Radio Days - Pt2

[John FL]

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!

As is usually the case, I like to do a “reflections” kind of string near year end to review the past year and beyond. There were a number of things I didn’t get to in the “Radio Days” string so given the enormous popularity of that subject, I thought of doing a follow-up post.

What really motivated me was a recent experience. In real life, I’m very personable. I love talking to people, all kinds of people. I just find people and their particular stories interesting.Sometimes, I’m amazed at what I discover.

In Publix, of all places, I met up with a little Jacksonville radio history and I learned a few things too. I was probably making a comment about the great music Publix plays. I usually throw in a dig about radio complaining about damn restrictive and repetitive playlists. At any rate, I caught the attention of someone I’ve known for quite a while at my Publix (Reedy Branch) on Baymeadows Rd near 295. He’s a cashier. I’ve known him as just Bob.

Nothing is all what it seems. Bob has had an extensive radio career. His radio name is “Bob (Bobalu) Lewis” and when he told me about his 8 year gig as afternoon host at WEJZ, I was floored! Here’s the link to Bob’s FB page. Some interesting stuff here! Apparently, he has a once a week gig on public radio WJCT today.

https://www.facebook.com/Bobradio61/

You’ll find a couple of posts near the top about WEJZ. Bob is pictured doing a 1993 car giveaway promotion. Wow, the station had a big promotional budget back then. Apparently, WEJZ’s previous calls were WLCS. Bob had worked there, it was still an AC, left the market and wound up back at WEJZ. This site has a little bio. There’s also a promotional pic of Bob. Lite 96.1 WEJZ. Soft favorites. Less talk. Seems the “less talk” has been the norm for quite some time. Interesting seeing the word "soft." AC was certainly different a generation ago.

http://www.tragic96.com/bobalu.htm

Bob must have enjoyed his time at WEJZ. You can just tell how he talked about the station to include enjoying working with Arthur Crofton.

Speaking of Arthur Crofton, I came upon this article from 2002:

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/article/arthur-crofton-man-behind-mike

2002 was Arthur’s 12th anniversary with WEJZ as morning show host. He remains there today and an incredible 27 year run, pretty much unheard of in the revolving door way of radio. I never understood how Arthur would have wound up in Jacksonville but this article explained a lot. I never would have thought a British accent would have fared well in Jax but Arthur explains how Americanized he really is. Interesting. Arthur can probably write a book on how much radio has changed. Imagine how many songs he has played over the last 27 years and how the songs themselves have changed so much on WEJZ.

Meeting Bob and reliving a little bit of Jacksonville radio history had me think of my own radio experiences as a listener. I knew of another “Bob Lewis.” "Bob-A-Loo" as he was known was a great broadcaster who I remember from WABC AM heydays. He made the move to FM before WABC reached its peak. Many thought he was nuts for doing so but he proved to be right. He did an incredible amount of national voiceover work. Another legend gone too soon, he passed away in 1987 at a very young 49.

This “sequel” string is off the ground. Lots more to come as we look at Jacksonville radio and ties to my own memories in this and other markets. Stay tuned!

 

[John FL]

In 2017, Jacksonville experienced a second hurricane in two years, Hurricane Irma. I had left Jacksonville in last year’s Hurricane Matthew to attend to family in South Florida. Before last year’s storm hit, I listened to a great deal of WOKV’s coverage and found it totally superior and helpful.

This year, my expectations remained high that media coverage, both television and radio, would serve the public well. I was not disappointed. I’m not sure if WOKV did this last year as I was out of town, but this year the station aired special talk show programing after their extended morning news block. It was quite good and very informative. We were without power for 3 days and radio became a lifeline, especially at night.

I have always been fond of good local talk shows, even when I was in my 20s and 30s. From what I’ve read and have come to understand, producing a local talk show(s) can be expensive and there’s a tendency of appealing to an older demo thereby creating revenue challenges.

It was good hearing stories from ordinary people about their hurricane experiences and even best practices. There was a great deal of useful information exchanged. I don’t remember all the people who were on the air but I do recall Jeremy Radcliff. I don’t believe he is back with WOKV. He may have assisted with the extended news coverage. Jeremy was a young voice a good number of years ago when he first broadcast at WOKV. Stephanie Brown is another young voice who is extremely thorough in her reporting. She’s going places in my view.

I’ve noticed WAPE’s Morning Mess host, Mark Kaye, has been given a one hour shift at 11AM on WOKV. Per WOKV’s webpage, there’s a local call-in number so this is a live and local talk show. Bravo! Herman’s Cain’s show once 9AM – noon, is now on only one hour a day M-F 10-11. Brian Kilmeade holds down 9-10 and returns on the air at 6 PM, probably that first hour is a rebroadcast. Brian is interesting and keeps the program moving along at a good clip.

News/talk formats demand broadcasters with the ability to communicate effectively. Not everyone has the skills to be an effective broadcaster. I believe WOKV is making some good moves. They are probably looking closely at what those individual hours deliver in the ratings. I believe in PPM, you can get individual hours data.

In the original “Radio Days” string, I talked about the news/talk format and the various stations I listened to over the years. I neglected to mention a very heritage station offering talk and probably among the most unique of all stations doing the format. Given their longevity and place in radio's history, I believe they deserve a mention here.

That and more are upcoming.

 

[John FL]

In the previous post, I talked about the news/talk format on WOKV. There is a syndicated conservative talk challenger – WBOB on AM 600 and FM translator at 101.1. WOKV has emphasized news coverage. Plus, with their 104.5 powerful full market FM signal, and being sister to their Action News operations and an extensive local news team gives WOKV a clear advantage. WBOB has a decent lineup if your thing is syndicated conservative talk.

