Tifton Radio is a disgrace

[Art Sutton]

I had the privilege of working at WTIF in Tifton from 1982 to 1986. A class IV AM playing country music and heavy on local news and strong on sales with GM Al Cohen as Sales Manager too. By that point, WTIF had finally knocked off heritage WWGS, 5KW day, 1KW night on 1430. It's long time owner Ralph Edwards sold around 1980 or 1981, WWGS and it's companion FM, Beautiful Music WCUP. The new owners began a several year effort to kill off WWGS and were successful in doing so. It's no longer.

WTIF eventually got a FM licensed to Nashville, GA, a Class A, doing beautiful music, WJYF, Joy 95.3.

WTIF AM was doing over $360,000 a year in gross in 1982, had a 65 share and when WJYF went on the air with a terrible signal in Tifton, it was soon doing $240,000.

Years later, a Class A FM went on the air licensed to Omega and it became WTIF-FM simulcasting the AM and effectively killing off WTIF.

A C3 later hit the airwaves in Tifton back in the late 90s, WKZZ. WCUP became WOBB and moved to Albany.

Now WJYF is doing contemporary gospel with studios in Ashburn, obviously well beyond the required 25 mile distance from the city of license, Nashville, GA. WTIF-AM recently went talk, WTIF-FM went contemporary Christian. Why would anyone put such a niche format on two FMs in the area, much less one? This past weekend on WTIF-AM I never heard an ID. In fact, at the end of each hour, you just heard the cues for top of the hour CBS news. I don't ever hear anything out of WKZZ as far as ads. WKAA on 97.7 in Ocilla became prominent in Tifton for many years but it moved to Douglas to become WDMG-FM so WDMG's 99.5 could move toward Valdosta.

If you added up all the revenue on the Tifton stations, it wouldn't come close to what WTIF-AM did in 1982. There is now no LOCAL news on the radio in Tifton. In 1982, both WTIF and WWGS had full time local news departments, as they for years.

Tifton is a textbook case of what happens when locally owned and programmed radio stations are taken over by folks who don't have a clue what they are doing. In fact, I would suggest that the Tifton stations are now losing more money each month than all of them were grossing back 25 years ago.

What a shame. In the meantime, Tifton has grown a lot. It once was a hell of a radio town. Now, it's just sad.

Speaking of sad, coming through Douglas, GA and tuning in to 5KW day and night 860 WDMG. You can barely hear whatever programming is on the station. It is so distorted. If I were the GM at WDMG, I would be embarrassed to even have it on the air. That's a great AM signal being wasted.

The FCC should pay a visit to Tifton and Douglas for a productive inspection trip. While in the area, they should stop by and visit WFFM in Ashburn which has been off the air now for several years and still has it's lciense. In fact in a recent ownership transfer application, they checked off it had not been silent for the past year. Speaking of that, I haven't been able to hear 910 WFVR in Valdosta for years either. The 4 tower array right there beside I-75 has long been gone. How have they maintained their license all this time? It is federal law, not FCC rules, but federal law, that if a radio station is dark for a year, it's license is revoked. Apparently no one at the Atlanta FCC office has a clue this stuff is going on. They should.

 

[radionut925]

I had the privilege of working at WTIF in Tifton from 1982 to 1986. A class IV AM playing country music and heavy on local news and strong on sales with GM Al Cohen as Sales Manager too. By that point, WTIF had finally knocked off heritage WWGS, 5KW day, 1KW night on 1430. It's long time owner Ralph Edwards sold around 1980 or 1981, WWGS and it's companion FM, Beautiful Music WCUP. The new owners began a several year effort to kill off WWGS and were successful in doing so. It's no longer.

WTIF eventually got a FM licensed to Nashville, GA, a Class A, doing beautiful music, WJYF, Joy 95.3.

WTIF AM was doing over $360,000 a year in gross in 1982, had a 65 share and when WJYF went on the air with a terrible signal in Tifton, it was soon doing $240,000.

Years later, a Class A FM went on the air licensed to Omega and it became WTIF-FM simulcasting the AM and effectively killing off WTIF.

A C3 later hit the airwaves in Tifton back in the late 90s, WKZZ. WCUP became WOBB and moved to Albany.

