I don't get it...The sports monster has a local sports talk show from 3-6pm. When the Bucs play, the station goes to network programming from 6-6:30... then for continuity sake...the Bucs come on at 6:30. If the sports monster won't provide local programming before the Bucs game, a local fan ought to host something local for a half hour leading into ETSU. It's the flagship station...for goodness sake.
The "flagship station" should be WETS-FM. This is the most insane situation. They cover SOOO much farther than anything else (other than QUT or similar). They could/should have an ETSU employee (and it would be fine if it were Sandos) do the games. No advertising, except the token stuff. I can't believe you all actually can put up with listening to commercial radio for that talk stuff.
Everyone on here should call Wayne, or email him at the station. Speaking of "no excuses", there should be no excuse for not having WETS-FM broadcast the games - like they used to back when Dick Ellis (who really knew his stuff) was alive and running the show....
There could even be some *daily* ETSU sports call-in show......
If you want to do it right, do it right....
I agree with the sentiment from posterformerlyknownasthedoctor about WETS-FM however, to make this revenue producing, the games should stay on commercial stations.
Tennessee has their huge following because of their huge radio network and all their allied programs. They dominate the media. This has occurred in a large part do to the work of the legend "it's football time in Tennessee" John Ward.
Jay does a fine job broadcasting for ETSU. Despite his efforts and those also of John Stevens who also does a great job... ETSU has a severe problem. The Bucs don't dominate the airwaves...they don't even dominate the news print but that's got to change. When it changes, you will see sellout after sellout. Someday the school will have an AD who will have a media person who makes these things happen. Tennessee has developed the blue print of success...all ETSU needs to do is observe.
Remember the movie Marshall? The new coach was looking for answers and had the audacity to travel to rival West Virginia to ask Bobby Bowden for help. He got it. ETSU doesn't need to ask, all ETSU has to do is observe and tweak and implement.
Itt would be nice to have a signal (FM) that would reach into SW Virgiinia. We get a decent signal during the daytime but nothing from AM 640 as soon as it gets dark. I like a lot of the Monster programming but being on AM makes it pretty limited.
And that was Richard Ellis at WETS.
Well, I know it was "Richard" Ellis. I innocently typed "D i c k", and it got automatically censored, I guess.
ETSU basketball had a MUCH MUCH bigger regional following back when it was on WETS-FM.
(12-08-2010 05:43 PM)posterformerlyknownasthedoctor Wrote: [ -> ]Well, I know it was "Richard" Ellis. I innocently typed "D i c k", and it got automatically censored, I guess.
ETSU basketball had a MUCH MUCH bigger regional following back when it was on WETS-FM.
When was buc basketball on wets?
I don't remember when it ended, but from when WETS-FM first came on the air, the games were on there. That would be something like mid '70s(?). Then they continued through at least some or all of the '80s. Maybe even the "glory years", but I tend to think by then they were on WJCW-AM. Maybe not. I'm sure others here can more definitively state that. Maybe Chip Kessler's book details all that - don't know.....
In the glory years, the Bucs were on 910 WJCW.
In order for the Bucs to be on WETS, they would have to forgo the revenue associated with the Buc Sports Network (or the backers would have to agree to sponsorship with no advertising). WETS is licensed as a non-commercial station and cannot broadcast advertising.
In order to keep their license, no products may be sold during the promo spots. They could say this broadcast is sponsored by X, but that's about as far as the license permits.
I doubt that the sponsors would agree to this limitation.
As my memory serves me I think the Bucs were always on WJCW. Both football and basketball. I also remember WETS broadcasting Buc basketball games in the early years of WETS but I think it was independently done from the commercial broadcast and was basically done by student broadcasters. At least that is the way I remember it. I too think the Bucs should stay on the commercial stations but a "simulcast" on WETS would not be bad at all.
I assure you they were on WETS-FM for many years, and 'Richard' Ellis did the play-by-play himself, mostly. Not sure who his sidekick was, but it wasn't student broadcasters.
It's possible that they were also on WJCW at the same time, but who would listen to AM when FM is available?
Having a simulcast is a good idea, I guess. But a strong FM broadcast is really essential to grow our fan base - and thus grow our financial support.
