WAMO sold (Pittsburgh: budget, relocation, stations)

[bradjl2009]

Originally Posted by lifepgh2op

haha I do the same when I visit other places...and I 100% agree, this is a total embarrassment to the city of Pittsburgh.

It's not the city's fault. It's the company who happened to decide they needed to sell WAMO.

[Little Mizz Pittsburgh]

Originally Posted by zip95

IMO, WAMO's problem was that it played exclusively to young poor ghetto culture, which perhaps worked great in 1980's Pittsburgh. However in 2009 the reality had changed, but WAMO remained the same. 2009's Pittsburgh has a ton of black and white working-to-middle class 20 and 30 somethings who grew up listening to hip-hop (many with college degrees). These are the people advertisers will pay big bucks to reach, and these people don't always want to hear that mindless repetitive crap from down south that WAMO always seems to be playing... Go to Philly or NY or DC and turn on the radio... You might hear something brand new, followed by Beyonce, an old Jay-Z, or a classic Dr Dre... Good radio stations understand how to mix new music with the songs that, in the 90's and early 00's, got played in both black fraternity parties and white fraternity parties... This is how hip-hop stations in other cities get such huge followings... they play good music that's appealing to a wide audience... And that's really the bottom line... WAMO didn't always play good music.

Great post!

[Awesomo.2000]

Why even complain about radio stations? It is 2009, use the internet. Nobody actually sits around on friday nights huddled with their loved ones listening to WDVE anymore.

I listen to WYEP and DUQ Jazz, and classical stations when in my car and I am sick of my own reputitious cds. Those stations alone are enough to satisfy me. WYEP always interests me into new artist, and is very progressive on the independet music front IMO.

I travel a lot, and enjoy listening to radio stations in other cities to get a feel of the city. It is always the same everywhere. You have your clearchannel garbage like the X here in Pittsburgh, and then you have you public supported stations that play actually music.

Some of you just complain to hear yourself complain on this board.

As for WAMO being sold to a religious station. It is a station I never even think of being sold to a station I will never even think of. I don't care.

[Little Mizz Pittsburgh]

Originally Posted by Awesomo.2000

Why even complain about radio stations? It is 2009, use the internet. Nobody actually sits around on friday nights huddled with their loved ones listening to WDVE anymore.

Try telling that to a 55 year old who likes to listen to WAMO on Sunday afternoons when they play old school R&B.

Or a family throwing a family BBQ at a local park.

Or someone who likes to get dressed, for work in the mornings, listening to the Steve Harvey Morning Show.

Its not always about the MUSIC.

WAMO reaches out to a demographic who don't necessarily always have ready access TO THE INTERNET.

And, there are a bunch of people, who still sit around and listen to WAMO. They listen because they want to win tickets, or call to participate in group discussions about certain topics, or want to hear about different artists and events coming to Da' Burgh.

It'll be interesting to see how some of these 'urban' promoters get the word out about different events and concerts now that WAMO is about to fold.

[vectorfrankel]

WAMO was ****ing lame, anyway

Get a Zune- or listen to Backspin on XM/Sirius. It's easy to download better music than the crap they played

[lifepgh2op]

Originally Posted by bradjl2009

It's not the city's fault. It's the company who happened to decide they needed to sell WAMO.

I know that, but it does reflect poorly on a city, IMO.

[lifepgh2op]

Originally Posted by Little Mizz Pittsburgh

It'll be interesting to see how some of these 'urban' promoters get the word out about different events and concerts now that WAMO is about to fold.

I actually was wondering if there would even BE anymore hip hop concerts/performers coming to the Burgh without a station to sponsor them. I mean just go to WAMO Pittsburgh's Home for Hip Hop and R&B and see the advertisements flash by for John Legend and others coming this summer. People don't see the repercussions of this loss, and most on here don't care, which isn't surprising. Glad to see you understand Little Mizz Pittsburgh!

[JoeP]

WAMO will go away and trust me, another lame corporate version WILL appear in the market.

I know that, but it does reflect poorly on a city, IMO.

No, not really, nobody knows or cares about radio. Every market has the same lame corporate cloned stations which is why the city will have hip hop again - likely very soon.

[bradjl2009]

Originally Posted by lifepgh2op

I know that, but it does reflect poorly on a city, IMO.

How does it reflect poorly on us jw? I think it's more of the station's constant showing of new crappy music over the stuff that was 5x better 5 10 years ago IMO.

[Miker2069]

I have to say that this is so much like when Power 98 in Boston was sold a few years ago. The other hip-hop station was hard-core hip hop, it was so bad that it was unbearable. Power 98 was a nice mix of R&B some new and old school hip-hop, and some commentary. Then literally the deal was announced and 24 hours later EVERYONE was sent packing, even the DJs didn't know.

That being said, I don't think the market is big enough in Boston to support a good quality R&B station. There was a lot of outcry and hem and hawing but in the end the $$ won. So just like in Boston, I'm thinking PGH just doesn't have enough pull for a quality R&B station, I'm not here often enough to know, but from what I can see, this sale isn't surprising.

Unlike a market like charlotte (where I'm from) where you can have a supported gospel only station, hip-hop station, and R&B station, it's just going to be really tough for those that like a variety of R&B/hip-hop music in PGH, sad to say.