Reactions From the 107.5 Alive Audience

Putting aside the 'radio geeks' on this board who have been watching & waiting for this format change for months, I would guess the average WBYN-FM listener was completely caught off guard today, turning off 107.5 Alive in the morning and finding Frank 107.5 this afternoon. "Who's been playing with the radio tuner again - I told you kids to leave it on 107.5!". Wonder if any local papers will pick up on this and get reactions to another change like the one many years ago when WBYO went away for a couple years. Will the WBYN office be flooded with calls? Anyone who follows politics knows that fundamentalist Christians can be a powerful force that won't give up something they want.

It was about a year ago that alternative Y-100 in Philadelphia left the air sparking many protests. Are the protestors gathering on the Mountaintop at 280 Mill Street in Boyertown yet, carrying signs like "Down With Frank, Up With Matthew, Mark, Luke & John", "The Rock Of Ages is the REAL Classic Rock", and "Where the Heck is Lehighton, anyway?", threatening to march to Nassau Headquarters in Princeton and surround their office and sing "Onward Christian Soldiers" until WBYN is back on 107.5!

I thought of the same exact thing today. You know, if a classic rock, or R&B, or AC station flips, no one really cares, because there are a million others of the same darn formula. However, when something like beautiful music (WEAZ), classical (WFLN), Alternative (WPLY), or Religious (WBYN) goes, the protests begin. LOL I always remember a hilarious urban legend that I think is true that when WEAZ dropped beautiful music, one of their loyal fans started a fist fight with an employee. Kinda goes against the format of the music. Henry Mancini fan decks station employee who drops easy format. LOL I guess with formats like these, it really strikes a nerve. I wonder if WBYN disconnected the phone tonight. This was more than just a flip. This was the end of a way of life for a small but loyal group of listeners. Get ready for the "Letters to the Editor" in the Reading Eagle. <P ID="signature">______________

http://weatherwindow.blogspot.com</P>

> I thought of the same exact thing today. You know, if a
> classic rock, or R&B, or AC station flips, no one really
> cares, because there are a million others of the same darn
> formula. However, when something like beautiful music
> (WEAZ), classical (WFLN), Alternative (WPLY), or Religious
> (WBYN) goes, the protests begin. LOL I always remember a
> hilarious urban legend that I think is true that when WEAZ
> dropped beautiful music, one of their loyal fans started a
> fist fight with an employee. Kinda goes against the format
> of the music. Henry Mancini fan decks station employee who
> drops easy format. LOL I guess with formats like these, it
> really strikes a nerve. I wonder if WBYN disconnected the
> phone tonight. This was more than just a flip. This was
> the end of a way of life for a small but loyal group of
> listeners. Get ready for the "Letters to the Editor" in the
> Reading Eagle.
>

what is the big deal? If you want to listen to the GOD SQUAD you can get it on the net or on WBYN-AM 1160 OR WCHR-AM 1040. It was moved NOT removed... like it should have been.

> what is the big deal? If you want to listen to the GOD SQUAD
> you can get it on the net or on WBYN-AM 1160 OR WCHR-AM
> 1040. It was moved NOT removed... like it should have been.

I'm not saying it's a big deal to me. I'm saying it's a big deal to other folks. Let's look at the demographic of the average WBYN listener. Generally a bit older. Generally very religious and not tuned into the latest technology. 1160 AM and 1040 AM come in poorly in many parts of 107.5's coverage area. Will the demographic I just mentioned above be radio savvy enough to turn their radio this way and that way, or put it in the window, to try and get a weak signal? And if all else fails, does the ordinary WBYN listener have a DSL internet connection at home and know the ins and outs of listening to webstreaming? I'm not being harsh on their fans. On the contrary, I respect their loyalty and dedication to their faith-based station. John1 and I are just trying to make a point that this is a very big deal to a dedicated base of listeners. <P ID="signature">______________