One might forego some revenue having the campus station broadcast it, but it would be much less expensive to broadcast, too. University employee as part of their duties, run some promo asking for contributions to the university, run promos for tickets, etc. It's possible the increased regional support, increased giving, increased ticket sales, increased product (ETSU paraphernalia) sales, etc. would cover the partial loss of advertising. NOT TO MENTION, you'd have many more students wanting to attend ETSU as they grow up listening to the games. Do some "road shows" like UT does, and as I recall, like ETSU *used* to do........
The regional promotion ETSU as a whole does is pathetic, and pitifully small, as we've all discussed here ad infinitum. This is one HUGE way to get back the regional support we've lost. Hate to say it, but a good chunk of the substantial UT support was built over decades by having games that could be listened to by literally millions of people around the South. We might have a hard time equaling that, but I assure you, we've LOST ground since those years because SO FEW people can listen to the games now. (Heck, I have a hard time and I live fairly close to the Dome.) They simply can't get them over-the-air - which is how 90% of fans would keep up with the teams (and I'm talking football, too, of course, when that comes back). This 640 AM stuff is completely rinky-dink.....
Cut out about 2 layers of the athletic administration, and it would be fine...
Whatever we do, we've got to get someone with vision to get these games broadcast over a strong FM signal, with regional coverage. And with a station right there on campus, that's the first place to look. There's also some discussion about WETS getting another frequency broadcast from a tower up on Buffalo Mountain, but it would be lower power, as I understand it..... But this would, in effect, be almost like a new station. Again, as I understand it.....
Not to mention the pathetic level of TV coverage for the Bucs, and the fact that programs like Dayton can broadcast for free over the internet, while ETSU is stuck asking people to pay $6 per game. That's not a lot, and I pay it, but I'm already a die-hard; you won't win any new fans asking them to pay for any coverage over the net.
First off, WETS-FM isn't student ran, AT ALL. It has nothing to do with the students who major in Communication nor do they provide credit earning internships at WETS for Communication majors at ETSU. Trust me here, I know what I'm talking about.
As for the games, they won't ever do it. For whatever the reason, the station is ran a certain way by a certain group of people who refuse to listen or change, so that idea is out.
If you want an FM station, the only hope would be 92.7 in Bristol and/or 93.5 in Norton. Plus, you no longer would have Jay doing to the games on the campus station.
ETSU has a network of stations, hence it being called a "network." The flagship is 640 The Monster, but also has several affiliates throughout the Tri-Cities.
If everyone wants to see it on WETS, wave a checkbook in front of them and tell them you want ETSU Basketball on WETS. Money tends to make a liberal running government radio salivate.
(12-12-2010 02:22 PM)Buccaneerlover Wrote: [ -> ]First off, WETS-FM isn't student ran, AT ALL. It has nothing to do with the students who major in Communication nor do they provide credit earning internships at WETS for Communication majors at ETSU. Trust me here, I know what I'm talking about.
As for the games, they won't ever do it. For whatever the reason, the station is ran a certain way by a certain group of people who refuse to listen or change, so that idea is out.
If everyone wants to see it on WETS, wave a checkbook in front of them and tell them you want ETSU Basketball on WETS. Money tends to make a liberal running government radio salivate.
Hmmm.....deferring comment on the political jab and grammar, I think essentially all of us know WETS-FM isn't student-run, nor even student-oriented. Wasn't designed to be. Don't know why you would think that almost all of us don't already know that.
More importantly, your assertion that they refuse to listen or change is totally refuted by their complete change back in February, to an all-talk (except for weekends) format. That's not change?
Ok, and I'll change my mind on the political comment. I think money talks to
any radio (or TV) station, but certainly less so to public broadcasting stations, both TV and radio. The people who are in that 'business' (NPR and PBS), are almost to a person, in it for altruistic reasons, not the money. I'm very puzzled as to why you think it's the other way around. The serious money in broadcasting is in commercial stations, and I thought everyone knew that, too.....
