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WHLD-AM Buffalo Switching to Air America

Due to updated information, I zapped the content of this message (which relied on transposed call letters reflecting the wrong station). Keep reading the thread for more on AAR coming to Buffalo.<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by Phillip Dampier on 12/04/05 08:14 AM.</FONT></P>
 
Re: WHDL-AM Olean Switching to Air America

> WHDL-AM (1270) Olean has reportedly inked a deal with Air
> America to switch to the progressive talk format effective
> February 2006.
>
> I am surprised they call WHDL part of the "Buffalo" market,
> considering the 1,000 watt non-directional station's
> suggested coverage map doesn't even hit Lackawanna and East
> Aurora with its "fringe" reception zone. Is it even audible
> in Buffalo?
>
> It looks like saying AAR is coming to Bradford, PA or the
> southern tier of NY would be more accurate than saying AAR
> is coming to Buffalo.
>
<font face="times new roman" size="3" color="330066">
OK... now I'm cofused (which might not surprise some people.) Is it W-H-<u>D</u>-L or W-H-<u>L</u>-D. WHDL is in fact, 1kW on 1450, owned by Backyard Broadcasting. WHLD is 5kW-D/1kW-N on 1270, owned by Citadel.

Source?

WH<u>D</u>L 1450 is not audible in Buffalo or its near southtowns suburbs. WH<u>L</u>D 1270 on the other hand has a pretty decent daytime signal and a marginally acceptable night signal in some areas.

It's difficult to believe Citadel would go AAR with WH<u>L</u>D because the station is a cash cow, doing brokered programming. One thing's for certain, Entercom's WBEN 930 doesn't have much to worry about in either case, although if WH<u>L</u>D goes AAR, it could make things interesting on this board.</font>
 
Correction: WHLD - not - WHDL

> OK... now I'm cofused (which might not surprise some
> people.) Is it W-H-D-L or W-H-L-D. WHDL is in fact, 1kW on
> 1450, owned by Backyard Broadcasting. WHLD is 5kW-D/1kW-N on
> 1270, owned by Citadel.

Ahh... now I see what's going on. The News-Talk forum poster transposed the letters. I went to AAR's website and see we're talking about WHLD-AM, not WHDL... darn Olean station with similar calls!

So now we ARE in Buffalo proper. It will be WHLD.
 
Is WHLD/1270 Becoming A Libtalker?

> So now we ARE in Buffalo proper. It will be WHLD.

I'm not saying it's a HUGE surprise, but it's interesting.

As I noted on the News/Talk board, WHLD runs 70's music in between brokered programs. And each time I've had the chance to hear it while in the Buffalo/Niagara region, I've only heard the 70's music. Has their brokered programming gone mostly by the wayside, or am I just listening at times they haven't sold?

WHLD would become one of AAR's better signals, at least daytime at any rate. Of course, since AAR counts anything that remotely runs any programming they may be involved with as an "affiliate", who knows what WHLD is doing? Maybe they're clearing a couple of shows in between the brokered stuff?

-OA<P ID="signature">______________
Ohio Media Watch - <a target="_blank" href=http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com>http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com</a></P>
 
Re: Is WHLD/1270 Becoming A Libtalker?

>
> WHLD would become one of AAR's better signals, at least
> daytime at any rate. Of course, since AAR counts anything
> that remotely runs any programming they may be involved with
> as an "affiliate", who knows what WHLD is doing? Maybe
> they're clearing a couple of shows in between the brokered
> stuff?
>
> -OA
>
It wouldn't be much of a surprise if AAR is filling the gaps between brokered programming on WHLD, so progressives shouldn't get their hopes up. 1270 WHLD is a crazy-quilt of ethnic and brokered programming, from Hispanic to Middle East, seasoned by 70's gold. Quite schizophrenic.

The daytime signal is strong. The nighttime signal is spotty. That's a badass null at 85<sup><font size="1">o</font></sup>.

