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1400 Fort Lauderdale...going..going.....gone?

Mike Sheridan

Mike Sheridan

Star Participant
Time is running out unless they get another extension.....


Special Temporary Authority is granted to permit Station WFLL(AM) to remain silent until October 24, 2016. Notwithstanding the grant of this Special Temporary Authority, the broadcast license for Station WFLL(AM) will automatically expire as a matter of law if broadcast operations do not resume by 12:01 a.m., October 25, 2016.
 
How would you program 1400 in Fort Lauderdale if you had had a nice quarter wave stick in a good location plus all the necessary hardware?
 
ai4i said:
How would you program 1400 in Fort Lauderdale if you had had a nice quarter wave stick in a good location plus all the necessary hardware?
Click to expand...

50s and 60s rock and roll with fun djs and sell ads like a small market station
 
I think I would take out a large fire, theft, and vandalism insurance policy, then broadcast chants from the Quran in Arabic 24/7 and wait to collect.
 
I would do some things that are considered old fashioned. Go to the Chamber of Commerce meetings, super serve Fort Lauderdale and start from there. Get some community involvement. Person to person research, talking to people not filling out surveys or asking canned questions, listening.

There is a large part of the population that's not being served, 50's and 60's would be a definite possibility but I might even expand that to some of the softer sounds from the '70's, '80's and '90's that you don't hear on the radio anymore. It would have to be mixed carefully, no slamming you with something from the '80's and then the '50's. A mix of old pro's and young people who aren't in it just for the money but because they have a passion for it. Face it in today's world there won't be a lot of money in it. I'd still rather work in radio than work at a McDonalds. More than just music though, old radio shows, new radio shows. Something produced by a local theater group or school. There is talent out there and they're better than you can imagine.

Try to keep automation to a minimum. At least one person should be there at all times, even if it's one of the news people. After all if something newsworthy is going on an automation system alone can't cover it. Sure people want to hear music, but they also want to know why traffic is being rerouted on a busy Saturday afternoon. Sure you can get the information on your cell phone but most times it can't tell you WHY.

News Department, hire a couple of real news hounds, guys who listen to the police scanner, cover school board and county commission meetings and are really connected to the community. Face it Fort Lauderdale has a lot of retired talent who aren't ready to hang up the headphones just yet, pros who come from all over the country. They might just want to add to their retirement fund. If they can't make too much, give them some restaurant trade or something.

Sales department, sell direct, keep it small, a mix of old pros and young people all hungry to do something. Management that can motivate, inspire, challenge and make it a fun experience.

Would it work? Who knows? It might be fun to give it a try!
 
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With "Magic 1027" long gone, there's no place to hear virtually anything from the 50's and 60's in South Florida. Ken Held's brokered doo wop show on Sunday nights on WFTL is the only refuge. Yeah, I know advertisers want 25 to 49. There are so many people over the age of 50 in South Florida and there is no place on the commercial radio dial musicallyfor them. Look at the AM dial..four sports stations, three out of Miami, one out of West Palm, three financial oriented stations, , 740,880 and 1230, using both Miami-Ft lauderdale and West Palm Beach, not to mention 1470, asides from Steve Kane, a mishmosh of brokered programming.

It would be nice for 1400 to do an oldies format, playing songs that you don't hear anymore on terrestrial radio. I'm out of the demo(67) and I visit my mom in Lauderhill several times a year and asides from WIOD and WFTL(talk) there is no music station I can listen to for more than a few minutes. You would think South Florida with it;s senior population would have room for a station that plays older music. WLML in West Palm is a refreshing change..truly a standards station,but South of Pompano Beach you can't pick it up.. I know it;s a labor of love for Dick Robinson and hardly has ratings or revenue,but I would imagine a lot of seniors are delighted to have it on the air.

Whether it's 1400 or any other place on the dial, Miami-Fort Lauderdale could really use a station that plays music from the greatest decade of all time The sixties.
 
benale said:
Yeah, I know advertisers want 25 to 49.
Click to expand...

