Re: Stations that couldn't hack it (was FOX Manchester, N.H.)

["Dan C." <dcole@ici.net>]

SteveOrdinetz wrote:
> 
> At 09:12 AM 8/2/97 -0700, Dan Cole wrote:
> 
> >>
> >> WSTG in Hampton was another one.....Can anyone else add any?
> 
> >
> >WVNH, Salem, NH,  in 1977.  Signed on in January.  Half the staff fired
> >in February when the owners didn't immediately make all their money
> >back.
> >They were comprised mostly of local business and political types who
> >knew nothing about radio...and it didn't take them long to run the
> >station into the ground.
> >
> 
> Realistically, did the station ever have a chance?  1977 was about the time
> that FM really started to take off....even stations like WRKO with good
> programming and a good signal were beginning to feel the pain.  WVNH had
> neither.  Weren't they doing some form of Adult Standards when they first
> signed on?


We had several things working against us.  One was the start of the rise
of FM.  We were a daytimer with a pattern that an MIT prof would have
trouble comprehending.  We had a large group of local owners who were,
in my opinion, in way over their heads financially and had a general
lack of knowledge about radio.  
The format was an adult standards mix that was preprogrammed and run off
a set of four Revox reel-to-reels (!).  At that time it was "state of
the art".
Our first day on the air, the phone company cut through all the lines to
the XMTR site, meaning we had to run everything from the emergency
studio at the site.  I wrote the news, dashed into my oversized chariot,
sped through the ice and mud (taking out a mailbox on one trip), and
delivered said news on the hour.
One good thing...the first week saw a rather large blizzard.  At the
request of Salem's town manager, we stayed on past sunset in order to
give out emergency info.  That was interesting, and gave us some good
PR.
I was among those dumped in February.  Through bits and pieces of info
over the years I heard continuing horror stories...suspected sabatoge at
the towers, etc, etc.
I don't think I would ever want to work for a brand new station again,
but, at the time I was young and foolish and it was an adventure.  :)


Dan Cole
WTSN / WBYY

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End of boston-radio-interest-digest V1 #117
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