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What Can be Done to "fix" WHK...

U

UnknownError

Ok this should be fun---

What should be done (REALISTICLY) to fix WHK?

If I were Salem, I'd put a local live show on insted of prager, and hire a news driector and a few field reporters to cover local news... Lets be honest, it's a top 25 market with NO field reports and only 2 people on the air doing news... There's a serious problem there... If it were me, I'd invest in ONE local show at night, and a WTAM style news room.

That's all~

Unknown Error
 
> Ok this should be fun---
>
> What should be done (REALISTICLY) to fix WHK?
>
> If I were Salem, I'd put a local live show on insted of
> prager, and hire a news driector and a few field reporters
> to cover local news... Lets be honest, it's a top 25 market
> with NO field reports and only 2 people on the air doing
> news... There's a serious problem there... If it were me,
> I'd invest in ONE local show at night, and a WTAM style news
> room.
>
> That's all~
>
> Unknown Error
>


This is not Salem's business model for these quasi-religious-conservative stations. Their stations in New York and LA run the exact same way: Take the net talkshow, run SRN news, and do as little else as possible. They are really not broadcasters in the traditional sense, so don't expect them to treat their properties like full-up radio stations.
 
Fixing The Mighty 1420

> This is not Salem's business model for these
> quasi-religious-conservative stations. Their stations in
> New York and LA run the exact same way: Take the net
> talkshow, run SRN news, and do as little else as possible.
> They are really not broadcasters in the traditional sense,
> so don't expect them to treat their properties like full-up
> radio stations.

There are variations on the theme - Salem's talker in Sacramento has a local morning host (the PD), and their San Diego station used to feature PD Mark Larson (now at CC's KOGO), but overall, you're right. When Salem reportedly offered a SEVEN-FIGURE contract to WLS/Chicago hosts Don Wade and Roma, just about everyone in the business was floored...and knew they would go back to WLS, anyway.

I wouldn't expect Salem to hire a staff of news anchors and field reporters for WHK, or for any of their talk stations...it's just not what the station is there for, and even if it was, field reporters cost money. Heck, on their SPORTS station, Salem doesn't even employ its own sports news anchors!

I do think there's a hole the size of the proverbial Mack truck for local issue-oriented talk in the Cleveland market. The hole may be especially big in afternoon drive, up against Triv (mostly sports and non-issue talk). If they mounted a local show in morning drive, they'd be up against the information-oriented Wills and Coleman show...if they did it in afternoons, they'd basically have little competition if they stuck to political/issues talk. They'd attract a lot of people who wouldn't ordinarily listen to the station, who can't deal with Triv and his quirks.

Will Salem do it? Probably not. But the hole is there.

-OA<P ID="signature">______________
My NEW blog is at Ohio Media Watch - <a target="_blank" href=http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com>http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com</a></P>
 
Re: Fixing The Mighty 1420

>
> There are variations on the theme - Salem's talker in
> Sacramento has a local morning host (the PD),

Who I believe is Eric Hogue, who began at Salem several years ago as 4-6PM afternoon host at 98.1 FM WHK. There was a huge hole in local talk when he left..A class act In my opinion..

Tim Lones
 
Re: Fixing The Mighty 1420

> Who I believe is Eric Hogue, who began at Salem several
> years ago as 4-6PM afternoon host at 98.1 FM WHK. There was
> a huge hole in local talk when he left..A class act In my
> opinion..

Indeed, the host in question is Eric Hogue, who's been doing mornings at Salem talk KTKZ/1380 for a few years now...IIRC, immediately after he left WHK.

KTKZ has struggled to show decent ratings...it's hard being the THIRD conservative talk choice in the market after CC powerhouses KFBK and KSTE...but Eric's scored some publicity coups, among them early involvement in the gubernatorial recall election that swept a certain action movie hero into office.

-OA<P ID="signature">______________
My NEW blog is at Ohio Media Watch - <a target="_blank" href=http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com>http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com</a></P>
 
> They are really not broadcasters in the traditional sense,
> so don't expect them to treat their properties like full-up
> radio stations.
>

And, to revisit an old theme, THIS is the problem with corporate conglomerate dominated radio. What used to be a public trust...the limited spot on the airwaves...is treated like just another business. And, Mr. Deregulation himself....Ronnie Reagan is voted the "greatest american" on the Discover Channel.
 
A wild dream that "fixes" WHK...

> Ok this should be fun---
>
> What should be done (REALISTICLY) to fix WHK?
>
> If I were Salem, I'd put a local live show on insted of
> prager, and hire a news driector and a few field reporters
> to cover local news... Lets be honest, it's a top 25 market
> with NO field reports and only 2 people on the air doing
> news... There's a serious problem there... If it were me,
> I'd invest in ONE local show at night, and a WTAM style news
> room.
>
> That's all~
>
> Unknown Error
>

The best way to fix WHK is to sell it off to a firm that wants it to actually succeed. WHK will never employ a true news department, never have a true local talk show, nor a committment to Cleveland as long as Salem holds the keys.

A wild fantasy of mine is for Cox to nab 'HK (presumably with one or two FMers that may be found elsewhere - read: Infinity...) and mold WHK into a "750 WSB" for the North Coast - with Boortz, Clark Howard, Hannity, and two, maybe three, solid local talk shows.

Neither of which has to be conservative. Examples: wouldn't it be neat to hear, say Rick Gilmour post-Hannity from 6p-9p? And give Kevin Kelley a regular shot on the air... daily, if he wants it.

Oh, and WHK's current programming would migrate onto... WKNR!

Would be the greatest thing to ever come to the local dial. WTAM would be blown away. And it will never come true. (At least in this respect: I DO believe that Salem will likely try to unload WHK and NOT WKNR. But that's a wild scenario for another day.)

- nate81<P ID="signature">______________
Nathan Obral
University Partership Representative
Student Senate
Lorain County Community College, Elyria, Ohio</P>
 
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