Rochester's WLGZ - Legends music to FM

[therealjm12]

Sorry to hear two more local announcers have lost their jobs. One of them is the talented KB Cooper - wife of morning host Scott Taylor and formerly mid-days at WBEE.

Me too. While I never heard her on 102.7 I remember a time several years ago sitting in a dentist chair and listening to WBEE. What could be worse than dental work and country music? This was when Fred Horton was the O. M. at the BEE. Well, KB Cooper was on and I was just pleasantly surprised by her show. So smooth and professional. She, did a short interview with someone and it was very entertaining. I later worked with her for a short time and found her to be a very nice person, as is her husband. I'm sure she will do OK.

 

[umtrr-author]

Duly noted that among the songs played in the 10PM hour last night (Wed 13th) was "Paint It Black" by the Rolling Stones... as well as ABBA and Frank Sinatra.

 

[Mark Giardina]

I’ve been listening to that station all this week and after five days I’ve noticed repetition in their playlist. For example I’ve heard “Kick-in-the-Head by Dean Martin at least four times. Come-on Dino recorded more songs than that. Same goes for Sinatra, Nat King Cole and dozens of other artists.

When your format is designed for people who remember music from the 50s, 60s, and 70s, you have a vast wealth of material to choose from, unlike certain stations that play the same 200 songs over and over again.

Personally, and professionally, I think Legends can do very well for itself on the FM dial. Yet I still believe if they added more local news to their station throughout the day even more people would tune in. That's what helped make WHAM number 1 for many years and why people listen to public radio.

 

[umtrr-author]

I have also noted repetition, such as "Feeling Groovy (59th Street Bridge Song)" by Harpers Bizarre.

What I also find interesting is the "This is Legends" inserts (if that's the right term) where three song snippets are played to illustrate the format.

This morning just before 8AM when I drove my son to school (and go right past the studio!) the three examples were Elton John (forget which track but could have been the original "Candle in the Wind"), James Taylor's "Fire and Rain"... and "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves.

I'm not quite ready to admit that Katrina is an "oldie" (the LP was released in 1985) nor would I argue that she's a "Legend" either, but my point is the highlighting of much more "modern" material in these promos. No Frank Sinatra, Glenn Miller, et al, so far in these "This is Legends." This is even though before 8AM, "Moon River" by Andy Williams was played. To their credit in terms of variety (at least given my bias), they also played "Baby, Now That I've Found You" by Alison Krauss, whom I could listen to singing the phonebook.

I agree with Mark that there is so much material available in the Legends library that they really could "play everything" (to appropriate the tag line of Fickle 93.3). I hope the station doesn't morph into one of those stations about which I used to complain, "We don't play the same 400 songs all the time-- we play a different set of 400 songs all the time!"

 

[kmac]

I also noted the format change the other day while on the road and found it interesting that Crawford gave up on the Christian format. Once upon a time Mr. Crawford was trying to build a network of Christian stations covering NY state and I think was trying to buy up a property in NYC. That was early 1990's when they bought 102.7 in Rochester, 1390 in Syracuse, and the AM/FM combo in Albany and had some dayparts simulcasted via satellite from WDCX in Buffalo. I guess the final battle between profit and soul-saving finally played itself out ;D

I'll have to ask my parents if the music on the AM has changed much. They listen to 990 almost exclusively. Incidentally, I am happy that's one DA I don't have to deal with. I remember Randy Orbaker sharing horror stories about keeping that array in check. What a nightmare, from what I understand. Some really tight nulls.

KMAC

 

[Mark Giardina]

A little inside info for you:

* No one was let go with the format flip. Fybush didn't get things quite right; he's been notified, and I'm sure he'll post a correction.

I checked Fybush's column for this week and nothing was written about Legends, nor any "corrections" made as to his original statement that two on-air staff members are no longer employed at the station.

You're saying no one was let go. So who is right and who isn't ?

 

[cee]

I checked Fybush's column for this week and nothing was written about Legends, nor any "corrections" made as to his original statement that two on-air staff members are no longer employed at the station.

You're saying no one was let go. So who is right and who isn't ?

Actually, KB Cooper, who apparently was working full time on "The Lite," is doing weekend work on Legends FM/AM - at least, according to their website. That's good to hear - IMHO she's a top talent in Rochester. Don't know about the other full timer. BTW - according to their website, "The Lite" still exists on HD. Don't know if they use air talent there - don't own an HD radio.