What's more, it wouldn't be a surprise if AAR is purchasing the time to clear its programming. IMHO, there are only two AAR or AAR-type programs that have any hope in making a dent against WBEN: Randi Rhodes' shrill but entertaining squawk-a-thon and Ed Schultz' reality-based-from-the-working-man show. If nothing else, they offer an alternative to the chickenhawk-tripe-from-highly-paid-middle-aged-white-guys-who-never-served-in-the-military on WBEN.

BTW, the same tripe is very highly rated. WBEN is a good news-talk radio station. It also has no serious, in-band commercial competition. No disrespect to WNED and WBFO. Unless WHLD and AAR are serious about getting a news department (one or two rip 'n readers won't make a difference) and investing in local talent to promote and produce, this battle's already fought and won by WBEN.
 
> Due to updated information, I zapped the content of this
> message (which relied on transposed call letters reflecting
> the wrong station). Keep reading the thread for more on AAR
> coming to Buffalo.

Thanks for the update. All I can say is "Yes!". I don't listen to WHLD much and as others have pointed out, its signal leaves a lot to be desired. Nonetheless, as far as talk radio is concerned (esp. local talk) Buffalo has very little diversity. An alternative to what's being offered will be great. Will "Democracy Now" still maintain a presence on WHLD? It would be a real shame if that show were lost in the shuffle. I'm fortunate enough to see it on satellite TV but others may not have this access. DN is super informative--a real community service.
<P ID="signature">______________
I can't believe I'm sitting here in Buffalo. The only town where you can have a good time without enjoying yourself.
Inez (as portrayed by Amherst, NY native Wendie Malick) "Manna from Heaven", 2002</P>
 
A couple questions for you all

1. Didn't WHLD air some type of liberal talk at one time? I remember seeing a website noting such not too long ago (at www.hldradio.com - since gone). I even linked this station on my website. (on edit: I discovered this site, which shows a listing of left-leaning talk shows, including "Democracy Now". I do recall that WHLD did have somewhat of a 'community' format a while back.

2. Does Citadel still own them?<P ID="signature">______________
The Liberal Talk Radio Update</P><P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by Fighting Irish on 12/04/05 05:47 PM.</FONT></P>
 
Re: Is WHLD/1270 Becoming A Libtalker?

> BTW, the same tripe is very highly rated. WBEN is a good
> news-talk radio station. It also has no serious, in-band
> commercial competition. No disrespect to WNED and WBFO.
> Unless WHLD and AAR are serious about getting a news
> department (one or two rip 'n readers won't make a
> difference) and investing in local talent to promote and
> produce, this battle's already fought and won by WBEN.

I suspect WHLD will be a turnkey talk operation, much like our own Hot Talk/Sports 1280 or Libtalk WROC. CNN news on the hour (I wonder if there is any Clear Channel (or other) owned AAR stations that would DARE to run Fox News at the top of the hour) followed by pre-recorded weather.

WROC means it when they say every hour they are part of the "Entercom marketing results group." That means they exist solely as one of several local outlets for your commercial message to listeners. After they tossed Allan Harris out, there only local show is on the weekends from a local left wing activist (who I'm sure is paid a stipend, if anything, for his show).

You can also tell nobody is home at WROC because of the many technical flubs the station has experienced since it launched the AAR format. It can take an hour for them to be corrected.

As long as the alternative is there, it's a good thing, but WHLD shouldn't kid itself - it will never be a serious threat to a genuine local news/talk operation. In a 20 station market, for example, WHLD may make #14-18. Right now, I suspect WHLD would be #19-20. That's an improvement, and a lot of the low rated sports/business talk/standards AM outlets that make up AAR's roster right now probably signed with the network for similar reasons.
 
