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WHAT RADIO LAYS OFF ONAIR STAFF AND GOES ALL AUTOMATION

T

towernews

Is anyone aware that WHAT Radio is now all automated. They laid off all their personalities and went with all automation 24 hrs. a day Monday thru Friday. What is happening here. Does anyone know whether a format change is coming? It just sounds strange for them to just be playing music with no personalities at all. If a format change is coming, what do people out there think they will be changing to, and how soon will it take place?
 
Spanish would be a rather inept move, at least on the surface. Between WUBA and WEMG with secular Hispanic programming, and WPHE and WPWA with their Hispanic Religious programming, I would say that the market with only a 6% Hispanic population is fairly well covered...at least on AM.
 
I tend to agree. Another Spanish station would not make much sense right now.
 
Above article says that the switch is effective August 1, and they're welcoming anyone who wants to broker their own shows on the new station...

@rtetro: You nailed it... if an FM signal couldn't make it with such programming, what good will a third AM station do?

@towernews: Good to see a contribution from you that doesn't involve RJ for a change! ::)
 
They should not make it Spanish. It should be Classic Oldies like WMID. It would be a much bigger draw than Spanish for those who live in the city or right outside the city where WHAT is clear because Philadelphia doesn't have Classic Oldies. It would also be good because those who like to listen to WMID coming back from the shore, it would run into WHAT that would play the same kind and people would stay there
 
phils07 said:
They should not make it Spanish. It should be Classic Oldies like WMID. It would be a much bigger draw than Spanish for those who live in the city or right outside the city where WHAT is clear because Philadelphia doesn't have Classic Oldies. It would also be good because those who like to listen to WMID coming back from the shore, it would run into WHAT that would play the same kind and people would stay there
Click to expand...


There's a quiet rumor going around that music doesn't work on AM.
 
DToTheJ said:
@towernews: Good to see a contribution from you...
Click to expand...
l

Good to see a contribution from you too. Hopefully, this last 1 will increase ur average from 8.5 POSTS PER DAY - EVERY SINGLE DAY - FOR THE PAST FOUR-AND-A-HALF YEARS. On 2nd thought, it's not all that good to see yet another contribution from you :)
 
They're all crawling out of the woodwork if Kevin Fennessy shows up.

Why doesn't the station just liquidate its assets, and walk the license back, and allow WMID to emerge on the dial. I used to push this huge piece of furniture containing a 1940's-model radio, to null WHAT and bring in WMID in Levittown PA in the 60s.

WHAT was viable when its target audience, black folks, lived in the same 15 block radius. That's ancient history, Black folks live everywhere, and have moved away from WHAT.

Three format changes and no call letter changes under this ownership, bringing WHAT's historic run to an end.
 
WHAT was pretty much always automated, only Mike Bowe in the morning was voiced live, with the music running on live assist. The rest of the day parts were all automation with voice tracks. It's only noticed now when the VT's are taken away.

Anyway, whatever is happening or will happen to the content of the station, there are a number of key points to remember about the station.

1) As a general rule of thumb a 10-15 miles radius from the Wynnefield Heights tower is all you'll get as a usable daytime signal. There are pockets that fly further and some closer that get sucked up (such as s. philly behind the shadow of Center City and CC itself)

2) Despite 'HAT's history of being an urban station, it geographically reaches just as much of Delaware County and southern Montgomery County including the Main line as it does North Philly and W/SW philly. That is a rather diverse demographic and about 2 million people.

It will be interesting to see what if anything happens and how it works out.

- Al Clay
 
Al,

I'm not sure when you last listened to WHAT before the dj's were gone, but Mike Bowe hasn't been the morning dj for almost two years. And I do believe most of the dj's were live because I have called for requests and gotten the dj's answering the phone.
 
Most recently, Mike was on in PM drive.

I agree wih Kevin. Its time to call it a day. WHAT is no longer viable.
 
I do know Mike moved to strictly afternoons and that he was live then as well. You are right, I haven't listened in a while so I'm not sure what the exact mix of live vs voice tracked was exactly during the day. I can stand corrected on that. I'm surprised they were answering the phone. They didn't answer when I called, ha!
 
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