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What was that crap on WQRK?

O

OldShep

Guest
Was passing though Bedford this afternoon and listened to WQRK105.5. They had two guys on called Gage and Tim. WHAT A TRAINWRECK. :eek: I thought I had stumbled upon a high school radio station, but that might be an insult to high school radio. It's been a while since I last listened to this station. They also had some guy on puking his way through a commercial... I had read that the complete staff from the GM down had all never worked in radio before, and now I believe it. The station, last I listened, sounded polished and tight. Now it is full of lots of dead air, nervous laughter between the jocks and the worst mix of music I have ever encountered. With many radio pros out of work is this the best they can do? It's been several years since I was behind a mic, but I don't think I sounded this bad on my worst (or first) day. Sad doesn't even describe this station. Do the Spencers still own it or did they sell it to someone who doesn't know the first thing about radio?

Shep
 
Well at least they know they had 1 person listening. Now if you just had a book they could break that.0 share
They have really screwed that station up the past few years.
 
It's possible that it is your ears that have changed. I went away to Chicago to work.
Then, I came back to Lafayette. Jocks who had once sounded slick now needed some
polish.

They are doing live and local. Good for them!
 
It's been several years since I was behind a mic, but I don't think I sounded this bad on my worst (or first) day.
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As a listener to radio I understand your frustration. I found such a station in my own state while traveling one day. For my inexperience in radio other than as a listener, I believe part of the problem is that there is no good, solid mentoring. In such a business that requires apprenticing mentoring matters. I will not name the station, because what I heard that day was so bad that I cannot justify even bad publicity. Suffice it to say that listeners may get more frustrated than professionals. :-X
 
WQRK used to be a tight sounding station in the 1970's. One station that ran the FBQ format pre Album. I could always count on some good music and at that time no jocks to speak of. The Am was live.

Odd isn't it that then AM stations sounded great and had jocks and most companies had a "format" on the fm that basically ran with little input and no jocks.

I'm not sure that what we have now is equal, all things considered. Too manys tations, too much to listen to, too many choices, and it all gets lost. Like email now vs 1984.
 
I am amazed that the once-Mighty WQRK has fallen into such a sad state. I am sure that the telecom classes at BNL could do better than what I have heard lately. 2 different days in a row during the 7am hour Andy did a giveaway, to caller # 1. Don't jump out on a limb there and think that more than one person is listening at a time. If I had known that they were considering live mornings, I might have contacted station management.
 
I was once on the air in major markets. I started in in a small town (Danville, IL).
I have done some great shows.
I also did some-that really suck. I hope all tapes of those have been destroyed.

So those of you that have never done a show that sucked, go ahead-line up and pee on these
guys in Bedford.

Before I go, the greatest jocks of all time were humble people who never had big heads.
They don't pee on someone on the air in Bedford Indiana.

So, who are you?
 
you can bet its radio on the CHEAP, you get what you pay for.. don't ask yourself WHY radio is committing suicide.
 
Timewarp said:
I was once on the air in major markets. I started in in a small town (Danville, IL).
I have done some great shows.
I also did some-that really suck. I hope all tapes of those have been destroyed.

So those of you that have never done a show that sucked, go ahead-line up and pee on these
guys in Bedford.

Before I go, the greatest jocks of all time were humble people who never had big heads.
They don't pee on someone on the air in Bedford Indiana.

So, who are you?
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For me (and I think some others on this board), it's not about the jocks. It's about radio management and the fact that they just don't care. There is no mentoring going on. There's no guidance. They put anything on the air just to have something there.

And don't give me the sob story about not having any money. It's not that hard with today's technology to put good programming on the air. And if you can't afford to run a radio station the right way, then get out of the business.

And people wonder why radio is struggling and has been for several years. There's very little that is compelling on the radio to listen to. No more appointment listening. I remember when I was younger, I couldn't wait to get to a radio so I could listen to my favorite jock, show, etc.
 
There are several examples of what one would call 'bad' radio. WSLM in Salem,IN and WSGS in Hazard,KY come to mind. Neither are on the bird & neither have what one would call great jocks. Many, myself not included, would rate them as awful. But both make money & have live jocks. As for me, I'll take "bad" live radio over "good" satellite radio anytime.
 
BobOnTheJob said:
There are several examples of what one would call 'bad' radio. WSLM in Salem,IN and WSGS in Hazard,KY come
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And you gotta love Texas Ed on WSLM...No where else will you hear someone pray for a lost dog, and his wife picks out the gospel tunes that he plays on the air every afternoon...this guy rocks! Thank God those bandaids are staying in place on the console!
 
When I was in high school, I was a devoted listener of WDJX in Louisville. I went to Communications Institute in the fall of 1987. When I was in school there were 2 things I said I would never do...I would never be a country DJ, (now my favorite format of course) and never work at WSLM in Salem. When my car died and I couldn't finish the 6 month course at CI, I called school president Chris Phillips and he told me "they might need someone in Salem." During my first on air job at WSLM AM/FM I worked with Les Arms who was doing mornings and had experience at W4 Detroit, Madison WI, and all over the AOR rock dial and is now mornings at the new WAKY in the Louisville market. Also while I was there, another jock and I asked owner Don Martin why he didn't program rock and roll, he said it wouldn't sell anymore. In the summer of 1988, Troy Mobley and yours truly sold time, programmed overnights and Saturday nights, and became the sensations of Washington County. We were guys, both 19, with 50,000 watts behind us, playing basically whatever we wanted to. It was some of the most fun I had in my 11 years of radio until I got to be "Fuzzy Phillips" at 104.5 the Bear in Indy.

I know that back when I started radio, I was raw and very unpolished. The sad thing is, there isn't anyone with experience at all to help the current staff at Ad-Venture Media to make any forward progresss.\

I also wonder why WPHZ 102.5 city of license was changed from Mitchell to Orleans, but yet still carries all the Mitchell boys and girls basketball, and Mitchell Football. If I were a resident of Orleans, I would wonder why the radio station licensed to my city would be carrying sports from the next school north.
 
BobOnTheJob said:
There are several examples of what one would call 'bad' radio. WSLM in Salem,IN and WSGS in Hazard,KY come to mind. Neither are on the bird & neither have what one would call great jocks. Many, myself not included, would rate them as awful. But both make money & have live jocks. As for me, I'll take "bad" live radio over "good" satellite radio anytime.
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Sad thing is (my guess ???) is that WSLM has more listeners than WQRK.

Question? Why does the FCC turn a blind eye to WSLM-FM leaving their transmitter on with a dead carrier all night long and no IDs? What a waste.
 
The commission probably doesn't issue fines for issues it doesn't know about.
 
Radio IS "committing suicide" – in large AND SMALL markets... I’m a vet with the best possible pedigree, and I am amazed [and disgusted] with the “conduct” of this “business”. WQRK and Angola’s WLKI were small market standouts... So one is down and one still remains... I fear the day I’ll be traveling the Indiana Toll Road and am less-than-impressed with “FM’s Best” at 100.3 – ‘hope that never happens and doubt that it will under current ownership! I still find an occasional “good station”—nearly-always LOCALLY OWNED and operated... That speaks volumes to me, and I respect the owners that pursue that. Please promise me: NO bailouts for irresponsible and patently-mismanaged “corporate radio”!!!
 
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