Yet *ANOTHER* terrible move by the Eagle

[Old Grey Coyote]

They got the Mavericks and then hired Ben and Skin who really didn't fit with the KEGL format, but fit much better with a sports format. I think this flip was probably in play for a quite a while.

Maybe B&S are getting lousy ratings now for talking Not Sports on a rock station, but they are in place for the flip, so does it really matter?

 

[victorres43]

But really, is iHeartMedia really strong in sports radio compared to CBS/Entercom/Audacy?

Audacy has the likes of WFAN, WIP, and WEEI. Yet iHeart's sports stations in Los Angeles, Houston, and Seattle are having subpar ratings.

 

[Loverofradio]

But really, is iHeartMedia really strong in sports radio compared to CBS/Entercom/Audacy?

Audacy has the likes of WFAN, WIP, and WEEI. Yet iHeart's sports stations in Los Angeles, Houston, and Seattle are having subpar ratings.

L.A. isn’t a sports market with a lot of passion. Both stations there hit their targets and bill just fine.

 

[salemjedi54]

KEGL's ratings have only gotten bad within the past 9 to 12 months or so. That said, Russ was clearly the star of the station.

The last time KEGL was without his services many years ago, the ratings tanked and they flipped to Sunny (soft AC).

I am a little surprised iHM is unwilling to go the Urban AC or Reggaeton routes. iHM has some marquee Urban AC stations in its stable. They evidently want a format that will be complementary to Lonestar 92-5.

If indeed the music disappears from 97.1, it wouldn't surprise me if 92.5 makes a small tweak, much like 103.5 did in Denver when 106.7 went Country.

Adult R&B would be great, but would they beat KZMJ or KRNB? Signal wise its a resounding yes...but where would they be musically. Would they be local or off the bird 24/7. Men may stick around for Mavericks Basketball, but women wont...so they would lose black women after 6pm.

 

[davideduardo]

How far out do other stations do client presentations for new formats? They’re not just starting this week following the announcement are they? Also, in situations like this, what do you tell current clients?

If you do it too far in advance, clients cancel.

New clients usually don't buy on a totally new format for months, waiting for solid ratings levels to be shown. A few will buy very very cheap "pioneer" rates.

My two most successful format changes were made with no advance notice. The day the format changed, clients were advised.

On one, done January 30, there were not ongoing contracts.

The other was done "when we were ready" in mid-afternoon and the sellers started calling clients right after that.

 

[neosolbrudda]

Friday is a weird day to launch a new talk format. The Mavs preseason doesn’t even start until 10/05. Something about this whole thing is weird to me. A part of me feels like this is a little “stunt-ish”.

I wonder if they're actually going into stunt mode first and actually launch on Monday? Also, I wonder if they are going to crank the HD2 back up and put something on there?

 

[MarkW]

Adult R&B would be great, but would they beat KZMJ or KRNB? Signal wise its a resounding yes...but where would they be musically. Would they be local or off the bird 24/7. Men may stick around for Mavericks Basketball, but women wont...so they would lose black women after 6pm.

Good points. Under the scenario I laid out, the Mavs would need to be moved. Much easier said than done. KZPS would be the only compatible station for basketball, and iHM probably doesn't want to upset that apple cart.

 

[CTListener]

How much would the presence of basketball play-by-play hurt them? The games (except for weekends and some holidays) are all at night, tucked away from the more important drive-time and midday dayparts, and even if the station were to lose audience during the games, wouldn't the ad revenue that comes with live sports make that loss irrelevant?

 

[macattack]

Meanwhile, KVIL just keeps sticking the knife into KEGL. “Some stations think that music radio should be like a podcast! We feel differently! Thank you for choosing Dallas-Fort Worth’s Alternative, KVIL 103.7, where music actually plays!”

 

[leethalweapon]

Are you kidding me? I listened to the FAN the other day and was IMPRESSED. I'm never impressed. And the Ticket is the mighty Ticket. So you're going to compete with that? BAHAHAHAHAH!! OKAY! You're going to compete with that when you are a MASSIVE HERITAGE radio station with a built in audience that wants to love it. You have CUME for days... and THIS is what you do.

The Eagle "brand" has been killed off once and revived. It is hardly heritage. If it was worth saving, they wouldn't have flipped it the first time.

As for cume, 416,200 (6+) in the most recent book isn't great.

KEGL-FM

Rock

https://******************/images/iHM.jpg

1.6

1.7

1.3

416,200

Compare that with KVIL, everybody's favorite station they love to hate around here...

KVIL-FM

Modern/Alternative Rock

https://******************/images/Entercom.jpg

2.9

2.3

2.7

571,200

I would say that it's a safer bet that Audacy will keep KVIL as Alternative.

