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WGAR no longer in Cleveland?

1

1sttimecaller

What city did WGAR move to?

Looking at the skyline photo for the mega ticket promotion online at www.wgar.com it appears WGAR is no longer in Cleveland, but has moved to another metropolitan location.

Am I nuts or is that not the Cleveland Skyline?
 
Well, they tried to use a photo of Cleveland but no matter which way they pointed the camera they couldn't find a building that didn't have a "FOR SALE" sign or banner hanging from it. Plus the few 40 watt bulbs they had burning in some of the building windows didn't look too appealing.
 
You'd THINK they wouldn't use a generic city skyline... because that obviously ISN'T Cleveland at ALL. Then again, who knows? The IT content manager likely isn't based in Cleveland anyway, so he/she probably wouldn't give a damn.

-Myron aka nate81-
 
Nate, are you implying that it may be the San Antonio skyline ???
 
John Baylor said:
They pulled the graphic today.
Click to expand...
Pssh. Like I could make a difference coming from this board...

But honestly, who in the world thought they could take a generic city skyline and put it on a website for a major-market country station, based in CLEVELAND? I do work for a college radio station's website, and I wouldn't think of putting a random picture of a generic campus on there! It doesn't fit the intent of the site... you have to promote your IDENTITY there. And the sad thing is, WGAR has an identity that dates back to 1982 with the format, and ultimately all the way back to 1930. A tragedy that CC seeks to scrap it with inattentiveness to their product, but should we expect less?

And if it was Pittsburgh, that's even worse. It may be a nice skyline, yeah. But... it ISN'T Cleveland! I wouldn't be shocked if that was the case, tho.

-Myron aka nate81-
 
OK Conrad! I remember you! Remember when you held the contest in 1965, asking what the acronym for the new "WKYC" was ? HUMMMM. The contest was held on "WCLV Saturday Night". Do you remember what the winning entry was ??

Western Kalamazoo Yacht Club. How's that for memory, after 43 years!

By the way, how the hell are you?
 
Now that you mention it, I do remember the WKYC contest. How about the WCLV inspired youths who collected WHK antenna toppers from Big Boy and brought them to WCLV? I am just fine, writing this from our place in Florida, to where I fly every two weeks, keeping Continental Air Lines in business. I've no intention of retiring. They will carry me feet first out of the announce booth at Severance Hall, the microphone clutched in my cold dead hand!

Robert Conrad
President WCLV
 
If you were only at WGAR when the sale to Jacor/CC was announced and during the subsequent months. For staffers, it was a huge bummer. Not just getting sold, it was more than that. They knew what was coming - lots of Borg jokes flew around - and it all came to pass. Within a few months WGAR went from the very nice studios on Rockside to the Radio Farm on Oak Tree. Utilitarian and bland, each station side-by-side with identical rooms and gear. All identity was erased and the uniqueness quickly done away with.

The heritage WGAR in blue and yellow was scrapped for the generic "interstate sign" logo that CC was using for all its country stations. All on-air slogans were 86'ed for "Buckeye Country". That caused a ruckus. Lots of phone calls and emails. During one focus group the reaction to "Buckeye Country" was so vehement that CC actually dropped it, one of the few times CC ever went back on a decision. All the honchos had to do was simply ask any WGAR staffer and they would have found out NE Ohio has never considered itself "Buckeye" anything - that's Columbus territory, despite being a state nickname.

WGAR was a wonderous place that became a job. Maybe the folks there would disagree today but I'll bet those who remember would nod their heads and sigh ...
 
Oooops - the previous post was really connected to the case of the missing skyline. Just like the slogans and logos given WGAR, I'm sure someone just pulled a skyline out of a clip art collection and said - "That's good enough. They'll never notice."
 
chaajoad said:
WGAR was a wonderous place that became a job. Maybe the folks there would disagree today but I'll bet those who remember would nod their heads and sigh ...
Click to expand...

Only problem is besides the morning show gang and Chuck Collier, who's there? But you are correct Danny. WGAR is just another cookie cutter station, as are the rest of the Clear Channel MUSIC stations.

