WSM Trend

[firepoint525]

That SM-95 stuff was for crap...Country... WSM the way it has always been since 1925!

For the ten-thousandth time, WSM (AM) has not been country since 1925. Gaylord perpetuating that myth is one thing. But, Scott, you saying it like it's the gospel is simply wrong.

When WSM was A/C and SM-95 was soft hits, they were two great radio stations. Their respective ratings and superb staffs speak for themselves. I need not defend their legacies any further.

The only "stuff" that can be construed as "crap" would be your misinformed statements of self-defined "fact".

I realize that, and yes I do remember when WSM-AM was AC during the day and country at night, and I recall WSM-FM was some sort of AC/MOR, and in the late 70's/early 80's there was Chris with Jazz on Sunday Nights on WSM-FM. I recall listening to Chris during his last Jazz show on WSM-FM, and then monments later...."Thank God I'm A Coutry Boy" as Nashville 95.5 steped up to the country plate on WSM-FM.

I forgot all about the simucast rules of the 60's and 70's, but still even with those rules in place, they could have at least simulcasted the Opry.

If WSM & Gaylord felt so compled to change WSM-AM's format, I would like to see WSM-AM become a full News, Weather & Sports station, (Daytime Only) and then switch at night to Classic Country with Eddie Stubbs, Bill Cody, and of course the Opry on the wk-end nights.

Over the years, I've always found myself going to WSM-AM for breaking news and weather. I know an "all news" format is expensive, but this would be the best (daytime wise) for WSM. They would kick WLAC's tale, which is NOT a full service news station, despite what they say.

WSM-AM could fill a void that I think Nashville needs and it would keep AM going longer! Like I said, I still find myself going to WSM-AM for breaking news and weather, and they will interupt the Opry for breaking bad weather moving in. That's one of the reasons why I ALWAYS keep a pre-set in my car to WSM-AM!

I believe you would be right, since a weekend evening would obviously be a non-peak time, and there were still enough daytime-only AMs that had to sign off at night, that simulcasting the Opry shouldn't have even been an issue.

Syndicating the Opry over a network of radio stations, or even expanding it to TV back in the early days of television might have solved the Opry's problems, but then again, WSM would have lost its exclusivity on the Opry, as well as its "heritage" status.

 

[firepoint525]

• Sell to a group that will be charged with preserving the station's heritage. The Country Music Hall of Fame; the CMA; the Convention & Visitors Bureau; the Chamber of Commerce; some combination of the above. Again, as long as it's breaking even these groups might find having a classic country WSM around furthers their economic interests. I'd bet it would be awfully tough to make the numbers work.

There was talk of selling the station to a coalition of country music artists back during the "almost" format change of 2002, and such an idea was even mentioned again earlier in this thread. The idea of selling it to just one artist would be a mistake, even if the artist could afford it, because then it would become his personal property, and pass on to his heirs upon his death, and who knows what family would do with such property. I still remember the bickering over Conway Twitty's estate. A Pacer, for crying out loud! :

I don't think selling the station to even a coalition of artists would work, because most of them seem more interested in their own careers than in preserving the station. They all seemed to act like "someone else" should buy the station.

I like the idea of selling the station to any or all of the groups you mentioned here. The more different groups that own the station, the less of a (financial) burden any one of them would bear.

To save the station, one or two country stars who have a lot of clout, and the respect of the rest of the industry, should get behind the idea of preserving the station. George Jones is one who comes to mind; he is a legend! Marty Stuart is another. Marty is one who seems interested in preserving the legacy and heritage of country music, and the Opry. WSM doesn't necessarily need financial support from them (although that would help). What the station needs is for those two to throw their weight behind saving and preserving the station, and getting the rest of the country music family behind that idea and on the bandwagon, too.

 

[scottwmro]

• Sell to a group that will be charged with preserving the station's heritage. The Country Music Hall of Fame; the CMA; the Convention & Visitors Bureau; the Chamber of Commerce; some combination of the above. Again, as long as it's breaking even these groups might find having a classic country WSM around furthers their economic interests. I'd bet it would be awfully tough to make the numbers work.

