It used to be a market for news/talk but I think much like other places more and more people are getting sick of the drivel repeated over and over on commercial talk radio. WORD went down a trail of hiring radicals and this is what they get. They are playing to a fringe of their former audience.
Was there something else?
Isn't Hot 98.1 rhythmic?
Hot 98.1 was originally designed to be a flanker for WJMZ which is urban AC and it was thought that the market couldn’t support a mainstream urban and an Urban AC so they went with rhythmic CHR, correct. However it attracts a very different audience than WJMZ or The Block do.
I thought most urban ACs put a lot of emphasis on older songs. This explains why WBAV does so well, because prior to WOSF, I think they did a lot of those.
I’m not an Urban AC expert, so I can’t speak for WJMZ, but for years they could literally do anything and be #1 as they had no competition other than out of market WBAV rimshotting in the market in areas. Heck, they still are #1. They might have re-tooled the music a bit to add hip hop more after The Block came on the air. The Block seems to have reduced WJMZ’s shares some but they don’t have the reach to dethrone them.
Would an HD2 even work in those mountains if anyone were to bother to get an HD receiver?
And yet their HD2 channels have translators. I listen to 97.3 every time I go through Asheville.
On my drive back to WCU today, WFBC B93.7 was definitely weaker near Hickory getting off HWY 16 onto I-40, and started bouncing in and out around Drexel and Morganton until I got to around EXIT 96 on I-40, was fine til I got past Black Mountain and then it was weaker after I got past I-26, became stronger until EXIT 37 then it was bouncing in and out until just EXIT 27 for Waynesville, once I got to the split of for Sylva/Maggie Valley the signal took a nose dive and was completely absent starting near the Blue Parkway on 74 and into Sylva and also most Cullowhee until I turned on the road adjacent to Tuck river where it started to bounce in and out just as I turning into WCU, WFBC to make a semi comeback though still not locking in. Normally WFBC would come in just at WCU. As for HOT 98.1 and 107.3 JAMZ I was able them up fine just as I was exiting off I-40. Both 98.1 and 107.3 picked up just fine at WCU, though 107.3 seemed slightly better than 98.1.
Even in Black Mountain I can no longer pickup Hits 96.1 from CLT due to a new AVL translator on 96.1 rebroadcasting WZGM-AM a "Biz News" station. Therefore, the only CLT station clearly receivable from Black Mountain is Kiss 95.1. I can also pickup 105.3 RNB from Black Mountain, though not as clear.
