WGST: kick us when we're up, too

[Windreader]

Worth mentioning a couple of the just announced 2006 GAPBA Radio Winners, Class A...

BEST NEWSCAST: Winner, 750 WSB "Atlanta's Morning News", Scott Slade and Staff

BEST ANCHOR/REPORTER: Winner, 750 WSB Sandra Parrish
Honorable Mention, WGST David Hull

Congratulations to Sandra, an outstanding talent who richly deserves the recognition for her hard work and attention to detail, and to Scott and Chris Camp and all the guys at WSB. It's one thing to get to the top; it's quite another to stay there day after day, year after year.

It's also useful to note the honorable mention as an indication that the AP judges recognize that WSB's model is not the only one for news. WGST is morphing into something we hope is more entertaining and less angry... willing to innovate and take a few risks. Randy and Spiff are trying to prove that they can be "good times" without the "great oldies" (although we try to sneak in a few tunes whenever we can).

There has been a great deal of hateful commentary directed at the station over the past several months. I'm not saying that some criticism wasn't deserved, but the place isn't entirely brain dead. It may not be the same old WGST you've been accustomed to, but there are quite a few of us who are doing our best to make sure the transition is worth listening to. Feel free to disagree... just try to keep it constructive.

 

[louisNatl]

I know that I am going to get flammed for saying this but I actually like the new WGST. I never really got into Tom or the Kimmer, and I couldn't stand Schaffer. It seemed that there were too many inside jokes on the Kimmer show. I find McConnell and Dave Ramsey to be far more informative and educational. The only bad decision that I saw with these changes was when WGST was broadcasting the Wall Street Journal repeatedly for four hours. That was quickly changed with the addition of Randy & Spiff.

I am sorry for those people that miss the Kimmer but these changes seem to be good decisions. GST did not just throw something on there. Of course, we'll have more evidence when the ratings are released, but Ramsey seems to be receiving a good response from Atlanta.

 

[STF]

I wouldn't listen to WGST in the afternoon for more than a segment when the Kimmer was on. Now that Dave Ramsey is on I listen for my 45 minute commute and longer if I'm in the car. I don't listen to anything else on that station though, but that's the way it was before as well.

 

[OgOgglby]

You've got to give credit to CC for at least trying to do a morning show. Randy and Spiff work hard, and I hope they succeed. And they keep a very tidy control room.

Dave Ramsey is talented, but I don't understand why anyone is interested in listening to fools who can't balance a checkbook. I can talk to any teenager and hear that.

 

[al_atl]

Feel free to disagree... just try to keep it constructive.

Have your engineer fix the audio! For years now, the audio has had quality about equal to your average phone line. It really does sound like listening to the radio through a telephone. If you'd fix that I would at the very least listen to Rush. But as it is now, it's just too annoying to listen to for more than about 10 minutes.

 

[monkeymanmoi]

I find McConnell and Dave Ramsey to be far more informative and educational.

While I would still prefer something local, I think McConnell is quite good.

Off topic, but what happened with Denny on 790 on Saturday mornings? Only heard him a couple of times.

 

[DashRiprock]

I avoid all CC stations these days as a matter of principle. As a long time GST/96 listener I was disappointed with the way they canned their long time employees and trashed the legacy stations they own. I can’t support a company that does business that way.

 

[Chesterco]

You get to "kick" us, too

I know of a few people who applied for the Randy and Spiff Show producer spot, all of whom were very qualified. No one has heard even a "thanks but no thanks" from Mr. Bloomquist. This is just bad form, in my opinion.

 

[Windreader]

Re: You get to "kick" us, too

I know of a few people who applied for the Randy and Spiff Show producer spot, all of whom were very qualified. No one has heard even a "thanks but no thanks" from Mr. Bloomquist. This is just bad form, in my opinion.

As far as I know, they've only just started interviewing. I haven't heard that anyone has been ruled in or out at this point. And having held a management position at more than one station in the past, I don't recall EVER acknowledging every application for job openings, so I can't say I necessarily agree with your observations about form.

Dash, I can certainly appreciate your frustration. Many of us were not happy to see friends leave, but it certainly wasn't the first time in my broadcasting career which predates CC, and it won't be the last either.

 

[Chesterco]

Re: You get to "kick" us, too

And having held a management position at more than one station in the past, I don't recall EVER acknowledging every application for job openings, so I can't say I necessarily agree with your observations about form.

I have also held management positons, not in radio, and never, knowingly, failed to get back to an applicant. It was the right thing to do, especially given EEO guidelines these days.

 

[al_atl]

Dash: I agree with you totally. I also avoid the Clear Channel stations mostly as a matter of principal. I've removed all the CC stations from my presets. But if WGST had better audio, I would probably listen to Rush there again...sometimes I'm in an area where WDUN's signal is pretty weak (I listen to them for Rush...pretty nice sounding station they have up there in Gainesville). And I am curious about how Randy and Spiff do on a news/talk station...but not curious enough to endure the horrible audio on WGST. I'd never write down a CC station in a diary though. What that company has done to so many of its employees...and to radio...I believe there is a place in hell for the suits who do @&*+ like that and I hope they go there soon.

 

[taylorengineer]

Al-

Is the audio soooo bad that you refuse to listen??
If you do have a radio( ex.-GE Super Radio)which can actually reproduce frequencies above 3,000 cycles then you would notice the cutoff. The audio would indeed sound "dull." But the audio is no more distorted or compressed than other AM stations in town. The research conducted by CBS back in the 60's revealed that noise is the main "turnoff" factor....not frequency response, clipping(in moderation)or compression.
On my radios, WGST sounds fine. It's a news/talk station....it is not set up for fidelity - it's set to be an audio blowtorch which, on AM, is essential to maximize coverage.
The 5Khz cutoff is ClearChannel corperate policy....it is not a local decision. It is being done to make way for digital AM service.

 

[Delta767]

Sorry, but WGST's audio has always sounded weak & thin for as long as I can remember. Just because it's "talk on AM" doesn't mean that your processing has to suck. WGKA & WSB sound much better.

 

[taylorengineer]

I guess everyone has their favorite "sound." And my radios are cheap, factory radios.....I do not have a quality AM radio to listen to....so my opinion must be qualified.
I just don't see(hear) the audio as being so awful that it is unlistenable....on any radio.
Corporate ClearChannel makes the call about audio. I guess most opinions are negative concerning their ability to make the right calls on anything radio.

 

[RoddyFreeman]

Some years back, a Clear Channel salesperson was taking me to lunch at Shipfeifer's, across the street. This salesperson was aware of my interest in radio so he invited the chief engineer, Mike Lawing, to come. During the lunch, Mr. Lawing asked me what I thought of WGST's audio processing. I assumed he wanted an honest answer so I said, "Slightly distorted." Unfortunately, Mr. Lawing did not appreciate my honesty.

 

[glock509]

want to improve wgst?bring back the kimmer and all his crew.flame if you will but i have my turnouts on as i am a fireman.we would listen to the kimmer at the station.but now there is no cc stations on at all.of course we went with a sirius radio though.


VIVA LA KIMMER!!!

 

[Windreader]

want to improve wgst?bring back the kimmer and all his crew.flame if you will but i have my turnouts on as i am a fireman.we would listen to the kimmer at the station.but now there is no cc stations on at all.of course we went with a sirius radio though.
VIVA LA KIMMER!!!

This kind of post recurs from time to time, but the fact remains: The Kimmer's show had run its course in this market. After so many years, he was a commodity known to all... he had a loyal, but unfortunately, unacceptably small audience that had been slowly shrinking. No amount of advertising could convince a new listener that he/she was going to hear something different from what had been sampled and rejected before. There was no more growth potential, and Kimmer was not a good candidate for a makeover when WGST opted to change direction. I have no doubt that Kim could move his show to another city and probably be very successful again, but at this point in his career, he has decided to retire. I had the opportunity to work with Gary McKee during his heyday and later watched as he tried a couple of comebacks that didn't work out so well. It happens to all of us eventually... and it doesn't diminish the contribution either man made to broadcasting in Atlanta.

 

[Clark2]

Windreader, yours is one of the more intelligent posts this board has seen in quite a while.

 

[al_atl]

Taylor,
Yes, WGST's audio is so bad to my ears that I cannot listen to it. For the most part, the radios I have are nothing especially fancy but not cheap either. I can hear a difference on every radio, except the clock radio by my bed, between WGST and every other major AM signal in the area. The nicer the radio, the bigger difference I hear. I'll admit to being a little different, odd, strange, whatever...but I will choose listening to WDUN with a little noise in their audio (due to weak signal) over WGST's narrow bandwidth audio any and every time. WDUN sounds great. WGKA sounds great. WSB sounds fair. Typical of Clear Channel to mandate that all their AM stations must sound like excrement. I can't say I listen to the other AMs in the area that often, but don't remember surfing past any area AM that sounds as bad as WGST. You are right, they are no more or less compressed and clipped than any other average AM, but the bandwidth of the audio is cut back so much that it's unlistenable...at least to my ears. 10 minutes is about my limit with them.

 

[Huntley]

Dave Ramsey is talented, but I don't understand why anyone is interested in listening to fools who can't balance a checkbook. I can talk to any teenager and hear that.

Sometimes I wonder if he's right for that particular target demographic. The fact is there are millions of fools that can't balance a checkbook and do not understand the dangers of debt. He's a solid financial guy, but are GST listeners the types that can't get out of debt? (I may have talked myself into the affirmative because it seems NO one can get themselves out of debt). Also remember Ramsey uses a lot of faith based discussion on his show. That may play awfully well here in the south.