I'm one of those who's been deeply disappointed by the loss of Tom Hughes on WGST and the other idiot changes made at the station. WSB AM has been a barely tolerable substitute as far as I was concerned but that's where I went. I knew WGKA existed but was unable to get its signal the couple of times I tried, always in the evening. But then, I flipped over to 920 after 6:00 AM. Good signal, and there's Bill Bennett...then, at 9, there's Laura Ingraham. Both are smart, funny, unpretentious, topical, interesting, and I'm a happy camper again. For anyone still seeking an alternative to the boring repetition of nice guy Scott Slade and the even worse repetition of the guy that follows him, you'll want to give it a try. And, Thank You, WGKA, for bringing quality programing to us.
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WGKA 920 AM
- Thread starter NewsTalkJunkie
- Start date
Glad to see that Salem's upper management is now posting on the board.
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War Of Attrition
Guest
NewsTalkJunkie said:
Dude, I like Bennett and Ingraham as much as the next guy, but at least try to disguise your identity. You sound like a huge corporate shill.
War Of Attrition said:
Lighten up, guys - I'm a listener, nothing more, nothing less...I'm not in the industry (work for an insurance company).
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Delta767
Guest
Regardless of who said it, it's nice to see GKA get some kudos for a change on this board...which they do deserve. Best line-up of talk-shows, period. I'm not from Atlanta originally, so I guess I don't get the love affair with WSB and certainly not WGST. I can't listen to that morning mess on 640 or anything else really except for the Braves. After working in N/T radio in bigger markets, WSB is ok, but isn't anything to write home about, IMHO. Seems to me that WGKA could be a serious player in this market if they'd spend a few bucks on marketing to let folks know that they exist. I found them by accident.
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BingCrackle
Guest
Who are you trying to fool? WGKA is the laziest station in the city. Their hosts are just what their ratings reflect. Nobody, except a few GKA promoters on this board, pay any attention to them at all.
Actually, I listen to that station as much as any in the city. Certainly more than WGST which used to be one of my favorite stations until just very recently. Medved and Prager are two of my favorite talk shows. And I'm just a radio listener... not involved business-wise.BingCrackle said:
I think WGKA has some excellent shows. Hugh Hewitt's show is one I enjoy; he's an excellent debater. But face it, WGKA is there for one reason, to give Salem an Atlanta affiliate when it sells its network nationally. Any local revenue is a bonus. And WGKA has the same problem competing against WSB that WGST has; WGKA is an almost-daytime station, with a very good daytime signal but a very poor night signal (although it has a better-located night signal than WGST). Does WGKA have a real PD? I would think an operations manager who makes sure everything is running smoothly would make more sense.
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Delta767
Guest
RoddyFreeman said:
The same could certainly be said for WSB & WGST... You think Pete Spriggs or Randy Bloomquist have any real control over their programming decisions? Not hardly. Pete's only job at SB is "not to screw anything up."
copied from bingcrackle:
Who are you trying to fool? WGKA is the laziest station in the city. Their hosts are just what their ratings reflect. Nobody, except a few GKA promoters on this board, pay any attention to them at all.
You sound like a bitter [EDIT]. If you were in charge of a station you would be number 1. Not Really! You'd still be a loser. Why are your post always negative . may be you should try I'Mangry.com.
My biggest complaint with WGKA is the lack of Marketing, but other than that I thoroughly enjoy the quality of programming.
[EDIT-inflammatory & vulgarity]
Who are you trying to fool? WGKA is the laziest station in the city. Their hosts are just what their ratings reflect. Nobody, except a few GKA promoters on this board, pay any attention to them at all.
You sound like a bitter [EDIT]. If you were in charge of a station you would be number 1. Not Really! You'd still be a loser. Why are your post always negative . may be you should try I'Mangry.com.
My biggest complaint with WGKA is the lack of Marketing, but other than that I thoroughly enjoy the quality of programming.
[EDIT-inflammatory & vulgarity]
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evnlee
Guest
please correct me if I'm wrong, but, isn't WGKA similar to WFOM 1230/1340 in that they carry mostly syndicated stuff off the bird?
I'll admit I like some of thier programming ( Ingraham ), but let's be real: the reason GST was a competetor for WSB in the past ( the glory days of the mid to late 90's ) was thier local presence. Sure, they had Limbaugh, but they also had a team of local hosts to fill in some time.
