Just a random question on the long gone "Mike-FM" handle name.

[Retro]

Does anyone know why Entercom went with calling WMKK "Mike Fm?" Was it completely random, or was their some trivial logic behind it instead? I have my own theory, however it may just in-fact reveal my identity as an individual, in which maybe a handful would duly recognize me. Anyway, just wondering is all.

 

[Wimmmex]

Does anyone know why Entercom went with calling WMKK "Mike Fm?" Was it completely random, or was their some trivial logic behind it instead? I have my own theory, however it may just in-fact reveal my identity as an individual, in which maybe a handful would duly recognize me. Anyway, just wondering is all.

My understanding was there was some ownership issue with the "Jack-FM" trend that was starting to pop up around the country.

Mike was just a friendly, casual, and memorable name used to substitute for Jack.

 

[Retro]

My understanding was there was some ownership issue with the "Jack-FM" trend that was starting to pop up around the country.

Mike was just a friendly, casual, and memorable name used to substitute for Jack.

Yes, at the very base level, I duly understand that. But why did they decide to go with Mike, as opposed to Frank, Alice, or any other names that have been used before in various markets instead? Again, was it simply an afterthought, or did the name Mike resonate with someone who they perhaps knew, or heard of instead?

 

[CTListener]

Yes, at the very base level, I duly understand that. But why did they decide to go with Mike, as opposed to Frank, Alice, or any other names that have been used before in various markets instead? Again, was it simply as afterthought, or did the name Mike resonate with someone who they perhaps knew, or heard of instead?

Maybe it was because Mike hadn't been used by anyone else that it was chosen. The people involved in the rebranding had certainly heard of Jack, because that was the format they were out to duplicate, so why wouldn't they have heard of Alice and Frank as well? You may be overthinking this more than a little. A safe, short, non-ethnic name was needed. No Vito, No Bartholomew, no DeShawn, no Izzy. Mike, Don, Bill, Sam, Jill, Kate ... all would have worked. Maybe Mike just popped into someone's head first.

 

[philsirkin]

Having gone through the mind-bending, painful exercise of trying to find available call letters to fit a format change, it seems to me that it might have been nothing more than availability. It wouldn't surprise me if they started with a list of possible names to use (other than Jack, which requires a license), and the closest set of call letters they could find to match with a name on their list was WMKK. Presto! Mike FM. Just a guess, of course, but I've done more or less the same thing - starting with possible identifiers and then finding call letters that were the best match for any of the names on the list.