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What's up with WRR?

G

grantchester

What's up with WRR? It sounds like the top end is gone... everything above 10k.
At first I thought my ears were full of wax. Then I flipped over to 88.7 KUHF Houston which runs the same overnight satellite feed, and they sounded sharp as ever. Is this an IBOC issue, or are they just trying to kill the station one step at a time?
There's nothing like having an impending sale or deal to screw with sales and hiring... remember back in '02, how they drifted for a year as the city considered a sale?
g
 
And in HD, they sound even worse!!!! Turn the pre-emphasis OFF!!!!
 
We've just resolved some nagging engineering problems in the last few hours. I'd love for people on this board to give it another fresh listen and let us know what you think about the sound.

Response for HD should now be smooth (it would have sounded tinny over the weekend). Terrestrial analog is simply using Bob Orban's 2-band classical setting in the 8400. It should also sound better than previous days.

Kurt Rongey
Operations and Programming Manager
[email protected]
 
Just goes to show you who is reading this board. How mant times have you heard from the know it alls that people on radio boards are idiots and they never read it. Suuure ;)
 
I listened this morning, and thrilled to the full fidelity and dynamic range of the Bach organ piece playing about 8:20. Then, the next piece, Strauss waltzes from Nevill Mariner and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields sounded muddy.
Maybe it was just the recording. I'll listen some more.

I have been a regular listener to WRR, and enjoy the air sound. It has always been free of the harsh compression and false brightness of most commercial FM stations. The musical selections offer a nice compromise between commercial familiarity and challenging obscurity. The live broadcast of Beethoven's 9th last year brought tears to my eyes [even if the quartet was a little sloppy].

I counted Michael Spears as a friend, but the uncertainty [while a deal was shopped for the frequency] a few years ago did lasting damage to the station and its' revenues. WRR is unique, as a city owned station and as a commercial classical station. It should be allowed to thrive on its' own terms, and not be a political football.

To all of you who work at and with WRR, please keep the faith and know your efforts are appreciated. Good luck to you, Kurt. Thanks for the reply.
g
 
Amen to that. Kurt,whatever you do,DO NOT negotiate with KVTT to swap freq. For a Christian station, they can can not be trusted.
 
Sounds like the swap would be a good deal. City of Dallas gets a comparable signal and big bucks. As I understand, the average top 10 market non-commercial classical station outbills WRR's billings as a commercial station.
You could question whether a city should own a radio station, but if it's going to own one it makes more sense for it to be non-commercial and for the city to have around 50 mil in it's bank account. Some of that money would be used to help out the station during the transitional period, and the rest would be used to support the arts in Dallas.
 
Amen to that. Kurt,whatever you do,DO NOT negotiate with KVTT to swap freq. For a Christian station, they can can not be trusted.
What's this supposed to mean?
 
Ron Evans. He's in charge of KVTT. He is questionable and if WRR negotiates with KVTT,they will NOT get a fair deal. Look into the split between KVTT and "Power Fm" deeply. WRR needs t osatay as it is. It appearently has been working for the better half of a century.
 
Eye Lipson said:
Sounds like the swap would be a good deal. City of Dallas gets a comparable signal and big bucks. As I understand, the average top 10 market non-commercial classical station outbills WRR's billings as a commercial station.
You could question whether a city should own a radio station, but if it's going to own one it makes more sense for it to be non-commercial and for the city to have around 50 mil in it's bank account. Some of that money would be used to help out the station during the transitional period, and the rest would be used to support the arts in Dallas.
Click to expand...

What do they bill a year? Most stations with WRR's ratings can generate enough billing that makes a 50 million dollar swap sound uninteresting. Wouldnt a swap decrease emphasis on ratings and quality if there is less emphasis on revenue?
 
Eye Lipson said:
Some of that money would be used to help out the station during the transitional period, and the rest would be used to support the arts in Dallas.
Click to expand...

Call me a skeptic, but I'll bet that very little of the money would actually go to WRR or the arts. If Dallas is running at a deficit like it used to, I'll bet the money just goes to its creditors or to fund some other project that may or may not be in the public interest.
 
It seems that it's the folks who don't know the proposal who are the first to line up and say "don't change WRR!"

KVTT's signal is comparable...City woulod get tens of millions for an Arts Endowment Fund....and the "new" WRR can operate as a non-commercial station...and truly become the Dallas Station of the Arts...doesn't even have to ask for listener contributions, etc.,....can exists on less that half the interest generated by the Endowment.
 
and yes, full disclosure, I'm a retired broadcaster who is the business advisor to Salem Broadcasting who is proposing this swap with the City.
 
Re: What's up with WRR?- Here are the numbers

WRR bills only about 4 million a year.
The average billing for NON-Commercial stations in the top 20 markets is 6.3 million.
 
Again Ron and KVTT can not be trusted. Salem likewise. Anderson there is comparable to Ron at KVTT. Seek another trade with someone else if you insist,but 91.7 ain't it.
 
Marty Greenberg said:
It seems that it's the folks who don't know the proposal who are the first to line up and say "don't change WRR!"

KVTT's signal is comparable...City woulod get tens of millions for an Arts Endowment Fund....and the "new" WRR can operate as a non-commercial station...and truly become the Dallas Station of the Arts...doesn't even have to ask for listener contributions, etc.,....can exists on less that half the interest generated by the Endowment.
Click to expand...

Mr. Greenberg is absolutely correct with his brief synopsis of why this should be a "no-brainer" for the City of Dallas. He is also too modest in indentifying himself simply as a "retired broadcaster". He is very highly regarded at the highest levels ofthe broadcasting community for both his integrity and his insight into DFW and other major markets.
 
In other words a "consultant". We have seen what Consultants have done to local listenership in many markets. Common Sense should pass on this.
 
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