There was talk of selling the station to a coalition of country music artists back during the "almost" format change of 2002, and such an idea was even mentioned again earlier in this thread. The idea of selling it to just one artist would be a mistake, even if the artist could afford it, because then it would become his personal property, and pass on to his heirs upon his death, and who knows what family would do with such property. I still remember the bickering over Conway Twitty's estate. A Pacer, for crying out loud! :

I don't think selling the station to even a coalition of artists would work, because most of them seem more interested in their own careers than in preserving the station. They all seemed to act like "someone else" should buy the station.

I like the idea of selling the station to any or all of the groups you mentioned here. The more different groups that own the station, the less of a (financial) burden any one of them would bear.

To save the station, one or two country stars who have a lot of clout, and the respect of the rest of the industry, should get behind the idea of preserving the station. George Jones is one who comes to mind; he is a legend! Marty Stuart is another. Marty is one who seems interested in preserving the legacy and heritage of country music, and the Opry. WSM doesn't necessarily need financial support from them (although that would help). What the station needs is for those two to throw their weight behind saving and preserving the station, and getting the rest of the country music family behind that idea and on the bandwagon, too.

Firepoint:

I am sensitive to your feelings of wanting to keep the country tradition on WSM, and yes it would be nice, but emergency information, news, weather, traffic tie ups, are more important to our society than the Grand Old Opry, and it's tradition. As the older generation dies off as it is now and the younger ones are coming up, you can take the two subjects in matter and you will find a strict, all news, station would outweigh the Opry.
WSM was built for a purpose, and it was NOT for the Opry. It was built to provide the people of this area emergency news, weather, and so forth. The country music stars need to stay OUT of the radio business. I have found they are NOT broadcasters, they are musicians that do not understand radio.
WSM has a nice 50,000 watt signal, and in a major disaster, when all hell breaks loose, the Opry must take a back seat and the news should be given to the public. Other markets have WBBM, WINS, etc., and Nashville needs a good 50 KW, non-directional, all news AM outlet. NO TALK SHOWS. Listen to WINS-AM on line in NYC and you'll see what I'm speaking of.
I have heard and read some predictions coming from famous college professors prdicting that the Opry will be dead anywhere between 10-15 years from now, and as it dies, so does the older audience it has now. Yes, I realize it has younger people listening, as young as 20 year olds, but they are a minority. Public Surveys will show that the younger will bring this on.

Back when Gaylord threaten to change WSM's format to sports, the protesters were a minority, and from what I saw on TV, thier overall target demo appeared to be late 40's-70 year olds. Also, remember money is the bottom line, and if the Opry is not bring in the money it should, it will slowly die. George Jones and Marty Stewart don't really have the clout to keep that operation and the Opry going.

 

[olebud]

WSM was built for a purpose, and it was NOT for the Opry. It was built to provide the people of this area emergency news, weather, and so forth.
The National Life and Accident Insurance Company started the station to promote their insurance business, not to proved news, etc.

WSM has a nice 50,000 watt signal, and in a major disaster, when all hell breaks loose, the Opry must take a back seat and the news should be given to the public.
Between 1080 and 2002, the Opry didn't take a back seat. We had to notify them on a Friday or Saturday night if there was a severe storm or tornado warning to ensure they were playing the program monitors there. One of the Opry announcers would make the necessary announcement in the Opry House about the weather.

 

[KFodor]

Actually, WSM-AM could be a news and talk station by day and classic country at night and weekends.

But, in any event, what would immediately help it is to get it's music straightened out.

And, with all due respects, that might be a problem if a group of "artists" bought the station. Artists, by their very nature, think radio stations should play every song ever released, and never understand why they get resistance from radio if their songs don't do well with the audience. That's ok, I understand their feelings. But sometimes you have to take your "artist" hat off and put your "business" hat on.

