Podcasting Killed the Radio Star. Will Press of Atlantic City Take Advantage?


So, the local newspaper in Atlantic City is smartly getting into pod-casting. Good move.

Not much of a fan of their current foray into 70’s styled TV talk show. See ’30’, which has great content, but it’s more suited to audio…not video.

Any hoo…. I decided to troll, I mean, reach out to the local News / Talk Radio station in Atlantic City. Just had to warn WOND 1400 am of the digital shit storm headed there way.

Couple this new audio threat with the daily beating that we,  ACprimetime.com rains down on WOND.com, we think Longport Media could soon be put on the block…again. Either that, or a little executive house cleaning could be in order. Maybe Press of AC owner Berkshire Hathaway will buy out WOND parent company; Longport Media?

Background: Local radio station ( WOND 1400am ) has a unique, yet short-sighted partnership with their competitor: the Press of Atlantic City.

WOND does not have it’s own news room, staff of reporters or editors. So, to save money and resources, they sought permission to read straight from the local newspaper. In exchange, the declining but still profitable Press of Atlantic City gets round-the-clock radio promotion…. and 2 hours of valuable airtime each day from 4-6pm.

We call that a deal with the devil. A frenemy partnership destined to implode, a dumpster fire waiting to happen.

Here’s the email (with additional updates) that I recently sent to the nice enough…..but digitally deficient, top management of WOND Radio & Longport Media:


Gentlemen…

As we predicted 2 years ago, your news partner, the Press of Atlantic City ( and other papers ) will increasingly leverage podcast technology to the detriment of local news radio stations….like yours. They will take advantage of their substantial news gathering operation, and will pump it thru low-cost podcast and streaming services.

Local newspapers, while on a steady decline, STILL have the most robust newsrooms & news gathering capabilities in any given market. That shiznit is powerful and still has a level of value. Just not in print form anymore.

And as terrestrial RADIO declines: To be clear, over-the-air news / talk RADIO will always have a place in the local media eco-system. But it will no longer be the default, dominant bullhorn. Local radio will no longer control the narrative. Neither will newspaper.

The ad dollars Print & Broadcast outlets have controlled for decades are looking for new homes. Most dollars will make their way to the web, and hyper-local destinations like ACprimetime.com , BrigantineNOW.com and DownbeachBUZZ.com .

On-demand content from The Press of Atlantic City and others is grow exponentially. Text, photo, video & audio.

Online audio or ‘pod-casting’ is just like Radio….only better. This new flavor of competition will have a profound, financial and influencer impact on your radio operations. Bank on that.

Want another prediction? The Press of AC will eventually STOP providing WOND 1400 Radio with their valuable news assets like content, expertise and talent.

This scenario may not happen tomorrow….but it’s coming.  Sooner than you think. Why should the PRESS give WOND RADIO their most valuable asset (NEWS)….in exchange for a piddly-diddly, radio  listening audience…comprised mainly of demos that advertisers really don’t want?

Sure, local advertisers want locals to buy, but what they really want & need…. is the attention of visitors, investors & 2nd homeowners. This group does NOT consume local AC radio or Newspaper. They use and trust web destinations… like www.ACprimetime.com

Sad but true.

The Press of Atlantic City is now officially moving into YOUR space via podcast. Did you take notice of that? Didn’t think so.

Beware the Trojan Horse

Every day, you allow a competitor, a Press of AC employee to use your airwaves to bloviate, report fake news, ignore REAL news, eat, drink, fart, chew, belch, and promote HIS company and HIS advertisers. DUH.

What should WOND Radio do?

Get into their space. In a big way. Throw a few elbows. Tell em’ who’s boss. And for pete’s sake….get a REAL news director who actually gathers the news…..rather than read out of the highly biased, freekin’ paper.

What can Local News Talk Radio do to defend against Newspapers that podcast?  

Develop an ACprimetime.com type site. Yup. A WordPress powered site devoted to keeping taxpayers, visitors, business and investors up to date….via web. Remember, 75% live out of market most of the year.

Make sure everyon of your on-air staff populates that site with local content. Text, audio of their show, pics, blogs, or video.

ACprimetime.com now has 150,000 unique visitors per month. Those are REAL NUMBERS, and they’re growing.

FYI: that awesome number is NOT counting our 5,000+ opt-in email list and our Facebook / Twitter following. It’s also NOT counting our mammoth BrigantineNOW.com & DownbeachBUZZ.com sites.

So, in closing, I’m reaching out to both of you, the leaders of a leading news-talk radio station in Atlantic City. You could go toe to toe with big paper in town…and provide a much needed, alternative source of news. Nothing worse than a one newspaper town. And that’s what AC is.

When your news department simply repeats what’s written in the paper….it kills diversity of thought and it allows for a small set of execs to control the public narrative.

I love local talk / news radio…..Atlantic City & the South Jersey Shore. My 5 month stint on WPG 1450am Radio last year was an eye-opening experience for me. It re-kindled my love for radio….after many years away from it. See www.MelToxic.com

What floored me the most tho, while at WPG Radio: more people listened to my afternoon drive radio show…at a later time…. via an on-demand online podcast….than they did in real-time, on-air.

Please do this market a favor…. get more serious about the FCC Radio license you hold. Keep the paper in check…instead of welcoming that trojan horse. Don’t let a competitor hijack that amazing tool you control called Radio.

WOND can and should play a substantial role in the re-invention of both Atlantic City & Atlantic County. Staff not web savvy? Either teach them, or show em’ the door.

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