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The WKRP call letters are for sale. Will they live on the air in Cincinnati?

Weiserguy said:
They could use that same font for something else and the worst that would happen is they might need to license the font itself from the font publisher. But if they were to take the actual logo -- font, letters, layout -- they'd have to get permission and licensing from whoever now owns the original show's intellectual property. That could be as sticky a wicket as it has become to license songs. They may have already tried and gotten the idea shot down, or they may have decided it wasn't worth the headache.
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That's a standard font that anybody can use. Or at least try to mimic it. This current logo is a huge miss.
 
microbob said:
Doesn't Sony own the TV show? So yeah maybe that's why they aren't able to strictly use the name and font. It's probably trademarked.
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It's a font that anybody can use or they can mimic it. It's not that complicated. It looks like a logo that was quickly put together by someone who doesn't understand graphic design. And why does it still say The Oasis?
 
I've seen tons of print, social media and television stations in Cincinnati and Dayton covering this story today. Jusy do a simple Google search. So, explain to me how this is nothing short of all positive exposure for the stations? You could not pay for the free exposure alone they are receiving. Regardless of what any of us think it's still a "net-net" for Randy and team.
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Free promotion is good! It worked for the fictional WKRP on their first day, too. :)
 
I've been listening for the last hour, and most of the music is from the late 70's and early 80's. Perfectly aligned with the time period when the show aired. I never listened to The Oasis, is this where they have always been musically?
 
Just in case there is new information here:

apnews.com

Stay tuned Cincinnati: WKRP is coming to town for real, North Carolina station's director says

WKRP is coming to Cincinnati — for real this time, according to the current owner of that call sign.
apnews.com apnews.com

I also found this while looking for the above article:

www.wral.com

A real WKRP radio comes to Cincinnati, decades after the sitcom about a fictional station

The radio station WKRP isn't dead, it's now live on air in Cincinnati. The call letters from the fictional station featured decades ago in a CBS sitcom were adopted by stations in the Cincinnati market in time for the Monday-morning drive. The station's co-owner says delighted listeners have been...
www.wral.com www.wral.com
 
2 things...
A) That current logo is so obviosuly AI generated. It's pretty lazy. Easily could have told the AI to "recreate" the classic WKRP logo, with out exactly copying it.
B) The font is called "Souvenir". Could have easily used it and made it way closer.
C) Not holding out alot of hope that they will do this right...i mean they have had some time, and from what I have read here, they dont seem to concerned about recreating the classic feel of KRP--either the fictional station, or the TV Show--waisted opportunity.
 
Well let's wait and see since it's only day one. They are getting exposure from this so they accomplished that and for a small station that is a feat in itself.
 
I'm 51 and I was never a fan of the show but I know the show and I know the jingle. I think it's great! Too bad I'm in Columbus and I can't enjoy what you guys have but appreciate it. Honestly, I think it's pretty neat. And yes, those call letters are now where they belong in Cincinnati.
 
Weiserguy said:
Not too many are still with us. Of the eight billboarded actors on the original series, four are deceased (Gordon Jump in 2003, Frank Bonner in '21, Howard Hesseman in '22 and Loni Anderson last year).

Of the others, Gary Sandy is 80, Tim Reid is 81, Richard Sanders is 85, and the only one still in her 70s is Jan Smithers, who's 76. Yes, I guess they could do interviews or promos for the station, but how likely is it that any of them would hop a plane to do publicity for a little group of Ohio stations, even if Randy treated them like royalty for the week? Also, would they be themselves, or in character? Time has a nasty effect on people's vocal range and quality. Keeping in mind that this is radio and that's all a listener is going to hear, how many of them still sound like the characters they portrayed half a century ago?

It's better to use clips from the original show, when these folks were (a) alive and (b) still sounded like the people they were back then. Leave the rest to the memories of viewers listeners.

