WMYI, My 102.5 format change

[101tm]

It’s too bad it isn’t a variety hits format more like Steve FM in Columbia that’s more adventurous or most larger market variety hits stations. Reminds me a lot of the old Chuck FM at 97.7 then 99.5 before it became Jack. It’s basically Earth FM with a song from the 00s thrown in every now and then. I prefer the variety hits format on 99.5 more to be honest.

The My102.5 branding was one of the oldest brands left in the market (1987) but it needed to go. The station has been a mess since the late 00s. So funny, because back in the early 00s WSPA-FM was struggling badly to 102.5 and changed names from Lite Rock to Magic 98.9 and couldn’t seem to find much footing. At one point in to the mid-00s My was able to beat the country stations and even Jamz. Considering the strong heritage AC stations IHeart has in so many markets, its still hard for me to believe how My derailed and WSPA-FM won the once heated AC battle even though the stations drifted apart musically in recent years with WMYI evolving towards hot AC.

 

[AMRocks]

Have you ever listened to The Brew in Asheville? It's a translator of 99.9's HD-2 and it's pretty good. It's that "we play everything" kind of station running jockless. If Lake it like that (or like Chuck was several years ago in Greenville,) it just might make it. I don't really see big ratings, though.

 

[CrazeeCarroll2]

It took The Lake in the QC a few years to get it's footing, but for the most part does pretty good in the ratings. From what I heard this morning 6AMish they were pretty 90's heavy, but as time goes on they will be able to go whatever direction the wind blows. They could have had fun with the format and called it Dabo FM and take advantage of Football kinda how Steve FM did when it launched riding the coat tails of Steve Spurrier when he was coaching the gamecocks.

 

[vchimpanzee]

102.5 The Lake. Variety hits. Clone of 102.9 in Charlotte.

Did the market really need another adult oriented station? 98.9, 101.1, 99.5, 103.3 and 95.9 are already playing a lot of these same songs.

BTW, I heard Air Supply on 98.9 a couple of days ago. They seem to be going softer like some other AC’s are.

Yeah, Charlotte's Lake does a lot of softer material. But they balance it with some of the hard stuff too.

I don't get the name Lake. What lake? In Charlotte I read the lake was Norman.

I almost forgot to check when I left the library yesterday. It closed at 5. I was about to update where I needed to, and the computer just went off. In the car I heard "Car Wash" by Rose Royce and "Le Freak" by Chic but I don't know for sure what station I was hearing. As I went up a long hill going east, I heard the Charlotte Hornets. However, since it was 5:00 there was a station ID. A very long one since it was WFNZ which is also WLNK-HD3 as well as having a translator. Seriously? I was 40 miles outside Charlotte. Later I was hearing Star which was playing music of the 80s. That must be something from the 5:00 hour. Though not long after they said that I heard "Like I'm Gonna Lose You" by Meghan Trainor and John Legend. Nice song, but I don't know who was playing it. As I passed an AM tower everything went silent. AM? Really?

 

[freqdev]

nobody is addressing the "elephant in the room." ask a 30 year old what their favorite station is. although there is an audience, radio is having to lean toward and older broadcast audience while trying to appeal to a younger digital audience. jmo

 

[davideduardo]

nobody is addressing the "elephant in the room." ask a 30 year old what their favorite station is. although there is an audience, radio is having to lean toward and older broadcast audience while trying to appeal to a younger digital audience. jmo

That's somewhat of a misconception.

Younger people are listening to fewer hours a week to terrestrial radio, but that is something all stations have suffered. There are so many alternative entertainment choices, every one of them is fragmented.

But you still have about 90% of all 18-34's listening, and the listening levels are not insignificant.

https://www.americanradiohistory.co...ive-Arbitron-Radio-Today/Audio-Today-2019.pdf

 

[CTListener]

That's somewhat of a misconception.

Younger people are listening to fewer hours a week to terrestrial radio, but that is something all stations have suffered. There are so many alternative entertainment choices, every one of them is fragmented.

But you still have about 90% of all 18-34's listening, and the listening levels are not insignificant.

https://www.americanradiohistory.co...ive-Arbitron-Radio-Today/Audio-Today-2019.pdf

But is TSL deteriorating faster in 18-34 than it is in 35-54 and/or 55+? It's all well and good for the industry to put on a brave face and give a negative statistic a bit of positive spin, but if the more demographically desirable listeners are using less radio over time than those the advertisers aren't interested in spending on, then radio has a problem.

 

[101tm]

Have you ever listened to The Brew in Asheville? It's a translator of 99.9's HD-2 and it's pretty good. It's that "we play everything" kind of station running jockless. If Lake it like that (or like Chuck was several years ago in Greenville,) it just might make it. I don't really see big ratings, though.

It also reminds me of the old short lived Charlie FM @ 106.3. They played a lot of deep 80s new wave tracks, dance, 90s, etc. It was definitely a “we play everything” format.

I think The Lake will do well enough to justify its existence which is probably what iHeart wants. It’s a mostly classic hits format with something more recent thrown in every hour or so. I don’t doubt it will do alright. It’s just strange to me that compared to others the market can’t seem to support many current based formats compared to Atlanta, Charlotte Columbia etc.

 

[oldiesfan2]

i'm liking the new 102.5 the Lake as they don't play many commercials nor has much talking all music as some of the Songs they played has been played on Earth FM before

i used to Listen to Earth FM till 102.5 went to ALL Christmas music then i change my radio to 102.5 and i decided to give the new 102.5 a try for awhile.

 

[tylerSC]

i'm liking the new 102.5 the Lake as they don't play many commercials nor has much talking all music as some of the Songs they played has been played on Earth FM before

i used to Listen to Earth FM till 102.5 went to ALL Christmas music then i change my radio to 102.5 and i decided to give the new 102.5 a try for awhile.

In Spartanburg I can hear both Lake formats, on 102.9 from Charlotte and 102.5 from Greenville. They both sound similar. But when you get beyond I-26 in Spartanburg, you get interference on 102.9 from Charlotte with the low power signal from Paris Mountain. Used to be you could get 102.9 all the way down to Woodruff Rd.

 

[AMRocks]

I find The Lake Greenville/Hendersonville unbelievably boring. Canned liners just don't do it for me anymore. Probably because they are trying to be "cute" with them and they just seem to come across as stupid now.

 

[101tm]

99.5 Jack FM is much better musically. It’s a shame they aren’t on 102.5. The Lake in Charlotte seems to do better despite sounding basically the same. The problem with the GSP market is there are so many stations playing the same songs...98.9, 103.3/95.9, 99.5, 102.5, 101.1 all overlap significantly (well, except for 98.9 but there is plenty of 80s/90s overlap with 102.5).