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WZTK - what's wrong

B

BS1012

Glad to see I could get some discussion going on WKZL; let's try another.

FM Talk 101.1 WZTK.

Good news, great signal, well-balanced, often LOCAL, and diverse talent. Mornings and afternoons are live, with quite famous jocks--at least in North Carolina. Alan Colmes is balanced with Boortz and Savage, and it's a seemingly well-produced Talk station. Hell, even overnights are different; I hate the overnight show, but stil, it's not coast to coast. Trouble is, it's not catching on. Are people not buying it, or is there some type of flaw in the station that I haven't caught onto. Thing is, this is fairly good radio, in my opinion, and from what I've heard nobody's listening. What gives?
 
Does ZTK still play jazz music on weekends? I know they are affiliated with Wake Forest and the Panthers, but another thing I remember them for is their weekend jazz format. Do they still do that?
 
Yes, Berlin, ZTK still does the smooth jazz weekends. Like BS, I have always wondered why with its killer signal and kickass lineup the FM Talk thing hasn't caught on more around these parts. No answers here. I think they're doing a great job.
 
Do people still think of them as simply a Burlington station form the country days on that frequency??? Or do people really just don't care about an FM Talker????
 
That 101.1 frequency just hasn't been a stop for triad listeners for as long as say 107.5, 98.7, 92.3, etc. have been for some time. They have done some basic marketing, but nothing that has gotten them in people's faces. The Handelmann show is terrible. The guy basically tries to get the biggest loons he can on the radio and he challenges nothing, while recycling guests like every two weeks. Brad and Brit think it's cute to act like they aren't liberals, which confuses listeners who are used to hosts with clear left/right demarkations. The syndicated stuff is good (the Boortz/Howard one-two punch and Michael Savage), but the rip and read news is straight out of 1975. And what's up with weekend Jazz? How about some "talk" programming on the weekends?

I don't know what the fix is to this station, but I think Curtis is getting very little return for the investment. The question becomes: What do you flip it to? They can't do Spanish w/ out cannabalizing La Ley in Raleigh. They can't go back to country, as it would be yet another competitor for 'QDR when 'QDR doesn't need one. Like the US in Iraq, they have few options. They should just get Doug Stephan for AM drive, do Ed Schultz in afternoons and have like one news person. They wouldn't get lower numbers and they might actually turn a small profit with the lower costs.

Brad and Brit compete for the same listeners as Chris and Chris and they simply can't win that one (even though, I have heard that C&C didn't have such a great summer book).
 
There are three key problems with WZTK, and I know they've all been brought up here before.

1) Signal.
Yes, they're a 100kW station. Yes, they have a massive footprint. No, they aren't in a good location. They're a rimshot for Winston-Salem and Raleigh. While that's a pretty strong rimshot on either side, the issue isn't so much reception as it is market placement. They're trying to compete in both the Triangle and the Triad, and that just won't work. They need to go after one or the other. Each market has it's own identity, and no one in Durham cares about High Point issues (or vice-versa).

2) Talent.
There are some talented people on the station, and there are some big names as well. There are, however, a couple of reasons why the talent isn't working to their advantage. One, the local talent aren't known for talk radio, and while they may work well in the format, the listeners' don't perceive that... and won't without more extensive marketing. Two, the syndicated talent aren't big enough names to pull listeners from the other stations in either market. I'm not saying it always takes Rush and Sean to win a News/Talk battle (because it doesn't... just look at WGN, KGO, etc.), but if you're going to attempt to gain numbers in two different markets running a News/Talk format, you need something more than the also-rans, which WZTK clearly doesn't have.

3) News.
Again, this is a locality issue. Orange County residents don't care about what's going in the Forsyth County schools. While they do a good job of covering state news (which, yes, it's simply rip-and-read, but you can't tell me WSJS doesn't do the same thing with state news... I know otherwise just from listening), that's not enough. If you're going to succeed in beating any other News/Talk station, you need to choose a market to go after and go hard on the local news for that market. Again, they're splitting themselves between the Triad and the Triangle, and it just isn't working, nor will it ever.

As I said before, all of these things have been mentioned previously, but they bear repeating. Until Curtis decides to make some changes based on these facts, ZTK isn't going to make any bigger of a dent in either market than it already has... and that's not a very big dent at all.
 
