THON

[tsimpson]

I just heard that THON beat any previous years level by a million plus dollars. Congratulations to the staff of JOE FM. For many years THON was locked in to one station. JOE shows that a station that can work hard and promote an event professionally can be very effective.

From one "little" station to another well, done.

 

[Snafu]

Congratulations to the kids who bust their tails year in and year out to make this one of the most amazing things that happens on any college campus in America.

Radio gets zero credit on this account. Especially local radio. In an endeavour this big that literally reaches out to every Penn Stater on the planet local radio is back page news.

 

[gargoyles]

Everyone who had anything to do with this thing deserves credit, whether a huge, university's multimillion dollar publicity machine or a gutsy little radio station, or that little free monthly magazine or a bunch of guys who cleaned up the parking lot after the event.

The page on which any particular action should be reported is irrelevant.

The bottom line is: a lot of kids danced their .. um .. feet off for good reason, had a good time doing it, raised big bucks and had the support of pretty much everyone in the community.

Wheher Joe FM's participation meant an extra ten bucks or an extra ten-thousand, then it was worth it.

Those who know me, know I'm not some Penn State or State College Rah-rah type, but even cranks can see good works.

And what did YOU do to help this effort, Mr. Snafu?

 

[#1 loyal]

WOW! SNAFU, THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE! YOU'RE BASHING PEOPLE AT A "LOCAL" STATION THAT DID THIS ENTIRE BROADCAST FOR THE GOOD OF PEDIATRIC CANCER. I WORK FOR JOE FM AND AS A PERSON WHO HAS DEALT WITH THIS ON A PERSONAL LEVEL,[EDIT] WE ALL BUSTED OUR HUMPS "FOR FREE" AND NEVER ASKED FOR TALENT FEE ETC....TO HELP THON AND EVERYBODY THAT WORKED SO HARD TO RAISE MONEY FOR THESE DEVESTATED FAMILIES. SOMETIMES "SNAFU"....IT'S JUST AS EASY TO HAVE A HEART......BUT PEOPLE LIKE YOU NEVER GET IT.....TISK! TISK!


[EDIT-inflammatory]

 

[mistermicrophone]

WOW! SNAFU, THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE! YOU'RE BASHING PEOPLE AT A "LOCAL" STATION THAT DID THIS ENTIRE BROADCAST FOR THE GOOD OF PEDIATRIC CANCER. I WORK FOR JOE FM AND AS A PERSON WHO HAS DEALT WITH THIS ON A PERSONAL LEVEL,[EDIT] WE ALL BUSTED OUR HUMPS "FOR FREE" AND NEVER ASKED FOR TALENT FEE ETC....TO HELP THON AND EVERYBODY THAT WORKED SO HARD TO RAISE MONEY FOR THESE DEVESTATED FAMILIES. SOMETIMES "SNAFU"....IT'S JUST AS EASY TO HAVE A HEART......BUT PEOPLE LIKE YOU NEVER GET IT.....TISK! TISK!


[EDIT-inflammatory]

With all due respect to you dealing with this on a personal level, what was the goal of the station being there?? To help, yeah, maybe, but the promotional/marketing exposure is the REAL reason any station goes. I agree that it is all for a good cause, but you want to talk about heart...ask the thon organizers if you, as a radio station, can actually take part in the marathon and see what response you get...that means YOUR money and the money you could collect isn't as important - to the children - because you are not a member of PSU, you are JUST a sponsor. Also, ask them if they know where the QWK Rock banner is from 2006 that they lost...nevermind, the frequency has changed since then

Don't get me wrong, any and all money raised for this cause is AWESOME and I respet what is done, but JOE-FM, Froggy, QWK Rock, G101, et al, it means nothing to the students, they would raise that money with NO radio station there.

As a station, put together a fundraiser that the local community can take part in...that would be more respectable than latching on to a fundraiser that DOESN'T tie in the LOCAL community, just the PSU community.

 

[ameyer]

WOW! SNAFU, THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE! YOU'RE BASHING PEOPLE AT A "LOCAL" STATION THAT DID THIS ENTIRE BROADCAST FOR THE GOOD OF PEDIATRIC CANCER. I WORK FOR JOE FM AND AS A PERSON WHO HAS DEALT WITH THIS ON A PERSONAL LEVEL,[EDIT] WE ALL BUSTED OUR HUMPS "FOR FREE" AND NEVER ASKED FOR TALENT FEE ETC....TO HELP THON AND EVERYBODY THAT WORKED SO HARD TO RAISE MONEY FOR THESE DEVESTATED FAMILIES. SOMETIMES "SNAFU"....IT'S JUST AS EASY TO HAVE A HEART......BUT PEOPLE LIKE YOU NEVER GET IT.....TISK! TISK!


