oh, what the heck

[disgruntled]

I wasn't going to do it, but I guess its time for me to chime in since I've lived around these parts for six months....another yankee infiltrator who has moved to a warmer, and I must say, FRIENDLIER climate. People are sooooooo nasty up north, i'll never, never go back....not in the business right now, but after I've surveyed the land for a while, who knows.....anyway, I see CC has left a trail of destruction down here too. It looks like Curtis is in the driver's seat right now, at least when you compare their overall trends to everybody else, is that about right? It seems everywhere I go, I get a completely different impression of Entercom. Are they beloved among the worker bees here, or not so much? Music-wise, nothing really holds my interest much, but I suspect that has less to do with anybody's format, and more to do with me gettin long in tooth. I've now gotten in the habit of flipping between NPR and 101.1. I admire their boldness in having a very non-homogenized lineup, but their numbers are not impressive. Does it seem like clark howard covers a lot of the same ground over and over? This is my first time living in a market that carries boortz, and he is engaging but sometimes becomes a one-note band in pushing that fair tax. Not sure what to make of handleman; it's sort of like a modern-day version of See It Now (for all you youngsters out there, that was edward murrow's TV variety news program in the 50s) havent had much of chance to hear their morning show. What's the deal with SJS, are they planning big changes since changing owners? more like WZTK or more like WPTF in the future?

 

[XTalker]

Your newness explains your questions about SJS.

Don't expect much change from what it is today. The current lineup us less than a year old (with the exception of Rush). Morning man of 29 years retired in June of this year. Station dumped Laura Ingraham for JR Snider this summer. Hannity went to afternoons (from WMFR) early in the year.

 

[MaskMan]

Glad you posted. I think the worker bees like Entercom overall, as far as I can tell from the people I know who work there. I think the folks at CC are staying because they can't make that kind of money anywhere else, but their incomes are all beginning to suffer, so there could be some seepage soon.

I like Alan (Allen?) Handleman's show on WZTK and I think the morning show is starting to grow on me some. The ratings problem with WZTK is because their signal doesn't cover the entire Metro. They break up on the western side of Forsyth and our Metro includes Davie, Yadkin, and Stokes counties. It's a problem they'll always have, but they also sell the station in Raleigh, so they've figured out their strengths. They don't get a lot of agency business, but if a local direct has locations in the Raleigh market and the Greensboro market, they're a great low-cost alternative. I'm somewhat of a Talk junkie, myself, and switch between NPR and 101.1, as well. I can't stomach Bortz, however. I also really like Clark Howard and catch his show if I'm out and about during the day. Curtis is making a lot of the right moves, now if they would just spend some money on their equipment and day-to-day maintenance!

 

[disgruntled]

interesting, very interesting indeed......I would have assumed their signal was not strong in Raleigh, but of course, I've never actually BEEN to Raleigh, which shows how little i know about what i don't know. So anyway, doesnt that put ZTK in somewhat of a competition with WPTF, or does it just mean ZTK gets all of the hand-me-down equipment and board-op castaways from the mothership? Also, who owns 99.9 and what kind of cornsilk are they smoking in that office? First they were a country startup (even I know that WQDR is the undisputed country king in that market) now I see they are going all-sports!? I mean, Raleigh ain't exactly Chicago, and it seems to me that WRBZ (WBRZ?) has already sucked all the oxygen out of the room. Am I missing something here or am I just ignorant? (and don't say "both")

 

[XTalker]

ZTK is doing a great job of selling in both markets - maybe in the Raleigh market a little better. If you can get around the basic numbers buyer, it can make a great deal of sense. Good cume numbers when you combine the markets.

Sure, some competition for WPTF in Raleigh and WSJS in Winston-Salem, but is shows there is room for that competition and all of them can be financially successful.

As for Handleman, there are days I really enjoy him, but he should stay away from the political subject matter. Seldom is he as prepared for those programs and seems to rely heavily on authors trying to sell a book! He should avoid national politics, but should do some state issues. There will be a lot of state races and issues to deal with in the coming year.

 

[TheBigWhiteWolf]

As for Handleman, there are days I really enjoy him, but he should stay away from the political subject matter. Seldom is he as prepared for those programs and seems to rely heavily on authors trying to sell a book! He should avoid national politics, but should do some state issues. There will be a lot of state races and issues to deal with in the coming year.

If you listen awhile, you'll hear a lot of repeated subject matter. (And I'm not talking "best of" shows, either...) There are some shows that I don't mind listening to a couple times, but the longer I try to listen, the more I find myself turning the dial...

 

[XTalker]

Alan spends a lot of time with the "How much are your old records worth?" and "What old TV shows are now on DVD?" kinda topics. They do light up the phone lines, but then so will a physic! But no body cares what a physic says but the person who's fortune is being told! Frankly, I don't care how much your vintage version of "Another Brick In The Wall" is worth. Those are the days I listen to by CD changer.