Radio is a business. And if I were them, I'd want a station that many people all over the south were listening to, rather than a 50,000 watt repository for tens of thousands of songs few may want to hear.

Right now, from what I've seen...the station appears to be all over the map, musically speaking. If I tune WSM-AM in here in my home in Ohio (and yes...I can get it here, especially at night, sometimes daytime), I'd like to hear the biggest and best from artists from Hank, Sr...to the early music of the Class of 89. But I want to hear music I recognize as a "hit", and a "classic" not some mid-chart song or novelty record that they seem to be playing too much of these days.

Getting that straighted out alone would be a good start.

 

[davideduardo]

Nashville needs a good 50 KW, non-directional, all news AM outlet. NO TALK SHOWS. Listen to WINS-AM on line in NYC and you'll see what I'm speaking of.

WINS can exist in NY because it can bill abour $60 million a year there and sustain the huge cost of doing all news. Only a few markets can sustain this format as it is the most expensive one in the business to do right... the few "all news" stations outside the top 10 to 15 markets are mostly made up of feeds from non-local sources. The lowest ranked metro news station is likely KQV in market 24, Pittsburgh... it bills just a million with mostly canned stuff.

Unless it is totally automated and mostly non-local net feeds, this format can't work in a market the size of Nashville. It's also the pone format that would get less share than WSM AM has now.

 

[Evangelist]

There has been talk of having the Country Music Hall of Fame take over WSM but I do not think it is feasible. The people who run the Hall of Fame don't know any more about broadcasting than any artists do. Nor do the Chamber of Commerce or Convention and Visitors Bureau.

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

There has been talk of having the Country Music Hall of Fame take over WSM but I do not think it is feasible. The people who run the Hall of Fame don't know any more about broadcasting than any artists do. Nor do the Chamber of Commerce or Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The board members that run a hospital don't know how to do heart surgery, but we assume they are smart enought to hire a hospital administrator who is smart enough to sort out the good doctors from the bad.

The board members that run Delta Airlines may not know how to fly an airplane, but they understand the business well enough to hire a CEO and other officers who can manage the pilots and other employees.

The board members who run a university may not be qualified to be professors, but they know enough to hire a president and a provost and let them find professors who are capable.

I don't understand how a board that is smart enough to hire a staff and operate the Hall of Fame are too dumb to hire the right people to run a radio station.

I don't understand how the board that is smart enough to hire a staff and operate a chamber of commerce are too dumb to hire the right people to run a radio station.

One of the problems of the radio business is that we have people trying to operate radio stations who are too much in love with the music to make hard decisions when they look at the financial statement.

One of the problems of the radio business is that we have people trying to operate radio stations who are too much in love with the sound of their own voice when they are facing a microphone to make hard decisions when they look at the financial statement.

One of the problems of the rdio business is that we have people trying to operate radio stations who are too much in love with the NET PROFIT THIS QUARTER to make hard decisions about long term stability when they look at the financial statement.

I assume the current ownership of WSM has radio people trying to run WSM and we don't think the station will survive with them running it.... is that what I am hearing as I read all these messages?

We don't trust radio people. We don't trust musicians. We don't trust convention people. We don't trust Hall of Fame people. We dont trust Chamber of Commerce people. Maybe we should call in the homeless, or maybe the Boy Scouts, or maybe the taxi drivers. Surely there is someone we trust.

 

[w9wi]

As far as I know, all the local TV stations have had their current call letters since well before I moved here, and I've been here since 1992!

For what little it's worth...

WNPT channel 8: switched from WDCN in February 2000
WNPX channel 28: switched from WKZX in January 1998
WUXP channel 30: switched from WXMT in August 1996

 

[Evangelist]

There has been talk of having the Country Music Hall of Fame take over WSM but I do not think it is feasible. The people who run the Hall of Fame don't know any more about broadcasting than any artists do. Nor do the Chamber of Commerce or Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The board members that run a hospital don't know how to do heart surgery, but we assume they are smart enought to hire a hospital administrator who is smart enough to sort out the good doctors from the bad.

