(Here's a picture from our old days at WRCG with Scott Miller. This is a broadcast from the Mall on a Crimestoppers day.)
It looks like the final nail is in the coffin of Archway Broadcasting in Columbus, Ga. Not that any one will shed a tear. According to our sources, the company has sold to Jim Martin, Len Page and Bo Bradley, who no doubt will begin the reconstruction effort needed on the once proud stations. WCGQ, WRCG, 99.3 and Boomer 95.3 hopefully will regain some of the prominence the stations once held under my boss for 14 years Chuck McClure Sr. and family. Watching the stations as a whole, and specifically WRCG, hit rock bottom was like visiting a wreck on the interstate. Some said to me "why care? You aren't there any more.” What they didn't understand was how serious many of us who worked at that facility were about the product. So many contributed to WRCG's stature as the voice of Columbus and the local meeting place of its citizens. I think it is fair to say that the station fell into hands of those who cared little or had any regard for its relevance. Whether this was by design or by oversight, the station suffered. The final blow came last April when Archway management, due mostly to financial reasons, felt compelled to cancel perhaps the city’s longest running radio program—Talkline. A show that I hosted for a ten year period in the 90s and was first aired on the station in the early 80s with host J. Edward Wilson.
The show’s mission was to inform the public and not be the propaganda tool of local government or the ruling class. The show was built on the idea of offering simple common sense. This was a mission and formula that proved successful. Martin and his management staff understand local radio and surely can get the radio cluster back on its feet. There are no better stations in the area with a better history than WRCG, WCGQ, Kissin'99.3 or Boomer 95.
It was a success that, quite frankly, some inside the building didn't truly realize what a remarkable accomplishment WRCG had become. For a mere 5,000 watt station-with a directional signal-- to be consistently rated in the top 3 and often the most listened too station during the peak times (M-F 6a-6p), required constant care. I think this was especially true since WRCG rarely shared in any promotion effort or dollars spent. Despite this shortcoming, the station flourished. This to the credit of the talented people who toiled over WRCG and they deserve special credit.
So, now a new chapter will soon be opened in the life of Columbus radio and, specifically, what will always be referred to as the McClure stations. A new chapter that hopefully will provide success for those who work there and have made 1353 13th avenue their home.
The show’s mission was to inform the public and not be the propaganda tool of local government or the ruling class. The show was built on the idea of offering simple common sense. This was a mission and formula that proved successful. Martin and his management staff understand local radio and surely can get the radio cluster back on its feet. There are no better stations in the area with a better history than WRCG, WCGQ, Kissin'99.3 or Boomer 95.
It was a success that, quite frankly, some inside the building didn't truly realize what a remarkable accomplishment WRCG had become. For a mere 5,000 watt station-with a directional signal-- to be consistently rated in the top 3 and often the most listened too station during the peak times (M-F 6a-6p), required constant care. I think this was especially true since WRCG rarely shared in any promotion effort or dollars spent. Despite this shortcoming, the station flourished. This to the credit of the talented people who toiled over WRCG and they deserve special credit.
So, now a new chapter will soon be opened in the life of Columbus radio and, specifically, what will always be referred to as the McClure stations. A new chapter that hopefully will provide success for those who work there and have made 1353 13th avenue their home.
