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When did WGOC dump Classic Country?
- Thread starter eacalhoun
- Start date
I think the market needs both a real all-sports station (all automation on 980 AM ain't cuttin' it) AND a classic country station, so the demise of WGOC is disapointing.
I was told the switch was predicated in large part because the audience for classic country had gotten so old, it was no longer profitable to keep the format on its frequency.
Combine that with what happened with Tom Taylor, who lasted for about a week as a sports talk show host, then moved to become a morning host on WGOC, then went to the Hills on one of their AM outlets. WGOC was still able to get respectible ratings on 1320 (1.0 or so), but when Taylor left, that essentially did it for the station.
The other thing is WXSM. While sports radio stations rarely get huge ratings, they tend to do well sales-wise because they can deliver a male demographic. Unfortunately, the people at Citadel don't seem to understand selling a sports radio station. They've had a number of out and out BAD sales ideas- such as the Crabtree Buick ads sung to "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," or "Ladies Days Wednesdays"- which would be akin to WGOC having a "Teenager Tuesday."
Now, I don't know. WXSM might be booking tons of money. But the programming isn't what it could be. Examples-
A- They insist on having a local morning show instead of airing "Mike and Mike" and pre-emptiing Colin Cowherd, who simply doesn't fit in with the market, for a local show.
B- The local morning show has already gone through three different hosts in just two years on the air- Taylor, Don Helman, and Joe Avento.
C- When a host needs a day off, they don't call for a pinch-hitter. They instead have Bill Meade or Bobby Rader pull double duty.
D- The hosts are largely apologists for the subjects they cover- Vols, ETSU, high schools, etc. When it became apparent that Phil Fulmer had to go last year, WXSM was still defending him as if it was 1998.
E- There's too much emphasis on national topics and not enough on local ones. ESPN radio already covers the national stuff and does it better than a station based in Johnson City ever could. Yet where is the coverage of local sports issues? Hot button topics with journalistic responsibility include the Science Hill stadium issue, if high school football season begins too early in light of the tragedy with Sullivan South, or reviving football at ETSU. Yet these topics are avoided, while we hear over and over how Bud Selig is a poor commissioner and college football needs a playoff.
Again, the market needs a sports station and classic country. My suggestion is to kill the woefully underperforming WKOS, move WXSM there, and bring back classic country on 640.
Plan B would be to hire some real sales people that understand sports radio and its demographics and don't worry about selling to beer, gentleman's clubs, and touts, and for another station to change to a country format but inerject classic tunes into the rotation to take on WXBQ, which prides itself on finding the next big acts out of Nashville and less with days of yore.
I was told the switch was predicated in large part because the audience for classic country had gotten so old, it was no longer profitable to keep the format on its frequency.
Combine that with what happened with Tom Taylor, who lasted for about a week as a sports talk show host, then moved to become a morning host on WGOC, then went to the Hills on one of their AM outlets. WGOC was still able to get respectible ratings on 1320 (1.0 or so), but when Taylor left, that essentially did it for the station.
The other thing is WXSM. While sports radio stations rarely get huge ratings, they tend to do well sales-wise because they can deliver a male demographic. Unfortunately, the people at Citadel don't seem to understand selling a sports radio station. They've had a number of out and out BAD sales ideas- such as the Crabtree Buick ads sung to "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," or "Ladies Days Wednesdays"- which would be akin to WGOC having a "Teenager Tuesday."
Now, I don't know. WXSM might be booking tons of money. But the programming isn't what it could be. Examples-
A- They insist on having a local morning show instead of airing "Mike and Mike" and pre-emptiing Colin Cowherd, who simply doesn't fit in with the market, for a local show.
B- The local morning show has already gone through three different hosts in just two years on the air- Taylor, Don Helman, and Joe Avento.
C- When a host needs a day off, they don't call for a pinch-hitter. They instead have Bill Meade or Bobby Rader pull double duty.
D- The hosts are largely apologists for the subjects they cover- Vols, ETSU, high schools, etc. When it became apparent that Phil Fulmer had to go last year, WXSM was still defending him as if it was 1998.
E- There's too much emphasis on national topics and not enough on local ones. ESPN radio already covers the national stuff and does it better than a station based in Johnson City ever could. Yet where is the coverage of local sports issues? Hot button topics with journalistic responsibility include the Science Hill stadium issue, if high school football season begins too early in light of the tragedy with Sullivan South, or reviving football at ETSU. Yet these topics are avoided, while we hear over and over how Bud Selig is a poor commissioner and college football needs a playoff.
Again, the market needs a sports station and classic country. My suggestion is to kill the woefully underperforming WKOS, move WXSM there, and bring back classic country on 640.
Plan B would be to hire some real sales people that understand sports radio and its demographics and don't worry about selling to beer, gentleman's clubs, and touts, and for another station to change to a country format but inerject classic tunes into the rotation to take on WXBQ, which prides itself on finding the next big acts out of Nashville and less with days of yore.
Pratte4Life said:Again, the market needs a sports station and classic country. My suggestion is to kill the woefully underperforming WKOS, move WXSM there, and bring back classic country on 640.
While I live out of the area, I'd love nothing more than to see classic country WGOC back on 640. But, I think it would be too little too late. My sensible side tells me it would be a long hard road to get back that old WGOC feel and audience. When a great format and/or heritage format is killed on AM, I believe it's tough to re-claim that same old charm. The audience has been alienated. Plus, is it not likely that the old WGOC audience -- and those who tried listening to the inferior 1320 signal -- have moved to 104.3 WEYE? I have heard WEYE very little, so I don't know how it's flavor of classic country compares to WGOC's. Bottom line...WGOC 640 should have been left alone in 2007.
WGOC lost what it ever was when Citadel bought it. I worked there back in the 90's. It lost its luster at the turn of the 21st. RIP WGOC!
M
Mid West Clubber
Guest
Why not put country classics on 96.7????
M
Mid West Clubber
Guest
a weak country rimshot..... why does knox need 3 country stations, we already have 2 on fm.
TennStud said:What the hell is 96.7???
I guess "Merle FM" in Knoxville is the 96.7 being referenced.
- Status
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