The board members that run Delta Airlines may not know how to fly an airplane, but they understand the business well enough to hire a CEO and other officers who can manage the pilots and other employees.

The board members who run a university may not be qualified to be professors, but they know enough to hire a president and a provost and let them find professors who are capable.

I don't understand how a board that is smart enough to hire a staff and operate the Hall of Fame are too dumb to hire the right people to run a radio station.

I don't understand how the board that is smart enough to hire a staff and operate a chamber of commerce are too dumb to hire the right people to run a radio station.

One of the problems of the radio business is that we have people trying to operate radio stations who are too much in love with the music to make hard decisions when they look at the financial statement.

One of the problems of the radio business is that we have people trying to operate radio stations who are too much in love with the sound of their own voice when they are facing a microphone to make hard decisions when they look at the financial statement.

One of the problems of the rdio business is that we have people trying to operate radio stations who are too much in love with the NET PROFIT THIS QUARTER to make hard decisions about long term stability when they look at the financial statement.

I assume the current ownership of WSM has radio people trying to run WSM and we don't think the station will survive with them running it.... is that what I am hearing as I read all these messages?

We don't trust radio people. We don't trust musicians. We don't trust convention people. We don't trust Hall of Fame people. We dont trust Chamber of Commerce people. Maybe we should call in the homeless, or maybe the Boy Scouts, or maybe the taxi drivers. Surely there is someone we trust.

The Hall of Fame people would be too much in love with the music, as I see it. Given some of my past encounters with the people who run the CVB, I'm confident they wouldn't have a clue.

They, as well as the Chamber of Commerce, are all non-profit entities. Would they have to convert WSM into one as well if they were to run it?

WSM is a radio station and a business. The people who own it are free to do so as they see fit.

 

[radionekkid]

Radio station wsm can’t be compared to another business like an airline, bank or insurance office, all rules are out the window when it comes to show business, its an icon and people who would normally not interfere tend to get involved as did the Gaylord CEO. Everybody is an expert when it comes to their perception, outsiders tend to make these assumptions without regard to what market conditions are much less what the real world conditions are inside the station itself. Its all about a perception from the outside and most radio stations of this size have a big perceived notion of what is going on and it bears little resemblance to what the real story is. WSM has been beaten to death time and time again. WSM advertising can be sold without ratings but it is a tough sell and may not reach the revenue of a high ranked station, but can still be profitable because there is not any debt service or big staff payroll.

 

[scottwmro]

WSM was built for a purpose, and it was NOT for the Opry. It was built to provide the people of this area emergency news, weather, and so forth.
The National Life and Accident Insurance Company started the station to promote their insurance business, not to proved news, etc.

WSM has a nice 50,000 watt signal, and in a major disaster, when all hell breaks loose, the Opry must take a back seat and the news should be given to the public.
Between 1080 and 2002, the Opry didn't take a back seat. We had to notify them on a Friday or Saturday night if there was a severe storm or tornado warning to ensure they were playing the program monitors there. One of the Opry announcers would make the necessary announcement in the Opry House about the weather.

Let me rephrase my thoughts here, yes Buddy, you are correct that when WSM was built in 1925, it was the boards idea of National Life to promote it’s insurance company and sell more insurance policies. But as time went along in between 1925 and 1932, but as WSM got stronger and more stable, one of the most stable outfits in the US at the time, news became a major institution on WSM besides entertainment.

IMHO, the Opry was developed as a local entertainment tool, which turned into a world wide show almost overnight. But as we look back at WSM’s history, this country had already been through 1 World War, and with the advent of radio being able to reach the public faster with news, I feel like National Life realized the importance of the investment they had and that was why power increases of the 20’s and early 30’s came about, making WSM the fastest way to get national, regional, and local news, quickly.

It was nice that we had WSM in WWII, as it demonstrated, along with it’s NBC affiliation, the public at that time would anywhere they were, with WSM’s huge blow torch signal.

