LANCASTER, PA -- When James VanHouten decided to start the world's first ever all-Amish radio station here just eight months ago, he thought he had come up with the perfect business opportunity. Posted on 07/31/2006 6:18:39 AM PDT by Alex Murphy
LANCASTER, PA -- When James VanHouten decided to start the world's first ever all-Amish radio station here just eight months ago, he thought he had come up with the perfect business opportunity.
"Here we had a captive audience and a virtually untapped market," VanHouten said of Lancaster County's estimated Amish population of 18,000. "Let's face it, when you walk through Amish country, you don't exactly see a lot of consumer goods."
VanHouten, a 25-year old independent marketing consultant, came up with the call letters WTHY and slogan, "Inspiration for thy workday." He took out a small business loan, bought up billboard space along local highways and signed on for a hefty flight of local TV advertising to promote the innovative, new station.
"I thought this was the one idea of my lifetime that was going to make me rich," VanHouten said.
But the business venture of VanHouten's dreams quickly became a nightmare. He spent two months getting the station off the ground by pouring tens of thousands of dollars into acquiring licensing from the FCC, purchasing equipment, buying advertising and paying staff, but the station made precious little of that money back. After six months of broadcasting and losing money hand over fist, VanHouten ran out of cash and had to call it quits.
"I really don't know what wrong," said Program Director Ronnie Drew. "We put together some terrific programming. We placed experienced radio personalities in the morning and afternoon drive times; we were playing traditional Amish music, much of it even in German."
But VanHouten said convincing potential advertisers to give WTHY a try was an uphill battle from the beginning.
"Our sales staff was just encountering an unbelievable amount of resistance," he said. "People were convinced that the Amish don't listen to the radio. We did our best to convince them that the reason for that was that until now there was really no station for them, but it was just really a tough sell."
VanHouten's staff, which targeted mostly power tool companies with hopes to appeal to the Amish craftsmen, was able to procure a few sponsorships, but they didn't last.
"It got to the point where we were afraid to talk to the clients that we did have on the air," VanHouten said. "They were getting absolutely no response, and the only thing I can point to is the lousy economy. When money's tight, people aren't going out and buying Amish furniture. When that happens, money becomes tight for the Amish and they don't have the money to go out and buy things like new tools. I really believe that if it weren't for this lagging economy, we'd really have had a chance."
While VanHouten says he learned some tough lessons from this venture, he hopes that his failures won't discourage other media outlets from catering to this often-overlooked group of people.
"I still believe that the Amish people of Lancaster County need a radio station," he said. "As soon as I get out of bankruptcy court, I plan to start making presentations to a whole new group of investors about it."
It's satire, people! And pretty funny, too.
I though this was something out of the Onion!
No, Alex Murphy thinks it's funny to paste satire as if it were fact, as sort of a DAILY April Fool's joke.
What Alex Murphy doesn't know is that not all such groups retain such an total abstention from technology, and that the idea of a radio station marketing to such people, while probably a very foolish business plan, is not insane.
Blindly guessing as to the motive behind my threads, and then prosecuting as if it were fact?
You're better than that, dangus. I hope.
What's starting to get really hilarious is that every article ends up with a handful of posters treating it as legitimate news and issuing opinions on the pros and cons.
Discuss the issues but do not make it personal. Reading other posters' minds and attributing motives is making it personal.
Apparently some posters have actually taken offense with me over this article (believe it or not!). The TOPICS line above post #1 clearly indicates this is a humor thread. Anyone can follow the link to the original article, and see that the source is a humor website. Why people take offense, especially when the posted articles don't discuss their particular theological system (are there any Amish FReepers reading this thread? I didn't think so), I don't get. Several years ago, a couple of posters actively tried to have me banned for one of these humor threads, which focused on a topic that later proved quite prescient. I don't think that the letters F, U, and N can only be used to spell the word FUNERAL, but I guess I'm in the minority with that sentiment.
Has anyone noticed that article isn't even poking fun at Christians, or even the Amish? What is there to be offended at? It's poking fun at marketers who fail to understand their target market (think Democrats trying to woo the Christian vote).
