Does Anybody Agree With Me That 'WKRP in Cincinnati' Could NEVER Be Remade?? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Brian Damage · 02-19-2011, 11:33 PM

In my own opinion, "WKRP" could never be made again. The primary reason, radio is a dead format. Radio just isn't what it was back in the 70's & early 80's. Anybody agree with me?

dakert · 02-20-2011, 12:39 AM

I remember back in the 70s, us kids would have our older sister Cathy (She loved talking on the phone) call into the radio station and dedicate "HeartBeat-Its-A-LoveBeat" by The DeFranco Family to Cathy, David, Jim, Bob and Lois.
One thing about the radio in the olden days is that there really was something for everyone--and we all watched WKRP

Yooch · 02-20-2011, 01:05 AM

Yes, I agree with you, partly for a different reason: I just don't think (so I've heard) that small radio stations are structured the same nowadays: they have fewer employees, and the jobs there are not as delineated or compartmentalized as they are on WKRP (a great show, btw). We have a small AM station in my city, a satellite broadcasting station (satellite in this case to mean not the main station which is like 30 miles away). This particular station in my city operates out of a rented space upstairs in a rented office. There is one, sometimes two employees at most at any given times, i.e., the DJ him or herself, plus the person coming on for the next shift. Nothing like the different departments: News, weather, sports, etc., like you see on WKRP.

For the other part, I completely agree with you. It does seem to be a dying format, especially AM radio which I have loved since I was six years old. Dakert, I think you're right. There used to be something for everybody. The transmission radius used to be much, much better. Now I will be listening to a program on AM, and by 4 or 5pm, the signal is either so weak or there is so much static you can't even hear the rest of the show. The other thing is that half the AM dial isn't even in English: I can get Mandarin, Spanish, etc. I don't mean it as a racist statement: don't get me wrong. Stations make money by tailoring their programming for their desired listenership. The point I am making is what dakert said earlier and which I referred to about the limited variety. I am so tired of going up and down the dial, to listen to a guy who's conversed with space aliens here, to a Vitamin huckster there, to a religious nut somewhere else (I'm a devout Christian, but some of these guys are 'off the wall'). Here's to a resurgence of good radio once again. Good thread, Brian!

Brian Damage · 02-20-2011, 01:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yooch

Yes, I agree with you, partly for a different reason: I just don't think (so I've heard) that small radio stations are structured the same nowadays: they have fewer employees, and the jobs there are not as delineated or compartmentalized as they are on WKRP (a great show, btw). We have a small AM station in my city, a satellite broadcasting station (satellite in this case to mean not the main station which is like 30 miles away). This particular station in my city operates out of a rented space upstairs in a rented office. There is one, sometimes two employees at most at any given times, i.e., the DJ him or herself, plus the person coming on for the next shift. Nothing like the different departments: News, weather, sports, etc., like you see on WKRP.

For the other part, I completely agree with you. It does seem to be a dying format, especially AM radio which I have loved since I was six years old. Dakert, I think you're right. There used to be something for everybody. The transmission radius used to be much, much better. Now I will be listening to a program on AM, and by 4 or 5pm, the signal is either so weak or there is so much static you can't even hear the rest of the show. The other thing is that half the AM dial isn't even in English: I can get Mandarin, Spanish, etc. I don't mean it as a racist statement: don't get me wrong. Stations make money by tailoring their programming for their desired listenership. The point I am making is what dakert said earlier and which I referred to about the limited variety. I am so tired of going up and down the dial, to listen to a guy who's conversed with space aliens here, to a Vitamin huckster there, to a religious nut somewhere else (I'm a devout Christian, but some of these guys are 'off the wall'). Here's to a resurgence of good radio once again. Good thread, Brian!

Well said by the BOTH of you! The days of personalities like Wolfman Jack, Cousin Brucie and the like are long gone.

Yooch, you are 100% right, I worked in a few radio stations and you basically have skeleton crews working 24/7. It is sad really.

MickeyMac · 02-20-2011, 02:12 PM

I agree. I am in radio, and you could never do a show like this again. With the exception of college and free form radio, most radio stations have playlists (which is why you hear the same songs over and over again).

catlover79 · 02-20-2011, 02:51 PM

Count me in!! The "ayes" have it!!!

Retro4Life · 02-20-2011, 04:10 PM

I agree with everyone, and would add another reason. You'd never get the same chemistry that you did in the original show; those actors are just irreplaceable.

Mr. Television · 02-20-2011, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Retro4Life

I agree with everyone, and would add another reason. You'd never get the same chemistry that you did in the original show; those actors are just irreplaceable.

I agree. They tried a new version of the show in the early 90's and it was awful. The only good thing was seeing some of the original cast.

