What happened to WVLG anyway?

[cd637299]

Hi

My wife & I just came back from the Ocala area, and I always make a point to make aircheck tapes of WVLG. I think that I'll have to give up.....

Someone needs to explain this to me. The Villages, being a heavy retirement community, with a station that apparently works with all facets of "marketing" the Villages, and they are playing AC/pop/rock now?

Many other stations, especially on FM, already play this stuff, outside of the oldies on WVLG.

Is this strategy really working for them?

Frankly IMO, as far as the music, for the most part, there is nothing unique about it anymore, except the overnight show....and I know that *that* segment won't work 24 hours!

Any ideers?

cd

 

[FrankF]

Personally I like the music mix on WVLG now. I always knew mixing oldies with some new music can be done, and they do it rather well. They have a larger playlist that I can't set my watch to unlike certain monolopy owned stations. Their also live and local, and really know how to serve their community, unlike certain...well....in this case just about all monolopy owned stations. And BTW, I recently heard an old friend of mine on the air there which gives me even more reason to listen. May they have continued success. Only two problems though, I can't get them here in Orlando at night, and also they do not have a station website.

 

[drt]

Hi

My wife & I just came back from the Ocala area, and I always make a point to make aircheck tapes of WVLG. I think that I'll have to give up.....

Someone needs to explain this to me. The Villages, being a heavy retirement community, with a station that apparently works with all facets of "marketing" the Villages, and they are playing AC/pop/rock now?

Many other stations, especially on FM, already play this stuff, outside of the oldies on WVLG.

Is this strategy really working for them? ..........................

cd

WVLG starting morphing it's format at least 7 or 8 months ago; they now play Lady GaGa as well as the oldies they've always played. I've noticed when I'm up that way that their format focuses more on oldies on the weekends, but during the week; almost anything goes.(except hard rock and rap) Then overnights, they're soft music, much like Escape on XM.

As someone else mentioned (having an long time friend on the air on WVLG; most, if not all of the d.j.'s on WVLG are retired from large markets and are very professional and a pleasure to listen to.

On another front, The Villages is expanding and there is now "The Village of Parkwood" adjacent to the Villages and the Village of Parkwood is designed for young families with children...... so in general, I think they are trying to diversify their property holdings, they've pretty well tapped out the 55 plus market.

drt,
St. Petersburg
(where the strong Cuban comes in 24/7 on 640.)

 

[cd637299]

We visited the WVLG studios about 3 years ago, and I think it was Robb Newton who we talked to most. Interesting studio, BTW, replete with vintage radios....

Knowing the ones we chatted with, I just wonder how they truly feel about this morphing.....

Our stay was in Wildwood last week, so we got the best signal for airchecks we could get!

cd

 

[drt]

It's hard to say how the d.j.'s actually feel about it; over the air, they are always enthusiastic, whether that is just good acting or what I don't know.

I know Rob Newton and Bobby Knight seem to be the main d.j.'s I hear while up in that area. I've walked by their studios in Spanish
Springs many times, but never stopped to visit and I've been by their remote studios in Sumter Landing. The absolute best reception would be in the large hotel in Sumter Landing, but Wildwood and Oxford and even Coleman get a good signal at night. Their actual tower is about halfway between Spanish Springs and Sumter Landing, just inside Sumter County (practically on the Sumter/Lake county line), while their main studios are in Lake county.

The Villages, as you probably know also cover some of extreme south Marion county as well. (The Mulberry Grove area).

On their daily program....... Four at Four (I believe that's the new name); either on Thursday or Friday they have interns from the Villages Charter High School on as guests and of course they talk about and play current music as well as talk about movie reviews. That 4 - 5 pm hour, Monday through Friday is the only hour of the day that WVLG is not totally music.

drt.
St. Petersburg

 

[cd637299]

Ahhhh!

Last I remembered, their 1-hour talk show was at noon....but I think I noticed music, so they moved that hour. I think I did hear the end of the Thursday show....there was talk with a teenager about modern music, which included a new tune by Taylor Swift. The girl was saying that they're not all about the headbanger music or dance music or rap or whatever.

