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1250 WHNZ is hurting

R

RADIO geek squad

Now, long time block programming clients have cancelled because of the economy and not to mention, their phones weren't ringing.

Insiders are saying that Clear Channel is now repeating shows to fill in and airing some "free" shows from other markets just to have something on the air.

Now with the loss of airing The Rays game, that's going to hurt even more. Since the station has no ratings, at least they had the Rays game and people would tune in. That was their selling point. They don't even have a sales staff any longer. All fired and not sure if they have an official Sales Manager neither.

Dear Block Programming Client, don't pay in advance for a show that might not be airing. Pay at least every 2-weeks and no more.

This station might go dark sooner than you think. It is scary and not good vibe.
 
Who's
Hearing?
Now,
Zero!
 
WHNZ is a good argument against mega corporations owning multiple stations in a market.

Look what CC has done to the signal. No sales staff. Zero programming, except for brokered with some syndicated shows thrown in.

CC could have at least put on some listenable syndicated shows, more from a broader or general interest perspective, such as more Clarke Howard, Dr. Laura, et. al. with some political hosts like Ed Schultz and - of you have to - Hannity, while the flagships station, 970, could have had more local hosts.

OR... put some local hosts on in p.m. drive at 1250.

Any kind of programming would have been better than the non-programming the station has now.

And to think how many people lost their jobs at CC in the last couple of years. I think they wrong people lost their jobs.
 
This is a somewhat unique proposition, as very few groups own 3 AMs in a market. I had heard second-hand from a friend who used to work with a CC Tampa AE that a couple of years ago 1250 was "printing money" between the heavy load of brokered programming and the time-buy from the Rays.

It's not as if CC loses that much overall, as the Rays are still buying time from them, it's just that the games will be on 620, where they should have been in the first place. In fact they can probably charge more for the time on 620.

If they hold onto the station maybe they do a standards format, somthing totally automated.

The other possibility is that they sell it. That's not easy to do right now, but they have certainly got it down to where someone would pretty much just be buying the license.

Personally I would have made it either "FLA2" or "Animal2", but the utter lack of creative thinking within CC killed off all of those concepts a long time ago. In Cincy, CC still runs mostly local programming on WLW and all the syndicated stuff on 55KRC, but the difference is that both are good signals.
 
The 3 signals CC owns are overall the best AM signals in the Tampa St Pete market. 820 has a better day signal but their nite signal is lacking. 620 is arguably the best AM signal in the market. Their new shorter towers are causing some skywave cancellation in the Sarasota area that wasnt there before, but they probably had to settle for the shorter towers because of government.
 
How about flipping WHNZ to what they're doing at 1320 and 1450 in Sarasota. Playing the stuff the Dove has dropped over the last few years. They just might just find an audience around Tampa Bay with that great signal. Hell, have Jack Harris do the imaging. No more fumbling with the with the AM antenna to pick up 1340 or 1470.
 
Really sad about 1250. That used to be a really decent signal with two towers and 5kw from Egypt Lake. It was DA-2 so all it did was change to a different pattern at night but stayed 5kw. The 25KW 6 tower arrangement is really spotty. The frequency is really not so bad for being at that part of the dial.

The last time I sampled 1250 was a few months ago while in Tampa visiting family. It was Saturday I think.. I found myself in the mood for a little colon-blow infotainment and found 1250 while on the skyway around 8am. Really sick signal..but I could hear it cutting through..apparently "something" was "in the system" because all I could pick up was the sound of a CD (or hard drive) repeating over and over "ja ja ja ja ja ja ja ja ja ja ja"..etc

Went into the 7-11 in Palmetto..got gas, a slurpee (tm) and some coffee, and came back out..still repeating. "jajajajajajajajajajaja" I couldn't beleive that NOBODY heard it, went to fix it, or otherwise put something else on the air. Actually came in better in Sarasota than Bradenton..but by the time I reached my Mother-In-Law's-place it was scratchy again, but it didn't matter..I had gotten bored with the "jajajajajajajaja" show anyway
 
Wow. What an anemic (or enema-ic) schedule:

http://www.whnz.com/pages/programming.html

The overnight shows look interesting. I did hear Joey on WOR in NYC recently. Have heard of Maltzberg. Clarke Howard is good as well.

