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WILK
- Thread starter NigelWick
- Start date
S
ScottSanfilippo
Guest
It definately is a sad day to see two GREAT news people "dismissed". Having worked with both Phil and Tom, I can say that they were two of the greatest guys in broadcasting. Tom was out on the street every day shoulder to shoulder with the TV guys. I can't even count how many times photogs and camermen captured him and the WILK microphone at press conferences and trials.
Phil is a gentleman. I rate him up there with Bud Brown. An excellent reporter and a great guy whom many of you will remember from the WGBI FM days. How could you not remember the voice!!
Both of these guys will definately be missed and hopefully they will land on their feet very soon.
Now, about the "dismissal" because of "budgetary" reasons. Can ABC news at the top of the hour suffice for local news? Never. How can WILK be the "News Talk Leader" if their news team consists of one? Mary O's col in the CV said the other staffers will pitch in... come on, I doubt we'll be hearing Nancy, Kevin or Sue doing a 5pm newscast. Let's face it folks, local radio news is now officially dead. ANd that's pretty sad.
I remember back to the days of WARM, when Jerry Heller was news director... there was news every 30 minutes all day long, and the hour long "Drive @ 5". Everyone knew that when news broke, you turn the radio on to WARM because they're gonna have the story right away. When Citadel dessimated WARM, WILK had to step up and be the local voice for news. Now that's over as well.
Makes me kinda wonder what kind of budget Burkavage has, must be next to nothing considering part time board ops run WILK, EZ is 80% voice tracked, the mountain is 99% voice tracked and krz and froggy are voice tracked overnight (at least they used to be).
It's sad when anyone looses their job, but when a media person looses their job for reasons like this, it sucks. But I guess that's life. I guess pretty soon we'll see WILK get rid of all their local programming because it too costs too much. Then we'll have another all satellite all the time station like WARM. And that folks, will be too bad.
Good luck Phil and Tom!
Scott
Phil is a gentleman. I rate him up there with Bud Brown. An excellent reporter and a great guy whom many of you will remember from the WGBI FM days. How could you not remember the voice!!
Both of these guys will definately be missed and hopefully they will land on their feet very soon.
Now, about the "dismissal" because of "budgetary" reasons. Can ABC news at the top of the hour suffice for local news? Never. How can WILK be the "News Talk Leader" if their news team consists of one? Mary O's col in the CV said the other staffers will pitch in... come on, I doubt we'll be hearing Nancy, Kevin or Sue doing a 5pm newscast. Let's face it folks, local radio news is now officially dead. ANd that's pretty sad.
I remember back to the days of WARM, when Jerry Heller was news director... there was news every 30 minutes all day long, and the hour long "Drive @ 5". Everyone knew that when news broke, you turn the radio on to WARM because they're gonna have the story right away. When Citadel dessimated WARM, WILK had to step up and be the local voice for news. Now that's over as well.
Makes me kinda wonder what kind of budget Burkavage has, must be next to nothing considering part time board ops run WILK, EZ is 80% voice tracked, the mountain is 99% voice tracked and krz and froggy are voice tracked overnight (at least they used to be).
It's sad when anyone looses their job, but when a media person looses their job for reasons like this, it sucks. But I guess that's life. I guess pretty soon we'll see WILK get rid of all their local programming because it too costs too much. Then we'll have another all satellite all the time station like WARM. And that folks, will be too bad.
Good luck Phil and Tom!
Scott
T
TomCarten
Guest
It's sad irony when able-bodied people tell me they listen to the Radio Home Visitor to get the news. I hear that more and more. I don't feel proud about that, as the RHV is not a news program, but an enrichment for people who have difficulty reading or leaving their homes. People can get national/world news and sports on tv, but they want to hear LOCAL news on the radio. Even when, as on the RHV, it's a day late and a dollar short. But that's where we've gone and when there are lots of sirens, folks want to know what's burning down.<P ID="signature">______________
Use "Radio-Info" in e-mail subject line.</P>
Use "Radio-Info" in e-mail subject line.</P>
> It's sad irony when able-bodied people tell me they listen
> to the Radio Home Visitor to get the news. I hear that more
> and more. I don't feel proud about that, as the RHV is not
> a news program, but an enrichment for people who have
> difficulty reading or leaving their homes. People can get
> national/world news and sports on tv, but they want to hear
> LOCAL news on the radio. Even when, as on the RHV, it's a
> day late and a dollar short. But that's where we've gone
> and when there are lots of sirens, folks want to know what's
> burning down.
>
Think of the future. A whole generation of young people is now learning that radio is NOT a source for news. They're getting their information from TV, but more likely the internet. And managers wonder why listenership is down. They are driving the audience away.
> to the Radio Home Visitor to get the news. I hear that more
> and more. I don't feel proud about that, as the RHV is not
> a news program, but an enrichment for people who have
> difficulty reading or leaving their homes. People can get
> national/world news and sports on tv, but they want to hear
> LOCAL news on the radio. Even when, as on the RHV, it's a
> day late and a dollar short. But that's where we've gone
> and when there are lots of sirens, folks want to know what's
> burning down.
