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New Orleans Voodoo is back on 103.7

Why not move the KVDU calls over to 103.7 (NOLA) to match the brand, from former Voodoo 104.1 now in Baton Rouge, and i wonder if they'll change their calls too since they also recently added a new format.

Miss the old 104.1 100kw Central Signal between BR & NOLA, I guess adding 103.7 for NOLA & keeping 104.1 on lower power for BR (after tower collapse) is a good thing for both markets. Maybe they can simulcast on both (103.7 & 104.1) and just call it Voodoo 104 again.
 
KyleSmith1988 said:
Why not move the KVDU calls over to 103.7 (NOLA) to match the brand, from former Voodoo 104.1 now in Baton Rouge, and i wonder if they'll change their calls too since they also recently added a new format.

Miss the old 104.1 100kw Central Signal between BR & NOLA, I guess adding 103.7 for NOLA & keeping 104.1 on lower power for BR (after tower collapse) is a good thing for both markets. Maybe they can simulcast on both (103.7 & 104.1) and just call it Voodoo 104 again.
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it made the most sense for iHeart to make 104.1 an Urban AC to compete against 106.5, which has been #1 in BR for years. Either that or it could have been a Hip hop station to take on 94.1 (#2 in ratings). If 104.1 kept the Voodoo format it would kill both WFMF's and the River's ratings.
Likewise, Cumulus has R&B on KMEZ in New Orleans to compete against iHeart's WYLD, which is #1 in that market as well. So as yall can see Urban AC is the moneymaker. It is obvious that iHeart loves money so they made 104.1 an Urban AC
 
Im not too familiar with the Radio Market in Louisiana, but I remember Voodoo's 90s mix of music like 10 years ago, Im not sure if it was but I would've thought it was Rhythmic AC, which sounded great. I used to listen online. Surely theres gotta be a happy medium between the Urban AC and the current restart of the Voodoo Brand (Hot AC?) Maybe not focusing as much on music from after 2010, and just many 90s & 2000s would be great, but it seems many of the "90s to now" play mostly 3:1 new music and then an older song in between. But glad to see the brand back in the Market. 103.7 Looks like a decent signal to the east (and into Mississippi) but doesn't seem strong enough going west. Same for the New 104.1 signal, not far reaching beyond its part of the area. I think the 103.7 & 104.1 signals nicely complement each other (in the middle being the city of Hammond) with both combined would almost equal the old coverage of 104.1 Before Hurricane Ida changed that in 2021.
 
KyleSmith1988 said:
Im not too familiar with the Radio Market in Louisiana, but I remember Voodoo's 90s mix of music like 10 years ago, Im not sure if it was but I would've thought it was Rhythmic AC, which sounded great. I used to listen online. Surely theres gotta be a happy medium between the Urban AC and the current restart of the Voodoo Brand (Hot AC?) Maybe not focusing as much on music from after 2010, and just many 90s & 2000s would be great, but it seems many of the "90s to now" play mostly 3:1 new music and then an older song in between. But glad to see the brand back in the Market. 103.7 Looks like a decent signal to the east (and into Mississippi) but doesn't seem strong enough going west. Same for the New 104.1 signal, not far reaching beyond its part of the area. I think the 103.7 & 104.1 signals nicely complement each other (in the middle being the city of Hammond) with both combined would almost equal the old coverage of 104.1 Before Hurricane Ida changed that in 2021.
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Again, simulcasting Voodoo into Baton Rouge makes zero sense because it would hurt WFMF and River, the former of which is iHeart’s best performer in the cluster.

And quite frankly, there’s no need to do it. If you want to listen to Voodoo anywhere other than NOLA, listen on the app.
 
Would it hurt them though? It’s not unheard of for an AC, hot AC and CHR to all be owned by the same company in the same market — in fact, iHeart does it in NYC and LA, the two biggest markets in the country. Although considering how relatively short lived hot AC was on 104.1 while it was also heard in BR, and that BR/NOLA are much smaller markets, it may be different (especially with Voodoo 103.7’s more AC slant).
 
So maybe a frequency swap, I think 103.7 & 104.1 shohld be simulcast since they are close in frequency and legacy brand in both cities. it has similar coverage as the 104.1. Their new logo is cool, but i like the old one better. I think the brand being in both cities would be helpful, as it its their sister station. and almost back to the way it was before when 104.1 was 100kw.

