I think our big problem was always 2 fold, even though people disagreed with me the tournys always died so I could'nt be too far off.
A. once a week is too much, make it a special occasion and hype it up. A sponser would do wonders even if they only kicked in a small bit of cash. That would get more exposure and players.
B. Make the buy in 5-10 bucks. When you make the buy in 20 bucks many rec players shy away, that could easily be 1/5th of what they have on a site. Personally I'd go 10, right in the middle of a decent amount to win if the turnout is right and cheap enough everyone can get in