"No, me thinks he will be a politician along the lines of Bill Clinton.............."
_____________________________
Why? I didn't pick up on any deviousness. It seemed like a very unusual business opportunity.
>> Alex Murphy thinks it's funny to paste satire as if it were fact, as sort of a DAILY April Fool's joke. <<
I did mean to complain about the practice, and I did not mean to talk about others behind their backs, so I pinged Alex Murphy. But I don't see where the personal attack is. I don't mean to be argurmentative; I just mean to ask, "what'd I do wrong?"
Am I wrong to presume Alex Murphy does this because he thinks it's funny? Am i wrong to characterize it as an April Fools Joke?
Frankly, I DO resent the fact that Alex Murphy has refused repeated requests to simply flag the fact that the statements within the article he posts are satire. I don't LIKE wasting my time reading through an article until I come across something which is too preposterous to be real, especially because one reason people post articles is to point out how preposterous true life is! So now I have to look at every article before I read it to make sure it isn't an Alex Murphy joke.
Every post Alex Murphy makes ends up making FReepers look publicly stupid, and I write this as someone who has NOT been tricked into commenting on his fiction as if it were fact. And I'd dare say that if I were an editor or forum moderator, I would certainly NOT want my readers to be wondering whether something they had just read was real or satire.
I do see now where the satire flag has been added and I do appreciate it. Thank you RM, and, if you gave the nod for it to be done, thank you Alex.
I don't know. Putting the (satire) in the headline is like a sledgehammer to the forehead.
Alex always puts the keyword Humor on these threads. I know that's too subtle for some readers, but that's also funny.
I always enjoy those few moments while unknowingly reading a satire thread when I begin to figure out that it's a joke.
The articles? You bet I think they're funny. Most send me into bursts of laughter, even upon re-reading them. In fact, "Amish Radio" is at the top of my list, for a variety of self-indulgent and personal reasons.
Am i wrong to characterize it as an April Fools Joke?
You bet you are. But did you bother to ask me what my reason for posting them was? Even after I FReepmailed you on 7/25 and told you that "fully half of the articles I post are spoofs - check those URLs", you have never engaged me privately to check on your assumptions, or to let me assuage your anger. Why is that?
I can't help you with your ongoing nursing of resentments, dangus (there's a punchline that follows that joke, but someone would find it offensive, I'm sure). And I can't help you, if you can't be bothered to approach a brother privately about said resentments. Americans are IMO horrible, in that they require the humorist to telegraph every joke in advance - and those that know me well know my fondness for bone-dry, delivered-with-a-straight-face satire. And I make no apologizes for finding aspects of God's creation, and God's people, uproariously funny.
Albert Brooks, the semifamous comedian-turned-actor, produced a short film in the 70s about America's humor-deficient population, advertising the Albert Brooks' Famous School for Comedians as a way to overcome it. I am that school. If you need a funny bone transplant, I'm willing to be a live donor, but (here comes some surgeon humor for you now) you'll probably just reject it anyway.
So now I have to look at every article before I read it to make sure it isn't an Alex Murphy joke.
Well, at least I can say I've achieved one of my goals for posting these articles - I've managed to get someone to be a little more discerning, at least concerning the contents of their daily news.
Every post Alex Murphy makes ends up making FReepers look publicly stupid.
Never was my intention. Thread responses from those who didn't see the humor aspect are always earnest and sincere, often making thoughtful and conscious attempts to judge the issue at hand (even if the events in the article are faked). Getting people to discuss current (and oncoming) issues has always been my intent, and like most pastors, I usually lead off any sermon with a joke. Does your priest makes jokes during Mass? If so, do you believe he's trying to make parishioners look stupid?
If "making FReepers look publicly stupid" were my intent, why don't I call attention to their supposedly stupid posts?
Well you had me goin...LOL
Good job!
It WAS funny...
I understand he secured his business loan with stock from his Amish Telephone Company.
BTTT
Ankles 'R Us?
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