Now WJYF is doing contemporary gospel with studios in Ashburn, obviously well beyond the required 25 mile distance from the city of license, Nashville, GA. WTIF-AM recently went talk, WTIF-FM went contemporary Christian. Why would anyone put such a niche format on two FMs in the area, much less one? This past weekend on WTIF-AM I never heard an ID. In fact, at the end of each hour, you just heard the cues for top of the hour CBS news. I don't ever hear anything out of WKZZ as far as ads. WKAA on 97.7 in Ocilla became prominent in Tifton for many years but it moved to Douglas to become WDMG-FM so WDMG's 99.5 could move toward Valdosta.

If you added up all the revenue on the Tifton stations, it wouldn't come close to what WTIF-AM did in 1982. There is now no LOCAL news on the radio in Tifton. In 1982, both WTIF and WWGS had full time local news departments, as they for years.

Tifton is a textbook case of what happens when locally owned and programmed radio stations are taken over by folks who don't have a clue what they are doing. In fact, I would suggest that the Tifton stations are now losing more money each month than all of them were grossing back 25 years ago.

What a shame. In the meantime, Tifton has grown a lot. It once was a hell of a radio town. Now, it's just sad.

Speaking of sad, coming through Douglas, GA and tuning in to 5KW day and night 860 WDMG. You can barely hear whatever programming is on the station. It is so distorted. If I were the GM at WDMG, I would be embarrassed to even have it on the air. That's a great AM signal being wasted.

The FCC should pay a visit to Tifton and Douglas for a productive inspection trip. While in the area, they should stop by and visit WFFM in Ashburn which has been off the air now for several years and still has it's license. In fact in a recent ownership transfer application, they checked off it had not been silent for the past year. Speaking of that, I haven't been able to hear 910 WFVR in Valdosta for years either. The 4 tower array right there beside I-75 has long been gone. How have they maintained their license all this time? It is federal law, not FCC rules, but federal law, that if a radio station is dark for a year, it's license is revoked. Apparently no one at the Atlanta FCC office has a clue this stuff is going on. They should.

Just goes to show how sad the state of terrestrial radio is these days, even in markets the size of Tifton. Money is the only thing that matters to most radio station owners these days, even in the smallest of communities. And things will probably go from bad to worse if the FCC overhauls the last remaining ownership rules, but that's another topic for another time and place.

As hard as it is to believe, places such as Tifton used to be the place where newcomers to radio could get their foot in the door, and get the experience they needed to maybe move on to the bigger cities and towns across Georgia, or even across the nation some 20-30 years ago. Now, many stations just hook themselves up to either a computer, a satellite dish, or both. People who want to break into radio nowadays are lucky enough just to land a job even running the board, or do a few voicetracks and/or commercials, let alone a full-time on-air job. Yes, radio in Tifton is a disgrace, but it's basically a mess almost everywhere. Some stations are even live or local for maybe say, the morning show, but it's either all syndication and/or automation, all the time for the rest of the broadcast day.

By the way, WJYF is actually a Christian CHR, not contemporary gospel as mentioned in your post. And in the mid-1980's, WCUP became WSGY, or Y-100 before becoming WOBB in the mid-1990's. Surely, many people remember "South Georgia's Power Station" from back in the day.

 

[rcombs]

The last I heard, Chuck Harder got permission to move WFVR down to Florida. I haven't heard if he actually finished that move or not.

 

[fwillis]

From what I've heard 92.5 moved it's studios to the WBHB studios in Fitzgerald,over the weekend..WDMG FM also has an annoying ground sound a good bit of the time.The AM sounds like a satellite dish off position.The manager is a good radioman,it's not his fault.

 

[Art Sutton]

The last I heard, Chuck Harder got permission to move WFVR down to Florida. I haven't heard if he actually finished that move or not.

I understood that a CP was granted but that CP is controlled by the present license. In other words, if the present license isn't on the air for a year, the CP goes away too.

 

[fwillis]

Art,look at the north florida board,I asked that same question last week,apparently 910 AM is running a wire for the antenna,no tower,believe it or not.

 

[IFB64]

Yep. Its a sad state. The Tiftons, Valdostas, Moultries etc of the day churned out top notch talent. Remember the days when you could drive down the highway and hear GREAT radio...no matter where you were? Now everything is $$$$$. Radio today has mastered the art of stretching a penny until it turns into wire!