What's wrong with this station? I believe there are a lot of things! First--Curtis has said on several occasions that he wants the station to be a Triad force with studios in Greensboro. But that hasn't happened and probably never will. I don't believe he wants to spend the money. Second--Curtis won't totally focus on the Triangle because it would hurt PTF. Third--a total focus on Burlington, Alamance County and the immediate rural area won't pull in the dollars. Fourth--ZTK and any other station, which rely alot on syndicated shows will not rise to the top! To win, you have to have local programming and focus on the issues--in ALL DAY PARTS. Brad & Brit do a good job. Brad & I did mornings at Rock 92 back in the late 80s and early 90s. We talked about stuff from all around the Triad and the state! It doesn't matter if folks are in Orange County or in Forsyth County. Hell, television news does it all the time. With lots of families going in different directions, many folks want to know what is happening from one end off the Triad to the other end of the Triangle! Fifth--news (my bag)--you just can't rip and read. You've got to get the newsmakers on the air via soundbites. Do enterprise stories that aren't out of the newspaper or off the wire! Sixth--get the talent out of the studios and do some remotes, hand-shaking, etc. Let the folks out in radio land know who you are and that you care! That way they will listen! And...Seventh--promotions! ZTK may just be a stopover when you hit the scan button. But if they would run more T-V spots and some newspaper ads about the place, they probably will gain some listeners! Radio owners in general don't understand that they must listen to what they preach---ADVERTISE in quanity! That will bring in the business. I could go on and on. But I guess I'm just preaching to the choir here. The true problem with radio, its owners, management and programmers is very simple--the medium and its people NO LONGER serve in the public's interest. It's just a means to make money. The bottom line rules! No one...or at least...only a very few broadcasters are TRUE BROADCASTERS any more! They won't listen to their employees or their audience. That's the problem and it is only getting worse. That's why people are going elsewhere. Hell, I'm on the beach and can't even get one damn interview in the business. I guess I've pissed in too many folks bowls of corn flakes over the years. Yeah, I'm mad at the business because it ain't what it used to be. ZTK's problems can be fixed just like other stations with similar or bigger problems. THE problem is--there is just no one who really gives a damn any longer except us old dinosaurs!
 
Dr. News:

Have you heard of "paragraphs"?

WPTF is looking for a news director. Have you applied?
Quit complaining and get back in the game!
Have you got game?
 
Dr. News said:
Fifth--news (my bag)--you just can't rip and read. You've got to get the newsmakers on the air via soundbites. Do enterprise stories that aren't out of the newspaper or off the wire!
Click to expand...

You have to have real news people (dare I say "journalists?") to do that! Most stations can't get past thinking that anyone with a good voice (or sounds cute) can "do" news, ignoring the fact that it take training, talent, and experience to produce a news product that's not "rip and read!"
 
Mr. Surfdude:

Yes, I have heard of paragraphs. But sometimes when I am writing about something that I have passion for or am mad about, I tend to forget to hit the return key a couple of times to make a new paragraph. I will try to do better! Just wish you could have seen a lot of the commercial and news copy I've been handed over the years! At least you could read my stuff.

As for game, I do have it! Won several awards to back that up! And, yes, I have applied to WPTF for the news director's post. Hadn't been called...probably won't be. I worked there before. I was assignment editor and one of the morning news anchors when Kevin Miller arrived on the scene. I left before things got really bad. As it ended-up, every person on in the mornings left, retired or got canned. Guess I got out in time.

As for complaining, I guess I am. But I am also trying to point out what kind of shape this business of radio is in today! By the way, I have been in it for 34 years--guess I have earned the right to complain!

I would love to find a station where the public REALLY mattered! That would mean a program director, manager and owner with true broadcast knowledge and a commitment to news! There are folks like that...but most of them are out of the business now--disgusted like me.

And to respond to allnews--you are right--there has to be real news people to do it "right!" But with deregulation, radio handed news to television, newspaper and then the Internet. It does take talent, training and experience. There are not many stations around like WIFM, Elkin where I learned the trade--putting in 60 hours a week and more covering meetings, going to murders and fires and doing financial and feature stories. The training ground has been plowed under and unfortunately--it may be gone forever.
 
Would they even want to HIRE another news director until they get through the current ownership crisis?

Matt Smith
WGSR-TV
 
That's so obvious it's painful! In fact it makes so much sense that I almost can't believe it. WSJS should jump on Skurka if he wan't it.
 
There is no ownership crisis at WSJS. It is currently owned by CBS and has been offered for sale. That is hardly a crisis. The grapevine says a deal is in the works and something should be known in a couple of weeks. Meanwhile, they do need to continue to operate and a news director is a necessary position for the station.

I suspect someone inside might get the job - as an added duty.

Skurka would be good on the air, but not sure Ed has the administrative experience to be ND. There is a big difference in being ND at at music station and a real news operation. I like Ed, but don't know how much experience he has in budgeting, HR, SOX, negotiating contracts, ascertainment and issues reports, etc. That job at SJS is an administrative nightmare - and Costner is very good at it!
 
The "crisis" is that CBS no longer wants to own it. The station has seen it 's best days and they can't find someone to take it for the ridiculous price they want. Hopefully, the new owners can put even more infomercials, swap shop, and "pay to play" radio (it's your money and your money matters) on the station.

Their current PD's leadership and horrible on-air performance have made the station into a "crisis" situation. That's one of the reasons Costner left. He can see the Titanic going down.
 
I wasn't suggesting SJS is not in crisis - it is just not an ownership one. It is a management issue. Maybe Hamilton will be News Director - he tries to be everything else!
 
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