[IRCA] Re: [WTFDA] OT: DXer Involvement in Commercial Broadcasting

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----- Original Message -----
From: Eric Bueneman <n0uiheric@xxxxxxx>
To: <irca@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; <WTFDA@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: <N0UIH-DXTalk@xxxxxxxxxx>; <amstereoonly@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>;
<ASWLC@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, February 13, 2005 12:44 PM
Subject: [WTFDA] OT: DXer Involvement in Commercial Broadcasting


>
> This is a true story.
>
> When I was pursuing a deal to purchase a radio station in the St. Louis
area
> fifteen years ago, I got a call from a DXer named Jeff Lewis, who was
residing
> in the Kansas City area at the time. He volunteered his time with several
> community-based groups who would support the purchase of this particular
station
> by a non-religious entity. Another subject he mentioned was DXer
involvement
> in the day-to-day operations of the commercial broadcast industry,
especially
> in the United States.
>
> DXers tend to be more knowledgeable about radio than any other group of
> people. In fact, most DXers are more qualified to own and operate
broadcast
> facilities than several of the largest corporate media owners. Of course,
radio is
> not only a business, but also a service to the local community. While most
> corporate broadcasters have lost sight of that, I have never lost sight of
the fact
> that radio is a service to the local community, in addition to being a
> business. As both a one-time commercial broadcaster (I now work in public
radio,
> where I have a little more freedom) and a DXer, I have found that DXer
> involvement in the day-to-day operations of the commercial broadcast
industry is sorely
> lacking, especially since the industry was deregulated (without consulting
the
> Constitution) in 1996.
>
> (The following is my viewpoint: this does not necessarily reflect the
views
> of everyone on this list.)
>
> DXer/broadcasters should definitely be more involved in station ownership.
> This is where their experience as a DXer would really benefit. For
example, what
> if a listener in, say, Seaside, OR, heard a Class C Regional station in
the
> St. Louis area. If that station was owned by a DXer, then that listener
would
> receive a prompt verification from the owner or engineer. For stations
owned by
> non-DXers, the listener's results will vary. Some broadcasters have taken
a
> very negative attitude toward DXers. Case in point: the true story another
> DXer, Gil Morgan, told me at the 2001 IRCA convention in St. Louis.
Several years
> ago, he heard KIND-FM (101.7 MHz) Independence, KS from his home QTH in
> Lebanon, MO. He called the station, only to get a denial from the engineer
on duty.
> This engineer said: "We don't get out beyond the state line" (in reference
to
> the Kansas-Missouri state line) and promptly hung up the phone without Gil
> getting a word in edgewise. This is the kind of attitude that U.S. radio
stations
> should never show toward the DX community. By contrast, if a DXer owned
KIND
> 1010/101.7, then the engineer on duty would have shown interest in what
Gil
> had to say.
>

It doesn't really matter who owns it (Bill Kurtis owns KIND), but who
answers the phone
or gets the letter.  Before I retired at KTWU-11 last summer such calls and
letters were directed
to me.  And, of course, I was pleased to get them.  And with my DX
experience I was able to help
viewers with reception problems.  Even the chief engineer couldn't answer
many of the questions.  He
subscribes to cable and doesn't worry about such matters although he does an
excellent job in sending
out a good signal.  I don't know what they do now.  Probably tell people to
subscribe to cable or satellite.
I know at some stations there are employees that don't even know their
station is transmitting in digital and, of
course, have no idea what channel they transmit on.
Dave Pomeroy
Topeka, Kansas


> As a DXer and a broadcaster, I have the knowledge necessary to program a
> radio station to fill a number of voids in the market. First off, I don't
care
> about ratings...they are often inaccurate, and the main reason why
advertising
> rates remain artificially high. Second, I would program a format to fill
> marketplace voids. For instance, St. Louis County and most of the Illinois
suburbs of
> St. Louis are missing out on suburban-oriented radio. There are only two
> stations oriented to St. Louis' far western suburbs, KWRE (730 kHz) and
KFAV (99.9
> MHz) in Warrenton, MO, owned from the beginning by the Kaspar family, and
one
> serving a small area of the Illinois suburbs (the Metro East); WBGZ (1570
> kHz) Alton, IL. There's especially a desperate need for a
suburban-oriented,
> locally-originated (24/7) News/Talk format in the area. Third, I also
found that
> several sources for new talent just weren't being utilized: the most
notable of
> which were the college radio stations. I would not hesitate to hire air
> talent from a college radio station. These people worked hard to earn
their chance
> at a job in commercial radio, especially in their home town. The attitudes
> shown toward college radio and so-called "homegrown" talent displayed by
> corporate radio has been nothing but negative (I should know...I've
experienced this).
> It is not because of friendship or relations that I would hire someone for
an
> on-air position; it's because that person has shown that he or she has
> potential, and that his or her experience and hard work would be
beneficial to the
> station. Most importantly, I feel that their hard work should pay off. I
also
> would not hesitate to hire a DXer, because of his or her value, not only
to the
> DX community, but to the community as a whole. Having a DXer working at,
let
> alone in ownership of, a commercial radio station, would be beneficial to
the
> station, not just in the short term, but also in the long run. This would
mean
> that the station in which a DXer works at or owns is very likely more
> DXer-friendly than a station run by a non-DXer. I believe that the DXer is
just as
> important a member of the audience than the local listeners.
>
> In sending out resumes to commercial radio stations, I always included my
> radio club memberships and my radio club award nominations to indicate the
> strength of my radio background. To some broadcasters, this may indicate
that one's
> radio background is too strong. That's one of the problems I saw. My
> involvement with the DX and ham radio communities may have intimidated
some corporate
> broadcasters. Another problem is the type of stations I worked for; mostly
> smaller, independent (non-corporate), non-commercial or not-for-profit
> broadcasters. I also have a major problem with programmer attitudes;
they've been mostly
> negative. A positive attitude that a programmer should display toward
hiring a
> DXer or a "homegrown" talent for on-air work is "Let's give this person a
> chance", and stick them in an overnight or weekend slot. The right
attitude
> toward a DXer owning a station is "Let's give this person a chance",
especially
> when that person brings new ideas to the table, or proposes to add a new
twist to
> proven ideas. One idea I have is creating a more open commercial broadcast
> job market; making the broadcast job market accessible to more people.
Today's
> commercial broadcast job market is confined to the friends, cronies and/or
> relatives of station management. It is largely a closed job market. By
opening up
> the job market to more people, especially DXers, commercial broadcast
> employment would be more accessible, and it would give the DX community
the perception
> that this station is DXer-friendly.
>
> Besides my willingness to hire DXers, I would not hesitate to give a DXer
a
> tour of any station I owned, nor would I hesitate to carry programming
aimed at
> that portion of the population as a public service. Carrying such programs
as
> "World of Radio" has the potential to get a person interested in the DX
> hobby. I wouldn't also hesitate to carry "Amateur Radio Newsline"; it has
the
> potential to get more people interested in Amateur Radio. In my current
position in
> public radio, I made the station I work for, with the approval of the
General
> Manager, the only station in St. Louis currently airing public service
> announcements for the American Radio Relay League on a regular basis. I
would not
> hesitate to do this if I had owned a commercial radio station.
>
> Unfortunately, deregulation has cut significantly into the number of DXers
> gainfully employed in the commercial radio industry; there are practically
no
> DXers owning commercial radio stations in the United States, as far as I
know.
> The commercial radio industry is losing out on a vital resource in
employment
> and ownership: the DX community.
>
> 73, Eric (N0UIH)
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
> The WTFDA List...with 182 subscribers.
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