 

[radionut925]

Yep. Its a sad state. The Tiftons, Valdostas, Moultries etc of the day churned out top notch talent. Remember the days when you could drive down the highway and hear GREAT radio...no matter where you were? Now everything is $$$$$. Radio today has mastered the art of stretching a penny until it turns into wire!

Not only that, Valdosta has since become an Arbitron-rated market. But, you're right, unfortunately, consolidation has all but limited opportunities in even the smallest of markets. And many of these stations aren't even owned by Clear Channel.

 

[knoxbob]

The last time I was through the area was in the early 90's as I was traveling back and forth from Knoxville, Tn to Tampa. One of the stations down there was a travelers info type station. Nothing but motel and convenience store spots rotating over and over. I can't remember if it was an Am or Fm station but what a total waste. As I would travel by Tifton it was usually about 2am and I-75 would widen up to about 6 lanes and lights everywhere and there were a couple of exits and then back to flat and boring south Ga. road again.

 

[fussbudget]

Art's post is just another example of how local radio abandoned its audience long ago. With few exceptions, owners aren't bothering to compete with satellite radio, Ipods, etc. It isn't hard. You compete by being live and local. If not 24/7 then at least 18/6. I was offered a job at WTIF in the mid 70's. I wish I had taken it. What a great place to learn! Instead I chose to stay in Macon, another market where radio's time has apparently come and gone. There is still some good local radio in Thomasville and Toccoa. Listen while you can. When those owners sell, I'd bet the farm they'll also foresake the audiences they once cherished.

 

[radionut925]

The last time I was through the area was in the early 90's as I was traveling back and forth from Knoxville, Tn to Tampa. One of the stations down there was a travelers info type station. Nothing but motel and convenience store spots rotating over and over. I can't remember if it was an Am or Fm station but what a total waste. As I would travel by Tifton it was usually about 2am and I-75 would widen up to about 6 lanes and lights everywhere and there were a couple of exits and then back to flat and boring south Ga. road again.

In the latter half of the 1990's, that "traveler's station" you spoke of is WDDQ-92.1 FM out of Adel, Ga., "aka" Super Q-92. Now it's "Wild Adventures Radio", a station that basically promotes the Wild Adventures Theme Park down the road just south of Valdosta.

 

[ricksegers]

I am in complete agreement on the state of radio. In many cases the death of live and local is not the exclusive fault of the local operators. Many of the businesses that advertised on the radio stations are no longer there or are barely hanging on by a thread. Most of the business that's in these towns now is now chain operations big and small with little, no make that no, local radio budget except for an occasional special event. Art and I grew up in the same small town working at the same powerful 1KW daytimer that at one time had literally dozens of businesses advertising with good schedules. In the 70's it started becoming a bedroom community to Albany and the local business started shutting down. The banks are all owned by out of town companies as are half the car dealers (there are only two car stores thanks to consolidation). The only department stores left are the dollar stores and a regional chain that never spent one dime with me in six years of working trying to get some radio business.
There is a lot of blame to go around on the state of radio. The FCC, Wal-Mart, four laned roads, the operators themselves and much more all share in the death of small towns and local radio.

 

[PaulBWalkerJr]

Chuck Harder does NOT own 910 WFVR. The towelheaded Rama Communications of Ocoee, Fl does!

how did they remain off the air for longer then a year? I'll TELL YOU!! THEY LIED!!

The transmitter that was at the WFVR site was removed from service sometime in early 2004 and sold to a station in the northeast in mid 2005. How do I know? I was at WTIR in Cocoa when the moving company removed it from the storage shed!!

They have a CP for Wellborn, FL but I have serious doubts as to if it will ever be built, as their CP for 1090 in Mcanopy, FL expired. As did the CP for WNTF, but they reapplied for both.

WFVR is programmed, or was programmed music wise and voiced by Dave Solomon of Myrtle Beach which is the person Rama bought WZFB 1480 Fair Bluff, NC from......

And YES, it is/was running off a long wire.. i had that confirmed by the CE who was there in 2005 before he passed away. They had NO STA for reduce day/night power or anything...\

They reported the station siulent as of 11/10/2005.. what liars!