[EDIT-inflammatory]

With all due respect to you dealing with this on a personal level, what was the goal of the station being there?? To help, yeah, maybe, but the promotional/marketing exposure is the REAL reason any station goes. I agree that it is all for a good cause, but you want to talk about heart...ask the thon organizers if you, as a radio station, can actually take part in the marathon and see what response you get...that means YOUR money and the money you could collect isn't as important - to the children - because you are not a member of PSU, you are JUST a sponsor. Also, ask them if they know where the QWK Rock banner is from 2006 that they lost...nevermind, the frequency has changed since then

Don't get me wrong, any and all money raised for this cause is AWESOME and I respet what is done, but JOE-FM, Froggy, QWK Rock, G101, et al, it means nothing to the students, they would raise that money with NO radio station there.

As a station, put together a fundraiser that the local community can take part in...that would be more respectable than latching on to a fundraiser that DOESN'T tie in the LOCAL community, just the PSU community.

With all due respect Glen, I think you may be barking up the wrong tree here. I will not disagree that stations will sometimes only get involved for the face value of an event. Though go back and read the post that person said that they dealt with it on a personal level...Meaning it could have been personal as in family or someone they know dealing with it, or just the fact that they were helping out kids who have a devastating disease and many whom will never know what it is like to be an adult because they won't get there. Did you happen to think about that before you went and posted how nobody cares whether the station is there or not? It does not matter whether the kids care or not, they were there and they helped raise money whether it was for face value or because it meant something to them. They were there and they helped...I remember when QWK Rock did it, maybe if they would have stuck around to tear down they wouldn't have lost that banner....hmmmm...sorry but I feel this person had a genuine feeling of being part of something special for a kid who wouldn't get this opportunity otherwise and you had to go all business on them...have a heart man!!!

Oh and as for the community being involved...lets see

Where does the food come from?
Who are the older people who come out to watch?
Who are the people who contribute the money that they raise?
Radio station....hmmm last time I checked we serve the community!!!

Food for thought

 

[gargoyles]

Mistermicrophone: you paint a picture of a bunch of altruistic students and other Penn State types who go to a fundraiser out of the goodness of their hearts, confronted by a bunch of evil capitalist radio stations who are at the same event to capture the eyes and ears of the poor, do-gooders who only want to help sick kids. That's nonsense. Everyone at events like that has a secondary agenda. So what?

Radio stations want to help and want publicity.
Kids and faculty want to help and want to dance and prove greater endurance than the guy in the dorm room down the hall.
The university wants to help and wants to be thought of as a good and compassionate place.

So everyone wins.

Your "community community vs. university community" template is a straw-man-template. The same airwaves (and weather systems) fly over the school as they do the rest of the region.

 

[tsimpson]

Glen Turner You are:

Dead wrong. In your world why run a PSA for a blood drive, or would you add a disclaimer at the end "PSU students only? When I was a college student I didnt have two cents to rub together however I had boundless energy and did things like THON for my frat. Sure the kids did a nice job but don't dare detract from the others too.
BTW THON is run out of Harrisburg. Yes there is a great deal of coporate donations.It has little to do with the original concept from years ago. I can tell you that if JOE decided to "latch" them selfs as you put it well that was a smart decision on both THONs part and JOEs part. And Glen "latch" well that was a rude word for you to use, deliberate and rude.

Dont devalue JOEs input. They believed in what they were doing and as I will say now did better job at it then most. THON was a success and JOE was a help. Glen, for your time in happy valley you either didn't learn that PSU and the local community are totally interwoven and co dependent or you just dont get it.

 

[mistermicrophone]

Glen Turner You are:

Dead wrong. In your world why run a PSA for a blood drive, or would you add a disclaimer at the end "PSU students only? When I was a college student I didnt have two cents to rub together however I had boundless energy and did things like THON for my frat. Sure the kids did a nice job but don't dare detract from the others too.
BTW THON is run out of Harrisburg. Yes there is a great deal of coporate donations.It has little to do with the original concept from years ago. I can tell you that if JOE decided to "latch" them selfs as you put it well that was a smart decision on both THONs part and JOEs part. And Glen "latch" well that was a rude word for you to use, deliberate and rude.

