WGST Rebrands To Fox News Radio

[PTBoardOp94]

I would guess Cox will light up the HD channels soon on the new 95.5 facility. Why not do full time talk on one of the HDs? Plenty of satellite programming out there...

Not really. Most of the decent syndicated product is already cleared in Atlanta.

Once you take away the syndicated shows which air on WSB:
Limbaugh, Hannity, Howard Kilmeade and Loesch
and the syndicated shows which air on WGST:
Gordon Deal, Beck, O'Reilly, Ramsey, Levin, Shapiro, Savage and Noory
And WGKA's Salem lineup (Hewitt, Gorka, Prager, Gallagher, Elder, Sekulow)

You're left with table scraps.

Here's some of what I think would be available from the main syndicators.
Buck Sexton, Neil Saveedra ("The Jesus Christ Show"), Todd Starnes, Guy Benson, Chris Plante, Jim Bohannon, Joe Pags. That's four shows that are live in the evening, one late-mornign show, one mid-day show and one PM drive show.

 

[wavo]

Not really. Most of the decent syndicated product is already cleared in Atlanta.

Once you take away the syndicated shows which air on WSB:
Limbaugh, Hannity, Howard Kilmeade and Loesch
and the syndicated shows which air on WGST:
Gordon Deal, Beck, O'Reilly, Ramsey, Levin, Shapiro, Savage and Noory
And WGKA's Salem lineup (Hewitt, Gorka, Prager, Gallagher, Elder, Sekulow)

You're left with table scraps.

Here's some of what I think would be available from the main syndicators.
Buck Sexton, Neil Saveedra ("The Jesus Christ Show"), Todd Starnes, Guy Benson, Chris Plante, Jim Bohannon, Joe Pags. That's four shows that are live in the evening, one late-mornign show, one mid-day show and one PM drive show.

Again...we're in dire need of people who understand the art of conversation. To start with you need true conversationalists...not re-hashed morning jocks who become too "old" for music radio because they no longer reflect the "desirable" younger demos.

You then need a farm system to develop talent. It does not currently exist in most areas. You might think this would be perfect for experimental formats and talent. Like FM used to be in the late 60s/early 70s in larger markets.

 

[wavo]

But you also said "Blues, jazz classical, and bluegrass." Nothing bright or shiny about any of that.

But a lot of stations are doing very creative things with their HDs. Maybe not in your area.

Agree!

I guess I don't see music radio, or any of the current formats, as a lasting business model for radio.

I DO believe it will remain as a factor since radio reaches over 90% of Americans every week. I also expect it to continue to evolve due to competition...same as it did when television came along.

I once asked a GM I worked for if I could program one of the stations unused HD channels. He told me he had trouble keeping the stations he already had out of trouble. Thanks...but no thanks.
The HDs they do use are bland, same as you hear on analog radio, and will never attract more than a few who wander across their signal.

There is nothing different on HD in Atlanta except for: WRAS HD2 (Album 88 - the college kids) and HD3 (something they call testing??) The HD3 does album rock 70s-90's.
Star 94.1 also has a decent HD2 playing Star music from 90's - 2000's.

Too bad in a market of 6 million people that's all they could think of...

 

[PTBoardOp94]

I agree that developing talent is important, but putting a lineup of syndicated talkers on WSBB-HD2 doesn't accomplish that.

 

[TheBigA]

I guess I don't see music radio, or any of the current formats, as a lasting business model for radio.

No such thing as a "lasting business model for radio." Consider what the business model was in the 1930s. Then the 60s. Then the 90s. Each time was different. It changes every generation. We're going through another change right now.

 

[jabba17]

Not really. Most of the decent syndicated product is already cleared in Atlanta.

Once you take away the syndicated shows which air on WSB:
Limbaugh, Hannity, Howard Kilmeade and Loesch
and the syndicated shows which air on WGST:
Gordon Deal, Beck, O'Reilly, Ramsey, Levin, Shapiro, Savage and Noory
And WGKA's Salem lineup (Hewitt, Gorka, Prager, Gallagher, Elder, Sekulow)

You're left with table scraps.

Here's some of what I think would be available from the main syndicators.
Buck Sexton, Neil Saveedra ("The Jesus Christ Show"), Todd Starnes, Guy Benson, Chris Plante, Jim Bohannon, Joe Pags. That's four shows that are live in the evening, one late-mornign show, one mid-day show and one PM drive show.

...which is why I think WGST/iHeart could make a go of an FM side. No, they're not going to make WSBB numbers. But they could do better than some of the other stations in the market, particularly if they tweak their lineup (although they just did; let's see how that works out). Personally I'd like WGST to 86 Ramsey and put Clark in during the day, although that would require some creative negotiation with Cox (not impossible since WSB has Rush and Hannity).

To your point, though, nobody else is going to be able to do that because then you're scraping the bottom of the barrel. That's what happened to WCFO 1160.

Does Salem put WGKA on an HD channel on The Fish? Didn't they do that at one time?

 

[wavo]

No such thing as a "lasting business model for radio." Consider what the business model was in the 1930s. Then the 60s. Then the 90s. Each time was different. It changes every generation. We're going through another change right now.

What "change" do you see radio going through today???!!! Are you talking about station values? Maybe values are dropping because advertising and marketing folks have more choices now and radio is unable to change its paradigm. Online evolves and modulates while radio stagnates and regurgitates.

All I see is bean counters and research guys rolling out the same, re-hashed, formats and formatics.

