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Best of luck to you and the crew at WECK Schuh-man.
Whole Grain Weck?
More LIVE AND LOCAL? Boy, talk about "going against the grain".
I was stuck at a local business today, and subjected to the rantings of Tiny Tom for TWO HOURS. As Bugs would say, "What a maroon!". I'd love to see Leffler knock him down a peg or two. It would also be interesting if Riter - admittedly not one of my favorite personalities - gave Mensa Mike & His Mutt a little competition. If Riter actually talks sports - intelligently - it would be a refreshing change for sports fans in Buffalo.
Good Luck, Tommy - and PERSONAL CONGRATULATIONS!
More LIVE AND LOCAL? Boy, talk about "going against the grain".
I was stuck at a local business today, and subjected to the rantings of Tiny Tom for TWO HOURS. As Bugs would say, "What a maroon!". I'd love to see Leffler knock him down a peg or two. It would also be interesting if Riter - admittedly not one of my favorite personalities - gave Mensa Mike & His Mutt a little competition. If Riter actually talks sports - intelligently - it would be a refreshing change for sports fans in Buffalo.
Good Luck, Tommy - and PERSONAL CONGRATULATIONS!
Good move, Tom! I tune in Lorraine and Tom Donohue from time to time. I think she offers a refreshing voice in AM drive. And Tom, of course, is a pro! I'm glad you're expanding Scott to 9am. Tradio just doesn't work in Buffalo. I hear the same few listeners calling in with items that no one wants. Fortunately, Lorraine's personality overcomes the liability. In fact, I was pleased the Tradio calls were dropped the other day in favor of an interview with Musicalfaire's Randy Kramer. One question though. Can anything be done to improve the link between Lockport and Cheektowaga so that Scott sounds better? Perhaps Scott could do the show from Cheektowaga. If you're going to try and take on Bauerle, Scott needs every advantage. And right now, he doesn't sound natural because of the quality of whatever technology you're using to originate the show from Lockport. (I am assuming that all this is happening because Scott's show doesn't have the audio quality of the morning show.) Some people on this board thought it would be a smart move to move Brad to the afternoon. It's interesting you'll be doing more than sports. I get the impression that Brad is versatile enough to be able to handle the political talk as well as the sports! Good luck!
W
weck1230
Guest
Thanks for the comments. The professionalism of our staff has allowed us to make these moves even sooner than planned.
B
Bob1370
Guest
This is just what the market and the business needs...more local programming from proven talents.
WECK may always be at a signal disadvantage compared with WBEN (which gets more reach out of 5,000 watts 24/7 because of a combination of efficient antenna and relatively non-restrictive nighttime pattern, than arguably any other regional around). But within the prime coverage area, it's certain that more people will now sample and listen to WECK than before, and that's got to mean better times are ahead. Best of luck to y'all...
WECK may always be at a signal disadvantage compared with WBEN (which gets more reach out of 5,000 watts 24/7 because of a combination of efficient antenna and relatively non-restrictive nighttime pattern, than arguably any other regional around). But within the prime coverage area, it's certain that more people will now sample and listen to WECK than before, and that's got to mean better times are ahead. Best of luck to y'all...
weck1230 said:Thanks for the comments. The professionalism of our staff has allowed us to make these moves even sooner than planned.
Not to mention that fact that O'Reilly is pulling the plug on radio at the end of next week...
B-Boy
Check your dictionary. There's a picture of Bauerle next to the word "huckster".
Check your dictionary. There's a picture of Bauerle next to the word "huckster".
Re: B-Boy
I don't have any issue with all the live spots. That's supposed to be one of the advantages of being live and local.
It's all the other chatter AROUND the live spots that SOUNDS like one continuous live spot that I find annoying. I don't know if it's his voice or delivery. It just sounds so stiff or awkward.
SirRoxalot said:Check your dictionary. There's a picture of Bauerle next to the word "huckster".
I don't have any issue with all the live spots. That's supposed to be one of the advantages of being live and local.
It's all the other chatter AROUND the live spots that SOUNDS like one continuous live spot that I find annoying. I don't know if it's his voice or delivery. It just sounds so stiff or awkward.
To be a successful talk show host requires a degree of self-confidence and refined thinking. Foremost, is the need to be well-read, knowledgeable and conversant with a wide range of topics. It helps to have a sense of humor. This is the reason why NPR exists.
