[BC] Long Robert Conrad Interview of WVIZ (TV)

[R J Carpenter]

There was a long friendly interview of Robert Conrad of WCLV on non-com 
TV station WVIZ last Friday or Saturday evening.  I'm pretty sure it was 
Saturday.  I was trapped playing a board game with relatives (my hosts) 
so only got the tone of the interview.

It started discussing Conrad's past and probably his association with 
the Cleveland Symphony broadcasts.  Then WCLV was dicussed and the 
situation of classical radio broadcasting in general.  He mentioned that 
he/WCLV had resisted selling the Class B channel for quite a while - but 
$40 million was too much to turn down.  He put positive spin on 
establishing a foundation to run the rimshot Class A west of Cleveland 
they purchased and the AM east of Cleveland that I think they LMA. The 
FM xmtr looks as near Cleveland as possible and still cover its COL. At 
least the FM covers a "good" part of their former demographic ... but 
can't be strong in the eastern suburbs. 

Conrad mentioned the case of WFLN and how it flipped a number of times 
in one year,  He claimed one purchaser flipped WFLN for an $8 million 
profit without actually taking control!

I listened to WCLV at Great Lakes Mall in the western edge of Mentor - 
the largest shopping center in the eastern suburbs.  WCLV(FM) was 
marginal.  One could hear another station's audio in the background on 
1460 AM even though it seemed quite heavily processed to keep the 
modulation up.  This was 1:30 pm local.  The FM dissapears only slightly 
west of there and the AM doesn't pick up until one is near its COL, 
Painesville.

Iy seems as though listeners west of Cleveland haven't lost a lot, while 
those east of town get very little service.

I continue to wonder whether classical listeners will be driven to sat 
radio or CDs (or iPods - gasp).

bpb carpenter