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WLNZ to Michigan Radio?

Discussion pertaining to Lansing, Jackson, Owosso, and all areas from Alma to Hillsdale
otrfan
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Re: WLNZ to Michigan Radio?

Post by otrfan » Thu Oct 21, 2021 1:22 pm

Sorry for the long rant. But my affiliation with Lansing Community College Radio goes back to the mid-1970s when it was a carrier current station heard only on campus. It's where my 40 plus year career in radio and television production began. So here goes.


Does anyone know or has anyone seen a profit and loss statement for WLNZ? I'm curious as to why the station was costing so much to run. I think I read it was costing in excess of $350,000 a year to run. I'm not saying those costs are necessarily out of line. However having run a small AM for a brief period a couple of decades ago, it sounds kind of high to me. Admittedly I'm out of step with today's costs. But it seems high for what is essentially a low-power FM.

As far as costs, there would probably be music rights fees, network affiliation fees, utility costs, and salaries related to staff. But I'm wondering if that level of detail has been shared with the task force that has been charged with looking at options. The pandemic has probably complicated things in that communication via Zoom is probably not as effective as communication via face-to-face meetings. So I wonder if the follow-up questions are getting asked and answered as well as they would have pre-pandemic?

If the P&L or some form of itemization of expenses is available the first thing to look at typically is the most expensive line item. If for example, that is labor costs, is there a way to reduce those labor costs? I.E. Through more and better use of automation? Can the broadcast day be shortened/repeated similar to the way WUOM and Family life do by repeating the daytime programs in the evening?

If on the other hand utility costs are the biggest line item, are there things that can be done about that? I.E. Can a better electric rate be negotiated? Or, would the LBWL or CP be willing to underwrite the station to an amount equal to the energy costs annually? Perhaps LBWL/CP in exchange could be guaranteed x number of public service announcements during power outages in an effort to communicate directly with the community after a weather event.

With regard to counterbalancing expenses is there a person on staff with at least a part-time responsibility for seeking and securing funding from donors? And by that, I mean not just someone with an interest in development but someone with a demonstrated record in securing funding for organizations like WLNZ?

I have not been involved with the task force and I have only read brief reports in the media about what has happened thus far. But I wonder what question the task force was asked to answer?

Were they asked to decide who will run WLNZ in the future?

Or were they asked how to create a sustainable business model for WLNZ in the future?

Those are two different questions.



Schyster
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Re: WLNZ to Michigan Radio?

Post by Schyster » Mon Nov 15, 2021 7:32 pm




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Ben Zonia
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Re: WLNZ to Michigan Radio?

Post by Ben Zonia » Mon Nov 15, 2021 9:37 pm

I guess the only way U of M can go into Lansing and be victorious is to buy WLNZ.

They were talking today on the Sports Network that if all these games turned out a certain way, U of M could play MSU again THIS YEAR in a "Revenge Bowl". We'll see.


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Robert Faygo
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Re: WLNZ to Michigan Radio?

Post by Robert Faygo » Tue Nov 16, 2021 8:50 am

Michigan Radio didn't buy WLNZ. LCC will break away from the simulcast and air local programming on the weekends.
As part of this partnership, Lansing Community College will continue to air locally produced programs on WLNZ each week on Saturdays at 1 p.m. and Sundays at 6 p.m. beginning January 2022. Produced by LCC, this programming will include news, information, and interviews spotlighting the academic programs of the college and various engagement events benefiting the community and serving the public interest.
Did you know ... Steve Schram is the General Manager of Michigan Radio. You'll never meet a bigger Spartan backer (and all around good guy).

It'd be interesting to see both Michigan and Michigan St play each other again in the College Football Playoff -- but that would take both of them beating Ohio State for that even to be a possibility - along with a bunch of other losses among Georgia / Alabama / Notre Dame / Cincinnati / and so on.

There is no way Ohio State loses to both U-M AND MSU and no way that Michigan and Michigan St. would ever play each other in a regular bowl game.


Wellllll... la de frickin da

ChrisWL1980
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Re: WLNZ to Michigan Radio?