I prefer a good local talk show. In the past, there were discussions on this board about a format I never had the opportunity to hear as it preceded my arrival to Jax. This was WTLK at 106.5. The format was known as “Hot Talk” and launched in 1996 as “Real Radio 106.5.” This was a shock jock, male oriented format. They even brought back The Greaseman for morning drive. There was a good syndicated talent roster for the other dayparts and classic rock was aired on weekends. I’m familiar with Tom Leykis and Joey Reynolds who were among the syndicated shows.

By 1996, shock jock type radio was nothing new. Howard Stern had blazed the trail. In a number of markets, this approach of pushing the offensive envelope on the air, saw success in a number of markets where this was tried. Look at Neil Rogers in Miami. Jacksonville had The Greaseman, of course, and Lex and Terry got huge ratings back in the 90s on the former Rock 105 (WFYV). Perhaps, the Jacksonville market just wasn’t big enough for two competing shows offering around the same. Just a guess.

Real Radio 106.5 lasted less than 2 years. On paper, it looked promising. I would have thought it had a shot. 106.5 has seen a lot of formats come and go. It’s almost as bad as what we’ve seen on 105.3 and 105.5 over the years. While it’s easy to fault a Class A 6,000 watt signal, I have no idea how the format sounded. Perhaps it just wasn’t that good or they couldn’t sell it. Again, for those of you who remember the station and how they sounded, please feel free to comment.

Still, I give Jacksonville credit for trying something different.

Jacksonville also saw “Progressive Talk” at 105.3, perhaps it was on 105.5 as well back in 2010. There were so many format changes on both those signals that I can’t be sure of anything. Given Jacksonville’s conservative leanings and poor coverage for Jacksonville expansive land area, there were obvious challenges.

Andy Johnson was a local voice. He had a lot of passion in his views. There was a good syndicated lineup. Would a better signal had helped? Progressive talk has bombed in many markets so maybe we’re no different. I have often wondered if progressive talk formats could do a better job in attracting the urban audience. I never believed it was only Urban oriented formats the inner cities listen to. Anyway, it's now water under the bridge.

Since this is a reflections string about radio days, I will next go back to a different time and place to discuss a station that had incredible success more than a generation ago. In all my radio experiences, I never quite came across a news/talk format like this. Perhaps it can’t even be considered that format. It was a little bit of everything and it seemed to defy all the so called rules, at least in my view. That’s next!

 

[frankberry]

Thanks so much for your contributions!

 

[John FL]

I appreciate the kind words and support, Frank.

In the original “Radio Days” string and in many of my posts over the years, I have often talked about the heyday of AM radio. Those who are of seasoned age who have worked on the AM band or who just listened to it like me, in the 60s and early 70s, probably have a deep affection for it that will probably never really go away.

Personality radio was once king. But I’ve always believed, even the most casual listener, has the ability to spot a phony. That applies to both yesterday and today. I’d like to pay tribute to the WOR-AM (NYC) of the past while I make ties in to radio today, trying to keep it relevant in making points to Jacksonville.

WOR was born into humble beginnings in 1922. It was only 500 watts and they operated out of a department store basement in Newark, NJ. About 50 years later, I attended college just a few blocks from there. I would come to know the station as a 50,000 watt clear channel powerhouse.

When I acknowledged Jacksonville’s Arthur Crofton for his impressive 27 year tenure as morning host on WEJZ, that great accomplishment is dwarfed if one looks at the “Rambling with Gambling” dynasty. Starting in 1925 and ending in 2000, there was a “John Gambling” in morning drive all those years. The only thing that changed was the middle initial. The torch was passed from father to son to grandson.

WOR-AM could best be described, perhaps up to the 1980s, as a full service station. It offered a little bit of everything. In the wrong hands, it could have been a disaster. The “Rambling with Gambling” program earned very high ratings for many decades. The station had a long, 15 minute newscast at the top of the hour. 2-3 standards were played per hour in the morning. Music wasn't the star. It was talk, news and personality. It proved to be an effective combo.

What followed were talk shows that were very unique. It wasn’t about politics or government policy, but there were playwrights, producers, directors, writers, actors, stars, and the like who were frequent guests. Arlene Francis was one of the hosts. If her name doesn’t ring a bell, she was a panelist on the classic “What’s My Line?” TV game show which was a hugely successful live, Sunday night show. You'll find lots of YouTube clips, if you are interested. In fact, many game show panelists and even TV hosts had roles in radio. There was also newspaper columnists who dabbled in both radio and TV as well.

I suspect many of the stay home moms tuned in to hear about the exciting world of show business. If the hosts were snooty and condescending sounding, success would have been short lived. There was another program that was eventually called “The McCanns at Home.” The broadcast orientated not from a studio but from their house. The program started in the 1920s with the grandfather. It ended with the granddaughter in the early 1980s. They talked about cooking and domestic issues. The listener probably felt they were sitting at the kitchen table with best friends. The program enjoyed an incredible run but so much had changed, especially with a huge listener exodus from AM to FM.

WOR-AM played a mix of AC/oldies/standards on the weekends. Sometimes, they would broadcast a classical music presentation. In the local newspaper, there was a radio editor who offered good commentary. “Pulse Ratings” were published. WOR was almost always a solid #2 behind the mighty musicradio WABC for what seemed many years.

When many of those very long-term programs were cancelled by the early 80s, the GM cited that 80 percent of the audience was 50 years old or older. Those numbers did not translate well into advertising dollars. Well, there’s been lots of lean years since then as well. It’s doubtful, we will ever see that kind of program longevity as what existed on WOR. I understand the business decisions but it’s still sad to see what has happened to what was once such a vibrant and exciting AM band.