Bauerle and Schopp remind me of the high school know-it-all... the guy (or girl) who had an opinion about everything and never, ever shut up. The person who stuck his or her nose into your conversations in the cafeteria, the locker room, on the bus and at the school dance. These were the kind of people you either avoided or with whom you got into physical confrontations. Maybe you were diplomatic and told them to STFU and walked away, and you're better for it.
There is a need for men and women who don't suffer fools gladly or quietly. For the most part, you'll find these august men and women in science, education, politics, law, medicine, technology and the humanities. They're most often people who are well-educated, well-rounded, experienced in worldly matters, well-traveled, likely to have served extensively in the government or military as well. They carry themselves with an air of quiet confidence. They possess a sense of gravitas. They are not dour, but have a wicked, refined sense of humor. They do not run, they walk; they do not shout, they speak; they're likely to listen more than to offer an opinion, but when asked, their opinions are well-measured and direct, and worth listening to.
Again, another reason to listen to NPR.
Bauerle and Schopp remind me of the high school know-it-all... the guy (or girl) who had an opinion about everything and never, ever shut up. The person who stuck his or her nose into your conversations in the cafeteria, the locker room, on the bus and at the school dance. These were the kind of people you either avoided or with whom you got into physical confrontations. Maybe you were diplomatic and told them to STFU and walked away, and you're better for it.
There is a need for men and women who don't suffer fools gladly or quietly. For the most part, you'll find these august men and women in science, education, politics, law, medicine, technology and the humanities. They're most often people who are well-educated, well-rounded, experienced in worldly matters, well-traveled, likely to have served extensively in the government or military as well. They carry themselves with an air of quiet confidence. They possess a sense of gravitas. They are not dour, but have a wicked, refined sense of humor. They do not run, they walk; they do not shout, they speak; they're likely to listen more than to offer an opinion, but when asked, their opinions are well-measured and direct, and worth listening to.
Again, another reason to listen to NPR.
I think these are good ideas.
1) I never liked just one hour of Leffler. He does a very credible job, but one hour shows just don't cut it for me.
2) The Riter move is excellent. I think its better to go head-to-head against Schopp & Bulldog than pick up scraps later on. Plus I would imagine the tune-out for evening sporting events during 6 to 9pm, especially Sabres, would be high.
I'd like to see evenings developed into something stronger though. It doesn't need to be local, but I'm not a big fan of Fox Sports Radio, although Andrew Siciliano is pretty good.
1) I never liked just one hour of Leffler. He does a very credible job, but one hour shows just don't cut it for me.
2) The Riter move is excellent. I think its better to go head-to-head against Schopp & Bulldog than pick up scraps later on. Plus I would imagine the tune-out for evening sporting events during 6 to 9pm, especially Sabres, would be high.
I'd like to see evenings developed into something stronger though. It doesn't need to be local, but I'm not a big fan of Fox Sports Radio, although Andrew Siciliano is pretty good.
J
jandersonn
Guest
Wow...I guess I just don't understand the appeal of Riter. From my listening, he has the most obvious knowledge of sports which he tries to mask with his lame pop culture observations. The times I've heard him he really thinks he's a personality. In my opinion he's not. I'm not sure these moves are worthy of immense praise because to my knowledge Riter is only delaying the network feed by three hours. How does this "expand" local content? I love the idea of 1230 but isn't Riter's type of sophomoric approach the very reason people are turned off by GR?
jandersonn said:... I just don't understand the appeal of Riter. From my listening, he has the most obvious knowledge of sports which he tries to mask with his lame pop culture observations. The times I've heard him he really thinks he's a personality. In my opinion he's not.
He is a personality. You may not like his personality, but that doesn't mean he's not. I'm not fond of Bauerle. But there's no denying he's a personality. Personalities on talk radio are acquired tastes. Like liver and onions, you may hate them, but other people find them to their liking. Riter is (1) on the radio, (2) gets paid to talk and express his own opinions and (3) you and I know his name. There probably are a dozen music jocks playing ten-in-a-row whose name you couldn't recall on a bet and whose act you wouldn't even bother to comment on.
Riter's a known entity within the WECK line-up, thanks mostly to his exposure on WGR. Not yet highly rated, but known. His pop culture observations and rambling musings probably are more suited to 18-34 Men than the 35+ geezers like me that post here, but it's what's needed if AM and WECK in particular are going to make a dent and an eventual impression on this market. Riter is more an Edge-type personality than a WBEN type personality.