Miss Lisa · 02-21-2011, 11:43 PM

Besides the reasons that everyone else has listed about how the radio format has changed, casts just don't seem to have the same chemistry with each other anymore. The people on this show acted like a believable family. Today that would be too hard for anyone to pull off. Actors just seem to have too big of egos or something where they just cannot believably get along and care about each other.

Retro4Life · 02-21-2011, 11:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Miss Lisa

Besides the reasons that everyone else has listed about how the radio format has changed, casts just don't seem to have the same chemistry with each other anymore. The people on this show acted like a believable family. Today that would be too hard for anyone to pull off. Actors just seem to have too big of egos or something where they just cannot believably get along and care about each other.

Good point. I think that the idea of an ensemble is totally undermined anymore by the desire of most of the casts to be the "star". Being a character actor or second (or third) banana is a real art, one that most modern actors don't seem to possess.

catlover79 · 02-22-2011, 12:17 PM

Agreed. Ensemble comedies seem to be just a thing of the past.

Dr. Thong · 02-22-2011, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stuck In The '70's

I agree. They tried a new version of the show in the early 90's and it was awful. The only good thing was seeing some of the original cast.

Agreed.

missy's pop pop · 12-21-2013, 12:14 AM

To the original question, Brian--right on, bro'! Could and SHOULD NEVER have been remade.

To those of you who grew up in the 1960s and 1970s, especially in the Chicago area, "Larry Lujack" was synonymous with personality radio at "89-WLS" and, even earlier, "Super CFL." He died earlier this week in New Mexico. It's a safe bet that millions of wannabe disc jockeys who grew up in this era were trying to imitate the self-proclaimed "Superjock" with his cynical, smart-@$$ delivery on the air.

Lujack was one of the few personality jocks from the midwest who would rank nationally with Cousin Brucie, Don Imus, Wolfman Jack, etc. And you'll notice even these guys are no longer disc jockeys (the Wolfman of course has passed away), and gone on to other formats, in no small part thanks to program directors and general managers finding it less expensive to pay big bucks for live jocks.

It's easier to pay for someone back-announcing the songs (or even now referring you to your website if you missed the title of that song you loved in 1968)...and there is no way that a show like "WKRP in Cincinnati" could be produced today...nobody would believe there was ever radio like this even 35 years ago!

Retro4Life · 12-21-2013, 05:06 PM

Yeah, I remember "Uncle Lar'" and "Little Tommy" when they were at WLS in the 70s and 80s. Played a ton of good music and had some good laughs, too. If you were anywhere near Chicago, you had to know these two!

RIP Larry.

oldschool59 · 01-10-2019, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Damage

In my own opinion, "WKRP" could never be made again. The primary reason, radio is a dead format. Radio just isn't what it was back in the 70's & early 80's. Anybody agree with me?

I totally agree with you. Radio is dead along with print media. The machine now is the programmer. The listener has so many choices to choose from so why radio? Who needs advertising and other overhead expenses?
Digital changed the world, and not exactly for the betterment of it.
Give me the 70's over todays world any day.

02-19-2011, 11:33 PM	#1
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,108	Does Anybody Agree With Me That 'WKRP in Cincinnati' Could NEVER Be Remade?? In my own opinion, "WKRP" could never be made again. The primary reason, radio is a dead format. Radio just isn't what it was back in the 70's & early 80's. Anybody agree with me?
	__________________ The Key to the Kingdom of Heaven: John 3:3 *Money Doesn't Buy Happiness...But I'd Rather Cry in My Private Jet*

02-20-2011, 01:05 AM	#3
Yooch Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 07, 2006 Location: California Posts: 3,181	Yes, I agree with you, partly for a different reason: I just don't think (so I've heard) that small radio stations are structured the same nowadays: they have fewer employees, and the jobs there are not as delineated or compartmentalized as they are on WKRP (a great show, btw). We have a small AM station in my city, a satellite broadcasting station (satellite in this case to mean not the main station which is like 30 miles away). This particular station in my city operates out of a rented space upstairs in a rented office. There is one, sometimes two employees at most at any given times, i.e., the DJ him or herself, plus the person coming on for the next shift. Nothing like the different departments: News, weather, sports, etc., like you see on WKRP. For the other part, I completely agree with you. It does seem to be a dying format, especially AM radio which I have loved since I was six years old. Dakert, I think you're right. There used to be something for everybody. The transmission radius used to be much, much better. Now I will be listening to a program on AM, and by 4 or 5pm, the signal is either so weak or there is so much static you can't even hear the rest of the show. The other thing is that half the AM dial isn't even in English: I can get Mandarin, Spanish, etc. I don't mean it as a racist statement: don't get me wrong. Stations make money by tailoring their programming for their desired listenership. The point I am making is what dakert said earlier and which I referred to about the limited variety. I am so tired of going up and down the dial, to listen to a guy who's conversed with space aliens here, to a Vitamin huckster there, to a religious nut somewhere else (I'm a devout Christian, but some of these guys are 'off the wall'). Here's to a resurgence of good radio once again. Good thread, Brian!
	__________________ "The true meaning of America, you ask? It's in a Texas rodeo, in a policeman's badge, in the sound of laughing children, in a political rally, in a newspaper...In all these things and many more, you'll find freedom. And freedom is what America means to the world. And to me." --Audie Leon Murphy June 20, 1924-- May 28, 1971