Radio is the theater of the mind. I’ve always believed that. The kind of radio I described above was for a different time and place. Obviously, that would no longer work. People's attention spans today or I should say lack thereof, truly concerns me. While those on the air once spoke eloquently and at great length, today’s broadcasters are required to be relevant and interesting while injecting personality in just a matter of seconds. That’s not easy. Perhaps we're even delusional believing the listeners get a warm and fuzzy from this. But then, look at how impersonal we have become. There's so little interaction with real people. We talk to machines and so much communication is not face to face but rather via text message.

Social media postings have taken the place of long-winded rapping. Still, I believe it’s important for those who are lucky enough to have an on-air gig to not be a phony. It’s critical to appear to talk to that one listener and not to multitudes of people. Even in today’s restrictive and tight formatting, I’ve seen that done and it’s good to see that still exists, although I wish it were more the norm.

Communication is key and radio is a communication medium or it should be. Lately, I have been wondering just how much do listeners actually hear? As I mentioned above, we are an impersonal society. Radio does reflect society, right? Still, I'll share some thoughts and concerns about the importance of effective communication upcoming.

 

[gr8oldies]

Jeremy Ratliffe works full time at Cox's WHIO in Dayton but they flew him to Jacksonville to help with WOKV's coverage. I listened a lot of it and they all did an excellent job.

 

[John FL]

Thank you, gr8oldies for the information about Jeremy Ratliffe. I agree with you regarding the outstanding Hurricane Irma coverage from WOKV. You can depend on it!

We’ve all seen countless posts on the radio boards and articles stating radio was much better in the past than it is today. These are opinions. I try to avoid words such as “better” because they tend to overgeneralize. The times were different in AM’s heyday and early FM, pure and simple. Yesteryear's radio conjures up wonderful memories for those who experienced it because outside of TV or seeing a movie, there wasn’t much else to entertain us. So, those memories have become long lasting.

There are lots of scoped airchecks on the internet that spotlight the integral role the jock played. Many developed an on-air "Shtick" that helped them stand out from all the rest. Over the years, I’ve come to realize that what once brought a smile to my face or even made me laugh, has dated very badly. On occasions, jocks went even beyond the talkup. They’d interrupt the song in midstream to say something and start yapping before the tune ended. A lot of noise. It wasn’t all like that, thankfully.

In the original “Radio Days” string I talked about a station called WOR-FM. I won’t repeat what was already said but I thought this to be truly outstanding radio on many levels from the jocks to the music mix.

When I started checking out radio airchecks when the internet was young, I found many for KHJ-AM in L.A. I quickly found something very engaging and interesting in the presentation and even the music. There were noticeable differences in left coast vs. right coast radio. I enjoyed the jingles and the overall vibe of the station. This is another station I had forgotten to mention in the original “Radio Days.”

There was The Real Don Steel, Robert W. Morgan and a guy I really liked, Charlie Tuna. I soon found that there was a connection between WOR-FM that I heard when I was a kid and liked a lot. Bill Drake was the programing genius behind both stations. At the time, this was a new kind of radio called “Boss Radio.” I’m happy to have experienced that. A lot of it still sounds good today.

Jay Thomas passed away this year. I was not aware that he attended Jacksonville University but I knew he worked on “The Big Ape.” I heard airchecks of his WAPE show. He had a smart, almost Drake like presentation. When I visited my family up in the NYC area, I heard Jay on “99X” which had morphed from the original WOR-FM. (That was a mistake IMO) Total professional and another case proving Jacksonville had stellar talent throughout its radio history.

There were instances big names didn’t impress me. I heard Wolfman Jack when he got a gig on New York’s WNBC. I didn’t like him at all. It was his voice that I found irritating. I could say the same for The Greaseman but mainly I didn’t get into his kind of humor. Lex and Terry fit in the same category.

Today, I appreciate Casey Kasem more than I did in youth. Getting up late on Sunday when I was young, I usually only caught the last half hour of the show. I almost always listen to the entire AT40 The 70s on SiriusXM’s 70’s on 7 channel. It moves along very nicely and quickly without all the commercials. He was an outstanding communicator. The slower delivery was an advantage because there’s lots of interesting trivia. I’m not even sure if a countdown show like this exists today or if CHR formats even do weekly countdown shows. It may be another thing the masses don’t care to hear.

I have a theory about why a good deal of today’s talent, especially after AM drive, seem so understated. Is it just about listener preferences? I believe there’s more to it. Stay tuned.

 

[TheBigA]

I’m not even sure if a countdown show like this exists today or if CHR formats even do weekly countdown shows. It may be another thing the masses don’t care to hear.

There are a lot of countdown shows on the radio. Casey's show American Top 40 is still on the air today hosted by Ryan Seacrest. Of course Ryan has interviews rather than scripted trivia. The reason Casey did the scripted stores was because artists then didn't do many interviews, and because there was no internet for people to get background on the artists. So Casey literally took bios, press releases, and articles from newspapers and turned them into stories that he read during the show. TTBOMK he never did any interviews himself for the show. Not long after he launched his show, he started a country version called American Country Countdown. It was basically a copy of Casey's show, but with country hits, hosted by another LA DJ Bob Kingsley. About ten years ago, Bob and the syndicator (ABC) had a falling out, and Bob was replaced by country singer Kix Brooks (of Brooks & Dunn). Bob started his own show, called Country Top 40, and it's also still on the air today. Bob added star interviews about 20 years ago, but still does the scripted stories and long distance dedications. But in answer to your question, there are a lot of countdown shows in a lot of formats, including Urban, Americana, and Contemporary Christian.

