A
AlbanyAM
Guest
Well, I've found a place to let my thoughts fly regarding Albany/Capital District AM radio. So, I can finally get this off my chest. It doesn't seem that the board is too busy on this topic, so I'll let it fly.
-I'm sure Don Weeks is a very nice man. I have nothing against him, but, boy, I think WGY made a big mistake by not gracefully grooming Al Roney for his slot. Don Weeks' show was getting too soft for even early morning-friendly radio long before he retired and, while Roney likes to mix it up about politics, I think his talent for radio could have easily been shifted into a friendly, but edgy morning host. On that note...
-How ironic is it that Dan Lynch's daughter, Kelly Lynch, is now where Al Roney should be, and Roney is where Dan Lynch should be. Kelly Lynch isn't really that bad for someone just starting in the format, and I think this would show through more if she wasn't paired with Chuck Custer. She'd be better in the position of as a lead hosts "surrogate listener" co-host. Her input tends to reflect what most (not all) listeners are probably thinking, so she could be a good foil for someone a bit more controversial.
-I loved Dan Lynch on the WROW that existed three WROWs ago. When he came back again on the reincarnation of WROW, WGDJ, he wasn't the same. Perhaps Lynch had reached an age sometime in between where he'd decided that the mainstream middle-of-the-road is, by definition, the same thing as reason. I really came to admire Dan Lynch when he was on the old WROW, so it's hard for me to admit that I was kind of relieved when he left WGDJ.
-There's some guy named "Elongay" who consistently calls in to Albany AM radio shows and he somehow manages to suck up a lot of the hosts time by bringing up points that seem to be going nowhere. He's called so often for so long that I now just change the station when he calls in.
-I love to listen Michael Savage on WGY. Do I agree with him? I don't agree with Michael Savage on almost anything. Michael Savage has something in common for me with Howard Stern. I enjoy listening to them on the radio, but I don't think I'd like to be around either of them personally. Because issues are discussed on radio, many listeners operate on the false belief that people listen to radio hosts because they somehow agree with them in lockstep, and endorse their views. To the contrary, talk radio is refreshing and entertaining when the host is saying what's on their mind. Almost by definition, people tune in to talk radio to hear topics discussed that the listener can't talk about with most people, and listen to opinions that can't be spoken in polite society.
-WGY, you now have an AM and FM station. Stop interrupting Michael Savage for basketball games. Play the sports stuff on either your AM or FM signal, and leave the other one to play regular broadcasting. This is easily fixed. Just run an announcement on the breaks. Jeez.
-What's the deal with the weekend AM stinkfest? OK, the ratings are lower on weekends. Why does this have to mean, though, that fewer listeners has to mean completely bored listeners? I get the feeling that there's a lot of room for a higher middle ground here, and also a lot of room for giving new talent a chance.
While "The Weekend", Dave Ramsey, "Coast to Coast", "Money Talk", and trivia probably garner some ratings, I think I'd rather listen in on two of my co-workers talking about anything than listen to "The Lutheran Hour" or Reed Shepard's obscure local interest show. Joe Gallagher is a horrendous one-note joke; anyone can sit in front of a microphone and act like a goo-goo talking bozo who sets himself up for telegraphed-self-deprecating jokes. Come on...
-It's an off-limits topic while any host is on-air, but it appears that the only advertisers who can afford AM radio advertising rates are government special interest groups. The Ad Council is a government propaganda machine, so it's a bit odd to listen to their ads between the rantings of hosts who decry the existence of such organizations. No kidding, isn't there some way that I can be pitched on free-market beef jerky or laundry detergent or anything during the breaks instead of some Federal "worry" initiative sponsored by the Ad Council?
-The two most popular AM hosts in America are Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. I don't get it. While I"m more libertarian than conservative, I don't think it's a matter of politics. I enjoy Dennis Prager's show, and he's much more conservative than I am. On a pure listening basis, when Limbaugh or Hannity are on, I just find myself thinking of something else while they chatter away in the background. I'm not against them, I just find myself uninterested in their radio shows.
