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South 107 moving to 93.5
- Thread starter golden eagles97
- Start date
Indeed. Talk about burying the lead...
OK, let's spin the format wheel...could Cox flank WXKT 103.7 with a cross-metro simul of Chuck FM? Or would Cox do the same with WNGC? Part of me is reluctant to believe that Cox would put/leave another country station in the metro since neither Bull nor Kicks are busting the ratings chart. Is WTSH showing up in the Atlanta numbers at all?
IMNSHO it's been quite obvious that Southern/Women's World has been prepping the station to sell out...and Cox seemed like the most likely buyer (I guess the LMA is an interim move) since Cox already bought Southern's Athens/Gainesville cluster, not to mention the cooperation with Cox on the translator.
I guess the station doesn't overlap WALR 104.1 to trigger any more issues with the joint ownership of the AJC (which seems well on its way to being a non-issue).
Personally, I don't think a new format is going to work. Translators in Atlanta do not have the signal strength to get significant ratings. Yes, WTSH will blast across northwest Georgia and deliver a 60 dbu signal in Marietta, but overall, I bet Cox will be able to add less than a 1% share to the metro ratings the station has now.
I think a much better strategy would be to keep doing what WTSH is doing now. Continue to position it as a northwest Georgia station and take a little audience from Kicks and The Bull. Putting on a new format targeted to Atlanta will cause problems in ratings and sales.
I think a much better strategy would be to keep doing what WTSH is doing now. Continue to position it as a northwest Georgia station and take a little audience from Kicks and The Bull. Putting on a new format targeted to Atlanta will cause problems in ratings and sales.
107.1's future?
I'm thinking the new format will be one of the following:
--Country Gold
--Soft AC / Easy Listening
--Sports
--Christian AC
I probably wouldn't have said "Sports," but for the fact the recent programming moves at WQXI have me suspicious. Might we hear former 790 air talent on 107.1?
As crazy as this sounds, I won't even completely rule out these signals being used to simulcast 750/95.5 WSB!!! 95.5 FM does not exactly have a good signal in areas to the west of Atlanta. If maximizing FM availability of WSB across all of Northern GA is important, this could be a way to accomplish that.
I'm thinking the new format will be one of the following:
--Country Gold
--Soft AC / Easy Listening
--Sports
--Christian AC
I probably wouldn't have said "Sports," but for the fact the recent programming moves at WQXI have me suspicious. Might we hear former 790 air talent on 107.1?
As crazy as this sounds, I won't even completely rule out these signals being used to simulcast 750/95.5 WSB!!! 95.5 FM does not exactly have a good signal in areas to the west of Atlanta. If maximizing FM availability of WSB across all of Northern GA is important, this could be a way to accomplish that.
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U
Unregistered
Guest
It'll be none of the above mentioned formats, press release said the new station will serve socially active young adults, thinking alternative
Doc
I believe it will be variety hits/oldies or Active Rock. Sports would be last on my list of possibilities. I could also see a Rhythmic/CHR format.
A
Avid Listener
Guest
Whatever it is, it will just be another "canned" product that will do little more than divide the audience that listens to other, similar canned formats. The chances of it being anything that will actually cause some interest or excitement for anyone other than industry insiders are slim and none.
Not sports. There's not enough market for 3 stations as it is, and 790 appears to be the odd man out. If anything the former 790 talent will show up at 92.9.
Country gold? Maybe. But it might just be easier/cheaper to simul WNGC. Alternatively, BOTH WNGC and WTSH could go country gold.
AC/BM/EZ? BM/EZ is just about dead as a format. There's a hole for soft AC, but probably not from their location in the NW quad. Although--could 107.1 pick up 98.5 HD2?
Christian AC? Believe it or not, with the big ol' Fish Stick 104.7 gets over to the NW quite well. Not sure if Cox wants to pick a fight with The Fish.
I still think variety hits, maybe as a simul of 103.7. That would flank both River at one end and B98.5 at the other, and free up River to fight 100.5 (and, to a lesser extent, 105.7) more effectively with a more classic rock and not classic hits-based format. It would also put the quietus on any kind of effort by Cumulus to move 98.9 newer and away from "traditional oldies", where 98.9 might then eat into 98.5.
The Beat does not need to be resurrected from the dead. One Hip-Hop station HOT 107.9 is enough.
A
Avid Listener
Guest
If they do a reasonably good job with any format that is already doing well on another station, they'll split that audience and then both stations will fail.
I've seen that happen several times but it's not always the case. Some stations have such listener loyalty that they continue to pull big numbers. They may take a ratings hit for a couple of books but they have recovered.
A
Avid Listener
Guest
In either case, it's a stupid move to challenge an entrenched station by duplicating their format. The challenger will either take down the other station and lose in the process, or the challenged station will survive, and the new challenger still loses. Either way, the chances of any station winning by copying an already successful station in the market are very poor, compared to the chances of carving out a new market niche for themselves.
If you take indicators from other markets that Cox is in, it will likely be Soft AC. Tampa and Miami are doing VERY well. Now, in Atlanta, no matter what format they put in 107.1, it will never be a heavy hitter because of the signal. They will use 107.1 to either A) get a little more of a piece of the pie to sell in combo with their other stations or B) use the signal to keep another competitor out of the top stations in the market.
They might stick with country to help make sure soon-to-be NASH and The Bull stay outside the top stations, but I really think Soft AC is the way to go.
No matter what they do, I dont believe for a second that they don't yet know what format is going on the station. They've known since before they cut this deal. And that's been going on a LONG time. Why do you think the translator is on the WSB tower? And why South 107 was on one of WSB-FM's HD signals? Done deal -- a long time ago.
They might stick with country to help make sure soon-to-be NASH and The Bull stay outside the top stations, but I really think Soft AC is the way to go.
No matter what they do, I dont believe for a second that they don't yet know what format is going on the station. They've known since before they cut this deal. And that's been going on a LONG time. Why do you think the translator is on the WSB tower? And why South 107 was on one of WSB-FM's HD signals? Done deal -- a long time ago.
I think you're mostly right. Unless Cox wants to throw their hat in the already-crowded CHR ring (which doesn't make sense based on how they're positioning B and Kiss, and CHR would cannibalize more than flank), I would guess adult/variety hits (my guess) or soft AC (yours), with alt or active rock as a dark horse. Adult hits would give Cumulus fits.
Project and Bone got killed doing active rock, and Rock100.5 hasn't done well with it either. The question is WHY and could Cox do better.
Now here's an idea. Could 107.1 go alt to fill the forthcoming void from Album 88?
A
Avid Listener
Guest
Good idea in theory, but in actual practice, what made Album 88 so appealing was its large and eclectic playlist. A watered down, tight-playlist commercial version of album 88 would be like expecting the Monkees or the Rutles to be effective replacements for the Beatles.
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