You guys are brutal! Re: WDJO

[Oscar]

I've been sitting back reading the posts about the new WDJO and marvelling at the various opinions and reasons for them. Some of you guys are being harsh and some of you are being too optimistic.

First of all, you have to hand it to these guys who are putting their money and, really, their a$$es on the line in what amounts to an expensive labor of love. How many of you would dare to assemble a group of friends or associates and put it all out there for everyone to criticize? How many of you have something you BELIEVE in so strongly that you're willing to risk it? Whether you believe these guys are fools or geniuses, you have to admire the willingness to do something they love and believe in.

I like what Mark Bohach said (and he should know) about the enthusiasm to make it happen and the different definitions of success. If I could run a station that was my passion, and just make enough to survive and make a living, THAT would be success for me! Even if it NEVER cracked an Arbitron rating. I still would be making a living doing something I love and was my own creation.

Now, as for the criticism of the station itself, I think it will work just like Standards worked for so long. Why did people listen? Because they love the music, it's an important part of their lives, and they CAN'T HEAR IT ANYWHERE ELSE!! OK. It's on satellite. How many people really have it? Some do. Great. But it also appears there will be some local jocks - most noteworthy Dusty Rhodes - and that will make for a much better listening experience.

WDJO has signal problems, too. But Arbitorn, your characterization of the WDJO signal as compared to WNKR is just wrong, and you know it. I've heard it on the north side of Columbus and as far south as Lexington. The night signal IS terrible. What do they have planned to deal with that? And 96 Rocker, I don't think you can compare this to the old WDJO. That station got hit on one side by WSAI, on the other by WOFX (as Classic Hits in 1988), and then by WGRR in 1990. Plus it was 1000 watts all day on a terrible frequency! All four stations were playing similar rock oldies from the 1960s to 1970s. I remember hearing BTO and the Guess Who on WDJO and Heart on WSAI!!

I welcome the new WDJO because it's something different, just like I welcomed WSAI a couple years ago. I think WDJO has a better chance at survivial because PASSIONATE RADIO people are running it. Passionate radio people who also know sales and they're focused on this one station.

We're always railing on the corporate blandness of radio these days. Then, these guys come along and get criticized. What do you guys want?

Sorry I went long. It's a nice release though!

 

[96rocker]

>And 96 Rocker, I don't think you can compare this to the old WDJO. That station >got hit on one side by WSAI, on the other by WOFX (as Classic Hits in 1988), >and then by WGRR in 1990. Plus it was 1000 watts all day on a terrible >frequency!

How much different is it today? FOX and WGRR are still around, and the new WDJO isn't on a great frequency, either. And please don't counter with the fact that WGRR dumped 50s music and that FOX switched to Classic Rock. They are still positioned in the market as the stations of choice for the baby boomers looking for the music of their glory days.

Most listeners in this market probably don't even know that a station exists on the 1160 frequency. And I don't know how many times it will take for this to sink in: music listeners are now solidly tuned in to FM, and they are not coming back to AM. Not even the ones who grew up in the golden age of TOP 40. Music listening on AM started to erode rapidly in the mid-80s. We cannot turn back the clock, as much as we would like to.

I don't know about the other posters, but I am not being brutal. I'm being realistic by basing my arguments on current trends in radio. As I said in a previous post, I like the music on 1160, but I am not your typical listener. I am a radio geek like you are.

Passion doesn't mean squat if the format isn't viable. I am sure John Thomas at WCIN is passionate, and I am sure that all of the other failed AM music format programmers were passionate, as well. Remember WCLU, Retro Radio, WSAI's standards and oldies formats, 1360 K-ROCK, The Elvis Station, The Blend, both WMLXs (1180 and 1230), WNOP's Jazz, and WMOH's pre-sports/pre-talk AC format?

All of us fantasize about owning and running "the perfect radio station", where we would play the music we loved, without really worrying about ratings and the bottom line. You know, putting our money where our mouth is. In this day and age, we would all get eaten alive. There are very few independent operators who are making a good living with music on AM.

 

[Arbitorn]

Okay, Oscar, I'll give you the day signal point, but allow me that the "night signal" reaches to almost 9 am and starts getting Chicago in the background as early as 4:30 in the afternoon this time of year. Chicago's power and pattern shift is on Salt Lake City time, to add the the evening hash.

I am excited to hear the music again. I hated to see it go from 1530. I wanted to help set the record straight as to why it went away. It wasn't all CC greed and inept sales.

I work with Pat Barry and have known him many years, but Arbitorn is NOT Pat Barry.

 

[Oscar]

Rocker...open your mind!

Let's go point by point:
>
> How much different is it today?

