19 Radio Programming Black Radio Looks At Service, Profits Continued from page 4 topic of concern for the convention, like adult boogie." said Armstrong. was explained in terms of putting to- "Look for adults and talk about gether "asute" financial packages by adult things." Hordie E. Burns, a broadcast execu- "Black radio was primarily a giant tive, with several specialists explain- disco," said programmer Robert ing the various options involved in Law of New York's WWRL -AM, financing a broadcast purchase. which has moved toward a diver- "Communications financing is an sified format. art," said attorney Edward Hayes. "The price is determined by the The struggle now is between old seller." and new ideas," he added. "Black radio is going to have to reflect more "Each deal is different," added accurately the reality of black Samuel Ewing of the Minority people in the 1980s instead of speak- Broadcast Fund, "The key is struc- ing to black people who no longer turing a deal that's fair." exist." Added Burns: "Make sure the fi- Haber noted that nancial source understands broad- Researcher Jhan STATION MOVE -WBCN -FM moved to larger studios in Boston while the for meas- casting revenues." radio research techniques whole event was documented on the air. Above, 6 to 10 p.m. disk jockey Tra- size to Attorney Roderick Porter said the uring audience have failed cey Roach, left, and 2 to 6 p.m. jock Mark Parenteau leave the Starfleet bus, accu- three groups most likely to sell to mi- measure the black audience which assisted in the move, on their way to the new studios broadcasting as nority purchasers were broadcasters rately, and that better testing is they go. Above right, engineer Marc Gordon checks the new equipment who are getting out of the industry, and needed. below right, Roach broadcasts the first program from the new location. Minority ownership. another (Continued on page 25) SOFT ROCK RAISES NUMBERS Chicago Co. Aids Stations Research Listener Tastes Music Is the Magic At Philly By ALAN PENCHANSKY CHICAGO -A one- year -old Chi- strengths of the competition on the WMGK -FM; Change Is Subtle cago -based company is using re- research data. By MAURIE ORODENKER pioneered by the adver- search tools Skolnik is marketing his research PHILADELPHIA -The call let- that the station was given new call to tising industry help radio technique under the brand name ters WMGK almost say "magic." letters and began to develop its own trade for its format than to the listen- broadcasters meet the challenges Focus- Phone. There are additional but there's been nothing magic identity with soft rock. General ing public. posed by increased competition to- products and services offered by the about the success of this Greater manager Larry Wexler figured the The station did not attract a large day. new company, including desk -top Media FM outlet here. It's hard station could find a niche for itself audience and Wexler, after five Media Service Concepts. the firm. computer hardware- software pack- work that has taken the station with mellow rock, while its competi- years of ownership at the beginning with custom is headed by Roger Skolnik, whose ages programs designed through a not all together successful tion was rocking with a more *hard- of the 1980s faced the question of background unites radio program- for radio programmers. Company mellow rock period. hitting beat. keeping a format with a narrow ap- ming experience and university vice president is Dick Stadien, for- When Greater Media purchased "It was the music format that peal or broadening it. WCFL- training in mass communications re- merly program director at the station at the beginning of 1975. made the call letters," says Wexler. "We certainly didn't want to lose search technique. AM, Chicago. WPEN -FM was still monaural. Al- "Everybody was into hard rock and the audience we already had, but we Focus group research. in which Says Skolnik: "Radio stations though Greater Media took it stereo there was no station going after the also recognized that the music in- members of a target audience take tend to get conservative in their pro- two months after the purchase, the 25 to 34- year -olds." WMGK soon dustry and the record business were part in small, closely monitored and gramming. They tend to run contests new owners didn't seem to know became the "darling of the market," also changing," Wexler says. directed discussion groups, is the and try to out -promote one another. what to do with the station as it but Wexler admits the station was With a good base of 25 to 34s al- technique being used by Skolnik. "We're offering specific insights into broadcast a simulcast of its sister perceived to be more popular than it ready in hand, Wexler says he just Groups of five or six radio listeners areas they can go in and be innova- AM's format of oldies. actually was. The fact remains that wanted more of them so that the big- are brought together through tele- tive." It wasn't until Labor Day of 1975 the station was better known to the ger figures when the ratings show up phone conference calls for 45 -min- would make WMGK a major force ute rap sessions. in the local market. It was Skolnik has 10 years major market a question, he said, of either programming experience culminat- Atlantic City Summer Ratings Up playing albums and becoming an ing at WDAI -FM (now WRCK) AOR station or to become more here, and also holds a Ph.D. in mass commercial. communications from Michigan But Stations Still Face Rugged Competition