wild radio stories

[StevesBank]

We all hear about layoffs from this sale or that downsize or this person makes too much, but let's hear about some of the wildest terminations. Has anyone been fired for driving a station van drunk?

I once knew a guy that went to hardee's at 3 in the morning and the station went off the air while he was in the drive-thru

 

[AmericanRumorBoy]

I was once hired to replace a guy who took off for a ststion remote while drunk. He was very late because he accidentally drove the van into a field and it took a while to get it out. When he arrived at the remote, he opened the (now very muddy) van door and fell right out onto the pavement in front of the client and the salesperson. Fired for being stupid to say the least. I knew another guy who was being pounded on (verbally) by the P.D. in a staff meeting. He got up, walked around the table and spit in the P.D.'s face and walked out the door never to return. Knew another guy who got canned for his B.O.. Goofy stuff!!!

 

[Josh_Cols]

I know a guy who got fired because often times during his overnight shift, the station would have long periods of dead air, missed breaks, etc. Come to find out, he was getting lucky with various women on the conference room table. A different guy, same station, would hold parties in the studio overnights, with beer, 420, the works. When it was time for him to talk, the audience would shut up, as soon as the mic was off again, the party was back on. He was finally caught when a few people in the office noticed beer bottles in their waste paper baskets.

 

[gr8oldies]

I remember a kid at WCSM in Celina, OH. He'd do a Saturday night shift and the parking lot would have 20 or more cars in it with all of his friends partying with him. Beer bottles would be found all over the parking lot, of course.He was told that if he was caught with one more visitor he'd be fired. He was, and opted to walk out during his shift.

 

[Josh_Cols]

WOW!!! John Coe runs a tight railroad up in Celina, huh. I never knew WCSM was ever that exciting of an outfit.

I still laugh on how WCSM still isn't even in FM Stereo and they still have the same jingles that must be 20 years old by now and the stupid ass slogan of "we do it for you".

 

[gr8oldies]

John Coe bought TMs "You II" package in 1977. They've been running ever since. Last time I checked their website and saw a picture of the studio, it was the same board they were using when I worked there, and that was in the late 70s.
Yes, it's one of the last mono music stations in America, not quite sure why he won't spring for a stereo generator.

Yeah, in the 70s WCSM actually was kind of an interesting place. Had a few talented folks in and out of there.

 

[Josh_Cols]

I was gonna say, it had to be in the 70's or 80's because WCSM to my knowledge has not had a live and local Saturday night program for quite some time. I doubt WCSM had or has more then 20 listeners on a average Saturday night. I still laugh at their "tell it and sell it" program every day, when all rif-raf calls in to sell all their junk. Too bad they don't stream online, because it would be of entertainment value for me to listen to. I often wonder if they run the show on a 7 second delay? I have heard that WCSM equipment is very antique. I think in order to go stereo they would have to replace their board, transmitter, and of course buy a stereo generator. I wonder what kind and of what vintage their transmitter it? I can't see John Coe dumping allot of money into WCSM, its a local small town station with cheap advertising rates, and most of their listeners (farmers and businesses and people who couldn't find their way out of Auglaize or Mercer county with a map if they tried) couldn't care less if they are in stereo or not.

One thing I was surprised with is how they finally a few years back seperated the AM and FM and the AM is now 24 hours. I remember when WCSM FM used to go off the air every night promptly at 10 p.m. and sign back on again at 6 a.m. and the AM would sign off at sunset. I think their AM nighttime is only like 13 watts directed towards Celina and barely listenable as little as a mile South of their towers.

WCSM IMO is still a good station, much better then their cross town competition WKKI, which has changed ownership several times in the past 20 years. I don't think WCSM has ever been in a financial crisis like WKKI was there for awhile, probably because WCSM is likely debt free, and run low overhead operation.

