• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Savannah: WGCO Flips To Top 40 As Hot 98.3 Tomorrow

FilmCritic3K

FilmCritic3K

https://radioinsight.com/headlines/168614/dick-stunting-to-something-hot-in-savannah/

Well, well, well, it looks like Dick Broadcasting is making their first move after recently acquiring Alpha Media's Savannah stations (though the LMA is still in effect through next year).

http://www.hot983savannah.com

The newly christened Hot 98.3 is using the positioned "All The Hits", and launches with the usual commercial-free 10,000 songs in a row.

It'll be interesting to see what type of Top 40 station this will be. What lean does WAEV have? And what are the chances WGCO will wage war on WAEV's longtime format dominance? Will this be the battle of the 100,000 watt sticks?
 
They would be smart to have a slight pop/rock/alt lean like WAEV had when it was locally programmed. I believe WAEV just runs the iHeart Premium Choice "Hit Nation" logs, which are straight-forward Top 40. That could have changed or may change now. Is there even any local jocks on Kiss these days?

I just checked out Hot 98.3's social media...looks like they were out all over the place around town today handing out freebies.

On a related note, 102.1 as a Hot AC is now completely useless. Does Cumulus bring back Nash Icon with Hank gone?
 
radiofan86 said:
They would be smart to have a slight pop/rock/alt lean like WAEV had when it was locally programmed. I believe WAEV just runs the iHeart Premium Choice "Hit Nation" logs, which are straight-forward Top 40. That could have changed or may change now. Is there even any local jocks on Kiss these days?

I just checked out Hot 98.3's social media...looks like they were out all over the place around town today handing out freebies.

On a related note, 102.1 as a Hot AC is now completely useless. Does Cumulus bring back Nash Icon with Hank gone?
Click to expand...

It would be great to hear Hot 98.3 sound like WAEV did in the late '90s. And hopefully they will.

And from what I've read, Dick Broadcasting is all about local, local, local, which is terrific, and wonderful to hear that they were all over promoting the new station.

Ha, ha...I hadn't even thought about WZAT! If they flip, it'll be the fifth in ten years. What was their rating in the last Nielsen? A 1 share? I know I've said this incessantly on this board but I think if the cloud people would put a smartly-programmed Alternative on WZAT, they could take down WFXH, as others on this board have said. But I know that's been a fever dream of mine for what feels like forever now.

And I think you're absolutely right, radiofan86 - WGCO flipping to CHR is the death knell for WZAT as Hot AC. So when do you see them flipping WZAT? And to what format?
 
WZAT had a 0.5 12+. Hank had a 3.5 which was above Kix 96. Bob was also ahead of Kix. With Hank gone, both Kix and Bob will stand to pick up some audience. An Alternative on 102.1 with Lex & Terry isn't a bad idea but I somehow don't see it happening.
 
radiofan86 said:
WZAT had a 0.5 12+. Hank had a 3.5 which was above Kix 96. Bob was also ahead of Kix.
Click to expand...

Which is one reason why this flip doesn't make any sense. A 3.5 in this market isn't bad, and when your modern and classic country outlets are beating the competition on 96.5, why mess with that? Outside of urban, country is the second most listened to format in the area (a good chance it's probably #1 in reality).

Flipping 107.9 to CHR would have made a lot more sense for Dick. Rewind is a mess (SC 103 is doing it right) and their tower position being a lot closer to Savannah than 98.3's is a no-brainer. Either this will work, or we'll have a disaster on our hands not seen since the days of "The REAL Z 103.1".

Oh, and I believe WZAT could succeed if they can do a better job positioning themselves. Right now, no one knows what a "Sound" is supposed to represent.

G
 
radiofan86 said:
An Alternative on 102.1 with Lex & Terry isn't a bad idea but I somehow don't see it happening.
Click to expand...

What constitutes “Alternative Rock” has changed a whole lot since I lived in those parts about 10 years ago. Rock 106.1 has always seemed to lean significantly more towards an active rock approach...

The opportunity is ripe, as it was a decade ago, to put an alternative rock format on 102.1. I’d imagine it could be a very basic, “broom closet”, jockless station programmed by someone in-house and still pull far better ratings than it stands right now. Heck, if you wanted to go cheap, you could even keep the logo as-is. It’d even probably be an easier sell with I95, E-93, WBMQ, and Kix as you’d have a very large percentage of male listeners across the board.

The reality is, as it was a decade ago, that Cumulus has made numerous poor decisions in Savannah and is likely to continue down the same path. Short of alternative, the only other format that would make sense would be talk on FM. But you’re basically giving up on 630 as a viable station on its own at that point.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom