Sheridan Broadcasting Sells WAMO to Religious Organization

[JerseyDude]

Have you listened to the lyrics of the Lil' Wayne song "Every Girl"? WAMO-FM plays this song. The chorus says "I wish I could (sexually explicit word) every girl in the world".

What about the song "Best I ever had" by Canadian R&B singer/Rapper Drake.
One of the verses is "I can make your (female anatomy) whistle like the Andy Griffin theme song". Another WAMO-FM song.

Are these lyrics OK with you?

There seems to be a lot of ignorant attacks on the music played on WAMO-FM on this board. I'm not sure if the ignorance is cultural or intellectual but nevertheless...it's wrong.

How is the music on WAMO detrimental to the community?
Where is this so-called "gangsta-rap" that WAMO plays?

Due to the nature of the comments made here I am led to assume that the people attacking the music are either afraid to step out of their cultural comfort zone...or they simply are not hip enough to understand what is being said on the songs played on WAMO.

WAMO was always involved with the community and didn't glorify gang or "gangsta" music. The subject matter of any song on WAMO can be found on any of the other major radio outlets in town. You can't always assume that just because an artist happens to be black and talking too fast for you to understand that he's destroying society. Is it any wonder that the population of Pittsburgh is shrinking while other cities are growing? Your backwoods/backwards mentality is DETRIMENTAL TO THE COMMUNITY.

 

[JerseyDude]

With WAMO-FM out of the way, is Urban WDKX/Rochester,NY next? Isn't WDKX independently owned? PPM and the current state of the economy is like a music filth removal system.

 

[fybush]

With WAMO-FM out of the way, is Urban WDKX/Rochester,NY next? Isn't WDKX independently owned? PPM and the current state of the economy is like a music filth removal system.

Wow, this guy is trolling every board he can think of with this nonsense today.

It's so typical of the way these boards seem to function sometimes: "One independently-owned urban station sells, therefore EVERY independently-owned urban station will sell."

Nuh-uh.

WDKX is very much unlike WAMO in several ways - it's consistently a top-3 station in the market, its ownership has prudently resisted any temptation to expand (and to incur debt in the process), its ownership remains intensely hands-on going into the third generation, and it prides itself on maintaining a "clean" air product, eschewing even heavily-edited versions of certain tracks.

In fact, it's highly likely that WDKX is the single biggest financial success story in Rochester radio.

But, you know, go ahead and paint all stations owned by independent African-American groups with the same brush. Doesn't make you racist in the slightest. Not hardly.

 

[JerseyDude]

Doesn't make me racist at all. I am as BLACK as the night's sky. Black kids shouldn't listen to this type of garbage. My nephrew was singing "I wish I could (F-word) every girl in the world" by Lil' Wayne just the other day. My nephrew is 9 years old. My 29 year old sister (his mother) and her husband are trying to keep him away from this type of music. She told me she had taken his radio from him because HOT97/NYC was playing this type of trash. My nephrew told her that he hears it booming out of car radios on his way to school also.

It seems as if she is raising a young thug. We are trying to keep him from wanting to be like the stuff that he hears in the music. He walks with his pants hanging off his behind. It's been kind of hard. Scott, are you raising any black children? If so,are you having the same problems?

Sorry to hear you think dealing with these issues is nonsense.

With WAMO-FM out of the way, is Urban WDKX/Rochester,NY next? Isn't WDKX independently owned? PPM and the current state of the economy is like a music filth removal system.

Wow, this guy is trolling every board he can think of with this nonsense today.

It's so typical of the way these boards seem to function sometimes: "One independently-owned urban station sells, therefore EVERY independently-owned urban station will sell."

Nuh-uh.

WDKX is very much unlike WAMO in several ways - it's consistently a top-3 station in the market, its ownership has prudently resisted any temptation to expand (and to incur debt in the process), its ownership remains intensely hands-on going into the third generation, and it prides itself on maintaining a "clean" air product, eschewing even heavily-edited versions of certain tracks.

In fact, it's highly likely that WDKX is the single biggest financial success story in Rochester radio.

But, you know, go ahead and paint all stations owned by independent African-American groups with the same brush. Doesn't make you racist in the slightest. Not hardly.

 

[fybush]

No, I think it's nonsense to leap to the conclusion that because WDKX, like WAMO, is independently owned by a black broadcaster, that it faces the same problems that appear to have doomed WAMO.

