Feedback

kirkiefan writes:

This may be an unusual request..but this is someting that affects us Ohio oldies listeners in many ways..One is that oldies radio is being shoved out the door..not neccisarily by listeners but in my opinion by programmers. Here in Ohio where I live we have lost several stations that played oldies: WCLR-FM in Piqua(Kool 95..later Oldies 95) which covers nearby Dayton and Springfield switched to 80s pop oldies now known as WDPT "The Point".

Meanwhile on AM it seemed for awhile that Top 40 oldies were heading back to its roots with the emergence of "Real Oldies" 1530 WSAI,Cincinnati and 1230 WCOL,Columbus in 2003..Sadly it passed way too fast when both stations(both Clear Channel properties)dumped the format in the name of sattelitte delivered talk radio called "Air America" in 2005..my first guess is that CC wants to run things as cheap as they can as if they read it out of a Kaizen or 80/20 manual.(aka:"less is more.")A few FM oldies outlets still survive in Cleveland,Columbus,Toledo and Lima(actually licensed to Ottawa,OH)mostly from the CC conclave but one remains on the AM dial and seemingly struggles from a listener's point of view. WULM,at 1600 on the dial in Springfield(near Dayton)picked up on the AM oldies craze in 2003...mostly with an automated sound but occasionally an afternoon personality runs things there for the most part as "Rock n' Soul Classics" of the 50s through the early 1970s,much less repitition and more variety from both Top 40 and R&B genres of that era as compared to CC's "Real" format which doesn't even get past the mid 60s. From what I have seen the station has found a niche and is the last locally owned/operated/originating station left in Springfield that hasn't been sucked up by CC,Infinity,Cox or Radio One..The local owner of all things is a non-denominational Christian charity which uses the stations commercial income to fund the ministry's multi-faceted projects including a food bank,computer trainng for the unemployed,child care for single parents who work and other outreach for the local less fortunate. The station has a skeleton crew who must wear several hats and sometimes has volunteers or student interns to keep the station on the air. If only the big guys in the biz were doing this for their communities...and DOESN'T boast about it as the Bible prescribes!

They rent their studio from CC and their transmitter/tower facility from Radio One..needless to say my gut tells me they must be head over heels in debt by now...yet the station has at it one day at a time. 1600 WULM has an audience...that I know! If they had more sponsors,surely they could afford the now neccissary radio tools of audio streaming and podcasting for their out of town audiences who can't tune in evenings when the power is turned down per FCC regs.

I urge all oldies fans in Western Ohio to tune in and advertise...this is probably the last oldies station left in my locality! Their website is www.1600wulm.net.

Have a Keener Question? Ask it Here!