http://weatherwindow.blogspot.com</P>

> > what is the big deal? If you want to listen to the GOD
> SQUAD
> > you can get it on the net or on WBYN-AM 1160 OR WCHR-AM
> > 1040. It was moved NOT removed... like it should have
> been.
>
> I'm not saying it's a big deal to me. I'm saying it's a big
> deal to other folks. Let's look at the demographic of the
> average WBYN listener. Generally a bit older. Generally very
> religious and not tuned into the latest technology. 1160 AM
> and 1040 AM come in poorly in many parts of 107.5's coverage
> area. Will the demographic I just mentioned above be radio
> savvy enough to turn their radio this way and that way, or
> put it in the window, to try and get a weak signal? And if
> all else fails, does the ordinary WBYN listener have a DSL
> internet connection at home and know the ins and outs of
> listening to webstreaming? I'm not being harsh on their
> fans. On the contrary, I respect their loyalty and
> dedication to their faith-based station. John1 and I are
> just trying to make a point that this is a very big deal to
> a dedicated base of listeners.


When the Hawk flipped they were flooded with calls, pellted with eggs LOL!! It will be interested to see how the jesus clan responds. Most People have internet access but will they be satisfied that? Probably not. As for them knowing what way to turn the antenna on a radio...I can picture someone trying like hell only to get pissed and throw the radio across the room if they can't dial it in. The change was made and that's that. I'm sure there will be some drama to come.

>
>
> When the Hawk flipped they were flooded with calls, pellted
> with eggs LOL!! It will be interested to see how the jesus
> clan responds. Most People have internet access but will
> they be satisfied that? Probably not. As for them knowing
> what way to turn the antenna on a radio...I can picture
> someone trying like hell only to get pissed and throw the
> radio across the room if they can't dial it in. The change
> was made and that's that. I'm sure there will be some drama
> to come.
>

I am both a radio enthusiast, a classic rock fan, and also a fan of CCR / Praise & Worship formats. I am also part of that "older demographic", yet I am very well connected online.

I spotted a billboard this morning on US 222 SB between Kutztown & Reading stating "Radio Station Changed? Tune to WFIL 560, Philadelphia's Christian Talk" or something similar. It was then that I tuned 107.5 for the first time in several weeks.

WBYN listeners looking for the spoken-word programming will probably gravitate to WFIL / 560. It comes in reasonably well in the Allentown/Reading corridor -- better than either WCHR or "WYNS" (AM 1160).

WBYN listeners looking for the music aren't so lucky. There's WJTL / 90.3 out of Lancaster, which probably skews younger than WBYN in its music mix. Allentown has WJCS / 89.3 which has a similar spoken word/music mix as WBYN.

It seems a waste to consume the bandwidth on another classic hits station. Between WRVV / 97.3, WODE / 99.9, and WMGK / 102.9 the WBYN area was already reasonably well served. I am sure there are other niches that would make sense -- I would have guessed Spanish-language, given the steady influx of Hispanic / Latino folks to the region.

Most all of WBYN's offerings are available from Web sources anyway, but just the same, having WBYN's format off the air is a net loss.

Richard / Allentown

> I spotted a billboard this morning on US 222 SB between
> Kutztown & Reading stating "Radio Station Changed? Tune to
> WFIL 560, Philadelphia's Christian Talk"

Wow, fast thinking on the part of WFIL. You're right, 560's signal is decent up here during the day, but not at night. The same with 1160. It's alright during the day, but not at night. I guess fans will have to keep their Christian listening to daytime only. <P ID="signature">______________

http://weatherwindow.blogspot.com</P>

107.5 ALIVE was a good station when they were playing CCM Music. I first heard this station while attending the 2005 Writing.Com Convention in Bethlehem. I thought it was a cool station. Further more I didn't realize it was a religious station until I checked out the stations website when I got home.

Put a CCM format on either Allentown's 99.9 or 1320.

