Re: [IRCA] economic downturn's effect on radio

["R. F. Tetro" <rtetro@xxxxxxxxx>]

Tim,

I think back on the first radio station I had connections with, WALL in
Middletown, NY.  I spent a lot of time "hanging out" there when I was a
young teenager in the 60s, and worked there in the 70s.

This was a small class IV 1kw-day/250watt-night station on 1340 in a
city of about 22,000 and a county of under 100,000.  The station had a
three person new department, plus a sports director.  And, of course,
all local disc jockeys.  And the station made money hand over fist.  The
joke was that all the station had to do to make money was remember to
turn the transmitter on in the morning.  And in Orange County it had to
directly compete with the big-guns in New York City (and even regularly
beat WABC locally in the ratings).  

WALL was owned by R. Peter Straus at the time, who also owned Top-40
WMCA in New York City.  Later the station was sold to Oroco
Communications, formed by Jim O'Grady who had been the general manager
at WOR.  These were radio people who almost instinctively knew what
worked and what didn't.  And, they new that a strong local identity was
key.  Strong local personalities and local news presence drove the
station.

What the current crop of radio corporations has forgotten is the
audience.  I can remember a radio owner in the 70s, who cut his teeth
writing copy for NBC in the 40s and 50s, telling me, "The station has to
stick out like a sore thumb."  It has to be distinctive.   You have to
give the audience a reason to want to listen.  As radio's "piece of the
media pie" gets swallowed up by newer, "sexier" technologies, this is
going be increasingly important to keep the industry viable.

When Mike Bloomberg bought WNEW in 1992 he gave an interview to the New
York Times.  Something he said about the industry has always stuck with
me.  He said, "Often people can't see the forest for the trees.  Radio
people are definitely tree people."  He was right.

73,
Rene'


-----Original Message-----
From: irca-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:irca-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Tim Kridel
Sent: Saturday, February 07, 2009 12:42
To: Mailing list for the International Radio Club of America
Subject: Re: [IRCA] economic downturn's effect on radio

One of my locals, KFRU, just fired the rest of the news staff who hadn't
already been let go, along with the meteorologist.




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