 

[radionut925]

I am in complete agreement on the state of radio. In many cases the death of live and local is not the exclusive fault of the local operators. Many of the businesses that advertised on the radio stations are no longer there or are barely hanging on by a thread. Most of the business that's in these towns now is now chain operations big and small with little, no make that no, local radio budget except for an occasional special event. Art and I grew up in the same small town working at the same powerful 1KW daytimer that at one time had literally dozens of businesses advertising with good schedules. In the 70's it started becoming a bedroom community to Albany and the local business started shutting down. The banks are all owned by out of town companies as are half the car dealers (there are only two car stores thanks to consolidation). The only department stores left are the dollar stores and a regional chain that never spent one dime with me in six years of working trying to get some radio business.
There is a lot of blame to go around on the state of radio. The FCC, Wal-Mart, four laned roads, the operators themselves and much more all share in the death of small towns and local radio.

Obviously, Art hit the nail right on the head, Rick. It's hard to believe that there are multiple radio stations serving Tifton and surrounding areas, and not one has a true local news department. It's tough for the little guy to stay in business, whether it's radio or retail, that's for sure. If radio stations in places like Tifton won't broadcast local news, what does that say about the industry as a whole. Not much, unfortunately.

 

[middlega]

If radio stations in places like Tifton won't broadcast local news, what does that say about the industry as a whole. Not much, unfortunately.

I'm not at all sure it says much of anything about the industry, at least not without looking at the area itself. The first thing that a lack of local news emphasis suggests to me is a lack of demand for such coverage.

 

[fussbudget]

I don't believe there is a "lack of demand". Sure, folks get their news from a variety of sources. That doesn't mean there is no room for radio. In Tifton one has the option of getting local news from the newspaper, Albany TV, gossip and possibly the internet. Are those sources so good at what they do that there is no need for radio?

 

[Art Sutton]

If radio stations in places like Tifton won't broadcast local news, what does that say about the industry as a whole. Not much, unfortunately.

I'm not at all sure it says much of anything about the industry, at least not without looking at the area itself. The first thing that a lack of local news emphasis suggests to me is a lack of demand for such coverage.

No radio station has to do local news. Even in the golden days of small town radio we all like to think about. However, a smart radio station operator will know enough about the business and their local market to do local news. In a small market, it's the quickest way to develop an audience and to develop business. It's more than the audience. In small towns, the folks who serve on boards and are elected officials are often the same folks who are advertisers or influence advertisers. Our news directors are salesmen too...not selling ads but selling the station's image. You create "demand" in radio...it doesn't come to you.

What's more "local" than local news or to have an image that when something happens in your town, you know the local radio station will have it on the air. Our stations are called all the time even by non listeners to find out about something because they have developed the image of being involved. When Al Cohen owned WTIF...after every CBS newscast was this liner...."This is South Georgia Sunshine, 1340 WTIF...we're INVOLVED in the Tiftarea." WTIF went from a dog with bouncing payroll checks to knocking off the cross town heritage AM and ruled the sales and audience for Tift County so much so that it has taken 3 owners since to knock it out of first place.

As to the retail community....in many of our markets, the utility company is the largest advertiser. We have categories of business on the air today we wouldn't have ever thought of selling 5 years ago. You go where the money is. A Sylvester, Ashburn or Camilla size town just doesn't have the base any more and frankly they were somewhat marginal even 30 years ago. A prominent Sylvester attorney told me he got James Rivers to come to Sylvester in the late 1950s to look the town over and see if he thought a station would do well there. Mr. Rivers, long a big radio operator, told him..there wasn't plus Albany was too close. He was right as the Sylvester station was never a huge success financially despite mine and Rick Segers working there!

The retail base in Sylvester, Ashburn, Camilla....was never close to what it was in a Tifton, Cordele, Fitzgerald, Douglas or Thomasville. Moultrie was always a tough radio town because the stations there sold time so cheap..even in the good ole days. At $3 a holler, no one will make any money unless everything is paid for and you have two stations to air the ads over and a big coverage area to sell in. I found that out the hard way.

Radio sales has always been a factor of total retail sales in a market and how much of the effective buying income is spent locally vs out of town. The percentage of radio revenue from total retail sales has dropped over the years due to non radio chain operators moving in...but thanks to new technology..equipment that is less expensive and lasts longer.. and yes, even satellite and automation, stations can operate less expensively and even make more money with the same or less gross than they had 10 or 15 years ago.