WHLD, Brokered Talk, and Local Woman Makes Good

> It wouldn't be much of a surprise if AAR is filling the gaps
> between brokered programming on WHLD, so progressives
> shouldn't get their hopes up. 1270 WHLD is a crazy-quilt of
> ethnic and brokered programming, from Hispanic to Middle
> East, seasoned by 70's gold. Quite schizophrenic.

As I noted, each and every time I've tuned in WHLD while in the region, I've only heard the 70's music. I'm not entirely sure if it was due to the time of day I was tuning in, or just a coincidence, but I don't recall ever hearing any of the above brokered programming.

The reason I brought up this possibility is simple. It's been done here in Northeast Ohio, where Radio One brokered talker WERE/1300 has carried WW1's Bill O'Reilly on their schedule...in a clearance widely presumed locally to be a paid clearance. It would not at all surprise me if AAR would do the same on WHLD...or it could be, as predicted by others, a standard turnkey satellite-fed libtalker.

One note...with the presence of WHLD on AAR's "coming soon" list, I presume Jones Radio is pushing them pretty hard to carry their own shows. In particular, I would not at all be surprised if Lockport native Stephanie Miller finally got on the air in her hometown market...no matter what other shows surround the AAR programming that will air on the station.

-OA<P ID="signature">______________
Ohio Media Watch - <a target="_blank" href=http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com>http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com</a></P>
 
Re: A couple questions for you all

> I do recall that WHLD did have somewhat of a
> 'community' format a while back.

Not being in the market, I can't confirm this 100%, but I do believe the station had a number of left-leaning shows, including a run of Pacifica's "Democracy Now". This was a year or two back. The rest of the station may well have been the mix of brokered talk that airs today.

Oddly enough, they may STILL be running "Democracy Now"...DN's affiliate list still has WHLD on it, running the show 8-9 AM Monday-Friday:

<a target="_blank" href=http://www.democracynow.org/stations.pl?op=fullsearch&broadcast=radio>http://www.democracynow.org/stations.pl?op=fullsearch&broadcast=radio</a>

I don't know how often the list gets updated. It's interesting to see a full-power commercial AM on the list mostly filled with college stations, LPFMs, Part 15 AM stations and even pirates!

> 2. Does Citadel still own them?

Yes.

-OA<P ID="signature">______________
Ohio Media Watch - <a target="_blank" href=http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com>http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com</a></P>
 
Re: A couple questions for you all

> > I do recall that WHLD did have somewhat of a
> > 'community' format a while back.
>
> Not being in the market, I can't confirm this 100%, but I do
> believe the station had a number of left-leaning shows,
> including a run of Pacifica's "Democracy Now". This was a
> year or two back. The rest of the station may well have
> been the mix of brokered talk that airs today.
>
> Oddly enough, they may STILL be running "Democracy
> Now"...DN's affiliate list still has WHLD on it, running the
> show 8-9 AM Monday-Friday:
>
http://ww> w.democracynow.org/stations.pl?op=fullsearch&broadcast=radio
>
>
> I don't know how often the list gets updated. It's
> interesting to see a full-power commercial AM on the list
> mostly filled with college stations, LPFMs, Part 15 AM
> stations and even pirates!

WHLD still airs Democracy Now,as well as a number of other shows including FAIR's CounterSpin and TUC Radio.
 
Re: A couple questions for you all

> WHLD still airs Democracy Now,as well as a number of other
> shows including FAIR's CounterSpin and TUC Radio.

Are these brokered as well, with the time being paid for by some sort of left-leaning group? Or are they time fillers?

Despite the presence of these shows, I don't believe WHLD was ever pushing itself as a "liberal talk" station.

-OA<P ID="signature">______________
Ohio Media Watch - <a target="_blank" href=http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com>http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com</a></P>
 
> Due to updated information, I zapped the content of this
> message (which relied on transposed call letters reflecting
> the wrong station). Keep reading the thread for more on AAR
> coming to Buffalo.
>
Much ado about nothing. I'm with the group that brokers time for Democracy Now on WHLD. I just spoke with AAR and Envision who handles the marketing for AAR to find out what's up. Turns out it's a mistake and it'll be pulled today.
 
