Cox Radio and TV consdiering move to downtown

[TANKSBACK]

The curent Cox facilities have some problems.  Some areas are not handicapped accessible, there may be some asbestos-related problems, the parking lot is it's own strange little universe, electrical is constantly being updated to handle loads never even dreamed of when the facility was built (more computers please) and maintenance on the building itself is quite expensive in some areas.  There are also some space issues.  I am NOT saying the place is ready to collapse.  Cox has done an admirable job of keeping the facility in good repair and humming along and the equipment (at least in the radio area) is fine.  Sometimes the expense of maintaining an old facility just gets to be financially unwise.  To quote Jim Bryant of Bonneville Cincy "Everybody has a stick and a studio.  It's the people who make the difference."  I have worked in palatial studios with crap programming, and in crap studios with superb programming.  Believe me, the latter is much better than the former.  I agree with One Who Knows.  I grew up listening to the magic that came out of the radio without knowing or caring where the studio was or what it looked like.   

[KevinFodor]

Well, I'll give you a story which seems appropriate here.

It's not an unknown fact that I was working at WCOL in Columbus when Great Trails sold it to Nationwide.

At the time, WCOL was located in the building at Young and Broad Streets about 3 blocks or so from the Statehouse.  Now, I certainly respected the "heritage" of that building.  I used to press all the time to do more stuff in that big studio window that looked out on Broad Street. (Today's it's a sandwich shop!)  In fact, we considered moving the actual control room back into the window...till we discovered putting bulletproof glass in those floor to ceiling windows would have practically bankrupted the company!  (Great Trails, not Nationwide!)

But, heritage was one thing.  The facts were different.  We had 2 radio stations in a building in which only 35% or so of the building was occupied and in use.  What was once a big working newsroom on the second floor had long ago been hauled off and sold.  So, too the WCOL-AM automation equipment.  It was d--n cold in my office in the winter, and any office on the 2nd floor...the windows needed replaced years before that.

The elevator had gotten scary...and I only ventured into the basement when it was an absolute necessity. Never saw any electrical problems, but I wasn't the engineer.

What we had was scattered on 2 floors of a building, but probably could have been re-consolidated to one had their been any desire to do it.

So, when Nationwide came in and told us we were re-locating to Plaza Two's tenth floor, we were celebrating to say the least.  The facility they built us was a palace...and talk about a morale boost for all involved.

I remember the final few hours of the old building.  And I remember, in a nod to "heritage" getting on the all-page and saying, "Hey...somebody remember to pack Spook Beckman"!  (a late famous former DJ there).

But, it was wonderful...being in the new place.   And, those types of moves only happen about once in a lifetime. (Normally, anyway!)  So, it's nice when they happen.

The Cox building is nowhere near WCOL's old building's shape.  But, I don't blame them for looking at all the alternatives. I have no clue what will eventually happen yet on Wilmington Pike...but, we'll see.

[greg.hahn]

Rumors about this happening started a couple of years ago but the idea recently got more serious.  Cold Beer and Cheeseburgers, which is just around the corner from the current location, will be crying big tears if this move happens.  But Flanigan's would be reallly happy!  )

...................

The curent Cox facilities have some problems.  Some areas are not handicapped accessible, there may be some asbestos-related problems, the parking lot is it's own strange little universe, electrical is constantly being updated to handle loads never even dreamed of when the facility was built (more computers please) and maintenance on the building itself is quite expensive in some areas.  There are also some space issues.  I am NOT saying the place is ready to collapse.  Cox has done an admirable job of keeping the facility in good repair and humming along and the equipment (at least in the radio area) is fine.  Sometimes the expense of maintaining an old facility just gets to be financially unwise.  To quote Jim Bryant of Bonneville Cincy "Everybody has a stick and a studio.  It's the people who make the difference."  I have worked in palatial studios with crap programming, and in crap studios with superb programming.  Believe me, the latter is much better than the former.  I agree with One Who Knows.  I grew up listening to the magic that came out of the radio without knowing or caring where the studio was or what it looked like.   

And you would be who? Rumors about this happening started a couple of years ago? That would have been when we were rebuilding the radio side. Installation of a central router, and complete studio rebuilds for WHIO, WHKO, News studio, News Production, Prod B, Traffic, plus rewiring all room interconnects and substantial work in the other 4 studios. And you're saying that it's when Cox was spending all that money on the facility that the rumors started swirling that they might be moving to the DDN building downtown, but it "recently got more serious"? Dude, what are you smoking?

This thread has painted a picture that is completely untrue. There are no electrical problems at the Wilmington studios, at least on the radio side. No space issues either.  Most of it is newly remodeled and extremely nice.

The move is being considered for exactly the reasons stated in the DDN article:

Bringing those operations under one roof would allow collaboration that could enable Cox’s newspaper and broadcast properties to better serve readers, viewers and advertisers in southwest Ohio and could reduce operating costs, Taylor said.

Try getting a clue before you say something next time.

[TANKSBACK]

I know about the rumor because as an employee I sat in the G.M.'s office and discussed it.  The space issue revolved around the idea that T.V. wanted more space and radio would possibly move to the South Main Street location.  As noted it was just a rumor and did not happen at that time.  Electrical issues had to do with office areas where multple outlet strips were being used to run a lot of computer stuff off of one outlet.  The studio upgrades took care of any problems that may have existed in those areas.  As I stated, although the building is old Cox has kept it in good operating shape.  I know how hard you and others worked on the upgrades and I benefitted from those upgrades.  But I have worked at other places where brand new studios were built and abandoned in fairly short order when the entire facility was moved so I wouldn't rule out that happening anywhere.  I completely agree with the DDN article as there is obviously no room to do that at the Wilmington Avenue location.  Didn't mean to get anyone's shorts in a wad.

