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WCKL Returns as "Family 560" on June 15th

Yesterday (Thursday) they were playing smooth jazz on my way home from work... then come to find out it's "Mr. Maistro" with "jazzy Thursday" (4-7). Some of the songs were pretty damn good. Actual favorites that I have in my own collection which I've NEVER heard on ANY smooth jazz station! His announcing style sounded like he was talking to a 2 year old, and between each song he'd READ the sponsors ads in a style that I realized sounded corny after my first month in broadcasting school :D At one point he said "...we're playing music that you've never heard before, or can't hear anywhere else in this area"... He later promo'd his Saturday show of gospel greats.
 
Did you know that I was listening to the other day, they're carrying the Boston Red Sox games, not the Yankees. That's stupid! They should've carrying the Yankee games on 560, but "The Wolf" still carries the Yankees from WCBS-AM as heard on "The Wolf". Why not carry the Yankees on WCKL. If not, bring in the Mets.
 
disney fanatic said:
Did you know that I was listening to the other day, they're carrying the Boston Red Sox games, not the Yankees. That's stupid! They should've carrying the Yankee games on 560, but "The Wolf" still carries the Yankees from WCBS-AM as heard on "The Wolf". Why not carry the Yankees on WCKL. If not, bring in the Mets.
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Yes if you read some past posts, you'll see that they had promised the Sox some weeks ago. Obviously they felt that there was a niche there... but of course they can probably already hear them in the area from 1420 Pittsfield.

Here are the other New York stations carrying the Sox.

WTLA 1200AM/97.7FM Syracuse
WSGO 1440AM/100.1FM Oswego
WIZR 930AM Johnstown
 
MHVRadiofan said:
I won't put myself through listening to WCKL very often but I have noticed that a few weeks ago they added USA Radio news TOH, lending a few minutes of professionalism per hour. They have also now have some sponsors, although the ones I heard sound like live read, with the fumbling and mistakes, it could be just poor production.
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Well, sponsors is a very loose term. I'm guessing most of what you hear are freebies. Seriously, who in their right mind would spend money on that?..unless spots are like a dollar or so
 
bill5461 said:
MHVRadiofan said:
I won't put myself through listening to WCKL very often but I have noticed that a few weeks ago they added USA Radio news TOH, lending a few minutes of professionalism per hour. They have also now have some sponsors, although the ones I heard sound like live read, with the fumbling and mistakes, it could be just poor production.
Click to expand...

Well, sponsors is a very loose term. I'm guessing most of what you hear are freebies. Seriously, who in their right mind would spend money on that?..unless spots are like a dollar or so
Click to expand...

Thats what I was thinking VERY cheap or friends of Brian Dodge. That's why they call it Faimly 560 , it is operated by friends and family of Brian Dodge , with no on air broadcast experience needed.
 
Well, after three months on the air, and given a lot of time to improve, these guys remain a joke. Everything they have promised to do, every cause they have gotten behind, has been dropped or been a failure. Commercials are pretty much non-existent. They promised huge things and other than The Red Sox, delivered none of it. I wonder if the Sox are getting any payment from them?
 
It's really funny listening to them. Also very annoying at times. I can take about 5 minutes and then I want to scream. This has to be the most unprofessionally run station I have ever heard. The news guy can't pronounce half of what says. Is there really a payroll or is this mostly volunteer work? Columbia Greene Community College should have purchased the station years ago and used it to further their Journalism/Broadcasting curriculum. It would sound much better than it does now.
 
Tom said:
It's really funny listening to them. Also very annoying at times. I can take about 5 minutes and then I want to scream. This has to be the most unprofessionally run station I have ever heard. The news guy can't pronounce half of what says. Is there really a payroll or is this mostly volunteer work? Columbia Greene Community College should have purchased the station years ago and used it to further their Journalism/Broadcasting curriculum. It would sound much better than it does now.
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I have said for a while now that what some of these schools should do is to buy some of these marginal AM stations and allow the students to run them as much as possible. This seems to be a prime example!
 
Tom said:
Is there really a payroll or is this mostly volunteer work?
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From what I've heard, they really can't be paying these people, including the owners...Oh my God, the word SUCK is not strong enough to describe them.
 
I've spent some time reading this thread this afternoon, and all I can say - without having heard WCKL - is that this is a downright shame. Back in the 70s when I was living and working in Albany, WCKL had a great signal and always sounded more professional and top-notch than a station in a town the size of Catskill would be expected to sound. It was a darn good radio station back then. To hear about its current permutation is troubling. I doubt it will last very long: either they will run out of money or the FCC will come in and shut it down if their violations are as aggregious as they appear to be. I'm sure their engineering must also be out of whack from things I've been told.
 
Well, they've changed their format..from Standards to Oldies..Early Oldies..BUT only certain times of the day. I guess it depends who's on the air decides what they want to play. I also saw they were in Saugerties again this past weekend. I guess they still don't realize Saugerties is not in their coverage area.
 
Though there may be much to rightly criticize, I believe one should get their facts straight. I have driven through Saugerties a couple times and did receive the station on my car radio. As to the format I am not sure if their really is an actual format anymore except as you stated, depending on who is on the air. They do seem to have had some production work done as you can hear a pretty consistant voice, especially at night doing ID's and some commercials.
 
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