 

[John FL]

There are a lot of countdown shows on the radio. Casey's show American Top 40 is still on the air today hosted by Ryan Seacrest. But in answer to your question, there are a lot of countdown shows in a lot of formats, including Urban, Americana, and Contemporary Christian.

Thanks for all that detailed info. It’s good to see some traditions continue. I was aware of Ryan Seacrest doing the AT40 countdown show but somehow I got it in my head he stopped doing it given all he has on his plate. Seacrest is like a young Steve Harvey, just into so much stuff. Obviously, both in demand because they are loved by the public.

Speaking of lots on the plate, I'll resume some commentary about radio talent, I'll resume that once I get some more off my plate!

 

[John FL]

Back to the Radio Days analysis. We’re on the subject of the “disc jockey” from the past and present. Their role and their relevant importance. For some time, I’ve tried to put myself in that role.

While past radio broadcasters seem to have the most notoriety if one looks at all the airchecks devoted to them, I believe a lot of that has to do with what I mentioned earlier. For entertainment and amusement, there wasn’t as many things competing for a person’s attention. Some talent today is also understated. I’ll get to why I believe that exists. Luckily, it’s not always the case.

Whether we are talking the past or the present, a radio broadcaster is a professional. I’ve experienced celebrities being given a shot at radio. Most were simply not that good. More than a big name is required. A good number of years ago, WCBS-FM had guest celebrities in AM drive. That didn’t work.

Today, I listen a lot to the 70’s on 7 channel on SiriusXM. Not all XM channels have personalities but 7 has a lot of it. I especially enjoy listening to “Magic Matt.” Matt doesn’t just introduce songs. He brings life to them with his great voice and sense of humor. The songs are old but the jocks bring them up to a more contemporary level. Hard to explain but they do pull it off and it's good to hear.

On occasion, SiriusXM brings on celebrity DJs. Sometimes a tribute is done when one has passed away using old "tapes" of them doing a SiriusXM show. Some are okay, most are not. They simply talk too much. Recently, David Cassidy passed away. An encore presentation of one of these “specialty” shows was done where David talked about his favorite songs of all time. He was one of the best I’ve heard. He told a story beautifully and concisely. It’s always sad seeing what happens to so many in show business. Radio may have proven a good fit for him.

I’ve tried to put myself into the head of talent in how they receive feedback. A comic, for example, who is on stage in front of a live audience gets an immediate reaction. The experienced comic can gauge the audience. If something is off, they can ad lib their way out of it. I recall the late George Carlin. First off, his comic routine was genius. His facial expressions were as funny as his material. Obviously, facial expressions are not seen by someone listening to the radio.

In the past, when radio was truly live and local, there were phone calls with listeners, the board up sometimes was heard laughing, there was banter with the upcoming show’s jock etc. There were occasions a broadcaster could get some reaction to what he was saying.

I sometimes think of those who voicetrack. They sit in a studio or perhaps even a room in their house. They’ve gathered a few trivia news items or concert information and anything else that doesn’t have a smidgeon of controversy and do their shows. They don’t get any reaction. Listeners haven’t yet heard the show. It’s like the broadcaster is in some weird vacuum.

For those who have been voicetracking for some time probably don’t think about not getting feedback or feeling isolated. But I bet they wonder how the listener is reacting.

Management’s role is to provide feedback. Coaching is critical and hopefully it’s not always a list of everything done wrong but also includes positive feedback as well. It’s demoralizing, no matter your job, to never get positive feedback.

There’s more to discuss about talent. I’d also like to give you an example of a radio station that does an outstanding job in making the talent an integral part of the programming. It’s smart and very much what listeners prefer today. It’s an AC station. The talent is not understated but their participation doesn’t impede with the music flow.

That’s upcoming!

 

[TheBigA]

Management’s role is to provide feedback. Coaching is critical and hopefully it’s not always a list of everything done wrong but also includes positive feedback as well. It’s demoralizing, no matter your job, to never get positive feedback.

Depends....one of the ways talent gets feedback is through the ratings. Depending on the talent, one can get coaching from management, or from an outside talent coach. That's a job that didn't exist 20 years ago. One can also get feedback by taking the show to a talent convention, like The Conclave. Some of the larger radio companies actually have in-house talent coaches and consultants. There are quite a few options for feedback today.

 

[John FL]

Depends....one of the ways talent gets feedback is through the ratings. Depending on the talent, one can get coaching from management, or from an outside talent coach. That's a job that didn't exist 20 years ago. One can also get feedback by taking the show to a talent convention, like The Conclave. Some of the larger radio companies actually have in-house talent coaches and consultants. There are quite a few options for feedback today.

Thanks for that info. It’s good to see there are feedback tools available. Whether active feedback is provided or even common in the business is probably a subject on its own.

The ratings, overall, provide a good barometer or report card on a station’s performance. I don’t believe it always reflects on the performance of talent in a specific daypart because there are lots of factors at play. A station’s signal strength is critical for starters. We’ve also seen countless times the old adage that no one is better than the senior management. Wrong decisions can ultimately reflect on how well or not talent performs.

I’ve seen great potential in a number of on-air personalities but they just weren’t fortunate enough to be working for another company at another station. This seems the perfect segue to get into the subject of understated talent.

I can recall a number of radio companies having a tab on a station’s website where there were “DJ” blogs where the talent would post all kinds of things. Usually included was a bio as well. It was a way for the listener to get to know that person on the radio.