Actually, they want 25-54 or something contained in 25-54. Secondary to that broad demo is 18-49 (which is primary for most ethnic buys) and 18-34.

There are so many people over the age of 50 in South Florida and there is no place on the commercial radio dial musically for them.
Click to expand...

Actually, the median age for the Miami MSA is 36.5, barely above the US average of 35.3. Persons over 65 are 14.5% of the population, a bit above the US average of 12.4%. So there is really not a significantly larger ultra-senior audience in South Florida.

I look at 65+, as a 50's and 60's based format would mostly appeal to that group, not 55-64.

WLML in West Palm is a refreshing change..truly a standards station,but South of Pompano Beach you can't pick it up.. I know it;s a labor of love for Dick Robinson and hardly has ratings or revenue,but I would imagine a lot of seniors are delighted to have it on the air.
Click to expand...

The station has a 3 share in the market, despite a very small signal. But the listeners are essentially all over 65. And I would bet most of those are over 70. The station bills enough to cover expenses (about $25 k a month) so it is not a losing proposition... just not a particularly profitable one. And even then, it is in a market where the 65 and over population is double the national average, at 25% of the total.
 
This recording offers a couple of revolutionary format concepts.
It was made a few decades ago, but "the more things change...".
 
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ai4i said:
This recording offers a couple of revolutionary format concepts.
It was made a few decades ago, but "the more things change...".
Click to expand...

Ironically I was working at WFTL 14 when I first heard that. Thanks for the memories!

Narrated by Charlie Van Dyke who worked at KLIF Dallas with our WFTL PD Michael O'Shea.
 
CvD sounds so much like Les Crane from Desiderata and Norm Rose, of National Lampoon's spoof, Deteriorata.
 
ai4i said:
CvD sounds so much like Les Crane from Desiderata and Norm Rose, of National Lampoon's spoof, Deteriorata.
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Good call, never thought of that. Desiderata by Les Crane, we played that at WFTL. I can't think of any other station that played it. In 1976 Charlie released a Record called "The Flag" on United Artists Records. It also got airplay on the BIG 14.
 
Mike Sheridan said:
Desiderata by Les Crane, we played that at WFTL.
I can't think of any other station that played it.
In 1976 Charlie released a Record called "The Flag" on United Artists Records.
Click to expand...
Miami stations must have aired "Desi" because I lived way south of Countyline Rd. and I remember it clearly.
I thought it was "OK" at the time, but I had to introduce all my friends to National Lampoon's answer.
I have never heard of "The Flag" and could not find it on YouTube.

BTW...the introduction music on "Tomorrow Radio" is from Carl Sagan's main title theme in his original "Cosmos", but that too has been made impossible to locate.
 
ai4i said:
I think I would take out a large fire, theft, and vandalism insurance policy, then broadcast chants from the Quran in Arabic 24/7 and wait to collect.
Click to expand...

Post. Of. The. Decade.

For what it's worth, KBXD in Dallas has come back to life within the last month, and although the music is a ragtag conglomeration, at least it's on.

At least there's a glimmer of hope for Fort Lauderdale.
 
ai4i said:
Miami stations must have aired "Desi" because I lived way south of Countyline Rd. and I remember it clearly.
I thought it was "OK" at the time, but I had to introduce all my friends to National Lampoon's answer.
I have never heard of "The Flag" and could not find it on YouTube./QUOTE]

The Spanish stations played the Spanish language version by Venezuelan poetry reader Luis Gerardo Tovar.
Click to expand...
 
Con todas sus esperanzas, sueños, promesas, y la renovación urbana
El mundo continúa deteriorándose
¡Rendirse!
 
ai4i said:
Con todas sus esperanzas, sueños, promesas, y la renovación urbana
El mundo continúa deteriorándose
¡Rendirse!
Click to expand...

I ran that through Google Translate and I don't think that was in the song!
 
Mike Sheridan said:
I ran that through Google Translate and I don't think that was in the song!
Click to expand...

