Congrats 1250WTAE on your new venture and thanks for trying to help with the new WSOS-AM.
A seasoned radio professional and a long-time, active radio listener do share something in common. Beyond love of the radio industry, there are those life experiences of knowing what does or doesn't work. But then few care to take advantage of that. All anyone has to do is turn on the radio in N.E. Florida and realize an operating procedure is in place that may be a lot of things but fun, entertaining, interesting and creative are mostly just words but they don't describe what is a lot of radio.
As far as an oldies format goes in N.E. Florida, we've been down this road way too many times before. Someone tries it. Then it's gone and there are lots of reasons in between why it happened. Parts of the chain just didn't work. I'll explain.
The next few comments may seem corny to some but I'm being very sincere. I've noticed the more successful stations offering nostalgia type formats have to have the following all working together in harmony. Probably, the most important part is the PD/MD and/or key management have to absolutely love, know and understand the music in their format. That passion just has to exist. There has to be the skills to make it all sound so good, knowing just how to position songs so it all flows beautifully. Senior management and owners have to be committed to the format endeavoring to make it even better by actually supporting it and not interfering where things change too fast or even too illogically. They have to be willing to invest the necessary time and effort. Everyone needs to at least be receptive to what listeners are saying through ratings results and commentary. Music testing should be used as a guideline, not as the final decision. Skills and experience should weigh more. It's like a chain. If there is a weak link anywhere, success is harder to achieve.
I can appreciate Nfladxer's frustration. I'm frustrated too but while I'm not a radio professional, I've tried to bring a lifetime of listening experience particularly regarding oldies to the table. I've been "involved" with the format since 1967 - a long love affair. I've kept tabs on the songs that have lasted through time. I've seen how listeners gravitate to a certain personality. I've seen what kind of promotions work the best in the format. On and on I can go.
The radio environment is one where there is so much control, so much science, so much politics, so much fear too in not hitting all the metrics goals or even fear attempting a different course that there is just a lot of sameness. It "oozes" all over. Both the seasoned professions and people like me don't really have a voice. Frustrating indeed.
I don't know Kevin Geddings or his skills, passion, you name it. All my research and even real estate studies showing who is moving to N.E. Florida keeps telling me there is a growing audience and demand for a fun, mellower retro hit music station covering areas south of I-10, mainly Mandarin and certainly into northern St. John's County and areas across the river, particularly Fleming Island. This demand has always been in the Jax area. It's the chain that had something broken to it.
The ball is in Mr. Geddings' court to get his act together.
