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What's REALLY going on at WPRO???

I

IamAllEars

Guest
Now we begin "The 63 Days of Dave."

But, as you're about to read, it's NOT just about Dave Barber.
And as you'll quickly surmise, I am NOT Dave.

We're out-of-the-gate with a doozy.
Grab the arm rest.
You read it first here.

PREDICTION: When Dave Barber goes on vacation, his fill-in host will be long-ago WPRO DJ and long-time Barber co-conspirator Holland Cook, the behind-the-scenes consultant who masterminded Smilin' Dave's WPRO hire.

HOW confident am I in this prediction?

Barber just arrived, so he's not likely to take vacation real soon.
But it's likely he'll take SOME time in calendar year 2006.
If this prediction does NOT come true, in 2006, I will leave radio-info.com FOREVER.
I am THAT confident...for the record.

The back-story on Cook:
He hung up the earphones in 2000.
His last on-air gig was in Washington DC.
But he's best known as WPRO's night time DJ in the 70s.
Another poster found this: http://members.aol.com/cookeh/WPRO77.html
Yup, music on AM. Bigger ratings than FM in those days.

Now, Cook coaches Talk radio talent, across the USA.
(Obviously, Barber is the teacher's pet.)

And he consults station owners and managers.
SOME television, mostly radio.
Often the work is verrrrrrrrry under-the-radar.
Very hush-hush. Trench coat and Groucho glasses.
"Strolling through the crowd like Peter Lorre contemplating a crime."

If you attend the radio industry conventions that Cook haunts, you've heard him speaking about podcasting a lot lately...to overflow crowds. I note at http://www.nab.org/conventions/ that he'll be pontificating to broadcasters from all-over-the-world ("todo del mundo") in Las Vegas later this month.

BUT GET THIS:
Has Cook, himself, ever DONE a podcast?
There is NO evidence that he has.
Typical consultant.
"Those who can't do, teach."

("Those who can't teach, teach gym." Woody Allen)

Until Barber showed up at WPRO, Cook seemed uninvolved with any Providence stations...lending creedence to the old expert-from-afar gag that "If the consultant's airplane ticket was expensive, he MUST be valuable."

BUT THIS IS SERIOUS.
Take it a-step-further.
You remember what happened to Barber after HE filled-in on WPRO?
Job.

WILL Cook end up returning to full time on-air work at WPRO?
And if so, WHEN? What time of day? "Daypart," in radio-speak.
Is Clear Channel FINALLY about to move its Rush Limbaugh Show to its WHJJ?

And what ever became of WPRO-AM deejay Brother Bill Goodman?
Relentlessly cheerful and genuinely friendly, he was a real "communicator."
He and Cook were like Starsky & Hutch in WPRO's music heyday.
Bro. Bill was MISTER weekends on Rhode Island radio.
He ended up on the radio in Las Vegas a few years back.
That deep, mellow voice, and familiar RI accent, wafting through the desert at night.
More recently, he moved back to Rhody.
How might "The Brother" figure-into WPRO's next golden era?

If none of the names in the paragraph above are familiar, it's past your bed time.

==================================================

Tomorrow, on Day 2 of The 63 Days of Dave: "Round up the usual suspects."

==================================================

QUOTE OF THE DAY -- WHO said this?

"Michigan seems like a dream to me now. It took me four days to hitch-hike from Saginaw."

If you guessed...DAVE...you would be (in the words of ex-WPRO afternoon host King Arthur Knight) "WRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRONG!"

Actually, nobody SAID these words.
They were sung.
By Simon & Garfunkel, "They've all come to look for America."

==================================================

"AND NOW, LET'S GO TO THE TOTEBOARD!"
I have volunteered to scribe predictions for the radio ratings now being taken.
As of Day 1 of The 63 Days of Dave, here's what's been ventured so far...

kenwood
Posted on: 04/12/06
>> Barber one decent book. down hill from there. Curiousity factor.

coolidge
Posted on: 04/12/06
>> Depetro's ratings in RI on WRKO go up in the next book.

coolidge
Posted on: 04/12/06
>> If WHJJ's management were not so completely incompetent they would bring in Glenn Beck or hire Matt Allen away from WPRO. Barber would not last long under those circumstances.

radioaddict1
Posted on: 04/13/06
>> [Dan Yorke] will kick [Dave Barber's] butt in the ratings.

