Posted on 06/21/2006 4:31:47 AM PDT by Chi-townChief
Of all the stations on Chicago radio's "watch list" (if there were such a list, that is), the one in most critical condition has to be Clear Channel Radio's "Real Oldies" WRLL-AM (1690).
Nothing is official, but insiders say it could be only a matter of weeks before Clear Channel bosses pull the plug on the format and a talent lineup that includes such personalities as Larry Lujack, Tommy Edwards, Scotty Brink, Tom Murphy and Ron Smith.
Plagued from its inception in 2003 with a substandard signal that barely covers the metropolitan area, "Real Oldies" has languished at the bottom of the ratings all along. Arbitrends released Tuesday show the station tied for 36th place with a 0.5 percent share and with a cumulative weekly audience of 116,200.
Any hopes of growth were dashed when ABC turned its WZZN-FM (94.7) from active rock to "True Oldies" last fall. Despite its lackluster lineup and promotion, WZZN wins by default with its superior signal.
John Gehron, who put "Real Oldies" on the air, nurtured and protected the format as Clear Channel's regional boss here. Once he left the company (only to resurface as head of Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Radio), the station's days were numbered.
No decision has been made on a new format, but the most likely scenario would turn WRLL into a time-brokered outlet that would lease all of its air time to an outside company.
Most common time-brokered formats include religious, ethnic and foreign language programs.
If Clear Channel does pull the plug on oldies, at least one of the station's stars shouldn't be idle for long.
Edwards, the Chicago radio legend who serves as morning personality, program director and operations manager of "Real Oldies," already has been approached about a drive-time on-air job at a bigger and better local station, sources said.
Too bad he won't be able to bring Ol' Uncle Lar along with him this time.
Dialing: Changing channels
*As if it weren't already hard enough to find Dick Biondi and the other great jocks who've been relegated to the Internet and HD Radio, now CBS Radio is switching their Web address.
Starting next week, Biondi, Greg Brown, Fred Winston and Connie Szerszen will be moved to a new site at www.OldiesChicago.com. They had been streaming oldies at www.wjmk.com since their old station, WJMK-FM (104.3), morphed into adult hits "Jack FM" last year.
"Since WJMK is 'Jack's' call letters, we want to distinguish the two entities more for clarification in the ratings process," said John Sebastian, program director of "Jack FM."
*Look for WGN-Channel 9 morning weatherman Paul Konrad and entertainment reporter Dean Richards to make special guest appearances on Steve Cochran's "Clean Comedy All Stars" show this weekend.
Cochran, a seasoned standup comic and midday personality at Tribune Co.-owned news/talk WGN-AM (720), will be the headliner at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Genesee Theatre in north suburban Waukegan.
*Radio One Communications, which owns and operates four stations in northwest Indiana -- WXRD-FM (103.9), WLJE-FM (105.5), WZVN-FM (107.1) and WAKE-AM (1500) -- has begun construction on expanded studios and offices in Valparaiso.
Tracking: 'Hippo' gets bigger
*"Nude Hippo: Your Chicago Show," an offbeat local treat on cable since 1997, is gaining a new outlet on WMAQ-Channel 5's Web site. Starting Thursday, segments from the weekly half-hour comedy/talk show will be streamed at www.nbc5.com.
Hosted by Tony Lossano and Amy Zanglin, "Nude Hippo" still airs at 7 p.m. Thursdays on Chicago Cable Channel 25.
*Janet Davies, entertainment reporter and host of "190 North," will be joined by Terri Hemmert, midday personality at adult rock WXRT-FM (93.1), in co-hosting WLS-Channel 7's coverage of this weekend's 37th annual Gay Pride Parade. The one-hour special will air at 11:35 p.m. Sunday on the ABC-owned station.
Grand marshal of the parade will be George Takei of "Star Trek" fame.
*The Museum of Broadcast Communications has received a $40,000 grant from the Chicago Community Trust to help create an exhibit on Chicago's radio and television history.
He's gonna rate your record high
If you got the curves baby I got the angles
A blatant whorish attempt to get radio play as bad as "Cover of the Rolling Stone" and Al Stewarts "Song on the Radio".
re: "Plagued from its inception in 2003 with a substandard signal "
Will WIND be next then? It has a worse signal than does Catholic Radio, Air America, its own Salem sister WYLL and of course, the flame-thrower.
Yes, it IS hard, if not impossible, to find Dick Biondi and the other great jocks, as you put it. Biondi is one of the very few who has not retired (probably because he loves it so much!), and who is still alive! He is still around...he's 73 (will be 74 in September). Don't feel bad. I just learned that recently myself.
I was just enjoying Biondi over the Internet...until today. This was their first day with their new web address. But there's a technical problem, I guess. I could not, not to save my life I couldn't, get the link to "Listen" to work! It gave me two error messages. I'm forgetting what, exactly. But the bottom line is, whoever designed the "dual websites" (in order to have two WJMK's online at once) should have tested the new one, to be sure that it would work in its fullest! Instead, you go into the old website, www.wjmk.com, and you get that silly Jack-FM...If you go into CBS Radio's main index, you can even listen to Jack-FM online. But you can't listen to the other WJMK--OUR favorite! And www.oldieschicago.com seems to work for everything EXCEPT listening online... I'm still very very sad...and I was only enjoying Biondi for about two and a half months or so!! I'd been listening to nothing but old airchecks and CD's of airchecks from 30 or more years ago. That's all well and good, IF that's all I had to go on. But I was really enjoying being able to listen to Biondi LIVE!!! And I miss that terribly! I have sent WJMK an e-mail, and I hope they can iron out their technical difficulties...so that I can listen to my favorite...the one and only "Wild Itralian" again!!
Hope I answered enough of your questions, and posed enough questions of my own here.
Looking forward to the feedback I'll get off this one...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.