> Much ado about nothing. I'm with the group that brokers time
> for Democracy Now on WHLD. I just spoke with AAR and
> Envision who handles the marketing for AAR to find out
> what's up. Turns out it's a mistake and it'll be pulled
> today.

That's bizarre if true. AAR has a banner up on their home page touting a launch by the station in February. It seems strange AAR would do this without a signed commitment or -something- other than "send me an information kit = they've committed to launch in February!"
 
Re: WHLD, Brokered Talk, and Local Woman Makes Good

> The reason I brought up this possibility is simple. It's
> been done here in Northeast Ohio, where Radio One brokered
> talker WERE/1300 has carried WW1's Bill O'Reilly on their
> schedule...in a clearance widely presumed locally to be a
> paid clearance. It would not at all surprise me if AAR
> would do the same on WHLD...or it could be, as predicted by
> others, a standard turnkey satellite-fed libtalker.

AAR only pays for one outlet - WLIB. It doesn't pay launch or clearance bonuses. Jones/DR did pay bonuses to clear Schultz live in some places, but I don't know if that's still true.
 
****gone from AAR webpage****

> Due to updated information, I zapped the content of this
> message (which relied on transposed call letters reflecting
> the wrong station). Keep reading the thread for more on AAR
> coming to Buffalo.

WHLD was on the AAR webpage until just before 11am and now it's gone. A bit premature perhaps.
 
Re: ****gone from AAR webpage****

> WHLD was on the AAR webpage until just before 11am and now
> it's gone. A bit premature perhaps.

It's bizarre to me that a network would list a new affiliate, have a third party who puts a show on the station call the station to ask what is going on, and have the station or its rep contact AAR to correct misinformation.

It sounds like a case of Amateur Hour at AAR.
 
> > Much ado about nothing. I'm with the group that brokers
> time
> > for Democracy Now on WHLD. I just spoke with AAR and
> > Envision who handles the marketing for AAR to find out
> > what's up. Turns out it's a mistake and it'll be pulled
> > today.
>
> That's bizarre if true. AAR has a banner up on their home
> page touting a launch by the station in February. It seems
> strange AAR would do this without a signed commitment or
> -something- other than "send me an information kit = they've
> committed to launch in February!"
>

Is Envision responsible for AAR's web content? Are they the ones responsible?

It would almost make sense, especially considering the errors in AAR's affiliate listings. <P ID="signature">______________
The Liberal Talk Radio Update</P>
 
Re: WHLD, Brokered Talk, and Local Woman Makes Good

> > The reason I brought up this possibility is simple. It's
> > been done here in Northeast Ohio, where Radio One brokered
>
> > talker WERE/1300 has carried WW1's Bill O'Reilly on their
> > schedule...in a clearance widely presumed locally to be a
> > paid clearance. It would not at all surprise me if AAR
> > would do the same on WHLD...or it could be, as predicted
> by
> > others, a standard turnkey satellite-fed libtalker.
>
> AAR only pays for one outlet - WLIB. It doesn't pay launch
> or clearance bonuses. Jones/DR did pay bonuses to clear
> Schultz live in some places, but I don't know if that's
> still true.
>

I can't imagine AAR paying to get on in Buffalo, especially on that station. They seem to be doing okay via barter with affiliates.<P ID="signature">______________
The Liberal Talk Radio Update</P>
 
Re: A couple questions for you all

> Are these brokered as well, with the time being paid for by
> some sort of left-leaning group? Or are they time fillers?

(responding to myself, here...)

If you believe the message up on this thread by "cashdollar", the shows are indeed brokered.

-OA<P ID="signature">______________
Ohio Media Watch - <a target="_blank" href=http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com>http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com</a></P>
 
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