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Star 94-1 Sounds Like Atlanta

R

RoddyFreeman

I noticed that going into a local PSA, Star 94-1 plays a quick sweeper that says, "Star 94-1 sounds like Atlanta."

Alpha Media's Live 95-5 in Portland, OR uses "the station that sounds like Portland" as its positioner. I've always assumed it was a way of distinguishing Live 95-5 from its heavily voice-tracked and syndicated competitor, Z100 (KKRZ-FM). Larry Wilson, who founded Alpha Media, was on a mission to be live and local, but unfortunately he bit off more than he could chew, and was forced into voice-tracking and syndication.

I'm wondering whether new Star PD Jerry McKenna will take the slogan further than just leading into PSA's.
 
Back in the day when a lot of stations had news at the top of the hour, after the weather and commercials, WCFL or WLS would play an 3 or four second instrumental fanfare then use a jingle bed for a 15 or 20 second PSA then then slogan reader would say “WLS or WCFL (I forget which one this was over 40 years ago) getting it said for Chicago”. Then the song started. Some of the old Nationwide (insurance) stations had creative ways to do PSA’s too.
 
RoddyFreeman said:
I noticed that going into a local PSA, Star 94-1 plays a quick sweeper that says, "Star 94-1 sounds like Atlanta."

Alpha Media's Live 95-5 in Portland, OR uses "the station that sounds like Portland" as its positioner. I've always assumed it was a way of distinguishing Live 95-5 from its heavily voice-tracked and syndicated competitor, Z100 (KKRZ-FM). Larry Wilson, who founded Alpha Media, was on a mission to be live and local, but unfortunately he bit off more than he could chew, and was forced into voice-tracking and syndication.

I'm wondering whether new Star PD Jerry McKenna will take the slogan further than just leading into PSA's.
Click to expand...

>>> Star has gone through a LOT of positioners over the years, hasn't it?
 
rohocop2121 said:
>>> Star has gone through a LOT of positioners over the years, hasn't it?
Click to expand...

Yes, it has. "More Hits, Your Hits" was the only one that I hadn't heard on a gazillion other stations. I don't know whether former PD Ron Roberts came up with it on his own and if it ever was tested, but I liked it. After Ron left, Entercom pretty much eliminated it.
 
I hate the branding "Star 94-1."

Just go back to using "Star 94." Geez.

Also, I definitely know how *I* would fill in this black, and it certainly wouldn't be with the word "Atlanta" !

"Star 94-1 sounds like _____."

Here's a hint - my word choice would involve usage of a word that rhymes with "rap." :)
 
It sounds just like 94Q, minus Jazz Flavours. And that's not a compliment.
 
Star 94-1 has been sounding kind of stripped down lately. In terms of formatics, former PD Ron Roberts had Star sounding great, including the More Hits, Your Hits positioning, but Entercom undid most of that after he left. I guess new PD Jerry McKenna had a pretty blank slate formatically speaking.

The only small modifications I've noticed since Mr. McKenna joined the station have been 1) traffic reporters are being used; the jocks had been reading the traffic, 2) the "Star 94-1 sounds like Atlanta" sweeper going into PSA's, and 3) some tweaks in sweeper scripts. Of course, all of those things are minor compared to the bigger issues facing the station.

I think Madison James, who is filling in during middays, could be an excellent morning host if paired with the right person, which of course is easier said than done.
 
I agree with Roddy on the stripped-down sound. It seems that they've pulled everything off the station. I just don't see a way for them to rebound at this point. There is nothing familiar about Star anymore. They let Heather Branch go in the spring. (ok, she said she was "leaving", but come on) The morning show is simply awful, it sounds like a college station. Jenn Hobby isn't a morning show leader, she should be in middays. Time for a Christmas flip!
 
Was a date ever set for the "Star 94 30th Anniversary Party"?

I can't think of a better way to kill Star off than at the end of that party...At least someone would be listening and would hear the new format.

Relaunch as WQXI-FM and call it "Quixie." Use the Star HD2 playlist as a model.

Anything is better than 14th place.

Back in the olden days, when WQXI was in 7th place there was panic at Tower Place.
 
MrRadio said:
Was a date ever set for the "Star 94 30th Anniversary Party"?

I can't think of a better way to kill Star off than at the end of that party...At least someone would be listening and would hear the new format.

Relaunch as WQXI-FM and call it "Quixie." Use the Star HD2 playlist as a model.

Anything is better than 14th place.

Back in the olden days, when WQXI was in 7th place there was panic at Tower Place.
Click to expand...

They don't "own" the WQXI call letters anymore. The call letters went with 790 AM when they sold / gave it away. That might not stop them however. They could work a deal with the 790 owners like WSM FM has with Gaylord / WSM 650 in Nashville. Call letter do not mean much to anybody except to the FCC for a station ID. 95.5 calls itself WSB Atlanta when it actually is WSBB Doraville. I wonder how long they will need to keep AM750 WSB around for branding purposes.
 
