KROI Radio Now 92.1 is done

[Ryan Williams]

I think Radio One is simply shoring up their older black listeners and making it harder for a competitor to enter the market against KMJQ.

Is it really plausible that a competitor would emerge trying to scoop up Magic's older audience? Seems highly doubtful to me.

 

[TheBigA]

Radio One just decided to trot out a format that failed over a decade ago. It screams "We are out of ideas and have no idea what to do."

Failed only in certain demos, not ratings. It was a much bigger success than any other format they've tried on the frequency.

 

[Ryan Williams]

Failed only in certain demos, not ratings. It was a much bigger success than any other format they've tried on the frequency.

At best, gospel is a tertiary format for Radio One. It is somewhat complimentary, without peeling off too many listeners from their other core formats. If a better opportunity comes along though, they will bail. It's not very lucrative and the format seems very likely to continue to decline as the audience ages out.

 

[TheBigA]

It's not very lucrative and the format seems very likely to continue to decline as the audience ages out.

I have a friend with the Gospel Music Association. They have lots of facts and figures about how well gospel music does in younger demos. I don't see gospel as an aging format if its done properly.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

Radio Now Houston Gives Way To Praise - RadioInsight

Radio One flipped CHR “Radio Now 92.1” KROI Seabrook/Houston TX to Gospel “Praise 92.1” this morning. The move brings the “Praise” brand back to the 92.1 signal as it was previously heard there from 2006 to 2011. Since then it has continued to be heard on 102.1 KMJQ-HD2. KROI will carry Radio...

radioinsight.com

KROI-FM is now Praise 92.1 FM.

Radio One flipped CHR “Radio Now 92.1” KROI Seabrook/Houston TX to Gospel “Praise 92.1” this morning.

The move brings the “Praise” brand back to the 92.1 signal as it was previously heard there from 2006 to 2011. Since then it has continued to be heard on 102.1 KMJQ-HD2. KROI will carry Radio One’s suite of syndicated daily programming including “Get Up Mornings with Erica Campbell”, Willie Moore Jr. in afternoons, and “The Nightly Spirit with Darlene McCoy”.

 

[old school radio]

Radio Now Houston Gives Way To Praise - RadioInsight

Radio One flipped CHR “Radio Now 92.1” KROI Seabrook/Houston TX to Gospel “Praise 92.1” this morning. The move brings the “Praise” brand back to the 92.1 signal as it was previously heard there from 2006 to 2011. Since then it has continued to be heard on 102.1 KMJQ-HD2. KROI will carry Radio...

radioinsight.com

KROI-FM is now Praise 92.1 FM.

Told you guys......

 

[davideduardo]

I have a friend with the Gospel Music Association. They have lots of facts and figures about how well gospel music does in younger demos. I don't see gospel as an aging format if its done properly.

Urban One, then Radio One, certainly had little financial success with the format in its previous incarnation. Does the GMA have any focus on how the format can be made to appeal to younger people?

 

[Mediafrog+]

Urban One, then Radio One, certainly had little financial success with the format in its previous incarnation. Does the GMA have any focus on how the format can be made to appeal to younger people?

Wouldn't one answer be the "Positive Pop & Hip-Hop" that NGEN Radio is programming just slightly down the dial at 91.7?

 

[BamaTX]

Is it really plausible that a competitor would emerge trying to scoop up Magic's older audience? Seems highly doubtful to me.

KMJQ is the 4th highest biller in the market according to David. There's money to be made.

I hope I don't turn this into a political thread, but corporate America is good at exploiting social movements. Cashing in on the recent black movements we have seen across the nation seems like the logical thing to do if you have a poor performing station you want to flip.

 

[davideduardo]

KMJQ is the 4th highest biller in the market according to David. There's money to be made.

I hope I don't turn this into a political thread, but corporate America is good at exploiting social movements. Cashing in on the recent black movements we have seen across the nation seems like the logical thing to do if you have a poor performing station you want to flip.

There is likely a bit of consideration at the Urban One offices about the decision of many corporations to support Black owned businesses, with media specifically mentioned. If this becomes a "new norm", then any Black owned station serving predominantly Black audiences stands to be given certain preferences.