This just me, but when it comes down to interruption of music or an entrainment program, I have and I expect the music to stop to bring on the news. To me, I don’t care if the music even comes back on in some cases, the news is more important than the Grand Ole Opry.

If the twin towers in New Your were hit while the Opry was on, if I was over WSM, I shut down the Opry that night (in a nyc minute) and have my local news staff and have feeds coming from CBS, NBC, FOX, ABC, ready to go with a full news crew. Marty Stewart would just have to put down his guitar for the night! To hell with the Opry during a major, regional, or local disaster, and you country music stars may hate me after what I have said, but getting out the news to the general public is more important than some entertainment program, PERIOD.

In 1965, WINS/Westinghouse made the best decision to go all news. Sportscaster Johnny Holliday (a close friend of my family) was working at WINS and was the last jock that played the last Top 40 song on WINS. We were talking a year ago and we both agree that WINS is the best all news station in NYC. WCBS is number two. Johnny is now on ABC every morning doing sports. He sounds good and I’m proud of him!

In closing, I realize it is expensive for an all news station, but WSM should put more emphasis an news during the day, still play some music, and have Bill, Keith, etc. put just a little more effort in the news, to help with the lack money in the budget of being able to hire full time news people. They are doing a good job at it now, and I realize that WSM would loose money doing “all news”, but they should get as much as they can in with the music to keep us informed. I love the Opry too, but the Opry needs to STOP when major breaking news comes in, and should be done at the studio, not at the Opry house!

Buddy, I know you’re retired now, but YOU ARE THE VOICE OF WSM’S NEWS and all ways will be in my heart. You did the BEST newscast on WSM and you personally kept us tuned. I wished you would go back and teach these kids the correct way do deliver a newscast and how to handle breaking stories! You are the Lyle Dean (former WLS newscaster) of Nashville, the best!

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

The Hall of Fame people would be too much in love with the music, as I see it. Given some of my past encounters with the people who run the CVB, I'm confident they wouldn't have a clue.

They, as well as the Chamber of Commerce, are all non-profit entities. Would they have to convert WSM into one as well if they were to run it?

WSM is a radio station and a business. The people who own it are free to do so as they see fit.

You are correct. The people who currently own WSM are free to do as they see fit. The whole discussion thread here has been about the fear that current ownership will come to the point that they perceive Country Music and The Opry are not viable business plans and they will do something drastic with 650. Maybe turn it into a Korean language station. Turn it maybe into an Austrian Polka outlet.

The discussion has been: how can WSM remain an INSTITUTION that fits together with that other institution that needs some way of assuring that it can continue it's tradition: The Opry.

And one of the suggestion I have voiced support for is that the traditional business model of a radio station may not assure that lasting future for a tradition. It may require some HYBRID business model that some of us will have a hard time wrapping our brain around.

People who enjoy classical music and intelligent talk have gathered around NPR and they are in a multi-year process to develop a business model that includes sponsorships, public fund raising, for now some tax money, and the selling of recordings and transcripts.

Not for profit organizations CAN OWN a 'for profit corporation'. If you buy any of your personal insurance from State Farm, do a study of their business model. If you live in a rural area, study your REA or EMC or whatever they call the rural electric co-op in your area.

If you want to see WSM and The Opry preserved for the enjoyment of another generation or two, you must learn to "Think Outside The Box!!!" We're trying to have a discussion here and some of you guys keep coming back with bigger hammers and even bigger nails trying the nail the box shut. Or in this case, maybe nail the COFFIN shut with WSM inside the coffin.

As for the frailties of Hall of Fame, CVB and CofC.... have you considered running for a position on the board of one of these "failures" and see what you can do to turn it around? Think of the experience as an education. Maybe an education that would prepare you to be one of the country's greatest radio station executives. ;D

 

[firepoint525]

As far as I know, all the local TV stations have had their current call letters since well before I moved here, and I've been here since 1992!