Here are the lyrics to both the Paco Stanley and Arturo Benavides recordings of the song.

Camina placidamente entre el ruido y el bullicio
y observa la paz que pueda haber en el silencio.
Hasta el punto en que te sea posible,
procura estar en buena armonía con todos.
Expón tu parecer en forma reposada y clara,
y escucha a los demás que,
aunque sean lerdos e ignorantes,
ellos también tienen algo que decirte.
Evita las personas ruidosas y agresivas
que constituyen una vejación para el espíritu.
Si te comparas con otros,
puedes volverte petulante o amargado
porque siempre hay alguien que es inferior o superior.
Interésate siempre por lo que haces,
por muy humilde que sea tu tarea
porque es algo que siempre perdurará,
aunque las circunstancias cambien.
Se precavido en tus negocios
porque el mundo esta lleno de astucia.
Pero, que la precaución no te impida ver
donde está la virtud,
pues hay muchas personas que luchan en pro
de elevados ideales
y toda vida está llena de heroísmo.
Sé sincero. En especial, no finjas afecto
ni seas cínico en relación con el amor,
porque a fin de cuentas, la aridez y el desencanto
son tan perennes como la hierba.
Toma resignadamente el consejo de los años,
renunciando gallardamente a las cosas de la juventud,
y no te preocupes por temores imaginarios,
pues muchos de ellos son producto
de la fatiga y de la soledad.
Por encima de toda disciplina edificante,
sé benévolo contigo mismo.
Tú eres un ente del universo,
no inferior a los árboles y los planetas.
Tienes derecho a estar aquí.
Y lo entiendas o no,
el universo se desarrolla
como debe hacerlo.
Por lo tanto, procura estar en paz con Dios,
cualquiera sea la forma en que le concibes.
Y cualquiera que sean tus obras y tus aspiraciones,
en la ruidosa confusión de la vida,
procura estar en paz contigo mismo,
porque con todo desequilibrio,
con toda maldad,
es, sin embargo, un hermoso mundo.
Así es que ten cuidado.
Esfuérzate por ser feliz.
 
What I translated was the final section of DETERIORATA.
 
Mike Sheridan said:
I would do some things that are considered old fashioned. Go to the Chamber of Commerce meetings, super serve Fort Lauderdale and start from there. Get some community involvement. Person to person research, talking to people not filling out surveys or asking canned questions, listening.

There is a large part of the population that's not being served, 50's and 60's would be a definite possibility but I might even expand that to some of the softer sounds from the '70's, '80's and '90's that you don't hear on the radio anymore. It would have to be mixed carefully, no slamming you with something from the '80's and then the '50's. A mix of old pro's and young people who aren't in it just for the money but because they have a passion for it. Face it in today's world there won't be a lot of money in it. I'd still rather work in radio than work at a McDonalds. More than just music though, old radio shows, new radio shows. Something produced by a local theater group or school. There is talent out there and they're better than you can imagine.

Try to keep automation to a minimum. At least one person should be there at all times, even if it's one of the news people. After all if something newsworthy is going on an automation system alone can't cover it. Sure people want to hear music, but they also want to know why traffic is being rerouted on a busy Saturday afternoon. Sure you can get the information on your cell phone but most times it can't tell you WHY.

News Department, hire a couple of real news hounds, guys who listen to the police scanner, cover school board and county commission meetings and are really connected to the community. Face it Fort Lauderdale has a lot of retired talent who aren't ready to hang up the headphones just yet, pros who come from all over the country. They might just want to add to their retirement fund. If they can't make too much, give them some restaurant trade or something.

Sales department, sell direct, keep it small, a mix of old pros and young people all hungry to do something. Management that can motivate, inspire, challenge and make it a fun experience.

Would it work? Who knows? It might be fun to give it a try!
Click to expand...

You just earned a great deal of respect from me. This is exactly what would work and it's wonderful to hear someone who still cares about radio like this.
 
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