-I usually don't enjoy Paul Vandenburg's show, but I respect the way he operates. He's been at it for a long time, has learned all of the lessons, and I think with both WGDJ and WROW, he tries to put out what he perceives to be a quality product for a specific audience. When Fred Dicker is burning radio time on Fridays playing old political music, you realize that Vandenburg isn't trying to become or compete with corporate radio. Rather, he appears to just be trying to run a successful, store-front business. Yes, he caters to his buddies, but I think his motive is more oriented toward being faithful to people who have been faithful to him. I don't see anything wrong with that. Keep in mind that WGDJ is probably operating on a level that put the talk format on WROW out of business. When Dan Lynch left, Vandenburg did both the morning show and the afternoon/evening show.
All of that being said, is anyone, at all, listening to Dicker playing ancient music on Fridays?
-Now that I've praised Vandenburg, I'll deliver criticism. First, the upgraded signal strength still stinks. Second, why can't WGDJ get it together technically? WGY screws up a lot lately too; at night, you can get stuck to listen two feeds playing over each other, and you think it will end soon, but it goes on for a seeming eternity. WGDJ is worse though. The hosts constantly have to apologize for some dead-air technical error or another. It often seems that the whole station is operated over a shifty internet connection.
-Personally, I think that, while Al Roney has radio talent that allows him to be flexible, he's somewhat constrained by being locked into local issues. Two years ago, I'd have said that Roney should just stick to local issues, but he's climbed. He started out with a "Hey, I don't want to get heavy. I'm just a normal guy"" approach. Since then, he's become much more political, and he's been doing his homework. Overall, I think that because Roney himself 1) doesn't seem to realize how talented he is and 2) has a terrific work ethic from what he says and 3) expects nothing.
For these reasons, I think that he'll go far. Joe Pagliarillo (sp?), a former capital region TV news host, now is a regular replacement for nationally syndicated radio hosts, including Glenn Beck. Roney, on a purely personal level of approach, resonates more with listeners than many syndicated hosts.
-Chuck and Kelly provide friendly, pedestrian commentary. When they discuss almost any topic of substance, please know that they're just making friendly, morning radio small talk. Chuck and Kelly talk about the same stuff you find on the MSN homepage when you log out of your hotmail email, and like the MSN homepage, repeat, pretty much, what's said to the lowest common denominator. If you want to get through your morning with fluff; fine. But, please, don't take anything, at all, even with an "expert" guest discussed on Chuck and Kelly any more seriously than you take comic books.
-I'm sure Don Weeks is a very nice man. I have nothing against him, but, boy, I think WGY made a big mistake by not gracefully grooming Al Roney for his slot. Don Weeks' show was getting too soft for even early morning-friendly radio long before he retired and, while Roney likes to mix it up about politics, I think his talent for radio could have easily been shifted into a friendly, but edgy morning host. On that note...
-How ironic is it that Dan Lynch's daughter, Kelly Lynch, is now where Al Roney should be, and Roney is where Dan Lynch should be. Kelly Lynch isn't really that bad for someone just starting in the format, and I think this would show through more if she wasn't paired with Chuck Custer. She'd be better in the position of as a lead hosts "surrogate listener" co-host. Her input tends to reflect what most (not all) listeners are probably thinking, so she could be a good foil for someone a bit more controversial.
-I loved Dan Lynch on the WROW that existed three WROWs ago. When he came back again on the reincarnation of WROW, WGDJ, he wasn't the same. Perhaps Lynch had reached an age sometime in between where he'd decided that the mainstream middle-of-the-road is, by definition, the same thing as reason. I really came to admire Dan Lynch when he was on the old WROW, so it's hard for me to admit that I was kind of relieved when he left WGDJ.
-There's some guy named "Elongay" who consistently calls in to Albany AM radio shows and he somehow manages to suck up a lot of the hosts time by bringing up points that seem to be going nowhere. He's called so often for so long that I now just change the station when he calls in.
-I love to listen Michael Savage on WGY. Do I agree with him? I don't agree with Michael Savage on almost anything. Michael Savage has something in common for me with Howard Stern. I enjoy listening to them on the radio, but I don't think I'd like to be around either of them personally. Because issues are discussed on radio, many listeners operate on the false belief that people listen to radio hosts because they somehow agree with them in lockstep, and endorse their views. To the contrary, talk radio is refreshing and entertaining when the host is saying what's on their mind. Almost by definition, people tune in to talk radio to hear topics discussed that the listener can't talk about with most people, and listen to opinions that can't be spoken in polite society.
