Re: News Story

[rjoc@webtv.net (Rod O'Connor)]

Donna:
You must have been consulting back when Helen Dudman ran WDEA/WWMJ,
which she sold back in 1995 (or so). She was a very nice person, who I
had met a couple of times, and she ran the station most efficiently. She
never had trouble finding help back then. It was after the station was
sold to Cumulus that they dropped sports on WDEA-1370.

I distinctly remember seeing ads in the local papers three and four
years ago looking for part-time help.   I was the PD back at 
KMXT FM/TV Kodiak Alaska, and it was before I decided to move back here
to Maine in 1999, otherwise I would have jumped at the chance.

As has been mentioned elsewhere local sports are a nice frill for some
stations, that can afford it. And, that's probably why more public and
non-commercial stations  don't air local sports. It would be hard to
find volunteers to run the board, do play by play and most importantly
try to find underwiters to help pay for the games.

We tried it at KMXT Kodiak. with local HS Baseball. Half the listeners
loved it, the other half hated it. After a few weeks, the commercial
station (Only other station in town and on the island) saw that as a
chance to get the audience, and the ads.  And we were glad to let them.

But radio in Alaska is a lot different than down here.

Rod O'Connor
Southwest Harbor, Maine