What are Chicago radio's biggest failures?

[davideduardo]

...WSCR. It's been on three different frequencies over the last couple of decades-plus, two of which are 50-kilowatt AMs, and it still draws a puny audience...

10th in market billings, and 4th or 5th on average in 25-54 Men is hardly a failure.

...fools and their money...

I have no idea what that means.

There are 81 commercial stations and 67 non-commercial stations in the Chicago MSA, so being top 10 in billings and top 5 in sales demo males is quite an achievement... in both men 25-54 and persons 25-54 it beats both WGN and WBBM. But I guess those are failures, too.

 

[Fenway1912]

What killed NIS was NBC's inability to find more subscribing stations (NBC was paid per month for NIS, as opposed to the standard network clearance of NBC Radio Network) across the country. It started with 21 on June 18, 1975, missing Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Charlotte and Seattle. NBC hoped for 150 by the end of 1976. NBC reported 47 by 9/1/1975, according to the massive NBC-NIS brochure posted by David Eduardo on his site. It's a must-read for radio newsies.

http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Station-Albums/NBC-NIS-1976.pdf

 

[OldChicago]

Given how 101.1 as a news station didn't even last a year, how would this rank among the most failed radio stations in Chicago radio history? I've made a number of trips to Chicago over the years visiting family and always checking out the radio stations, but I don't ever remember an FM station lasting this short of a time.

I can think of a station with a short format run. Do not remember the exact year, but it was the late 70's. 94.7 WRCK. Lasted only a month or so. 94.7-FM went thru many call-letter and format changes over the years.


Old Chicago

 

[uncamark]

Given how 101.1 as a news station didn't even last a year, how would this rank among the most failed radio stations in Chicago radio history? I've made a number of trips to Chicago over the years visiting family and always checking out the radio stations, but I don't ever remember an FM station lasting this short of a time.

I can think of a station with a short format run. Do not remember the exact year, but it was the late 70's. 94.7 WRCK. Lasted only a month or so. 94.7-FM went thru many call-letter and format changes over the years.

It lasted about five months in 1980. After what became the disaster of Disco DAI (or "Steve Dahl's Revenge"), ABC tried out what we would call nowadays a Hot AC station that rocked more than your typical AC of the era, played pop oldies unlike an AOR, but played current songs, too. They hired Bob Sirott to do mornings, with the old WDAI staff (who had transitioned from AOR to disco before) the rest of the day. However, Sirott still had to sit out a non-compete with WLS upstairs, although he did a daily commentary for the station's first three months. When the non-compete was over and he took over morning drive, two months later Sirott signed his first national TV contract with CBS and got out of mornings. Instead of keeping the format going, ABC in New York gave the station to John Gehron upstairs, who switched the playlist to the "Rock 40" playlist he had been doing in the evening since Disco Demolition, started simulcasting on the FM Lujack in the morning and Brant Miller in the evening, got Gary Gears to cut "FM 95" tags to an instrumental jingle and changed the calls to WLS-FM (with most of the same DAI jock staff, who had already been through two format changes in two years!). Within a few months, Steve Dahl, after his post-Lee Abrams firing from the Loop for alleged "violation of communty standards," was back at 94.7 with Garry Meier in afternoon drive.

 

[radiorob2.0]

However, Sirott still had to sit out a non-compete with WLS upstairs, although he did a daily commentary for the station's first three months. When the non-compete was over and he took over morning drive,

That is an interesting non-compete detail considering it was the same company and a flight of stairs distance.

 

[RayInChicago]

Given how 101.1 as a news station didn't even last a year, how would this rank among the most failed radio stations in Chicago radio history? I've made a number of trips to Chicago over the years visiting family and always checking out the radio stations, but I don't ever remember an FM station lasting this short of a time.

I can think of a station with a short format run. Do not remember the exact year, but it was the late 70's. 94.7 WRCK. Lasted only a month or so. 94.7-FM went thru many call-letter and format changes over the years.


Old Chicago

And 94.7 always returns to WLS.

 

[skywatchbob]

Totally agree.

For me, it was WCFL going to "Beautiful Music."

 

[tvnut]

Totally agree.

For me, it was WCFL going to "Beautiful Music."

There was something disconcerting about Larry Lujack introducing Mantovani or Andre Kostelanetz.

