Rubber City Radio standards/news WAKR/1590 Akron has sent the Dial-Global (formerly Westwood One) "Adult Standards" format packing, at least during weekdays.The station has announced a "live and local" lineup of on-air personalities for its music hours which used to be covered by the satellite. That lineup apparently starts today. Among them - former WKDD/then-96.5 program director Chuck Collins, who is now heard on WAKR in mid-mornings.
Collins calls the station's new local lineup "a new kind of WAKR", and apologized to listeners for any glitches as the station "goes back to West Market Street". Despite that mention, what we heard of Collins' first show was smooth.
Collins announced that station veteran Bob Allen will take over middays - he's already been heard doing a music shift in afternoon drive, and has been already been in middays hosting the WAKR Noon News block. WAKR also stays in-house for afternoon drive with Tim Daugherty, the long-time Rubber City voice also heard mornings on sister rock WONE/97.5.
WAKR's Ray Horner continues in morning drive, and the station will continue as the local affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, Browns and Cavaliers.
We don't know what they'll do in the nighttime and weekend hours not covered by sports yet, though we'll assume non-weekday hours will still be in the standards format, and either locally automated or still with the satellite service.
Though the new lineup is being presented as "live and local", we'd have to assume, for example, that Daugherty isn't burning the clock candle on both ends by doing the WAKR afternoon shift live.
We alluded to Collins' hiring at Rubber City in an item in mid-July, and also alluded to the end of weekday satellite programming on one local station around the same time, though we hadn't connected the dots until hearing Collins on WAKR today...
14 comments:
Hopefully there will be a slight uptick in the music selections, as well. Some of the tunes are fine, but many others are just too old or overplayed. I like to tune in the station for my cats to listen to during the day (they haven't complained too much), and I switch to them in the car when WTAM or WKNR is in the midst of their usual 10-minute commercial breaks. It's nice to hear something, besides "Muskrat Love," that you can at least tolerate.
Come on Rubber City Radio. Tim Daughty voice tracked in afternoons? That is the best you can do? I like Tim on WONE but that station needs live and local especially afternoons. Thanks for the change but get some local talent in afternoon drive for crying out loud.
Thank you.
Voice tracked? At least with the westwood one feed is a plane hit the world trade center, chick watkins could talk about it.
Locally owned does not equal good radio.
Two comments:
1) We have yet to hear Tim Daugherty's effort on WAKR, and we have no idea if it's voicetracked or not. We'd say it's likely, due to his existing schedule on WONE, but we don't know for sure.
2) Umm...WAKR has an extensive news staff and commitment. Assuming the worst, and we get another 9/11-type event, one would assume the WAKR news staff would take over, and that the station would use wall-to-wall coverage from ABC News Radio...and any local voicetracking, or satellite, would go away instantly.
It's not like the station is unattended in afternoon drive, even if we assume Tim D. is not doing the shift live...
-OMW
What kind of music or programming were they doing at 1590,Tim is good but ya know they should bring back Bob Friend or Mike Young one hour is not enough of his wonderful show on WHK
Re: Mike Young.
He's up to two hours on WHK.
And he's an official reservist at the Sunday Oldies Jukebox. Thus, when any of the regular dudes are off for whatever reason, he's one of the guys we turn to.
Look, people, they're THROWING OUT THE SATELLITE! For Pete's sake, celebrate! Don't bitch and moan about the details!
The use of the term "Live and Local" for anything voicetracked is an outright lie...and more bad business as usual from Rubber City.
Tim Daugherty's a nice guy and all, but no one-NO ONE-else in the building on West Market could've handled the afternoon job on WAKR? Damn! The Rubber City Radio part-timers across the board must REALLY suck to not be given an opportunity to move into a full-time drive shift on a low rated Akron heritage AM, even if it IS just playing Englebert Humperdink!
I'm sure none of them are offended or insulted by the decision to do what WAKR's doing, though.
Here's a thought... put Tim Daugherty on WAKR full-time and drop him from the WONE morning gig. Tim is a wonderful guy and smooth-as-silk jock, BUT he's very boring and not suited for a morning gig. He's best suited as a jock IMHO.
I think this is a very great move for WAKR. BTW, is there any update on Mike Ivers is involved somehow? It would make sense then in fitting him from 4-7, then VT Tim from 7p-12a between the Indians and Cavs games.
- Nathan Obral
Must wonder why they pulled this move it's cheaper to beam a program in and instead Chuck Collins,is on the air Bob Allen and Tim "VT" D.,music is middle of the road meets music of your life. Years ago on Saturday nights they had request and dedication ala MAJIC,so depending on the sports line-up who could be coming on board soon. My vote would be Mike Ivers,Bob Friend,Bill Shiel and Mike Young even though he has 2 hours at WHK he would probably along with the others mentioned would jump at joining up at WAKR. Gee I hope this gives KNR SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT who knows Mike Young Keeps saying he hopes to keep his program going here or elsewhere.
Maybe now they will have some good contests and even tell you what the prizes are BEFORE you enter. I
always thought it was poor of them to wait till after a person is a "winner" to lay it on them. They used to have prizes for holidays and special occasions.
Listened today and heard the giveaways. They no longer tell who has won (if anyone). They must be giving prizes to themselves or their friends! Or else the same people are winners over and over. They used to let us hear the winner and their responses. Now it is Top Secret!
Post a Comment