WJAS Sale Final; Format to go all talk, eventually
August 4, 2014
The sale of WJAS (1320) from Renda Broadcasting to Frank Iorio’s Pittsburgh Radio Partners, LLC is final according to the FCC’s report on Monday. The sale closed on July 30. Iorio plans on converting the format to talk, but says that the move will not be immediate. He tells the Tribune-Review, “I’m absolutely swamped in stuff.” It will mean the end of an era for current hosts Jack Bogut and Bill Cardille who’ve both enjoyed long careers in the market.
It’s a real shame that the new owner of WJAS is going to make a collasal mistake going to talk. It seems that radio thinks that people over 50 are dead. Tv adds don’t think so. They use parts of songs from the 50, 60, and 70s all the time. It’s too bad radio doesnot think so. Why bother going High Definition when nobody’s listening to your station anyway. Many Station owners are saying Am radio is DEAD. Well if you really feel that way before you send your license in to the FCC give it to me. All your equipment. The tower, and transmitters free. I will show you how dead AM radio is not. There is too much Talk,sports,and Religion on the air in Pittsburgh already. Give me back the 50s 60s and 70s . Where memories and times were far better than today’s disasters . The cure for radio is simple…You don’t need a college degree to figure it out. ” it’s your programming stupid”. Or lack there of.
Robert…when you find that license, tower, transmitter, etc, get in touch…I still have a few good programs left in me!!!
I agree with Robert so many stations today do not get it when it comes to what people want to listen to . Do they ever really do true research not the nonsense supposed surveys show . I know a good Country western format from 50’s -70s would be poplar to many as C&W today is more pop than country . Just one of several niche formats completely ignored in this area .
We want live local news and weather we want real live DJ’s not voice tracked robot radio We want whats going on now not same old drone broadcasts.
if stations put out what people want then business would advertise more to targeted audiences they are after who wants to advertise on a station where your add may be played if the automation has not crewed things up and station is off the air or plays your commercial over another commercial.AM and FM needs to get there act together play what people want and stop doing stupid moves to cut costs and cut listeners.
I should have known WJAS would go to talk radio after seeing that tripe Iorio’s stations in Warren, Pa., put on. In any case, I hope someone in Pittsburgh picks up the nostalgia radio baton and continues to make it available to an area whose demographics make it a perfect fit.
Then again, I hope the Toronto Maple Leafs win a Stanley Cup before I die.
I think if AM isn’t offering music, people won’t look for music there, only adding to the problem. It’s like a mall where half of the stores are closed, doesn’t seem as appealing to check it out regularly. At least we have stations like WAMO, WDDZ, and WZUM with music formats in the city.
There are other things at work with radio too, paying the piper to play commercial music, in more ways than it used to, and that talk radio is ‘hot’ right now.
Well Bill and Jack could work to become local talk hosts at the station and maybe they would be able to stay on.
Boomer
There’s another sucker in town.
I worked as a board opp. back in the late 80\’s for WJAS, KQV, and WTAE. I remember and saw the changeover to talk for WTAE and where are they today but in obscurity. Look at 1360 (I do not even know the call letters, but where are they today with talk.)
WJAS in its infancy had it correct before the years of making the slight changes with the music. The demise is playing the soft rock format from the 70\’s through today. The format for this age should go back to the idea from WNEW \”Blest with America\’s Best\”, Popular hits from the Big Bands, 50\’s and 60\’s standards and 50\’s and 60\’s rock and roll (no hardcore, with some Doo-Wop mixed) emphasizing a pattern of stress and non-stress in the rotation so not to agitate and not put to sleep. It will be ok as you can blend the formats. There are no rules anymore for a format in this age. I saw ten year\’s ago at Carnegie Mellon what students were listening on their IPODS which had Perry Como to Mega death, For the package, tighten it all with Pam\’s style jingles. Very simple!
Remember, the most important is to make better Sales and teach marketing strategy to the client by tying in the community for attracting business awareness. Quit the idea of slam selling where you sell the ad with poor messaging and collect the check. The client has no results and will be reluctant to advertise spots again so the market dries up.
Overall, sadly, more decline in the Pittsburgh area with WJAS
I’d listen to any station that included PAMS style jingles!
Ron Lindow
Music on the radio irrelevant with mp3 players and streaming options where people can program their own stations, and with fewer interruptions and with crystal clear audio. I’ll take talk and comedy over music any day.
I’m going to play Devil’s Advocate for a moment here.
Talents like Bill Cardille and Jack Bogut don’t come cheap. Period. Is WJAS generating enough revenue to offset the cost of having them on board, plus overhead? My instincts tell me no. I haven’t heard that many spots on there that would lead me to think otherwise. Under Renda, WSHH could prop WJAS up, but you can only do that for so long. Tony Renda isn’t getting any younger, and him dumping two substantial AM properties is proof that he’s winding down his empire. He’s letting go of what’s no longer profitable.
I love Jack and Chilly. I know both of them personally. But these guys have been around long enough to know that business is business is business. If they want to keep going, more power to them. If they want to ride off into the sunset and enjoy their remaining years taking it easy, that’s fine too.
WJAS is one of the highest-rated nostalgia-formatted stations in the country. However, based-on-format (as in NOT overall rank) ratings don’t always translate into revenue. I’ve seen this with countless stations.
We all would like to have our own radio station programmed to our personal tastes. That’s not possible in the real world. Even broad-spectrum, mass-appeal stations are having a tough time of it. Now off my soapbox.
I heard WJAS’ new format today, with lots of PSAs and promos at one point.
Renda donated 1360 to the church, and it was running for a while, but I haven’t heard the signal lately. Hope it’s okay and just off for upgrades.
Boomer
New home for Quinn? Hope so!!!!
Nope. Won’t be happening. While not owned by Clear Channel, most of the programming comes from the Clear Channel offices… the same ones who let Quinn go last year. There are certain elements of the old WJAS which remain – NBC news and certain religious programs.