==================================================

AM radio: "It...is...ALIVE!"
 
Maybe you're wrong?

> Now we begin "The 63 Days of Dave."
>
>Hi. Jill here,
I guess you enjoy writting!Well!
You maybe wrong because Rhode Islanders love Local Hosts.
I do know since the 90s ,ratings are way down in AM talk.
Why is 'coach' Holland unable to turn this trend??
Well anyway, Holland Cooke and all his buddies meddled
with new local talent being given a chance. (Mat Allen)
I guess time will tell!
Welcome , Jill



>
 
> And what ever became of WPRO-AM deejay Brother Bill Goodman?
>
> Relentlessly cheerful and genuinely friendly, he was a real
> "communicator."
> He and Cook were like Starsky & Hutch in WPRO's music
> heyday.
> Bro. Bill was MISTER weekends on Rhode Island radio.
> He ended up on the radio in Las Vegas a few years back.
> That deep, mellow voice, and familiar RI accent, wafting
> through the desert at night.
> More recently, he moved back to Rhody.
> How might "The Brother" figure-into WPRO's next golden era?
>
> If none of the names in the paragraph above are familiar,
> it's past your bed time.

Here's Brother Bill's website: http://www.billygoodman.net/
440.com has nothing more recent than WARA in Attleboro but there's a FLASH that he's consulting in the Providence area
Regardless of being about talk radio this is becoming a who's who of Providence 70s/80s music radio
And how many consultants can one station have?
 
THANKS for the update on Brother Bill!

> Here's Brother Bill's website: http://www.billygoodman.net/

WPRO ought to at least have him and HC and Jimmy Gray back for a blast-from-the-past weekend. Old jingles, reverb, and The Three Degrees singing "When Will I See You Again?"

WPRO had "a sound" back then.
It made the radio more than just a little box.
The DJs were all such CHARACTERS.
 
WPRO will not be the #1 station

This time next year (or sooner) WHJJ will be atop the arbitrons when it comes to news stations in RI. If you look at the last quarter, they were up in every breakdown and Arlene is the most listened to Talk Radio afternoon host.

Without the big numbers from the Red Sox, WPRO will suffer. Now that Air America is a thing of the past at WHJJ, Glovers HUGE success, the sky is the limit for 920.

WPRO may own this message board, but WHJJ will own the airwaves very soon.

Who is this Barber guy, though? :)
 
Re: WPRO will not be the #1 station

> This time next year (or sooner) WHJJ will be atop the
> arbitrons when it comes to news stations in RI. If you look
> at the last quarter, they were up in every breakdown and
> Arlene is the most listened to Talk Radio afternoon host.
>
> Without the big numbers from the Red Sox, WPRO will suffer.
> Now that Air America is a thing of the past at WHJJ, Glovers
> HUGE success, the sky is the limit for 920.
>
> WPRO may own this message board, but WHJJ will own the
> airwaves very soon.
>
> Who is this Barber guy, though? :)
>
>>You may be right.
WPRO watched WHJJ kill themsleves last year and WPRO learned nothing..
What a clueless person Haynes is to listen to a has been like
Holand Cook!
As for Brother Bill, he went KoK Koo about 10 years ago.
He makes Alex Jones sound main stream..
A 3rd AM Talk station with smart ,in state talent could make
some money...
Fallriveractive.
 
Speaking of WPRO...Raina Smith

I'm still trying to figure out what Raina Smith's job is there. I know she's on the WPRO Morning News with Ron Saint Pierre...but she barely speaks. I listened to some of the morning newscast between 6:20 and 7:00 this past Monday morning...and Raina couldn't have said more then ten words in that 40 minutes. Is she supposed to be Ron's co-anchor, co-host, etc? I just don't understand what she's supposed to be doing on Ron's show. As the news anchor, Bill Haberman contributes more to the show than Raina does..and I would assume she's supposed to be Ron's "sidekick" so to speak. Also, there is no mention of Raina Smith on WPRO's website either in any of the staff bios.