> Wow, fast thinking on the part of WFIL. You're right, 560's
> signal is decent up here during the day, but not at night.
> The same with 1160. It's alright during the day, but not at
> night. I guess fans will have to keep their Christian
> listening to daytime only. >

Which makes me wonder why (assuming they didn't) Nassau didn't try to buy or LMA WPAZ in Pottstown, this would have covered the core audience of the WBYN listeners. They could have kept all the local sponsors and still simulcast 1160 and just announced at signoff that 1370 listeners could continue to listen on the internet at night. I'd guess almost all the old WBYN audience paid no attention to the fact it was also on 1160 while it was still on 107.5, and have no idea what happened to the station. I haven't seen any articles yet, at least on the on-line editions of local papers. I thought WFMZ news might cover it, especially as they program to Christian viewers, but maybe simulcast partner WEEU doesn't want other stations mentioned. They did run the story when Nassau announced selling it's LV stations a few months back, however.

EO, you saw some lawn signs a few weeks back about the simulcast - any new signs promoting WBYN on 1160, and where?

>
> EO, you saw some lawn signs a few weeks back about the
> simulcast - any new signs promoting WBYN on 1160, and where?
>

None on US 222 between Trexlertown and Reading.

None on I-78 between New Smithville and Allentown.

Richard / Allentown

> >
> > EO, you saw some lawn signs a few weeks back about the
> > simulcast - any new signs promoting WBYN on 1160, and
> where?
> >
>
> None on US 222 between Trexlertown and Reading.
>
> None on I-78 between New Smithville and Allentown.
>
> Richard / Allentown



I'm in that advanced age group to which you referred (59 yo retired widow). I have my li'l ole portable DVD player, which I take with me in the car, along with my laptop, and am interested in all the new "techie" items. I took Graphic Design with nine 19-year olds two years ago; we had no trouble interacting.

My favorite radio program, since I was a teenager, is "Unshackled", award winning true life stories broadcast from Pacific Garden Mission, Chicago, c.1877. The mission averages helping over 500 homeless men, women, and children per night, giving them shelter, clothing, and food (you can take my word for it; it CAN happen to anybody). If most of you listened to this program, you might think it sounds hokey, but it gives an honest-to-goodness picture of all types of living experiences and the hope to be found in living a Christ-centered life (if we ALL would only but listen and heed, myself included).

I often am up all night (more often than not on the computer). I frequently have the radio (WBYN, 107.5 ALIVE! - now GONE!!!!!) on, enjoying the various helpful programs and all variations of Christian music - modern, as well as Southern Gospel, which was never my favorite, but it was there for those who did enjoy it. Some programs I would hear three times throughout the day and night; I could choose to ignore a repeat, turn it off, or listen to it again and often glean something valuable, which I missed the second or third time around. WBYN had sportscasts, NASCAR updates, financial, child rearing, relationship, marriage, emotional, and just about any other type of advice any person would need; yes, it was based on Biblical principles, but they certainly do work. They also were affiliated with the HCRN (Hispanic Christian Radio Network), which supplies people with sub-carrier radios, set to the Christian network.

The station, begun in 1960, was sold in 1989, with the promise to continue with Christian programming; I DID see the forest for the trees, as I also, sadly, did this time. It was no surprise when the "other" format reared its ugly head. When the station was sold in '89 I hadn't been listening to it very often, but I sure was glad when it returned. I do enjoy most types of music, but there are way too many stations to choose from without eliminating the one which was so important to so many. I just want to push a button on my radio and have instant WBYN-FM, without having to use the computer; it was one of the few simpler things in life. Please, PLEASE give us back our radio station. We "old" people need something viable to pass on to you "youngsters". The programming on here was so valuable, whether you are a Christian or not.

Thanks for listening.

>
> My favorite radio program, since I was a teenager, is
> "Unshackled", award winning true life stories broadcast from
> Pacific Garden Mission, Chicago, c.1877. The mission
> averages helping over 500 homeless men, women, and children
> per night, giving them shelter, clothing, and food (you can
> take my word for it; it CAN happen to anybody). If most of
> you listened to this program, you might think it sounds
> hokey, but it gives an honest-to-goodness picture of all
> types of living experiences and the hope to be found in
> living a Christ-centered life (if we ALL would only but
> listen and heed, myself included).
>

Culturerat, you don't identify your location, but if it's near Allentown, you should be able to listen to WJCS / 89.3, which has a reasonably similar programming mix to WBYN. "Unshackled" airs on WJCS at 11 PM Sunday evenings, according to the station's website.

