100.5 What?

[ccinsider]

Mike McVay and Axel Lowe have all been hinting at something else. I have said earlier that sales people are being told that 99x and 100.5 are practically swapping signals.

100x? Still 99x? Any domains registered?

 

[ccinsider]

Just got texted that 100.5 is calling its DJs in tomorrow.

CUMULUS HAS RETAINED THE 99X EMPLYEES.......

Will they join forces with ROCK100 and create 100x? Only a few people know. I will tell you when I know.

 

[IT_Guru]

Just got texted that 100.5 is calling its DJs in tomorrow.

CUMULUS HAS RETAINED THE 99X EMPLYEES.......

Will they join forces with ROCK100 and create 100x? Only a few people know. I will tell you when I know.

Considering the ratings, wouldn't it make more sense to put The Bone on 100.5 and leave 99x where it is?

 

[ccinsider]

Just got texted that 100.5 is calling its DJs in tomorrow.

CUMULUS HAS RETAINED THE 99X EMPLYEES.......

Will they join forces with ROCK100 and create 100x? Only a few people know. I will tell you when I know.

Considering the ratings, wouldn't it make more sense to put The Bone on 100.5 and leave 99x where it is?

You can't really judge 99x's ratings on a trans. Look at Dave. Had about a 2.3 share (correct me if i am wrong), add those to 99x' and you get about a 2.6-2.9. Those ratings are healthier than Rock 100.5's current AQH.

 

[RTibbs]

Just got texted that 100.5 is calling its DJs in tomorrow.

CUMULUS HAS RETAINED THE 99X EMPLYEES.......

Will they join forces with ROCK100 and create 100x? Only a few people know. I will tell you when I know.

Considering the ratings, wouldn't it make more sense to put The Bone on 100.5 and leave 99x where it is?

The point is to go after Dave with this 100x or whatever it is.

 

[ccinsider]

Just got texted that 100.5 is calling its DJs in tomorrow.

CUMULUS HAS RETAINED THE 99X EMPLYEES.......

Will they join forces with ROCK100 and create 100x? Only a few people know. I will tell you when I know.

Considering the ratings, wouldn't it make more sense to put The Bone on 100.5 and leave 99x where it is?

The point is to go after Dave with this 100x or whatever it is.

Well, 25k watts, though it still covers the market pretty well and it will reach the demos well enough.

Something is going to happen on 100.5, Mike McVay hinted at it and sales people know it.

 

[jabba17]

Just got texted that 100.5 is calling its DJs in tomorrow.

CUMULUS HAS RETAINED THE 99X EMPLYEES.......

Will they join forces with ROCK100 and create 100x? Only a few people know. I will tell you when I know.

Considering the ratings, wouldn't it make more sense to put The Bone on 100.5 and leave 99x where it is?

You can't really judge 99x's ratings on a trans. Look at Dave. Had about a 2.3 share (correct me if i am wrong), add those to 99x' and you get about a 2.6-2.9. Those ratings are healthier than Rock 100.5's current AQH.

But what will Rock's ratings be with Project out of the picture?

Keep in mind that alt's biggest audience is intown, so I don't think the whole 99X "it's only a translator--it's gonna get low ratings" factor is driving the ratings so low.

Dave had been trending upward last book, but many recent books had them stuck below a 2 share.

If Cumulus brings alt back in some form, it will NOT be a clone of 99X or Dave. That would make as much sense as Rock trying to clone Z93 from its early-90s heyday or 96 Rock from the early 80s, or Q100 or Power 96 cloning Power 99 from the late 1980s or Z-93 from the late 1970s or early 1980s. You step in the river, but the river has moved on (no, not THAT River. The river may be forever new, but not that kind of NEW).

I see Cumulus refreshing and maybe reimaging Rock to include more alt and active, and leaving more classic rock to River. Makes perfect sense. But no "everything alternative 100.5X". Even if the call letters fit. And no Project 1-0-0-5. That's now the Bone's job. Just like 1960s/1970s oldies, alt/AAA can't survive on its own anymore and has to be piggybacked onto a more general format to get a critical mass of listeners. Classic hits will come back, but not Fox 97 "good times and eight oldies" with Beatles/Beach Boys/Motown on heavy rotation.