The change I see coming is a paradigm shift...same as when we transitioned from radio station orchestras to 45s after television came along. TV had the exact same affect on radio as online has had today...the pie slices got smaller. There were those who thought radio was destined for the dust bin of history when TV arrived. Radio didn't die because radio evolved. I agree, BigA, it will continue to evolve but who is going to lead the way?

 

[TheBigA]

What "change" do you see radio going through today???!!!

Diversification of platform. Radio is not just towers and transmitters any more. So you have iHeart operating radio stations, online streaming service, concert events, and podcasting. I expect you'll see more of that.

 

[ThePowerCow]

Still like my crazy idea of reviving the News Monster next door on 94.9 or 96.1. I know it will never happen.

 

[RoddyFreeman]

WGST was on 105.7 from the early 90s to the early 2000s. They were kicking WSB's tail at the time and then WSB got serious about news/talk. WSB dumped the Mike Malloy progtalk and started systematically picking off WGST's talent--Clark Howard, Boortz, Hannity (who was local on WGST; when he went national WSB picked up his show), and later Rush.

With the demise of 106.7 (which wasn't that well-run), IMO there is room for a second FM political talker. Get the news off the bird and have a mix of Premiere and local talent. Heck, maybe iHeart and Cox can work out a deal to put Clark Howard back on at a decent time, considering that WSB has Rush and Hannity, both Premiere properties.

Except for Glenn Beck most of the talent on 640 is meh. I know that Dave Ramsey is now something like the #2 talk show behind Rush, but he's not doing it for WGST. Pull a Clark Howard and put him on after PM drive so that he has clearance in ATL.

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Based on 106.7's ratings and what they billed as a talk station, I don't think a second FM political talker could make a go of it. I also highly doubt Clark Howard would agree to move his syndicated show to WGST.

 

[jabba17]

Based on 106.7's ratings and what they billed as a talk station, I don't think a second FM political talker could make a go of it. I also highly doubt Clark Howard would agree to move his syndicated show to WGST.

Even with a better, more recognized slate of talent? Except for the Kimmer 106.7's slate was a revolving door of local unknowns. And they were still competing (such as it was) with WGST. I'd like to know how WGST and Beck did against WYAY and whoever they had 9-noon, for example.

And they don't have to beat WSBB's ratings and billings. They would just have to beat, say, WRDA's.

Would Clark move his show to WGST if he got PM drive and an FM signal instead of late nights on WSBB, and if the money was right?

 

[PTBoardOp94]

...which is why I think WGST/iHeart could make a go of an FM side. No, they're not going to make WSBB numbers. But they could do better than some of the other stations in the market

I think WGST's lineup is fine for an all-syndicated station.
But there's not a talk station anywhere in the country which is all-syndicated and a solid performer in the ratings. At least not in a large market. If you were going to re-launch WGST with an FM signal, you'd have to get at least a couple of local hosts. Ideally hosts who have been on WSB before.

 

[TheBigA]

Would Clark move his show to WGST if he got PM drive and an FM signal instead of late nights on WSBB, and if the money was right?

We're talking about iHeart, aren't we? As I look around the country, I don't see a lot of examples of iHeart moving talk from AM to FM. They are strong supporters of keeping talk on AM in NY, LA, and their other majors.

Are you saying that iHeart would lure Howard away from his current syndicator with more money? Really?

 

[trusty]

Once you take away the syndicated shows which air on WSB: Limbaugh, Hannity, Howard Kilmeade and Loesch and the syndicated shows which air on WGST: Gordon Deal, Beck, O'Reilly, Ramsey, Levin, Shapiro, Savage and Noory And WGKA's Salem lineup (Hewitt, Gorka, Prager, Gallagher, Elder, Sekulow)

You're left with table scraps.

Here's some of what I think would be available from the main syndicators. Buck Sexton, Neil Saveedra ("The Jesus Christ Show"), Todd Starnes, Guy Benson, Chris Plante, Jim Bohannon, Joe Pags. That's four shows that are live in the evening, one late-mornign show, one mid-day show and one PM drive show.

There's a bunch of local talent online from all over the country. For example, Shannon Burke landed in Orlando: https://floridamanradio.com
Don't know what happened to Kimmer - maybe on a couple of podcasts? http://petedavis.buzzsprout.com/275965/1716640-holy-crap-it-s-sports-65-with-kimmer

 

[AMFMRadFan]

...which is why I think WGST/iHeart could make a go of an FM side. No, they're not going to make WSBB numbers. But they could do better than some of the other stations in the market, particularly if they tweak their lineup (although they just did; let's see how that works out). Personally I'd like WGST to 86 Ramsey and put Clark in during the day, although that would require some creative negotiation with Cox (not impossible since WSB has Rush and Hannity).

To your point, though, nobody else is going to be able to do that because then you're scraping the bottom of the barrel. That's what happened to WCFO 1160.

Does Salem put WGKA on an HD channel on The Fish? Didn't they do that at one time?

No, Salem does not have WGKA on any of The FISH HD subchannels. 104.7 HD2 is a simulcast of Faith Talk Atlanta 590-970-1400 AM WDWD/WNIV/WLTA. 104.7 HD3 is a simulcast of Biz 1190 AM WAFS. Salem could launch an HD4 subchannel. I wish they would launch an HD4 subchannel. Salem could reprogram the HD subchannels by putting WGKA on HD2, the Faith Talk Atlanta trimulcast WDWD/WNIV/WLTA on HD3, and put WAFS on HD4. The reason why they haven’t done this is because of the whole bit rate thing, “When you add an HD subchannel to the ones you already have, it affects the bit rate of the other HD subchannels.” How sad. That is so not cool.

As for WGST, it is on 105.7 but via the WRDA-FM-HD3 subchannel. Anyway, that is all.