 

[GovernorV]

I think the point we're missing in picking apart a station like WCSM is the fact that they do an EXCEPTIONAL job of serving the local community to which they are licensed. The average listener in the coverage area hasn't a clue, nor probably cares, about the antiquity of the board in the production studio, nor that the jingle package has been in service since time immemorial. If stations in "markets" like Lima, Columbus, and Dayton focused on serving their listeners the way John Coe does, and less about the next book and what the consultants think, far fewer listeners would be turning to iPods and Sirius/XM for their digital jukebox. Programmers have relegated far too many stations to vain attempts at supplanting the iPod, or as I call it, the 24 Hour Digital Jukebox. A commercial radio station will never be able to compete with my iPod in terms of getting me the music I want when I want it. But, if that station can form a personal relationship with me through its local programming and commitment to the community, I will shelve my mp3's and listen to the station. WCSM is a prime example of that, and there are dozens of other local owner/operators like John who get the picture, too. Max up at WMTR gets it, Joe Mullins down in Xenia gets it, Ed Schumacher over in New Philly gets it. Stations need to start behaving like they serve towns, not markets.

 

[LocalGuy]

I think the point we're missing in picking apart a station like WCSM is the fact that they do an EXCEPTIONAL job of serving the local community to which they are licensed.

What does that mean? What do you mean by that? Specifically, what are you saying they do that results in EXCEPTIONAL service to their local community? Especially if almost no one is hearing it?

The average listener in the coverage area hasn't a clue, nor probably cares, about the antiquity of the board in the production studio, nor that the jingle package has been in service since time immemorial.

If those things make the station virtually unlistenable, then the average listener definitely has a clue!

If stations in "markets" like Lima, Columbus, and Dayton focused on serving their listeners the way John Coe does and less about the next book...

What do you mean by that? "The next book" will measure the listening that occurs, so why wouldn't you focus on it? What "serves" listeners more than that which results in them listening and listening more?

But, if that station can form a personal relationship with me through its local programming and commitment to the community, I will shelve my mp3's and listen to the station.

Not if it's an awful-sounding product stuck 30-40 years in the past, you won't.

Stations need to start behaving like they serve towns, not markets.

Markets are today's towns. We have 300 million people now, not 50 or 100 million.

 

[Josh_Cols]

I am not picking apart WCSM, they do a great job of serving the communities. Living out here on the high plains, I wish we had stations like WCSM, most stations in my area have been bought by Cherry Creek Radio out of Denver, and budgets and airstaffs have been cut.

What I was saying is WCSM in terms of capitol investment is a station that time forgot. I don't even think WCSM and WKKI have back up transmitter sites, nor do they have emergency backup generators, at least they didn't a couple years ago during rough weather and the flood that almost washed WCSM's building away. When Celina or St. Marys are without power, both WKKI and WCSM are off the air, thus not being able to serve their community with news and info. In that case the only real local station to turn to is WIMT T-102 in Lima, which these days is one step away from nothing. I am merely reminiscing about WCSM. They continue to provide good local news, high school sports, farm reports, etc. Just still can't beleive how antiquated they still are with equipment. Grant it equipment does't make the broadcast or the station, and I give credit to their engineer keeping it in good repair, but I do wonder where in the hell they continue to find replacement parts? WKKI IMO doesn't do near the job WCSM does with local news, high school sports, and while they have made investments in both personalities and equipment in the past couple years, they seem like they are attempting to be a big market sounding station in a small town.

 

[GovernorV]

Josh - I hear you loud and clear. My points about the "technical issues," which obviously someone else missed completely, is that the average listener to these stations is not an audiophile. Those of us who are reading these boards are obviously connected in some way to the business, so chances are we have a little more discerning ear and/or higher expectations. Trying to shuffle radio stations like chess pieces and reduce the programming to the lowest common denominator has made the average metropolitan property a mere commodity rather than a piece of the local community fabric.

