G
GeorgeKramer
Guest
So let's take a serious look at what needs to be done at 1230 AM if Brad Riter is going to win this personal battle with the suits at Entercom Buffalo and actually pull some advertisers and a few points in the Arbitron ratings from 550 AM and 930 AM.
My thoughts begin with the weekday lineup of WECK. This may not be pretty, but I think it is honest:
- The morning show has to be blown up. Tom and Lorraine are just not cutting it. This has NOTHING to do with Tom's professional work as a seasoned on-air talent and bright guy behind the scenes. In fact, that's the problem - Tom is a true pro while Lorraine is unpolished, crass and generally boring and bland. She tries to be cute and funny but it just doesn't work. You can tell just be listening that Tom is uncomfortable with her references to sex, gay issues and other off-the-cuff comments that seem to totally come out of left field. Corey Griswold is obviously helping out with pushing the buttons but his yelling strange quips at odd times probably also has Tom squirming in his seat. Poor Tom, he deserves better and probably thought he was going to get better when WECK first re-launched with Schuh as the PD and Harv Moore as his morning show co-host. It just is not a very good show. Tom tries but it's just not working. The show is awkward, clunky and not MUST HEAR radio. I listen but if I don't hear it I'm not finding myself to be disappointed. That HAS to change.
- Bill O'Loughlin sells his own ads and probably does a lot when it comes to the bottom line but he is NOT the answer weekday mornings. His philosophy of not having guets is lame and the same three to four people seem to call anytime I listen. Again, not MUST HEAR radio as often it is just Bill talking to himself for extended periods of time. He can fill some role on the station but not as the main talker right after the morning show and as Bauerle's main competition.
- Brad's show is the best thing going on the station but it is missing something since Schuh left. The guests Brad brings on at various points during the week are good but his insistence to NOT talk phone callers is conterproductive in that the people tuning out Sandy Beach on WBEN and Schopp and Bulldog on WGR want to talk to someone who doesn't dominate the conversation and that is not happening on WECK since Brad makes potential callers feel like they are a pain in his rear end. Brad has talent but he needs to be constantly monitored and motivated to get the best out of him, which is going to be be hard to do now that HE is the boss!
- Nick Mendola is definitely a work in progress. Sounds like a great guy but simply not able to handle a daily three-hour show. He should either be a co-host on a morning show or a sidekick on a sports show. His program some evenings is simply brutal. It's painful to listen to him ramble on and on as he gets very few callers. And for a guy who sounds like someone who was NOT impressed with Schopp's on-air antics and attitude towards co-workers at GR when Mike wasn't on the air, Nick talks about his son entirely too much. Like Nick, I'm a proud paap but Schopp does the same thing and gets constantly ragged on for it. Come on Nick, if you don't like Mike, stop acting like him and be an ALTERNATIVE
As a former sales guy in this market and two other smaller markets, I would HATE to sell for WECK. What can you sell with this daily lineup and very weak numbers in the Arbitron ratings? Add in the weak signal and the fact that an unproven guy is the program director, I'd be tossing and turning every night knowing I was probably not going to hit my quota.
Just a few thoughts from a sports fan in his 50s who loves local radio and is no longer working in the industry but still cares about it. I really WANT WECK to succeed but I have my doubts, especially now that Schuh is NOT in the picture.
My thoughts begin with the weekday lineup of WECK. This may not be pretty, but I think it is honest:
- The morning show has to be blown up. Tom and Lorraine are just not cutting it. This has NOTHING to do with Tom's professional work as a seasoned on-air talent and bright guy behind the scenes. In fact, that's the problem - Tom is a true pro while Lorraine is unpolished, crass and generally boring and bland. She tries to be cute and funny but it just doesn't work. You can tell just be listening that Tom is uncomfortable with her references to sex, gay issues and other off-the-cuff comments that seem to totally come out of left field. Corey Griswold is obviously helping out with pushing the buttons but his yelling strange quips at odd times probably also has Tom squirming in his seat. Poor Tom, he deserves better and probably thought he was going to get better when WECK first re-launched with Schuh as the PD and Harv Moore as his morning show co-host. It just is not a very good show. Tom tries but it's just not working. The show is awkward, clunky and not MUST HEAR radio. I listen but if I don't hear it I'm not finding myself to be disappointed. That HAS to change.
- Bill O'Loughlin sells his own ads and probably does a lot when it comes to the bottom line but he is NOT the answer weekday mornings. His philosophy of not having guets is lame and the same three to four people seem to call anytime I listen. Again, not MUST HEAR radio as often it is just Bill talking to himself for extended periods of time. He can fill some role on the station but not as the main talker right after the morning show and as Bauerle's main competition.
- Brad's show is the best thing going on the station but it is missing something since Schuh left. The guests Brad brings on at various points during the week are good but his insistence to NOT talk phone callers is conterproductive in that the people tuning out Sandy Beach on WBEN and Schopp and Bulldog on WGR want to talk to someone who doesn't dominate the conversation and that is not happening on WECK since Brad makes potential callers feel like they are a pain in his rear end. Brad has talent but he needs to be constantly monitored and motivated to get the best out of him, which is going to be be hard to do now that HE is the boss!
- Nick Mendola is definitely a work in progress. Sounds like a great guy but simply not able to handle a daily three-hour show. He should either be a co-host on a morning show or a sidekick on a sports show. His program some evenings is simply brutal. It's painful to listen to him ramble on and on as he gets very few callers. And for a guy who sounds like someone who was NOT impressed with Schopp's on-air antics and attitude towards co-workers at GR when Mike wasn't on the air, Nick talks about his son entirely too much. Like Nick, I'm a proud paap but Schopp does the same thing and gets constantly ragged on for it. Come on Nick, if you don't like Mike, stop acting like him and be an ALTERNATIVE
As a former sales guy in this market and two other smaller markets, I would HATE to sell for WECK. What can you sell with this daily lineup and very weak numbers in the Arbitron ratings? Add in the weak signal and the fact that an unproven guy is the program director, I'd be tossing and turning every night knowing I was probably not going to hit my quota.
Just a few thoughts from a sports fan in his 50s who loves local radio and is no longer working in the industry but still cares about it. I really WANT WECK to succeed but I have my doubts, especially now that Schuh is NOT in the picture.