Also, when did WPRO become "News Talk 630 WPRO?" When did they drop the "Newsradio" name?
 
GREAT predictions!

How HERE'S the kind of prognosticating we're lookin' for!

>> This time next year (or sooner) WHJJ will be atop the arbitrons when it comes to news stations in RI. If you look at the last quarter, they were up in every breakdown and Arlene is the most listened to Talk Radio afternoon host.

No question about it: Afternoons are WHJJ's beachfront real estate.

>> Without the big numbers from the Red Sox, WPRO will suffer.

LOGICALLY, you-are-correct. But something illogical tends to happen...at least for a year or so after a station loses baseball: they continue to have a phantom baseball audience. Why? Arbitron sample THINKS they're listening to the old station. Habits die hard. Don't believe me? Stop 10 people at the mall and ask 'em which radio station has the Saux games.

Watch for this in St. Louis, where 2006 is the first year EVER that the Cards are NOT on mighty KMOX. To-this-day, WJR/Detroit still has "good night numbers in the summer book," although they lost the Tigers years ago.

>> Now that Air America is a thing of the past at WHJJ, Glovers HUGE success, the sky is the limit for 920.

True: Most hours, WHJJ has nowhere to go but up.

NOTE: 920 still has SOME Air America programming, in other hours.

But Helen sure is an opportunity. Hopefully, WHJJ won't blow it, by replacing her with Rush. Limbaugh is old. Helen is new. And she's local. And SHE'S A SHE, and that's a big plus. Talk radio can't just remain a guy thing. Women-with-something-to-say as-dynamically-as-Helen-preached-it-out-yesterday on the Duke Lacrosse story WILL find audience.

THANKS for these predictions, which are now on the list.
 
RE "WPRO learned nothing..."

>> WPRO watched WHJJ kill themsleves last year and WPRO learned nothing...

Time will tell, eh?
Thus the delicious fun of ratings predictions.

>> What a clueless person Haynes is to listen to a has been like Holand Cook! As for Brother Bill, he went KoK Koo about 10 years ago.

You say that like it's a negative! :)

Golden Age "Pro Personalities" like Goodman were iconic. Not the Central Casting me-too talkers who all blend into the blah blah blah of why-Bush-is-right-and-Clinton-STILL-sucks that is much of Talk radio today. That's what makes new voices like Helen Glover and Dave Barber so refreshing.

About that "has-been" you mention:
How many who post here "has-been" ANYWHERE?
Other than Fall River, I mean.
 
RE: When did WPRO become "News Talk 630 WPRO?"

Within the last month.

>> there is no mention of Raina Smith on WPRO's website either in any of the staff bios.

Radio stations EVERYWHERE are notoriously slow to update their web sites.

>> As the news anchor, Bill Haberman contributes more to the show than Raina does.

Not surprisingly, news gets LOTS of airtime on a morning show on a News/Talk station...and Haberman is THE BEST. Possibly the least-BORING news voice on radio today...anywhere. And, as Johnny Cash sang, "I've been everywhere, man..."
 
RE: WPRO will not be the #1 station

Good point.
There's a technicality at stake here.
Isn't Lite105 #1?

To be clear: ALL ratings predictions are welcomed, and will be noted for eventual comparison with ratings results.

But seemingly of most interest to THIS surly crowd is how WPRO/WHJJ will compare, hour-by-hour, weekdays 6AM-7PM.
 
Thanks for remembering!

Someone just emailed me about this.
What a hoot.
I was wondering why my server has been so busy lately.

Thanks for remembering!
And where IS Brother Bill?

My 3 favorite WPRO memories:

1. The hot air balloon. We took off from North Providence, and 45 minutes later we crash-landed in someone's back yard in Seekonk. Their dog went crazy. I was live on Salty's show, via 2-way radio. When we were 500 feet above the RI state house, Salty asked, "HOLLAND, LOOK DOWN AND TELL ME WHAT YOU SEE!" I told him "SOMETHING VERY FEW PEOPLE HAVE, THE TOP OF INDEPENDENT MAN'S HEAD!" And Salty laughed-that-laugh we remember so fondly.

