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WTVN on 92.3 and 105.7

If news/talk is done correctly, it could be viable on both AM and FM with both syndicated and local programming.

In my hometown of Tyler, Texas, a homegrown cluster flipped its FM from classic hits/oldies to talk and picked up the "-FM" calls of its AM talk sister (KTBB & KTBB-FM; www.ktbb.com). The two simulcast a local morning drive. At 8AM, they split into their respective lineups. AM600 carries Beck, Limbaugh and Hannity live while 92.1FM airs Laura Ingraham, Clark Howard and Dave Ramsey with a locally-produced sports show from 4-6P. Granted, there's just the "SportsTalk" show that's local on the FM in the afternoon, but the point I want to make is that there is a choice (at least for those two hours) of national or local. I think if CC didn't have its head up is gluteus maximus, they could capitalize on the same thing considering the local talk show host base there is here in Central Ohio. Keep 610 with the national talkers (Beck/Limbaugh/Hannity live) and put the local talk on 93-3 (Riley/Bradley/???) while simulcasting BC. Seems like a win/win for those who want both national and local talk.

Why would this -not- work?
 
The weaker talker would sink off the map?

WTVN is a sum of its parts...without BC and Corby combined with Rush and Beck, would both "split" stations equal the sum of the whole?

Of course, when BC retires and Corby moves on, all bets are off.

BTW, the scenario you describe is also in place at former CBS Radio talker KMJ/580 Fresno, which does much the same at "The FM KMJ" - simulcast drive time shows, air a different schedule otherwise.

At last check, 580 was doing well, but the FM was floundering.
 
OhioMediaWatch said:
Of course, when BC retires and Corby moves on, all bets are off.
Click to expand...
Maybe Corby should consider retirement sooner rather than later.  I don't listen often, but I heard him for about fifteen minutes this afternoon.  After commiserating with a caller about socialist electricity meters that will turn your appliances off even when you want them on, and then agreeing with the caller about the need to start a revolution in 2012 if the current administration isn't ousted, he launched into a story of an imprisoned young man.  I won't go into details about that, but I had to do a double-take when Corby said, "he's only 24 now; if he's in jail for 22 years he'll be 56 when he gets out."  OK, let's give him the benefit of the doubt and say maybe he just needed more sleep (the excuse I use when adding the subtotal and tip incorrectly -- three times in the past month  :p).
 
OhioMediaWatch said:
The weaker talker would sink off the map?
Click to expand...

Makes sense. But if you load both with strong talkers, be they local or national, theoretically they both should at least survive if not do well.

WTVN is a sum of its parts...without BC and Corby combined with Rush and Beck, would both "split" stations equal the sum of the whole?
Click to expand...


Good question. I suppose there's only one way to find out. Question now is...will we?
 
C414B said:
Makes sense. But if you load both with strong talkers, be they local or national, theoretically they both should at least survive if not do well.
Click to expand...

The big problem here is that there's not enough strong syndicated product to build such a lineup.

Let's say you put BC, Corby and Riley on your theoretical "strong local" station. That's what, 9-10 hours a day? What do you put on this station in other dayparts? Are you OK because the names are covering drive-time (and maybe middays)? Are you simulcasting at all, e.g. putting Rush on both stations?

What do you put on the "syndicated" station after Rush and Beck, and maybe Hannity? Rush and Beck are ratings getters, and Hannity a little. Everything else is a crapshoot. (Savage/Levin? Ingraham?)

I'm not at all saying it can't be done. Maybe there is a magic combination here that'd make a "two-headed WTVN" work.

But CC likes to keep its big news/talkers strong, and in one place, and will move stuff around to keep them highly rated.
 
OhioMediaWatch said:
Let's say you put BC, Corby and Riley on your theoretical "strong local" station. That's what, 9-10 hours a day? What do you put on this station in other dayparts? Are you OK because the names are covering drive-time (and maybe middays)? Are you simulcasting at all, e.g. putting Rush on both stations?
Click to expand...

Other dayparts could be pre-produced local programming or second-tier syndication (Savage/Levin/Ingraham). As for simulcasting, yes for BC and possibly Rush. And yes, I'm quite OK with the local names covering drive times.