Dont devalue JOEs input. They believed in what they were doing and as I will say now did better job at it then most. THON was a success and JOE was a help. Glen, for your time in happy valley you either didn't learn that PSU and the local community are totally interwoven and co dependent or you just dont get it.

I didn't get it Ted? That's funny. In my time in Happy Valley, my stations, with 1/8 the strength and reach of yours, out perfromed your station time and time again and I am sure we out-billed you in the same way...and you're a life-long resident?? I more than understand the balance of the local community vs. the university and how to cater to both.

As for Thon, I think the event is fantastic and it is heartwarming to know 90% of what they earn goes directly to the hospital - so, for the record: I am not knocking Thon at all. But, this event will continue to raise the incredible amounts of money that it does with or without a local radio station as a media sponsor. To think otherwise is completely naive. I also believe that the resources used to promote this event can be used to help improve life in Happy Valley because promoting this event is like promoting a club in which the community can't join. Yes, let's give them credit for what they do and let's all be cheerleaders, but let's also SERVE THE COMMUNITY with our radio stations.

Prove me wrong...what did JOE-FM do this year that directly helped the cause?? If they did, good for them!!

Hey Gargoyles,
you may try to refute my community community vs. university community "template", but I feel it is valid. Just because the same airwaves and weather systems fly over the same region, that doesn't mean eveyone who is there views the region the same way. Happy Valley is home to some 125,000 people, correct? Outside of the locals who attend PSU and a handful of students who may stay in HV when they graduate (I'd be willing to bet less than 1%), this isn't home to these students. Things like the economy and political structre of HV aren't important to these students while it is to the locals. I remember after one of the riots (I believe the one during the Nittany Lions run in the NCAA basketball touney), a PSU student was quoted in the CDT as saying it was a right-of-passage as a student to be able to riot and subsequently tear down street lights and signs. Well, I can tell you, when the topic of the event was brought up on the air, there were two COMPLETELY different views of what happened...the community community and the university community.

PSU may be the catylst that drives HV, but just because the TV and movie industry fuel Los Angeles in the same way, it doesn't mean everyone who lives there is an actor.

And AJ, I didn't mean to come across as harsh to the person from JOE-FM. I was discussing radio as this is a radio board. I am sorry to ANYONE who has had to suffer through any form of cancer, child or adult.

 

[Harlow]

Congrats Glen,

How do you put it on a resume that you put a station with 1/8th the wattage and out-performed and out-billed it.

Considering you didn't build B-103, you walked into something that was already established and would have a good book then a down book.

In the past 15 years, there have been 2 consistent stations in State College. Frog and 3WZ.

I will be honest I am getting tired of reading how great you were in State College, maybe that is why you are pushing 40 and working somewhere in the Huge Market of Somewhere in New Hampshire.

If I remember correctly for someone who always gets beat by your little Stick, wasn't WGMR at one time one of the top-5 Modern Rock stations in the country?

Granted the format is dying fast and they have changed things to G-101, but they are doing it with a man who puts everything he has into improving the station. He doesn't have Millions in debt to service and money to blow bribing listeners, he is trying to do things with the budget and manpower he has.

You did one thing right by surrounding yourself with talent, because there is a reason you are working on 40 and your claim to fame is working in State College.

To the Thon issue, get off your high horse. If Joe brought one pizza for the kids who danced or got one student to sign up, more power to them. I really don't care.

The purpose for radio is to serve the community. I think it is great that someone took a minute or many away from lining their pockets to help cancer patients.

[EDIT]

Have a great weekend.

[EDIT-inflammatory]

 

[mistermicrophone]

Altoona/State College/Re: THON

Congrats Glen,

How do you put it on a resume that you put a station with 1/8th the wattage and out-performed and out-billed it.

Considering you didn't build B-103, you walked into something that was already established and would have a good book then a down book.

In the past 15 years, there have been 2 consistent stations in State College. Frog and 3WZ.

I will be honest I am getting tired of reading how great you were in State College, maybe that is why you are pushing 40 and working somewhere in the Huge Market of Somewhere in New Hampshire.

If I remember correctly for someone who always gets beat by your little Stick, wasn't WGMR at one time one of the top-5 Modern Rock stations in the country?

Granted the format is dying fast and they have changed things to G-101, but they are doing it with a man who puts everything he has into improving the station. He doesn't have Millions in debt to service and money to blow bribing listeners, he is trying to do things with the budget and manpower he has.