2. The Great Blizzard of '78. WPRO's station manager Dick Rakovan had a shower installed at the station IMMEDIATELY after. With 30+ of us trapped in the building overnight, the need was clear. I was on the air 6 hours a night that week. It was uncanny how much WPRO mattered to people that week.

3. The Flume at Rocky Point. One year, on WPRO Day there, I was supposed to ride the Flume until I broke the record, which then was 101 consecutive rides. SPLASH! But I quit after 63. And it was my fault. I should've used the rest room before I started. All that SPLASH! was too much "power of suggestion."

As for the suggestion down below that WPRO should gather up we remaining geezers for an on-air reunion, I'm in! And we've got to find Jimmy Gray, whom I still consider the funniest man on radio (even though I don't think he's on radio any more).

Scanning other posts on this site, I get the impression that the Barber Busters outnumber the Barber Boosters. And you know which team I'm on. But I also like Helen Glover's show. If I ran WHJJ, I'd put her on against Rush Limbaugh. But WHJJ could do the opposite. In several other markets where I'm working (Omaha NE, Wilmington DE, and somewhere else I can't remember this early in the morning), Clear Channel bought the station that competes with my client station and yanked Rush from our station. I'm surprised that hasn't happened here yet. Yet.

HAPPY EASTER.
Here comes another great Summer, in The Great Ocean State.

HC
www.HollandCooke.com

PS: It's "Cooke" with an "e;" but I've become so accustomed to "Cook" that I registered both domain names!

PPS: Ditto also to several other posters' kudos for WPRO's Bill Haberman, whom I recently met. I've actually used his work to demonstrate to newscasters elswhere how to do newscasts that listeners really "hear."
 
Holland Cooke,WHAT A SURPRISE!!!!!

> Someone just emailed me about this.
> What a hoot.
> I was wondering why my server has been so busy lately.
>
> Thanks for remembering!
> And where IS Brother Bill?
>
> My 3 favorite WPRO memories:
>
> 1. The hot air balloon. We took off from North Providence,
> and 45 minutes later we crash-landed in someone's back yard
> in Seekonk. Their dog went crazy. I was live on Salty's
> show, via 2-way radio. When we were 500 feet above the RI
> state house, Salty asked, "HOLLAND, LOOK DOWN AND TELL ME
> WHAT YOU SEE!" I told him "SOMETHING VERY FEW PEOPLE HAVE,
> THE TOP OF INDEPENDENT MAN'S HEAD!" And Salty
> laughed-that-laugh we remember so fondly.
>
> 2. The Great Blizzard of '78. WPRO's station manager Dick
> Rakovan had a shower installed at the station IMMEDIATELY
> after. With 30+ of us trapped in the building overnight,
> the need was clear. I was on the air 6 hours a night that
> week. It was uncanny how much WPRO mattered to people that
> week.
>
> 3. The Flume at Rocky Point. One year, on WPRO Day there,
> I was supposed to ride the Flume until I broke the record,
> which then was 101 consecutive rides. SPLASH! But I quit
> after 63. And it was my fault. I should've used the rest
> room before I started. All that SPLASH! was too much "power
> of suggestion."
>
> As for the suggestion down below that WPRO should gather up
> we remaining geezers for an on-air reunion, I'm in! And
> we've got to find Jimmy Gray, whom I still consider the
> funniest man on radio (even though I don't think he's on
> radio any more).
>
> Scanning other posts on this site, I get the impression that
> the Barber Busters outnumber the Barber Boosters. And you
> know which team I'm on. But I also like Helen Glover's
> show. If I ran WHJJ, I'd put her on against Rush Limbaugh.
> But WHJJ could do the opposite. In several other markets
> where I'm working (Omaha NE, Wilmington DE, and somewhere
> else I can't remember this early in the morning), Clear
> Channel bought the station that competes with my client
> station and yanked Rush from our station. I'm surprised
> that hasn't happened here yet. Yet.
>
> HAPPY EASTER.
> Here comes another great Summer, in The Great Ocean State.
>
> HC
> www.HollandCooke.com
>
> PS: It's "Cooke" with an "e;" but I've become so accustomed
> to "Cook" that I registered both domain names!
>
> PPS: Ditto also to several other posters' kudos for WPRO's
> Bill Haberman, whom I recently met. I've actually used his
> work to demonstrate to newscasters elswhere how to do
> newscasts that listeners really "hear."
>
Holland ,You just HAPPENED to get an e- mail??????
Ok, sure, ,,,,, Everything you guys do is orchestrated.
You`re so full of crap . You got LUCKY Holland
You stick your nose in things you know little about
and you REALLY screwed up this one.
 
