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Nobody loves WGN as much as WGN

P

PaulKTF

Frequent Participant
Between the joke that is the "Walk of Fame" (and the associated ceremony) and the endless fawning over Tribune Tower (which they have now left) I've come to realize that nobody loves 720 WGN as much as 720 WGN. Yes, I know every radio station talks up how terrific they are, but WGN's on-air talent takes it to a new level of self-congratulating.

I love that they made their own Walk Of Fame which is a little like going down to the Trophy Shop and having them make you an award for yourself proclaiming that you're a wonderful person- it might make you feel special but it doesn't actually mean anything. And before someone says it, yes I know the station and talent have gotten several awards and accolades that actually matter and are well-deserved.

Yes, WGN has a long history as a popular news/talk radio station, and has had a lot of talent on air over the years, but all the pats on the back they give themselves get very old, very fast.
 
I can’t speak for others but I’ve never been much of a WGN fan. They certainly have always seemed to celebrate themselves a lot.
 
radioman148 said:
I can’t speak for others but I’ve never been much of a WGN fan. They certainly have always seemed to celebrate themselves a lot.
Click to expand...

+1. You can speak for me.

Especially during the past 10-15 years, I've found them to be boring more often than not. A lot of the originality and creativity that drove WGN to its one time level of prestige and creativity "back in the day" left with the departures of Wally Phillips, Roy Leonard, and Bob Collins, etc. So....I guess if you don't have anything better to do, and you're nowhere near the upper portion of the ratings books, you may as well as flaunt your past glories.
 
It's radio for an aging demographic. I wouldn't be surprised to see a complete format flip to Syndicated Sports Talk or Syndicated Political Talk of some kind at some point in the next few years.
 
I don't feel much can be done to save AM radio. The hey days of Wally Phillips, Howard Miller and Larry Lujack are long gone. Even FM radio is fighting for survival as the kids today rather listen to iPods or on line streaming. I would love to see AM stations turn to Classic Country, Oldies 50's-60's and Music of the early 50's (WJJD); FM won't play that kind of music so bring it back on AM. WGN had a good run but the tide has changed. Some radio's don't even have AM any more. Sad but true.
 
Dr Wayne said:
...the kids today rather listen to iPods or on line streaming.
Click to expand...

Does anyone use an iPod anymore?

I was at the local Apple store two weeks ago, and did not even see them on display as I wandered around while I waited a half-hour for my appointment.
 
In regards to WGN-TV...

After the Cubs won the World Series, I tuned into WGN thinking I would get some local coverage on the historic event, but instead it was just a low-budget sci-fi show.

Does WGN even offer a 9pm News telecast anymore?
 
PaulKTF said:
That's because it is (part of) the problem- cheap sports talk radio is almost all that's on AM radio anymore for a reason.
Click to expand...

That's not the problem. That is part of the solution, along with all-news (WBBM), conservative talk (WLS & WIND, although that'll fade fast in the next 10 years, once the Vietnam War generation starts dying off), religion, and ethnic programming which Chicago has had since there's been radio in Chicago. Were it not for those formats, the big blowtorches would be running syndicated garbage and would have no reason to exist. Don't laugh -- WLS almost switched to Regional Mexican in the late '80s -- a decision that ABC in New York was going to make for them -- before the decision to go with talk.

The days of The Big 89 and Super CFL are long gone, not to mention the classic personalities at WGN, and will never come back unless somebody wants to resurrect one of them as a hobby that doesn't make money. That will never happen.
 
PaulKTF said:
That's because it is (part of) the problem- cheap sports talk radio is almost all that's on AM radio anymore for a reason.
Click to expand...

Formats like WSCR, the Ticket in Dallas and WFAN are anything but cheap to produce.

The reason why those formats are still only on AM in some markets is that no FM is available to the licensee (and that includes licensees with local FMs but which are billing too much to change) for the station to make the move to FM.

