What happened to Andy Kortman at WVLT?

[acradiofan]

What happened to Andy Kortman at WVLT? I have an ecclectic taste in different styles of music and Andy certainly filled a niche that is missing in Philadelphia and South Jersey. His original Sunday program was excellent, then scaled back from his old WPEN format to an abbreviated Sinatra program, and is now apparently off the air.

It was a breath of fresh air to listen to Andy and Wee Willie back on the air on Sunday afternoons, but that didn't last long! WVLT has landed some great talent over the years and has aired many excellent programs, but everytime they find a good program, it eventually seems to be replaced by another "new" doo wop show or a makeshift Elvis program to fill time. Don't we have enough variations on those themes? Some are excellent, but others sound like mobile jocks who shouldn't be playing in a bar, let alone on the air. Within recent months, I heard an Elvis program inappropriately slipped in to fill a dead hour and it sounded like bad college radio, at best. Why such a weak attempt to just fill dead air???

WVLT should have some consistency in what they put on air, both in terms of content and quality. Andy was a great personality with great music and they seemed to find a niche for Sundays. Why not dedicate one day to the old WPEN format? There is a market out there for the standards and if WVLT can't dedicate one day to the format, which compliments their programming, perhaps another smart PD will launch the format again for local 24/7 programming. It is needed in this market and regardless of an aging audience, there are many younger listeners and 40-50 something baby boomers who would support such a format! All the best to Andy.

 

[eatspaste]

What happened to Andy Kortman at WVLT? WVLT should have some consistency in what they put on air, both in terms of content and quality.

Sounds like either Andy didn't feel like driving to Vineland anymore or he didn't want to pay for the airtime. Isn't he still on 1360 AM in the morning?

The only consistency WVLT has is if the checks clear from their brokered hosts.

 

[GeekBoy]

I've stopped trying to figure WVLT out. About a ear and a half ago, they started to sound very good indeed. The music was right on the mark for the first time in their history, the commercials were top notchand the imaging was getting pretty darn good. It only lasted a little while and now it is going down the tubes in a handbasket . Webber is still on as well as the Saturday night Time Machine and a couple others are good. There's a guy named Randizo Saturday afternoons that does a pretty fair job. The rest is shear crap. During the week is four different formats during the day. You figure it out. I've stopped trying.

 

[fredflintstone]

According to their website, Andy Kortman is still driving to Vineland five days a week for his morning show on WNJC 1360 AM.

As Paste indicated, WVLT's evening and weekend schedule is not programmed, it's sold. Kortman and Wee Willie do brokered shows. And Kortman's show on WNJC is also brokered. The result on both stations is block programming without a consistent format throughout the day, and the station gets revenue for time which otherwise they could not sell (and gets the show and in Kortman's case, well-known air talent for free). The Geator and RJ also produce their own shows and buy time from the station. In today's radio market, it's about the only way for jocks to make a living. They produce the show. They sell the time. They keep the profits. And known jocks often can sell time to "fan" sponsors which station sales reps can not.

This is both the past and future of radio. At one time, most of radio was sponsored (what is now called brokered) and produced by ad agencies. Stations were not programmed, since advertisers bought the time slots they wanted and they controlled the shows. And program advertising was built around association with talent/personalities and their endorsement of the sponsor's product. Everything old is new again.

Business trumps programming.

 

[fredflintstone]

PS: For all anybody knows, it was Kortman who decided to pull the plug on his WVLT show. Stations don't usually cancel paying customers.

 

[csp-1]

According to their website, Andy Kortman is still driving to Vineland five days a week for his morning show on WNJC 1360 AM.

As Paste indicated, WVLT's evening and weekend schedule is not programmed, it's sold. Kortman and Wee Willie do brokered shows. And Kortman's show on WNJC is also brokered. The result on both stations is block programming without a consistent format throughout the day, and the station gets revenue for time which otherwise they could not sell (and gets the show and in Kortman's case, well-known air talent for free). The Geator and RJ also produce their own shows and buy time from the station. In today's radio market, it's about the only way for jocks to make a living. They produce the show. They sell the time. They keep the profits. And known jocks often can sell time to "fan" sponsors which station sales reps can not.

This is both the past and future of radio. At one time, most of radio was sponsored (what is now called brokered) and produced by ad agencies. Stations were not programmed, since advertisers bought the time slots they wanted and they controlled the shows. And program advertising was built around association with talent/personalities and their endorsement of the sponsor's product. Everything old is new again.

Business trumps programming.

the very sad part is the last part of "fred's" posting being soooo true )-:...."business trumps programming"

 

[pabsungenis]

the very sad part is the last part of "fred's" posting being soooo true )-:...."business trumps programming"

The worst part is that business actually destroys programming, and costs itself business.