Legends does indeed have a limited playlist(as has been mentioned here). A lot of songs I heard sunday afternoon, I heard around the same time monday afternoon. Hopefully these are just growing pains they are going through. Interesting format - Dean Martin, Abba, Rolling Stones, Wayne Newton - a real AOR format(All Over the Road)

 

[scooterodell]

I checked Fybush's column for this week and nothing was written about Legends, nor any "corrections" made as to his original statement that two on-air staff members are no longer employed at the station.

You're saying no one was let go. So who is right and who isn't ?

Check it again, Mark: http://www.fybush.com/NERW/2008/080211/nerw.html
.

Tom Pethic's "Artistry in Jazz" was cut from weekend lineup, but this actually happened before the flip and was not directly related from what I understand.

 

[Mark Giardina]

I must have missed it the first time (Fybush's correction).

Anyways I was listening again at work and while I enjoy hearing personality radio, I have to say I heard ol' Dino singing "Kick -in- the- head" for the 5th time in a week before leaving the confines of government work this afternoon.

Some friendly advice to the folks on Browncroft Blvd & Creek Street: Update that playlist folks or you are going to start to lose your audience.

 

[Desert Pete]

I'm clocking their music. AOR, as in, All Over the Road is right. I did hear a bit of KB Cooper over the weekend. Called, but the busy switch was on, so her shift was probably tracked. What a waste of talent.

Music can be fixed ("Don't Sleep In The Subway" and "Tuxedo Junction" as powers?)
Full-timers ... Shuttleworth and Joe Peters are the best of the lot. Maggie and Elisabeth need time with a talent coach, but have great potential. Morning show has gotta go. No chemestry between the two of them. And why no news service? There's plenty of them out there.

 

[Mark Giardina]

And why no news service? There's plenty of them out there.

That's the question I've been raising. I know the station is spending money on weather by having hired Josh Nichols from Channel 10, plus traffic reports.

What the management at Crawford needs to understand is that the audience they are going after also want news, and not just until 9am. It wouldn't hurt the station to have local/national/state news from 6 am to 6 pm weekdays and 6am-12noon weekends.

We did that at the old 990-AM WNYR and it worked with just three fulltime people and a part-timer on the weekends. One of the fulltimers attended news events, while there were morning and afternoon anchors.

If Legends wants to make money it will have to spend money. They are going in the right direction with personality radio. Besides expanding their playlist, Legends should also expand their news coverage.

 

[yugoidar]

And, I presume, hire an ex-WHAM, ex-WEZO/WNYR, ex-WXXI guy like you as a full-time news anchor. Right, Mark? Knowing how much you seem to miss the daily Radio grind, I hope it happens for you. Just can't get it out of your blood, huh?

 

[Mark Giardina]

And, I presume, hire an ex-WHAM, ex-WEZO/WNYR, ex-WXXI guy like you as a full-time news anchor. Right, Mark? Knowing how much you seem to miss the daily Radio grind, I hope it happens for you. Just can't get it out of your blood, huh?

Thank you for the nice compliment, however I was basing my suggestions on what could help the station move forward. Whether they want to take my advice or not is totally up to them.

If Legends is going after an audience in my age group, then why not have more news? The only other radio station in Rochester that has news every hour is WHAM, so even if you have someone read two to three minutes worth of headlines, plus provide weather and the latest stock report, it would hurt but help their format.

 

[The Voice of Reason]

This station has potential but it needs to make some serious changes.
As mentioned on here by previous posters, the music rotation should be expanded to include less repetition. I also agree that Legends needs to add more news, especially after morning drive and more so during afternoon drive.
On the positive side at least Legends offers live announcers in studio, versus voice-tracking or syndicated programming; for that the station gets my support.
It will be interesting to see in future ratings books how Legends will do now that its format on FM has gone from religion to MOR.

 

[Desert Pete]

As someone who's worked the format, progammed the format, and listened to my share of oldies stations over the years, let tell you that their music rotation is terrible. Almost makes me want to send an e-mail to the PD that says ... "You are getting sleepy. Sleepy. So sleepy. Now, listen to the CBS-FM stream and play what they play ... and, when I snap my finger ..."

Good music won't take care of the personalities, though. Morning show is just awful. Mid-day jock needs a talant coach, but has potentional. Afternoon and evening jocks are the best of the lot. Weekends ... again, with a talent coach to de-program the "standards" approach, the two girls should be fine.

