• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

WAJJ 89.3 McKenzie, TN - The change has happened

C

ccmfan

Guest
Today WAJJ 89.3 in McKenzie, TN came back on the air after being on and off for the last few months, and is now carrying the signal of their new owners, WSOF in Madisonville, KY. Because of this, the format has changed from CHR CCM which came from WAAJ 89.7 in Hardin, KY to ultra-traditional music and preachers, mostly of the KJV Only type, and are also anti-CCM. The station was sold supposedly because of lack of support of the CHR format by Heartland Ministries.

I already knew this was coming, but I am extremely disappointed that this has happened. I'll admit that I'm as guilty as anyone of not supporting the station financially, but I believe there should have been a more serious effort made to find a buyer that would have kept the CCM format, instead of selling to a group who is both anti-CCM and KJV only.

In my view WAJJ had the best music mix of any CCM station in the West TN area. I was told by the president of Heartland Ministries that lack of support was the reason the station was sold. Yet any time I listened I never heard anything about a lack of support or the possibility that the station might be sold if things didn't change. In fact, I remember seeing on the J FM's website that the Spring fund drive had met its goal. If this was the case then why was WAJJ sold due to lack of support? I'll admit that I didn't hear any of the fund drive becasue of not being where I could hear it at that time, and something may have been said, but I never heard anything. The listeners deserved to know if the station was in danger, and they also deserved to know once the decision was made to sell, no matter how small the audience might have been. I never heard anything said during the last days the station was on (as sporadic as it was) that there would be a change soon. Perhaps there was something said, but I never heard it. I really wonder if anyone else even knew or cared that the change happened.

Heartland Ministries still owns WAAJ, but I hope that if it is ever sold, that they will make serious effort to sell to someone who will keep the CCM format, and not to the first person to make an offer, which it appears is what happened with WAJJ.<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by ccmfan on 09/22/05 05:08 AM.</FONT></P>
 
ccm fan wrote:
"The listeners deserved to know if the station was in danger, and they also deserved to know once the decision was made to sell, no matter how small the audience might have been."


Why did listeners deserve this? <P ID="signature">______________
RADIOELIZABETH
Pleasant, Passionate, Persuasive
www.radioelizabeth.com</P>
 
I think the listeners who sent in contributions for the HOT-AC CCM format should file a class-action lawsuit to recover their donations from the new owners.
 
> ccm fan wrote:
> "The listeners deserved to know if the station was in
> danger, and they also deserved to know once the decision was
> made to sell, no matter how small the audience might have
> been."
>
>
> Why did listeners deserve this?
>

I didn't mean that every detail of the station's business had to be revealed, but if the station was depending on listener support and they weren't getting enough, something should have been said that more support was needed or the station would be in danger of being sold. That would have been appropriate and might have made listeners do more, but I got the impression that nothing was ever said. Also, once the station has been sold and a format change has been decided on it's only fair to let faithful listeners and supporters know that it is coming. I knew in advance because it had been announced on radio websites, but there may have been other people who never knew until the change happened, although the station had actually been on and off for several months.

In the past there have been CCM stations that I have been a faithful listener to that have made a format change with no prior announcement. I felt that those of us who were regular listeners deserved at least to know that the format was changing. I appreciated stations letting the listeners know that a format change was coming, even when I was disappointed in those changes. I know my comments are coming from a listener's point of view, but I think that other listeners feel that way, especially with a format like CCM that is more difficult to find.<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by ccmfan on 09/23/05 02:53 AM.</FONT></P>
 
> I think the listeners who sent in contributions for the
> HOT-AC CCM format should file a class-action lawsuit to
> recover their donations from the new owners.
>

In some ways that might not be a bad idea, but I think that the previous owners are more guilty than the new owners, since they never let the listeners know they were supposedly short on funding and the station was being sold.
 
> In some ways that might not be a bad idea, but I think that
> the previous owners are more guilty than the new owners,
> since they never let the listeners know they were supposedly
> short on funding and the station was being sold.

The new owners, though, are the ones who pocketed the money. We had that happen 10 years ago with the old WCIE in Lakeland. They had a million dollar plus Sharathon - with many one time gifts to carry the CCM format on for another year. When Moody, the new owners, took over - they should have returned a pro-rated portion of those one-time gifts to listeners who contributed with a reasonable expectation that the CCM format would continue. I think it was as dishonest to retain the funds and use them to promote their own format, knowing that it was repugnant to the former audience.

In this case, the KJV only and anti-CCM people are even more dishonest - actually flaunting their differences with the old format. Gosh - those people are an embarrassment to the cause of Christ as it is, now they show their true colors by not returning the donations they are not entitled to.
 
> The new owners, though, are the ones who pocketed the money.
> We had that happen 10 years ago with the old WCIE in
> Lakeland. They had a million dollar plus Sharathon - with
> many one time gifts to carry the CCM format on for another
> year. When Moody, the new owners, took over - they should
> have returned a pro-rated portion of those one-time gifts to
> listeners who contributed with a reasonable expectation that
> the CCM format would continue. I think it was as dishonest
> to retain the funds and use them to promote their own
> format, knowing that it was repugnant to the former
> audience.
>
> In this case, the KJV only and anti-CCM people are even more
> dishonest - actually flaunting their differences with the
> old format. Gosh - those people are an embarrassment to the
> cause of Christ as it is, now they show their true colors by
> not returning the donations they are not entitled to.
>

Bruce,
I'm not trying to defend the new owners, but from what I had been told by the previous owners, they weren't getting enough donations to keep the station going, and I think that it was at least in part their own fault for not letting listeners know the need. They also said that the new owners were the only ones who made an offer when the station was put up for sale, although I really think no serious effort was made to find to find a buyer who would keep a CCM format. I really don't know if the new owners received any of the donations from listeners to the old format or not, and it probably wasn't much if anything. This was a 1000 watt repeater in a rural area, not a high power station in a major city.

