[BC] Live and local or just DEAD?

[Powell E. Way III]

I changed the subject line a bit....

--- On Sat, 3/28/09, wmroradio at bellsouth.net <wmroradio at bellsouth.net> wrote:

> Tom,
>    We had a local station here in the area
> that just went dark. WDKN-AM, Dickson, TN, signed off about
> 2 weeks ago due to financial problems. The station was live
> and local. 

There has to be more to the story than what was in the paper. A LOT more that's not being said. This has been in the news in a lot of places. Smells  very funny for some reason. Omitting them is almost like lying about it...in some respects. 

>    *I've said this, and everytime I say this, I get nasty comments thrown >     at me*:
>
>        "Being Live, Local, and
> Public Service comes with a Price Tag!"

And not being so carries a much larger one. It gives the impression you aren't proud of your product, or you don't care or are too lazy. And none of them may be true, but perception can be a big problem. Do you get where I am going with this. 

>    It is way too expensive in 2009 to
> operate a small AM or small FM (especially here in the
> south) live and local. People (employees) want to get paid.
> They have mouths to feed and need a roof over their heads.
> Small to medium size business are struggling to survive
> themselves, due to the economic situation.

And it is too foolish not to. If it's too expensive, and you can't make money the license needs to be surrendered or the station sold to someone who KNOWS how to make it work.  It's like this, if I have a business, I certainly am not going to advertise on station that has no local content except for commercials, and doesn't assert itself or try to make itself well known and liked in the community. 

>   The first thing a locally owned businesses will do
> when they have to cut back expenses is on advertising.

And they won't be in business much longer after that, either!! That's proves it self time and time again. 

> The
> big owned "chain" businesses won't do advertising on local
> "small town" radio, especially if the station is AM, like a
> 1000 watt daytimer. They hire ad agencies to place ads for
> them on the big FM's, Cable TV or the nearest metro market
> TV stations.

If those ad agencies  look at your ratings in the county ratings in Arbitron [ and they do and they do take note of your standings]   and see you are number 1 and have been at the top a long time this is not true. I guess it would be if you drag the bottom or are in the middle of the pack with some distant FM's about 5 or 6 or more above you.

>   Believe me, I don't like the way this is all going,
> but it's the truth and I warn kids thinking about going to
> broadcasting school to focus on other forms of media,
> besides radio. Clear Channel, other major groups, and
> independent operators are cutting back and using the
> computer more & more.

Broadcasting school? There aren't many of them left are they?   :)  
 And what do they REALLY teach? Now as for a University degree, fine, but what do they want to do in a small station other than learn so they can own one, but unless it's in their blood and bad, I'd say as you do, find something else. 
 

And these corporate stations that have cut things beyond the bone....what HAVE they done...yeah....baby....made stocks worth a penny?
And making their stations not worth  a hill of rotting beans?

>A small station owner like myself
> can do local stuff, "BUT", the owner has to get up out of
> his big lazy boy chair in his/hers office and get out there
> and work to have local content on the station & play the
> role of announcer too!

YES!!!!!   YOU HAVE THAT RIGHT!!!!!   The owner has to be an integral part of the radio station and pull his part and then some and so do the others working there. The persons selling have to actually SELL and not be an order taker. In times where money is tight, sales has to be done to give the buyer an incentive, that without it,  their business will suffer. Do you, in a small Southern town have to be live  ALL the time. NO, but you had better be local. If you aren't, heck there are hundreds of other sources of entertainment!  Your music needs to be local. It's not THAT hard to do it, but you have to work at it a bit.  If you don't want to work that hard, then get out of radio.  It's either in your blood or it isn't.

Powell

NNNN 
POP email is powell at backroads  DOT     net