SPIRIT OF THE RADIO ( PART 5 ) WLRS LOUISVILLE
It wasn’t in a giant market, didn’t have big media ownership or a big signal, but man, did they ever over-deliver! It was a 3,000 watt station beaming from an apartment building, run by a sister and brother in Louisville, a town more known for bourbon and baseball bats than rock n roll. The station was WLRS, frequently and lovingly called “The Walrus” and it is a great American local radio success story.
Louisa Henson was the co owner and General Manager. Staffers often referred to the call letters as “Louisa’s Radio Station” though they actually stood for ‘ Louisville Radio School.” Louisa, assisted by her brother Ed, operated the station like a family and those values created a strong bond with staff that you could clearly sense on the air. It was 180 degrees from the often cold disconnection of corporate radio.
I met Louisa at some ABC FM sales meetings. ABC FM was an ad rep firm that focused on the emerging genres of FM rock radio. We had a few meetings and it was off to the races.
WLRS was a ‘complete’ radio station. The kind of client we loved. They would take our blueprint, and execute to the max. Even the smallest idea was localized, buzzed up and maximized which helped inspire their own ideas. They manufactured good rock n roll magic that Louisville was proud of. Their merchandising put many large market giants to shame. From belt buckles to bandanas, they nailed it and the result was a high visibility that mobilized its fans, not to mention their annual promotions like the lighting of the bridge spanning the Ohio river, or their series of Homegrown and Live albums and $1.02 concerts ( they were 102 on the dial...duh) not to forget a stoned looking Walrus back in the mascot era. Louisville knew this was their own station. This was local radio done right.
While WLRS didn’t have the Industrial swagger of a LOOP or WMMR, nor the rock tinged earthiness of KISW or KFOG, they had a district vibe that completely matched that of the city. Kind of a homeyness to it, presented by a staff that included names including Drake Hall, Terry Mieners, Ron Clay, and Mick Dolan.
The station really hit its stride when Lee Masters joined as program director. Lee aka Jarl Mohn obviously went on to greatness, running MTV, E! And most recently as CEO of NPR. Lee brought a whole new level of intellect to the mix. It was a joy to have him there as even then you knew he was special. A former top 40 jock at the famed WAKY, he was the type of PD we loved. Top 40 discipline, but went home and probably listened to Jethro Tull albums. A high IQ/Low BS guy who expertly balanced programming smarts, business sense and a love of life.
Musically, Lee/Jarl raised the bar and generated a well focused sound, but one that was flexible. A classic example of that is when he noticed a song getting big requests on a Monday. It was Mediterranean Sundance by Al DiMeola. Amazing guitar player, but “huh?” Found out they played that track on their Sunday night fusion show and it popped. Became a huge song for them that we exported to many of our clients. It as a blistering guitar pice that remains one of the most stunning pieces of guitar music ever made. And it sounded, well, cool next to Pink Floyd!
While their facilities were competent if a bit spartan, they put a high priority on production. Not the ballsy “ we rock harder” cliches, but well written and extremely localized in sound, attitude and wording. Together with focused music, sweeping promotional visibility, a strong visual identity and engaged talent, they had the basics of winning down to a spontaneous science.
My favorite moment for WLRS didn’t happen in Louisville. It happened in Beltsville, Maryland. I was at Arbitron headquarters to look at the completed diaries for the Taft stations we were working with ( at the time they were WDVE, WGRQ, KYYS and WLVQ). Slogging through ratings diaries fueled on coffee I had to take a bathroom break and ambled past an office. Figured I’d check if any client rating books were released that day. Louisville was hot off the press so they gave me a peek before any stations even saw it. Holy Shit!! They were NUMBER ONE with a 12.8. I checked three times and yep, 12.8. #1 12+. Ok, I could picture those numbers at a WHAS AM powerhouse, but little ole WLRS??!! I immediately called Louisa who thought it was a cruel joke...nope, she finally bought it and while I was sequestered in a Maryland Marriott, I’m sure there was one hell of a party that night in Louisville. We usually do,I acted 18-34/44 but 12+ ?!
My trips to Louisville were always fun. Usually did the corridor from WKQQ in Lexington, Louisville, then up to WFBQ in Indy. Louisa was a hard nosed businesswoman but after hours was a good laugh. Good restaurants and some craziness. She had a CB in her car and we’d spend hours terrorizing truck drivers while plying the interstate. You had to be there, but it was classic. Then there was the time Bob Pittman visited Jarl and ended up losing his car, never to be found. I’ll stop there, but suffice to say there were some memorable times.
Over the years WLRS changed hands and formats, but during that long stretch they defined what a focused well run local station could deliver. On paper, they were doomed against high power, well heeled competitors, but these guys had moxie...they had “it”. And ‘it’ wins every time.