Well 104.1 is still technically Voodoo as far as the KVDU callsign is concerned... Well, but 102.5 (WFMF) has a similar format as 103.7 in NOLA, i don't think it would be an issue if 104.1 went to Voodoo (Again) and the new Urban AC Vibe @ 104.1 moved over to the stronger signal at 102.5. Not sure of overlap with 103.7 & 102.5 but it seems it may be ok, or not... 🍀🤷‍♂️
 

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KyleSmith1988 said:
So maybe a frequency swap, I think 103.7 & 104.1 shohld be simulcast since they are close in frequency and legacy brand in both cities. it has similar coverage as the 104.1. Their new logo is cool, but i like the old one better. I think the brand being in both cities would be helpful, as it its their sister station. and almost back to the way it was before when 104.1 was 100kw.

Well 104.1 is still technically Voodoo as far as the KVDU callsign is concerned... Well, but 102.5 (WFMF) has a similar format as 103.7 in NOLA, i don't think it would be an issue if 104.1 went to Voodoo (Again) and the new Urban AC Vibe @ 104.1 moved over to the stronger signal at 102.5. Not sure of overlap with 103.7 & 102.5 but it seems it may be ok, or not... 🍀🤷‍♂️
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This is, quite frankly, just a horrible idea. Not to be picking on you, but let me explain why.

One - changing frequencies. 102.5 WFMF, as I've mentioned elsewhere, is probably the best performer in iHeart's Baton Rouge cluster. It's alone in the format. You do not, under any circumstances, move this station to a different frequency, especially when you're talking about a heritage station like this one.

Two - Voodoo is not, by any length of the imagination, a "heritage" brand like WFMF. Even when it was Voodoo 104.1, it was never ever positioned or sold as a Baton Rouge station - it just happened to be heard in the market.

Yes, 104.1 was, at times, pitched to the Baton Rouge market - anyone remember The Fox? That made sense, as a classic rock format, since it could've taken listeners away from Eagle. It didn't, and it's time as the Fox was about as quick as its namesake. Or even The Brew (which I can't remember if they tried to make a big deal in Baton Rouge or not).

Three - the current music mix on Voodoo runs right up to both WFMF on the CHR end of AC and River with the 80s and 90s end. So if it were to take listeners from both, you possibly end up with three weaker stations overall. Why would you want that?

Ultimately, the whole idea is change for change sake, with this idea that because you have stations close in frequency, they should somehow be a simulcast. It would be no gain whatsoever for either cluster. The stations that have moved are now formatted in such a way that helps the clusters rather than hurt them:
  • Possibly help sister stations perform better by taking listeners away from competitors' stations, not their own - why compete with yourself?
  • At worst, make some money as the #2 in the format by taking away some advertiser dollars from the format leaders, again affecting the competitors more than themselves, or in the case of The Vibe, bring in advertisers you don't currently have on the existing set of formats
 
mightynine said:
This is, quite frankly, just a horrible idea. Not to be picking on you, but let me explain why.

One - changing frequencies. 102.5 WFMF, as I've mentioned elsewhere, is probably the best performer in iHeart's Baton Rouge cluster. It's alone in the format. You do not, under any circumstances, move this station to a different frequency, especially when you're talking about a heritage station like this one.

Two - Voodoo is not, by any length of the imagination, a "heritage" brand like WFMF. Even when it was Voodoo 104.1, it was never ever positioned or sold as a Baton Rouge station - it just happened to be heard in the market.

Yes, 104.1 was, at times, pitched to the Baton Rouge market - anyone remember The Fox? That made sense, as a classic rock format, since it could've taken listeners away from Eagle. It didn't, and it's time as the Fox was about as quick as its namesake. Or even The Brew (which I can't remember if they tried to make a big deal in Baton Rouge or not).

Three - the current music mix on Voodoo runs right up to both WFMF on the CHR end of AC and River with the 80s and 90s end. So if it were to take listeners from both, you possibly end up with three weaker stations overall. Why would you want that?

Ultimately, the whole idea is change for change sake, with this idea that because you have stations close in frequency, they should somehow be a simulcast. It would be no gain whatsoever for either cluster. The stations that have moved are now formatted in such a way that helps the clusters rather than hurt them:
  • Possibly help sister stations perform better by taking listeners away from competitors' stations, not their own - why compete with yourself?
  • At worst, make some money as the #2 in the format by taking away some advertiser dollars from the format leaders, again affecting the competitors more than themselves, or in the case of The Vibe, bring in advertisers you don't currently have on the existing set of formats
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In addition, there’s a massive opportunity to snag shares away from Q, which has been sitting on top of the ratings far and away for so long.
 
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