WBAP and Sirius

[gbsncmtr]

Good morning. I'm a huge fan of this board, but I am not a part of your radio industry. I'm just a 52 year old retired middle school band director who has been fascinated with radio for my whole life! I grew up in the D/FW area, and I have fond memories of . . .
Porter Randall's morning newscasts
Mark Stevens and Larry Shannon
Ron Chapman's early work
Rod Roddy's local "Joe Pine-ish" talk show
driving by the KBOX studio near the Trinity and wondering "what's going on in there?"
WFAA/WBAP's daily signal swapping rouitine
listening to the latest Beatles song on my little bedside radio
Paul Harvey
numerous KLIF and KFJZ jingles that I can still hear in my head like it was yesterday
I could go on and on . . .

Now here's my question. Shakespeare wrote that "misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows." Does this help explain the fact that five hours of WBAP's daily programming (their overnight trucking show) is simulcast on Sirius? It's seems like I also hear quite a few commercials for Sirius on that station. Is this something that is happening across the industry? Is this innovation or desparation?

Finally, I know that this is a hard time in the industry for many of you. Please don't stop pushing for the return of quality local programming and on-air talent. Maybe I'm a dying breed, but there are few things more entertaining to me than listening to the magic and spontaneity of live radio!

Happy New Year to all of you!

 

[KPLEXCOMPLEX]

Bless you sir. On XM Bill Mack 'THE MIDNIGHT COWBOY" is heard on XM. along with the "Trucking Bozo". Both shows are far better than the "Midnight Network".

 

[Robert Bass]

Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought the show was no longer aired on WBAP?

R

 

[livingfruitvirus]

Now here's my question. Shakespeare wrote that "misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows." Does this help explain the fact that five hours of WBAP's daily programming (their overnight trucking show) is simulcast on Sirius? It's seems like I also hear quite a few commercials for Sirius on that station. Is this something that is happening across the industry? Is this innovation or desparation?

Sirius used to simulcast 650 WSM from Nashville 24/7, but that stopped in September.

XM is much worse. WSIX Nashville and WLW Cincinatti have complete station simulcasts. Two local shows on WTKS-FM in Orlando have simulcasts, as does a 3-station syndicated show from WFLA in Tampa, and a regionally syndicated show on WPGB in Pittsburgh. However, those are all because of a programming agreement with Clear Channel. XM doesn't pay anything for those shows.

 

[TheLaffer]

Now here's my question. Shakespeare wrote that "misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows." Does this help explain the fact that five hours of WBAP's daily programming (their overnight trucking show) is simulcast on Sirius? It's seems like I also hear quite a few commercials for Sirius on that station. Is this something that is happening across the industry? Is this innovation or desparation?

Sirius used to simulcast 650 WSM from Nashville 24/7, but that stopped in September.

XM is much worse. WSIX Nashville and WLW Cincinatti have complete station simulcasts. Two local shows on WTKS-FM in Orlando have simulcasts, as does a 3-station syndicated show from WFLA in Tampa, and a regionally syndicated show on WPGB in Pittsburgh. However, those are all because of a programming agreement with Clear Channel. XM doesn't pay anything for those shows.

Don't you find it interesting XM and Sirius main ad compaign stressed how much better satellite radio is than terrestrial radio and look at all the programming they're getting from terrestrial radio.

 

[KPLEXCOMPLEX]

Robert: Thje "Midnight Cowboy'(Bill Mack ) is no longer on WBAP.

It was replaced by Eric Harley,Joe Kelly ( he then went to Tulsa).Now Eric is teamed with Gary Macnamara. It was called "The Midnight Trucking Network",then they modified it to the "Midnight Network".Its still on WBAP.

 

[smashedcd]

Now here's my question. Shakespeare wrote that "misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows." Does this help explain the fact that five hours of WBAP's daily programming (their overnight trucking show) is simulcast on Sirius? It's seems like I also hear quite a few commercials for Sirius on that station. Is this something that is happening across the industry? Is this innovation or desparation?

Sirius used to simulcast 650 WSM from Nashville 24/7, but that stopped in September.