You did one thing right by surrounding yourself with talent, because there is a reason you are working on 40 and your claim to fame is working in State College.

To the Thon issue, get off your high horse. If Joe brought one pizza for the kids who danced or got one student to sign up, more power to them. I really don't care.

The purpose for radio is to serve the community. I think it is great that someone took a minute or many away from lining their pockets to help cancer patients.

I am glad that the people on this board are getting their guidence from a legendary New Hampshire PD.

Have a great weekend.

[EDIT]

As for B-103, yeah, I walked into alright...with crappy numbers and minimal billing. I helped (as in a TEAM effort) to build Beaver 103 into what was a strong cash cow and ratings winner, more than WGMR had ever been while I was there. The scenario was completely different the second time around, yet with all that was working against US, WE continued to succeed and I am proud of what we accomlished as a TEAM. You are right though, I surounded my self with winners, many of whom have moved onto much bigger, many who will someday and many who could, but choose not to, but that is what a good manager does.

As for me and my situation now, you are wrong. I am not the PD...I am just the afternoon guy on a station that is in suburban Boston. We compete with those stations in market #11 for listenership and ad dollars and we are good at it. Go ahead, pass your own judgement on me and my resume, but I am happy. I am close to family and friends and I work with a staff of people that I inspired me to get into radio in the first place.

My age (well it's 35, hardly pushing 40) is irrelevant...but now I see what you think of people like Jeff Brown, Steve Jones, Steve Biddle (before he retired), Kevin Nelson, and all of the others who are over 40 working in State College, although none of them look a day over 25 . I chose to spend many years there for a variety of reasons, mostly for quality of life and, for a period of time, for my (ex) girlfriend. You attacking my age and my accomplishments is a downright pathetic excuse for an argument. I never attacked Ted, I just stated a fact about our competitive situation.

Well, I am going to drag my pathetic, pushing 40 (in 5 years) arse out to go have a drink with a hot 25 year old chick I happened to meet at a club my ridiculous station was at last night in that podunk market I work. She is from a town in Mass, but works in NH...is that ok, John? Then when I get back I am going to meet with friends this evening to go to a bar in Boston and then tomorrow having dinner with my family...all of which while not working weekends, having fun and doing quality radio...wow...maybe I should find time to stop enjoying this life my deplorable career has afforded me...especially when I am attending games at Fenway Park this season...oh no, I am SUCH a failure. Thanks for pointing that out to me!

[EDIT]

[EDIT-inflammatory]

 

[gargoyles]

Glen: Community doesn't mean unanimity.

 

[Spackler1]

Altoona/State College/Re: THON

What a brilliant bit of logic: "My station had better ratings and billing, therefore I am right and you are wrong."

 

[tsimpson]

Glen, I think you are still missing the point...

The community is involved in THON and always has been, like I said where does the money come from that these kids raise? The community!!!!

What is it just PSU students who most barley have 2 pennies to rub together that donated over 5 million dollars...nope and it wasn't just their parents either it was the community...Not just the PSU community.

It is this type of attitude that is driving radio to become obsolete...The public used to rely on radio for help in everything from advertising to just getting the word out about things...Research shows that more people get the info they need in the morning from the radio then TV...Hell the Weather Channel doesn't even do weather 90% of the time anymore...

So even if one person was listening to Joe-FM and heard them talking about Thon and how to get involved and that person called and donated even 5 dollars then I feel that Joe helped more than getting face value...When you do remotes for instance at a car delearship and someone comes in a says I heard you on the radio and then buys a car....doesn't that make the remote successful??????????????????????????????????????

 

[listner1]

I think most of you aren't getting Glen's point. I think it was only that JOE (or any radio station or corprate sponsor) wasn't the sole reason of the success of Thon. Should JOE be commended for what they did? Of course, as every sponsor should. They contributed something to the cause. But the success of the event is not determined by the radio or corprate sponsors. If they were not permitted to "attach" their name to the event, would they still have done it just for the benefit of the event? Of course we'll never know, but that would be interesting to find out.