So here's a query: if you were OD of one of these 'turnkey sat ' affiliates, and required to carry the cheap, syndicated fare....how would you use what you have to try to create some sort of 'local' presence?
I've often thought that these kind of stations could use interns and aspiring underlings to 'punch in ' some local traffic, news, instead of tossing it off to the regular news providers. I mean, these guys can read the 'net and get what the talking heads are yappin about. I never hear anything at the top of the hour I didn't already read online, no matter what station I'm listening to. I'd listen for the 'novelty' ( or trainwreck ) alone.
How about having a brief 'recap', or inviting callers to call the station and leave comments instead of calling the syndicated shows directly? Then you could play those comments in a segment during the day, kind of a 'we listen to you at WGKA~ and let YOU have your say' promotion.
Just running syndicated stuff with no local presence will never compete with WSB.
JMHO.
I'll admit I like some of thier programming ( Ingraham ), but let's be real: the reason GST was a competetor for WSB in the past ( the glory days of the mid to late 90's ) was thier local presence. Sure, they had Limbaugh, but they also had a team of local hosts to fill in some time.
So here's a query: if you were OD of one of these 'turnkey sat ' affiliates, and required to carry the cheap, syndicated fare....how would you use what you have to try to create some sort of 'local' presence?
I've often thought that these kind of stations could use interns and aspiring underlings to 'punch in ' some local traffic, news, instead of tossing it off to the regular news providers. I mean, these guys can read the 'net and get what the talking heads are yappin about. I never hear anything at the top of the hour I didn't already read online, no matter what station I'm listening to. I'd listen for the 'novelty' ( or trainwreck ) alone.
How about having a brief 'recap', or inviting callers to call the station and leave comments instead of calling the syndicated shows directly? Then you could play those comments in a segment during the day, kind of a 'we listen to you at WGKA~ and let YOU have your say' promotion.
Just running syndicated stuff with no local presence will never compete with WSB.
JMHO.
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Dixie Jock
Guest
WSB has the only "clear channel" signal around here. It's 50kw 24/7. GKA, GST, FOM,whomever don't really stand a chance to compete and win.
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BingCrackle
Guest
Here is a novel idea, maybe WGKA and WGST should try putting up some talent. That might be worth a try. WSB is old and stale. Atlanta is starving for some fresh meat. People listen to WSB because there is nothing else to choose from except syndicated boredom. There are numerous x-jocks and talkers to pic from still living in Atlanta that the listeners would check out. With good prep they could maintain an audience quadrupling what they currently have.
All the talk about syndicated programming and the waste that it is begs the question..What about WSB? Outside of morning drive and their night show, WSB is all syndicated. Just because Boortz and Howdy Doody originate in Atlanta, they are still syndicated. So in reality, their true local presence is only slightly more than WGST.
WGKA's "programming" is all syndicated; however, they do have local and national news, a bit of a sports report, traffic, and weather (from The Weather Channel), and the news is delivered in summaries, it seems twice an hour, and then they deliver "the rest of the story" (no, not actually Paul Harvey) at the top of the hour. I can't say I'm getting a full, satisfying dose of news, but there isn't a superior althernative, and I can easily check everything else on the internet when I get to the office. Give Bill Bennett and Laura Ingraham a try, and all the rest, too...sure beats the church of the painful truth... 
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Delta767
Guest
ricksegers said:
Excellent point, which for some reason people don't seem to remember.
Oh, and that "great" local talk everyone seems to think is the magic formula .... you mean like Krok and the X-Schaffer? Uhhhh.... no.
I would much rather listen to a talented, polished, well-produced Syndicated Talk host any day of the week. Good talk is good talk, regardless of where it orignates from.
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al_atl
Guest
I don't know who Art Riley is, probably on at a time I don't listen. But in the afternoons I hear Chris Monroe doing local news. The last I heard, he is in Atlanta. They also do traffic hits a few times an hour; when I listen it's usually Heidi Rew, who you'll also hear on 104.7. And as mentioned before, weather from The Weather Channel. It's not a bad sounding station...though sometimes their automation and/or board op loses it. I've heard some local breaks that were train wrecks.
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