 

[middlega]

You create "demand" in radio...it doesn't come to you.

That sounds great in theory, but there's also only so far it can be taken, subject to the limitations of the audience that's available.

Looking at the demographics of Tifton/Tift County, there are some red flags that indicate that trying to generate interest in a strong local news presentation would be an uphill battle.

Start with the fact that 1/3rd of the Tift County workforce has less than a high school education. Surely you wouldn't argue that this is a demographic that is less likely to take an interest in news programming, radio or otherwise.

Add the fact that at least 15% of the Tift County population had lived in the area less than five years (per 2000 US Census Migration Data). Surely you wouldn't argue that there's a significant part of the population that has less attachment to the area, and therefore less likelihood of having a significant interest in "local news".

And those are just a couple that jumped out at me in a quick review of the market.

The only potentially positive stat I found was the relatively high percentage of residents who actually work in the their county of residence, which does lend itself to strengthening the sense of connection.

What's more "local" than local news or to have an image that when something happens in your town, you know the local radio station will have it on the air.

I don't disagree with you on that point. The problem is, same as I've said about small markets all over the place, the benefit of that imaging is limited by the number of people who actually care. And I believe that number is a smaller percentage than it's ever been.

 

[fwillis]

You really wouldn't need a full time news director.Multi-tasking would work.Somebody could handle local news,in addition to sales,production,announcing,or management.The Tifton AM is fulltime news/talk,some local prescence would help.

 

[Art Sutton]

You create "demand" in radio...it doesn't come to you.

That sounds great in theory, but there's also only so far it can be taken, subject to the limitations of the audience that's available.

Looking at the demographics of Tifton/Tift County, there are some red flags that indicate that trying to generate interest in a strong local news presentation would be an uphill battle.

Start with the fact that 1/3rd of the Tift County workforce has less than a high school education. Surely you wouldn't argue that this is a demographic that is less likely to take an interest in news programming, radio or otherwise.

Add the fact that at least 15% of the Tift County population had lived in the area less than five years (per 2000 US Census Migration Data). Surely you wouldn't argue that there's a significant part of the population that has less attachment to the area, and therefore less likelihood of having a significant interest in "local news".

And those are just a couple that jumped out at me in a quick review of the market.

The only potentially positive stat I found was the relatively high percentage of residents who actually work in the their county of residence, which does lend itself to strengthening the sense of connection.

What's more "local" than local news or to have an image that when something happens in your town, you know the local radio station will have it on the air.

I don't disagree with you on that point. The problem is, same as I've said about small markets all over the place, the benefit of that imaging is limited by the number of people who actually care. And I believe that number is a smaller percentage than it's ever been.

Actually, it has been my experience as an owner for 20 years and 28 years in the business...that the less educated an audience, the more loyal they are to a local station. For one thing, while literacy rates have increased in many rural areas, the number of people who can not read easily is still high in many of these rural areas...some times running upwards of 50%. In some areas illiteracy rates still run in double digits. Also, less educated people are less likely to drive out of town to shop, etc. because they have less disposable income. This is not to be negative about folks who don't have an education...it's just the way it is.

The percentage of people in Tift County without a high school education is less now that it has ever been. We have some counties in Georgia where it runs over 50%.

Tift County also still has a large agricultural community and while many farmers, including my Dad, don't have a college education, a farmer can't be stupid and stay a farmer. Farmers rely a lot on local radio if it's done right.

If Tifton were a bedroom community to a larger market, I would say that the fact a number of newcomers doesn't bode well for a local station. For instance, the radio station in Covington, GA has a tough time now because a lot of the people who live there, just basically sleep there and drive to work somewhere else. They could care less what happens in Covington. However, if people are new in Tifton, they likely moved there for a reason and that reason could likely be they want to be part of a community. Again, this is not a suburban experience.

On the other hand, Tifton also has a highly educated population with the USDA Experiment station, the University of Georgia facilities, and a college. These folks in a rural area tend to be more community active and thus support local programming. We found when I was local news director at WTIF that some of our more loyal listeners were professors at ABAC, the RDC and Experiment station.

Tifton has a large and growing hispanic population so a hispanic station would likely do well there. Local business people tell me they are more loyal to local merchants and usually have some disposable income to spend in their stores.

This has been a good discussion.

Thanks.