WGKA

[X-14]

I know 920 WGKA is billing itself as Atlanta's new talk station and I'll have to admit I'm enjoying it as an alternative. Granted it's extremely right wing (but so am I and thus the comfort zone), but I'm enjoying hearing some alternatives to Boortz, Hannity, Rush, Kimmer, et al. I'd never heard of Michael Medved before but am finding myself listening to him with regularity.
Will it ever really compete with WSB or GST? I can't imagine that it would be able to, but at least I have a new preset on my dial. And they don't seem to be running NEARLY as many commercials as WSB.

Anyone else given it a listen?

 

[lilburncommunityradio]

I have listened to WGKA and love it. I miss the Dave Ramsey show but for the most part its a pretty good station. I like Bennett mornings, Laura Ingram is Ok, but Medved is cool because he does not put up with any of the left leaning crap. He believes in our nation as a whole, and thats really neat to hear after listening to
some of the AL (IDIOT) Franken show.. What a Joke that is! I know that he's on
1690. I am just glad that Air America hasnt resurfaced, nor do I think it will. It is
really a horrid format to deal with. WGKA rocks, as far as competing with WSB
dont think so, but a nice change I agree.

 

[amlover]

Salem has 16 million invested in 920 WGKA and the station has NO ratings. Did not even show up in the latest Arbitron and never will most likely with the awful programing on it. No listeners means no sales=no commercials.

 

[WhatDoIKnow]

I'd never heard of Michael Medved before but am finding myself listening to him with regularity.

Anyone else given it a listen?

Michael Medved used to be carried on GST on weekends a few years back (Sunday afternoons?). I think they missed the boat by not keeping him on.


I am starting to tune in to WGKA more regularly but find I do so when my preferred programming becomes boring.

I miss the Dave Ramsey show . . .

I find Dave Ramsey to be very lacking. One of the reasons his show exists is that folks in this country have no common sense training in practical personal finance and how to make money work for you. Thus, his typical caller is calling to seek solutions to overwhelming personal debt. I find it depressing to listen to folks spill their hearts out about how they dug their financial graves. As for those folks that rejoice that they are finally debt free, I salute them. However, they still have not learned how to make money work for them. Debt is not a dirty word . . . As long as it is working for you and not working you!

Over the past year I have found myself frequently listening to Clark Howard as he starts his program with his informational consumer topics. I think this is one of the things that differentiate Clark from Dave as Clark has far more helpful consumer tid-bits than Dave does.

 

[CONSultant]

I realized the other day - to my surprise - I actually listen to WGKA more than any other am station now. Get annoyed with Boortz so I listen to Laura Ingraham and she makes me laugh out loud. Still listen to Clark and I don't see that changing. Hannity has always been a snooze fest for me so I flip between Medved and Kimmer. I've recently started listening to 1160 in the afternoon for stock info if Medved is on a topic I don't care about and the Braves are on. I wish they'd move John Adams to later in the day on Saturdays. I've always enjoyed his show but I find I'm remembering to tune in after he's off!

 

[livingfruitvirus]

It sounds like GKA's sound quality is a little better than WSB's. There's more treble. Does WSB have an HD feed that might be consuming bandwidth?

 

[jal41]

Re: WSB HD

It sounds like GKA's sound quality is a little better than WSB's. There's more treble. Does WSB have an HD feed that might be consuming bandwidth?

WSB shut off their HD a while back due to several problems. WSB-AM is in HD on WSRV (97.1 The River) HD2.

 

[monkeymanmoi]

Just like with music, I listen to what I like station-be-damned. WGKA is fine. Medved has struck on something I wish other shows would do and that's throw things open to debate. Limbaughs one man lectures are a complete snooze fest compared to Medved. I love hearing people argue their point back and forth.

 

[jerrydcore]

.
Will it ever really compete with WSB or GST?

Absolutely. Six more months with me and Bloomquist in charge and GKA will tie GST at a .4 (Tom Hughes current number).

Hell, they're already oubilling us. Where else can you buy 30 seconds on Limbaugh for less than a tank of gas?