That’s been replaced with nothing. In fact, it’s like the voices we hear on a particular station are a big dark secret. Why is that? Some stations still post programming schedules but many have gone away. If I had an on-air career in radio, I’d probably be very insecure with all of that. Honestly, I think a lot of that has gone away because there’s so much work in getting rid of all evidence someone existed on the station through all the many posts etc when they ultimately fire that person.

Trust me, I understand why radio owners and management want to avoid controversy at all cost. It probably explains the very vanilla presentation after morning drive. Strong personalities have the potential of moving the needle up but there are also risks. Some listeners can find some of the material offensive. There could be bad publicity and local sponsors may feel the pressure to pull out. In my view, it should never come to that, especially if we are talking about a market such as Jacksonville.

Back to feedback. In every organization, and radio is no different, expectations are set with new hires. There’s sexual harassment training. For radio, there are guidelines to be followed. A company will probably specifically inform the talent to stay away from any topic involving politics, religion, sexual innuendos etc. That’s fine and I believe necessary. Another reason we may see so much bland and boring presentation on the radio is many people get offended at the drop of a hat nowadays. But again, a professional broadcaster can create a fun and exciting style in guidelines provided they don't have a noose around their neck.

I believe the pendulum has swung too far. If a company is going to make an investment in on-air talent, whether live or voicetrack, provide guidelines yes, but give them a little latitude to inject some personality into their presentation, like the “Magic Matt” example I cited earlier. Support the talent. Give them visibility in social media and the station’s website and have them engage with the listeners. Keeping them as a deep dark secret where they don’t even identify themselves makes little sense to me. Don’t hire them in the first place if the idea is talent is not an asset.

Earlier on, I talked about the long defunct “Real Radio 106.5” which was a Hot Talk format. No one ever commented about that or answered my questions, but I suspect the public just didn’t care much for hearing offensive language or topics. That’s fine by me as well. There’s plenty of ways to get good numbers by being on top of your game and having the drive and determination to win and offering innovative programming.

Many of you in Jacksonville probably remember long-time anchor, Deborah Gianoulis. While the “Gretchen Carlson” of Fox News sexual harassment story was big news, Deborah revealed her experiences in the news business, especially as a reporter. I’ve attached the article and video you may find interesting.

https://www.news4jax.com/news/former-jacksonville-anchor-shares-painful-experiences-in-tv-career

The radio connection is back in the day when “The Greaseman” had the #1 morning show, he would (according to the story) salivate on the air over the, at the time, the very young Deborah. Granted, I never heard Greaseman’s specific language in how he chatted about Deborah but via airchecks, we know his on-air style. So all I will say as a general rule is I never believed that high ratings should be perused by intentionally ridiculing, belittling, or making anyone feel uncomfortable in a sexual context.

Deborah concluded the interview by saying “Treating people with respect is just something that should be an expectation for everybody." I agree. What I believe in is the professionalism of broadcasters. Having a little fun on the radio is not offensive if those on the air know the expectations and there is willingness to have the talent do more than just mention the song and artist.

I’ve promised a discussion about what I consider to be a perfect example of a radio station done right. That’s upcoming.

 

[John FL]

We continue on the subject of talent….

Some things, as I mentioned earlier, don’t require a big operating budget such as keeping a station’s website and social media pages interesting and listener-engaged.

If I had to name one terrestrial radio station that is my favorite, it would have to be WFEZ-FM in South Florida. The brand name is Easy 93.1. As many of you are aware, I’ve talked about that station and Soft AC for quite some time on the Jacksonville board. I saw “Easy” as being a good fit in Jacksonville. I still do. Jacksonville has the "easy" brand and has moved to a full-market signal. Really, the ball is in their court. We've seen so many adult-based stations not last very long. I hope the people who are managing the station have experience with the AC format and know what they're doing.

Here is WFEZ’s FB page. For those interested, look through it. There’s lots of pictures, video, stories of interest, memes and even more importantly, you’ll see the jocks, including the PD, post items, identify themselves and interact with the listeners and be out in the community. This is successful radio today. Awesome programing, personality, and a well-managed, interactive and fun social media page.

http://bit.ly/2CMdMxX

There’s a lot of great stuff to include community involvement. If 2-3 air staff is all the budget can support, fine. But get them out into the community. Waiting for listeners to find you via osmosis can happen over time, but I’m about being proactive, especially if you really want to be competitive and have a burning desire to win.

Here’s a link to the actual WFEZ airteam. It’s a great picture. It shows camaraderie. Trust me, it’s real because you can hear it on the air. There’s lots of radio experience in that picture, especially in the same market - South Florida. I could talk at length about all of them but this is not the place to do so. Gary Williams is the PD. He’s had good AC programing experience having worked at sister WFLC when it was “The Coast.” I never found any other radio station that did the 80s quite like they did.

http://bit.ly/2DhEqzK

It’s awesome seeing all the right ingredients come together to create something really good. It may seem I’m comparing apples to oranges when I use a Top 20 market station to illustrate how great radio can be. I realize there are less generous operating and promotional budgets in Jacksonville. It’s easy to use that as an excuse IMO. Creating an exciting social media page is a great first step and that doesn't cost tons of money.

I have another subject or two to bring up. There’s more on the talent part of radio to follow. It’s so hard to tell what reader reaction is in a forum such as this. There's actual number of reads but I really can't tell if people are agreeing with me, finding the content organized and credible or if they are simply disinterested. Talk soon..

 

[John FL]

We live in times where lean and mean is the norm in business. Automation and technology has replaced people. However, I’ve also seen in radio when investments are made in the RIGHT people and an interesting and imaginative product is created, these are wins for both the owner/stockholders, listeners and sponsors.
My previous post about South Florida’s WFEZ serves as a perfect example.

