed can make a great recording into a mediocre or down right lousy recording. A poor recording is a poor recording, be it with the voice of Mike from Delaware or Walter Cronkite. The equipment was so old, the engineer was always searching the web for used equipment so he could buy it, to have spare parts to use, because he could no longer buy new spare parts or new equipment as cart machines, and reel to reel's, etc, were no longer being made. So when something broke or wore out, he would replace that part with a used part that was as old as what he replaced, but it was still working, at least for that day.

So all of us, even though quite often very frustrated by the poor equipment, did the best we could with what we had to work with. As I said, comparing WDEL with the WILM of 12th and French Sts, isn't exactly apples to apples.

Tools wear out, be they saws, screwdrivers, drill bits, etc, just as recording equipment wears out. Any carpenter, or machinist will tell you the same thing. Even a skilled craftsman can only do so much with poor tools that are not sharp enough, etc. Good quality tools do make a difference. You choose to see WILM of that time as some sort of a failure. It was a mom and pop operation, as compared to the money available at WDEL, no doubt. I was there and know what was done to get the product on the air and our newscasts provided the same info in as timely manner, and quite often more timely back then, than WDEL was doing back at that time. Granted, today is a different story, WILM is now taking a back seat to WDEL, as WDEL has become what WILM was, except that WDEL has far better equipment than what we ever had at the old WILM. That's not complaining, just stating facts.

I enjoyed my 7 years at WILM, but would have enjoyed it more, if we had had decent equipment to do our work.

 

[MattParker]

I can appreciate that recall is often selective. It is my understanding that WILM was not mom and pop but mom and son. I also understand that consistent mismanagement led to a lack of a revenue. The station refused to negotiate with potential clients and insisted on charging the rate card, contrary to industry practice. And while they not willing to spend money on equipment and facilities to produce programming, they were willing to spend money on themselves. Now that I think about it, WILM was not a hobby station. People care about their hobbies and are willing to spend on them.

And in your posts in various talk radio threads, which have included discussion of the notorious Mike Gallagher, who is replacing Glenn Beck on WOR, you have neglected to mention that WILM carried his hate and anger fest until Clear Channel took over. This is the same Mike Gallagher who this week gave air time to representatives of the Westboro Baptist Church who had wanted to stage another of their deserved-to-die demonstrations at the funeral for Dallas Green's granddaughter in Tucson. From what you've said about current WILM hosts, how can you condone someone like Gallagher?

 

[MikefromDelaware]

@MattParker: I think this discussion is at an end. No offense intended, but I think you're one of those folks who's just looking for an argument, and no matter what I say, you'll have some reason why my recollection is flawed, etc. So you keep your view of WILM as I'll keep mine.

Even your comment, in your previous post, about Mike Gallagher is simply an argument trying to happen. I'm not any sort of fan of Mike Gallagher, but when I talk about right wing talk, I simply refer to Rush/Hannity/Beck representing 99% of right wing talkers, of which Gallagher is a second or third tier part. Why would I mention on those posts about WOR and WPHT dumping Beck and WOR deciding to air Gallagher instead, would I mention that WILM used to air Mike Gallagher? Who, besides you care???

As I said, I think sir, you just are looking for an argument, not an intelligent discussion. I've been patient and have tried to communicate with you, but am now done. I don't know if you tried to get hired at WILM back then and didn't make the grade and harbor resentments or if you were at WILM under a different name than Matt Parker and got dumped and harbor resentments, or whatever. But you seem obsessed with belittling and bashing WILM. I've tried to offer you explanations, from my limited experiences of being a weekend employee, to no avail. You see no value at all for what WILM brought the Wilmington area, and I do. There's nothing I can say that will change your perspective, so be at peace. I'm finished with this discussion.

 

[MattParker]

@MattParker: I think this discussion is at an end. No offense intended, but I think you're one of those folks who's just looking for an argument, and no matter what I say, you'll have some reason why my recollection is flawed, etc. So you keep your view of WILM as I'll keep mine.

Even your comment, in your previous post, about Mike Gallagher is simply an argument trying to happen. I'm not any sort of fan of Mike Gallagher, but when I talk about right wing talk, I simply refer to Rush/Hannity/Beck representing 99% of right wing talkers, of which Gallagher is a second or third tier part. Why would I mention on those posts about WOR and WPHT dumping Beck and WOR deciding to air Gallagher instead, would I mention that WILM used to air Mike Gallagher? Who, besides you care???

As I said, I think sir, you just are looking for an argument, not an intelligent discussion. I've been patient and have tried to communicate with you, but am now done. I don't know if you tried to get hired at WILM back then and didn't make the grade and harbor resentments or if you were at WILM under a different name than Matt Parker and got dumped and harbor resentments, or whatever. But you seem obsessed with belittling and bashing WILM. I've tried to offer you explanations, from my limited experiences of being a weekend employee, to no avail. You see no value at all for what WILM brought the Wilmington area, and I do. There's nothing I can say that will change your perspective, so be at peace. I'm finished with this discussion.

I am sorry. I didn't realize that when you praise people you know or places you worked, nobody is allowed to disagree. I notice you are in the habit of introducing a Wilmington connection into discussions on various topics. I didn't realize Mike Gallagher was an exception. You know nothing of my resume and I only know what you have said here about your's. I may not have your first-hand experience with certain stations but when you heap such lavish praise I feel some balance is called for. I looked in the TOS for the website for "if you can't say anything nice..." and I didn't find it. And this is not your own talk show where you can pot down others when you wish.