 

[The Voice of Reason]

Good music won't take care of the personalities, though. Morning show is just awful. Mid-day jock needs a talant coach, but has potentional. Afternoon and evening jocks are the best of the lot. Weekends ... again, with a talent coach to de-program the "standards" approach, the two girls should be fine.

I was also going to include my thoughts about Legends on-air personalities, but you made the same points I would have. My suggestion would be take the mid-day person and afternoon announcer and team them up for morning drive, then find someone to replace those two air shifts. However I noticed, on the station's web site, that they were looking for a board operator at a salary of $8.00 an hour. If that is any indication what Legends pays its full-time staff, it would be very tough to find good talent willing to work for that kind of money; yet on the other side of the fence there are a few individuals that would actually accept that salary just to be on the air.

 

[cee]

I agree that the music is really all over the place. Bing Crosby, The Stones, The Bee Gees, Whitney Houston, Show Tunes(I heard a weekly show tune hour -- I think around 5pm -- recently on a friday..what the???). I can understand them wanting to not totally turn off their audience from their original Legends nostalgia format, but play some MOR that fits in with the pop/rock oldies...AND don't try and be everything to everyone - it doesn't work.

Yes, they have talent, but they need coaching. Some of the announcers say those trite DJ things(Scott McKenzie, hey he's going to Frisco lookin' for those flowers and I hope he findS some soon)...presentation sounds kinda small market..but with bigger market voices. I personally would like to hear a more straight ahead Drake style presentation, like they did on Oldies 104, WBBF-FM and are still doing on WCBS-FM. Doesn't sound like they'll do that here. I'm not counting on hearing a Charlie Tuna sound-a-like on morning drive anytime soon.

 

[umtrr-author]

I almost drove off the road when Blondie's "One Way or Another" was played on Legends last Saturday afternoon. ("They're playing one of my 45's again," I spontaneously commented to my daughter.)

I thought that perhaps they were loosening up the format for the weekends... or they were doing a "WKRP" in very slow motion.

But when that same Blondie tune was played again twice more in the next couple of days, I had to wonder...

Nothing against Ms. Harry and band, but there are so many great songs that fit the format that I don't think it's necessary to stretch quite that far.

On the other hand, I did overhear at the Legends remote (I was only there as a listener) yesterday a listener praising, "You out-Fickle 'Fickle'!"

Yes, the above opinion and five bucks will get you some size of some coffee-based beverage at Starbucks...

 

[Desert Pete]

The Broadway show, according to the website, is hosted by Robert Hammond, who is ... brace yourself ... the GENERAL MANAGER of the cluster. How small market can you get?? He probably put it on himself during drive-time Friday afternoons so all his "friends" could hear it. What this means is that the suits at Crawford don't know about it ... or worse, know about it and don't care. You just don't do things like that in these times and especially at this level. And, from what I've been hearing on the air, the music director is obviously a Billy Joel fan. Waaay too much Billy Joel. So I'm driving along, pounding on the steering wheel and going, "AGHHHH !!! ... SHOOT ME!".

Legends has to be b***h-slapped into reality. Their logic about holding onto the standards cuts blended into the oldies format is probably to placate their former core audience (too late ... they're gone). Live (yes, LIVE) Frank Sinatra cuts, and Bing Crosby's "Swingin' On A Star", etc, sound terrible when you surround them with "Paint It Black" and "For Your Love".

And, I heard Alison Kraus singing "Baby Now That I Found You", which was a major flop in the format it was intended for (country) !?! Do they have even the slightest idea they are the laughing stock of Rochester?

I could go on, but I'm so worked up now that have to take a pill

 

[Radknowski]

Haven't heard Legends FM, but from the posts on this thread, this station sounds psychotic. The Stones and Bing Crosby? Showtunes on Friday afternoon? Blondie? The GM on the air? Bwah? YMBSM! But you're not, based on the confirmation in various posts. A signal is a terrible thing to waste. Crawford should fish or cut bait. Either take it standards from Frank, Tony and Mel with a healthy dose of compatible Oldies from the Drifters, Bobby Vinton and Dionne Warwick, modeled after WJAS, Pittsburgh; or go Oldies-Classic Hits, 63-82 with the Stones, Beatles, Motown and Atlantic stuff modeled after CBS-FM and one time market leaders, WBBF and WHTT.

And puh-leeze... drop the showtunes on Friday afternoon.