 

[radiorob2.0]

Totally agree.

For me, it was WCFL going to "Beautiful Music."

There was something disconcerting about Larry Lujack introducing Mantovani or Andre Kostelanetz.

Reelradio has an aircheck of Lujack back-announcing beautiful music. The most amusing part is how the station kept the rock promotions going through the new format. Lujack promotes a chance to meet the rock group Kiss just before of more beautiful music.

 

[kba]

For me, it was WCFL going to "Beautiful Music."

'CFL's switch to beautiful music wasn't a creative or ratings success, but it accomplished what the Chicago Federation of Labor wanted it to do. It allowed them to cut expenses to the bone, show a profit on a station that had been losing money, and make the station attractive to a buyer. Three years after the switch, Mutual bought WCFL for $12 million.

On the other hand, the "Lifestyle Radio" format that Mutual put on the air was almost unlistenable (and was a waste of talent like Ron Britain, Jim Bohannan, Chuck Swirski, and Jim Frank). Mutual ended up unloading WCFL five years later for $4 million less than they paid for it.

 

[cyberdad]

...WSCR. It's been on three different frequencies over the last couple of decades-plus, two of which are 50-kilowatt AMs, and it still draws a puny audience...

10th in market billings, and 4th or 5th on average in 25-54 Men is hardly a failure.

...fools and their money...

I have no idea what that means.

There are 81 commercial stations and 67 non-commercial stations in the Chicago MSA, so being top 10 in billings and top 5 in sales demo males is quite an achievement... in both men 25-54 and persons 25-54 it beats both WGN and WBBM. But I guess those are failures, too.

+1.  If WSCR is a failure, I'm sure CBS is glad to have it....and I'd gladly take another just like it! 

 

[Fenway1912]

'CFL's switch to beautiful music wasn't a creative or ratings success, but it accomplished what the Chicago Federation of Labor wanted it to do. It allowed them to cut expenses to the bone, show a profit on a station that had been losing money, and make the station attractive to a buyer. Three years after the switch, Mutual bought WCFL for $12 million.

The irony is that WCFL was the most union feather-bedded station in the US circa 1971. I visited overnight jock Steve York in May of 1971 and was astounded that he had THREE union techs working his show.

 

[Eye The Ticker]

One of the nagging problems in broadcasting; you have a station doing extremely well. It's sold to another broadcast entity and naturally they feel the need to play/tinker with their new "toy." End result,
either a complete format change or the station becomes a shell of its former self.

 

[MarkW]

I would say Fresh 105.9 falls into the failure category.

WLUP as Planet Radio = FAIL.

Real Talk 106.3 (or whatever the heck it was called) = MAJOR FAIL.

AM1000 during its first run as a sports station (WMVP) = FAIL.

 

[skywatchbob]

I remember when WLS AM was in its final days as a music station. It was a hodge podge of different songs in a format that didn't make sense. It was like the once great Rock of Chicago basically died with a wimper. The station was long overdue for a change to talk by the time they finally put this format out of its misery and changed to talk.

 

[radiorob2.0]

I remember when WLS AM was in its final days as a music station. It was a hodge podge of different songs in a format that didn't make sense. It was like the once great Rock of Chicago basically died with a wimper. The station was long overdue for a change to talk by the time they finally put this format out of its misery and changed to talk.

Here is how it died.

http://www.wlshistory.com/jox/docduncan.htm

 

[cyberdad]

Just thought of this one....

What about 820 as WYPA? "Your personal achievement radio".

 

[mimo]

Just thought of this one....

What about 820 as WYPA? "Your personal achievement radio".

I remember that. I can't think of any reason why someone thought that anyone would listen to that. When they went Spanish later as a talk station, it had more to offer. How long was WYPA around for? I think it was only a few months.

 

[cyberdad]

I think it was a little longer than a few months. Maybe a year or so.

 

[aa9vi]

How about the Dynamic Trio of horrible ratings: WCPT/WCPQ/WCPY (92.7/99.9/92.5)? Their ratings have been in the toilet for years but they are bankrolled by some fat wallets on that side of the political aisle that are out on some political crusade. I seriously wonder if they converted 92.7 to a Polish station if it would have better ratings. You can't do much worse except for maybe FM News 101 which is now dead.