2.05.2007

 

"Fresh 98.1": The Reaction

Well, I certainly lit a fire under the rear end of radio speculation this weekend. And the funny thing is, anytime within the last two months, you could have been claiming responsibility for this.

First, let me make something clear right off the bat: I have no knowledge of a pending format flip. I'm just a radio geek, who doesn't mean nor wish any harm, and when I come across a unique domain name purchased by a distinguished entity, I just find it very interesting. I'm not out for anyone, nor do I want to see anyone dismissed; in a perfect world, that would never happen to anyone. And keep in mind, had it not been for Ben, WOGL likely wouldn't be on the air in its current state, anyhow. But for the sake of speculation, I brought it to public view. Anyone had the opportunity to sound the alarm, but I seized it.

And no sooner than the blog was posted, there was so much reaction, I may as well have been writing about why I thought the Bears would win the Super Bowl. But seriously, on a weekend, when radio forum traffic is usually light, I must say I'm quite impressed with the feedback that's been churning since my discovery. To give you an idea on what an impact it had: people were starting threads asking which station will "carry the torch" for oldies if and when WOGL flips.

"Those RRRRs" suggests that oldies-cum-sports WPEN would thrive with the format "with WOGL out of the way". I like the way you think, but consider the fact that WOGL has already worked some of the older oldies out of the playlist. Most of the stuff they can get now is on Ben or WMGK or even B101. Therefore, anyone looking for a replacement for WOGL, i.e. those not investing in satellite radio, will most likely gravitate to another FM station, and probably one of the three I mentioned. The AM band is relegated to news, traffic and weather for the big boys, and dollar-a-hollers for the little people. The radio landscape has changed. The days of Musicradio 77 and Wibbage are long gone. People have outgrown listening to music on AM. That's just the way it is. That's why everyone's collective jaw dropped when it discovered WHAT 1340 AM would be switching to an alternative music format. As a format, oldies may eventually "belong" to the AM band like standards, but how much money can you make with it in the long run. Not that I'm making an argument that WOGL's billing is not affable; if they're rakin' it in, great. And if so, stick to your word and commit to the format. This is why domain registrations are brought to the forefront: because in radio, you can never predict what the next step will be. And, as "mwebster" claims, WPEN is making more money with sports than when it was standards. And from what I see, they appear to have a strong listenership building. So things appear to be working out for everybody.

And while I'm at it, let me address some of the feedback I've got from my other discovery - or shall I say, discoveries (see below) regarding the 99.5 frequency. I'm well aware that WXRT is a heritage station in Chicago and that they'd be the last city to get the new AAA "Globe" format. But consider the fact that heritage stations are starting to become a thing of the past. I mean, Clear Channel alone has blown up several heritage stations in the last several months: 96rock, Atlanta; WRDU, Raleigh; WRNO, New Orleans, and so on, and so forth. Heck, CBS even "retired" the WNEW call letters to West Palm Beach, placing them on "B106.3" - I know, typical CBS Radio move. But as some agree with me, CBS Radio has made many questionable moves. And keep in mind the process of elimination: Between Tampa Bay, Detroit and Chicago, the most likely candidate to switch from country would be the Windy City, just like its bigger counterparts on the Left and Right Coasts. WUSN is good, but WQYK and WYCD are so good that they egged on Clear Channel to create competing stations, and I don't think they'd be too keen to pull out now. Meanwhile, is there a major Chicago station trying to eat away at WUSN's huge share?

On the contrary of what one poster writes, I am not "making crap up" - it's just typical radio geek speculation.

2.03.2007

 

Is Philly Fresh-ening Up For 98.1?

It's been exactly one month since the debut of "Fresh 102.7" on the former WNEW-FM in New York. (And I still refuse to dignify their current call letters.)

Shortly after, I predicted on "The Radio Racket" that if the format did well there, CBS Radio might start farming it out to other markets (see: Jack-FM).

Well, lookee here: fresh981.com was registered two months ago by CBS!

They only own one other 98.1 and it's in St. Louis, and I doubt they're going to cut off their nose to spite their face and go up against their own KEZK. Then again, this is CBS we're talking about here...

No other "fresh" domains have been registered by CBS at this time. But perhaps this is the calm before the storm...

But imagine the similarities here: WLTW in New York has long been the "lite music" leader in New York. And people have long been wondering when CBS would finally come up with a worthy competitor to Lite-FM.

The same situation stands in Philadelphia, where B101 is still gangbusters after all these years - not bad for a privately owned station - and if they're going to be intimidated by the likes of WJBR out of Delaware, clearly they're vulnerable.

And everybody knows that WOGL should be a goner today; had it not been for Greater Media's 95.7, you people in Philly would be getting your "adult hits" from Jack and not Ben.

The day is coming, and CBS is waiting to pull the trigger.

Roll those tapes, people.
 

CBS Goes Globe-Trotting... Is Chicago Next?

Perhaps you've heard that CBS has created a new format for their ailing classic rocker WARW. They've changed it to "world class rock" as "94.7 The Globe". The station will also stress environmental issues and stress "green". Wonder who the first DJ is going to be - Kermit the Frog? That chick from "Star Trek"?

Anyway, what's interesting is that CBS also registered "985theglobe.com" and "995theglobe.com" on the same day they registered "947theglobe.com".

The 98.5 stations CBS owns are in Vegas, Cleveland and Boston. It would be easier to convert an existing classic rocker to "world class rock" (also known as AAA) which is what they have in Cleveland on 98.5, but I'd put my money on Boston, since environmentalism is an issue that the Democratic demos can relate to...

As far as the 99.5ers, they own three of them in Chicago, Detroit and Tampa - all country. They've created competitions in the latter two markets with Clear Channel, while they're all alone in Chicago. You're aware that Market No. 1 has had no country station for over a decade, and Market No. 2 lost theirs just last year. With many asking when Market No. 3 will lose their country station, I think they might strike the iron this year if the Globe starts spinning the meters in D.C. They would effectively revamp their AAA format from WXRT - also on 94.7 - on 99.5, making 94.7 - I dunno, Fresh? Ironically, WLIT just rebounded from one of their worst books - below 3! - to bounce back into the top 5, so they're vulnerable...

Also interesting: On that same day, CBS has also registered, for each frequency, domains ending with: theearth.com, thefish.com, themoon.com, thesun.com and theworld.com . For them to go through all that trouble for each frequency, clearly there will be changes for at least one of the other two frequencies somewhere.

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