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Glenn Beck joins WDUN-AM

R

rodneyho

New WDUN-FM to Air News and Talk; Glenn Beck Joins AM Line-Up

GAINESVILLE, Ga. (September 30, 2010) - Jacobs Media Corporation today announced a major expansion of its popular news-talk radio programming into the FM side of its broadcast operations as well as the addition of the Glenn Beck program, the fastest-growing radio talk show in the country.

"As we've done throughout our sixty-year history, we are responding to the needs of a changing populace that demands more local news and talk radio,"
said Jay Jacobs, president of Jacobs Media. "With the growth of digital music and satellite radio, FM stations across the country are beginning to replace music formats with talk radio. We are excited about the opportunities in positioning WDUN on the forefront of this fast-moving trend."

The new WDUN-FM will air at 102.9 on the radio dial beginning Oct. 4, replacing the former music station founded by Jacobs in 1990 as MAJIC 102.9, which was later reformatted and renamed KOOL-FM.

With the addition of WDUN-FM, local listeners will have many more talk-show shows from which to choose - in addition to local news and programming. The stronger FM signal also will reach a larger audience stretching from Gwinnett County to the south all the way up to the North Georgia mountains, North Carolina and South Carolina.

In addition to its broader listenership, Jacobs said the new station will appeal as well to a younger market, whose radio preferences tend more to the FM side of radio than AM.

WDUN-AM Adds Beck
Among the larger number of talk-show offerings, the most noteworthy addition is Glenn Beck, one of America's leading radio and television personalities, who will begin airing mornings on WDUN-AM. Known for his quick wit, conservative philosophy and candid opinions, Beck currently commands the country's third-highest rated radio program.

WDUN-AM will continue to air No. 1 national talk-show host Rush Limbaugh along with homegrown talent Al Gainey, whose increasingly popular talk show covers political topics from a local perspective.

Local Morning Show, Fox News to Be Simulcast WDUN-FM and WDUN-AM together will simulcast the local portion of its programming with The Morning Show hosted by veteran broadcasters Bill Maine and Joel Williams, in addition to Gainey's show and Fox 5 TV News. From mid-morning to afternoon, the FM station will air a variety of leading national talk shows that includes Laura Ingraham, Dave Ramsey, and Mike Gallagher, as well as Monica Crowley and Michael Medved on weekends.

"This realignment of our programming has involved many months of planning, but the hard work and our new direction position us for even greater success," Jacobs said. "Our growing listening audience will be pleased with the balance of national star power alongside our traditional local news and commentary."

The new FM station also strengthens the WDUN brand, according to Joel Williams, the station's general manager. "This move solidifies our company with the respected WDUN name. A listener can now tune to WDUN on AM or FM for up to the minute news, weather and traffic plus the best mix of local and national talk shows on radio," he said.

John Jacobs Jr., WDUN founder and CEO, said he is proud to witness his station taking yet another "bold step on the cutting edge, as we've done throughout our long history."

Jacobs Media also owns and operates 1240 ESPN, a sports-radio station; and the news website AcccessNorthGa.com.

For more detailed programming information on WDUN-AM and the new WDUN-FM,
visit WDUN.com.
 
Sounds like Martha Zoller is now completely off of WDUN...it also sounds like Cox's WXKT (and, I presume, what is now WSBB) has been putting a hurtin' on WDUN.

I know that technically 14k > 10k, but I would hardly call a 14k C3 FM "stronger" than a 10k AM at the bottom of the dial (at least during the day, and WDUN makes the most of its 2500W at night).

And I still can't pick up 102.9 thanks to that translator!!!

Question: Who will carry the Gwinnett Braves and who will carry the Atlanta Braves? 102.9 fills a nice gap for Atlanta thanks to WSSL's interference with Rock100.5 and WCNN's hard NE null.
 
I have to say I don't agree with this move. I think 102.9 should've been kept as a music station. It sounds like this is a knee jerk reaction to WSB-AM simulcasting on 95.5 FM. It was also nice for a commercial radio station locally to air replays of the 70's & 80's versions of American Top 40 on the weekends. I'm seriously starting to think Cox Radio and specifically B98.5 and the River is getting a big assist in listeners coming over from 102.9 in NE GA.
 
top16 said:
I have to say I don't agree with this move. I think 102.9 should've been kept as a music station. It sounds like this is a knee jerk reaction to WSB-AM simulcasting on 95.5 FM. It was also nice for a commercial radio station locally to air replays of the 70's & 80's versions of American Top 40 on the weekends. I'm seriously starting to think Cox Radio and specifically B98.5 and the River is getting a big assist in listeners coming over from 102.9 in NE GA.
Click to expand...

106.7 should pick up some listeners too.
 
top16 said:
I have to say I don't agree with this move. I think 102.9 should've been kept as a music station. It sounds like this is a knee jerk reaction to WSB-AM simulcasting on 95.5 FM. It was also nice for a commercial radio station locally to air replays of the 70's & 80's versions of American Top 40 on the weekends. I'm seriously starting to think Cox Radio and specifically B98.5 and the River is getting a big assist in listeners coming over from 102.9 in NE GA.
Click to expand...
I would STILL like to see B98.5 pick up AT40 The 80s and True Oldies pick up AT40 The 70s.
 
I agree. Would fit both stations' format on the weekends.

jabba17 said:
top16 said:
I have to say I don't agree with this move. I think 102.9 should've been kept as a music station. It sounds like this is a knee jerk reaction to WSB-AM simulcasting on 95.5 FM. It was also nice for a commercial radio station locally to air replays of the 70's & 80's versions of American Top 40 on the weekends. I'm seriously starting to think Cox Radio and specifically B98.5 and the River is getting a big assist in listeners coming over from 102.9 in NE GA.
Click to expand...
I would STILL like to see B98.5 pick up AT40 The 80s and True Oldies pick up AT40 The 70s.
Click to expand...
 
WDUN-FM's lineup is going to be filled with second-tier hosts. Obviously the syndicators wanted to protect the Atlanta rights-holders of those properties. WDUN-FM will be a mediocre at best presence in the ratings. First tier talkers on FM make an impact, second and third tier talkers don't (see "The Truth" in Denver).
 
rodneyho said:
John Jacobs Jr., WDUN founder and CEO, said he is proud to witness his station taking yet another "bold step on the cutting edge, as we've done throughout our long history."
Click to expand...

Is this guy serious? Coping out with syndicated repeater simulcast radio content on one of his failing FM's is hardly a bold step. Maybe he meant it's a bold step into the cutting edge of cutting more salaries.
 
Sam Lit said:
rodneyho said:
John Jacobs Jr., WDUN founder and CEO, said he is proud to witness his station taking yet another "bold step on the cutting edge, as we've done throughout our long history."
Click to expand...

Is this guy serious? Coping out with syndicated repeater simulcast radio content on one of his failing FM's is hardly a bold step.
Click to expand...

Sam: Do you know this territory? Do you know the station WDUN? Do you know the Jacobs family?

I don't agree with some of what they are doing with their stations, but that is just MY PERSONAL TASTE in programming and maybe political thinking. If a university asked me to be on a committee that would search the nation for 50 or so broadcasting companies that should be part of the curriculum for students learning about the business of broadcasting, I would fight long and hard to get this operation on that list.

Here is a broadcast operation that still has actual live newspeople on staff. They are having now to deal with the fact that COX BROADCASTING purchased a group of stations in the area and took an FM right in the back yard of WDUN and in essence is trying to eat WDUNs lunch with a second talk station in a town of 35,000 people. Even though a staff member at WDUN is a team member for University of GA football broadcast, ths other station group urchase seems to have resulted in WDUN losing rights to broadcast UGA football.

I am inclined to cut WDUN and the Jacobs family just a little bit of slack as they make some really tough business decisions. A market they have dominated for 55 years is undergoing an earthquake.
 