For what little it's worth...

WNPT channel 8: switched from WDCN in February 2000
WNPX channel 28: switched from WKZX in January 1998
WUXP channel 30: switched from WXMT in August 1996

Sheeze, someone's got to go into the UHF and public television channels to try to prove me wrong! : Why not also point out to me that channel 58 was not on the air yet! I was referring to the big three, wiseguy!

I remember seeing a WDCN van in northwest Tennessee shortly before I moved here. I had no idea where WDCN was, so I had to assume Nashville, since it definitely was not anywhere closer than that. And since they were headed westbound from Union City, I had to assume that they were headed for Reelfoot Lake. This was on a Sunday afternoon, which I thought was odd, but it was winter time, so maybe they were looking for bald eagles at Reelfoot.

 

[klutch00]

I was thinking the law requiring separate programming for AM and FM was even earlier than the mid-to-late '70s.

1967. End of simulcasting.

Even so, I remember AMs and FMs that simulcasted virtually all their programming, and some that still do! And I'm 44 now.

In the later 80's the early deregulation rule changes allowed some simulcasting, and by the 90's it was allowed again, prticularly because there were so many losing AMs that would otherwise have gone off the air.

Didn't the ban on simulcasting have an exception for smaller stations? I seem to recall simulcasting was legal if your city-of-license was smaller than 25,000.

It probably would have been a good thing to keep the ban and get rid of those losing AMs...

=========================================

Y'know, the other amusing (and frustrating) thing is when people call us (channel 4) and ask for Lelan Statom or Lisa Patton or want to complain about something they saw on American Idol.

=========================================

I think AM 650 has severely limited its options by holding out with the country as long as it has. IMHO, their options:

• Change nothing. Stick with the classic country. I suppose as long as it's breaking even there's no urgent need to change.
• Sell to a group that will be charged with preserving the station's heritage. The Country Music Hall of Fame; the CMA; the Convention & Visitors Bureau; the Chamber of Commerce; some combination of the above. Again, as long as it's breaking even these groups might find having a classic country WSM around furthers their economic interests. I'd bet it would be awfully tough to make the numbers work.
• Sell to Cumulus, who moves the WTN format to AM 650. If the station had been sold to Cumulus along with the FM then this would have probably already happened. Today it might be more difficult, as it's more obvious that AM's technical limitations apply to talk formats just as they apply to music.

I'd love to see an all-news format ala WBBM 780 Chicago. But that's awfully expensive and this market isn't big enough to support it.

Of your three suggestions, I like the last one the least. The last thing that the AM airwaves need at night is more syndicated talk programming! 'WTN seems to offer nothing else other than that, particularly at night! Besides, you already have WLAC over there. The AM clears should be offering material that is not only relevant to the primary service area but to their 'extended' service areas as well. You need to give people reasons to tune to your station at night by offering something unique. With that said, when selling time at night, it would behoove AEs to court national advertisers or local advertisers relevant to the region for business during the evening hours.

Personally, I like the idea of a full-service classic country format that would offer regional weather and perhaps traffic reports throughout the night.

 

[scottwmro]

I was thinking the law requiring separate programming for AM and FM was even earlier than the mid-to-late '70s.

1967. End of simulcasting.

Even so, I remember AMs and FMs that simulcasted virtually all their programming, and some that still do! And I'm 44 now.

In the later 80's the early deregulation rule changes allowed some simulcasting, and by the 90's it was allowed again, prticularly because there were so many losing AMs that would otherwise have gone off the air.

Didn't the ban on simulcasting have an exception for smaller stations? I seem to recall simulcasting was legal if your city-of-license was smaller than 25,000.

It probably would have been a good thing to keep the ban and get rid of those losing AMs...

=========================================

Y'know, the other amusing (and frustrating) thing is when people call us (channel 4) and ask for Lelan Statom or Lisa Patton or want to complain about something they saw on American Idol.

