Re: Feedback on WROR

["Bill O'Neill" <billo@erols.com>]

> While the jock approach on WROR is somewhat similar to the old 'HDH...
> notice there is NO news on WROR after morning-drive....when WHDH was the
> 'News and Information Leader'.  

Hence, my question.... 

> The had Sports in the afternoon-with Ted Larson.  

Hate to be picky, but... it was Tom Larson on sports (same guy as the TV38
Bruins fame).

> Wror doesn't.  Current music on weekdays...and the million
> dollar weekend (oldies, with a saturday night oldies show.  It even
> could mix talk shows and music shows on the same station...can't do that
> anymore...!

I can envision that as the *difference* a signal could sell - something
that was so prevalent then, unheard now, could actually be a choice.  The
only way to make Full Service A/C work wrap big, established jocks playing
extremely safe singles, with real news names (like Nick Mills, etc.)  Would
be a good shot at FM talk at night, as well, perhaps?

> Today audiences categorize stations by one niche.  

Owners would like us all to think just that, that radio packages signals
like the cable industry.  Bottom line is Full Service A/C is expen$$$ive. 
(Not that all news is cheap, either.)  That's why I think no one is
attempting it at this point, anyway.  Ever see the final A/C numbers out of
BZ, HDH?  They were not all that bad and they were in the "pre-niche" days
of radio.

> To succeed, stations have to play a minda association game with their
> audience...I say a station...and you say what comes to mind...
> 

What about *Who* comes to mind?  Stations are no longer invested in name
recognition.  The exceptions seem to be doing very well.  Quick examples: 
Martelle/ROR, Laguidara/Matress/ZLX, Lauren&Wally/ROR, LaPierre/BZ,
Williams/RKO, Carr/RKO.  Matty/Kiss, JJ/Kiss, Dorman/Kiss.  Even JMN pushes
the names to their demo (not me, but..) and that shows.  See the pattern? 
Granted, exceptions to the rule do exist, e.g., MJX has never pushed
personalities and cranks out the numbers.  

It just seems to me that the aging demo grew up with *names* not *formats*
and there will be a time that someone will capture some ready ad dollars
when they figure that out.

Good no-news example:  The USAir craft fire at Logan yesterday.  We had ROR
on in the office.  Martelle went to the *traffic* anncr. for the updates -
extremely weak.  Both sounded like they didn't know what was going on while
Martelle made it look good because, well, he can.  We didn't switch to the
*news* button. Perhaps in the car where I OWN the button, I would have gone
BZ up front, but most people just do not change their stations!  Instead it
was Mr. Tamborine Man, Freeway of Love, a contest, traffic, er, Logan
update, spots, Eagles.   I liked the days when I could listen to music
knowing that at any time the station would blow out everything and go all
news (local staff) at any important event, even if that rarely happened. 

Maybe I had just a little too much fun in the format in the 80s at WCAP?

<I feel better now.  Phew...>  Bill O'Neill

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