I think their overnight show is unique....Often they will play an instrumental of a popular tune, then into the hit vocal of that selfsame tune!

cd

 

[drt]

Yes, CD, the talk hour used to be at noon and it was called "Focus on the Villages" ; then it became: "More at 4 " (as opposed to the incorrect title I gave in my earlier post). And now, even on Monday's, the day that they have a Social Security Rep from the Leesburg office on to take calls, they take a call or two and then play some music from the 60's, then another few calls, then another song from the 60's etc.

All in all, I think it's a well produced station and their obviously have a well grounded antenna system and maintain everything, 930 watts days and 860 watts night, they put out a good signal for quite a few miles and of course would do much better to the south, if it weren't for the strong Cuban station on 640; which is what I get in St. Pete day and night. (not a trace of WVLG here or a trace of the 640 on the s.e. coast either).

I noticed last week that Register Chevrolette in Brooksville was advertising on WVLG; their sales staff must really be agressive and/or convincing, since Brooksville would be on the fringer of their daytime signal; of course they were telling "Villagers that Brooksville was just a short drive down I-75 to get a great deal. Car dealers seems to be one of their most frequent advertisers.

drt

 

[Stormychuck]

I alway's thought WVLG had a decent sound for a local AM station although where I'm located now I'm unable to listen. I too had a friend that worked at WVLG, and this was a number of years back 2003 to be exact, (Skip Herman) doing afternoons, I worked with Skip at Love 94FM in Miami back in the 70's, Skip was an attorney turned Radio personality and did well, especially in Miami working as a side-kick (mornings) on several Miami stations as Herman and McBean, at one time at WSHE and then WGTR and had a contract with WGTR (COX) for $500,000 yearly. Not too shabby...

Long story short, Herman and McBean went to Baltimore for 1 million a piece worked there for awhile both split their way's and Skip ended up at WVLG with his wife as on-air talents, I had called and talked to him and he said he and his wife were happy as pig's in slop and I haven't talked to him or his wife since. I often wondered what happened to him.

DRT pointed out, and soooo true, large market professional's end up at smaller stations as the big fish in little ponds and the little money that go's along with it, but hey, your on-air your still working and it's all good I guess....

 

[drt]

I used to listen to "Skip and Nancy" on WVLG, seems I read somewhere (probably about a year ago) that they were now in the Daytona Beach area and if I'm not mistaken, one or both were still on the air, just not on WVLG.

drt,
St. Petersburg

 

[cflradio]

They now own and operate WSBB-AM 1230 in New Smryna Beach. The station is streamed at http://myam1230.com/.

Bob
www.cflradio.net

 

[drt]

They now own and operate WSBB-AM 1230 in New Smryna Beach. The station is streamed at http://myam1230.com/.

Bob
www.cflradio.net

Thanks, Bob....... I was pretty certain it was New Smryna Beach, but since this site doesn't have spell check and I wasn't sure how to spell New Smryna, I just posted it as the Daytona Beach area. (fortunately I can spell Daytona Beach! )

Skip and Nancy were good together on WVLG, I just wish I could receive WVLG here in St. Pete, but from time to time, I'm within their range and can listen day and night at those times.

drt
st. petersburg

 

[cd637299]

Well at least it isn't WELE.

cd

 

[FM 100 Means Music]

Hi

My wife & I just came back from the Ocala area, and I always make a point to make aircheck tapes of WVLG.

What an odd hobby.

 

[cd637299]

That's not the only thing I do up there....I shoulda made that point!

We both have family in the area....

I wouldn't tape WVLG if it streamed....and the way it's going, those most recent tapes may well be my last.....

cd

 

[Stormychuck]

Odd hobby, Nope, I think it's a great hobby, CD dude keep up the good work...

 

[drt]

Odd hobby, Nope, I think it's a great hobby, CD dude keep up the good work...

I second that (e)motion!

CD, On Saturday evenings (I don't know about other evenings) it's the old WVLG, I was listening for about an hour from around 8 to 9 pm and it was like a time warp back to the mid 1960's to early 1970's as far as both the music and the jingles. At least it was this past Saturday (the 23rd) when I was up that way.

drt,
st. pete