I agree it would only be right for donors to get their money back, but I don't know that any listener donations from the old station ended up in the new owner's hands, so I won't make any accsations of that. Besides, I was an occasional listener from out of town and I didn't donate myself, so I'm really not in the position to do anything. I sent comments by phone and e-mail that I thought the sale was wrong and that I didn't want the format to change As much as I hate what has happened with WAJJ, that's all I could probably do.
 
>
> In this case, the KJV only and anti-CCM people are even more
> dishonest - actually flaunting their differences with the
> old format. Gosh - those people are an embarrassment to the
> cause of Christ as it is, now they show their true colors by
> not returning the donations they are not entitled to.



If the KJV people are "flaunting" their differences with the CCM format..wouldnt it be because they ARE different?..And you seem not to have proof that donations are not being returned..or that people are even asking that money be returned. I tire of the assertion made by many that Pro KJV people are all dishonest, uncaring people that are an "embarrassment" to the cause of Christ..While there are some that probably are there are others that are in other groups and fellowships and churches that
also dishonor the name of Christ.Its easy to paint too broad a brush when talking about Christianity..And I know most of us do it once in awhile..
 
>
>
>
"Why did listeners deserve this?"

The listeners deserve to be informed since it is "their" listener supported station.
>
 
whatzthat wrote:
"The listeners deserve to be informed since it is "their" listener supported station."


No, it is not "their" station. It is the station they might choose to support financially, but donor gifts do make any listener a PD, GM, or even stock holder.

If that were true, programming would be dependant on the "highest bidder" with absolutely no need sharathons or fundraisers.

Radio is such an intimate medium, and although there are many that feel entitled to or owned explanations, in reality, they aren't.

Telling listeners of a change, prior to it taking place, that they can not alter is a frustrating proposition for all involved.

Some may agree, some may not, but none will have any options either way.

Besides, seems to me, the listeners are now informed.
<P ID="signature">______________
RADIOELIZABETH
Pleasant, Passionate, Persuasive
www.radioelizabeth.com</P>
 
> whatzthat wrote:
> "The listeners deserve to be informed since it is "their"
> listener supported station."
>
>
> No, it is not "their" station. It is the station they might
> choose to support financially, but donor gifts do make any
> listener a PD, GM, or even stock holder.
>
> If that were true, programming would be dependant on the
> "highest bidder" with absolutely no need sharathons or
> fundraisers.
>
> Radio is such an intimate medium, and although there are
> many that feel entitled to or owned explanations, in
> reality, they aren't.
>
> Telling listeners of a change, prior to it taking place,
> that they can not alter is a frustrating proposition for all
> involved.
>
> Some may agree, some may not, but none will have any options
> either way.
>
> Besides, seems to me, the listeners are now informed.
>

But they were never informed when there was a chance to help keep the old format going, and it's definitely too late now. If they had known that more financial support was needed, they might have been able to provide the needed funds, but it sems to me they were never given that chance.
 
Perhaps this is a good example of the fallacy of selling non-commercial stations.<P ID="signature">______________
chargeradioweb.jpg
</P>
 
ccmfan wrote:
But they were never informed when there was a chance to help keep the old format going, and it's definitely too late now. If they had known that more financial support was needed, they might have been able to provide the needed funds, but it sems to me they were never given that chance."

"IF" "MIGHT"

That is a huge hypothetical.

If there wasn't enough support initially, I doubt there would have been long term giving.

The chance was there when the format was on the air. It was also there the minute the station was on the market...and it's there now.

If the demand is there, supply will follow.





<P ID="signature">______________
RADIOELIZABETH
Pleasant, Passionate, Persuasive
www.radioelizabeth.com</P>
 
> If they had known that more financial support was needed,
> they might have been able to provide the needed funds, but
> it sems to me they were never given that chance.
>

I guess the real question is whether we really believe that it is God who provides. Your hypothetical implies that some good ol' human manipulation could/should have occurred.
 
> > If they had known that more financial support was needed,
> > they might have been able to provide the needed funds, but
>
> > it sems to me they were never given that chance.
> >
>
> I guess the real question is whether we really believe that
> it is God who provides. Your hypothetical implies that some
> good ol' human manipulation could/should have occurred.
>

God provides, but it's through his people. There's nothing wrong with letting a real need be known. I don't mean continually manipulating people with the threat of going off the air if they don't get a certain amount like some preachers and/or stations do. But in the time I listened, I never heard anything said that there was a need and that the station was really in danger of being sold. It's almost like they didn't trust God enough to let their need be known.
 
"I guess the real question is whether we really believe that
> it is God who provides. Your hypothetical implies that some
> good ol' human manipulation could/should have occurred."

You get not because you ask not, I don't think the Bible refers to that as manipulation.
>
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom