WHO radio in decline, Blue Sky on the rise
...and I made a website in Canva (ta da!)
Monday Zoom Link….WHO Ratings….Rob Dillard….Blue Sky….Okoboji Writers’ Retreat…Iowa Writers’ Collaborative
Welcome newcomers! Yesterday, we reached 4,000 subscribers, a milestone number. Lately, any given column has reached between 5 and 6,000 views because folks like you share it with friends (thank you), and we had 68,000 views in the past 30 days. We also added 17 new paid subscribers in that period. These funds support the scholarship program for the Okoboji Writers’ and Songwriters’ Retreat, where 1/3 of the attendees receive some assistance to attend.
These are healthy numbers for a targeted local audience, and I don’t use click-bait schemes, shock, or hatred to reel readers in.
I have published 468 columns since January 28, 2021.
This column is called a potluck because all invited bring something to the table. It also connotes a casual, friendly culture with a little of this and that. We don’t shy away from difficult subjects, but we do so with respect. I use the word ‘we’ because, on most Mondays, I host a Zoom call over the noon hour where any subscriber can join the call and interact with a special guest. I then upload the recording into podcast format so others can listen or read the transcript.
Monday Zoom
This Monday, my guest is a speaker who explains the characteristics of differing generations in the workplace and how best to communicate and motivate them effectively. This is timely as we head into a traditional time of family gatherings with multiple generations present.
Please welcome Dr. Gustavo Grodnitzky. He is a best-selling author and an award-winning keynote speaker who helps businesses grow by enhancing collaboration in the workplace.
Although his subject matter expertise is working with businesses, his teaching applies to all relationships.
Here’s the link for our conversation with Gustavo:
Speaking of numbers….
According to Inside Radio, WHO-AM radio has slid in the ratings war from 6.6 market share in August to 5.1 in October. It's interesting to see the listenership of a News/Talk format go down the month before a presidential election.
That indicates an even further slide from last year when the station had an 8.9 audience share in October, an 8.6 in November, and an 8.8 in December.
Back in the day
I searched Newspapers.com and found this story by Walt Shotwell about my ratings for the WHO morning show. It was published in April 1982. Of course, back then, The Register covered radio rating books, and those of us on the receiving end quaked in anticipation of being the focus of these stories.
In the first six months of my radio debut - with no training, experience, and a phobia of public speaking - my numbers plummeted from the days of the extraordinarily popular and outrageous Susan Bray, who was my friend and predecessor in the morning host chair. Susan pushed me to audition for the role when she headed to Philadelphia, a much bigger market. In that book, my rating was 12.7 - considered ‘grim’ compared to Susan’s high of 22.2.
I dug out of the hole, according to this story. It’s all a blur, including that I went through a phase where I had my hair permed.
Maxwell Schaeffer
I have an inkling of how my friend, Maxwell Schaeffer feels when he looks at the ratings slide since his firing. If we are honest, there is a bit of glee in watching the numbers plummet after departing. I wasn’t fired in my case, but an incoming general manager believed, and I quote, “Broads don’t belong in broadcasting.” He told me I would no longer helm the three-hour, prime-time block but instead do three-minute segments on household hints and consumer affairs (oh, the irony). So, I quit.
Here’s an interview I did with Maxwell in October. In it, he explains what happened when he and his co-host were fired. In his case, the bosses—now located outside of Iowa—wanted them to be angry with each other on air.
Radio talent Maxwell Schaeffer talks about life after being fired from WHO radio
Maxwell Schaeffer is a well-known radio and local theater personality in central Iowa with a career that spans several decades. His longest-running gig was spinning Oldies on Des Moines' KIOA radio station, where he co-hosted the morning show for over 20 years. He later joined WHO Radio, taking over the morning show in 2021 with co-host Amy Sweet after…
A Real Loss: Rob Dillard
Rob Dillard was the producer during those days at WHO. He booked guests, screened calls, and helped guide the show.
Rob, who was creative, smart, and passionate, belonged in the spotlight. While working for Iowa Public Radio, he was a fixture in the local community theater scene and on air for IPR. Although our paths went in different directions after we worked together, when I moved back to Des Moines, I had the pleasure of reconnecting with Rob and his life partner, Karen Wendt, through our mutual friends.
Rob died of pancreatic cancer this month, a real shock to all who knew and loved him. More: The Des Moines Register.
Blue Sky
Thousands are fleeing Elon Musk’s social media platform he calls X (formerly Twitter) and joining Blue Sky.
Why? Besides the fact that Elon Musk owns it? If you must ask, you must not be on X.
Musk reportedly tried to buy Substack and, thankfully, was turned down (knowing what a mass exodus from Substack there would be).
I’ve been on Blue Sky for a few days, and it feels nice. X has become trashier and full of botts, bullies, and people I would not follow under any circumstance, yet there they are in my news feed. Musk viewed Substack as a threat and throttled links to Substack columns, thus halting how we writers got our work to a broader audience.
Popular Substack columnist
reported that she deleted her X account and 150,000+ followers and relocated to Blue Sky. and are on the new platform, too. All three are heroines to me.The Notes section on Substack is a most congenial way to communicate with an exclusive population. Still, Blue Sky can potentially broaden our reach beyond writers and subscribers.
Both are good, and X is bad.
Join us on Blue Sky. And, here on Notes.
My two Blue Sky handles: juliegammack.bsky.social or iowawriters.bsky.social
See you there?
Okoboji Writers’ and Songwriters’ Retreat
It’s time to start thinking about a big present for a close friend or loved one.
Why not send them to the Okoboji Writers’ and Songwriters’ Retreat?! They’ll be forever grateful, and it will be a gift that keeps on giving. Make it even more special by going with them.
I am in the early stages of booking speakers and building the website, so keep refreshing this site in the coming weeks as new speakers are added:
Then, use this link to enroll a friend or loved one in what promises to be a life-enhancing experience.
The Iowa Writers’ Collaborative is Going Strong!
We recently added
and to our roster! Zachary will cover Iowa politics in podcast format in his Substack column and through his role with Iowa Starting Line. Joan will return to her roots as a newspaper columnist in her new online column, which will also appear in the Storm Lake Times and Pilot Tribune.Did you miss the roundup last week?
Re: WHO. The mind-numbing dreck that WHO serves (from the morning propaganda fest to the evening chortling British dude) may be responsible for lowering the Iowa IQ by at least 25%. When Limbaugh was allowed to pollute Iowa airwaves, it was only a matter of time b4 we’d end up here. Sad and disgusting.
Great column this morning, Julie, thank you. Welcome to Blue Sky! It is a much more friendly place to be and we all need that these days. I had forgotten that you had a show on the radio. You are fearless 💪🏻!