The Fall of WVKO

[CatFM]

Those are about the most flimsy looking towers I have ever seen for an AM station. They look like something more suited for a home TV antenna. It doesn't look like it would take much to snap or bend one of them. They should have moved the towers from the original site since they just ended up being cut up for scrap.

Those towers remind me of the original Channel 53 tower. I have never seen a TV tower that tall that was that skinny. It amazes me that the ice storm a couple of years ago didn't bring it down. If you have never seen it, it's worth the drive. The newer tower next to it looks very impressive by comparison.

 

[rcray]

Was by the transmitter site today ,talked to a tower worker . They fired the whole other crew for messing up . They also ordered new replacement towers the same ones they had before.they are are solid piping not hollow the worker seemed to think they were pretty solid. they had started the second tower . It sounded like this crew knows what they are doing. We will see.

 

[gabigley1]

Click here for the rest of the story:

This article was written four weeks ago....

http://www.columbuspost.com/news/headlines270.html

The day the music died?

By Michael Edwards
Contributing Writer
Columbus Post

On May 5, 2006, the plug was pulled abruptly on 1580 WVKO-AM radio, a 55-year voice and pulse of the local black community. With recent zoning approval by city’s Building Services Division, Bernard Radio Ohio LLC, the station’s new owner, has begun construction on four 150-foot transmission towers at 2708 Morse Road, just east of Cleveland Avenue.

 

[jtmichaels]

not gonna matter what crew they hire or what the play. it's still gonna be on AM. if it was 1958, I'd probably check it out...but I'd rather NOT listen to a song/program that's just gonna get wiped out everytime I go under a bridge going down I-270. ;D

 

[KevinFodor]

Well...

Columbus might be (and probably is) big enough for an Urban-Talk station.

But, if they would want to do it..they should also resurrect the WVKO News Department. At one time a long time ago, it had some award-winning black journalists working there. Put it together with one or two local talk hosts...and the syndicated shows that make sense to air, and it might pull enough shares to make it profitable.

 

[CBusDave]

Well...

Columbus might be (and probably is) big enough for an Urban-Talk station.

But, if they would want to do it..they should also resurrect the WVKO News Department. At one time a long time ago, it had some award-winning black journalists working there. Put it together with one or two local talk hosts...and the syndicated shows that make sense to air, and it might pull enough shares to make it profitable.

Zwirn is not going to dump money into local talent... my guess. They are an investment firm concerned about bottom line and not about serving the community, which in my opinion is their right. Zwirn is not local and could probably care less if the community is served as long as the station makes a buck (or more of a buck than what it costs to run it).

I still don't get Percy Squire blaming everyone other than himself for the financial problems. No one held a gun to his head and forced him to sign a high rate loan to keep operations going. If the station is losing money and you can't afford to own it... then sell it. If you can't afford it, don't buy it.

http://www.mypartypost.com/watchvideobig/2008/SNL_Stop_Buying_Stuff

 

[phatdaddy]

As for Percy, I would think that somebody who was able to get a Law Degree and pass the bar exam should have the ability to see the handwriting on the wall as far as his radio business finances were concerned. He should have taken major corrective actions long before the business got to the point where it was. We read regularly here on this board of companies dumping stations to get working capital to operate their remaining stations. It seemed that Percy kept trying to bail out his Titanic with a minnow bucket rather than jumping for the lifeboat.

I would expect to see the present owner take the cheapest way possible to get some sort of programming back on the air and then bail as soon as possible. This might be a good opportunity for a group of African American business owners to possibly form a consortium with an eye toward purchasing WVKO and continuing it's long tradition of serving Central Ohio's Black community.

 

[CatFM]

If they could get it cheap enough, maybe Radio One would buy it. They don't have a reputation for being big spenders, but they could probably come up with the cash to get it. The revenue from their FM properties would help carry the load in operating WVKO, plus they already have a staff in place that they can squeeze more labor from to operate it, as is the practice in radio now.

 

[Radioboy989]

Dear Cat-
For the sake of what might be, could be, should be...I hope your Radio One thought never, ever gets past the thought stage.  The stories I could tell...

 

[heresjohnny]

i can't believe someone is actually spending perfectly good money on a totally worthless am signal

 

[CatFM]

i can't believe someone is actually spending perfectly good money on a totally worthless am signal

Not exactly "worthless," but definitely "worth less" every day. Even AM stations with lesser signals like WVKO in markets the same size around the country are still being sold for more than "fire sale" prices. There always seems to be a buyer for them. The religious broadcasters are usually first in line for them, probably because they get by more on contributions than sales, and much of their programming is barter that costs them nothing. Since they don't have to worry about a bottom line, making a profit is not a consideration. The WVKO situation is a bit different since a new TX plant is being built and there is a huge unpaid loan and some legal fees associated with it. The asking price will have to reflect those considerations, so somebody is really going to have to want it enough to cover all of that. Maybe the big question should be whether it was worth the gamble to spend the money to put it back on the air rather than just leaving it dark and writing it off as a loss.