Typically, radio stations that do talk formats, especially AM stations, have about two years to break through. If they don't get it done within two years, they're destined to be MYOL, brokered or just limp along as a local talk station that radio dorks like us listen to because it's not WBEN. From what I've read and observed locally and nationally, talk radio takes a lot of money to do properly. BTW, Look at WGR; the ratings prove that without the Sabres, they're a run-of-the-mill talk station that does sports. Same for WNSA, the "intelligent" sports talk station that had one good book, thanks mostly to the Sabres. Yeah, real "intelligent."
WECK has an overwhelming challenge going up against WBEN. The posters here want WECK to succeed, mostly because Tom Schuh is a good man and there are good personalities on the radio station. And then, there are posters here (ahem) that just dislike WBEN. It's like computer geeks that like Macs and Linux because they dislike Bill Gates and MicroSoft. Truth is, this doesn't account for much in the face of competing with Entercom and the people who run WBEN. They don't screw around. They took out WHLD in about three weeks. What a mistake of a talk station that was. You think Entercom is ignoring WECK because it's a talk radio teapot? Not likely. There will be blood.
I don't hear the WECK morning show. Define it for me. Who's the target? What's the goal? What's the short term, day to day mission? What's the long term mission? In-format, it's up against WBFO, WNED, WBEN, WWKB, Channels 2, 4 and 7; CNN, CNBC, MSNBC.
Out-of-format, it's competing with 97 Rock, WYRK, Tom Joyner and WBLK, Star and even (shudder) The Lake. So they're doing talk segments with musical fair theatre. Nice. Local, yes. And it deserves praise because nobody else is doing it. Congratulations! Eight thespians and three posters here think it was boffo! What did Joe Bagadonuts in Depew think... oh yeah, he was listening to Bauerle rant against Obama (again)... or maybe he was listening to the superb investigative piece on the S&L bailout on Morning Edition carried by WNED and WBFO... maybe he had Clay Moden on WYRK or Tom Joyner on WBLK.
What's the compelling reason for (lots of) listeners between 25 and 54 to change their listening habits and listen to the WECK morning show? I'm not being nasty, I'm posing a realistic question that must be answered by any radio station, whether it's programing CHR, AOR or Classical, let alone news-talk.
Lefler? Talk about rough hewn. I don't see him cracking Bauerle's stranglehold on talk radio, let alone Stephanie Miller's limp grasp of talk radio. But maybe Leffler's doing the politics for 18-34 Men routine or trying to be the un-radio talk show host. Lefler could also be following the Rachel Madow template. Madow is superb, largely because she's well-read, a Rhodes scholar and a great listener. She's said she doesn't even own a TV so she's never known "how it's supposed to be done" on TV. I like Madow because she's smart. And she looks great. I'll leave that line alone, given, well, you know. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
jandersonn said:I'm not sure these moves are worthy of immense praise because to my knowledge Riter is only delaying the network feed by three hours. How does this "expand" local content?
Here, I'll agree with you. I'm wondering where the "there" is.
jandersonn said:I love the idea of 1230 but isn't Riter's type of sophomoric approach the very reason people are turned off by GR?
Nah, people turn off WGR because they get tired of Schopp's Mr. Know-It-All act and the affable Bulldog's guy-at-the-end-of-the-bar act, groping to string four consecutive words together to make a coherent thought, let alone sentence. Actually, WGR is listened to because of the Sabres and that's a fact born out by off-hockey season ratings. Still, there's something to be said for guys on a 5kW radio station on 550, even if the personalities on the station aren't to my/our liking. As I said, like 'em or not, you can't deny that they're personalities.
Personally, I hope WECK's changes make a positive impact. I'm not expecting much, but it would be a pleasant surprise to see them blossom and take some of the wind out of WBEN's sail. Time will tell, but as I said, the clock's running.
J
jandersonn
Guest
All very good points Element. But to say that they're personalities because they are in fact living, breathing, humans on the radio is like saying Hitler was human because he was made of flesh and blood too. Ok, not really sure where I was going with that. I guess I should have said "good" personalities.
Yes, it's refreshing that it's local. Yes, it's refreshing that someone is trying to pry off BEN's death grip on the talk market. But Brad Riter as a cornerstone? Please. Just because 1230 has local content doesn't mean I should fall to my knee and give thanks. I was hoping for something fresher. You want 18-34 attention? Give them something with an edge...that takes risks. The typical "isn't the girl on the cover of Maxin hot?" isn't going to cut it. Especially on AM. To dent BEN you have to take it way further. I don't see 1230 even attempting it.
