1480 & 850 Shutting Down

[Musicrewired]

Back when, the top 40 included a wide range of music styles, and lesser-known artists could catch a break with a hit here and there. Oldies or Classic Hits stations tend to focus on what hit the top 20 and has tested well in their research. That's knocking out the variety that made that era's hit radio interesting.

Nothing has been mentioned so far in the local media about the station disappearing. Some of that might be due to the decision-makers not sensing an interest in the story. AM oldies is something that some in the younger age groups probably say their parents or grandparents listened to, but it's nothing they grew up with.

It's nostalgic for some because of the collective experience of enjoying music that you didn't have to decide to play, or the context that the music had to you personally.

It'd be nice if someone could take that music library and do something further with it. As the last song today on Sunday Morning Standards on Real Oldies put it, clearly referring to the memories, "They Can't Take That Away From Me", as sung by Frank Sinatra. Well said.

[n8fnr]

What would you pick for the last song to play on WGVU?

I would pick "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted" by Jimmy Ruffin. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQywZYoGB1g

[n8fnr]

WGVU just announced that they will sign off the air at 2PM, 1/7/2022.

Go here to listen to the end of an era; https://www.wgvu.org/radio/realoldies1480/

[Ben Zonia]

How about:

Back Up Train
Al Green

Fool If You Think It's Over
Chris Rea

Where am I Gonna Go?

Not to the GVSU FM. I guarantee.



Are these track names significant?


Real Oldies Playlist

Tim Tam and the Turn-Ons
Wait A Minute
BUY


Pedestrians
It's too Late
BUY

Unrelated Segments
Where You Gonna Go
BUY

The JuJus
I'm Really Sorry
BUY

The Association
Cherish
BUY

[ChrisWL1980]

It's also really too bad WGVU-FM couldn't preserve at least a remnant of the format with a weekend specialty show or something.

[bugzapper]

It's also really too bad WGVU-FM couldn't preserve at least a remnant of the format with a weekend specialty show or something.

Bob Becker today mentioned he will still be working on projects at grand valley. perhaps there might be some small-scale offering in the works. Nothing short of 24/7 oldies could ever convince me to support the college again.

[Musicrewired]

What would you pick for the last song to play on WGVU?

I'd play "My Way" by Frank Sinatra, followed by "Last Date" by Floyd Cramer. Frank sums up his message on a high note, and Floyd plays it cool as the door closes behind him.

[Trophyhead]

n8fnr wrote...
WGVU just announced that they will sign off the air at 2PM, 1/7/2022.

Go here to listen to the end of an era; https://www.wgvu.org/radio/realoldies1480/

Bob dropped the notion that this would be their time of closure during the post-Christmas week, as well. Wonder if they will now refuse my monthly donation, which was expressed as support for Real Oldies?

Yes, I already know the answer and am counting down, mentally to this blank space on my dial and soon-to-be fruitless webpage. Heard "I Can Help" by Billy Swann on my commute this morning, that's not likely to be the last song aired.

[Random_Dude]

While I didn't listen to the AM station very often, I did sometimes park my TV on the program guide on channel 35.6 and listen to the audio product in the background, so it's sad to hear about that programming will be leaving the air.

As far as the last song goes, I would vote for the example set by "SuperJock" Larry (Lawrence of Chicago) Lujack, as the last record he cued up to end at 17:00 on March 15, 1976, the end of rock music on AM 1000 WCFL Chicago. You can find it in the YouTube clip linked below.

You can also hear Ol' Uncle Lar give his little speech announcing the end of an era, as he told his listener about the new format of beautiful music, he would be playing, since he was still under contract to the radio station. The clip ends with the bonus of 45 seconds of the stunting that would occur for the following 2 hours.

https://youtu.be/c_PEjXMp54M

[Trophyhead]

Strictly speaking, the last song that played in the 1 p.m. hour through WGVU's Oldies stream was "See See Rider (Jenny Take A Ride)" from Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels.

On the RealOldies website, the 10 a.m. hour plays on as I type this. Guess I can go out to the car and check for static in a few minutes.

[Musicrewired]

After playing a montage that they said started the format, there was some of the news sounder, NPR News starting, then silence, then the song Bob Mason said he played to start his career in 1969, "Jean" by Oliver, began playing.

We heard a bit more of NPR News mixed in with the song for a moment, then the song played to its' conclusion. Bob came back on after to wrap it up, they played a sounder or two, including the legal ID, then that was it.

[Schyster]

It was a sad day listening in, knowing the end was near. I can't help but wonder if the financial part could have been overcome if WGVU had simply laid out the situation and challenged listeners to step up. But, I suspect WGVU was ready to be done with the stations and cash in on the land.

I did find it interesting that GM Jim Rademaker noted on the air this morning that WGVU AM often had higher ratings than WGVU FM. Of course, ratings don't necessarily translate into financial success, but was an interesting observation nonetheless.

I agree with you MW, a weekend show of sorts on the FM would be a great idea. Viewing online comments, the weekend countdown show seemed to be pretty popular, and would be something that could be replicated there.

[Ben Zonia]

On another thread, I posted:

They were streaming the WLS Year End Montage of the hits of 1968. It cut out suddenly before 2:00 and tried to sign into the live stream and got a 404 message.