The facts are that WDKX is in a far stronger financial position, carrying no debt and operating at what I can only assume, from the outside, must be at least a modest profit - and that the Langstons have never had any interest in selling the station.

The phrase "music filth removal system" was yours, not mine. I'm not sure what the color of your skin, or of mine, or of our children (and yes, I'm raising two children, and yes, I'm concerned about what they see and hear) has to do with your initial question.

 

[johnknapik]

Have you listened to the lyrics of the Lil' Wayne song "Every Girl"? WAMO-FM plays this song. The chorus says "I wish I could (sexually explicit word) every girl in the world".

What about the song "Best I ever had" by Canadian R&B singer/Rapper Drake.
One of the verses is "I can make your (female anatomy) whistle like the Andy Griffin theme song". Another WAMO-FM song.

Are these lyrics OK with you?

[/quote]


There are sexual lyrics all over the radio in every format. Most aren't as humorous as Drake's! I fear for the day that every form of media should be programmed for the best interest of a 9 year old. This is where it's the parents responsibility to step in and decide what's best for their children. Your nephew saying that he hears the music booming out of cars anyway is his attempt to justify listening to the music. Give him credit for using logic and a little bit of psychology on his parents. I still haven't seen anyone answer my question of how the music on WAMO is detrimental to the community. Sexual lyrics are not a valid argument. Sorry.

 

[cingram]

Four words: Seal of Good Practice.

C.

 

[corporateradiosucks]

This ridiculous "WAMO deserves to go down because the music they play is crap" mindset is popping up everywhere online, seems like. I was hoping to avoid it here.

While I agree some of the stuff is awful, what about "If You Seek Amy" by Britney Spears? Heard that one? I don't think it's WAMO and WAMO alone's fault that hip hop/R & B is in such a sorry state. If you want WAMO to be less Li'l Wayne and more India.Arie, then contact the station.

The problem with the sale is, most of the music that's on the FM side will still get played on Kiss. The adult music that's on the AM side - Jill Scott, John Legend etc - is going to practically disappear from the Pittsburgh market!! Unless WYEP picks up the torch in a big way which I don't quite see happening.

 

[johnknapik]

The problem with the sale is, most of the music that's on the FM side will still get played on Kiss. The adult music that's on the AM side - Jill Scott, John Legend etc - is going to practically disappear from the Pittsburgh market!! Unless WYEP picks up the torch in a big way which I don't quite see happening.

I couldn't agree more. It's the quality music from the truly talented artists (the aforementioned Scott, Legend, Etc) that will be lost in the shuffle. WYEP seems to have shifted a little more toward indie rock (ra ra riot, Doves, Death cab for Cutie) and away from the folky stuff they played to death a few years back. Given that shift, I don't see them picking up the adult R&B either.

 

[youngabe89]

I thought the DJs were out and it was just music till the end days? DJ Boogie was on as of this afternoon...

 

[Parttimer]

The problem with the sale is, most of the music that's on the FM side will still get played on Kiss. The adult music that's on the AM side - Jill Scott, John Legend etc - is going to practically disappear from the Pittsburgh market!! Unless WYEP picks up the torch in a big way which I don't quite see happening.

I couldn't agree more. It's the quality music from the truly talented artists (the aforementioned Scott, Legend, Etc) that will be lost in the shuffle. WYEP seems to have shifted a little more toward indie rock (ra ra riot, Doves, Death cab for Cutie) and away from the folky stuff they played to death a few years back. Given that shift, I don't see them picking up the adult R&B either.

WYEP is playing what all AAA stations play now. Similar to "The Spectrum" on Sirius/XM (but with some really weak volunteer-sounding jocks). Remember 104.7 The Beat (or whatever it was called right before they went talk?) It got decent ratings but they couldn't sell it.

When I worked at WLTJ in the late 80's- early 90's we actually had a fair percentage of African-American listeners (knew that more from the phones than from the ratings). We played Luther Vandross, Stevie Wonder, George Benson, Natalie Cole... a lot of adult R&B artists. I don't think the current incarnation of the Q could pick up as much of it.

 

[Nate Wesley]

There seems to be a lot of ignorant attacks on the music played on WAMO-FM on this board. I'm not sure if the ignorance is cultural or intellectual but nevertheless...it's wrong.