But look at this "station's" weekday "schedule:"


Mon-Fri 8-9am Consumer Education
Mon-Fri 9-11am Duke and the Doctor
Mon-Fri 11a-12p Various
Mon-Fri 12-1pm Herbal Pharmacist
Monday 1-2pm Coastline Financial Solutions
Tuesday 1-2pm Safe as Gold
Wednesday 1-2pm Hood Chiropractic
Thursday 1-2pm Clark Howard


Friday 1-2pm "Safe as Gold" effective January 23, 2009
Mon-Fri 2-3pm Clark Howard
Mon-Fri 3-4pm Phil's Gang
Mon-Fri 4-5pm Fix My AC for Free/Air Talk
Mon-Fri 5-6pm Tom O'Brien Show
Mon-Fri 6-7pm Investors Edge


What a disgrace. This proves CC doesn't have any clue on what it's doing with radio.
 
Anyone not smart enough can be looking at that schedule and think that nationally syndicated Clark Howard is brokering time to be on 1250! ???

As far as Steve Malzberg, he was a local host in New York for many years, mostly known for the overnight shift on WABC. He's been with WOR for awhile. I guess WOR's 4-6 PM slot is like "CSB with benefits" as whoever ends up in that timeslot gets a syndicated show by default (albeit by "WOR Radio Network" but syndicated, nonetheless). The previous occupants of the time slot were Ellis Henican and Lynne White. Does anyone know if their show was also heard on WHNZ?
 
Jeff Laurence said:
I had gotten bored with the "jajajajajajajaja" show anyway
Click to expand...

Jeff,

I'm sorry my new show "Positive Thinking for Polish people" bored you. Maybe you should sample it again sometime.

Sincerely,

Dr. Wazzie Swarski :eek:
 
First, someone can make a living with Adult Standards. Having said that, the title of this thread is 1250 is hurting. Yes, the loss of the Rays will hurt the bottom line, however, you can't hurt too much with no staff and a brokered format. No one may be listening, (ja ja ja ja show) however, you collect the checks and run the shows.
 
Ferreri said:
First, someone can make a living with Adult Standards. Having said that, the title of this thread is 1250 is hurting. Yes, the loss of the Rays will hurt the bottom line, however, you can't hurt too much with no staff and a brokered format. No one may be listening, (ja ja ja ja show) however, you collect the checks and run the shows.
Click to expand...
Sounds like "broadcasting" to me, from the self-absorbed people who arrogantly think they're the kings of their business ( read Jim Cramer's comments on the ignorant CC braintrust ).

1250 is a good argument for media reform, starting with breaking up the giants that have run radio into the ground.
 
Jeff Laurence said:
Really sad about 1250. That used to be a really decent signal with two towers and 5kw from Egypt Lake. It was DA-2 so all it did was change to a different pattern at night but stayed 5kw. The 25KW 6 tower arrangement is really spotty. The frequency is really not so bad for being at that part of the dial.

The last time I sampled 1250 was a few months ago while in Tampa visiting family. It was Saturday I think.. I found myself in the mood for a little colon-blow infotainment and found 1250 while on the skyway around 8am. Really sick signal..but I could hear it cutting through..apparently "something" was "in the system" because all I could pick up was the sound of a CD (or hard drive) repeating over and over "ja ja ja ja ja ja ja ja ja ja ja"..etc

Went into the 7-11 in Palmetto..got gas, a slurpee (tm) and some coffee, and came back out..still repeating. "jajajajajajajajajajaja" I couldn't beleive that NOBODY heard it, went to fix it, or otherwise put something else on the air. Actually came in better in Sarasota than Bradenton..but by the time I reached my Mother-In-Law's-place it was scratchy again, but it didn't matter..I had gotten bored with the "jajajajajajajaja" show anyway
Click to expand...


New format... "smooth ja's...."
 
Jeff Laurence said:
Really sad about 1250. That used to be a really decent signal with two towers and 5kw from Egypt Lake. It was DA-2 so all it did was change to a different pattern at night but stayed 5kw. The 25KW 6 tower arrangement is really spotty. The frequency is really not so bad for being at that part of the dial.