I used to listen to the montage at the beginning of each year of the last years' biggest hits on WLS. Most years I taped it, but being in a fading zone, it didn't come out that well usually. Art Vuolo gave me a copy of the tape directly from WLS. The part I heard was identical today, for 1968. That's all I could get to load before the listen live link went 404.

Keep in mind that the late Bill Bailey worked at WLS, and could well have brought a tape of the montage with him.



I taped it also every year, at 1:00 AM EST New Years Day, which updated each year until it got too long, and then they redid part of it. I listened to it hundreds of times, and at least the part I heard, from 1968, was identical.

Since in the 1960s and 1970s, WGRD 1410 and WERX 1530 (and during their time as Top 40, WMAX 1480), all went off the air at Sundown. WLAV 1340 reduced power to 250 watts at Sundown, and only got out a few miles. Back then, most people just had one or so FM radios, and not portable, until the early 1970s. So people in Grand Rapids and other medium sized Michigan Markets listened to WLS and WCFL at Night, and were heavily influenced by them. Even though until 1970, WLAV-FM, and WGRD-FM until the late 1970s, simulcasted their AM stations and continued at Night.

[originalzzmfmjock]

Well......now that the shackles are off (no longer employed by Grand Valley) I can say what was really happening inside the operation and the reasons for the end of Real Oldies 1480 and 850. Most of the speculation I see on this board is totally inaccurate and some of it laughable.

The reason for the end is pure and simple. MONEY. First, the fact that we didn't attract enough listener support for the station. Second that the tower properties, worth in the area of 1.5 million a piece, are worth more money than the radio stations themselves. I'm sure if somebody had approached Grand Valley wanting to buy those 2 AM stations for 3 million dollars, they'd have been happy to sell the stations, but I don't know anybody stupid enough to offer that kind of money for 2 AM radio stations.

As far as getting listener support that was pretty much doomed from the very beginning. The people running the station and the fund raising, General Manager Michael Walenta and Tim Ernisse who was in charge of fund raising at the time. Neither one of them had a clue on how to generate revenue for an oldies station. They were both insistant on using the "NPR model" for fund raising. Problem was Real Oldies was not the "NPR Model" thus the "NPR Model" didn't connect with the audience. There were several extremely experience radio people telling them that their model wasn't working, but they were too stupid to listen. In fact at one point the late Bill Bailey said of these two. "Not only do they not know how to win, they don't want to know how to win." When management didn't care at all for the station anymore, they let us handle the fund raising. In the first pledge drive handled by only the on air people, we turned around 10 times the amount that the "NPR model" did. Unfortunatly 10 times next to nothing is still next to nothing.

In the beginning in 2009 and through around 2013 when Bill Bailey passed away, Real Oldies did some promoting of the station. We had billboards, had 4 dance parties a year at the ballpark. The Real Oldies concerts at the ballpark in 2011 through 2016. We did things like the Metro Cruise, The Creston Car show, and had a 4 times a year newsletter for members. Slowly but surely they took all that stuff away. When I talked to management around 2016 about restoring some of this stuff for our listeners, managements response was "we give them the music, what the hell else to they want." In my opinion that was a recipe for disaster and that was what followed in the coming years.

When Michael Walenta was force to retire in 2018, they brought back Ken Kolbe who had been Assistant General Manager until 2015, then went to WCMU where he was General Manager. Ken is a great guy to work for and with, but by the time he got back in 2018 the handwriting was pretty much on the wall. Grand Valley State University really didn't want to put any more effort into the station and it was left to die on the vine. We had a great on air staff who did a wonderful job on the air, but when there's no money coming in from either membership or underwriting somethings got to give and it did in the fall of 2020. I was advised in November of 2020 the tower site properties were going up for sale and the AM stations would soon be going off the air. We were on the air for a little more than a year after that date. However, in the spring of 2021, General Manager Ken Kolbe decided to retire and they brought back Jim Rademacher from WCMU to be the new General Manager. Jim is another great guy to work for and with, and I believe he is doing a fantastic job for WGVU. It's just that he is going to have to do it without the AM stations. Ken is not the guy who made the decisions about the AM stations and Jim is not either. That decision was made by the adminstrators in Allendale, who are looking for ways to cut budget during the covid pandemic and 1480 and 850 were two of the things on the chopping block. So as of yesterday January 7, 2022 Real Oldies 1480 and 850 ceased operations

Now some of you may read this and think I'm extremely bitter and wasn't happy programming Real Oldies 1480 and 850. Nothing could be further from the truth. I loved my 12 plus years with Real Oldies and wish it could have continued. The people in place now at WGVU are great people to know and to work with. For the most part it was the best radio job I've ever had. It may not have been the most listened to radio station I've ever worked for, but it was the most fun. How many times in a radio career does somebody get handed the keys to a radio station and told to run it anyway you see fit, with little to no interfernce from management. Doesn't happen very often and it was wonderful to be able to do that for over 12 years. It's an experience I will never forget and a job that I will never regret taking.

In conclusion, I now believe my radio career is in the history books. I've been on the air in Grand Rapids from 1969 until 2022. Only guys I know who have been on the air longer in GR are Bob Becker and Andy Rent. There has been about 10 times since 1974 that I thought my radio career was over, only to have someone come along and offer me another gig. However, at the age of 70, I don't see anyone else coming around wanting an old guy like me on the air again. I just plan on retiring and spending a lot of time at our lake cottage this coming summer. Thanks for hearing me out.