Lighten up on Glen...Holy cow! For the record, those that worked with him (as I see nobody on this topic has) know what a pro this guy is. He more often than not spent 15 hours a day at the station, including weekends. He had attention to detail that I've seen in very few people. He often had to go against corprate structure to make the station sound as good as it did. There were tons of little things none of you will ever know that Glen did for that station to make it sound good. People I know out of the market that would come in once in a while, told me it sounded like a major market station during both of Glen's tenures here. And Glen was the reason the station sounded like it did when he was here. There were 3 other PDs there in between Glen's tenures there. Although all 3 did a decent job, the small details of the station were right on when Glen was there. Did all those things cause 103 to beat the competition in ratings and billing? Maybe not. If they were playing the right music and had a listenable signal, it may have done just as well. Debatable I guess, but I don't believe anyone could have done a better job in that position than Glen did.

 

[mistermicrophone]

Re: Altoona/State College/Re: THON

What a brilliant bit of logic: "My station had better ratings and billing, therefore I am right and you are wrong."

[EDIT] Anyway, I never said I was right...as a matter of fact Spack, Ted was the one who told me I was wrong, DEAD WRONG, to be exact. I just stated my opinion on a particular situation as that is what this board is all about, to debate and discuss radio.

I have never gone after anyone on this baord and when the stations I worked for were getting attacked by AJ and Hitmman, I took the high road. I am sorry that I spoke in length about a topic I was passionate about and went on the defensive against Ted who said I was "dead wrong" for not getting the interwoven relationship between PSU and HV. I used an example (in this case proven fact from Arbitron) to make MY case, is it the right case, that is left open to interpretation. (as a side note, I actually respect AJ, whom I occasionaly share email with, and Ted...I admire that they love what they do...that doesn't mean we always have to agree, does it?).

As for Thon, I also asked to be proven wrong about JOE-FM and their involvement...if they were able to break into Thon by more than just being a media sponsor, good for them...and I want to know how they did it!!! Just what did they do, that is all I asked? Facts, proof...that's it. Running spots that encourage people to attend PSU driven events could be done with ANY radio station...I always wanted to be more involved and they never let us...they just wanted a media outlet...if that has changed, I am curious to see what they allowed the stations to do.

Those who know me know that I loved my time in Happy Valley and still love those radio stations and they understand how passionate I am about this industry in general. I am not sorry for candidly expressing my opinon and defending the work we all did while I was there and still, from time-to-time, defending those that are still there.

It is never easy being in the minority when it comes down to a debate on a board like this, but I will still defend myself and my opinions, regardless of how insignificant my resume and my accomplishments may be, right John?

By the way, I find it funny that my response to Harlow was edited by the mods but his entire, inflamatory post stays!?! Well, I think that shows his true colors.

Also, listener1, thank you for the kind words...radio is a labor of love and working an extra few hours and hearing the finished product sound just right, regardless of market size, is what I live for in this business!!

[EDIT-inflammatory]

 

[revbabe]

I had a reply that was pulled. It was too much. I attempted to point out that a DJ or PD is not the sole reason for a radio stations success. I think that its wrong for anybody to claim that "they" had the best at this or that and bash others. I pointed out that 103 had a strong tradition long before GT was there.

I think its rude and wrong to detract from any help given to THON by any outlet. There is no reason to try to downplay support of local media at all. Its a hollow argument. I have no idea why somebody would attempt to downplay public service of any type. I have no idea why any broadcaster would not see the value of helping out. I was disappointed that somebody attempted to downplay the help given to THON by a local station. (not even mine)

I understand fully that I will get the good old "you are missing the point" I assure you I am not. Words are important. How you word things are a window to your inner thoughts. There is no reason to downplay a great job done, well just one.

 

[gargoyles]

Mr Mic: if you want to take this conversation private, instead of railing about hiding behind screen names, why don't you publish your e-mail address. Here's mine: [email protected].

Advantage: no moderator to censor you. Disadvantage: No self promotion opportunities to help grease your way back to central PA when the suburban Boston station decides you're the wrong ham for their sandwich.

 

[tsimpson]

It seems that the thread has gone far off the original topic. I stand by my point that JOE did a good job. I think that it is unfair for anybody to try to detract from that for any reason. I feel that if you attempt to refute that point thats certainly your prerogative but I cant see why. I do take exception to opinions that were expressed as fact. This thread was to point out the fact that one of our own did a good job. Throw mud at my station a new thread but who ever posts here have the courage to go past self admiration to admit that our business is a help to our community and this was a clear example of how radio DID help.

 

[wiseman]

Seems a lot of passion on this topic for nothing.
For the record...
Thon is a great event.
PSU has a hard time apreciating the efforts of locals.
Glen is one of the hardest working people in radio. Forever does not want people of integrity and commitment, so he left.
Bravo Joe FM
Bravo Glen
Bravo Thon