=========================================

I think AM 650 has severely limited its options by holding out with the country as long as it has. IMHO, their options:

• Change nothing. Stick with the classic country. I suppose as long as it's breaking even there's no urgent need to change.
• Sell to a group that will be charged with preserving the station's heritage. The Country Music Hall of Fame; the CMA; the Convention & Visitors Bureau; the Chamber of Commerce; some combination of the above. Again, as long as it's breaking even these groups might find having a classic country WSM around furthers their economic interests. I'd bet it would be awfully tough to make the numbers work.
• Sell to Cumulus, who moves the WTN format to AM 650. If the station had been sold to Cumulus along with the FM then this would have probably already happened. Today it might be more difficult, as it's more obvious that AM's technical limitations apply to talk formats just as they apply to music.

I'd love to see an all-news format ala WBBM 780 Chicago. But that's awfully expensive and this market isn't big enough to support it.

Of your three suggestions, I like the last one the least. The last thing that the AM airwaves need at night is more syndicated talk programming! 'WTN seems to offer nothing else other than that, particularly at night! Besides, you already have WLAC over there. The AM clears should be offering material that is not only relevant to the primary service area but to their 'extended' service areas as well. You need to give people reasons to tune to your station at night by offering something unique. With that said, when selling time at night, it would behoove AEs to court national advertisers or local advertisers relevant to the region for business during the evening hours.

Personally, I like the idea of a full-service classic country format that would offer regional weather and perhaps traffic reports throughout the night.

Your talking about producing programming that is expensive to do. The Class "A" clears don't make as much money at night as you think they do anymore, unless they are selling time to black preachers that think they are going to save the world on that 50 KW monster, when in realility, they are just getting laughed at. It's just ego trip mentality on thier part.

The reason why most of the clears go to satellite programming at night these day is because it is cheap, no board op needed, just a PC and a satellite receiver. Oh I agree, I miss the days of Good Ole John R., Hossman, Spider Harrison on WLAC, but it's too expensive to bring back that type of programming.

I've suggested it to Bill Buntin who was at WLAC about bringing in new jocks in the late evening & overnight to play the blues and black gospel on WLAC. He told me it was too hard to sell in 2008. It may not sound like the old John R. Show, but it would sound close to it.

Like WSM-AM, WLAC would have a huge, older black, and even white following playing the blues on WLAC at 11 PM at night, just like old times. I can think of some good talent/jocks to host that work today at WDIA (also owned by C.C.) in Memphis that would sound great at night on WLAC, playing the blues, but like I said, there are not sponsors out there anymore like Royal Crown Hair Company to sponsor shows like that.

If that was back on WLAC, I know I would listen!

 

[davideduardo]

Of your three suggestions, I like the last one the least. The last thing that the AM airwaves need at night is more syndicated talk programming! 'WTN seems to offer nothing else other than that, particularly at night! Besides, you already have WLAC over there. The AM clears should be offering material that is not only relevant to the primary service area but to their 'extended' service areas as well. You need to give people reasons to tune to your station at night by offering something unique. With that said, when selling time at night, it would behoove AEs to court national advertisers or local advertisers relevant to the region for business during the evening hours.

If you have ever sold time, you know that local advertisers only care about the area immediately around their local location(s). National advertisers buy radio locally, and seldom consider one station for more than one market.

Radio usage at night (7 to Midnight) is a third of the daytime usage. Overnights, it is about a tenth. So, on most stations, the sold spots run 6 AM to 7 PM, and nights and overnights are packaged as bonus spots or figured in very cheaply to lower the average spot rate for a buy.

There is essentially no business to be picked up by an AM for night coverage or multiple markets... particularly since stations do not show up in the ratings of other distant markets making pricing impossible.

 

[firepoint525]

I was thinking the law requiring separate programming for AM and FM was even earlier than the mid-to-late '70s.

1967. End of simulcasting.

Even so, I remember AMs and FMs that simulcasted virtually all their programming, and some that still do! And I'm 44 now.