My wife and I used to listen to Bill Frederick and Memory lane on Sunday evening and would even phone in a request every once in awhile. Now at that time most of radio is automated. Sad.
 
74WIXYGrad said:
chaajoad said:
WGAR was a wonderous place that became a job. Maybe the folks there would disagree today but I'll bet those who remember would nod their heads and sigh ...
Click to expand...

Only problem is besides the morning show gang and Chuck Collier, who's there? But you are correct Danny. WGAR is just another cookie cutter station, as are the rest of the Clear Channel MUSIC stations.

My wife and I used to listen to Bill Frederick and Memory lane on Sunday evening and would even phone in a request every once in awhile. Now at that time most of radio is automated. Sad.
Click to expand...

WGAR and WMJI both suffered the same fate. Don't forget that with Chuck Collier VT'ing middays on Majic, that leaves only Mantel as the sole original personality left on WGAR. Nothing else.

Kat Jackson doesn't count, as she's heard on WGAR, WMJI and WMVX, which only increases the irratation factor for me when I listen to her. It's as if she doesn't even TRY...

-nate81 aka Myron-
 
rconrad said:
Now that you mention it, I do remember the WKYC contest. How about the WCLV inspired youths who collected WHK antenna toppers from Big Boy and brought them to WCLV? I am just fine, writing this from our place in Florida, to where I fly every two weeks, keeping Continental Air Lines in business. I've no intention of retiring. They will carry me feet first out of the announce booth at Severance Hall, the microphone clutched in my cold dead hand!

Robert Conrad
President WCLV
Click to expand...

Mr. Conrad:
It is an honor to hear from you. My Blog, devoted to Nostalgic radio and television in the Cleveland area ran a series of articles last summer on the 1965 Westinghouse/NBC swap..among the articles is a comment on the KYW-Cleveland legacy by Bill Barrett of the Cleveland Press..You and WCLV are mentioned prominently in the Press article..

A quick question:
Would it be possible that the "Goodbye Westinghouse, Hello NBC" Party broadcast Saturday June 19, 1965 on WCLV might have been saved? That would be an awesome Historical find..

Westinghouse-Cleveland Legacy-Bill Barrett


http://clevelandclassicmedia.blogspot.com/2007/08/westinghouse-cleveland-legacy-bill.html

Homepage for Cleveland Classic Media:
http://clevelandclassicmedia.blogspot.com/
 
Nathan:
My goodness, you have a great memory...even the date of the "Goodbye Westinghouse, Hello NBC" party on WCLV Saturday Night. I had forgotten all about that. No, we don't have a recording, but I probably have the music sheet. I will have to take a look in the archives when I get into the office. I do have the KYW "We love Cleveland (or something of the sort)" 45 rpm disc that Westinghouse produced, which was a centerpiece of the program.

I look forward to reading your blog. Sorry that Bill Barrett is no longer around. Radio received deserved coverage during his tour of duty. Today, except for an occasional ratings story, PD coverage of radio is rare.
 
rconrad said:
Sorry that Bill Barrett is no longer around. Radio received deserved coverage during his tour of duty. Today, except for an occasional ratings story, PD coverage of radio is rare.
Click to expand...

In my opinion, the last decent coverage radio got in the mainstream print media was by Bob Dyer from the Akron Beacon Journal.
 
I think Bob was still a teenager when he last wrote about radio for the Beacon Journal. {I would have used the paper's initials, but then this post would probably have been edited or deleted} ;D
 
I worked at the Fretter store at Rolling Acres and sold Dyer 2 13 inch TVs. This was in 1992, right after his radio column starting covering television as well. He told me that there wasn't enough news in radio to do a radio column full time.

And think about it. If it weren't for Trivisonno, how much radio would Roger Brown been able to report for the PD?
 
Salem Comm. used to do conservative talk on WTTT 1150 Boston (now Spanish lang. religion). Their
site showed a skyline but it clearly wasn't Boston. Where was it? Baltimore! ("Good Morning Baltimore!",
like they say in the musical Hairspray) After this was pointed out someone at Salem Comm. took the pic down.
 
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