Herald - Lantern - Dispatch 22 January '86 41

The Product Is Air; The Key Is the Sound-

(From page 1) Format 41). KLAHR DESCRIBES the sound as "contemporary, middle of the road." He also calls it "Super Serve." Goldman says it's hard define, but settles for "adult contemporary," or "soft adult." Both say it "filled a programming void," nationally and locally. If Format 41 is difficult to define, some of the others are not. There is "beautiful music, for example, which Transtar does not offer and whose listerners, Klahr said, "are graying and not being replaced. Each generation sticks to its own sound. As this group grays, it will stick with this music." Typical artists are Neil Diamond, the Carpenters, Barry Manilow, Barbara Streisand... IN ADDITION TO Format 41, Transtar, offers an "adult contemporary skewed to an average age of 31, a "sort of soft pop." and a country format. But with Format 41. "we are looking at major market success the way no one else has ever experienced before," Goodman said. "It was designed to be something that will appeal to the baby boom generation as they start growing up. They don't want to tune in to Mantovani or the Motley Crew. It's a very, very listenable form, not heavy personality DJs. Music is the main

ingredient." "We did research," said Klahr, "and found no one was doing effectively what we are. Some stations were serving the upper demographics, the 50-plus," who, he said, prefer instrumental music and talk shows. And there were several, he said, aiming at younger listeners with rock music. And some, said Klahr, were being inconsistent. playing all kind of music, "trying to do too many things. Adults were not being served with radio stations they liked. They'd tune up and down the band looking for their favorite song. "OURS IS ALL complementary." he said. "It all balances. It's geared to one specific type of listener. Every record we play is something in that demographic. It is a growing population group; mobile, gaining in income, establishing families, moving to this area because of the opportunities." Asked to define the opportunities. Klahr said that "probably Atlantic City" is the main one. "It's not limited to Wildwood any more," he said. "And this is a nice place to live." WBNJ (the "NJ" becomes "enjoy" in the station's promotions) plays 50 minutes of music each hour, 24 hours a day. and has 10 minutes an hour for advertising, news, weather, promotions, community bulletin board, etc.

^ jf ooool BHc^l IK j WBNJ News Director Jane Leong, Operations Manager Gerry I-iltenberg """ United Way ^.Exception to Growth

( From page 1 ) people to see us stop. "There has been a lot of talk about using different locations (for progress signs)," he added, "but nothing has happened." THE NATIONAL United Way campaign usually begins in September and ends in December. The county United Way began in mid-October this year. September is "a tough month" for donations, Byrne said, apparently because tourism winds down. "We ran through Christmas this year, ; which we normally don't do," he said. "We have stopped actively soliciting, but we still accept donations." A meeting in e&rly February will determine when the campaign will end, he added. Byrne said his organization ran summer campaigns for two years with disappointing results. It hasn't given up on the idea, he said, but needs to find a better approach. "We have to find an angle, or an 'in' to get to people." he said. UNITED WAY PROCEEDS help to support 12 family and community service agencies. This year, Byrne said. 34 percent will go to Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts; 33 percent for the mentally retarded, job training for the handicapped, and medical health counseling. Another 17 percent will go to family services such as the Salvation Army and Jersey Cape Visiting Homemakers, eight percent to emergency and legal services for low-income families; and eight percent for the county-wide First Call For Help information service and USO work for servicemen. About 90 percent of every dollar raised goes directly to the agencies. The other 10 cents goes to planning, allocating, and campaign expenses. Since 1979, $518,000 has been allocated, according to the campaign brochure. THE PAST TWO YEAR'S campaigns set goals of $150,000. Last year's yield was a

record $100,210. and the previous year's total was $97,000. Byrne said the campaign goal is determined by a pre-campaign questionnaire which asks agencies how much their services will cost. The allocations committee then picks Agencies and bases its goal on their need. . In the event that campaign donations fall below that, he said, no agencies will be cut out of funding. "We keep the (percentage of) allocations to the agencies the same," Byrne said. "The biggest part of their requests are for things they don't do presently. "It's not a cutback in services." he added. "In most cases it's for expansion (of offices, etc.). The United Way only funds about 20 to 60 percent of the agencies' expenses, Byrne said, with the county and other sources paying the balance. Donations may be mailed to United Way of Cape May County, Cape May County Library Building. Cape May Court House, New Jersey 08210. Brochures can be obtained at its office in the basement of that building. (

I In addition to "an extremely inexpen sive" flat rate, according to Goldman. Transtar is "paid" one minute an hour which it sells to national advertisers such as Sears, K-Mart, Pepsi, Ford. "That's the real value to us," he said. WBNJ HAS AN AP news wire and devotes 34 minutes to news eight times a day, on the hour from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. Spread out over international, national, state, local, sports, etc.. that seems to allow for one or two local news items on the hour. Jane Leong of Wildwood. who had worked for KYW in Philadelphia, is the news director The station also updates the weather twice an hour. "This is a weatherconscious county because it is surrounded by water," said Klahr. The station went on the air Sept. 3 with an 18-hour day and expanded to 24 hours on Christmas. "This is a 24-hour area," said Klahr. "People work at night, come home at 4 in the morning. It's a growing round-the-clock area." WBNJ's nine-member staff includes the general manager, news director, operations manager, production manager, business manager, an announcer, and three sales representatives. THE STATION scored a coup last November when it replaced WWOC. the county's leading station according to Ar bitron's most recent ratings last spring, on the Warner- Amex videotext (or "cra\yl") Channel 5. Lriannei

"That made us the audio source directly into 8,000 winter homes and over 300 businesses in Sea Isle City. Strathmere. Avalon, Stone Harbor, and a small part of Swainton." said Klahr. No money changes hands in that arrangement; each simply gets advertising time with the other. "It was their idea." said Klahr. "They apparently were aware of our growth, and contacted me. We were flattered and delighted." The station has used newspaper advertising. billboards and fliers in a chamber of Commerce mailing to make itself known. "WE THINK we're doing well." said Klahr. "The feedback is phenomenal Everywhere we go we hear the station on. The ratings are done in the spring and published in July. We expect to be very highly rated, in the top three at least." There are nine stations serving the county according to the Arbiron ratings. Klahr said the station's "published" rates (as opposed to some negotiating that apparently goes on) are lower than its competitors. It charges $5 for 30 seconds, $7 for 60 seconds, and "to be effective," Klahr said, "one should be on at least a There is a "premium price for premium time." he added. Radio is considered a high-profit industry. after the initial equipment expense. Klahr said the station spent about a quarter of a million dollars for equipment, including the tower "right in the center of the county." With a 3,000-watt signal, it reaches as far as Atlantic City. Mays Lan ding, and Vineland. he said. "THIS BUSINESS is equipmentintensive and people-intensive," he said. "And it requires creative and talented people. We're not manufacturing something; our product is air." Idea for the new station was born when Candida McBride, then of Wilmington. Del., was talking to a friend's husband who used to a lawyer for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). He mentioned the availability of some frequencies, especially for minority owners. "I became interested," said McBride, a native of Guatemala, "because I was aware of the service radio and newspapers could provide." The FCC "determined Cape May Court House was not being served." according to Klahr. and 105.5 was "a frequency available that would not interfere with others." McBRIDE. 52. and her daughter.Monica. 25. a station salesperson, own 85 and 15 percent, respectively, of Canruss Inc. (named for Candida and her husband. Russell, which won FCC approval over four other applicants in late 1984.) "The license is a minority license." explained Mrs. McBride who came to this county in the mid-50s. "There were a couple other women (applicants), but we were two women and Hispanics, a double dipper. Also, our proposal was very professionally done." Her husband is director of management training and career development at IC1 Industries in Wilmington, where they lived 1

i- for 17 years. They have 11 children, 13-26, l. prompting Mrs. McBride's description of r herself as "a working housewife" and "a h fast worker." e Klahr described her as "a community activist. She gets involved in charity afd fairs, to try and help people's lives get a better." 4 "ACTIVIST?" hesitated Mrs. McBride. r "In a conservative community like this. I don't want activist in a negative sense. If 0 activist is assumed to be in a nice way. not g fighting, but looking into ways to solve pron blems and hopefully lessen the effects of racism." r In Wilmington, she said, she was a member of "many, many committees supj porting minority causes, advocates or ser vices and rights of Hispanics and blacks 1 and women. I had to disengage from most i of the committees." she said, "but I am still chairman of the Guatamala. my country. and Wilmington Sister City Commit i tee." a relationship between Wilmington and San Juan Sacapepequez. a Mayan Indian village. > She has been working here, she said, on - a similar effort to link Middle Township in a sister city relationship with Leighton 1 Buzzard. England, where high school students have exchanged since 1976. I The McBride family used to vacation in j i Cape May. she said, and researched the Court House area after learning an FM i frequency was available. She said she visited schools the county library, barber shops and the Bellevue "to assure ourselves whether we could do the job. " I The station originally was going to be located in the Louise Monte home on Hereford Avenue, but its owners backed off after neighbors protested the zoning variance. STATION MANAGER Klahr. 40. was born in Reading and moved to Philadelphia as a teen-ager He enrolled in Templeis communications program but left before graduating when "my career went faster than the degree " lie's two thirds of the way toward a B.A.. he said His first job was in the mailroom at Channel 6 followed by stints as a public service announcement writer there, commercials production at WFIL-AM where he went on to produce talk shows and become assistant production manager in charge of music. He became program director at WFILFM in 1969, went to Boston to be a program director for CBS in 1972. back to Philadelphia in 1975 to be program director at WMGK (which created the popular "magic format" ), to New York City in 1979 as program manager for NBC's WYNYFM. In 1981 he w<jnt with SRB. a North Jersey syndicator to radio stations, and in 1984 to WMID-AM and WLQE-FM in Atlantic City as general manager He came here last July to put WBNJ on the air. His wife. Joyce. workS with the travel and tourism department at the Tropicana. They have four daughters. 7-17. and live in Ocean City. \ Klahr said he likes "all types of music." but has a fondness for rock and roll. He danced on American Bandstand in Philadelphia when he was a high school student in the mid-60s. And Mrs. McBride. although calling Format 41 "pleasant and relaxing," said her preference is jazz. Her favorite, she said, is Woody Herman.

r£i iw Dor,t Ward AT WORK — Station Manager David Klahr with office manager Betty lacono.