(Edit: fixed my typo)
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Cousin Brucie is 90 years old and still does a weekend show for 77-WABC. At least one of them could voicetrack shifts on the weekend from their home. It only takes like an hour a week to voicetrack a 4-hr. shift.
 
Weiserguy said:
Not too many are still with us. Of the eight billboarded actors on the original series, four are deceased (Gordon Jump in 2003, Frank Bonner in '21, Howard Hesseman in '22 and Loni Anderson last year).

Of the others, Gary Sandy is 80, Tim Reid is 81, Richard Sanders is 85, and the only one still in her 70s is Jan Smithers, who's 76. Yes, I guess they could do interviews or promos for the station, but how likely is it that any of them would hop a plane to do publicity for a little group of Ohio stations, even if Randy treated them like royalty for the week? Also, would they be themselves, or in character?...
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crainbebo said:
Cousin Brucie is 90 years old and still does a weekend show for 77-WABC. At least one of them could voicetrack shifts on the weekend from their home. It only takes like an hour a week to voicetrack a 4-hr. shift.
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Whatever else someone may think of him*, Bruce Morrow is a radio guy through and through. He walks the walk, not just talks the talk.

All of the aforementioned actors are (or were) comic actors. The only one that had been an actual, on-air jock or newsman was Howard Hesseman, who worked in San Francisco at KMPX for a little while. If they could get Howard to inhabit Dr. Johnny Fever one more time, that would be so much of an accomplishment that I'd figure out a way to listen.

Of the still-living cast, the one move that might add some pizazz to the station would be, IMHO, getting Richard Sanders to cut some actual newscasts for their AM Drive program, in the persona of Les Nessman. Real news (though not necessarily up-to-the-minute) but still topical, and do it (or write it) in the same loopy style as Les delivered his newscasts on the original show. Add an actual farm report, with hog futures each time, and I'll bet that would garner a whole lot of attention.

*I'm personally fond of Brucie. I met him once at WCBS-FM while he was on the air. My fiancé and I had come up to the station to hang with Don K. Reed, an old friend who had the shift after Bruce in those days. Bruce and I had never met, much less my then-fiancé, but the guy couldn't have been nicer to me or her. So I have no criticism of him, but age nails all of us, and no 90-y/o is going to have the same vocal energy or timbre as they did in their 20's or 30's. Not Bruce, and not any of the remaining WKRP cast. That's just a sad reality.
 
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crainbebo said:
Cousin Brucie is 90 years old and still does a weekend show for 77-WABC. At least one of them could voicetrack shifts on the weekend from their home. It only takes like an hour a week to voicetrack a 4-hr. shift.
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His Saturday night show is available in syndication and would be great for WKRP since they are jockless on the weekends.
 
The Hustle said:
2 things...
A) That current logo is so obviosuly AI generated. It's pretty lazy. Easily could have told the AI to "recreate" the classic WKRP logo, with out exactly copying it.
B) The font is called "Souvenir". Could have easily used it and made it way closer.
C) Not holding out alot of hope that they will do this right...i mean they have had some time, and from what I have read here, they dont seem to concerned about recreating the classic feel of KRP--either the fictional station, or the TV Show--waisted opportunity.
Click to expand...
Don't be so quick to blame AI for something you don't like. There are many graphic programs that have been around for years. If you are a web master you will have access to really easy graphics programs. Many of these programs are most likely used by AI.

But in this case they used Canva, who claims on their site claims it uses AI.

As a former certified CompTIA Web Master*, I would suggest there are a couple of problems with this site. The bloppy city scape at the top of the site needs to go. Why are they still promoting "The Oasis"? If that was such a great brand why did they "make a donation" for WKRP? Unless they severely changed the music the old listeners will most likely stay. Cincinnati is a PPM market so you don't have to worry about folks "looking" for "The Oasis" in their diaries.

My advice if you use one of these "free" programs make sure in the fine print of the users agreement that you can get a "clean" copyright.

*The old Webmaster Certification was really easy to ad on when you got your networking certification. Just learn how to code HTTP and the DMCA .
 


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