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View Full Version : Sad, sad news - WOXY.com to end



Rosdower 3.0
09-03-2006, 11:27 AM
WOXY Pulls the Plug

This just in from the "totally sucks" desk: citing financial difficulties, beloved Cincinnati radio institution WOXY announced this week that it will cease operations after a final broadcast on September 15.
For those who grew up savoring the station's unique alternative format on FM since its inception in 1983, to those who caught wind when WOXY went web in 1998 (and web-only in 2004), to anyone seeking a music choice outside the corporate mainstream, the news is very sad indeed.

"This is the moment all of us hoped would never come," wrote station representatives in an official statement. "After plugging away at this for the past two years, it's become pretty clear that operating woxy.com as a stand-alone Internet "radio station" is not going to cut it. Our operating costs are higher than you might think, and the revenue we were able to generate from advertising isn't close to supporting what we're doing. Even membership revenue wasn't enough to get us there. When your business doesn't make money, you eventually go out of business."

They continued, "A radio station is only as big as its listeners make it. We're not BS-ing when we say that you guys, our supporters, are the most amazing people on the planet. THANK YOU. The dedication and enthusiasm you've shown for what we do is staggering and inspiring. Thank you to everyone who stepped up to become a member, generously made a contribution, emailed (spammed) your friends, spread the gospel of woxy.com and-- most of all-- listened."

Read the entire farewell statement on woxy.com.

And while all seems dire, a glimmer of hope remains: last time WOXY was in serious jeopardy (after its FM broadcast license was sold in 2004), a pair of mysterious anonymous investors appeared in the 11th hour to backroll the station's new web format-- these miracles don't happen twice, but if anyone deserves another break, it's WOXY. So if you're some chump kid who just inherited daddy's millions, sell the fleet of Hummers and save one of the nation's most respected radio stations. Please. Do it for the karma. Do it for the kids.

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/page/news/38324/WOXY_Pulls_the_Plug#38324

http://www.woxy.com/

bartleby
03-23-2010, 07:02 AM
Fuck!

Ryan_ZOOM_Turner
03-23-2010, 08:55 AM
Terrible news, hopefully they can figure out a way to come back.



http://pitchfork.com/news/38251-woxy-suspends-live-broadcasts/

WOXY Suspends Live Broadcasts



According to a statement on their homepage, beloved indie-leaning web radio station WOXY has been "forced to suspend our live broadcasts as of March 23rd" due to "current economic realities and the lack of ongoing funding for WOXY's operations."

This isn't the first time WOXY has found itself in financial straits. In May 2004, the station shut down operations, only to be saved at the last minute by anonymous investors, according to their website.

"We're continuing to explore options to keep The Future of Rock and Roll alive," reads the WOXY site.

Posted by Ryan Dombal on March 23, 2010 at 10:50 a.m.

RyanP
03-23-2010, 08:58 AM
Another victim of WKRP. Damn you Dr. Fever!

bartleby
03-23-2010, 09:06 AM
"We're continuing to explore options to keep The Future of Rock and Roll alive," reads the WOXY site.

I wouldn't be fooled by that. Something tells me that message was created by the corporate overlords—similar things happened when Indie 103.1 went down.

Here's what Shiv had to say:


It is absolutely mindboggling to me that I have to sit down and write these words: WOXY.com is being shut down today by our owners at Future Sounds.

Mike, Joe, Brian, and I uprooted our lives to Austin under the belief that we were finally under ownership that would take things at the station to the next level. We also brought on Paige Maguire from here in Austin to help us do things on a promotional and marketing level that hadn’t really been in place for years. Yes, we have been dubbed “zombie radio” in the past after ownership shutdowns and resurrections, but it will take a pretty incredible company/plan coming around now to make me want to stick around at this point (although I guess we have to wait to see if anything shakes out in the days ahead). This time around, we no longer own WOXY and the entire situation is completely out of our hands.

The WOXY staff continued working last week during SXSW under good faith because a deal was “in motion” to continue funding for our operation. We were informed yesterday that that the deal fell through and now it is time for us all to walk away. There will be no farewell shows or weepy goodbyes. Our listeners deserve more than this, but I don’t think any of us on staff have it to give right now. It is, to be perfectly honest, quite a kick in the dick to have this occur again right on the heels of our most successful SXSW ever. But, I guess it would pretty much be a kick in the dick no matter what since we’ve only been living in Austin for *6 MONTHS* and have already had the rug pulled out from underneath us.

Thanks to everybody who has been SO amazing to me and this station over the years. I’ve been on this wild ride now for 12 years. I am thrilled that I have had a part in helping to program this station since 1998 and am incredibly proud of WOXY’s legacy

Jason California
03-23-2010, 09:08 AM
I thought Nick said they were moving to Austin.

bartleby
03-23-2010, 09:08 AM
I thought Nick said they were moving to Austin.

They did. And then got hung out to dry.

Jason California
03-23-2010, 09:17 AM
They did. And then got hung out to dry.

oh.

Nick Spencer
03-23-2010, 09:45 AM
Yeah, this is just unreal. For the record, these guys are friends of mine, I've known them for years. Shiv would come to my bar all the time. They are incredibly nice people, but beyond that, they love music in a profound way and it shows in their work.

They've been pronounced dead so many times I don't even know how to take this. But it seems like things are really, really bad this time. There was so much hope given the big move to Austin, the new studio, staff expansion-- it really felt like things were coming together. It seems like they were screwed over, severely.

I'm hoping some company in Austin will come in and save the day, but it seems really unlikely. Just sucks.

bartleby
03-23-2010, 09:50 AM
But it seems like things are really, really bad this time.

Yeah, this part makes it sound particularly dire:

"This time around, we no longer own WOXY and the entire situation is completely out of our hands."

Artie Pink
03-23-2010, 10:38 AM
That's awful. I hope Mike, Shiv and Joe find a new outlet. WOXY changed my life!

Nick Spencer
03-23-2010, 12:47 PM
People on their board are saying they would need roughly $15 a month from 3000 listeners-it takes about $500k a year or so to run the place. But that's a tall order in the era of free music, I guess. :(

bartleby
03-23-2010, 02:35 PM
As much as I like WOXY, I couldn't see spending nearly $200 a year for it.

Nick Spencer
03-29-2010, 03:22 PM
Based on their boards, there seems to be a glimmer of hope here. Apparently the current owners (FutureSounds) are working on something that might come to fruition this week, with former owner Bill Nguyen (Lala) waiting in the wings with a backup plan. Hope springs eternal, I guess.