>> You`re so full of crap

And a happy, holy Easter to you too.

>> You just HAPPENED to get an e- mail?????? Ok, sure

Since you axed, it was a chum at one of the stations in Springfield. They don't have a radio-info.com page, but he tells me he occasionally checks this one. "Tough crowd," I cautioned him.

It was at moments like this that Jimmy Gray would crack up the whole room by deadpanning in his super-deep voice "Uh, Holland. You've made quite an impression on the market."

Kinder gentler times.
 
Re: >> You`re so full of crap

> And a happy, holy Easter to you too.
>
> >> You just HAPPENED to get an e- mail?????? Ok, sure
>
> Since you axed, it was a chum at one of the stations in
> Springfield. They don't have a radio-info.com page, but he
> tells me he occasionally checks this one.

Well, I'm certainly convinced.

I guess the identical semi-coherent writing style, the need to rename the thread every time you post, and the fact that "IamAllEars" chose to link to a file on an AOL site owned by one Holland Cooke in his post this morning means you are by no means the same person.
 
Re: >> You`re so full of crap

> > And a happy, holy Easter to you too.
> >
> > >> You just HAPPENED to get an e- mail?????? Ok, sure
> >
> > Since you axed, it was a chum at one of the stations in
> > Springfield. They don't have a radio-info.com page, but
> he
> > tells me he occasionally checks this one.
>
> Well, I'm certainly convinced.
>
> I guess the identical semi-coherent writing style, the need
> to rename the thread every time you post, and the fact that
> "IamAllEars" chose to link to a file on an AOL site owned by
> one Holland Cooke in his post this morning means you are by
> no means the same person.
>
Coolidge,
Bingo!!
I was talking to this fool ,only to trap him.
One thing, he must know one of the Moderators, because he is able
to change his posts with out it saying he has.
Good work Coolidge!!
This is the garbage that infests radio....
 
It's so pathetic!

What does it say about Dave Barber that his friend is this amateur?
If Dave is the real deal shouldn't that be self evident?
For his friend to come here and make a fool of himself by these lame and endess Dave Barber threads is quite low rent and amateur.
I can see what Holland and Dave have in common.
Embarrassing!
 
BREAKTHROUGH!

Oh, you'll doubt this NOW.

But tomorrow, Day Three, when I play back what JUST happened, JUST TONIGHT, even you rude snipers, y'all-who'll-never-SEE-the-inside-of-a-radio-station -- WILL -- repeat, WILL -- at-least be intrigued.

If I'm lyin,' I'm dyin.'
 
This should stop.

> Oh, you'll doubt this NOW.
>
> But tomorrow, Day Three, when I play back what JUST
> happened, JUST TONIGHT, even you rude snipers,
> y'all-who'll-never-SEE-the-inside-of-a-radio-station --
> WILL -- repeat, WILL -- at-least be intrigued.
>
> If I'm lyin,' I'm dyin.'
>
Uh, whoever you are, you're pretty weird.
I think also angry.
I don't think it's a good idea for anyone to post
back to you anymore. Just my opinion.
 
RE: This should stop.

AMEN!

>> Uh, whoever you are, you're pretty weird.

Wait a minute.
I think I recognize that "uh."
But no matter WHO you are, I AGREE!

>> I think also angry.

Moi? Even thought that seems to be the norm around here, a quick review of my posts would demonstrate my offerings to be more-on-point regarding the craft of radio itself, than snipes from the serial soreheads.

>> I don't think it's a good idea for anyone to post back to you anymore.

THAT would be an improvement! Yet I will remain curious as to why other posters SO opinionated about certain radio programs remain SO reluctant to venture specific predictions as to how they'll score in the ratings.

But, to YOUR point, today's 63 Days of Dave message, in the spirit of Easter, is, simply, "Pax Vobiscum."
 
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