From what I’ve been told, Mix 100.9 is expected to end at the end of May, with the WYFQ-FM call letters effective June 1. There’s no guidance suggesting otherwise, so it will likely end quietly. One opinion from inside the building is that recent decisions by Radio One have not gone as planned, with this perspective describing them as failing miserably and seriously mismanaging the situation. Moving WBT to 107.9 FM hasn’t produced the results hoped for yet, and removing Mix leaves a gap in the Hot AC market. I’ve reached out with questions directly to the station but have not received a response so far and likely won’t.
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1110 New Format
- Thread starter amos1001
- Start date
I think Radio One expected stronger results after moving WBT to 107.9, but I don’t agree with the rest of that. These were clearly cost cutting moves.
Mix going away isn’t going to leave a big whole in the market. They’ve never had any ratings success outside of Bob & Sheri and Matt & Ramona, and for a long time benefited from joint sales, being WBT’s sister station. They’re paying a crapload of money on talent, while getting their butt whooped by jockless or voicetracked jukeboxes. Alfred said the station isn’t contributing to free cash flow, and what little audience they do still have will consolidate on K, Lake and the two top 40 stations.
Are you connected with the Albemarle radio stations? Magic, at least, has been running the wrong forecasts on the three occasions when I have heard them this week.
Interesting. Everything seems fine on our end, I'll check with Matt. When did you hear them?
This morning around 10 the forecast was for a high in the 70s today, showers tonight, and clear tomorrow and Friday with highs in the 70s. That is NOT what WBTV said. Also today at 4.
Oh good lord. Thanks for letting me know. I'll tell Matt to check.
Agreed. The surprising popularity of Mix on these boards doesn’t show where it matters. They’re spending a fortune on talent on two signals that still leave almost half of the market uncovered with little in terms of return. That’s just not viable long term.
Radio One, and even previous ownership can’t be blamed for not trying with 107.9/99.3 and 100.9 over the years. They’ve tried just about everything in terms of Hot AC and even AC, and it’s never been an extremely impactful station, even with good talent and community engagement.
The biggest issue they’ve always had is the music. Mix has always been poorly programmed, through several owners. The talent has definitely kept them afloat, and hidden the underlying problem. I remember back in the day Bob & Sheri listeners would always complain online about the music and said they just wanted talk, which is crazy to me on a music station.
Format wise, AC has always struggled in the Charlotte market, especially since PPM. Lite 102.9, K 104.7 and The Link used to all compete for that audience. 102.9 and 104.7 flipped to Classic Hits, and are both much more successful vs when they were AC. Link/Mix is the last AC standing and their results are still trash. They should have flipped a long time ago.
Is 102.9 really classic hits? I haven't heard it in a long time but it's a "We play anything" station.
I know Simon in Greensboro is "We play everything" but because no full-power station is classic hits, Simon has filled that role and been very successful 12-plus.
There is also a small AM with a translator.
Ancient history, that's of course, the old 'MDE/'RQK/KSI, up them curvy stairs from 'PET, which all used to be on Meadowview Road in Greensboro. Ain't that right, Amos?
Which one is that?
I remember passing by the studios. Well, someone's studios. Might have been WCOG. I seem to recall multiple towers.
Yep, Josh. I was at WRQK in 78~ish, working for Tom Armshaw.
Multiple towers? Nah, don't believe that was 950/98.7. If memory serves, I believe the only tower out back, was 'PET's 814 silver stick.
Yeah, talked to Dave a while back and he knew right off who you were, even giving me your last name LOL. Honestly, the first time I ever visited that building, was with an After-School/Summer Program, when I was like twelve or so, which took a field trip to 'KSI, once again, up them curvy stairs. Didn't realize, until coming down from 'KSI, that 'PET was in the same building, don't know how I missed them coming in the building. Oh and I forgot one, it was 'PETFM for a short while, even mentioned on a Hopper Brothers & Connie album, the liner notes written by Sam (The Freight Train) Scott. Of course, it wasn't my last visit to that building, not by a long shot. Was approached about working there a little out of high school, even put in an application, but reckon the Lord had other plans, me working for a newly-acquired (at the time) WCLW, for a little over six years.
Like I said, probably WCOG.
Edit: Now that I think of it, when I lived in the area, I think it was WGLD and it moved in with what had been WGLD-FM. So that building might have been empty. Don't know why I thought it was WPET and the FM, whatever it was then.
I don't understand why I never heard a WRQK station ID when I was in college. I think there were three different stations, but WKZL and Z-93 were the only ones I ever heard a station ID for. I wasn't including WQMG. The guy across the hall liked to turn to that one and say, "Disco!"
WCOG's "studio" is a computer in the WTOB production room. WCOG's towers are co-located with WWBG and there are multiple towers (both directional) along with WCOG's translator. WCOG's format is classic hits, I think it's by Westwood One. WWBG is a simulcast of WTOB, with studios on Trade St in Winston-Salem. WTOB's format is classic hits/oldies locally done, with live DJs.
Pretty sure Chimp wasn't talking about the Meadowview 950/98.7 tower site. WTOB's tower is a single stick near downtown Winston-Salem (980khz, the old WAAA frequency, rebuilt when George Buck bought it). Chimp might have been talking about the old WTOB site when they were on 1380 (now WWNT) it's in NW Winston-Salem, but more likely he was talking about the WCOG/WWBG site near Summerville, just north of GSO airport.
Edit: WTOB has a translator and tower on the roof of the Winston Tower (formerly the Wachovia Building) in downtown Winston-Salem.
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I believe 'COG did have multiple towers, off-site, as well. Had an old dear friend (all due respect to him) who worked there back from like '54 to maybe like '59, then he went to 'PET, both mostly on the tech side of things. Don Harris told me (and some others via a tape he made) that 'COG was directional, even back in those days. You know what their signoff was in those days? No, not The Star Spangled Banner, not that I heard on that tape anyway, it was The Lord's Prayer by Perry Como. Don told me (and whoever else was listening while we were talking on the ham radio) that late one night, when he was doing equipment tests, he said, this is radio station W4COG. Anybody with a ham license just got that.
)The WRQK station ID was "Setting the pace for others to follow, this is WRQK Greensboro North Carolina. One of America's Great Radio Stations!"
or as Boo Barron used to say...
"Sit on my [censored] for others to follow, this is WRQK Greensboro North Carolina. One of America's GRAPE radio stations!"
I believe if it were 'COG, I believe they were with 100.3, the old WGLD, which went through a slew of callsign/format changes, later.