Any chance Midwest flips i106.7 to...

[Radio Nashville]

well, any other format? Latest Nielsen, according to Radio Insight, WJXA #1 with 417k cume, Jack #2 with 286k. Only other station above 200k is the Rock. i1067 is 17th, below K-Love & the Fish.

 

[Tibbs4]

WNFN is still (I believe?) awaiting it's (longFCC approved) upgrade to 50kw, IIRC. Maybe it has happened, and forgive me for not looking that up, but there was consideration (as South Central) to see how the better signal would have helped 106.7. Now that it is Midwest, I am not sure what the thinking would be, but they seem to be fans of rock formats and some recent interesting flips. Given the issues with CHR doldrums, it might be interesting to see what could evolve. The station has seen well over a half dozen formats over the years. If they flip, it probably would be interesting to see how they would align with the Rock and not eat away at Jack. They are branded as Hot now, but has anyone really noticed?

Bigger question is why Cumulus still accepts WKDF to just limp along. 103.3 is one of the top 3 signals in Nashville (Mix is on a tower a bit away from Nashville, and 105.9 and 97.9 are right there as the best with KDF in Brentwood.) There is NOT a week that goes by that there is not a post on "I Remember Nashville..." where the conversation does not go into detail about the old days of Rock and Roll. It would be a substantial slam to iHeart. Even when WSM-FM and WSIX-FM pick up the lost listeners, they would not gain enough to generally beat 105.9 and IF KDF went back to it's rock roots and played similar music (much like today's KZ-106 in Chattanooga) then the Rock would become a classic Hits station within six months and ...

 

[TheBigA]

Bigger question is why Cumulus still accepts WKDF to just limp along.

Rock isn't making as much money as country. In most markets it underperforms its ratings.

 

[Tibbs4]

Rock isn't making as much money as country. In most markets it underperforms its ratings.

BigA, you are correct. The Nashville market is interesting in many aspects. There are four country stations and they all are slicing and dicing each other. WSIX is the main player in revenue. WSM-FM lags behind and WKDF-FM is a distant third. Some might suggest that WKDF is intended to flank WSM-FM and even a throw away, as needed. I believe WKDF has always been intended to hold its own and be slightly different than WSM-FM. I certainly can see the value of having two country formats in the same building, but in this case, WKDF has one of the top five signals and has had a few ebbs (but more falls.) Country is hot, but I do think you will see some shifts after recent events and the pandemic. Regarddless, there is a nice opening in between 96.3 Jack FM, 105.9 The Rock and 102.9 The Buzz. KDF would also be well positioned to help talker 99.7 WTN, sports talk 104.5. I think this is still one case where rock can be relevant and be a positive to the bottom line of the entire cluster and perhaps unseat some dominant players.

 

[TheBigA]

I think this is still one case where rock can be relevant and be a positive to the bottom line of the entire cluster and perhaps unseat some dominant players.

That may be, but I'm pretty sure they are very happy with things as they are. They have other markets that have much bigger problems.

 

[Tibbs4]

No doubt. My guess is it has not even come up on the ole radar. Gotta ask ya though, IF you owned this cluster, WWBAD? Cumulus has stayed pretty constant here and has left the market alone. Heck, the 2nd Ave studio and land will bring in a tidy profit and help pay off some debt soon enough.