Cox kind of forced WDUN to add the FM. Not only did Cox add the 95.5 simulcast to WSB-AM, but they also flipped 103.7 to talk. So the Gainesville area was getting 2 FM talk stations to compete with WDUN-AM.

I'm just wondering why WDUN chose not to simulcast 102.9 instead of putting on those second-tier hosts. Maybe they were concerned that with WSB having an FM, Cox might take those shows for 103.7. It does seem kind of redundant for Cox to have both 95.5 and 103.7 with close to the same programming.
 
Goat Rodeo Cowboy said:
Sam Lit said:
rodneyho said:
John Jacobs Jr., WDUN founder and CEO, said he is proud to witness his station taking yet another "bold step on the cutting edge, as we've done throughout our long history."
Click to expand...

Is this guy serious? Coping out with syndicated repeater simulcast radio content on one of his failing FM's is hardly a bold step.
Click to expand...

Sam: Do you know this territory? Do you know the station WDUN? Do you know the Jacobs family?
Click to expand...

I'm just a sayin, it's not rocket science, it's a budget cut back by any other name.
 
Sam Lit said:
Goat Rodeo Cowboy said:
I'm just a sayin, it's not rocket science, it's a budget cut back by any other name.
Click to expand...

The answer to my question then is: "No, you don't know the territory."

For years now they have operated three stations out of one building: WDUN is something of a small blowtorch at 550 on the dial and is the bread-and-butter of the operation. They operate a legacy graveyard AM at 1240 on the dial and the FM station about which all this stir has been generated.

For the last 10 years or so that I have paid some attention to them the FM has been a music i-Pod voice tracked by existing staff for the other two stations. The cost cutting, if any, might be some over-and-above bonus in the regular paycheck of the morning guys who have been doing the voice tracking. In the big scheme of things... that might be about equal to what would be spent to keep complimentary coffee available for the staff every day.

If you will notice the previous comments in this thread, what caught the attention of people in this area was losing an available channel for local sports if they wire the AM and the FM together. They are clever people. They may find that for weekend sports they might be able to undo the wiring and split them apart now and then for a sports event.

Let's have a bit more of a "full disclosure" for the benefit of you folks living in other parts of the country, people who don't understand the fine shades of difference between a "Good Ol' Boy" and "Bubba". This thread was kicked off by Rodney Ho who writes for the COX newspaper in Atlanta. Even though WDUN's world has been significantly changed by the entry of COX radio in this geography, Rodney seems to have written a straight-up article for us (and his paper) and quoted generously from the news release by the Jacobs management team.

Here at ground level even Bubba knows that the WDUN bunch spend more than other stations in the area. They may even have a staff coffee pot for all I know.
Click to expand...
 
Goat Rodeo Cowboy said:
If you will notice the previous comments in this thread, what caught the attention of people in this area was losing an available channel for local sports if they wire the AM and the FM together. They are clever people. They may find that for weekend sports they might be able to undo the wiring and split them apart now and then for a sports event.
Click to expand...

You've just described WJPA-AM and WJPA-FM in Washington, PA (a suburb of Pittsburgh). Most of the time both stations simulcast "The New Sound of the Oldies", an outstanding home-grown oldies format with a very broad and deep playlist. But when it's time for sports, AM and FM split, with Pittsburgh Pirates baseball on AM and Washington Wild Things baseball on FM during baseball season. They carry Steeler football on FM and Pirate baseball on AM if both teams are playing at the same time. They carry W&J College sports and local high school sports and take advantage of having AM and FM stations to maximize local sports coverage.

If WDUN has three stations to play with, simulcasting talk or whatever most of the time but splitting into three stations for local sports sounds like a great idea, especially with the north suburbs of Atlanta being home to some good minor league teams, including the possible return of the Gwinnett Arena Football team.
 
