What happened to Funny 95.5?

[Roland Jacopetti]

Hi, Barry and all the Waccos & Waccistas. I guess email is [email protected]. Telephone is 588-0707. Note that Wine Country Radio is an entity that runs several local stations, among them The Crush. I really doubt the prospect from bringing back Funny 95.5 is extremely dim, if not non-existent. Actually, I think there was a fatal flaw built into it from the beginning, namely that it was an entirely canned radio station, with the only local element being the advertising. There were lots of mistakes in shifting from ads to program content and a lot of dead air. If we had been able to listen to it for much longer, we'd have started to complain about how amateurish the programming sounded. The content, the actual funny people, were great, but the rest was pretty creaky. The light rock they're playing at 95.5 now is partly syndicated (canned) and part locally originated.

Commercial radio can be fun, but you have to work hard to make your ads fun as well and - extremely important - don't play them too long. The cleverest ad gets old quickly and needs to be changed. And that means the person who's making the ads has to convince the station manager, the program director, the sales manager, the time salesman, the clients and about forty-two other people that he or she (namely, the writer/producer) knows more about making effective ads than they do. Not an easy task.

When you do radio, you have to enjoy what you/re doing. If you don't, it quickly becomes noticeable to the listeners and they either turn it off, or learn to put up with the negative part in return for the fun part. And - again very important and often overlooked - you have to promote your station, which is how you tell people you believe in it.

Well, I"ve been playing with that stuff for forty-plus years, and could go on and on, but won't. Oh, I forgot one important part. The salespeople have to enjoy it, too, and in my experience, most salespeople know less about radio than anyone else, and care less, too. Almost all the time salespersons I've ever met are in radio as one step along their paths of selling stuff that can be sold. Just another widget.

That being said, I think everyone should continue to demand the return of Funny 95.5 until the mysterious owners get so sick of it all, that they give it another try.

[Barrie]

Thanks! Just to be clear, I'm Barrie, not Barry the Wacco guy. I will email, call, and share the information. I enjoyed many of them, but Maria Bamburg is the one who will keep me in my car listening until she is finished. Barrie

Hi, Barry and all the Waccos & Waccistas. I guess email is [email protected]. Telephone is 588-0707. Note that Wine Country Radio is an entity that runs several local stations, among them The Crush. I really doubt the prospect from bringing back Funny 95.5 is extremely dim, if not non-existent. ...

[Glia]

Maybe our new LPFM station KWTF can run this type of canned content in between their other local programs, with funny fundraising appeals instead of ads.

... Actually, I think there was a fatal flaw built into it from the beginning, namely that it was an entirely canned radio station, with the only local element being the advertising. ...

[Barry]

Maybe our new LPFM station KWTF can run this type of canned content in between their other local programs, with funny fundraising appeals instead of ads.

Or better yet, broadcast some local comedy!

Speakng of which, since there seems to be a sudden dearth of funniness around here, anybody got a joke or a funny story to share? No cut and paste! Let's keep this local, personal and real, even if you are re-telling a joke you heard.

I could use a good laugh Sounds like some of you could, too!

[peacetree]

I was shocked and disappointed to find this funny and very welcome radio station had morphed into another boring light rock or whatever they call this latest mess. I actually had set my car radios to only that funny 95.5, as I knew where and whenever I drove I would arrive in a better mood from laughter. they even seemed to have ok ads. I no longer bother to listen. back to KPFA and KQED, at least I might learn something. If I have to listen to ads, the station has to grab me, and whatever this latest incarnation on 95.5, it is no longer worth my time.

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for keeping this alive! I too have multiple friends that are disappointed and dont want to listen to the new station. Maybe if we keep making noise about it we can get it back. It's worth a try. I did email Debbie but got no reply. I did mention to her how many reads there were on this thread, and that it was a good thing for the county to have people driving around laughing instead of stressing out about traffic or work or whatever. Laughter is good medicine!

[Gcenteno]

Wow, I've been curious for a few weeks also. Drove south for a couple days came back and it was just gone. I don't like music while I drive and this was perfect. I am really sad about this. Is there any similar stations? And who can we complain to?

[Barrie]

Check the thread & you will see an email address and a phone # to express your disappointment that it is gone. I miss it too! Barrie

Wow, I've been curious for a few weeks also. Drove south for a couple days came back and it was just gone. I don't like music while I drive and this was perfect. I am really sad about this. Is there any similar stations? And who can we complain to?