You are absolutely incorrect on government ran radio stations. They rely solely on grants and donations, hence why the classical music is on WETS so much. Someone who donates a truckload of cash to the station likes classical music, and it therefore plays alot more classical music than bluegrass. And after all, ETSU DOES have a bluegrass major. The radio station should be the right arm to promote it, as basketball. Do you not watch or listen to public tv or radio? They CONSTANTLY are begging for donations/underwriting. WUOT does the same thing in Knoxville, as do the PBS stations all over the state.
And to say people that are in public radio are in it for some noble cause in today's climate is almost laughable. Are you not listenting to it? It's as far left as Rush and Beck are right. It doesn't work because most fiscal liberals tend to drive 94 Chevy Cavaliers, are vegetarians and make less than 20k a year. Not saying it's all of their listening base, but a good portion. The sad thing is, if WETS would actually attempt to appeal to the general public of Johnson City/Tri Cities they probably would be more popular and maybe, just maybe might get more "underwriting," or donations if you will. The problem is, the bunch up on the hill is too arrogant to allow the network to do their thing on WETS then blackout the commercials for PSA's for more money. And yes, that can be done, it was on PBS TV all over the state during the TSSAA state championships in football, which has been met with so much success and popularity, they are doing basketball and all of the spring sports this year.
Next, WETS was given to ETSU by retired professor Tom Headley. He was the one who did the work to get it there, then the university screwed the division of broadcasting over and decided to run things the way they do. That station was intended to be used not only as a public service to the Tri-Cities but also as a teaching tool for future broadcasters. Instead, it's ran by a bunch of stodgy old farts, arrogant liberals who refuse to listen to what would ACTUALLY work there, like more bluegrass, ETSU sports, basically more things related to ETSU and the community of the Tri-Cities, not NPR and all that crap.
And yes, my grammar has been a little rough lately. You'll have that when you work around mongloids in a retail home improvement giant that rhymes with "Blowe's."
1. WETS hasn't played any classical music - AT ALL - since February.
1a. Very little money was donated to WETS during the classical music hours (only $4000 over 10 days -- sounds like one of those stealth drives to save ETSU football - ...LOL....), that's why the station management actually wanted to go to a completely Americana-music-only format. (See link I'll post below.)
1b. You write:
"Do you not watch or listen to public tv or radio?"
Yes, but apparently you don't listen to WETS, or haven't since February.
2. The public broadcasting stations *do* often have to ask for donations or underwriting, but that's because they don't take money for commercials. They are
much less concerned about money than commercial stations, as I said in my previous post, and it's true. You may *perceive* they're more interested in money because they have to be public about garnering it; but commercial stations are WAY more concerned about it. After all, it's their
raison d'etre...
2b. You write:
"Are you not listening to it?"
See 1b above.....
3. I was glad to see they broadcast the TSSAA playoffs. That's a fine service for a public broadcasting station to do. There are many more avenues for such broadening of their mission.
4. You are wrong (or confused) about Tom Headley. He was involved with WETS-
AM, and may have had *something* to do with the FM origination, but it was mostly D I C K Ellis and that crowd who got it started. Tom Headley couldn't "give" WETS to ETSU because he didn't ever own it (he *couldn't* own it!), nor have any control over it. WETS-
AM was the teaching tool...
5. The staff at WETS-FM are hardly "old farts"; they've given their entire careers, in many cases, for the promotion of bluegrass and old time music, NPR news, eclectic informative programming, etc. And they're about as far from arrogant as one can get.
I'll enclose this link to let you learn a bit......
Wayne tells it like it is
6. Further, and this is something you obviously need an education on, "liberal" is not a bad word. It's a very good word, and the Bible is full of teaching that many would call "liberal" if it was done in this day and time. I won't belabor this board with examples, but they are legion. That's not to say many things that are called "liberal" today are ok - certainly not all are. This board doesn't need this discussion again, either........
Listen, I don't want to feud with you. I generally agree with about all you post, but on the public broadcasting issue(s) you are simply out of touch, as evidenced by your lack of knowledge of the current state of things "up on the hill". Let's let this die here, and not get acrimonious.
And, by the way, it saddens me very greatly that we've lost the bluegrass and old time music that was such a treasure to this region. At least we agree on that......