Not exactly a breaking news headline for those of us who live in Madison, or close enough to receive the radio signals from the stations that broadcast from this city. I have long disparaged what passes for radio here, but as time goes along it seems that things are only getting worse on the dial. We should have much better listening selections from our city. After all, this is where a large liberal university is located, state government is housed, and a progressive opinion is only one conversation away. So why are the radio stations around here so dreadful to listen to?
Granted I love WHA, and while it is a ‘Madison’ station in location , it really serves the whole state. And they serve it well. WORT has a few good programs that I enjoy. Bill Malone is a gem! But overall the Madison stations are stale, unimaginative, and as the Isthmus reminded us recently, they are broadcasting more and more ‘canned’ crap. Local content is sidelined to make way for the national audience.
From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays on WOLX 94.9, Ken Merson hosts Madison’s Greatest Hits from a recording studio in Baltimore. On WCHY 105.1, San Francisco-based voice talent Will Morgan poses as a jock named Charlie. At WMAD 96.3 Star Country, local program director and midday host Tyler Reese was laid off in January. He was replaced by another Baltimore radio personality who broadcasts as Michael J.
Another change: The use of syndicated programs with unabashedly national hosts, once the domain of talk radio, has spiked on Madison’s commercial music stations. Ryan Seacrest now hosts afternoons on Z104, and 140 other U.S. radio stations, from Hollywood. Bob and Tom wake up Madison morning listeners from Indianapolis on WIBA 101.5. Alice Cooper puts those same listeners to bed from Phoenix. Magic 98, WMGN 98.1, brings us Delilah from Seattle. WJJO 94.1 pipes in Lou Brutus from Washington, D.C.
While I was working at a small AM/FM station in Door County we may not have been cutting edge, but we were local. Local neighborhood disc-jockeys with the current weather and local fishing conditions, high school sports reports, and even the local obituaries were read on certain long-form newscasts. (When was the last long-form newscast in the Madison radio market? Sadly many readers here may not have ever heard a real ‘noon report of local news’) Is the model of WDOR, the station where I worked, what every radio station should be? No, of course not. But it served a sizable niche, and the important part was that it was local talent broadcasting local content.
No one pretended to be more than what we were. We were happy to work out of a small studio that was too hot in the summer, and too chilly in the winter, but we knew our audience. Heck, we lived in the community, cared for our friends, and shared many commonalities. As such we served the community through our daily broadcasting. Local live radio for local listeners. And I might say with humility, having been a part of their radio team, that it was also profitable.
What a concept.
Granted radio is a peculiar business, and finding a profitable mix of news and entertainment to meet the rapidly changing listening demographics is challenging. But I suggest perhaps there has been a trend to go so far outside the box looking for ‘the right mix’ that we have neglected what is in front of us. Might it be that if presented correctly, meaning we treat listeners with respect as opposed to ‘trash talk’ , while putting local content front and center in some format with a variety of entertainment, talk, and music, that a wining formula could be found?
Is that an oversimplified idea?
I think not.
Creative minds need to start with that local concept, one that was at the heart of successful radio for years, and let it grow from there again. It may not work for every radio station, but I am sure there is room for one such star on the Madison radio dial that wishes to stay local.
Who will go back to the basics of radio and give it a try?
If it happens I know one folksy ‘average run-of-the-mill neighborhood DJ’ that would consider getting behind the mic weekdays from noon to drive-time….
CAFFEINATED POLITICS 
I have to say that I agree with some of what you said, however, one thing I want to point out is that many radio shows use syndicated content. Magic 98, for example, only uses Delilah syndicated broadcast at night. From the early A.M. hours Pat and Bob start the morning show, and for the rest of the day every broadcast is done by a local personality for local listeners. Nothing is prerecorded, and day after day, month after month, year after year, the Magic Crew has made Magic 98 what it is; a local station for local listeners.
Clear Channel Communications AKA The Real Reason Radio Sucks tried to insert the “Whoopi Goldberg” show in the morning in Chicago on WLIT. They fired a woman who was top 15 year after year in the morning drive slot, Melissa Forman, a Chicago local. Whoopi lasted maybe three months, the ratings were so bad that Melissa Forman came back to a 50% raise and having both the morning drive and afternoon drive slots.
People always want someone who is local not a voice from the distant sky telling you what life is like in New York or LA.
We agree on this one 100%.
Well, I’m still live and local.
Agreed on a lot of this although you may wanna let the stations know who’s going to pay for all of these local deejays since the ad market has crashed on them. Long form news? Costs a lot of bucks.
Come to think of it most newspapers use many syndicated columnists and nearly no local reporters. Photos? They come from Reuters or Getty images. Why aren’t they sending local photographers?
Maybe you can bark up their tree, too.
I have a different complaint about Madison radio stations. A lot of them play 70’s and 80’s music, which I really enjoy. HOWEVER, the versions they play are not the original songs. They sound like they were recorded by studio musicians. They are pretty good, but you can tell they’re not the originals so they just don’t have the same emotional impact. As a result, I can’t stand listening to them! The imitators are pretty good but there’s only one Peter Cetera or Don Henley or Billy Joel.
I’ve heard this imitation music on several Madison radio stations. In fact, I have yet to find one that plays the original songs!
Why do they do this? Let me guess. Hmm. I suppose it’s cheaper to do it this way; the royalties they have to pay are probably a lot less on this imitation music than on the real thing, right?
Am I the first one to notice? Am I the first one to complain?