 

[X-14]

Just like with music, I listen to what I like station-be-damned. WGKA is fine. Medved has struck on something I wish other shows would do and that's throw things open to debate. Limbaughs one man lectures are a complete snooze fest compared to Medved. I love hearing people argue their point back and forth.

You know, I think you hit on something I hadn't realized. That's why - even as a conservative - I'm so BORED with Rush, Boortz and Hannity. It's endless diatribes and filibusters. While Medved is as far right as the rest of them, he DOES open up a discourse. Good point. I'm finding myself listening to him more and more. And I guess as humans we all simply crave change... something DIFFERENT.

 

[BDBopper]

You know, I think you hit on something I hadn't realized. That's why - even as a conservative - I'm so BORED with Rush, Boortz and Hannity. It's endless diatribes and filibusters. While Medved is as far right as the rest of them, he DOES open up a discourse. Good point. I'm finding myself listening to him more and more. And I guess as humans we all simply crave change... something DIFFERENT.

While Rush and Hannity are similar. I think comparing the three is like comparing Apples, oranges, and pears. Boortz won't tolerate people that are way off. Hannity takes special care to let them come on and debate him like a ringmaster in a circus (if you get my analogy....after they are off or while the "liberal" is ranting Hannity will point a finger at him like in a freakshow). Boortz and Rush will diatribe but they don't agree with eahc other but a little more than half the time. Rush and Hannity to e the GOP line. Boortz is an Independent. Rush talks about sports often (especially during football season) while Boortz digs up the odd and obscure news stories for a little fun and Hannity doesn't stray from politics very much at all, except around Christmas time when he gets a visit from Santa Claus (of course there is the Dr. Hannity segemts he does sometimes).

Clark Howard and Dave Ramsey are also two differnet animals. Clark does consumer advice, Dave Ramsey focuses on getting people out of debt and only that.

As far as WGKA and WGST I can't listen to either. I'm at Collins Hill and 316 and neither station comes in well at all. Way too much static.

 

[ajhenderson]

"No listeners means no sales=no commercials."

WGKA does not need commercials. It costs all but zero to operate, since WNIV/WAFS/The Fish/the other Christian crapola station pay the rent, utilities, staff costs, etc., and 920 sits in a broom closet with a computer and a switcher. The brokered stuff they run on the weekends makes it worth enough their while for the little effort they put in.

 

[Surfer]

KJCB, do you WORK for GKA? How do you know what they make? Are you aware that over 30% of all radio stations in the COUNTRY make enough to survive and are not even LISTED in the allmighty Arbitron?

Before you tackle a subject like WGKA, make sure you know exactly what you are talking about. Now maybe...just maybe, the Fish helps them pay a few bills but with all the spots that I've heard on their station, they've got to be doing something right.

Plus, they've started billing themselves as the number one talk station on the 920 AM frequency. That's creative marketing! Guys will most likely catch it and laugh. I know from personal experience that the folks at both WGST and WSB are very concerned about the impact WGKA is making in the Atlanta market. It is just a matter of time before the numbers catch up. Sometimes it DOES take 5+ years to get the listeners on the books. Give them time and they may just become something really good....and very profitable! ;D

 

[DashRiprock]

I like GKA. They have a good signal and decent programming.

 

[RoddyFreeman]

WGKA does not need commercials. It costs all but zero to operate, since WNIV/WAFS/The Fish/the other Christian crapola station pay the rent, utilities, staff costs, etc., and 920 sits in a broom closet with a computer and a switcher. The brokered stuff they run on the weekends makes it worth enough their while for the little effort they put in.

WGKA is not really there to sell commercials in Atlanta. Its purpose is to give Salem an affiliate in Atlanta when Salem sells advertising on its network shows.

 

[amlover]

You can't say that a station is not on the air to sell commercials and be completly honest. Of course they are on the air to sell spots. Why pay 16 Million plus and then spend another bundle and a signal up-grade just to have a presence in Atlanta. If they just wanted a presence they would have never spent that kind of money. They already have 970,1400 AND 1190 am sticks in town. 920 AM actually has a very nice studio,along with the Fish. 970 and 1400 AM are in a broom closet. 1190 is LMA out and they have their own studio. I don't think WGKA will ever recoup it's money or turn a profit anytime soon.