We have become anesthetized in downsizing initiatives whether it’s radio or other business. A typical story on any of the business networks will talk about that new CEO who lays off X# of people to help with earnings and equity value. It’s all broadcast in such a matter of fact manner. But these are people whose lives are negatively impacted. There’s never a follow-up story on displaced workers. That’s probably not news worthy or a story that will earn big ratings.

I’ve seen a good deal of radio commentary that describe new management/new ownership who “blew away the old farts” when describing an improved 25-54 position. Congratulating a radio station or new management on improved performance is one thing, but why do we have to be so disrespectful? We see caustic commentary everywhere nowadays. Look at trends in social media, especially political ones, and they are so filled with hate.

I visited many senior living facilities this year. Before I started, I never realized how big a business this was here in the Jacksonville area alone. Eventually, I did some volunteer work where my mom was placed. Mom’s time there was not long before she had a tragic accident that happens to many elderly. She fell and broke her hip. During those few months, I visited many residents in their room. You know what was missing in their rooms? A radio.

Depending on how you look at things, radio has positioned itself in a way that discourages our seasoned citizens from even bothering. There’s nothing there for them. The former WKTZ and their beautiful music format was appealing, no doubt. But music is like medicine. I’ve seen those with acute dementia who couldn’t tell you what they just ate, but they can sing along to their favorite songs from Big Band days.

Obviously, a Big Band station on the radio may only work if it’s on a publicly supported station. There’s entertainment at virtually every one of these senior centers and that too is a big business. Among the performers are mobile DJs. For those of you who may be long time radio folks who are now out of the business, and would love to do something rewarding, I’d suggest you try the senior center circuit. I’ve seen the smiles these entertainers put on the faces of the residents. They deserve it.

There are thousands of senior citizens in their 80s and 90s who live in Duval/N.E. Florida independently. Families move away and the elderly remain behind. I’d like to circle back to WOKV’s hurricane coverage. On a number of occasions, the on-air team and reporters reminded the community to check up on the sick and elderly in their community. That was so incredibly important. It showed a level of broadcast responsibility and professionalism.

It’s the nature of professionals to speak in their own vernacular such as speaking in acronyms that they fully understand, but the general public and certainly our seniors do not. Many times, I noticed the WOKV team clarified what was just said. That’s when radio shines. Effective communication rules!

I will always believe radio to be a personal medium or should be. Perhaps, in the midst of the Christmas holiday season, I got a bit dark in this post. But, my point is we experience business decisions all the time. Many would love to sweep certain members of our community under the rug, but they are still people.

Given Christmas is practically here, I don’t anticipate a lot of participation. I’ve seen that already. I honestly thought the last post would have generated at least 5 or 6 responses by now. It can be so disappointing. The links I provided got so very few clicks. Positive commentary doesn’t get a lot of attention I guess.

So, I will add a few more comments after Christmas. I wish you all a very happy Christmas. As you can imagine, this one will be a tough one for my family but there’s plenty of wonderful memories. There’s also delightful memories of radio of yesteryear and still great examples of it done well today and I will continue to post about those.

 

[radiofan86]

John, as someone in the younger generation in the biz now, I am enjoying this thread. Thank you for it.
I will agree, radio shines with effective, one-on-one communication. Actually I agree with many of your points, including that WFEZ is a fine radio station.
Looking forward to more!

 

[John FL]

John, as someone in the younger generation in the biz now, I am enjoying this thread. Thank you for it.
I will agree, radio shines with effective, one-on-one communication. Actually I agree with many of your points, including that WFEZ is a fine radio station.
Looking forward to more!

Thank you, Radiofan86 for your comments. To continue on with the “radio shines with effective one-on-one communication” concept, I thought I would bring up yet another radio station I didn’t get to into the original “Radio Days” string that demands recognition. I’d also like to include a comment from another radio board to offer as evidence that my thought processes as it applied to Jacksonville radio business decisions was spot on.

I devoted time, not only in this string, but in the first “Radio Days” discussing the news/talk format such as WOKV. Talk shows are an interesting format. However, the talk shows I prefer, live and local and not always partisan politics, exist mainly in the past. Truthfully, I could see myself tuning into terrestrial radio a bit more if there was a local, all-news station available during the day.

“Jacksonville’s Morning News” ends at 9 A.M. It’s in the 9 AM hour that I’m on the road. I’ve long wished they could expand an hour. There will be a day Rush Limbaugh will no longer be on the air. I have to wonder if a midday and/or late afternoon news block will ever become reality on WOKV. Costly, probably. Could a market the size of Jax support such a change? Cumes would probably be high. Who knows? I never say never.

In 1965, a NYC radio station that I might add was one of the first to play rock and roll music, flipped to the all-news format. That station was WINS-AM. Alan Freed, known as “the father of rock and roll” was very big. Of course, if you remember your radio history, the “payola” scandal ended many careers and even shortened lives, such as Alan's.

There was a good deal of Top 40 AM competition. WINS could have elected to continue the fight in the music arena. But, in the end, suburban signal limitations and other factors saw the flip to all-news. In WINS’s history, I read that they were only the third station in the country, at that time, to go all news. To say the least, it was a bold move and one that has brought decades of success. Today, 52 years strong on the AM band, I could be wrong – but I don’t believe WINS has ever been out of the Top 5 in total audience. What a track record!

WINS had, as I’m sure they have today, many slogans. One of my favorites was “You give us 22 minutes, and we’ll give you the world.” That tagline actually described the “clock” that was the format. Every 22 minutes, they’d start the format/news, sports, traffic, and weather all over again. My dad was always a sports nut. Long before cable TV, he would run into the kitchen, turned on the radio, knowing exactly when scores were announced. That radio got a workout! I imagined thousands doing the same thing.