What do you put on the "syndicated" station after Rush and Beck, and maybe Hannity? Rush and Beck are ratings getters, and Hannity a little. Everything else is a crapshoot. (Savage/Levin? Ingraham?)
Click to expand...

True...Rush and Glenn are ratings...no doubt about that. As for the others being crapshots, what is the TSL after 6-7P? Could some sports programming work in those evening hours? Again, second-tier talkers or a good, obscure national talker with a niche audience?

I'm not at all saying it can't be done. Maybe there is a magic combination here that'd make a "two-headed WTVN" work.

But CC likes to keep its big news/talkers strong, and in one place, and will move stuff around to keep them highly rated.
Click to expand...

And that's understandable about CC wanting to keep their strong talkers strong. Keep the strong one strong...by all means. My premise is that CC could keep 610 strong while using an FM counterpart to augment the syndicated options or (more preferably) build a strong "live and local" news/talker. Now, I've never programmed a music radio station, let alone a news/talk format, so I may be living in a fantasy world here. If I am, just tell me to put the bong down and get back to reality. ;D
 
C414B said:
True...Rush and Glenn are ratings...no doubt about that. As for the others being crapshots, what is the TSL after 6-7P? Could some sports programming work in those evening hours? Again, second-tier talkers or a good, obscure national talker with a niche audience?
Click to expand...

Sports would work, except that Columbus is not a large professional market.

Even what major sports do exist in Columbus - mainly tOSU football and basketball, and the Blue Jackets - are on other stations. I'm not sure just a sports talk show in the evening on this second station would work, or that you could build around that.

C414B said:
And that's understandable about CC wanting to keep their strong talkers strong. Keep the strong one strong...by all means. My premise is that CC could keep 610 strong while using an FM counterpart to augment the syndicated options or (more preferably) build a strong "live and local" news/talker.
Click to expand...

The other problem here is - does CC "spend the money" to expand local presence on this flagship local talker (be it on WTVN's current 610 slot or on FM)? I don't think so, but I could be wrong. It at very least would require bringing a Joel Riley back for a regular weekday slot...and they just made the move away from that bringing Beck onto 610.

It's fascinating kicking this around, tho!
 
And here is the bad thing.... Bad weather occurs and Ohio's EAS State Primary station plays Ryan Seacrest. This while lower power stations put out the information people need. Same thing happens here in Dayton to an extent, but at least WHKO will put out the warnings while WHIO-AM/FM will simulcast WHIO TVs break ins. No one Columbus does that that I know of. Even Jym Ganahl told me on Twitter that they (WCMH) have no simulcast agreement with anyone.
 
radiogrrl77 said:
And here is the bad thing.... Bad weather occurs and Ohio's EAS State Primary station plays Ryan Seacrest. This while lower power stations put out the information people need. Same thing happens here in Dayton to an extent, but at least WHKO will put out the warnings while WHIO-AM/FM will simulcast WHIO TVs break ins. No one Columbus does that that I know of. Even Jym Ganahl told me on Twitter that they (WCMH) have no simulcast agreement with anyone.
Click to expand...

It was a few years ago.. If I remember but there was Tornado warnings and storms headed right for Columbus.. WTVN dropped out of rush to cover the weather and 93.3 WLZT, 105.7 and WCOL-FM 92.3 picked it up for a bit... WNCI did keep trucking on with automated ryan seacrest. (NCI did pass the NWS Tornado warning via EAS but did not break into seacrest beyond that with live coverage)
 
And I always thought that radio and tv's main thing was to keep the public informed in times of emergency. Also, just wait until Nov. 9th at 1400 hrs. (2PM for those who don't habla) and every station will be running the same thing for about 3 minutes at least. (The "top down" nationwide test of the EAS by FEMA/DHS. First ever activation of all 34 PEP stations and down)
 
radiogrrl77 said:
wait until Nov. 9th at 1400 hrs. (2PM for those who don't habla) and every station will be running the same thing for about 3 minutes at least. (The "top down" nationwide test of the EAS by FEMA/DHS. First ever activation of all 34 PEP stations and down)
Click to expand...


That might get delayed, just like the implementation of the new EAS units
 
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