MrRadio said:
Was a date ever set for the "Star 94 30th Anniversary Party"?

I can't think of a better way to kill Star off than at the end of that party...At least someone would be listening and would hear the new format.

Relaunch as WQXI-FM and call it "Quixie." Use the Star HD2 playlist as a model.

Anything is better than 14th place.

Back in the olden days, when WQXI was in 7th place there was panic at Tower Place.
Click to expand...

Sounds good to me....

Check out WFLI in Chatt,,WISH WE HAD THIS....The good ole days live

https://tunein.com/radio/WFLI-1070AM-977FM-The-Big-Jet-FLI-s28777/
 
Alex_0490 said:
It’s interesting they keep playing all these throwbacks and have never have mentioned the future. Hmm I wonder why....
Click to expand...

Yes, they are playing a lot of throwbacks. To me, that suggests they want to go more for the older end of the women 25-54 demo. But of course there's one stumbling block, and it's at 98.5.

A station with the signal that Star has does have potential to do big things, but it won't be easy. I did notice a new TOH sweeper that sounds good.
 
BIGSTICK said:
Sounds good to me....

Check out WFLI in Chatt,,WISH WE HAD THIS....The good ole days live

https://tunein.com/radio/WFLI-1070AM-977FM-The-Big-Jet-FLI-s28777/
Click to expand...

I listen to 1070 sometimes when visiting some clients who are "off the grid" in Western NC and east TN (at the edge of the Cherokee reservation). I guess with the ad agency's clients not caring about any like me (over 55), it isn't worth their time to be listed in the ratings. It interesting that they now ID 1480 WJTW (Bridgeport AL with it's 95.7 translator) too. This should them coverage in the western part of the Chattanooga market that 1070 never had. Also they are the "flagship station of the UTC Mocs. I was concerned when they first started that they wouldn't make it. WFLI has shifted their music slightly to 1970's thru 1980's not too much 60's British Invasion and early Motown like they played when they restarted 1070 about a year ago.

I made a couple friends at 1070 when I picked up or left tapes there back in the day. They had a "water cooled" transmitter with a water chiller right beside the parking lot that would sometimes mist your car if the wind was really blowing.
 
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secondchoice said:
I listen to 1070 sometimes when visiting some clients who are "off the grid" in Western NC and east TN (at the edge of the Cherokee reservation). I guess with the ad agency's clients not caring about any like me (over 55), it isn't worth their time to be listed in the ratings. It interesting that they now ID 1480 WJTW (Bridgeport AL with it's 95.7 translator) too. This should them coverage in the western part of the Chattanooga market that 1070 never had. Also they are the "flagship station of the UTC Mocs. I was concerned when they first started that they wouldn't make it. WFLI has shifted their music slightly to 1970's thru 1980's not too much 60's British Invasion and early Motown like they played when they restarted 1070 about a year ago.

I made a couple friends at 1070 when I picked up or left tapes there back in the day. They had a "water cooled" transmitter with a water chiller right beside the parking lot that would sometimes mist your car if the wind was really blowing.
Click to expand...

The good ol' "Jet-fly"...owned by the legendary Billy Benns, famous for being part of the engineering team that created the "Brennan Monsters" at WVOK, in Birmingham, WAPE, in Jacksonville, and WBAM, the "Big Bam" in Montgomery.

Jet Fly used an old Westinghouse 50,000 watt transmitter...it came from New York I think?? It was water cooled like the Brennan designed transmitters. There was a 10,000 watt transmitter on site ( for nights?) that Benns did build.

There is some video on Youtube which tour the station and transmitter room. There are also some old airchecks from the 60s on there.

I wish we had a station like the "Big 8" Wouldn't it be cool to hear "20/20 News" like it was back in the day? (Check out 20/20 news CKLW on Youtube...it will make you cry....)

"Strained through the grill of a 57' Buick...20/20 News on the Big 8".....
 
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wavo said:
The good ol' "Jet-fly"...owned by the legendary Billy Benns, famous for being part of the engineering team that created the "Brennan Monsters" at WVOK, in Birmingham, WAPE, in Jacksonville, and WBAM, the "Big Bam" in Montgomery.

Jet Fly used an old Westinghouse 50,000 watt transmitter...it came from New York I think?? It was water cooled like the Brennan designed transmitters. There was a 10,000 watt transmitter on site ( for nights?) that Benns did build.

There is some video on Youtube which tour the station and transmitter room. There are also some old airchecks from the 60s on there.

I wish we had a station like the "Big 8" Wouldn't it be cool to hear "20/20 News" like it was back in the day? (Check out 20/20 news CKLW on Youtube...it will make you cry....)

"Strained through the grill of a 57' Buick...20/20 News on the Big 8".....
Click to expand...

Yes, the studio faced the pool designed to cool the transmitter at the Brennans' WAPE (The Big Ape). I read that young women would come by in their swimming apparel to "perform" in front of the jocks.
 
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