How is the music on WAMO detrimental to the community?
Where is this so-called "gangsta-rap" that WAMO plays?

Due to the nature of the comments made here I am led to assume that the people attacking the music are either afraid to step out of their cultural comfort zone...or they simply are not hip enough to understand what is being said on the songs played on WAMO.

WAMO was always involved with the community and didn't glorify gang or "gangsta" music. The subject matter of any song on WAMO can be found on any of the other major radio outlets in town. You can't always assume that just because an artist happens to be black and talking too fast for you to understand that he's destroying society. Is it any wonder that the population of Pittsburgh is shrinking while other cities are growing? Your backwoods/backwards mentality is DETRIMENTAL TO THE COMMUNITY.

Great thoughts. I really don't know why folks have to take it there, especially since that angle makes for a dumb argument: If hip-hop music was so awful and detrimental, society wouldn't be able to build enough jails since everyone exposed to it would de-evolve into a criminalized zombie. There are a lot of nitwits who had/have classic rock and country preset in their cars too!

 

[Jay F]

I don't care for the lyrics of the Drake song but I still like it because it samples from one of my favorites, "Fallin' in Love" by Hamilton, Joe Frank,&Reynolds.

What about the song "Best I ever had" by Canadian R&B singer/Rapper Drake.
One of the verses is "I can make your (female anatomy) whistle like the Andy Griffin theme song". Another WAMO-FM song.

Are these lyrics OK with you?

There seems to be a lot of ignorant attacks on the music played on WAMO-FM on this board. I'm not sure if the ignorance is cultural or intellectual but nevertheless...it's wrong.

How is the music on WAMO detrimental to the community?
Where is this so-called "gangsta-rap" that WAMO plays?

Due to the nature of the comments made here I am led to assume that the people attacking the music are either afraid to step out of their cultural comfort zone...or they simply are not hip enough to understand what is being said on the songs played on WAMO.

WAMO was always involved with the community and didn't glorify gang or "gangsta" music. The subject matter of any song on WAMO can be found on any of the other major radio outlets in town. You can't always assume that just because an artist happens to be black and talking too fast for you to understand that he's destroying society. Is it any wonder that the population of Pittsburgh is shrinking while other cities are growing? Your backwoods/backwards mentality is DETRIMENTAL TO THE COMMUNITY.

 

[kenhawk1160]

Ken, you worked for Salem as I recall, what's the story on cash flow?

I don't know the actual numbers, but what I can tell you for sure is that they don't overpay for sticks. They buy fixer-uppers with garbage facilities at bargain-basement prices, provided that it's a frequency with the signal reach they're looking for. They build a state-of-the-art facility with good, though fairly simple equipment, and sit back waiting for the cash register to ring, which it always does.

Gateway was having financial problems in the mid 80s and that's when Salem first approached them. Nelson Goldberg agreed and then changed his mind and tried to stop the sale, thinking he could make a go of it himself. He eventually had enough and let them have 104.7, provided they took 1150 (which was not originally included in the deal) as well.

They in turn take that money and use it to buy other media to further their goals. Often it's other stations or networks. Some examples are UPI and the Satellite Radio Network, and Pat Robertson's former "Washington News Desk". Magazines too. Their staffs are relatively small, with an extremely responsible Operations Manager with production director and PD duties, and a sales manager with promotional responsibilities as well. They wear the hats. About two years ago, they eliminated full-time on-site engineers and now have a contract person do those duties.

 

[NoTimeForSleep]

Salem still has full time engineers in markets, maybe not in smaller stations outside of the major metro's but they have them.

 

[corporateradiosucks]

The problem with the sale is, most of the music that's on the FM side will still get played on Kiss. The adult music that's on the AM side - Jill Scott, John Legend etc - is going to practically disappear from the Pittsburgh market!! Unless WYEP picks up the torch in a big way which I don't quite see happening.

I couldn't agree more. It's the quality music from the truly talented artists (the aforementioned Scott, Legend, Etc) that will be lost in the shuffle. WYEP seems to have shifted a little more toward indie rock (ra ra riot, Doves, Death cab for Cutie) and away from the folky stuff they played to death a few years back. Given that shift, I don't see them picking up the adult R&B either.

