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660 WXQW flips to news/talk
- Thread starter tomservo
- Start date
With the 2016 elections coming up, you don't think a couple talk translators are a good idea?
660 hasn't had success as a stand alone in 10-15 years?
... or could this just be Cumulus clearing their own shows in the Mobile DMA in preperation for iHeart to pull their shows from WCOA and launch Mobile-Pensacola talk with Rush on 96.1 while moving the Rocket to a translator?
What type of tin foil makes the best hats?
660 hasn't had success as a stand alone in 10-15 years?
... or could this just be Cumulus clearing their own shows in the Mobile DMA in preperation for iHeart to pull their shows from WCOA and launch Mobile-Pensacola talk with Rush on 96.1 while moving the Rocket to a translator?
What type of tin foil makes the best hats?
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Groove1670
Guest
WRKH pulls great numbers in their demo. WNTM has decent numbers. The 660 is long overdue for its own format. I'm sure this is part of the national reorganization. Taking dormant signals and doing something with them will be part of their reoraganization plan. The new corporate team is allowing more decisions on a local level. The hiring of a new PD for WABD and the changes at 660 are probably part of the new leadership. Looking at the shows on the schedule (levin, valentine, etc) they should of had clearence in the Mobile market a long time ago.
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Interesting take on the workings of the "new Cumulus" there Groovy. I never expected the new corporate management to allow or encourage any changes in Mobile/Pensacola. Nash has already killed 102.7, so I hoped that might go away. I do worry about the live/local air talent at WKSM 99Rock in FWB.
Does Cumulus have any talk stations that only carry Cumulus/Westwood 1 syndicated programs? In the south? Does iHeart have any Premeir programming only stations in the south?
I'm thinking about the iHeart story from earlier this year where they launched a talk AM apparently just to keep Rush and the boys on the air in Boston.
Right now Cumulus's News/Talk stations in P'cola and FWB carry about 4 hours a day of local programming and mostly Premeir syndicated shows.
Cumulus Pensacola has room to add another station to their portfolio. I wonder if the "new Cumulus" might look to buy someone like WEBY and load it down with Westwood 1 syndicated shows.
Or if Clear Channel might buy a Pensacola translator and use WTKX-HD2 to feed an all Premeir talk format to P'cola?
It's kinda weird that no 100kw stations in Mobile or Pensacola are due for a format change. I only suggested 96.1 for a talk flip because Classic Rockers are dying nationwide and I have a feeling iHeart is over committed to CHR so I don't see Kiss 107.3 going away anytime soon.
I suppose a wild card could be locally owned 98.7. Gotta assume the right money would buy it.
Does Cumulus have any talk stations that only carry Cumulus/Westwood 1 syndicated programs? In the south? Does iHeart have any Premeir programming only stations in the south?
I'm thinking about the iHeart story from earlier this year where they launched a talk AM apparently just to keep Rush and the boys on the air in Boston.
Right now Cumulus's News/Talk stations in P'cola and FWB carry about 4 hours a day of local programming and mostly Premeir syndicated shows.
Cumulus Pensacola has room to add another station to their portfolio. I wonder if the "new Cumulus" might look to buy someone like WEBY and load it down with Westwood 1 syndicated shows.
Or if Clear Channel might buy a Pensacola translator and use WTKX-HD2 to feed an all Premeir talk format to P'cola?
It's kinda weird that no 100kw stations in Mobile or Pensacola are due for a format change. I only suggested 96.1 for a talk flip because Classic Rockers are dying nationwide and I have a feeling iHeart is over committed to CHR so I don't see Kiss 107.3 going away anytime soon.
I suppose a wild card could be locally owned 98.7. Gotta assume the right money would buy it.
If you search for the Jacobs Media report you'll see that classic rock is having its best year ever in the PPM era.
Cool!
Regionally (AL, MS, LA, FL, and GA) it seems like many Classic Rockers have been flipping to Classic Hits/Variety Hits. I know people are listening, I was assuming advertisers weren't as interested in the aging format?
Are you suggesting that the PPM technology is giving a better representation of the audience or that a Classic Rock is making a resergence?
No, I just limited... as many do... any top 50 market analysis to the PPM era because the differences in measurement make comparisons somewhat invalid.
Didn't we have most of those on WCOA-FM (100.7) when it was attempting to be a full power FM talker?
To be honest, I never listened long enough to even get a grasp of what programming they did carry, but I know it wasn't necessarily the same as what was on the AM.
I do wonder how often the different market managers speak to each other… and whether there are plans afoot now that WGOK is alone to pair it with a translator after the (supposedly) good results WAGG has gotten from being on FM in Birmingham.
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Groove1670
Guest
Cumulus does not have any translators in the Mobile market, all the translators are spoken for. WGOK is a heritage gospel station with decent numbers (and a loyal following), and has no trouble standing on its own. Levin, Valentine, etc in Mobile will look good to potential advertisers as another top 100 market added for clearance, and is probably another reason for this change. I don't see many local clients jumping on board at first. They have also cleared their CBS sports network for weekends, and Doug Stephens good day aired on WABB AM for many years (he did the show there a few times).
