This is the third in a series about the author’s experiences helping to launch and operate WDOG(LP) “The Rock Dog.” Read Dan’s first feature in the series, “It’s the People Who Craft a Career in Radio,” and his second, “In New Philadelphia, the ‘L’ in LPFM Stands for Local.”
We continue our “Building Radio” venture by turning our attention to the programming and identity of WDOG(LP), the LPFM station I helped launch in New Philadelphia, Ohio.
First, a quick nod of appreciation: the “Big Dog” is WDOG(FM) in Allendale, S.C. My sincere thanks go out to Good Radio Broadcasting for allowing our “little dog” to use the call letters for our LPFM.
As we all know, branding, marketing and promotion are massive pieces of radio’s success puzzle. Unlike the old days of print media, we aren’t the only game in town, nor are we the only station hitting the local market. It takes exceptional branding and smart programming to stand out.
From a technical standpoint, you want to stand out by delivering a clean, high-quality audio signal. But most importantly, the ultimate differentiator is localism — offering something worth listening to that is genuinely relevant to the audience.
Prior to going on the air in July 2024, a significant amount of research went into finding a format and market position where we could broadcast to a large enough audience. We wanted to ensure we weren’t simply filling the void of “Amish metal polkas.”
To put it another way, programming voids always exist, but do those voids create a legitimate need for a broadcaster? Would sending MP3 players pre-loaded with a customized playlist out to all three listeners of that highly specialized genre justify the expense?
I say this tongue in cheek, but I have always maintained that we are in the broadcast business. Our goal is to capture the largest possible audience to justify the expense and the responsibility of holding an FCC license.
I have encountered tightly targeted narrowcasting formats that I simply couldn’t imagine more than 1% of the total listening audience wanting to hear 24/7. Specialized programming certainly has its place, but it serves the audience best when tucked strategically inside a broader format.
Tuscarawas County’s rock station
After determining that a rock format was wide open in our market — with outside signals failing to penetrate effectively or focus on our local towns — we needed to figure out exactly what kind of rock would work.
Drawing on my own experience at stations like 106.7 KAZY(FM) in Denver, “QFM 96” WLVQ(FM) in Columbus, WONE(FM) in Akron and the former alternative powerhouse WENZ(FM) “The End” in Cleveland, I began digging into what might click.
I leaned heavily on the lessons taught by excellent former program directors and friends in the business — leaders like Ward Holmes, Brian Taylor, Art Wonderlich (the famous “Tiny Tot of the Kilowatt”), Steve Kelly, JD Kunes and Dave Robbins. The core inspiration came from 1980s rock radio, specifically WONE’s unique take on the format.
But to make a station relevant today, I knew it couldn’t just be another tired classic rocker. The format had to go a bit wild and completely untraditional.
While we initially assumed our target demographic would lean heavily male and over 35, the reality turned out to be far more comprehensive. We included the staples — Led Zeppelin, The Cars, Pink Floyd, Crosby Stills & Nash, Supertramp, ELO, Metallica and Bruce Springsteen.
To add that critical “gee-whiz” factor, we sprinkled in unexpected “oh-wow” tracks from The Ramones, Talking Heads, Freshies, The Damned, Oingo Boingo and The Cramps. Finally, to maintain a fresh edge — and because there is an incredible amount of great new rock being made — we added acts like Twenty One Pilots, AJR, Nick Simmons & Evan Stanley, American Hi-Fi and Finger Eleven.
The resulting format is a true kluge of rock that gives listeners maximum variety without causing them to tune out. We now have older rockers asking, “Who is this AJR? They’re really interesting,” while simultaneously discovering 16-year-olds falling in love with everything from the Talking Heads to Zeppelin. It has been a fantastic, unexpected surprise.
Our branding underwent a similar evolution. We actually started out as “Bad Dog Radio.” After some on-air experimentation and testing, we realized it sounded a bit too much like “bad dog radio” — which felt pretty counter-productive. It also gave zero indication of what we actually played. A quick revision gave us “The Rock Dog.”
Because LPFMs operate as non-commercial, non-profit stations, our original mission was built around supporting other local non-profits.
After learning that some commercial stations in the area actually charged non-profits for promotional support, we drew a line in the sand: we will never charge to help another non-profit organization. And given our identity as The Rock Dog, it only felt natural that our deepest support went toward helping our local no-kill animal shelter.
Visuals
Next came the logo. We needed something fun — something far beyond standard call letters plastered next to a generic microphone or tower. Ideally, the logo would be cool enough that people would actually want to display the bumper sticker or buy the t-shirt.
Growing up in Northeast Ohio, I had the ultimate example of a logo listeners would happily pay to wear: the beautifully designed WMMS Buzzard in Cleveland. That legendary bird was the direct inspiration for our Rock Dog character.
I tried a few AI image generators first, but the results lacked soul.
So, I turned to my daughter, Abby, who sketched out a fantastic baseline concept. I then passed her artwork to my friend Don Archiable — a talented architect and broadcast engineer — to refine and advance the design. Through a collaborative process, the final step was transforming the logo into a living, breathing cartoon character.
Our visual journey took us from “Bad Dog” to “The Rock Dog.” The upcoming images show that exact progression.
You will notice that the final three-dimensional cartoon version pays a fun tribute to its origins. Look closely and you will see the original “Bad Dog” design printed right onto The Rock Dog’s own t-shirt!
With the format and branding locked in, the next phase was establishing our on-air audio signature through our liners, sweepers and identifiers. Coming from the old school of rock radio, I was used to the traditional, booming male voice. Wanting to break the mold, I listened to numerous voice talents before deciding to go in a completely different direction: a youthful, female voice.
My 22-year-old daughter, Abby, who has done professional voice work over the years, became the definitive voice of the station. Her sassy, high-energy delivery became the central sound for all our station IDs, liners and musical bridges.
In our next segment, we will shift our focus from programming and branding over to the engineering side of the business.
How do you make a 100-watt LPFM sound like a major-market, Class C flamethrower while retaining the charm of a lovable hometown station? It was a thrilling challenge to create a big-market sound on a very small-market budget.
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