 

[jerrydcore]

Why pay 16 Million plus and then spend another bundle and a signal up-grade just to have a presence in Atlanta. If they just wanted a presence they would have never spent that kind of money.

For that matter, why spend 14 million year for rights to broadcast baseball when you can't even get back half?

 

[ajhenderson]

Mr. Freeman is right, SRN is the main motivating factor for buying stations for N/T, since they know nobody but themselves would have any interest clearing their programs.

(Yes, yes, I know, a few exceptions, but 250-watt KVOI/Tucson and one or two others don't count...)

KJCB, do you WORK for GKA? How do you know what they make? Are you aware that over 30% of all radio stations in the COUNTRY make enough to survive and are not even LISTED in the allmighty Arbitron?

I don't know what they make, but anybody who follows Salem stock (you know, it's publicly traded) and understands their business model, let alone would ever listen to 'GKA, knows what they're doing. Even with plenty of one-lunged talk stations in Atlanta, Salem programs can't clear. Atlanta is a top 10 market and Salem's intent is to clear SRN in the top 25 markets, of which they are very close to doing.

I am also aware that bucketloads of stations in this country are losing money or breaking even every year. Also, I have been a supporter (and here's where everyone turns against me) of stations in major and large markets using brokered programming when they can't compete, so if that's what you mean by unrated money-making stations, I wholeheartedly agree. Fact is, Atlanta needs another synditalker like it needs a nuclear bomb dropped on it, and if I were running it without having to run SRN talk, I would be brokering out weekday and weekend hours and put WGUN out of business.

Please know that WGKA might make a 1 share, but that will be it. Their signal, considering the large area to cover, is not as good as other Salem N/Ters that get similar ratings or worse. It took KKNT here in Phoenix some time to get the barely-over-1 share it now maintains, which is helped by having Laura Ingraham in AMD rather than Bill Bennett, as well as a well-known PMD team rather than Hugh Hewitt. WSB and even WGST are not scared of anyone (well, maybe WGST of themselves). Please find a Salem talk station pulling any better than a 1.2 or a 1.3... there was only one, KTKZ/Sacramento, which will lose share now that their local programming is going away.

 

[Surfer]

WGKA is, first and foremost, Salem's "mouthpiece" regarding the current events of the day. That is, they use the News/Talk to promote right-wing, Republican, conservative values. Making money is not the primary focus of the format. I know because I used to work nationally with the format and they made that EXCEPTIONALLY clear! Sure, getting ratings and selling spots is primary to the survival of many radio stations. Salem, however, wants to get out the "message" more than bring in the "money". At least, that was how it was made clear to me.

As far as using brokered programs...welcome to radio in the age of corporate ownership! It's normal and what's happened in the past (live, local, talented, and GOOD) is gone. It will not return because the suits in corporate environments don't want it. They want the most money at the lowest price and brokered programming fills the bill. If you want to hear compelling talk radio, buy a station and find (if you can) decent people to ENTERTAIN your audience. Entertaining is the key word here. News/Talk will best survive if it gets off the AM dial and that will happen. In fact, AM will eventually go away because the quality of the sound is so poor now compared with all the options that confront consumers today.

Radio, as a respectable, money-making business that entertains is dead. It's really time we all faced it and got real jobs. I did and I'm very happy about it. If you really want to change the way radio does business, you'll have to start be getting corporate ownership OUT of broadcasting. Until that happens, you'll never make any changes, no matter how lofty your ideas are.

WGKA is good enough to get by in the Atlanta market. It's no different than WSB, WGST or any other talk radio outlet in the country. If a board operator runs the program, it's going to make money...for somebody.

 

[radioville]

"Please find a Salem talk station pulling any better than a 1.2 or a 1.3... there was only one, KTKZ/Sacramento, which will lose share now that their local programming is going away."

Here in Louisville, the Salem News/talk station has a 1.9 I believe, tied for number 14 in the market!!!