 

[Mediafrog+]

Meanwhile, KVIL just keeps sticking the knife into KEGL. “Some stations think that music radio should be like a podcast! We feel differently! Thank you for choosing Dallas-Fort Worth’s Alternative, KVIL 103.7, where music actually plays!”

KVIL may very well become the DFW equivalent of Houston's KTBZ, which is that market's only choice for Rock/Alternative. Ironically, KTBZ is an iHeart station.

 

[Will_H_69_9]

at this point, the Dallas Market gets it's rock from a alterative rock station, a classic rock station or though Sirius XM stations like Octane, Lithium, and Alt Nation, Streaming to a different market's rock station via iHeart or Audacy or TuneIn, or streaming from Pandora or Spotify or even Youtube & Vevo. they pretty much replaced The Eagle and took away it's target demos, the younger people get their rock from the internet and follow their favorite bands on social media like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok, meanwhile the older people just listen to Sirius XM or streaming for their new rock fix, but for me, i'm 37, today's rock is slowly becoming harder and harder for me to like, i like a few of today's Rock/Metal acts like Five Finger Death Punch, Ghost and and a couple of other bands, but these days, i find myself listening to songs from bands i grew up with like Korn, Limp Bizkit, Metallica, Godsmack, Disturbed, Seether, Slipknot, Mudvanye to name a few. basically, i'm now pretty much aged myself out of new rock and slowly leaning on the newer classic rock to like the format's current acts.

So pretty much, Rock is now a format that don't work for radio in Dallas anymore, and Dallas' rock station is now Sirius XM or Streaming

 

[TheBigA]

Meanwhile, KVIL just keeps sticking the knife into KEGL. “Some stations think that music radio should be like a podcast! We feel differently! Thank you for choosing Dallas-Fort Worth’s Alternative, KVIL 103.7, where music actually plays!”

One year ago, KVIL was on death row. So now they can celebrate something.

KVIL may very well become the DFW equivalent of Houston's KTBZ, which is that market's only choice for Rock/Alternative.

Which is fine...the market can only support one rock station. New York doesn't have any.

 

[TheBigA]

Rock is now a format that don't work for radio in Dallas anymore, and Dallas' rock station is now Sirius XM or Streaming

The business model is different. Rock is perfect for subscription radio. The audience can afford the monthly bill. Sirius has lots of music channels, and they can have one for every sub-genre in rock. FM can't do that. So keep spending your $15 a month.

 

[briancraig]

Yes, there is a country group, but it is shrinking in percentage. And there is a rock group... same thing.

Oh, and half the Hispanic listening is to English language stations. But if you look at what they are listening to it is not rock. It's CHR, Churban, Urban, even AC. But it is nearly "nobody" in that group that listens to a rock station.

David, do the two country stations in Dallas have many Hispanic listeners?

I know in some markets like El Paso, Brownsville/McAllen, Albuquerque etc. country does very well with Hispanics and in other markets like Los Angeles it doesn’t do well.

 

[nalyem]

Compare that with KVIL, everybody's favorite station they love to hate around here...

I just heartily disliked KVIL because I’m a KXT fan and like seeing the bigger more adventurous playlist win.(which just doesn’t happen) I can’t even bring myself to dislike 103.7 now since KVIL went the harder rock route, which is something KXT doesn’t do.

So keep spending your $15 a month.

Spotify is actually $10 a month, and the version with ads is free. Of course the people who like more adventurous playlists moved on to streaming long ago.

 

[MarkW]

I'd love to see KVIL adopt a KTBZ-like playlist.

Interestingly, that is pretty much the approach 102.1 The Edge took when The Eagle was previously tossed to the curb.

 

[salemjedi54]

How much would the presence of basketball play-by-play hurt them? The games (except for weekends and some holidays) are all at night, tucked away from the more important drive-time and midday dayparts, and even if the station were to lose audience during the games, wouldn't the ad revenue that comes with live sports make that loss irrelevant?

It depends on who controls the in game inventory. Some teams control all the in-game spots and sell those as part of the corporate sales package. When I worked at KLIF and ran the Mavericks board, all the in game inventory was controlled by the Mavericks and they only gave the local station pregame and postgame avails to sell. They also have 30 seconds to the local station at the end of the first and third periods. So it all depends on the contract language and if it’s a straight rights fee or a barter agreement.

 

[charles1234]

KVIL may very well become the DFW equivalent of Houston's KTBZ, which is that market's only choice for Rock/Alternative. Ironically, KTBZ is an iHeart station.

Will KVIL play Metallica?

 

[wprt949]

Is I heart gonna give 97.1 the eagle a proper send off ?