100.7 didn't carry any of the Premeir shows that WNTM carried in Mobile. Most of the simucast shows were on 106.5 in Mobile. The station was a real puzzle from the beginning, probably because it was just a placeholder with no future talk plans. They only real simulcast was the 1370 morning show.
Still have to wonder if Cumulus put talk on 100.7 because they believed iHeart was about to launch talk on 107.3. That was also the time when Cumulus was threatining to drop Rush from all their stations.
Still have to wonder if Cumulus put talk on 100.7 because they believed iHeart was about to launch talk on 107.3. That was also the time when Cumulus was threatining to drop Rush from all their stations.
If you know who has spoken for the unbuilt translators, please share that information! It isn't the stations listed as parents on the permits.
WHIL has no need for a translator, and has no plans to install HD to feed one. A source at WZEW says they never gave permission to Edgewater to use their station as a placeholder on the application. So, if you know the secrets of these things, I'm all ears.
FWIW, WAGG was a solid performer, too. Top rated AM. Still got a translator.
Groovy apparently doesn't want to tell us.
6 or 7 translators are still unloved: 92.5, 96.5, 96.9, 99.5, 101.1 106.9, and possibly 99.5 in Citronelle is still in Mobile's future.
I assume one or two are going to carry Air1.
I had assumed WGOK would get one translator, but Groovy doesn't think so and he knows best.
I assume 99.5 will eventually take WNTM. A second translator in South Baldwin for WNTM would be cool, but nothing is available now.
I also expect iHeart to launch a second urban, likely classic hip hop or perhaps Gospel to compete with WGOK.
96.5 and 96.9 make for a good Mobile/Eastern Shore music simulcast. What format?
106.9 logically goes to WABF, but with what format? WABF isn't likely to stick with standards on FM. This may be the Eastern Shore's new "local" station.
I also expect someone to put sports on at least one translator.
Do you think I might be right about any of these predictions, Groovy?
6 or 7 translators are still unloved: 92.5, 96.5, 96.9, 99.5, 101.1 106.9, and possibly 99.5 in Citronelle is still in Mobile's future.
I assume one or two are going to carry Air1.
I had assumed WGOK would get one translator, but Groovy doesn't think so and he knows best.
I assume 99.5 will eventually take WNTM. A second translator in South Baldwin for WNTM would be cool, but nothing is available now.
I also expect iHeart to launch a second urban, likely classic hip hop or perhaps Gospel to compete with WGOK.
96.5 and 96.9 make for a good Mobile/Eastern Shore music simulcast. What format?
106.9 logically goes to WABF, but with what format? WABF isn't likely to stick with standards on FM. This may be the Eastern Shore's new "local" station.
I also expect someone to put sports on at least one translator.
Do you think I might be right about any of these predictions, Groovy?
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Groove1670
Guest
There is a glut of translators. As someone said, one is currently for sale now. What was proposed 3 months ago, changes day by day. Goforth is the latest to make additional moves. Since there has been rumblings of the FCC 250 mile waiver. I predict the landscape will change again if this is approved. Some of these properties could move to Birmingham, New Orleans, etc.
Programming will take a back seat if this proposal is approved. And many changes on the Alabama Media Page.
Programming will take a back seat if this proposal is approved. And many changes on the Alabama Media Page.
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There is however a lot of crossover of WRKH and WTKX both in Mobile and Pensacola with music selection. A lot of the same music is played on the same. I wonder if one them will have to plug and pull one of them... Perhaps 96.1 is the best choice to move Classic Rock to 107.3 and KISS FM to 96.1 to have a better advantage of competing with 97.5. Maybe this is all to hypothetical but If Classic Hits on 100.7 don't work, most likely they will see News/Talk back on that dial.
Huh. This site just ate my last post.
To recap, I was saying I can't see iHeart putting rock & classic rock (with their overlapping playlists) on two Pensacola market signals, even though getting Kiss FM on a bigger stick in Mobile would probably not be a bad idea.
Also, I hope classic hits works for Cumulus on 100.7, I like it a lot better than The Rocket.
To recap, I was saying I can't see iHeart putting rock & classic rock (with their overlapping playlists) on two Pensacola market signals, even though getting Kiss FM on a bigger stick in Mobile would probably not be a bad idea.
Also, I hope classic hits works for Cumulus on 100.7, I like it a lot better than The Rocket.
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Groove1670
Guest
The rocket is Classic Rock. Jet is classic hits. Jet plays many pop titles that you won't hear on the Rocket. They share some songs, but there is a difference.
WTKX is a whole different animal. The crossover songs with the Rocket is about 10% (if that).
WTKX is a whole different animal. The crossover songs with the Rocket is about 10% (if that).
I don't listen to TK much but I'm surprised how much older rock they play as I'm scanning by. GnR, Ozzy, I've even heard Rush a few times on there.
I like classic rock (until it burns me out) but there's too much newer music that I don't like in the genre now, as it ages with the listeners. Nothing turns me off a classic rocker faster than hearing GnR, U2 or something else from the 80s mixed in. I know that's normal these days but I am weird about the format.
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