XM is much worse. WSIX Nashville and WLW Cincinatti have complete station simulcasts. Two local shows on WTKS-FM in Orlando have simulcasts, as does a 3-station syndicated show from WFLA in Tampa, and a regionally syndicated show on WPGB in Pittsburgh. However, those are all because of a programming agreement with Clear Channel. XM doesn't pay anything for those shows.

Don't you find it interesting XM and Sirius main ad compaign stressed how much better satellite radio is than terrestrial radio and look at all the programming they're getting from terrestrial radio.

xm was forced to air that crap. not because they wanted too. when is the last time you heard deicide or the sex pistols on fm radio...yea thats what i thought. :

 

[Slambang]

My big question is when is sirius going to ante up, bring bill mack over and dump the midnight radio simulcast??

 

[KPLEXCOMPLEX]

Most likely never. XM built a studio in Bill's home. He records his show there,and then transmits it to washington dc where xm is located. He's got a sweet deal,as well as "the trucking bozo."

 

[livingfruitvirus]

Don't you find it interesting XM and Sirius main ad compaign stressed how much better satellite radio is than terrestrial radio and look at all the programming they're getting from terrestrial radio.

Yes I do. I can understand some of them, because there are several big names in terrestrial radio that someone might not be able to get in a city that they could by a sat radio for, like Sean Hannity (XM/Sirius), Dr. Laura (XM), Glenn Beck (XM), Laura Ingraham (XM), or Bill O'Reilly (XM/Sirius). Sirius has purged a lot of that, and has been focusing more on exclusive content. XM on the other hand, is locked in their agreement with Clear Channel that dates back to 1999, so those have to stay til the deal expires in 2008, to which Clear Channel can decide whether or not they want to pay more to keep it. Clear Channel does have the option to divest their XM investment, but they've made no indication that they'll be doing that in the near future. Another fun fact, until 2003, XM had simulcasts of WLTW, KIIS, and KHMX as well. Those formats are now XM exclusive channels, although still programmed by Clear Channel.

It's kind of annoying in a way. It feels like some of these shows have no business broadcasting to a whole country, even if it's on a subscription service, and there are other AM/FM shows more deserving. Many of them are syndication bombs, and it looks like putting them on XM was Clear Channel's way of shutting them up about their syndication failure, because now they can take calls from New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and other cities where they would never dream of pulling a determinable listenership in an Arbitron book, and make themselves appear to be a big national show.

 

[survivor]

Most likely never. XM built a studio in Bill's home. He records his show there,and then transmits it to washington dc where xm is located. He's got a sweet deal,as well as "the trucking bozo."

Correction - Bill Mack does his entire show live from his home studio. He plays his own music from CD and takes all his calls into his home studio. I was surprised to learn this a while back when I was at Bill's house during his show. He says he's always done his show live. At one time his callers called into XM and his music came from XM's computer in DC, but that didn't allow the sound and style Bill was after. He now does everything except the breaks from his home studio.

 

[dfwtalkradionut]

Personnally, I think it's great that a lot of these shows are on XM and Sirius. But on the other hand, I believe they should stay to local syndication stations where they belong. I enjoy Glen Beck, Laura Ingraham, etc...as much as the next guy. However, you start putting these shows on subscription services, you're jeopardizing the local guy. I don't have XM or Sirius, but can understand it's fascination with many. Keep it local guys!!

 

[livingfruitvirus]

Personnally, I think it's great that a lot of these shows are on XM and Sirius. But on the other hand, I believe they should stay to local syndication stations where they belong. I enjoy Glen Beck, Laura Ingraham, etc...as much as the next guy. However, you start putting these shows on subscription services, you're jeopardizing the local guy.

I don't think that's true. If you can listen to them locally, people will listen to them locally. Sean Hannity is on XM and Sirius and he still has over 12 million listeners on terrestrial. Mark Levin is on XM and Sirius, and he appears to be grabbing a new affiliate every day.

 

[KPLEXCOMPLEX]

Survivor: I stand corrected. He USED to record his show for WBAP in its last couple of years and he was not happy due to the heavy spot load,etc. That is one chief reason he went to XM.

 

[VERITAS DE VOCE]

I just think it's great that all of this trucker talk was instigated by a man of remembers the fond days of yesteryear when radio wasn't controlled by the uber-corporation, mechanical jocks and shriveled...uh...pocketbooks.

Mazel-Tov, sir! ;D