>
Think of the future. A whole generation of young people is now learning that radio is NOT a source for news. They're getting their information from TV, but more likely the internet. And managers wonder why listenership is down. They are driving the audience away.
Y
yonkstur
Guest
> >
>
> Think of the future. A whole generation of young people is
> now learning that radio is NOT a source for news.
First of all, let me say that the WILK staff as it stands now
will rise to the occasion and do their best to fill the void (big
as it is) by Mr. Regan and Mr. Cummings. It is obvious that they
are committed to a big story. That fact was evidenced when the station
covered Mayor Leighton's news conference. (I use the term news loosely
there in regards to that event but at least WILK was there in the persons
of Henry and Kman.)
That said, it appears to me that the WILK news staff is not immune from
the new economy/work environment that we exist in. Business of all kind
expect employees and managers to do more with less. It is the way of
the world. The business I am involved with today expects that of its
employees as does the rest of the world with the notable exception being
the Pennsyvania Legislature.
Face it, growing up, we were used to a strong news presence from a Top 40
station. That did not happen around the rest of the country. I can remember
the "editions" of WARM news. "This is the 22nd edition of WARM News....I'm
Robert Oliver"..........We had WBRE AM/FM All News in 1975, '76. "The Day Begins At Midnight" from 1977 through 1979 on WVIA FM. The appetitie in this area for news never went away but the place it had in radio was replaced by TV. As time went on, the news presence in radio ebbed but that was because radio groups refused to treat radio news as a "loss leader" much like retail stores do. Imagine supermarkets saying, "nope, no more scrapple, it doesn't give us
enough profit, even though there's a market for it".
I think of two analogies from "Godfather" movies, "this is the business we
chose" "Godfather 2" (to those who's employment depend on shifting economic sands and "This is not what I wanted" ("Godfather 3") (to those of us who want to see a better news presence for our future generations and are getting nothing).
I'm sure the sales force of WILK did everything in its power to make its
budget and sell the station. They certainly had a whole lot of advertising on the air. As a matter of fact, they wwere criticized for having too many commercials by some of the listeners/callers. Even with that much advertising, they, as a business, had to cut programming staff.
It is a sad thing, just like it's a sad thing that my father spent his
entire career with one company while his son (me) has had more than 7 different
employers. It's the way of this world, which they told me as a kid, was going
to be better. Little things like the news from WILK chip away at the theory
that life will be better.
Before we tried (in business, society, education, radio) to be better than our last generation, for a while it was in our heads that we could actually prevail, now all we want to do is just try and get by. That's where the true sadness lies.
yonkstur
>
>
> Think of the future. A whole generation of young people is
> now learning that radio is NOT a source for news.
First of all, let me say that the WILK staff as it stands now
will rise to the occasion and do their best to fill the void (big
as it is) by Mr. Regan and Mr. Cummings. It is obvious that they
are committed to a big story. That fact was evidenced when the station
covered Mayor Leighton's news conference. (I use the term news loosely
there in regards to that event but at least WILK was there in the persons
of Henry and Kman.)
That said, it appears to me that the WILK news staff is not immune from
the new economy/work environment that we exist in. Business of all kind
expect employees and managers to do more with less. It is the way of
the world. The business I am involved with today expects that of its
employees as does the rest of the world with the notable exception being
the Pennsyvania Legislature.
Face it, growing up, we were used to a strong news presence from a Top 40
station. That did not happen around the rest of the country. I can remember
the "editions" of WARM news. "This is the 22nd edition of WARM News....I'm
Robert Oliver"..........We had WBRE AM/FM All News in 1975, '76. "The Day Begins At Midnight" from 1977 through 1979 on WVIA FM. The appetitie in this area for news never went away but the place it had in radio was replaced by TV. As time went on, the news presence in radio ebbed but that was because radio groups refused to treat radio news as a "loss leader" much like retail stores do. Imagine supermarkets saying, "nope, no more scrapple, it doesn't give us
enough profit, even though there's a market for it".
I think of two analogies from "Godfather" movies, "this is the business we
chose" "Godfather 2" (to those who's employment depend on shifting economic sands and "This is not what I wanted" ("Godfather 3") (to those of us who want to see a better news presence for our future generations and are getting nothing).
I'm sure the sales force of WILK did everything in its power to make its
budget and sell the station. They certainly had a whole lot of advertising on the air. As a matter of fact, they wwere criticized for having too many commercials by some of the listeners/callers. Even with that much advertising, they, as a business, had to cut programming staff.
It is a sad thing, just like it's a sad thing that my father spent his
entire career with one company while his son (me) has had more than 7 different
employers. It's the way of this world, which they told me as a kid, was going
to be better. Little things like the news from WILK chip away at the theory
that life will be better.