 

[RF Man]

i can't believe someone is actually spending perfectly good money on a totally worthless am signal

Not exactly "worthless," but definitely "worth less" every day. Even AM stations with lesser signals like WVKO in markets the same size around the country are still being sold for more than "fire sale" prices. There always seems to be a buyer for them. The religious broadcasters are usually first in line for them, probably because they get by more on contributions than sales, and much of their programming is barter that costs them nothing. Since they don't have to worry about a bottom line, making a profit is not a consideration. The WVKO situation is a bit different since a new TX plant is being built and there is a huge unpaid loan and some legal fees associated with it. The asking price will have to reflect those considerations, so somebody is really going to have to want it enough to cover all of that. Maybe the big question should be whether it was worth the gamble to spend the money to put it back on the air rather than just leaving it dark and writing it off as a loss.

There are more ways to make money in radio than just the conventional approach. This is already being done with WVKO FM as it is being currently LMA'd. If they take the same approach to WVKO AM than they will have considerable positive cash flow. The situation with their FM proves there's always somebody ready to step up to the plate with both the funds and the drive to make it succeed. Radio and television have not always been available to the masses and was the original intent and largely still continues this way. This leaves large population segments under served. Spanish language programming is only the latest flavor. Many stations used to have a Saturday polka program serving many in the Polish, German and Slovenian communities. In Columbus we have a HUGE Somali population for example. The chance that someone in that community might be able to LMA a station such as WVKO AM might be very possible.

Why not a purchase by The Clippers, The Crew or even OSU for a student station? Each of these entities would have the resources and just might provide some interesting programming.

 

[Dirty_Harry]

Why not a purchase by The Clippers, The Crew or even OSU for a student station? Each of these entities would have the resources and just might provide some interesting programming.

WVKO as a student station? NOW you're talking! For a university the size of OSU to not have a student-run station is pretty pathetic.

 

[Radioboy989]

WOSUam, WOSUfm,WOSUtv,WOSU-HDtv,WOSR, WPBO...

Running PBS/BBC/THAMES crap all the time unless they want money and then they have something decent on.
Does anyone really expect them to allow students to run it even if they did buy it?

As Harry stomps his cyber feet over religious broadcasters, I do likewise over public broadcasters.

Next time they want a check, ask yourself "Are You Being Served?"

 

[Dirty_Harry]

WOSUam, WOSUfm,WOSUtv,WOSU-HDtv,WOSR, WPBO...

Running PBS/BBC/THAMES crap all the time unless they want money and then they have something decent on.
Does anyone really expect them to allow students to run it even if they did buy it?

As Harry stomps his cyber feet over religious broadcasters, I do likewise over public broadcasters.

Next time they want a check, ask yourself "Are You Being Served?"

Hey, I agree with you when it comes to all those stupid begathons. ........ just run some freakin commercials, for God's sakes!

 

[xmusicmatt]

Hey, I agree with you when it comes to all those stupid begathons. ........ just run some freakin commercials, for God's sakes!

Is it me thinking stupidly (and i have nothing against WOSU) but it seems like everytime I flip over there to watch some tv their doing another "auction 34"

 

[Dirty_Harry]

Is it me thinking stupidly (and i have nothing against WOSU) but it seems like everytime I flip over there to watch some tv their doing another "auction 34"

If you added up all the time they spend begging for money over there and just sold time to fill it with commercials, they'd have plenty of money. Commercials are far more entertaining than watching Dave Kaelin shilling for money. But at least this isn't a business like most non-profit preaching companies are.

 

[V.Riley]

Hey, I agree with you when it comes to all those stupid begathons. ........ just run some freakin commercials, for God's sakes!

Is it me thinking stupidly (and i have nothing against WOSU) but it seems like everytime I flip over there to watch some tv their doing another "auction 34"

Seems like they are in donation mode 24x7. Not that I'd like to see commercials, but I'd rather see that than see them begging for money.

 

[CBusDave]

Hey, I agree with you when it comes to all those stupid begathons. ........ just run some freakin commercials, for God's sakes!

Is it me thinking stupidly (and i have nothing against WOSU) but it seems like everytime I flip over there to watch some tv their doing another "auction 34"

Seems like they are in donation mode 24x7. Not that I'd like to see commercials, but I'd rather see that than see them begging for money.

Talk to your congressmen. Government support for public broadcasting is on the decline necessitating a need to ask for contributions from the viewers. Either that or talk to the FCC to ask them to allow more commercial support of public broadcasting. I am sure PBS doesn't WANT to beg for money but they don't have a whole lot of other alternatives. The bills need to be paid one way or the other.

 

[Radioboy989]

Dave,
My gripe is not as much with the fundraising as the programming during fundraising. Show me something interesting and entertaining when you are NOT asking for money. Don't just bring out the good stuff at begathon time. Also, these stations are college stations. Let's give the students a chance to produce, perform, etc.. Some practical experience for media majors makes sense when you have so many venues.