Re: NERW 2/12: WXRK Dodges a Fine

["David W. Harris" <dwh@totalnetnh.net>]

Going back to NERW 2/12/01, 'twas written:

> A clarification on last week's mention of the changes at WKXL (1450
> Concord/107.7 Hillsborough): station manager Dick Osborne isn't
> hosting the daily noon news hour, though he stays on the air with arts
> features and weekly editorials.
>
It is worth mentioning that despite reports of the demise of local talk
on WKXL, remnants remain in that daily noon news hour which was long
known as the WXKL Midday Report and is now called  News/Talk at Noon.
>From roughly 12:15 to 1 there's a local call-in.  It's a different host
and focus each day of the week.  It goes something like this (but do not
take this as the definitive word): Mondays newscaster Bob Lipman does a
general-interest show, Tuesdays it's Bill Kearney with Financial
Spectrum, Wednesdays it's Steve Gorhan (not sure about spelling nor
about his area of specialty), Thursdays alternate between Circle of
Friends (which I think focuses on New Hampshire's African-American
community) and a show that might be about gardening or baking (I've
heard references to what I at first assumed was The Flower Hour but then
realized could just as easily be The Flour Hour), and Fridays have the
Concord Hospital Health Connection.  More local talk: morning host Mike
Murphy's Sports Zone call-in is on two evenings per week and on
alternate Wednesday evenings there's Skiing New Hampshire.

What used to be the WXKL Morning Report is now AM New Hampshire and is
promoted as running from 5:30-9 a.m.  The morning news block actually
starts at 5 with CBS News and WW1's America in the Morning.  True, the
first state headlines aren't until 5:30 and the first full New Hampshire
newscast isn't until after the 6 o'clock CBS News, but why not promote
AM New Hampshire as running from 5 to 9?

What used to be the WXKL Afternoon Report (3-6 p.m.) is now PM New
Hampshire (5-6 p.m.) but old-timers will be comforted to know that the
WKXL Final Report (11-circa 11:15 p.m., unless sports coverage extends
the broadcast day) has kept its name.  Old-timers who are also early
risers can still enjoy Floyd Cramer's rendition of The Star Spangled
Banner just before 5 a.m.

Although shocking to some listeners, I don't find the addition of
syndicated talk shows to be all that astounding.  Knowing the business,
what's amazing to me is that WKXL has survived as long as it has with so
much local programming.  The biggest jolt to me on February 5 was the
replacement of Bruce Lavoy's home-grown ID's with some slickly produced
ones featuring a Big Voice who clearly doesn't know how to pronounce
WKXL's city of license!!!!  KONNNN-korrrd sounds ridiculous.  Take that
"k" sound from the start of the second syllable, apply it to the end of
the first syllable, put a little more emphasis on the first syllable,
don't stretch it out so much (think about swallowing that last syllable)
and it might sound the way it's pronounced around here.  Aside from
offending the ears of the locals, the new legal ID isn't strictly legal:
"News/talk for the Capital Region, WXKL-AM [sic] Concord, WKXL-FM
Hillsboro-Concord-Manchester, a Vox Radio group station."

Another disappointment for me is the diminished role of Mike Murphy in
the morning.  He's a wonderful personality who was very good at
conversing with the newscaster after each newscast and announcing
listeners' birthdays as if he knew every one of them personally.
There's still a small window for crosstalk with the newscaster at :58
and for birthdays at :28 but those not familiar with his previously
established personality might have a hard time discerning any
personality on his part.  'Tis truly a pity.

Off on a tangent:  with WCVB-TV and WMUR-TV coming under common
ownership, what is to happen with Concord's weather wars?  Vox's WKXL
has forecasts from the Channel 5 Weathercenter while Tele-Media's WNNH
("Oldies 99") uses the News9 Weathercenter.

Off on another tangent:  if you think this post went on too long, blame
Governor Shaheen.  She had us nonessential employees stay home today so
I had to find some other nonessential task to keep me busy.