WPFB-AM off the air

[markbohach]

Any chance the Menards ad is a network spot that's carried in exchange for programming that may or may not be aired on that station and/or at that time? I hear Home Depot spots on stations that don't have local Home Depots...makes a person wonder.

Nope. It's an ad specifically for the Lancaster Menards. I've also heard Elder-Beerman ads in the past as there is a store in Lancaster and I think Meijer ads (but don't quote me on the last one). I think what they do is a good model for a community-focused AM station.

Menards and Meijer are local buys- as is time Warner Cable. These companies still see the value of local media.

My next question about Menards (we do have a Menards in our county of 60,000 population)...about three years ago, Menards always had Oldies playing in their store mixed with local Menards promos. Yet they refused to buy spots on the local FM Oldies station (who's tower sat within a mile of the store). I never quite understood why Oldies was the format of choice for in-store listening, but all of their radio ad budget went to the local country & A/C stations.

Bob, I know that Menards is on an oldies type station in our area so I don't think it's format related.

 

[XtraXtra]

Bob, I know that Menards is on an oldies type station in our area so I don't think it's format related.

One thing Lancaster has going for it, especially for its size, is that it has practically anything you can find in the city. It has all but the most obscure car brands, it has a mall (Sears, Penney's, Elder-Beerman), it has all the discounters, it has it's own university branch campus (Ohio University), and it has a cultural and arts community of sorts. It has almost everything a community needs to be self sustaining, without going into Columbus. From that standpoint, it kind of is a market within a market. I'm wondering if that makes a difference or not.

 

[Bizman]

I used to work at WPFB/WPBF in the late 70's early 80's. Also sold Musiplex background music. Drove by the place today and WOW, it's changed so much. The transmissions lines to the tower have weeds growing up through them. The building is in disrepair. The 86 acres is down to a parking lot and a small tower site. A privacy fence surrounds half the building in order to block the houses that have sprung up around the place, where there were once open fields. Bradens block building where his appt stood is cracking and needs mortar and a paint job. The news room and traffic areas have all the windows blocked so you can't look in. It's just sad.

I really wonder what the inside looks like. The old Sparta board, turn tables and cart machines. A.M. radio is from days long past. The audience that is still alive is dying off. Younger people don't and won't listen to A.M.

Middletown has lost most of the small businesses that once kept the A.M. on the air. The economy in the Middletown area is poor and the businesses have closed or moved out.

This station isn't worth the $975,000 price tag. I don't see how it will ever make a profit now.

 

[techie2]

I used to work at WPFB/WPBF in the late 70's early 80's. Also sold Musiplex background music. Drove by the place today and WOW, it's changed so much. The transmissions lines to the tower have weeds growing up through them. The building is in disrepair. The 86 acres is down to a parking lot and a small tower site. A privacy fence surrounds half the building in order to block the houses that have sprung up around the place, where there were once open fields. Bradens block building where his appt stood is cracking and needs mortar and a paint job. The news room and traffic areas have all the windows blocked so you can't look in. It's just sad.

The WNKU simulcast audio on the FM sounds terrible as well. It sounds thin with swishy highs, like they rigged a low-quality internet feed to the transmitter.

 

[microbob]

Unless something has changed, The only time they feed the audio through the net is when they loose the satellite feed. There was a good post from the Head Engineer at NKU explaining what was done to 105.9 after they took control, including the installation of a new transmitter.

 

[techie2]

Unless something has changed, The only time they feed the audio through the net is when they loose the satellite feed. There was a good post from the Head Engineer at NKU explaining what was done to 105.9 after they took control, including the installation of a new transmitter.

I remember that post. Maybe the sat feed has too low of a bit rate, or they have a cascading codec situation in their audio chain. Either way, it sure sounds crappy.

If I wanted to hear obscure music in Dayton, I can get better sound from WYSO or even the college Class D peashooters.