[BC] Another one "bites the dust"

[WFIFeng@aol.com]

WAVZ, New haven, has dropped the Air America format.

http://tinyurl.com/2aybrl

There was also a very interesting article in the printed New Haven Register, 
on the Opinions page. Unfortunately, that article does not appear to be 
available online. The author is Southern Ct State University Professor, Jerry 
Dunklee.  Here is a summary. Quoted portions are unedited. I will reserve my 
comments until the very end of the article.



(1'st paragraph)
   "Wanted: A few rich people who believe in public service. Or a collection 
of small investors who care about their community and are willing to put some 
money on the line. Why? To buy one of the local radio frequencies and turn it 
into a real radio station again."
 .
 . (Skipped paragraphs reminisce about specific local DJ's, shows, music, 
etc.)
 .
(4'th paragraph)
   "And they made a lot of money, because a lot of people listened. A new 
business in town could not afford to ignore radio advertising.

   In the mid 1980's, Clear Channel bought WELI. Then it bought WAVZ and WKCI 
too. It brought all the stations together under one roof at Radio Towers Park 
in Hamden.

   Then, it began the 20 years process of cutting away the flesh and crushing 
the bone of local radio.

   The New Haven stations were some of the first it bought and what it did 
here was replicated all over the country. It cut local talk for syndicated, 
usually conservative, national talk hosts like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. It 
ripped news departments apart.

   At the start of the new year, as Clear Channel begins to sell off its 
stations around the country, it eliminated the last two new jobs at WELI. 
Apparently, your 'local' news will come from Syracuse. Not one radio reporter will be 
left at the three stations.

   Yale owns two radio stations in New haven, 94.3 FM and 1340 AM, but they 
offer little that serves the area; nationally syndicated music and DJ's from 
elsewhere, a few student shows. No local news, No local talk shows. WQUN, owned 
by Quinnipiac University, has the only local news left in town. It tries, but 
has a small signal.

   Does anyone care?

  Younger people have grown up without a real local commercial radio 
presence. They don't know that stations are supposed to serve in the public interest; 
that the law says so. (Don't get me started on how the FCC and the federal 
government have failed to enforce it.) Young folks have missed the chance to hear 
local music, talk and news, so maybe they don't know enough to care.

   But older citizens remember. I can't tell you the number of times people 
have asked me whatever happened to /real/ radio. It can be so important for a 
community.

  Is there a chance to revive good, local broadcasting? Can you make money 
doing it?

   If you know that most radio stations have profit margins between 30 and 60 
percent, you understand you could do a lot of good work and still make a 
healthy profit. WELI, in its prime, made a lot of money. So did the other local 
stations.

   That's why I've posted my ad at the beginning of this essay. Psst. Wanna 
do some good? Buy a New haven radio station and hire some local talent. Do news 
and talk and be a part of the community. New Haven is a fascinating and 
culterally rich place. It deserves radio stations that reflect that. If you build 
it, listeners will come."

(End of article.) Copyright: New Haven Register, 2007

Ok... so... what can I add to what he has said? Not much. Personally, I don't 
put all of the blame on CC as he seems to... it's happening not just with 
them, but with a *lot* of the large Group owners.

So, I submit this article for your thoughts and look forward to reading them. 
One of my Life's Goals is pretty much in line with what he said- a *local* 
radio station, with local people behind the mic and playing the music.

Willie...