Let's say you have a moderately successful station, with a loyal following, occasionally decent numbers, and good but not spectacular billing. The business end seeks to raise more revenue by brokering a show.

That show disrupts the sound of the station and alienates parts of the loyal following, as well as some advertisers who liked the old sound. Meanwhile, the fans of the brokered programming don't like the rest of the station's sound, and don't listen to the rest of the lineup. This lessens the numbers and the billing.

With revenues dropping, there's a need to sell more brokered time to raise more money. The fans of the individual shows don't listen to anything else, and with regular format time disappearing, normal billing falls through the floor. Thus, the need to sell more brokered programming.

It only took three years to completely destroy WVLT, then another four to destroy the new product after they blew everything up and tried to accomodate and match all the time they had already brokered.

92.1 could be a very solid and very profitable oldies station, but ownership is afraid to hire a programmer who knows shit about how the business works today, and blow up all the brokered programming that doesn't fit the format.

Get rid of every brokered show other than Blavat (I'd even say blow up the Geezer From the Freezer, but they'd never even dream of that) , build a broad and consistent playlist, put a classy on-air staff in place from 6AM-5PM, get a reasonably good host for a request and dedication show from 7-9 PM. (Friday Epley's love songs were a great biller in the days of the old 92-First, and an all Oldies lovesongs show would work rather well.) Keep the obscure stuff (other than Geator) for Fridays and Weekends and make event programming out of it.

WVLT could be a mint, but the ownership needs to be willing to give the station time to build and grow. Forgo some short term revenue to build a product that will make tons more money in the long term.

How about it, Bubba? You and Charlie ready to make something out of WVLT? You've got the building blocks, you just need the courage to put them together.

 

[csp-1]

how about the big radio conglomerates' "chiefs" read the fantastic realistic posting by pabsubgenis ? pure truth !!!! not just an intelligent opinion , mostly .... this kind of posting is what makes radio-info sooooo worthwhile . fact .

 

[pabsungenis]

how about the big radio conglomerates' "chiefs" read the fantastic realistic posting by pabsubgenis ? pure truth !!!! not just an intelligent opinion , mostly .... this kind of posting is what makes radio-info sooooo worthwhile . fact .

You forgot your "sarcasm" smilie.

 

[fredflintstone]

The worst part is that business actually destroys programming, and costs itself business.

Let's say you have a moderately successful station, with a loyal following, occasionally decent numbers, and good but not spectacular billing. The business end seeks to raise more revenue by brokering a show.

That show disrupts the sound of the station and alienates parts of the loyal following, as well as some advertisers who liked the old sound. Meanwhile, the fans of the brokered programming don't like the rest of the station's sound, and don't listen to the rest of the lineup. This lessens the numbers and the billing.

With revenues dropping, there's a need to sell more brokered time to raise more money. The fans of the individual shows don't listen to anything else, and with regular format time disappearing, normal billing falls through the floor. Thus, the need to sell more brokered programming.

It only took three years to completely destroy WVLT, then another four to destroy the new product after they blew everything up and tried to accomodate and match all the time they had already brokered.

92.1 could be a very solid and very profitable oldies station, but ownership is afraid to hire a programmer who knows ------ about how the business works today, and blow up all the brokered programming that doesn't fit the format.

Get rid of every brokered show other than Blavat (I'd even say blow up the Geezer From the Freezer, but they'd never even dream of that) , build a broad and consistent playlist, put a classy on-air staff in place from 6AM-5PM, get a reasonably good host for a request and dedication show from 7-9 PM. (Friday Epley's love songs were a great biller in the days of the old 92-First, and an all Oldies lovesongs show would work rather well.) Keep the obscure stuff (other than Geator) for Fridays and Weekends and make event programming out of it.

WVLT could be a mint, but the ownership needs to be willing to give the station time to build and grow. Forgo some short term revenue to build a product that will make tons more money in the long term.

How about it, Bubba? You and Charlie ready to make something out of WVLT? You've got the building blocks, you just need the courage to put them together.

Don't forget: The Kortman show was brokered. So is Wee Willie.

In all likelihood, Kortman decided to stop doing (and stop selling the show). Kortman is in business, too. He produces and sells his own show.

WVLT is mostly local and live. They are programming local jocks when they could more easily plug into an Oldies satellite feed from ABC, Excelsior or Jones. And they are selling time. If they could sell evenings and weekends, they would. Stations go to brokered programming only when they can't make money selling time themselves. Evening and weekend time on small stations is almost impossible to sell.