WYEP is playing what all AAA stations play now. Similar to "The Spectrum" on Sirius/XM (but with some really weak volunteer-sounding jocks). Remember 104.7 The Beat (or whatever it was called right before they went talk?) It got decent ratings but they couldn't sell it.

When I worked at WLTJ in the late 80's- early 90's we actually had a fair percentage of African-American listeners (knew that more from the phones than from the ratings). We played Luther Vandross, Stevie Wonder, George Benson, Natalie Cole... a lot of adult R&B artists. I don't think the current incarnation of the Q could pick up as much of it.

Luther, Stevie and the others are a lot more mainstream as in they were on the pop charts from the time they came out (not as high, but on them). Q, Star, Wish probably all consider Jill Scott "too black" to play.

 

[Word!]

I'm from Boston, where something like this happened about 3 years ago. The staff of WILD-FM (now WKAF, a satellite of WAAF, a heavy metal station west of Boston), a then-sister of Radio One-owned WILD-AM, which was owned by Sheridan in the 1970s, was given maybe about 3 or 4 hours to clear out of 97.7 FM because Entercom bought the station that Monday afternoon and flipped to heavy metal (satellite) the next day. A year before that, the same Entercom flipped its decently rated rhythmic AC (then WQSX) to Boston's third classic rock station (currently WMKK). Net result: Boston only has one rhythmic station, and it's ALL gangsta rap (CC's WJMN). Meanwhile, we're left with 10 headbanger-dominated stations: WAAF/WKAF, WBCN, WBMX, WBOS, WFNX, WMKK, WROR, WXKS-FM, WXRV and WZLX, plus another two (WMJX and WODS) which venture in metal frequently, with one of these two passing off metal artists Journey, Bon Jovi and Nickelback (plus AC/DC and Van Halen) as soft music (WTF?).

Now does anyone wonder why so-called "hate speech" talk (represented in Boston by WEEI, WRKO and WTKK) have big ratings?

WJMN is not all gangsta rap, its mainly Hip hop/hip-POP crossover when comparing other stations across the country. Rarely "ghetto" Hot 977 i thought was a better station, but when im out there i prefer Providence Hot 106 but can only hear it in the south burbs

 

[Pratte4Life]

I am beginning to see why WAMO wasn't making it as so many of the posts on here discussing the sale are not from Pittsburghers.

Now, guys, welcome to the forum. But it is telling that so many of the people interested in this sale, and lamenting it, are from out-of-towners.

 

[Word!]

I say good riddance. The "music" that's played is detrimental to the community.

Wow shame on you music!! you're soo detrimental!!

guess in rock we love hearing "deny your maker" and blame columbine on music... or country is the cause for divorce and depression..... music is just so bad! So we must all listen to any christian music and live like hyporcrites as we preach one thing and live like another!


give it a break, hip hop/rap isnt just the only music thats got negativity in it, its just the most negatively-exploited format.

 

[Word!]

Have you listened to the lyrics of the Lil' Wayne song "Every Girl"? WAMO-FM plays this song. The chorus says "I wish I could (sexually explicit word) every girl in the world".

What about the song "Best I ever had" by Canadian R&B singer/Rapper Drake.
One of the verses is "I can make your (female anatomy) whistle like the Andy Griffin theme song". Another WAMO-FM song.

Are these lyrics OK with you?

There seems to be a lot of ignorant attacks on the music played on WAMO-FM on this board. I'm not sure if the ignorance is cultural or intellectual but nevertheless...it's wrong.

How is the music on WAMO detrimental to the community?
Where is this so-called "gangsta-rap" that WAMO plays?

Due to the nature of the comments made here I am led to assume that the people attacking the music are either afraid to step out of their cultural comfort zone...or they simply are not hip enough to understand what is being said on the songs played on WAMO.

WAMO was always involved with the community and didn't glorify gang or "gangsta" music. The subject matter of any song on WAMO can be found on any of the other major radio outlets in town. You can't always assume that just because an artist happens to be black and talking too fast for you to understand that he's destroying society. Is it any wonder that the population of Pittsburgh is shrinking while other cities are growing? Your backwoods/backwards mentality is DETRIMENTAL TO THE COMMUNITY.

i wish i could ---- every girl in the world too! wouldn't you?

and Drake, the song is an excellent production and hes a very talented artist. many guys wont admit when they are P--sy whipped, so its something in this song that breaks the norm and fresh to hear! its gettin the girls talking!~