[greg.hahn]

I know about the rumor because as an employee I sat in the G.M.'s office and discussed it.  The space issue revolved around the idea that T.V. wanted more space and radio would possibly move to the South Main Street location.  As noted it was just a rumor and did not happen at that time.  Electrical issues had to do with office areas where multple outlet strips were being used to run a lot of computer stuff off of one outlet.  The studio upgrades took care of any problems that may have existed in those areas.  As I stated, although the building is old Cox has kept it in good operating shape.  I know how hard you and others worked on the upgrades and I benefitted from those upgrades.  But I have worked at other places where brand new studios were built and abandoned in fairly short order when the entire facility was moved so I wouldn't rule out that happening anywhere.  I completely agree with the DDN article as there is obviously no room to do that at the Wilmington Avenue location.  Didn't mean to get anyone's shorts in a wad.

Fine. If you sat in the GMs office in 2007 and asked her if there was any truth to rumors you heard that radio was moving to the DDN building, she likely would have told you the same thing I did. Only she's nicer than me. But I know she would have told you it was ludicrous, for the same reasons I did. And she told you the truth.

You don't move your radio station because there aren't enough outlets to the sales cubes.

[TANKSBACK]

Yeah, she's nicer than you but you're probably nicer than me.  And you're a top-notch engineer.  Peace.

[Josh_Cols]

My question is does the Cox building on Wilmington have a sprinkler system, or modern fire alarm?  The reason I ask, remember the electrical fire that destroyed KREX TV in Grand Junction, Colorado a couple years ago?  Had KREX 60 year old building had a fire alarm and or sprinkler they would have had a chance at saving the building, yet I remember in the Denver newspapers Hoak Media admitted to retrofit the old building and bring it completely up to current electrical and fire code complete with sprinklers would have been cost prohibitive.  I wonder if this is one reason why Cox is even considering the move?  Even if the current building has been maintained and updated well over the years there are some updates that simply cannot be done to a old building, it may be economically obsolete in some regards.  It's been years since I have been in the WHIO building, so I'm just asking because no one has mentioned if the building has sprinklers or fire alarm.

Out in Denver.  I remember when Jefferson Pilot / Lincoln Financial Media moved from their building on Monoco Parkway to Orchard Road in the Denver tech center about 3 years ago, it was only 3 or 4 years at the most before the move they had thrown quite a bit of money at studio remodels at the old Monoco building before they decided they needed more space and a building in a better neighborhood with more electrical capacity and one with a fire suppression system.

[gabigley1]

http://www.daytondailynews.com/business/cox-considers-moving-its-tv-and-radio-stations-into-dayton-daily-news-building-349882.htm

DDN reports that Cox is thinking about moving the radio and TV operations to the Dayton Daily News building in downtown Dayton.

Cox is going to move to the Dayton Daily News building in downtown Dayton according to this breaking news
story:

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/whio-tv-cox-radio-stations-moving-to-ddn-media-center-building-449464.html?showComments=true

[One Who Knows]

My question is does the Cox building on Wilmington have a sprinkler system, or modern fire alarm?  The reason I ask, remember the electrical fire that destroyed KREX TV in Grand Junction, Colorado a couple years ago?  Had KREX 60 year old building had a fire alarm and or sprinkler they would have had a chance at saving the building, yet I remember in the Denver newspapers Hoak Media admitted to retrofit the old building and bring it completely up to current electrical and fire code complete with sprinklers would have been cost prohibitive.  I wonder if this is one reason why Cox is even considering the move?  Even if the current building has been maintained and updated well over the years there are some updates that simply cannot be done to a old building, it may be economically obsolete in some regards.  It's been years since I have been in the WHIO building, so I'm just asking because no one has mentioned if the building has sprinklers or fire alarm.

Out in Denver.  I remember when Jefferson Pilot / Lincoln Financial Media moved from their building on Monoco Parkway to Orchard Road in the Denver tech center about 3 years ago, it was only 3 or 4 years at the most before the move they had thrown quite a bit of money at studio remodels at the old Monoco building before they decided they needed more space and a building in a better neighborhood with more electrical capacity and one with a fire suppression system.

Yes...the building on Wilmington has a sprinkler system.

[Limp73]

I must admit closing down the Wilmingtn Avenue studio will mark an end of an era...just as it did for the former DDN/Journal Herald building downtown. I remember meeting cartooninst Mike Peters and columnist Dale Huffman downtown and speaking to them like ordinary people on an early afternoon. When I was a senior at Lehman Catholic High School in 1973, I remember meeting noontime anchorman Lyle Steig when my media class did a tour of the Wilmington Avenue studios and watched how the nooon newscast was being put together. It was needless to say  "a trip" to meet up with local media personalities. Wished I could have also met staff announcer Joe Rockhold (Uncle Orrie) as well but he was since retired at that time and moved to Hillsboro.

As Kevin and the DDN story has both said,this will save Cox some money combining the forces together...and at the same time 'ol Steve Baker in Troy won't have to drive so far to pick up his paycheck..and if I'm not mistaken here, the old NCR building has a historic significance from the WWII era which was spared from the wrecking ball that demolished the other NCR factory facilities in the 1970s.