Media Business Is Often More Business Than Media
While I have never been a fan of most of the music played by my sister Beasley Broadcasting station WCHZ, 95 Rock, I have been a 20-year fan of the man who has run that station since it was born, Chuck Williams.
I first met Chuck when I worked with him at the old WRXR, back in the days when I was part of Joe Mama’s morning show team that came to be known as The Rude Dogs. Chuck was talented and insightful, if not understated, for a rock jock. I would describe him as a thinking man’s disc jockey, if you can imagine such a thing. He was as dependable as he was smart, and as hard working as he was dedicated.
He was as devoted to his craft and his format then as he is now. Chuck Williams is as solid a human being as you will ever find in the broadcasting business. As the program director of 95 Rock, I can only imagine how it felt when he found his spot on the FM dial was being confiscated by his bosses for use by another station.
I am not authorized to speak for the company, nor do I mean to infer I have special insight into decisions my bosses make regarding such matters, but I can reiterate what they have said publicly about the move to simulcast my home station, longtime AM stalwart WGAC in the FM position once held by 95 Rock: It is a business decision driven by the need and opportunity to enhance the reach of one of the market’s top radio stations.
That WGAC has been a leader in ratings and revenue generation given the scientific limitations of a pure AM radio signal is one of the most amazing stories in the history of local media. When many of the nation’s legendary news/talk AMs signed on decades ago, there were far fewer things that interfered with with indoor radio reception.
But thanks to all manner of electrical appliances and machinery, not to mention modern wiring and construction materials, the quality of indoor reception of the AM signal has been greatly diminished. Several of my supervisors say the FM switch will put WGAC on the radar of young people who never sampled the station before, but I am more of the belief that the switch will greatly help bring the signal to people who always wanted greater access to it in more areas across the metro area.
WGAC’s enhancement comes at the expense of the area’s best alternative rock station, which again, is purely a business decision. The best sales manager the station ever had is a man named Joe White, who is now the owner and publisher of this very newspaper. It is said that good salespeople can keep underperforming broadcast stations alive and well, and that is exactly what I believed happened with 95 Rock. White’s enthusiasm and expertise likely gave 95 Rock a few more years than it would have normally had, that is the harsh reality in these challenging days.
To the fans of 95 Rock, all I can say is I understand your frustration, and as someone who has seen a number of my media favorites disappear over the years, you have my sympathy.
I am of the firm belief that the future of radio is in news, information and personality driven entertainment. The iPod has given us the ability to carry more songs in our hip pocket than a radio station could play in five years, and the days of music as the primary driver of terrestrial broadcasters are soon to end.You Might Also Like:
Posted in Austin