There’s a local, independent radio board for New York City. I enjoy reading the posts there. There was a discussion regarding WINS's impressive #2 showing in the entire market. Entercom owns another prestigious news station, WCBS-AM, besides WINS-AM.

The proprietor of that board said “It's about how to set up a "winner" for the New York cluster while keeping the other station profitable. In this case they *intentionally* set up WINS to be the go to New York news station by saddling their other news station (WCBS) with "clutter" like over-flow sports broadcasts (Thursday Night Football) and weekend infomercials. None of that is on WINS *by design*. (More of this conversation to follow)

Some of you may recall the number of times, I used the words “by design” when I saw some stations and formats that simply appeared to be the victims and intentionally held back. Probably the clearest example was when Renda Broadcasting had a Soft AC format in their cluster, Sunny 94.1 on WSOS-FM. Of course, they also owned the cash-cow AC WEJZ. Still, I believe ‘EJZ could have gotten hotter and Sunny could have targeted upper end 25-54. That never happened. I smelled a rat but we’re reminded this was just good business. Sunny was close to a 3 share. For a St. Augustine station, I thought they were performing quite well. In time, the stations ratings dropped to fractional shares. None of that made sense to me. When ratings go down, you do whatever you can to get them back up - or at least that's how it should be. But, like in so many decisions, there were reasons.

The NYC board moderator concluded his statements by saying “It's smart business. WINS gets the ratings crown -- and the billing to go with it. WCBS is still profitable thanks to these other elements and is strong enough in other dayparts to hold on to a reasonable news audience to make it work. Smart cluster programming. WINS is doing well at the expense of WCBS-AM. It's what happens when you own both stations and can manage them both.”

Over the years, my gut feeling about things has rarely been wrong. It can be frustrating when I don’t get answers immediately, especially if I have to rely on participation here but it’s still great to get validated about the business of radio, even if it's years later.

Today, I don’t listen to much terrestrial radio but I still find it so interesting. It’s not logical I know.

More to come!

 

[davideduardo]

My previous post about South Florida’s WFEZ serves as a perfect example.

What is most interesting is that WFEZ's initial "failure" served as a wake-up call for the very station it was modeled after, WDUV.

When WFEZ went on the air as such, it looked at WDUV, the decade-long reigning #1 station in the Tampa Bay market as an example.

Tampa /St. Petersburgh is a big retirement community. And so is Miami, so the formula should work, right? No. Wrong! Miami is not a retirement community for the most part any longer. It's nearing 55% Hispanic, and the older members of that community did not grow up with The Fleetwoods and The Carpenters.

Aunt Minnie in Tampa did not grow up on the same songs as Tía Caridad in Miami did.

And it turned out that the non-ethnic segment of the Miami MSA actually had a much younger median age than the Tampa market. The WDUV implementation did not work, did not get much 25-54 and was not very high rated.

So the folks at Cox adjusted the format. In reality, they changed it. It became a gold based AC, not the WDUV-like pop easy listening station it debuted as. It created a point of differentiation with WLYF by not playing currents. It was very familiar, and it succeeded powerfully.

And WFEZ kept much of the 55+ audience they had garnered, but exploded in 25-54. In fact, in recent books it has been in the 4th place position in that key sales demo.

Seeing this, WDUV was remodeled. It shed a lot of the 65 and over audience, but moved into 35-54 aggressively. From being around 15th in 25-54, it's now around 3rd, and billings have gone from 15th to the top 5.

In radio, we learn most from our failures. Cox quite competently turned around a mediocre debut in Miami and then applied the knowledge to a #1 station that was last among the full FM signals in revenue and made it much better. Two big wins out of one misstep is a pretty good record!

 

[John FL]

What is most interesting is that WFEZ's initial "failure" served as a wake-up call for the very station it was modeled after, WDUV.

In radio, we learn most from our failures. Cox quite competently turned around a mediocre debut in Miami and then applied the knowledge to a #1 station that was last among the full FM signals in revenue and made it much better. Two big wins out of one misstep is a pretty good record!

Thank you, David. I found your insight to WFEZ’s launch and early days very interesting and I will also add surprising.

There was a great deal of buzz when WFEZ launched and it was virtually all favorable, if one was basing this on radio board posts not only in Miami but in NYC as well. After all, NYC is the northern most borough of South Florida.

When I heard a lot of vintage stuff that went back to the 50s and early 60s, I figured it was just a way to get noticed, which they certainly did. I also thought they would gradually update their sound once they established themselves. I thought that was the strategy and not resulting from a mistake. In looking at your comments a number of times, I’m seeing your points more clearly now.

What WFEZ has accomplished was not “easy.” They were so good that they became a favorite radio station to a large age-span of listeners from 55+ to the money demo in 25-54. It's a fantastic mix of music and the different genres and decades seem to flow smoothly from one song to another.

Great radio is local and it reflects the community served. There’s a very personable and well-known airteam in place. They saturate the community and are very involved in charitable causes. There was one major talent change involving morning drive.

I figured Mindy Lang from the now defunct Magic 102.7 (WMXJ) had a good shot to get the gig because of the name recognition, longevity in the market etc. Instead, the morning show reigns went to Giselle Andres. It’s all about reflecting the community. With a Hispanic population nearing 55%, it’s imperative for typical listeners to identify with you. I think I read somewhere Miami is 75% bilingual. Bottom line, she does a great job. I like her and I wouldn’t be surprised Easy’s morning show is performing better today than prior. She worked on a Mix station years earlier that had bilingual elements to it. Good fit. Looking back at Magic 102.7, they made a tactical error not having at least one personality who the Hispanic community could identify.

