WYCE... future?

[LongIsland]

This goes back to last month's discussion about non-coms in the market and statements made about WYCE. I see the station recently posted a position for Ops/Traffic Director. Apparently it's too late to get your resume in, but I saw a job description and I thought, "Wow, they must be looking for a messiah." Who could/would do all that for what would likely be a salary that *might* hit $50K-$60K (on a good day)?

Ratings-wise, the station does respectable (not in the top 15, but still respectable for its format). Revenue-wise it's gotta be tough sledding. Which leads to the question: is the station's AOR (all-over-the-road) format even viable anymore? Especially with Apple and Spotify, does it still work, or is it (and stations like it) a front for the city's chamber of good will and for the audiophile in us all that wants our 15 minutes of fame?

[TC Talks]

Given the fact that they have been supporting two of the top touring acts in the United States at the moment, you might be out of touch with exactly who they serve and how they make their money.

Michigan has a very impressive music community. Bands like greensky bluegrass and Billy Strings have been on their station for a decade. Billy just sold out a 25000 seat Arena last week. Greensky will be performing for more than a million people this summer.

In a region as large as the Grand Rapids West Michigan area, a station as unique as WYCE is likely pretty healthy. The operations director for the community station in Traverse City is making $75,000 I suspect an operations director is making comprable money Grand Rapids.

But the bigger point is this, just because you don't understand it doesn't mean it's not successful.

[MWmetalhead]

This article is old, but it offers good insight:

https://grbj.com/news/wyce-celebrates-2 ... -michigan/

It's important to remember many or all of the on-air DJs at WYCE are volunteers.

Their tower along 28th Street is an eyesore (but hey, it fits right in these days). For those who don't know, it looks similar to a cell tower, except it is painted in alternating orange and white bands. They stuck the thing right on the northern edge of a quiet residential neighborhood.

[Jason Kragt]

A few random responses.

Back in the 1990s, I think the station manager made $20,000/year. I think they had one other paid position for operations/music director who made something similar. Everyone else was volunteer.

GRTV has been it's sugar daddy I'm sure since they purchased it. The station has always wanted to get to the next level of budget. It's just hard. You've got listeners donating at some pretty impressive levels. Concerts break even. On air auctions were fun. It's hard to imagine ways to do something like double or triple the revenue without changing the whole model. If you have ideas, I'm sure they are listening! Commercials are not an option.

Some aspects of the tower couldn't be changed. Wyoming Community Education wouldn't let the towers stay when they demolished the old building. FCC wouldn't let them move it far without expensive studies. A cheap (used?) cell-like tower in a nearby neighborhood was all they could afford. That was a challenging time. The location is actually pretty good from a terrain perspective.

The station was at the maximum power and tower height it could get. WVPE Valparaiso came in pretty powerful here until I turned on the transmitter in the morning. They were only 1000 watts back then. The smartest thing they did was to increase power as soon as they noticed a Muskegon religious station go silent on the same frequency.

[MWmetalhead]

I have no complaints regarding signal or coverage pattern; they definitely did the best they could. Along 28th St, the area near Clyde Park Ave does indeed have the best altitude above sea level. However, that monopole tower is just unsightly. True, there are cellular sites in the region that are probably equally as unsightly.

On the positive side (for the station), the tower does look very durably constructed, and I suspect it can handle a lot more weight than a tripod style tower. There is certainly a financial advantage to the station by owning a tower as opposed to having to rent space on a structure owned by a third-party.

WYCE's signal does fade pretty quickly headed south due to the null protecting Kalamazoo's 88.3 WCXK (formerly WAYK).

[Lester The Nightfly]

I have no complaints regarding signal or coverage pattern; they definitely did the best they could.

Along that same line, their audio chain sounds quite unmolested but I guess that's what happens when someone decides how the music itself sounds is more important than it just being filler to wrap around boner pill commercials.

[bugzapper]

I have no complaints regarding signal or coverage pattern; they definitely did the best they could. Along 28th St, the area near Clyde Park Ave does indeed have the best altitude above sea level. However, that monopole tower is just unsightly. True, there are cellular sites in the region that are probably equally as unsightly.

On the positive side (for the station), the tower does look very durably constructed, and I suspect it can handle a lot more weight than a tripod style tower. There is certainly a financial advantage to the station by owning a tower as opposed to having to rent space on a structure owned by a third-party.

WYCE's signal does fade pretty quickly headed south due to the null protecting Kalamazoo's 88.3 WCXK (formerly WAYK).

That's a radio tower??!! I always thought it was some kind of cell tower. If you are looking for ugly towers, look no further than the one just south of the Grandville Lowe's store. It's supposed to look like a giant redwood or something.

[LongIsland]

Thanks MWmetalhead for the link.

TC Talks wrote: "Given the fact that they have been supporting two of the top touring acts in the United States at the moment, you might be out of touch with exactly who they serve and how they make their money... But the bigger point is this, just because you don't understand it doesn't mean it's not successful."

I visited the station 2-3 months ago and was impressed by a) the facility and b) the library. Had a long chat not with Jess but with the music director. That said, let me answer my question, "Is the format even viable?" and redirect to a follow-up.

Yes, I do believe the format is somewhat viable since radio is still a primary link in the chain of discovering new music, altho sources like Spotify are gaining more traction in helping users find new music and curate their playlists. In that sense, WYCE will hang around in the teens of the market ratings thanks (imo) to its eclectic format.

I'll also add the station has staying power because of its personalities and grass-roots marketing, which goes to helping develop the station's personality. "DJs" that have something to say - what a novel thought.

It may not ever be a top ten in the market, but most times, being known among those who love you and what you do is enough.

[Bull Shannon]

WYCE is definitely unique due to its focus and support on the local GR/West Michigan music scene.

They even put on an annual awards show called the "Jammies" in which viewers vote for their favorite local artists/albums/etc. for each year.

It's probably the most successful station of its kind, at least around these parts.

[Musicrewired]

If you are looking for ugly towers, look no further than the one just south of the Grandville Lowe's store. It's supposed to look like a giant redwood or something.

That tower is an odd sight, but maybe it's meant to not detract from Grandville HS across the street.

There's another tower like that at the northern end of Northwestern Highway near the Farmington Hills/West Bloomfield border.