From Philly And it was the competition that helped him make up his mind. The State Univ. ATLANTIC CITY -Sun, sand, moved from a 3.0 share to a 12.0 gram director Andy Volvo. "The album FM stations (WMMR, "This is a qualitative technique in surf and legalized gambling draw a share since June 1979. general manager is going to Belts- WYSP and WIOQ), according to that we're really exploring attitudes sea of radio listeners to New Jersey's Giordano says he moved first to ville (Arbitron headquarters) to April -May figures last year, already and opinions." explains Skolnik. Atlantic City resort area in the sum- day -parting rock and retaining a check the books. We're shaken. had a 12% share of the market. "The major benefit is to help the ra- mer, making that market's recent heavy concentration of r &b and There's going to be a lot of study on "Does the market need a fourth dio station position itself vis a vis the Arbitron yearly sweep all the more disco at night, then blended the two this book." (Continued on page 23) competition and also to evaluate the significant. together until "now it's a 24 hour a Meanwhile. as reported earlier programming on an overall. basis. While the market swells from day mix." (Billboard June 28, 1980), format "I've done this so far for one ma- small to large in July and August. "At night we're able to go from shifts and audience response to jor Chicago owned and operated the problems of secondary market Genesis to Curtis Blow." he says. those shifts caused WFPG -FM's station." Skolnik adds. "So far we've radio don't go away. "Not exactly in that order. but that's beautiful music to slip from a 19.6 to Old Undies done about 20 sessions for them and One of those problems is the reach the idea." 16.2 share in the past year, although we've talked to their cume and the of 50 kw giants such as Phila- Former program director Kings- it still retains its top rank in the mar- Spurs Contest cume of their competitors." delphia's WMMR -FM, where ley Smith, now one of the station's ket. Skolnik's clients sometimes moni- Charlie Kendall has been program- air personalities, is also credited with Contemporary WOND-AM, simi- CINCINNATI -In an effort to tor the discussions while in progress ming AOR rock since January when helping WAYV make its great leap lar in tone to WMID, also dropped, promote his label's product, regional and can pose questions through the he left Boston's WBCN -FM, where forward, moving from its disco for- from 7.8 to 5.4. promotion representative Walt Wil- mat to its presently WUSS -AM, 1,000 watter, trained discussion leader. Sessions he was program director for 11/2 successful eclec- another son came up with a three -way are taped and a written interpretive years. ticism. also got caught when format tides promo- contest idea which included report is provided to the station. "We're big on the beaches," Giordano is heavy on Billy Joel, shifted. It slipped from 5.2 to 2.1. Inner City Records, Jazz Station Christopher Cross, the Commo- Operations manager Bob Shivers Skolnik claims the conference Kendall says. "We got a tall stick WNOP -AM Newport, Ky., and the dores, Herb Alpert, Bobby Dupree, describes the format as adult con- phone method allows a better popu- and we play what they want to Cincinnati Peaches record store out- Olivia Newton -John, Chaka temporary, with a stress on gold, re- lation sample than in- person meet- hear." Khan let. and Linda Clifford. He still day - currents and oldies pitched to 25 -40 WNOP veteran announcer, Leo ings and also offers significant cost WMMR went from a 3.0 average parts, and he wouldn't play the LP year olds. The mix ranges from Underhill also known as "Old Un- advantages. share last year to a 9.5 this year in version of Paul McCartney's new Frank Sinatra, the Temptations, the dies" was Wilson's inspiration for According to the this market. Kendall credits "a researcher, sta- single, "Coming Up." with its new Eagles, through a broad mix of cur- the contest which was called "The tions often fail brighter sound, not commercially to realize who their wave sound, preferring to go with rent pop and r &b standards. Old Undies Contest." The contest competition is. grating, and it rocks harder." Says Skolnik: "One the live, more traditional version. "No strident disco, no hard rock ran for one month on WNOP and of the most important things you can The biggest gain in share goes to Caught in the middle of WAYV and no new wave," Shivers adds. was won by a Cincinnati listener do is figuring out who your enemy is. Atlantic City's own WAYV -FM, a and WMMR is WMID -AM, a 1 kw "We do incorporate jazz." whose "Why I Want Old Undies" es- Too many stations think they're 20 kw also known as FM95, which AM outlet that was going from Top Shivers links the ratings drop on say won him a WNOP T- shirt, a competing with everyone." p.d. Larry Giordano has been ad- 40 to something else, but not fast the difficulty of moving toward giant pair of old undies autographed According to Skolnik, his client justing since the station switched enough. it plunged from last year's adult contemporary notes that the by Underhill, and his choice of 25 here has been able to base major de- from 24 -hour disco a year ago. The 7.4 share to 2.1 this book. station "began changing hands two Inner City Jazz Records. cisions about its strengths and the changes came slowly. but WAYV "They walloped us," admits pro- years ago," a process still underway. VICTOR HARRISON

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