WGUL final 15 minutes, format flip audio

This isn't the final hour that I know some people have, but it's the last 15-20 minutes of the 860 WGUL MOYL format (with music scoped for obvious copyright reasons), along with the flip and the beginning of the temporary "News/Talk 860 WGUL" American President Speeches format that Salem has (for right now) put in place.

http://www.loupickney.com/radio/wgul.shtml

Listen and enjoy...<P ID="signature">______________
Lou Pickney
Tampa, FL
RadioHotTalk.com & VarietyHits.com</P>

Thanks to Lou for the great audio clip. It's sad that this great station/format is no longer around. Local radio at its absolute best.

Thanks for the post.

Although, at the time, they were my direct competitor, really have to "tip your hat" to WGUL. They carved out a niche and enjoyed a great run. Excellent local personalities who could relate. Even with the "unattractive demo" their sales department produced amazing revenue. As stated a few times here by my pal Jeff Laurence, there is room for adult standards here.
Someone could make a decent living if done correctly.

Ferreri said:

Although, at the time, they were my direct competitor, really have to "tip your hat" to WGUL. They carved out a niche and enjoyed a great run. Excellent local personalities who could relate. Even with the "unattractive demo" their sales department produced amazing revenue. As stated a few times here by my pal Jeff Laurence, there is room for adult standards here.
Someone could make a decent living if done correctly.

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The former WGUL format would fit well on the mediocre 1250 AM.
But the hotheads on this site always slam it down, saying listeners over 45 aren't important and "no one cares" for that music anyway. Right.

They think infomercials the likes of Bro. Stair and colon-blow is "real" broadcasting.

To "F"--------if WGUL was your direct competitor, does that mean you are with WDUV and if so, why don't you go more live and local?

Several other short clips from WGUL can be heard on the Radio Years website at:

http://www.radioyears.com/other/audio.cfm?pg=5&srch=general&srchfor=&id=13

>>But the hotheads on this site always slam it down, saying listeners over 45 aren't important and "no one cares" for that music anyway. Right>>

So do the corporates in radio. As far as they are concerned anyone over 55 might as well be dead as far as advertising is concerned.

It's a very big missing hole, oldies and adult standards, which would garner strong audiences.

Also missing is Liberal (so-called progressive) talk.

Or general talk. The current 1250 could carry Hannity live, 3-6, (add a local host in the 6 pm- 9 pm slot at WFLA), add Dr. Laura in the a.m., keep Clark Howard in the afternoon, and add additional syndicated progamming along with a local a.m. caller-focused local show.
This would make for a great talk station and provide some alternative to the current staid programming in the market.

Instead, many markets get a 6th sports station or all-infomercials.

MsMusicRadio said:

To "F"--------if WGUL was your direct competitor, does that mean you are with WDUV and if so, why don't you go more live and local?

Click to expand...

No, not with DUV. Ran WLVU AM/FM from '86 to '98. Our FM, licensed to Holiday and based in Port Richey was a slick Adult Standards station. The station at 106.3 was part of a complex "house of cards" upgrade project and eventually sold to Cox and became 97.1.

As a listener, I don't care for WDUV. Ever since WGUL dropped music, WDUV has shrunk the "adult standards" portion of their programing (Sinatra, Crosby, Peggy Lee, Perry Como, etc.) to virtually zero (with the exception of an occasional Sinatra). DUV has become another sound-alike 1970s-80s soft music station. Although they have been able to maintain their high rating because they have little competition, they will be a sitting duck if somebody else decides to enter that field with a better rounded format.

Adult Standards can be a viable format. For any who heard LVU-FM, you heard an upper demo station that had no "train wrecks" and didn't sound like an assisted living facility. Ronstadt, Bennett, Sinatra, Connick, and a host of others produce outstanding material. Blend in great instrumentals and the Steve and Edie's, Peggy Lee, Patti Page, Vic Damone, Mel Torme, Engleburt, Tom Jones, Dianne Schurr and others of that ilk and you have a very listenable radio station. Have on air talent that relates to the music and listener. After the upgrade, we had one book on the "big stick" at 97.1 and pulled a 4 something 12 plus. Combine that with GUL coming in around a 3 each book and it looks like a nice share for adult standards.

WLVU was an absolutely listenable radio station..and not just for "oldsters" it became a station that was cross-generation listenable..not an easy thing to do. Advertisers are afraid of the 45-plus demo becasue they are using antiquated logic regarding the buying habits of "old people".

Over 45'ers are not the stodgy, and dug-in audience that the ad agencies, and (more importantly) the younger skewing sales forces..think they are. The new generation of older listener is not welded to a specific brand..we (they) DO make changes in buying habits, and more importantly they still have available money. Don't allow the economic news of the present fool anyone. there are still plenty of smart people who "invested" in land, and gold, and other products that were safe, and still liquid. They may be the BEST audience to "woo" for an advertiser as they are the ones who HAVE money to spend as opposed to the 18-24 y/o with the negative attitudes and fears facing a young generation who has to figure out how to keep the lights on after thier parents have moved to empty-nest status.

A compelling and listenable station can and does make real money. Colon-blow stations make chump change until some sucker pays too much and ends up getting stuck in the corner with a baloon payment and future bankruptcy.

Jeff is right. During tight economic times, over-45ers may be the only ones spending any money, because their income sources may be more reliable and consistent. It's probably the younger typical 18-45 group that feels insecure and is pulling in on its spending.

Format wise, I would argue in favor of a mixed variety of music. Adult standards should definitely be part of the mix, but so should other music (such as hits from the 70-90s, etc.). One of the reasons that current music formats are not succeeding like they should is that they are too narrow. They take the attitude that if a person likes ice cream, he/she will want nothing but ice cream, and that is all we will give them. In order to not just attract listeners, but actually keep them for an extended period of time, there needs to be some variety in the playlist.

Good points all, however, it isn't so much as what era the song was released, it is how it sounds and blends with your concept and audience you are seeking. MOYL would play "Dang Me" by Roger Miller and "Moonlight Serenade" by Glenn Miller. Great songs, however, do they belong back to back, or for that matter, on the same radio station? Do the older songs transcend time and do the newer songs fit your tapestry?

You are absolutely correct in noting that it's not the era of the song, but rather its compatibility with the target audience. However, speaking for myself, I think it's great to have "Dang Me" and "Moonlight Serenade" back-to-back. No problem. That kind of variety and spontaneity is exactly what's missing in today's sterile radio. That's what radio used to be all about.

There are obviously some types of music that wouldn't be compatible (hip-hop or acid rock, for example), but there are a great many styles of music that in moderation would be appealing to a large block of the listening audience. (In fact, that's what DUV apparently tries to do, except that they are just too restrictive with regard to "adult standards" and other styles.)

One of the problems is that today's programmers didn't really grow up when these various songs and musical styles were popular, so these programmers often lack a sense of perspective. They are taking a very statistical approach to selecting music, rather than listening to it and making judgements of the type we have been talking about.

That's why so much of music radio is boring today.

Played an old aircheck from WGUL the other day. What great music! Really miss that station -

Another great American format bites the dust, how long before yet another Hispanic signal makes its debut...its a disgrace...