A Three Way Country Battle in Indianapolis?

[mvcg66b3r]

From Blaine Thompson of Indiana Radio Watch ([email protected]):

Disney sells their Indianapolis 98.3fm?

In March 2003, Radio One Five Hundred, Inc. sold Religious/WXIR (98.3fm, Plainfield) for $5.75 million to ABC, Inc. The "Radio Disney" format debuted almost 12 years ago, in July 2003.

This afternoon (4/12), RadioInsight reports that iHeart registered the website domain name big983indy.com. Based on prior format moves around the country, that might allude to the country "Big" format branded in Chicago and Pittsburgh. No sale paperwork filed with the FCC yet.

If these rumors become reality, the format will create a three way battle between Cumulus' Country/WFMS (95.5fm, Fishers) and Emmis' Country/WLHK (97.1fm, Shelbyville).

Time to buckle up for turbulence...

 

[Apollo7979]

It makes more sense for iHeart to use 98.3 for its classic hits 'Big' brand to protect Q95 from WJJK.

 

[media1170]

CBS brands some of their oldies/top40 classic "Hits" stations as "Big Oldies". No one on Naptown is running anything close to the format.

 

[media1170]

Any news on what 98.3 is doing?

 

[faaradar]

Radio-info reports they'll be doing country as earlier posts alluded.

 

[media1170]

Found a discussion about 98.3 on Radio Insight. Wow- 3 country stations in Indy!!!!! Imagine, and not one classic hits station for miles and miles. Maybe time for Bill Shirk to come out of retirement.

 

[Hoosierky]

Found a discussion about 98.3 on Radio Insight. Wow- 3 country stations in Indy!!!!! Imagine, and not one classic hits station for miles and miles. Maybe time for Bill Shirk to come out of retirement.

But there is a classic hits station! WZPL HD-2. Great mix of 70's and 80's. That is my station of choice.
See, IF there was promotion from Entercom, they could
Get some listeners for HD. Something on HD you cannot get elsewhere in Indy.
My daughter bought a new car with HD and had no idea what it was.

 

[Hoosierky]

Any news on what 98.3 is doing?

Still Mickey Mouse Radio.

 

[media1170]

We have HD2 in Indy??? Thought is was only good for feeding FM translators.

 

[BostonRandy]

Found a discussion about 98.3 on Radio Insight. Wow- 3 country stations in Indy!!!!! Imagine, and not one classic hits station for miles and miles. Maybe time for Bill Shirk to come out of retirement.

Cumulus' 104.5 WJJK is a classic hits (rock leaning) station. As for oldies, that is a hole in the market that is, barely, attended to by rimshots 97.7 WCLS - Spencer (when it airs WW1's Good Time Oldies and 98.1 WIBN - Earl Park.

 

[Carlos Santana's Guitar]

...not one classic hits station for miles and miles. Maybe time for Bill Shirk to come out of retirement.

Because Shirk's 106.7 WGGR was such an overwhelming success as an oldies station.

 

[media1170]

Was that before or after WGLD?

 

[Carlos Santana's Guitar]

Prior to Gold 104.5. 106.7 was the market's third country station and losing to WFMS and 104.5 The Bear. Emmis flipped Oldies 93 WKLR to 70s hits. Within a week, Bill had taken 106.7 oldies. Even with Jay Reynolds on the air, Oldies 106 dot 7 couldn't gain much traction. They flipped to satellite urban AC a year later.

 

[Hoosierky]

Prior to Gold 104.5. 106.7 was the market's third country station and losing to WFMS and 104.5 The Bear. Emmis flipped Oldies 93 WKLR to 70s hits. Within a week, Bill had taken 106.7 oldies. Even with Jay Reynolds on the air, Oldies 106 dot 7 couldn't gain much traction. They flipped to satellite urban AC a year later.

IIRC, didn't Shirk also start using the WKLR call letters until Emmis
let him know they still had the calls on another station?

 

[Carlos Santana's Guitar]

Second hand story I'd heard was the KLR to NAP call letter change on 93.1 hadn't finalized at the FCC yet. The WKLR Indianapolis legal ID was buried in a spot break on 93.1. Shirk was using WKLR on 106.7 when they were still the legal calls elsewhere.

 

[PTBoardOp94]

Big 98.3 started on Friday.

 

[Hoosierky]

Call letters are WUBG