Post by ChrisWL1980 » Tue Nov 16, 2021 3:31 pm

With this plus the frequency change at WKAR-AM's translator it looks like the NPR News/Talk wars are ON. :rollin

"Unduplicated" my ass. This also means parts of the Lansing area can now pick up FOUR FM signals all airing the same programming. WUOM already has a pretty solid signal across the area, and I can also get WVGR and WFUM pretty well when visiting relatives in DeWitt Township (Lansing zip code). The press release suggests that no one in the Lansing area could listen to those Michigan Radio-exclusive shows before, and the Nielsen Audio ratings suggest that's not true.



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MWmetalhead
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Re: WLNZ to Michigan Radio?

Post by MWmetalhead » Tue Nov 16, 2021 5:00 pm

It's a glorified translator essentially, other than the handful of hours on the weekend LCC will program.



zoomer69
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Re: WLNZ to Michigan Radio?

Post by zoomer69 » Tue Nov 16, 2021 6:29 pm

I don't know if ultimately Michigan Radio wins or breaks even on this deal, but it's a vast improvement over letting it go silent or having the license end up in the hands of another religious programmer. Having the window open for limited amounts of LCC programming is also helpful.

What this does for Michigan Radio listenership (or WKAR listenership) is unclear. My guess is that the number of stolen listeners isn't going to be significant one way or the other; anyone who wanted to seek out Michigan Radio in Lansing had numerous other ways to get it done.



otrfan
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Re: WLNZ to Michigan Radio?

Post by otrfan » Tue Nov 16, 2021 9:37 pm

I was about say that big winner seems to be NPR because the Wlnz tower is west of Wkar Newstalk 102.3's. Which I thought would give NPR better coverage from to the west side of metro Lansing. But the coverage maps look pretty similar. And as stated previously, I also get a pretty good signal from WUOM on 91.7. Until this fall wkar newstalk's schedule was different with morning edition delayed by two hours later than 90.5 and 91.7. But now.... Maybe wkar Newstalk will return to counter programming.

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tapeisrolling
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Re: WLNZ to Michigan Radio?

Post by tapeisrolling » Sun Feb 06, 2022 7:01 pm

A few years ago I attended a talk by the head of the U-M radio. He told how U-M got the GR station WVGR. A grad (with money) who lived in GR area wanted to be able to listen to the U-M B-cast of Mich. football. Obviously not a Ufer fan. So when he saw a station on the market he bought it and donated it to U-M.

Michigan Radio also has an outlet in Port Huron area. I thought it was a small station closing and the area does not get FUM or DET so now there is coverage of NPR in the area. Anyone know the whole story?



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Ben Zonia
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Re: WLNZ to Michigan Radio?

Post by Ben Zonia » Sun Feb 06, 2022 10:01 pm

tapeisrolling wrote:
Sun Feb 06, 2022 7:01 pm
A few years ago I attended a talk by the head of the U-M radio. He told how U-M got the GR station WVGR. A grad (with money) who lived in GR area wanted to be able to listen to the U-M B-cast of Mich. football. Obviously not a Ufer fan. So when he saw a station on the market he bought it and donated it to U-M.

Michigan Radio also has an outlet in Port Huron area. I thought it was a small station closing and the area does not get FUM or DET so now there is coverage of NPR in the area. Anyone know the whole story?
I don't think there was any station other than WPAG 1050 that broadcast Bob Ufer until the 1970s. WHFB 1060 may have been the next affiliate. I think Some AM stations took WUOM off air and rebroadcast it. WKMF 1470 did that, and for a long time, didn't remember to use the 19 kHz Stereo Pilot filter, resulting on two very noticeable sidebands at 1451 kHz and 1489 kHz. I think that went on until I told Bill Sanderson about it. I think the rebroadcast started with the Knorr ownership, and the other stations like WKMH and WKHM and others had it. The popularity of Bob Ufer ended that.


"I had a job for a while as an announcer at WWV but I finally quit, because I couldn't stand the hours."

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