While I am sure that some will see this as improper, it surely does make up for six or seven decades of Black (and Spanish language) stations getting a much lower share of revenue than their audience size would justify.

 

[Ryan Williams]

KMJQ is the 4th highest biller in the market according to David. There's money to be made.

I was not disputing Magic's position or success. My comment was about response to this post..

I think Radio One is simply shoring up their older black listeners and making it harder for a competitor to enter the market against KMJQ.

Magic has been very successful and is a very solid radio station. Perhaps I am misunderstanding you comment, but what I am skeptical about, is that it would make sense for any competitor to go after the older end of Magic's audience, the same audience Radio One is now supposedly shoring up with Praise.

 

[davideduardo]

Failed only in certain demos, not ratings. It was a much bigger success than any other format they've tried on the frequency.

Or... this is certainly a cheap format to run. With the new signal upgrade, perhaps this is a holding pattern while deciding whether to sell or develop a format that is economically viable.

 

[Ryan Williams]

Or... this is certainly a cheap format to run. With the new signal upgrade, perhaps this is a holding pattern while deciding whether to sell or develop a format that is economically viable.

Maybe so. Perhaps this is just a cheap solution to buy time while EMF and Univision hammer out a shared trademark agreement.

 

[davideduardo]

So lame...

FM radio continues its descent. The medium is transforming into a gigantic trash heap.

This is strictly a cost cutting move. 100 percent of Praise programming runs on the full network of stations, and there is probably minimal dedicated sales staff to the brand in the markets where it airs. Majic staff will be expected to sell Praise, too.

If I were a seller for Urban One in Houston, having a third station that is compatible with the other two would give me more opportunity to make commissions.

And offering a previously unavailable format is hardly a trash heap.

As to the Praise programming, for many decades in most of the world national programming has been the norm; this is the way radio prospered in the Golden Age of the 30's and 40's and allows the best quality of programming to be available in every size market.

In fact, in one part of the US, networked programming has been the rule since the 70's and has been the preference of both listeners and advertisers.

 

[davideduardo]

Maybe so. Perhaps this is just a cheap solution to buy time while EMF and Univision hammer out a shared trademark agreement.

That agreement could be done in a phone call. EMF and Univision already did such a deal in LA where both use "K-Love" on FM stations.

 

[Ryan Williams]

That agreement could be done in a phone call. EMF and Univision already did such a deal in LA where both use "K-Love" on FM stations.

It's hard to convey tone in a forum, but I was being facetious. For all we know, a shared agreement for Houston might have been included with the deal for LA.

 

[TheBigA]

This article in InsideRadio couldn't be more timely, given speculation about a possible sale of KROI:

Urban One Is Ready For More Multi-Market Swaps – Or Something Bigger.

Last year’s multi-market swap between Entercom (now Audacy) and Urban One allowed both companies to get stronger in one market in exchange for exiting another where they didn’t have much

www.insideradio.com

 

[ThatVoice22]

Thanks to TheBigA for providing that excellent article.

 

[Mediafrog+]

This article in InsideRadio couldn't be more timely, given speculation about a possible sale of KROI:

Urban One Is Ready For More Multi-Market Swaps – Or Something Bigger.

Last year’s multi-market swap between Entercom (now Audacy) and Urban One allowed both companies to get stronger in one market in exchange for exiting another where they didn’t have much

www.insideradio.com

Interesting speculation. A combination with Cumulus would make a nice Houston cluster still with room for one more FM. In DFW they'd have to spin off one FM, probably after doing some format shuffling.

 

[Mediafrog+]

And offering a previously unavailable format

Wasn't really "unavailable" as KWWJ and KYOK are doing similar things on their AM/FM translator combos, albeit with meager signals. The KWWJ 96.9 signal does reasonably well in some heavily African-American areas of Houston's urban core.

In fact, in one part of the US, networked programming has been the rule since the 70's and has been the preference of both listeners and advertisers.

Tip of the hat to Puerto Rico.🧢