Before we tried (in business, society, education, radio) to be better than our last generation, for a while it was in our heads that we could actually prevail, now all we want to do is just try and get by. That's where the true sadness lies.
yonkstur
>
S
scmidlapp
Guest
> How can WILK be the "News Talk Leader" if their news
> team consists of one?
EASY!!!
It's not hard to be "The Leader" when you're the only one in the race!
> team consists of one?
EASY!!!
It's not hard to be "The Leader" when you're the only one in the race!
Maybe the Route 81 stations will rise to the occassion re: local radio. They definitely rose to the occassion here in Hazleton with WAZL. There's local news in the morning and afternoon every half hour and they are deeply involved in local events. (my only complaint is they have a sponsor for everything; while this is good for revenue I'm sure, it does seem to make everything drag a little bit). They even managed to get Mike Naydock from WKAB to move to WAZL (I don't know too many FM hosts that would leave for an AM station). I don't know how the other Route 81 stations are doing, but in Hazleton, you almost wouldn't know they are part of a larger group of stations.
I'd like to see Entercom sell of 1300 so this can become a local station also. WILK is a waste anymore. I used to listen when they had the news all morning. Then they switched to Nancy and Kevin and I just couldn't stand the constant commentary. I want to hear the news in the morning, not every reason why conservatives are the scourge of the world. I would not be surprised to see Entercom sacrifice the 6 am to noon slot to national programming in the next year or so.
It's a shame but media conglomerates do not have to be a bad thing. They have the ability with all the money they have to do really superb local and regional programming and they don't. Route 81 is an example of a radio group doing it right. Too bad Entercom and Citadel do not get the message that the more live and local/regional they are, the more people will listen and the more revenue they will generate.
I'd like to see Entercom sell of 1300 so this can become a local station also. WILK is a waste anymore. I used to listen when they had the news all morning. Then they switched to Nancy and Kevin and I just couldn't stand the constant commentary. I want to hear the news in the morning, not every reason why conservatives are the scourge of the world. I would not be surprised to see Entercom sacrifice the 6 am to noon slot to national programming in the next year or so.
It's a shame but media conglomerates do not have to be a bad thing. They have the ability with all the money they have to do really superb local and regional programming and they don't. Route 81 is an example of a radio group doing it right. Too bad Entercom and Citadel do not get the message that the more live and local/regional they are, the more people will listen and the more revenue they will generate.
> I listened to WILK for a little while Tuesday afternoon...
> ABC News at the top of the hour, followed by a few Bud Brown
> headlines on tape. The state of radio news in Scranton/WB
> is pitiful.
>
I think what happened to WARM will eventually happen to WILK. They will squeeze local programming more and more until it is nonexistent. WILK is a waste of space anymore and I mentioned before that I wish Entercom would sell of the 1300 frequency in Hazleton to someone that will do something with it.
> ABC News at the top of the hour, followed by a few Bud Brown
> headlines on tape. The state of radio news in Scranton/WB
> is pitiful.
>
I think what happened to WARM will eventually happen to WILK. They will squeeze local programming more and more until it is nonexistent. WILK is a waste of space anymore and I mentioned before that I wish Entercom would sell of the 1300 frequency in Hazleton to someone that will do something with it.
B
bob256
Guest
> The Times Leader reports WILK has released Tom Ragan and
> Phil Cummings for budgetary reasons. What happened to radio
> news in this market? It's all very, very sad.
> Tom Ragan stopped by WYLN-TV 35 in Hazleton recently looking for employment. There is currently no sports reporter/anchor there, nor is Barry actively seeking one. I'll post more if I hear more.
<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by Cruisin' Bob on 06/29/05 08:45 PM.</FONT></P>
> Phil Cummings for budgetary reasons. What happened to radio
> news in this market? It's all very, very sad.
> Tom Ragan stopped by WYLN-TV 35 in Hazleton recently looking for employment. There is currently no sports reporter/anchor there, nor is Barry actively seeking one. I'll post more if I hear more.
<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by Cruisin' Bob on 06/29/05 08:45 PM.</FONT></P>
> > The Times Leader reports WILK has released Tom Ragan and
> > Phil Cummings for budgetary reasons. What happened to
> radio
> > news in this market? It's all very, very sad.
>
> > Tom Ragan stopped by WYLN-TV 35 in Hazleton recently
> looking for employment. There is currently no sports
> reporter/anchor there, nor is Barry actively seeking one.
> I'll post more if I hear more.
>
How about "Chef Tom"?
Seriously...Tom is a good guy. I hope he lands on his feet.
> > Phil Cummings for budgetary reasons. What happened to
> radio
> > news in this market? It's all very, very sad.
>
> > Tom Ragan stopped by WYLN-TV 35 in Hazleton recently
> looking for employment. There is currently no sports
> reporter/anchor there, nor is Barry actively seeking one.
> I'll post more if I hear more.
>
How about "Chef Tom"?
Seriously...Tom is a good guy. I hope he lands on his feet.
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