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Z 88.3 is changing its name after 25+ years

R

Rick Rose 2.0

Guest
According to hisair.net, highly popular Orlando Christian AC Z 88.3 will become Joy 88.3 on Monday. The article says that due to highly popular stations in Tampa and St Louis has that name at WPOZ decided to take it on. I wonder if RTN the owners of the Joy FM stations in Alabama, Georgia and Florida will try to stop this because in a few places people will be able to get the Joy FM and Joy 88.3 at the same time. The Joy FM Florida has signals in Sarasota, Tampa Bay, Ocala, Gainesville, Jacksonville, Lakeland, Sebring and im sure one or two other Florida signals.
 
WTF? A highly rated (even though they don't buy the book here anymore, but still show up in the diary markets around this market) non-com Christian station that's been well established for years with it's current name is afraid another non-com Christian station (possibly 98.1 see other thread) may come along with the slogan "Joy" and take all their listeners away? So they're changing their name to Joy to prevent it? I'm sorry, but IMHO that's not the Christian thing to do. They should welcome another broadcaster to help spread the word, not worry about how much money in donations they are going to lose because the "competition" may call themselves "Joy".
I wonder if EMF buys a station here, will they change their name to Z-Love?
 
I really don't get this one. The Joy FM is launching there on 98.1 FM in Orlando on Monday and you'll have "Joy" on 88.3 too? Really guys?! I don't listen to Christian music and I still like the Z88.3 name. Its the one I remember from visiting Orlando so many times over the years and their amazing jingle...

Pos-i-tive Hits! Z-8-8.3!
 
itsTheRolyPoly said:
I really don't get this one. The Joy FM is launching there on 98.1 FM in Orlando on Monday and you'll have "Joy" on 88.3 too? Really guys?! I don't listen to Christian music and I still like the Z88.3 name. Its the one I remember from visiting Orlando so many times over the years and their amazing jingle...

Pos-i-tive Hits! Z-8-8.3!
Click to expand...
If this indeed happens, for WPOZ it's a business decision, not a ministry decision.
If memory serves me correctly, a number of years ago Orlando had as many as 4 different sports stations. When 740 WQTM who called themselves 740 The Team flipped to a format in Spanish, the team name obviously went away. Several years later the geniuses at cheap channel decided to flip 740 back to sports due to low ratings. When the sports station at 1080 (WHOO) heard wind of this impending format change they immediately changed their name from ESPN 1080 to 1080 The Team. 740 couldn't got back to the team so they had to go to a plan B and call themselves 740 The Game (WYGM).
The only difference between the sports formats names and what WPOZ is about to do is is the sports stations are commercial for prophet businesses and these religious stations are non commercial not for profit ministries. This is something I can't wrap my head around. A heritage non-com religious music station should not be afraid of another (basically startup here) non-com religious music station with an inferior signal compared to theirs, not to mention their 3 other full power simulcast stations and numerous translators.
 
HisAir.net has received this statement from WPOZ CEO/President Jim Hoge: “In the last 24 hours we have become aware that Radio Training Network, Inc. (RTN,) the licensee of WCIE “The Joy FM” in New Port Richey (Tampa) FL, has purchased a signal in our coverage area. Therefore, for us to rebrand to the same name would be greatly detrimental to their ministry. With that said, Z88.3 will remain Z88.3 for the foreseeable future. We welcome RTN to our coverage area and look forward to a robust competition between brethren.”
 
I figured this would happen. I guess Z ministries was really caught off guard and this was not expected. They were not playing games. This cost a lot of attention that helped RTN get the message out they were coming to Orlando this morning. Just the areas around Disney will not get much of a signal but Z will stay loud and clear.
 
Rick Rose 2.0 said:
I figured this would happen. I guess Z ministries was really caught off guard and this was not expected. They were not playing games. This cost a lot of attention that helped RTN get the message out they were coming to Orlando this morning. Just the areas around Disney will not get much of a signal but Z will stay loud and clear.
Click to expand...
Wow good move
 
Don't think Christian radio and non-profit Christian radio is not as competitive as the commercial for profit entity. Don't forget listeners mean money to sustain the ministry. A non-profit still has all the bills a radio station has regardless of it being commercial or non-commercial. The power company isn't discounting their light bill. All the others with their hand out each month still want their money too. If you are for profit or not, you have to have money to sustain yourself and if a competitor comes in to relieve you of some of that cash, you have to get competitive to keep what you have. That does not mean non-profit FMs aren't nice to one another or be cut throat but they both need cash to exist just like the commercial station.
 
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