PS- The morning show holds its own with "Bob and Ann"
Yes, it's refreshing that it's local. Yes, it's refreshing that someone is trying to pry off BEN's death grip on the talk market. But Brad Riter as a cornerstone? Please. Just because 1230 has local content doesn't mean I should fall to my knee and give thanks. I was hoping for something fresher. You want 18-34 attention? Give them something with an edge...that takes risks. The typical "isn't the girl on the cover of Maxin hot?" isn't going to cut it. Especially on AM. To dent BEN you have to take it way further. I don't see 1230 even attempting it.
PS- The morning show holds its own with "Bob and Ann"
B
Bob1370
Guest
"I do wonder how well the B&B boys would do aginst legitimate competition, instead of rimshots with 2nd & 3rd tier syndication. I would think anyone who sounds naturally conversant would be an improvement over Bauerle. Everything he says sounds like a commercial announcement."
It may be a mistake to think of them as a package deal since they're very different people with different styles, although they agree on some things.
Bauerle is a pretty strong ego, and a little of that can go a long way. I liked him best in tandem with Bulldog Parker on WGR's morning show, because Bulldog knew how to balance and lighten his tone (as he does when he's paired with Schopp now in afternoons). If I were programming WBEN I'd give him a partner, maybe someone who doesn't see things in quite the same way--he's best when he's part of a point-counterpoint arrangement rather than a solo act.
Beach, on the other hand, is at his best in a format just like the one he's working now. He comes at the job with a sense of humor (often self-deprecating), a real understanding of the medium, and an ability to connect with people--he's a true radio talent who, agree or disagree with him, is interesting and entertaining. Whether he 'gets it' in his issue stances or not (and I sometimes find myself strongly disagreeing with him), he does 'get it' in terms of what makes a good radio show. For that matter, so does Ron Dobson, WBEN's night host (and I'm not just saying that because I agree with him more often--he really is good at what he does). I'll admit I'm coming at this from a little personal perspective since I briefly had the pleasure of working with Sandy when he was programming WKBW in the late 1970s. What you see and what you hear from Sandy on the air, is what you get in real life, there's nothing fake or phony about him.
It may be a mistake to think of them as a package deal since they're very different people with different styles, although they agree on some things.
Bauerle is a pretty strong ego, and a little of that can go a long way. I liked him best in tandem with Bulldog Parker on WGR's morning show, because Bulldog knew how to balance and lighten his tone (as he does when he's paired with Schopp now in afternoons). If I were programming WBEN I'd give him a partner, maybe someone who doesn't see things in quite the same way--he's best when he's part of a point-counterpoint arrangement rather than a solo act.
Beach, on the other hand, is at his best in a format just like the one he's working now. He comes at the job with a sense of humor (often self-deprecating), a real understanding of the medium, and an ability to connect with people--he's a true radio talent who, agree or disagree with him, is interesting and entertaining. Whether he 'gets it' in his issue stances or not (and I sometimes find myself strongly disagreeing with him), he does 'get it' in terms of what makes a good radio show. For that matter, so does Ron Dobson, WBEN's night host (and I'm not just saying that because I agree with him more often--he really is good at what he does). I'll admit I'm coming at this from a little personal perspective since I briefly had the pleasure of working with Sandy when he was programming WKBW in the late 1970s. What you see and what you hear from Sandy on the air, is what you get in real life, there's nothing fake or phony about him.
Bob1370 said:Beach... comes at the job with a sense of humor (often self-deprecating)...
That may be a necessity when you call yourself... Sandy... Beach...
What you see and what you hear from Sandy on the air, is what you get in real life, there's nothing fake or phony about him.
Except...
W
weck1230
Guest
I don't hear the WECK morning show. Define it for me. Who's the target? What's the goal? What's the short term, day to day mission? What's the long term mission? In-format, it's up against WBFO, WNED, WBEN, WWKB, Channels 2, 4 and 7; CNN, CNBC, MSNBC.
Out-of-format, it's competing with 97 Rock, WYRK, Tom Joyner and WBLK, Star and even (shudder) The Lake. So they're doing talk segments with musical fair theatre. Nice. Local, yes. And it deserves praise because nobody else is doing it. Congratulations! Eight thespians and three posters here think it was boffo! What did Joe Bagadonuts in Depew think...
When you say "I don't hear," do you mean you haven't listened, or you have listened but don't understand our approach? I can't tell from your comments whether you've heard the show or you're just bouncing off what others have said here.
If you have listened, I'd be curious to hear more specific comments. You've been insightful in the past...
Schuh
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