If you're closer to Reading or Lancaster, WDAC / 94.5 airs "Unshackled" Sundays at 6 PM.

Also, you can listen to "Unshackled" at anytime on your computer at the program's website, http://www.unshackled.org/listen_home.html.

If you want to complain, I suggest you contact WDAC's management. WDAC owned WBYN and then sold it several months ago to Nassau Broadcasting. It was their decision to sell the radio station that brought about the change.

WDAC's phone number is (717) 284-4123.

Richard / Allentown

>
> Also, you can listen to "Unshackled" at anytime on your
> computer at the program's website,
> http://www.unshackled.org/listen_home.html.
>

I should have added that a list of all PA radio stations that air "Unshackled" can be found here: http://www.unshackled.org/us/pa.asp

Richard / Allentown

Recent Reactions From the 107.5 Alive Audience

You guys are right about the average 107.5 Alive FM listener being badly out of touch with what was happening with Frank FM. They are a generally quiet, laid back bunch of people, but the change has caused considerable unhappiness and the folks are just beginning to fight back! They figure the way to touch Frank for a re-re-formatting is in the pocketbook. You can see some evidence of this in the commercials or the lack thereof. It is not just a “commercial-free work day from 9 till noon” it is totally commercial free and the folks intend to keep it that way until Frank comes Alive.

Re: Recent Reactions From the 107.5 Alive Audience

> You guys are right about the average 107.5 Alive FM listener
> being badly out of touch with what was happening with Frank
> FM. They are a generally quiet, laid back bunch of people,
> but the change has caused considerable unhappiness and the
> folks are just beginning to fight back! They figure the way
> to touch Frank for a re-re-formatting is in the pocketbook.
> You can see some evidence of this in the commercials or the
> lack thereof. It is not just a “commercial-free work day
> from 9 till noon” it is totally commercial free and the
> folks intend to keep it that way until Frank comes Alive.
>

IMHO former Alive FM listeners would be better off channelling their energies into outreach -- i.e. showing folks in their churches how to find Christian programming online & elsewhere on the radio dial, and in promoting low-cost Internet access alternatives to those who miss WBYN-FM but don't surf the Web.

These same listeners should also help spread information on CCM -- contemporary Christian music. The growth of CCM as a viable radio format would be a better way to convince a station owner to jettison another format.

Respectfully,

Richard in Allentown

Re: Recent Reactions From the 107.5 Alive Audience

Thanks for the advice. As I mentioned the Reading area really doesn’t have access to Christian radio or CCM and the Web doesn’t cut it for those of us who listen while driving. We have already expressed our feelings to WDAC. I suppose 30 pieces of silver, with investment and inflation over the years, would just about equal the sale price of WBYN.

Re: Recent Reactions From the 107.5 Alive Audience

>I suppose
> 30 pieces of silver, with investment and inflation over the
> years, would just about equal the sale price of WBYN.
>


Ouch!

107.5 Alive WBYN-FM's On-Air!

Sorry, I realize this is an old thread (from 2006), but in the unlikely event that any of you do not already know, Christian Radio's WBYN-FM returned on March 31st, 2009, and is currently broadcasting as: Positively Different 107.5 Alive WBYN-FM. Broadcast locally on 107.5fm, with a translator (in the Reading, PA area) of: W279CB 103.7 FM, just in case any of you who missed listening to WBYN-FM, had not tuned back in, since it's brief departure (to then, Frank FM), in '06. Hope this finds you all well.

107.5 Alive WBYN now also steams world-wide, on-line via their www.1075Alive.com website, Apple specific apps, along with cross-platform devices, such as: Liquid Compass, TuneIn Radio, etc.