I see a great deal of viability with the Soft AC format. Jacksonville has the format on a bigger and better signal after switching frequencies not too long ago. This is Easy 102.9 (WEZI). The Christmas tunes played. I assumed this gave CMG the opportunity to make some tweaks. I believe they made a lot of great changes. Perhaps this was another opportunity just like WFEZ to learn from missteps and move on. I found a lot of the music sounded uneven and formulaic. Much better now.

Jacksonville’s Easy 102.9 will probably prove to be the biggest radio story for 2018. Remember that can go either way, good or bad. I’m hoping it’s for the better. Soft AC is a great format, my personal music favorite on terrestrial radio. The ball is in their court.

More on "the right people" upcoming.

 

[John FL]

The Right People

There have been a number of big-name jocks who have either written books about their career in radio or who have been interviewed to share their experiences. It seems that's the time to criticize. It's a side of talent that I don't especially like, especially when the person they go off on gave them the break in the first place. Probably in every work place there’s things about the boss or the job that irritate people. Most broadcasters are professional. They don’t allow personal events in their life, whether personal or business detract from their performance.

I experienced grandstanding on occasion. A jock’s contract isn’t renewed but a decision is made to keep the guy on the air until the contract is expired. I’ve heard negative comments and bizarre stuff and some have been captured via airchecks.

Roby Yonge serves as one example. He grew up in Ocala, Florida by the way. He made it very big in South Florida on what was known as “Tiger Radio” back in the glory days of AM Top 40 on WQAM. He was known as “The Big Kahuna” for his surfing expertise. Legendary jock Rick Shaw was on WQAM as well.

Roby got an opportunity many simply dreamed of and that was a gig on the biggest Top 40 hit music station, at the time, WABC. History has taught us that a format can be hot in one market and not another. Those in radio management can have a lot of success in one market and struggle in another. We’ve seen that in Jax for sure. We’ve also seen talent be popular in one city but fail in another. So was the case for Roby. His contract was not renewed but he was allowed to stay on the air for a couple weeks until his contract ended.

Many of the younger readers on this board may not have known but in the late 60s rumors began circulating that Paul McCartney was dead. There were all kinds of conspiracy theories and clues explained in a Beatles album cover. I think it even involved listening to a certain song backwards. Roby spun his tales in the overnight show.

PD Rick Sklar talked about the signal and the impact Roby’s comments made. At that time of night, WABC’s signal reached most of the U.S., went up the Canadian Coast, down to Guantanamo in Cuba and skipped across the Atlantic to the African Gold Coast. The station was flooded with phone calls from as far away as Albuquerque, New Mexico. Rick was notified in the middle of the night. This kind of adverse publicity is not what a radio station wants dumped on them. A relief DJ went on the air and Roby was escorted out of the building. In many ways, Roby was a tragic figure. He died at only 54 years of age.

In Jacksonville, I think there was someone on the old Rock 105 who was released from his contract or it wasn’t renewed and he bad mouthed the management on the air before getting thrown off the air. I remember heating an aircheck on this but I couldn’t find it. Perhaps someone can provide more info.

Hiring the right people in any business is critical. It can also be one of the most challenging things in management’s responsibility. I hired a lot of people. I was pretty lucky. My method was not scientific but if the person looked like someone both my team and I could get along with, that was a big plus. Anyone who had a chip on his/her shoulder, bad-mouthed their current or former employer or workers, and simply looked unhappy or unmotivated, I’d eliminate them from consideration. It wasn't perfect but I didn't have many employee issues, thankfully.

With so few people who get hired in radio nowadays, the decision has to be spot-on, right? For an on-air position, I’m guessing the candidate would have to demonstrate how they would appeal to the P1s, complement the music, perhaps things like that. I’m curious to know more.

There were a few private messages I received in the first “Radio days” post that I believe deserve a few comments here. I’ll be sure to get to that next.

 

[TheBigA]

With so few people who get hired in radio nowadays, the decision has to be spot-on, right? For an on-air position, I’m guessing the candidate would have to demonstrate how they would appeal to the P1s, complement the music, perhaps things like that. I’m curious to know more.

I'd suggest that, in terms of numbers, there are more people who get hired today than in Roby Yonge's day. Why? Many more stations. Back in the 60s, there were really just a handful of powerful AM Top 40 stations. Less than 50 nationally. Roby grew up on Florida, but his dream was to work in New York. Today, there are many more opportunities geographically. This is not to say that one can grew up and stay in Jacksonville. But Atlanta is not that far away, and there are a lot of radio and TV opportunities there. Why? Because there are a lot of big advertisers there. Money drives hiring. Yes there's still a lot of money in New York, but opportunity isn't limited there, and it's possible to get a job in radio, become very successful, and never work there.

What does it take to get a job in radio today? Energy. Positive energy. An on-air DJ needs to be likable, immediately. An on-air DJ needs to be attractive. Sorry, but so much of what that person does will be visible, in terms of web content, personal appearances, and everything else. They need to be a star. If you watch American Idol or The Voice, a lot of what you see there applies to radio (except the singing.) I often see the words "understand the life group" in job descriptions. That means if it's a country station, they need to know what country fans do besides music. So it's complicated, and the decision-making is often very subjective. Ideas are important. Come in with a lot of ideas. Ways for the station to grow the brand and make money. Skills in communication, social media, and web design. It's complicated. It's part technical, part artistic. Left brain, right brain. Willingness to work long hours for not a lot of money. Desire. Passion. Lots of passion. Relentless passion. Ability to get told no a lot, and not have it affect you. That's a tough one for some. If you can do all that, you might get hired.