 

[gr8oldies]

I don't know if this part of the thread should be moved to the Ohio board, but when WCSM was owned by a guy named Hugh Johnston, and at the beginning of the Coe ownership, they simulcast but stayed on the air until midnight (FM). The transmitter was moved to the Wright State tower, which I believe still houses a translator for WPTD-16, Dayton, as well as WKKI. "Service and Music" has been around since at least the early 1970s. A lady named Janie Henderson hosted a cooking/homemaking show for years. Music was anywhere from A/C mixed with country to a more uptempo A/C after John Coe took over (we got to play "Hotel California"). Some names I remember from there were Ray Arthur (last I knew managing or owning some stations), Steve (Sipe) McRae (excellent talent, last I knew he was in broadcast sales management but that was some time ago), Mike Langevin, who went on to program and consult several stations in Duluth, MN, and Paul Ellis even worked there at one time.

94.3 has a very interesting history. It went on the air I believe in 1961 above the Celina Music Store, where the present day WKKI still is. Programming was a variety hodge podge, some top 40, some elevator music, and lord knows what. The Music Store owner sold it and it flipped to Drake-Chenault's "Hit Parade" (68, 69 and 70). New management came in and programmed some hours with live top 40, while the rest of the day were bad sounding homebrew automation tapes. I do remember WMER broadcasting live from the county fair, bringing turntables, cart machines and the whole operation out there. The station went bankrupt and was purchased by Keith Balfour, who essentially rebuilt the WCSM of the late 60s. A group from Michigan bought them about 1978 programming Country, before expanding the power and moving the transmitter to the Wright State tower. Then, they flipped to album rock (the heaviest, most head banging stuff they could find and they operated live 24/7). Chris Cage, who later bought the Van Wert combo and sold it for the move that became Ft. Wayne's "Bear", bought WKKI, cleaned up the album rock but eventually programmed A/C from Transtar Satellite network. More recent years have seen an A/C hodgepodge, and a recent ownership change has the station sounding sort of like a rock-based Jack.

 

[kirkiefan]

The former WMER breifly aired the Drake "Hitparade" automation tapes.(it was co-owned with the former WDRK just as very briefly as well.) The logo was practically the same as the WIFE-inspired WDRK logo.

The Hildebrand family of Piqua(I think) bought it and its son operated it as a hit format in 1971 but went into receivership in 1973. Some local buisiness people tryed to buy the FM with the intention of switching the calls to WGLB (Grand Lake Broadcasting) but the deal fell though. It was eventually sold in the spring of 1974 to a private individual and switched to adult standards before it was sold again in 1978 becoming WKKI with a country format. As WMER, it's transmitter was located in the air studio with its weak 740 watt signal emitted from a very short tower barely covering Mercer County and fading out in Minster. It wasn't until roughly 1979-80 when the xmtr was moved to the WPTD translator tower near the Wright State branch campus and a power increase with it.

The homebrew automation tapes were a second (or third generation) dub transferred from the 7 1/2 IPS reel to reel masters to a the speed of a Magnecord logger recorder (which it technically was)with an automation-sized reel.
The newer owner in 1974 who switched it to adult standards was not a freindly individual claiming he was a "professional" broadcaster who supposedly kept his employees and job applicants in a state of fear...a typical big fish in a small pond type of [EDIT]with arrogance to match.


[EDIT-vulgar content]

 

[Josh_Cols]

I remember a fella by the name of Paul Kemph <sp> on WKKI for a time back in the 80's and I have been told his dad who owned the station, which I don't know if true, was often heard on the former Gudorf and Son's spots. When did Ralph Guanari <sp> buy WKKI? Last I heard a wealthy area farmer bought and currently owns and operates WKKI. Boy compared to WCSM, WKKI has a very interesting and somewhat un-stable history.

 

[nmoore6676]

Thought this was "Wild' radio stories? Anyway, does anyone recall years ago when the guy who put 103.9 on in Westerville on and got into some some sort of dispute with his son who co-owned it. I remember that he climbed up the tower and did some kind of flagpole sitting stunt as a protest. I believe that the station was known as WBBY which were also the call letters used for the rebel station in the Doonesbury comic strip.