Sports is a format that can successfully move to FM, generally accompanied by better sales-demo results. Talk does not transition as well as the older demos don't change. WTOP, WBBM and KCBS are examples of all news stations that have been revitalized by adding an FM or moving to FM. In the case of WTOP, the gain came not only from being on FM but from the far better FM coverage compared with its old AM channel.
 
PaulKTF said:
That's because it is (part of) the problem- cheap sports talk radio is almost all that's on AM radio anymore for a reason.
Click to expand...

Maybe you don't listen, because the thing that has really helped The Score get ratings despite being on AM is it has the radio rights to the Cubs.

Which, for many years was on WGN. So if you want to explain why WGN is struggling, while 670 is in the Top 10, the reason is The Cubs.


Cubs fans will put up with anything, including crappy AM audio, to hear their team.
 
PaulKTF said:
Between the joke that is the "Walk of Fame" (and the associated ceremony) and the endless fawning over Tribune Tower (which they have now left) I've come to realize that nobody loves 720 WGN as much as 720 WGN. Yes, I know every radio station talks up how terrific they are, but WGN's on-air talent takes it to a new level of self-congratulating.

I love that they made their own Walk Of Fame which is a little like going down to the Trophy Shop and having them make you an award for yourself proclaiming that you're a wonderful person- it might make you feel special but it doesn't actually mean anything. And before someone says it, yes I know the station and talent have gotten several awards and accolades that actually matter and are well-deserved.

Yes, WGN has a long history as a popular news/talk radio station, and has had a lot of talent on air over the years, but all the pats on the back they give themselves get very old, very fast.
Click to expand...

I haven't been much of a fan of WGN radio like I used to, there are still some people that are I enjoy hearing on the station, but can you really expect a radio station to say how lousy they are? And you have to remember they are now have to move it to a location for the walk of fame to be decided where they can put it, and how knows that can take, and I don't even know if they can have them on the ground on the building they are now housed in, like they did when they were in the Tribune Tower.
 
TheBigA said:
if you want to explain why WGN is struggling, while 670 is in the Top 10, the reason is The Cubs.
Click to expand...

It's a little more complex than that, but Cubs broadcasts are a major factor. JMHO. In the case of WGN, I'd say it was primarily the effect of years of a number of questionable business decisions (including letting the Cubs go), aging listener demographics, as well as the decline of AM radio in general.

As for WSCR thriving. I'd say in addition to the Cubs, it would be continuously investing and re-investing in the on-air product. Not only pbp sports and program hosts, but also the array of high-profile regular contributors they've assembled. It also doesn't hurt that, for the most part, WSCR has a better signal than most of its sports and non-sports AM competitors.
 
cyberdad said:
It's a little more complex than that, but Cubs broadcasts are a major factor. JMHO. In the case of WGN, I'd say it was primarily the effect of years of a number of questionable business decisions (including letting the Cubs go), aging listener demographics, as well as the decline of AM radio in general.
Click to expand...

The fortunes of WGN are paralleling the decline of WLS-AM, and the thing those stations have in common, besides being on AM, is conservative talk. The advantage WGN has is it's local vs. syndicated, but the focus on national politics is hurting WGN as much as it is other similarly formatted stations around the country. I don't see that changing if the sale of the station to Sinclair is approved.
 
Imagine how bad WGN's ratings will be in another five years. Ditto WLS.

I wonder if the availability of Newsradio WBBM on the FM dial has taken a good chunk of cume away from the AM band altogether?

I also cannot help but wonder if WRME has snagged a lot of 55+ listenership away from WGN.
 
MarkW said:
Imagine how bad WGN's ratings will be in another five years. Ditto WLS.

I wonder if the availability of Newsradio WBBM on the FM dial has taken a good chunk of cume away from the AM band altogether?

I also cannot help but wonder if WRME has snagged a lot of 55+ listenership away from WGN.
Click to expand...

The former (WBBM) is likely, the latter is doubtful since those wanting music would've switched to the FM band anyway once they got their news.
 
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