The Nexgen (their automation) if you heard ads, but no content likely was not switching to the satellite audio for whatever reason - if you heard local ads that means the satellite triggers were tripping the local breaks via the network closures but if it was returning to dead air that means it was not switching from the local ASERV output on the switcher to the network content. Either a human error or something did not load right in the Nexgen. Given a Sunday night iHeart outside of a super major big market typically runs 'automated' with no one home! Sadly, no matter how many wattage WTAM is cranking out (especially at night) - in iHeart's eyes it's a small market which means no one home but the racks of computers running the pre-programmed logs.
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WTAM
- Thread starter skiwest
- Start date
I assume WTAM numbers are way down now that Rush and Triv are gone.
WTAM is within the top 200 billing radio stations in the US... out of over 10,000 commercial stations. It is in the top 50 out of 866 iHeart stations, despite not even being in a top 30 market.
All of the other Cleveland iHeart stations are in the same facility. I suppose there is no one home at those stations as well on a Sunday night.
Even when I worked part time as a kid in radio, I would never work Sunday nights. Or overnights.
Yes, that's all well and good. All I am saying is that, in terms of audience reach, they are one of iHeart's lowest (per Capita) 50k "clear channel" AM audience getters. They don't have a morning show with top or near top ratings, which is (still) the most important time period for any station, but especially a news/talk 50k AM. If they are happy with the revenue, fine. I don't know if they are selling it in combo. But I do know that they could have a much better station if they put more effort into creating a leadership station that was more consistently compelling.
My first "big break" was on Sunday. Signed WCUY on at 7 AM, signed it off at 11 PM. Drank about 10 cups of coffee, and about a dozen 15¢ Royal Castle hamburgers and kept it all warm by putting it on top of the transmitter.
Did all of my homework, too. The manager / PD put all the music in hour by hour stacks out for me, and all I had to do was play them, run liners and announce the title / artist. We had no ads, so no spots to run.
I'm pretty sure these systems can be operated by remote control from home if needed. What point would there be sitting around at 668 Euclid on a Sunday night if you don't have to?
Which is actually pretty decent considering two of their long-tenured personalities (Rush and Trivisonno) died in 2021 and what had been their top draw—Cleveland baseball and the Cavaliers—have also been on WMMS for over a decade.
"Which is actually pretty decent considering two of their long-tenured personalities (Rush and Trivisonno) died in 2021 and what had been their top draw—Cleveland baseball and the Cavaliers—have also been on WMMS for over a decade."
I'll bet that they are selling WTAM in combo with their FMs. In other words, to get on WMJI or WGAR you have to place a schedule on WTAM. I can't imagine that the current WTAM lineup - and ratings - are a real ad magnet.
I'll bet that they are selling WTAM in combo with their FMs. In other words, to get on WMJI or WGAR you have to place a schedule on WTAM. I can't imagine that the current WTAM lineup - and ratings - are a real ad magnet.
They can watch the ladies of the evening walk by, and maybe get flashed. But seriously, there are over a half dozen stations at 668, so one person to watch over all of them doesn't seem too unreasonable. They can safeguard against anyone trying to break in and vandalize the equipment. Also, I'm not sure if a server can be re-booted remotely.
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You can't take a "if you want to get on..." approach today. If an advertiser does not want a particular station, and you force the buy, they won't buy any of the stations at all.
New/Talk stations get a lot of local direct business from clients who are not as age conscious. Lots of local retail, car dealers, home services, home improvement, legal services, etc. are there for a 45-65 targeted station. And news/talkers tend to run more commercial minutes at a bit lower rates, so they are able to be big billers even without having to depend on agency business.
Is the consensus that Rush's passing, and replacement by either Clay and Buck or Bongino, hasn't hurt the vast majority of News/Talkers?
I wouldn't be surprised.
Plus, I suspect that the demos of these stations are just getting older and older, which is not helping. Whenever I catch WNIR, it sounds like just about everyone is calling from a nursing home.
As a footnote, Cunningham was off all week on WLW. His flagship station carried the Super Bowl on Sunday night. Did he actually host in that time slot or was it a best of? Obviously some stations took the show from the beginning and WLW probably joined in progress after Super Bowl coverage.
Have you been in Downtown Cleveland at night? Unless there's ball game of some type going on, nobody is there. The only thing they're going to catch are flies. I can remember when they were downtown before they had moved to Independence and Lanigan went on a rant about two guys kissing in a car when he came in to work early one morning. Could get away with that then but probably not today.
That's halfway between Public Square and Playhouse Square... where the expensive condos are going into the old commercial buildings. Have you seen the price of "Residences at Halle" just a few blocks up?
It’s amazing how much of the downtown has been repurposed and renovated. 668 Euclid itself is one of those buildings.
If I remember correctly, back in the late 70s, the "red light district" was down by the old WIXY/WBBG/WMJI building on Euclid ave when I was stopping in there a few times. I recall getting propositioned a couple of times sitting at a stop light and, me being too big of a chicken, just rolled up my car windows and ran the light. I could feel the STDs jumping off of them and attacking my car, trying to get in.
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