The Clearly Unchallenged Homogenization of Radio

Longtime WIBA-AM radio personality Mitch Henck laid off.  (Wisconsin State Journal, 6/23/2014)

Tyler, of course, ignored 2 emails and 2 phone calls from the reporter.  Henck’s supervisor, AM operations manager Tim Scott, on Monday referred questions to Jeff Tyler, market manager for the Madison stations owned by Clear Channel Communications, based in San Antonio, Texas.

Once upon a time, AM radio stations, particularly those operating in smaller communities, used to provide regular, daily, community-based reporting throughout the daylight hours.  WNAE was such a station, offering a wide array of local programming, as this schedule from 1967 demonstrates.

 What's on the WNAE schedule today?  Needless to say, it's a station my brothers no longer listen to.

• 6 to 9:a.m.  A mix of oldies; local, state, and world news; and sports.
• 9 a.m. to 12 noon.  Glenn Beck.
• 12 noon to 3 p.m.  Rush Limbaugh
• 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.  Sean Hannity.
• 6 to 7 p.m.  Jerry Doyle
• 7 to 10 p.m. Michael Savage

As you might guess, Warren is not the kind of place where people stick around anymore.