Yes indeedy, we just posted a new WynnCast. Can’t believe it’s our fiftieth! Click to go listen.

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The WynnCast

Over at the WynnCast Blog, we’ve posted the latest in WynnCast goodness. See what you think.

The WynnCast

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I was your man on the scene at the Claremore OK tea party today. I used a nifty little program that allowed me to post audio from the scene via my iphone. (I know this may be a little more geekiness than you need to know, but it uploads to my AudioBoo, which is linked to my Twitter, which is linked to my Facebook (search for me there)). For your listening convenience, here are all of today’s audio reports from the scene.

^Wayland Smalley speaks to the small crowd which gathered before the event began. He didn’t know there were approximately 100 others already demonstrating. (I wasn’t in especially close proximity to Mr. Smalley, so the audio quality isn’t as good as those below.)

^Denise Clinton (no relation), coordinator of the Claremore tea party talks about the event. She also didn’t know how many more were already gathered.

^Interview with demonstrator Steven Knight

^Interview with Sherri Stone, Rogers County GOP Chairman

^Interview with Erin, 16-year-old coordinator of Claremore Homeschool Young Republicans

^Interview with Don James, retired state trooper and tea party participant

^I provide post-tea party wrap up

Pics (Click to Bigify)

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We fired up the mics for a new WynnCast tonight, wherein we were joined by Denise Clinton (no relation), coordinator of the Claremore, OK, tax-day TEA party and then Kristin Hoover, also known as The Redneck Diva. Some great President Reagan audio opened the show, and we talked about everything from tea parties to Twitter to tornadoes and trailer parks. Give a listen…

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KRMG FM Coverage Map (from Radio-Locator.com) - Click for big.

The big announcement from the Big KMR today is that it’s AM signal will now be simulcast on the 50,000-watt 102.3 FM frequency (formerly Spirit 102.3, a contemporary Christian music  jukebox). Though some of my online pals are underwhelmed by the announcement, the concept of an FM talk station makes me giddy (especially in that I don’t live in Tulsa proper). KRMG’s signal is notoriously weak up north (approaching Bartlesville), and both the Tulsa AM talk stations frustrate me when they have to drop their power each evening. I shared on my last WynnCast that we had applied for a non-commercial, educational (NCE) radio license for our home town. Our main format, had we been successful, would have been talk (on FM).

KRMG will be the Tulsa radio king as long as it carries Rush Limbaugh. Frankly, KRMG has a heftier overall lineup of syndicated shows (with the exception of the legend-in-his-own-mind Michael Savage). That said, I am a fan of Laura Ingraham and Mark Levin on KFAQ. But, KFAQ’s real mode of attraction (when it started up) was the passion of the live and local Michael DelGiorno and its running shows live so that listeners could participate (they even ran promos about it). Heck, in the early days of KFAQ, MDG replied to every email he received. The station’s popularity grew so rapidly that he couldn’t keep that up. That was a good thing for the station…and for Tulsa.

With the departure of John Erling (good riddance), we got Joe Kelley in the morning drive on KRMG, and with MDG heading to greener pastures in Nashville (and after the short-lived Freeman-Medlock show), we got Pat Campbell in the morning drive at KFAQ (KFAQ passing over my obvious talent). Joe and Pat are both consummate professionals and good at the mechanics of what they do, but I find them both terribly…bland. I get the real feeling they are trying so hard to walk a line of non-offensiveness that they offend me. But, I don’t get to listen to radio like I used to, so it could be all in my head.

As far as KFAQ goes, it’s not enough merely to be the other talk station in town. Newspapers are learning they can band-aid their dismal situations by cutting local reporters and filling space with nationally syndicated columns, but that doesn’t fix the big issue. Radio, in the same way, can fill time with any number of nationally syndicated hosts, many of them very good, but none of them provide the localism radio must have if it is to be successful in a market. If your national hosts are largely second-tier, if your local news team is second-best, you better out-passion and out-local-issue the other guys.

Further, KFAQ’s handling of the Medlock dismissal betrayed years of positioning. No one buys that the station that claims it is “standing up for what’s right,” did the right thing by dismissing Medlock, the only daily injection of passion and loyal opposition in Tulsa, especially so suddenly. They added insult to injury by not allowing him to say goodbye and then removing every trace of his existence from the station’s website (though it is a fairly typical practice in radio).

So, I am thrilled that KRMG is on the AM dial (and I wish KFAQ would make that leap, too), but it’s not enough merely to broaden your signal. You must broadcast something of interest to the local citizens who you want to dial in. After all, those listeners—and not the generic “they”— are the ones laying down their dollars to buy Thermal Windows, Primeaux Kias, and Inlow Tractors.

[Update @ 5:18 PM]

KXOJ, the Tulsa commercial Christian music station, is already capitalizing on the news. This via their email newsletter:

Dear Friends,

You may have heard the news already but this afternoon Cox Radio decided to change their Christian music station to Newstalk. Certainly we understand that this decision was a difficult one brought on by very real financial pressure in these difficult times. A decision of this magnitude is never easy and we do not think anyone should take it lightly. More people than ever now know how great Christian music is and for that we are very grateful.

As for us, we just want you to know that we are not going anywhere. 32 years ago KXOJ began playing Christian music and we haven’t stopped since. KXOJ represents who we are as a company and who we are as individuals, from top to bottom. In the words of Third Day, “This is who I am”.

If you had gotten used to flipping back and forth between the two stations, welcome back to KXOJ full-time. Let us know how we can serve you better and join us in putting the focus on a God who never changes.

Sincerely,

Bob Thornton
Program Director
100.9 KXOJ