In the later 80's the early deregulation rule changes allowed some simulcasting, and by the 90's it was allowed again, prticularly because there were so many losing AMs that would otherwise have gone off the air.

Didn't the ban on simulcasting have an exception for smaller stations? I seem to recall simulcasting was legal if your city-of-license was smaller than 25,000.

It probably would have been a good thing to keep the ban and get rid of those losing AMs...

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Y'know, the other amusing (and frustrating) thing is when people call us (channel 4) and ask for Lelan Statom or Lisa Patton or want to complain about something they saw on American Idol.

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I think AM 650 has severely limited its options by holding out with the country as long as it has. IMHO, their options:

• Change nothing. Stick with the classic country. I suppose as long as it's breaking even there's no urgent need to change.
• Sell to a group that will be charged with preserving the station's heritage. The Country Music Hall of Fame; the CMA; the Convention & Visitors Bureau; the Chamber of Commerce; some combination of the above. Again, as long as it's breaking even these groups might find having a classic country WSM around furthers their economic interests. I'd bet it would be awfully tough to make the numbers work.
• Sell to Cumulus, who moves the WTN format to AM 650. If the station had been sold to Cumulus along with the FM then this would have probably already happened. Today it might be more difficult, as it's more obvious that AM's technical limitations apply to talk formats just as they apply to music.

I'd love to see an all-news format ala WBBM 780 Chicago. But that's awfully expensive and this market isn't big enough to support it.

Of your three suggestions, I like the last one the least. The last thing that the AM airwaves need at night is more syndicated talk programming! 'WTN seems to offer nothing else other than that, particularly at night! Besides, you already have WLAC over there. The AM clears should be offering material that is not only relevant to the primary service area but to their 'extended' service areas as well. You need to give people reasons to tune to your station at night by offering something unique. With that said, when selling time at night, it would behoove AEs to court national advertisers or local advertisers relevant to the region for business during the evening hours.

Personally, I like the idea of a full-service classic country format that would offer regional weather and perhaps traffic reports throughout the night.

I believe WSM does that. At least they have in the past.

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

There is essentially no business to be picked up by an AM for night coverage or multiple markets... particularly since stations do not show up in the ratings of other distant markets making pricing impossible.

I live at the south end of Appalachia. I keep my little Walkman radio near the bed for those times I wake up in the middle of the night and don't intellectually feel up to counting sheep. There are three stations that skywave in here pretty well that have somethin on that I am willing to listen to. WSM, KMOX, and WGN. The Steve and Johnny Show on WGN is fascinating to me. The kind of content that reminds me of 30 and 40 years ago. They have a pretty robust harvest of LOCAL advertising. As you say, nothing addressed to the distant listener like me. I would love to know what kind of rate they get for those commercials for the shoe store and the jewelry store, etc.

And WSM.... What commercials?

 

[firepoint525]

Of your three suggestions, I like the last one the least. The last thing that the AM airwaves need at night is more syndicated talk programming! 'WTN seems to offer nothing else other than that, particularly at night! Besides, you already have WLAC over there. The AM clears should be offering material that is not only relevant to the primary service area but to their 'extended' service areas as well. You need to give people reasons to tune to your station at night by offering something unique. With that said, when selling time at night, it would behoove AEs to court national advertisers or local advertisers relevant to the region for business during the evening hours.

If you have ever sold time, you know that local advertisers only care about the area immediately around their local location(s). National advertisers buy radio locally, and seldom consider one station for more than one market.

Radio usage at night (7 to Midnight) is a third of the daytime usage. Overnights, it is about a tenth. So, on most stations, the sold spots run 6 AM to 7 PM, and nights and overnights are packaged as bonus spots or figured in very cheaply to lower the average spot rate for a buy.

There is essentially no business to be picked up by an AM for night coverage or multiple markets... particularly since stations do not show up in the ratings of other distant markets making pricing impossible.

KMOX actually showed up in the Arbitrons in Dickson County back in the '90s.