The last time I sampled 1250 was a few months ago while in Tampa visiting family. It was Saturday I think.. I found myself in the mood for a little colon-blow infotainment and found 1250 while on the skyway around 8am. Really sick signal..but I could hear it cutting through..apparently "something" was "in the system" because all I could pick up was the sound of a CD (or hard drive) repeating over and over "ja ja ja ja ja ja ja ja ja ja ja"..etc

Went into the 7-11 in Palmetto..got gas, a slurpee (tm) and some coffee, and came back out..still repeating. "jajajajajajajajajajaja" I couldn't beleive that NOBODY heard it, went to fix it, or otherwise put something else on the air. Actually came in better in Sarasota than Bradenton..but by the time I reached my Mother-In-Law's-place it was scratchy again, but it didn't matter..I had gotten bored with the "jajajajajajajaja" show anyway
Click to expand...

"The last time I sampled 1250 was a few months ago while in Tampa visiting family. It was Saturday I think.. I found myself in the mood for a little colon-blow infotainment and found 1250 while on the skyway around 8am" .... VERY VERY FUNNY!! I LOVE IT.
 
Mr Ferrari..WHY is it that there is no longer a solid standards based station in Tampa Bay? The audience is there..they still have some money..(most younger demos who tried to make a killing in the market and the "dot-com" types lost most of it) I am working with a fellow in Georgia running a standards based "Jack" type station..VERY listenable, and it is making money. It's kind of a goofy format, but it sounds interesting and it's loaded with spots.

The new deal of FCC licences should mandate that the station be operated WITH a staff, and at least one person working who is responsible and able to go on the air..all the time! That is not much to ask of a license holder of a radio station worth 1 million bucks or more. Certainly if they can afford to buy it they should be compelled to RUN it...There are so many people who would love a chance to own and operate a station..let them do it. Companies need to drive these places, not just buy them and shelf them.

And for anyone to say that the colon-blow stuff is "Serving the public trust" is insane. Sure perhaps Tony Bennet doesn't serve the public trust per se..but, to blow off the public with that paid programming, and then just let it sit there for over 90 minutes with a skipping CD is certainly air pollution.

Everyone says that nobody listens to AM any more..look at every major market..there is always at least ONE AM signal in the top 5..that proves that people still know how to USE the AM band..let's at least give them sonething to listen to...wait..the light bulb is coming on over my head..

Aw..never mind..it won't work. Even the demos that like that kind of music have figured out how to listen to streaming radio stations on line.

I guess it's just time to admit that the delivery media of radio, and particularly AM radio is cooked and done.

So it really doesn't matter that "jajajajajaja" is all there is to listen to, because nobody cares..the cost of the electricity is a good tax writeoff I guess.

Let what's left of the buisness soak themselves in Hip Hop Jams, and La Musica..until tender. Randy K is right.
 
Jeff Laurence said:
I found myself in the mood for a little colon-blow infotainment and found 1250 while on the skyway around 8am.
Click to expand...

Yo NFVG (and Tampa Bay locals)--

Is it scary driving on the Skyway? I've heard that some will avoid it
at all costs.

I drove it once in '91, when the two old spans--including the one with
the gaping hole--had not yet been dismantled and that sight was a bit
unnerving, but driving on the new bridge was kind of neat.

Many, many, many years ago, as a small tyke while on a family vacation,
I did go on the original single span, and thought it was the highest bridge
I'd ever been on.
 
Speaking of the old Sunshine Skyway, my parents would take us to Anna Maria Island to visit friends many years ago. Driving over that ugly, hulking giant piece of steel always scared the hell out of me when I was a kid.
 
oldiesfan6479 said:
Is it scary driving on the Skyway? I've heard that some will avoid it
at all costs.
Click to expand...

For many of us who lived here and remember the day the Summit Venture freighter struck the bridge during a heavy thunderstorm, collapsing the center span and sending 35 people plunging to their deaths, driving the Skyway bridge -- even the new one, almost 30 years later -- still gives us a shiver or two.

I've driven it a few times over the years when I've absolutely, positively had to. But given a choice, I'll almost always take the 50-miles-out-of-the-way alternative route ... especially when it's raining.

(And to bring it back to the subject of radio, this tragic day made for some of the most compelling broadcasting in Tampa Bay history. I'm sure a few veterans can share stories.)
 
(And to bring it back to the subject of radio, this tragic day made for some of the most compelling broadcasting in Tampa Bay history. I'm sure a few veterans can share stories.)
Click to expand...

Jeff Laurence has shared his account of that day while he was doing mornings on 1250 WDAE here before. Tell us again, Uncle Jeff!
 
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