A lot different. WDJO is not playing the same music they played on 1230. As I said, WDJO used to play The Guess Who, BTO, lots of the rock-Beatles, Rolling Stones, and other Classic Rock artists. This WDJO is NOT doing that. The FOX and WGRR are more distinct now, too. WGRR is Hits and The FOX is ROCK. And, YES, WGRR did drop the 50s music and WDJO IS playing it. You don't think there are enough people who want to hear 50s and 60s bubblegum to give this station a 1.0 share? I'm sure there is because WSAI was getting a 1.5, with UK basketball in the evening and on weekends, plus preachers overnight.
>
> Most listeners in this market probably don't even know that
> a station exists on the 1160 frequency.

That's what marketing is for...And actually I don't agree with that anyway. BOB got a lot of press when it took the Bengals from WLW and they got decent numbers in the fall during that time. I have often run into people who listened to the talk shows when Salem owned it. I don't know why they would since those shows sucked, but they did. They must have never gotten diaries, either!

> Music listeners are now solidly tuned in to FM, and they are not coming back
> to AM.

Tell that to the 100,000 or so folks who listened to WSAI. Nobody said WDJO was going to change the world or even affect WGRR at all, but it can be a nice little moneymaker for these guys. And, if you haven't noticed, WGRR's music has taken a decidedly 60s turn over the last few days. Listening today I only heard about FOUR 70s tunes in two hours. That's a big change from recent days. I'm used to hearing Elton John, Bee Gees, and K.C. & The Sunshine Band on 103.5!

> Passion doesn't mean squat if the format isn't viable. I am
> sure John Thomas at WCIN is passionate, and I am sure that
> all of the other failed AM music format programmers were
> passionate, as well. Remember WCLU, Retro Radio, WSAI's
> standards and oldies formats, 1360 K-ROCK, The Elvis
> Station, The Blend, both WMLXs (1180 and 1230), WNOP's Jazz,
> and WMOH's pre-sports/pre-talk AC format?

John Thomas couldn't run his own stove. That's a terrible analogy. Retro radio was also run by a genius. The Elvis Station was something that got lots of attention but no ratings. K-ROCK/WSAI had pretty damn good numbers until WGRR came along. But, that's a head on crash. WDJO and WGRR are not the same. WMLX also had pretty good 12+ numbers on 1180, but the sales people were also trying to sell a Classic Rock station. How do you combo that? WNOP's jazz format was getting some small shares when it went off in 2000. But that's all a little station with low overhead needs. And that's where the passion could have helped them. Al Vontz had been trying to sell that place for years! What if someone with a jazz passion had bought it and made it work? That's what you have here with WDJO.

> All of us fantasize about owning and running "the perfect
> radio station", where we would play the music we loved,
> without really worrying about ratings and the bottom line.

These guys aren't fantasizing, they're doing it!

My prediction: WDJO peaks at a 1.0 share 12+ with a cume of about 60,000. That's enough to make some small money and keep your head above water. They get about a 2.5 in 25-54 adults, skewing heavily 35+.

Remember, when 1160 was WBOB doing sports, they hovered around a 1.0 share 12+, but kicked ass in 18-34 men during the day. Go back and look it up. This WDJO format is more mass appeal M/F and I think they'll do OK.

 

[tinytim]

Here's the other thing

I'm guessing the talent they have lined up (if it's who I've heard it is,)will be working for the glory of the format. I'll bet none of them pulls a paycheck until the station shows a profit.

 

[ovenmitt]

>
> First of all, you have to hand it to these guys who are
> putting their money and, really, their a$$es on the line in
> what amounts to an expensive labor of love. How many of you
> would dare to assemble a group of friends or associates and
> put it all out there for everyone to criticize? How many of
> you have something you BELIEVE in so strongly that you're
> willing to risk it? Whether you believe these guys are
> fools or geniuses, you have to admire the willingness to do
> something they love and believe in.
>
Amen, Oscar! Win or lose, I'm going to ENJOY this station! I'm glad the guys are going for it. The music of my generation is so full of anger & depression...it's refreshing for me to hear toe-tapping happy music for a change. It just puts me in a good mood. Even the sad oldies sound happy.

 

[brian_stevens]

Re: Here's the other thing

> I'm guessing the talent they have lined up (if it's who I've
> heard it is,)will be working for the glory of the format.

For those of us out of the loop. What names are in the lineup?

 

[Arbitorn]

Re: Here's the other thing

I'm hearing itt's Dusty in the morning, followed by Ted McAlister, Jack Stahl and Rodger K in midday, afternoons and evenings. The overnights, I dunno.