-WGY, you now have an AM and FM station. Stop interrupting Michael Savage for basketball games. Play the sports stuff on either your AM or FM signal, and leave the other one to play regular broadcasting. This is easily fixed. Just run an announcement on the breaks. Jeez.
-What's the deal with the weekend AM stinkfest? OK, the ratings are lower on weekends. Why does this have to mean, though, that fewer listeners has to mean completely bored listeners? I get the feeling that there's a lot of room for a higher middle ground here, and also a lot of room for giving new talent a chance.
While "The Weekend", Dave Ramsey, "Coast to Coast", "Money Talk", and trivia probably garner some ratings, I think I'd rather listen in on two of my co-workers talking about anything than listen to "The Lutheran Hour" or Reed Shepard's obscure local interest show. Joe Gallagher is a horrendous one-note joke; anyone can sit in front of a microphone and act like a goo-goo talking bozo who sets himself up for telegraphed-self-deprecating jokes. Come on...
-It's an off-limits topic while any host is on-air, but it appears that the only advertisers who can afford AM radio advertising rates are government special interest groups. The Ad Council is a government propaganda machine, so it's a bit odd to listen to their ads between the rantings of hosts who decry the existence of such organizations. No kidding, isn't there some way that I can be pitched on free-market beef jerky or laundry detergent or anything during the breaks instead of some Federal "worry" initiative sponsored by the Ad Council?
-The two most popular AM hosts in America are Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. I don't get it. While I"m more libertarian than conservative, I don't think it's a matter of politics. I enjoy Dennis Prager's show, and he's much more conservative than I am. On a pure listening basis, when Limbaugh or Hannity are on, I just find myself thinking of something else while they chatter away in the background. I'm not against them, I just find myself uninterested in their radio shows.
-I usually don't enjoy Paul Vandenburg's show, but I respect the way he operates. He's been at it for a long time, has learned all of the lessons, and I think with both WGDJ and WROW, he tries to put out what he perceives to be a quality product for a specific audience. When Fred Dicker is burning radio time on Fridays playing old political music, you realize that Vandenburg isn't trying to become or compete with corporate radio. Rather, he appears to just be trying to run a successful, store-front business. Yes, he caters to his buddies, but I think his motive is more oriented toward being faithful to people who have been faithful to him. I don't see anything wrong with that. Keep in mind that WGDJ is probably operating on a level that put the talk format on WROW out of business. When Dan Lynch left, Vandenburg did both the morning show and the afternoon/evening show.
All of that being said, is anyone, at all, listening to Dicker playing ancient music on Fridays?
-Now that I've praised Vandenburg, I'll deliver criticism. First, the upgraded signal strength still stinks. Second, why can't WGDJ get it together technically? WGY screws up a lot lately too; at night, you can get stuck to listen two feeds playing over each other, and you think it will end soon, but it goes on for a seeming eternity. WGDJ is worse though. The hosts constantly have to apologize for some dead-air technical error or another. It often seems that the whole station is operated over a shifty internet connection.
-Personally, I think that, while Al Roney has radio talent that allows him to be flexible, he's somewhat constrained by being locked into local issues. Two years ago, I'd have said that Roney should just stick to local issues, but he's climbed. He started out with a "Hey, I don't want to get heavy. I'm just a normal guy"" approach. Since then, he's become much more political, and he's been doing his homework. Overall, I think that because Roney himself 1) doesn't seem to realize how talented he is and 2) has a terrific work ethic from what he says and 3) expects nothing.
For these reasons, I think that he'll go far. Joe Pagliarillo (sp?), a former capital region TV news host, now is a regular replacement for nationally syndicated radio hosts, including Glenn Beck. Roney, on a purely personal level of approach, resonates more with listeners than many syndicated hosts.
-Chuck and Kelly provide friendly, pedestrian commentary. When they discuss almost any topic of substance, please know that they're just making friendly, morning radio small talk. Chuck and Kelly talk about the same stuff you find on the MSN homepage when you log out of your hotmail email, and like the MSN homepage, repeat, pretty much, what's said to the lowest common denominator. If you want to get through your morning with fluff; fine. But, please, don't take anything, at all, even with an "expert" guest discussed on Chuck and Kelly any more seriously than you take comic books.