Talk_Dude said:
Goat Rodeo Cowboy said:
If you will notice the previous comments in this thread, what caught the attention of people in this area was losing an available channel for local sports if they wire the AM and the FM together. They are clever people. They may find that for weekend sports they might be able to undo the wiring and split them apart now and then for a sports event.
Click to expand...

You've just described WJPA-AM and WJPA-FM in Washington, PA (a suburb of Pittsburgh). Most of the time both stations simulcast "The New Sound of the Oldies", an outstanding home-grown oldies format with a very broad and deep playlist. But when it's time for sports, AM and FM split, with Pittsburgh Pirates baseball on AM and Washington Wild Things baseball on FM during baseball season. They carry Steeler football on FM and Pirate baseball on AM if both teams are playing at the same time. They carry W&J College sports and local high school sports and take advantage of having AM and FM stations to maximize local sports coverage.

If WDUN has three stations to play with, simulcasting talk or whatever most of the time but splitting into three stations for local sports sounds like a great idea, especially with the north suburbs of Atlanta being home to some good minor league teams, including the possible return of the Gwinnett Arena Football team.
Click to expand...
That would also be good for NE metro HS sports. WDUN has always carried high school sports, picking up Hall County teams over Gwinnett teams but picking up northern Gwinnett teams when the schedule permits. With three stations (including WGGA), that provides for more coverage options (but there's still that @#%$& translator on 102.9...).

Lake 102 carried a lot of Gwinnett HS sports before the flip to La Raza. WIMO out of Winder also carries high school ball, but it doesn't even get into most of Gwinnett with their 650W day/50W night.

Side note: Not to get too far OT, but if WDUN (or whoever) started producing a lot of HS ballgames, and streamed them, they could probably pick up some local sponsors based on smartphone and other Internet listenership, whether or not the games actually found room on the air. The bigger drawing games could go on the air.

AFAIK the Georgia Force is back, but they haven't announced any broadcasting partners. Who carried them before (if anyone)?
 
AFAIK the Georgia Force is back, but they haven't announced any broadcasting partners. Who carried them before (if anyone)?
[/quote]

790 the Zone carried the Force games and I believe David Hubbard & Chuck Oliver called the games. Now, Chuck Oliver is with 680 the Fan.

As a side note, KOOL FM played the American Top 40 from this week in 1980 today and ironically enough, the number one song was "Another One Bites the Dust." Also, would it have been far fetched to simulcast the morning show on WDUN AM and even Fox 5 News at 6PM while keeping their existing format? I wonder if the FM will still use number (770)503-7103 in addition to addition to their present studio numbers.
 
I agree with Jabba, the internet market is there for well produced high school sports. A few years back we did 4 games (Apalachee, Dacula, Mill Creek and Winder-Barrow) 1 on air and 3 online, we rotated the teams on air (which was also available online). We had numerous hits. It seems lately the only thing constant in radio is change. But are small 650w Day/50w night station is still hanging on since coming on air in 1952.
 
It just seems WDUN is a copycat ... WDUN should have made the switch a year ago ... When 103.7 made their move, it was to totally screw WDUN ... and they did a very good job of that.
 
radiodawg56 said:
It just seems WDUN is a copycat ... WDUN should have made the switch a year ago ... When 103.7 made their move, it was to totally screw WDUN ... and they did a very good job of that.
Click to expand...
Cox must have it in for Jacobs...but I don't know if it's just pure competition or if "it's personal".

Not just 103.7, but also snatching away UGA football. Both WDUN and WNGC carried the games side-by-side until Cox bought WNGC...then it became an issue.
 
Cox loves to screw with people because they have the power and the money ... I don't think Cox "owns" the Bulldog Radio Network anymore. When UGA gave ISP the rights to it, the $3500 per afilliate B.S. fee wasn't there anymore. That's why they needed flagship rights ... so they could snatch up all the revenue produced by the Bulldogs ... The mighty Cox prevails again!

However, I don't quite understand the so-called hate between Jacobs and Cox ... Doesn't Shavonie still cover sports for WDUN and is the sports director for WSB?
 
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