WCRX ARTICLE IN THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

[jakej]

A very nice write-up of WCRX (aka Jazz 102.1) appears in today's Dispatch: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/life_and_entertainment/2012/02/21/dialed-into-jazz.html.
I think this shows that the paper still covers radio news in Columbus that it considers to be important. Personnel shifts and switches to formats that are already being utilized by many others in this market are not seen as particularly newsworthy developments.

 

[gabigley1]

I believe they published this more because WCRX is providing an niche format on a LPFM
station. If one of the other full power stations did this format, the CD may have just giving it a
few sentences in the paper, if that. Make no mistake, the CD dose not post anywhere near the radio news it did in years past.

Still, this is a surprising article, give how much space the CD give to it.

Thanks for posting it Jake! I believe you will mention it in this weeks Yesterdays Top Secrets show.

 

[jakej]

Thanks for posting it Jake! I believe you will mention it in this weeks Yesterdays Top Secrets show.

Well, let's not get TOO carried away; I don't know about that! Mostly I'll just be cramming in as many songs about loneliness as I can on Thursday and saying very little, since some sad single listeners complained about the nothing-but-love-songs themes of last week's two shows, both of which followed Valentine's Day. Haven't decided on Friday night's focus yet, but it'll be tough to beat the tremendously uplifting and fun-filled hour of lonely desperation that will be enjoyed by all on Thursday.

 

[knowbetter]

I believe they published this more because WCRX is providing an niche format on a LPFM
station. If one of the other full power stations did this format, the CD may have just giving it a
few sentences in the paper, if that. Make no mistake, the CD dose not post anywhere near the radio news it did in years past.

Still, this is a surprising article, give how much space the CD give to it.

Thanks for posting it Jake! I believe you will mention it in this weeks Yesterdays Top Secrets show.

from what I heard, they also did a tv story...I suspect the reporter likes Jazz!

 

[Dave Sarnoff]

I'll bet the WCRS benefit the night before outdraws 'em, which will feature five local bands at the Rumba Cafe. Carabar was packed for what we held out there last month, which involved five other local groups.

So Jake, just curious. How many did your event outdraw WVKO's by?

 

[xmusicmatt]

Speaking of the LPFM's in Columbus.. Interesting to see them not show up in the "PPMs" if that many people are actually listening... I read an piece recently in one of the trades about LPFMs having decent success in grabbing listenership... WCRS/WCRX doesn't seem to be riding the same boat..and if they are.. It's a very small one.

I am guessing 102.1/98.3 has about the same listenership as 1580 WVKO has...

Apparently the folks at WCRS still think "Local community radio" is "Pacifica programming" .. Last I checked it's not any less syndicated than WODC airing a Premium choice log.

 

[jakej]

So Jake, just curious. How many did your event outdraw WVKO's by?

I don't know, how many attended the WVKO thing? I didn't have $25 to go and find out for myself, but I was able to come up with the $5 donation for our shindig, which was wonderful with New Tooth, The Girls, Mike Wilson and the Mystery Money Men, The Good Instrument Friends, and The Phlatt Rascal all present and playing. (Thanks also to Rendezvous Hair, Evolved BodyArt, and Dreadful Sounds for donating the gift certificates that were raffled off.)

Speaking of the LPFM's in Columbus.. Interesting to see them not show up in the "PPMs" if that many people are actually listening... I read an piece recently in one of the trades about LPFMs having decent success in grabbing listenership... WCRS/WCRX doesn't seem to be riding the same boat..and if they are.. It's a very small one.

I am guessing 102.1/98.3 has about the same listenership as 1580 WVKO has...

Apparently the folks at WCRS still think "Local community radio" is "Pacifica programming" .. Last I checked it's not any less syndicated than WODC airing a Premium choice log.