02-20-2011, 02:51 PM	#6
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,376	Count me in!! The "ayes" have it!!!
	__________________ "Jesus loves you and He approves this message." "I'm alive. I'm feeling good. I'm trying to live every moment as much as I can." - Valerie Harper, March 2013

02-20-2011, 04:10 PM	#7
Retro4Life Accept No Substitutes Forum Veteran Join Date: Feb 04, 2009 Location: IL Posts: 6,706	I agree with everyone, and would add another reason. You'd never get the same chemistry that you did in the original show; those actors are just irreplaceable.
	__________________ Alex Reiger :[Trying to convince Louie not to antagonize Bobby] "It's not hard to make people feel bad about their lives. What's hard is making people feel good about their lives."

02-21-2011, 11:43 PM	#9
Miss Lisa Member Senior Member Join Date: Jan 08, 2005 Location: My very own Green Acres Posts: 1,113	Besides the reasons that everyone else has listed about how the radio format has changed, casts just don't seem to have the same chemistry with each other anymore. The people on this show acted like a believable family. Today that would be too hard for anyone to pull off. Actors just seem to have too big of egos or something where they just cannot believably get along and care about each other.
	__________________ TEAM COCO ~♥~"No matter how big or soft or warm your bed is, you still have to get out of it."~♥~ - Grace Slick http://deviantrose112.posterous.com/

02-20-2011, 12:39 AM	#2
dakert Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: May 10, 2007 Location: Altoona PA Posts: 3,410	I remember back in the 70s, us kids would have our older sister Cathy (She loved talking on the phone) call into the radio station and dedicate "HeartBeat-Its-A-LoveBeat" by The DeFranco Family to Cathy, David, Jim, Bob and Lois. One thing about the radio in the olden days is that there really was something for everyone--and we all watched WKRP

02-20-2011, 02:12 PM	#5
MickeyMac Member Forum Star Join Date: Jun 18, 2008 Location: Kalamazoo, Michigan Posts: 19,004	I agree. I am in radio, and you could never do a show like this again. With the exception of college and free form radio, most radio stations have playlists (which is why you hear the same songs over and over again).

02-22-2011, 12:17 PM	#11
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,376	Agreed. Ensemble comedies seem to be just a thing of the past.

12-21-2013, 12:14 AM	#13
missy's pop pop Hooray for "Hazel!" Frequent Poster Join Date: Nov 19, 2013 Location: St. Louis Posts: 396	Anyone see that Larry Lujack died? To the original question, Brian--right on, bro'! Could and SHOULD NEVER have been remade. To those of you who grew up in the 1960s and 1970s, especially in the Chicago area, "Larry Lujack" was synonymous with personality radio at "89-WLS" and, even earlier, "Super CFL." He died earlier this week in New Mexico. It's a safe bet that millions of wannabe disc jockeys who grew up in this era were trying to imitate the self-proclaimed "Superjock" with his cynical, smart-@$$ delivery on the air. Lujack was one of the few personality jocks from the midwest who would rank nationally with Cousin Brucie, Don Imus, Wolfman Jack, etc. And you'll notice even these guys are no longer disc jockeys (the Wolfman of course has passed away), and gone on to other formats, in no small part thanks to program directors and general managers finding it less expensive to pay big bucks for live jocks. It's easier to pay for someone back-announcing the songs (or even now referring you to your website if you missed the title of that song you loved in 1968)...and there is no way that a show like "WKRP in Cincinnati" could be produced today...nobody would believe there was ever radio like this even 35 years ago!

12-21-2013, 05:06 PM	#14
Retro4Life Accept No Substitutes Forum Veteran Join Date: Feb 04, 2009 Location: IL Posts: 6,706	Yeah, I remember "Uncle Lar'" and "Little Tommy" when they were at WLS in the 70s and 80s. Played a ton of good music and had some good laughs, too. If you were anywhere near Chicago, you had to know these two! RIP Larry.