Tulsa Radio News

[JournalGuy]

Most of the Tulsa stations could be moved, staff and all, to bigger markets and hold their own.  The truth is that Tulsa is not a bad place to live.  Low crime and a good standard of living.  May people in this market could go to a bigger market but choose or have chosen to stay here.  For market number 65, the talent level is pretty high.  Some have even left for the big market jobs and came back. 

Nice to see positive notes posted here. 

[JobyOne]

As someone who recently visited Tulsa from the midwest on a job interview, I was very impressed with the quality of our industry in the market. 

In addition, what a great city to call home!  Having never been to Oklahoma (other than flying over), I did not know what to expect and had low expectations due to my own preconceived notions.  I was extremely impressed and had high hopes for landing the gig (came close, but lost out).   I left the market thinking it would be a great place to lay down some roots for my soon-to-be expanding family.

Be proud of what you have!  Other larger and "more impressive" markets are many times overrated.

[JournalGuy]

Joby-Don't give up.  If you truly like Tulsa, I suggest that you contact and/or keep in contact with the Tulsa radio managers.
Turn-over is very low at most of the stations so it may take some time but eventually you may be able to come to Tulsa.
For the most part, the Tulsa radio community has several good groups.  Journal, Shamrock, Cox, CC, Perry and Renda are all good companies at least in the Tulsa market.  Not a bad place to work. 

[NightAire]

With all the negative things to pick on in Tulsa radio, sometimes it IS hard to keep perspective on this market.

As a Tulsa native, it was easy to watch the "dumbing down" of the stations in the market; watching the sound quality and fidelity go up even as the actual program content quality went down.  It felt like we moved from being diners where sometimes you got food poisioning, but MAN could they make a mean chicken fry, to McDonalds: consistent, but your expectations were lower.  It was confusing before I got into the biz to see the truly impressive talent pool we have here be stuck in rather dull stations.

What I should have been doing is comparing us to other markets.  I remember the shock when I started listening to New York & L.A. stations over the internet.  After hearing legendary tapes from the 60s, 70s and 80s of these stations, my response in the mid-90s often was:

"They aren't any better than we are here...  maybe not as good!"

Tulsa sounds more polished and more consistent than any market I've heard our size, mostly better than larger markets, and as has been said earlier, could hold their own in the biggest markets.  While Tulsa may have lost something in interesting content, it has not fallen like most other markets across the nation.

It's the same companies owning Tulsa stations and other stations; what's the difference?

We have world-class air talent, production talent, and program directors who can take whatever B.S. may be shoveled out by corporate headquarters (or good ideas, to be fair) and craft it into great sounding stations.  I tremble to think about what some of the guys caught between staff and owners could do if left to their own devices... we have some really smart cookies in middle management!  Others have proven their talent in previous years at previous stations and have (smartly, IMHO) decided to steer clear of being responsible for a station but not in control of the station.

I'd start listing names but I'd miss multiple talents, I'm sure...  suffice to say, I've never worked at a station here where I didn't admire somebody or multiple somebodies.

Again, as a Tulsa native, I've seen crime, bad roads, taxes, and so many more negatives increase...  still, there's no place I'd rather live, and as was mentioned there are numerous radio people here who could write their own ticket but choose to make Tulsa home because they know what's out there...  a number have even returned to this market after going elsewhere, not because they have to but because quality of living is so important to them.

With all I'd like to change, we still have so much to be proud of in Tulsa!  Thanks for the "vision checkup."

[Bob Oshea]

In the last couple of years I've been through Chicago, New York City, Dallas, Houston, New Orleans before Katrina, etc. ad nauseum.  I totally agree.  Tulsa and the OKC radio markets just sound better over all.  The talent curve in those bigger markets is a little shorter however, I also hear air talent that couldn't find a job in Ponca City, Ok.  How the hell did that happen? Tulsa's radio sound from a talent stand point is very unique in that we have always had a very high talent bar.  I agree with whoever pointed out guys like Drake and Paul Drew.  We also had Kip Guth, the father of AC radio come to Tulsa to launch one of America's first AC stations, FM 96 KRAV.  My gosh, I bet I could name twenty talents I personally know who've gone on to become internationally known voice over talents who at one time worked here in Tulsa.  Anyone say movie stars and music stars?  Gaylord Sartain, Gary Busey, Leon Russell, Dwight Twilley, Garth Brooks, Jeanie Tripplehorn to name a few and I'm just scratching the surface.  I don't know what it is about this market but it continues to enjoy a rich tradition of talent worthy of far bigger markets.  On the other hand, Tulsa is a great place to live.  My groans and moans are more about radio today as compared to radio 36 years ago when I got into it.  It's just different.  No wide open personality stuff anymore.  Went corporate and I don't like it.  There ya are super star....happy landing on the chocolate bar.   

[Bob Oshea]

Hope all is well with Richard, I for one am ready for him to come back.  You folks do a great job over there at KRMG, truly an under-appreciated source of reliable news in Tulsa if you ask me.  Surely someone else has some thoughts on the Tulsa Radio News Market!!!

Once again, if I'm being truly honest, the quality of local news reporting has become a parody of itself.  I don't blame the reporter.  I blame the dirty bastards who cut back the budgets and bitch slapped the news departments into rip and read news.  KRMG is not the KRMG of the 70's.  If you weren't around to hear it at the top of it's game then I feel sorry for you.  KVOO also had a gorilla of a news department in the 70's. 

News Director Brian Gann at 1170 AM is one of the best on air newsmen I ever heard.  Brian fits in with guys like Lyle Dean and Jeffrey Hendricks at WLS in the 70's.  What a set of pipes.  What a news guy.  What a genuinely good hearted guy.  Brian works tirelessly to make sure his station sounds as good as it can given the current state of the medium.  Glenn Schroeder is another news guy who could fit right in with that era of real radio.  Anybody remember KVOO's Alan Lambert or Stan Case? 

You asked for thoughts.

O'Shea   

[BehindTheLines]

Is Alan still heading up the radio department at RSC?

[Bob Oshea]

Is Alan still heading up the radio department at RSC?

I'm not sure.  I think maybe Alan retired or maybe was bumped up.  I saw him at Alan Caperton's funeral.  He's such a great guy.  I miss my radio pal's.

[Pigpen]

Is Alan still heading up the radio department at RSC?

Alan retired in 2006.  A former student named Steve Doyle took the reins as station mgr.