I am assuming that we don't show up in the ratings because our encoding-related equipment hasn't been installed. (If it had been, WCRS would be listed somewhere in the table, but it isn't.) "The folks at WCRS" know what local community radio is and provide a local programs description page on its website so that others can find out: http://wcrsfm.org/local_programs. Does WODC's glistening Premium Choice lineup include a couple dozen local show hosts? I've seen this misinformation about our schedule posted before here, which I compare to what the Republican candidates say about President Obama -- the thinking must be that if one repeats the same garbage enough times, eventually someone will believe it. And in terms of boats, okay, if it makes you feel any better, call us a dinghy and Clear Channel Costa Condordia -- we're both gonna paddle around Italy for a little while; which one do you want to board?

 

[jakej]

Whoops, I meant Costa Concordia, hate it when I flub up! Also want to acknowledge and thank Closet Mix, Houndstooth Bindles, The Francis Bacon Band, Day Creeper, and Sex Tide for playing at our January bash at Carabar.

 

[knowbetter]

I am assuming that we don't show up in the ratings because our encoding-related equipment hasn't been installed. (If it had been, WCRS would be listed somewhere in the table, but it isn't.)

Actually, the equipment is shared, Arbitron or an interested party would simply look at the data when the respective station is on the air, but it is true, only one set of calls would be listed. Additionally, when the WCRS is on, the translator would air the same PPM data would be on both signals, 102.1 & 98.3, while it will only appears on 102.1 only when WCRX is on the air.

does WCRX have ratings?, and if they do, what is their rating outside of their hours.

Actually, neither station is served well by ppm in this case, one can only hope they will get together when the new window opens, and finally separate to two separate stations...so they can finally pass or fail on their own.

 

[jakej]

If you're saying that the equipment has been installed and the data available, then why isn't WCRS and/or WCRX listed in the ratings chart on this website? Dozens of stations are, but we're not one of them. Can't that only mean that the equipment isn't hooked up, and no data is available?

 

[knowbetter]

If you're saying that the equipment has been installed and the data available, then why isn't WCRS and/or WCRX listed in the ratings chart on this website? Dozens of stations are, but we're not one of them. Can't that only mean that the equipment isn't hooked up, and no data is available?

Last thing that I know, was that it was installed and hooked up. I didn't do it, but since I was one of the original contacts, I was notified of a satisfactory test. After that, I don't know, but since it is at the transmitter site, I doubt that it would have been removed, or modified...but stranger things have happened.

No data simply means that nobody was detected, or the stations may not have filled out the proper survey forms...my first guess is that the survey forms were not filled out

 

[Dave Sarnoff]

So Jake, just curious. How many did your event outdraw WVKO's by?

I don't know, how many attended the WVKO thing? I didn't have $25 to go

I attended both, and I'd say you came up several hundred short. Still, it was a nice little event. I especially liked the band with the chick who kept stripping between songs. Cute gimmick.

 

[jakej]

Nuts, Dave, I was assisting with raffle ticket sales at the door -- I wish we could have formally met! I think what might've hurt our turnout a little was the $5 cover, since last month's benefit at Carabar was free (the large portion of our profit that night was derived through a percentage that we received of alcohol sales revenue). By the way, that girl was the little sister of Lydia Loveless, who was also in attendance but not stripping.

 

[techie2]

Speaking of the LPFM's in Columbus.. Interesting to see them not show up in the "PPMs" if that many people are actually listening... I read an piece recently in one of the trades about LPFMs having decent success in grabbing listenership... WCRS/WCRX doesn't seem to be riding the same boat..and if they are.. It's a very small one.

I am guessing 102.1/98.3 has about the same listenership as 1580 WVKO has...

Apparently the folks at WCRS still think "Local community radio" is "Pacifica programming" .. Last I checked it's not any less syndicated than WODC airing a Premium choice log.

That piece probably came out on the heels of the FCC LPFM report. The report included some ratings data for LPFMs that were in rated market areas. WSWO-LP over in Huber Heights (Dayton) showed up in that report as getting a small share in whatever book data the FCC used. Of course, oldies and high school sports are probably of more general interest than Pacifica style programming.

Realistically, it would be a rare case that an LPFM would top maybe a 0.5 or so, between signal limitations (one won't draw much in the ratings when you can't cover even one entire county of a multi-county survey area) and lack of promotional budget.