Urban and Urban AC are competition in the same sense that rock and AC are. I suppose one or both could've changed as I haven't heard either since 2018, but the two definitely had distinct sounds and were going after different segments of the audience at the time.
As I'm sure you know, 107.3 is also a Pensacola station while WDLT is a Mobile station. Yes, they have similar signals and even have towers in the same general area, but people generally listen to the Pensacola stations in Pensacola and the Mobile stations in Mobile.
They haven't changed much. I think Cumulus is almost smart enough to know not to mess with success when it comes to WDLT and WBLX, and by extension 106.1 in Pensacola (WRRX, I have to look up their call letters every time, lol).
One thing to note is that prior to 107.1 going urban, WBLX was the "exception to the rule" about the stations not having ratings outside of their home market. WBLX for years was the only urban choice and did well in Pensacola and even showed up in Fort Walton Beach ratings regularly. I don't remember BLX ever topping the ratings in Pensacola like it did in Mobile but it was definitely a competitor.
I'd love to see a mix Classic Soul and Oldies morphed together. Something similar to WTIX out of NOLA.
Man, I'd love that, which is why it would never happen! Every time WTIX comes in via skip it's a treat to listen to even if it's kind of a basic presentation.
LOL look at the website.. didnt bother changing much except the name and logo
You can only do the bare minimum when you're fired all the local staff, lol. From what I've heard, they've cleaned house again in Mobile and Pensacola.
Maybe this is the whole Kiss to 107.3 The Beat all over again. It gets a trial run on 99.5, and could potentially kill off 96.1 The Rocket or TK101.
(Probably 96.1 since 96.5 The Crab is killing it in terms of music selection)
Then *if* Kiss goes full-power, could "The Vibe" be waiting in the wings on 99.5?
I don't see 96.1 or 101.5 going anywhere. They're still distinct enough in formats (96.1 is still technically classic rock, while TK 101 is rock-rock) plus as been mentioned earlier in the thread, they're in two different radio markets. So while TK 101 has listeners in Mobile and The Rocket has listeners in Pensacola, they seem to keep in their local markets as far as advertising goes.
Not that I'd cry if 96.1 went away; it's stale and boring and every time I hit that preset button it's freakin' Guns n' Roses for the millionth time. I know they're a top tier rock group from the 80's and all but they're as overplayed as Zeppelin was a decade ago, lol.
I do agree that 96.5 The Crab is a real treat of a station. It's too bad that all the "ZEW stations" have taken a quality hit since their move to new studios and the untimely death of Tim Camp, though. I feel like all of their properties have struggled to maintain that magic they had a few years ago. (Maybe WNSP is the same, but who cares about sports talk? Certainly not iHeart!)
Interesting theory. Maybe 96.1 and 101.5 (they are basically the same) can become one and 96.1 can become Kiss FM. Notice that it is "Mobile's #1 Hit Music Station" so it would most likely take an iHeart station directly out of Mobile *if* they were to make a change. But I am doubtful.
I'd be shocked if iHeart did anything to The Rocket because it would take away their Mobile rock station, but stranger things have happened, like someone buying up all the potential Vibe-themed websites before this new format launched, lol.