Personally, I think Cumulus has Rock on the sweet spot of newer classic + alt + active. I hope they don't change it too much, and IMO they don't have to with Project gone.

Again, CC messed up when they got rid of the 1980s heritage rock on 96.1 with the Project flip, and Project's audience never materialized like it could have.

You can't be all things to all people, but you can't get away with narrowcasting on broadcast radio, either.

 

[MarkW]

You can't really judge 99x's ratings on a trans.

True, but their numbers during the last couple years on 99.7 FM were rotten. About the same as Rock 100.5's ratings today.

That said, you raise a good point. Dave FM was responsible for much of 99X's erosion when it was still located @ 99.7 FM. Now that Dave FM is gone, it would certainly be possible to build a coalition around both stations' former audiences.

I doubt The Bone would be calling itself "REAL Rock" (an implicit slam against Rock 100.5) if Rock 100.5 were to stay as-is. Knowing what's now gone down at 98.9 FM, I think it's likely 100.5 will see some significant changes. I'm thinking we will see an adult Modern Rock station similar to WRFF Philly, WBOS Boston or WLUM Milwaukee.

I sure hope the ATL doesn't wind up with a half-assed attempt at the AAA format Cumulus has tried in various markets in the recent past. Recall the sound of 100.5 FM a couple years ago.

Another (albeit less likely) possibility would be to put some type of Variety Hits, Classic Hits, or Gen-X station on 100.5 and resurrect 99X at 97.9 FM.

If all of this ruckus had happened a year ago, I cannot help but wonder if 106.7 would've been in play.

One parting thought: how many successful Top 50-market new station launches has Cumulus had in, say, the last ten years? By "successful," I mean a station becoming a major ratings or revenue threat. I am hard pressed to think of a single one!!! 96Rock in Cincinnati is moderately successful, but is hardly a major revenue force in that market, and quite frankly, had lousy ratings prior to 94-9/97-3 The Sound leaving the air.

The problem with Cumulus is you have two or three programming "minds" in their 50s calling all major programming shots from the corporate office. Then, these morons wonder why Gen-Y finds radio to be largely irrelevant.

 

[ccinsider]

Really, the Bone should be on 97.9. They have almost as good a signal as Rock's and would be a good place on the dial for the Bone. Journey moves to 98.9.

JUST A THOUGHT


But, remember, staff was retained at 99x.

 

[jabba17]

Here's the 3:00 hour just completed for 100.5 (from yes.com):

Heart - Barracuda (1970s classic)
Fuel - Hemorrhage (In My Hands) (active)
Queen - Killer Queen (1970s classic)
Black Crowes - She Talks To Angels (1990s classic)
Aerosmith - Love In An Elevator  (1980s classic)
Shinedown - Bully (active)
Rolling Stones - Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo... (1970s classic)
Metallica - The Memory Remains (active)
Foghat - I Just Want To Make Love To... (1970s classic)

So, of 9 sample songs 3 of them are active, and most of the remainder 1970s/1980s classic.  The 2:00 hour has the same distribution:

Journey - Any Way You Want It
Motley Crue - Dr. Feelgood
Foo Fighters - Walk
Who - Baba O'Riley
AC - Thunderstruck
Billy Idol - White Wedding
Led Zeppelin - Trampled Under Foot
3 Doors Down - Kryptonite
Nirvana - Lithium

Not really any alt (except for the harder stuff like Nirvana--is Nirvana considered alt or active?), but a LOT of active.  Billy Idol was considered alt back in the day.

 

[ccinsider]

You can't really judge 99x's ratings on a trans.

True, but their numbers during the last couple years on 99.7 FM were rotten. About the same as Rock 100.5's ratings today. That said, you raise a good point. Dave FM was responsible for much of 99X's erosion when it was still located @ 99.7 FM. Now that Dave FM is gone, it would certainly be possible to build a coalition around both stations' former audiences.

I think that a AAA/Alt hybrid would do well. Red Hot, Black Keys, classic 80s alt, etc. Believe me, these people are music geniuses, the ones that listen to 99x and Dave. It is possible.

I doubt The Bone would be calling itself "REAL Rock" (an implicit slam against Rock 100.5) if Rock 100.5 were to stay as-is. Knowing what's now gone down at 98.9 FM, I think it's likely 100.5 will see some significant changes. I'm thinking we will see an adult Modern Rock station similar to WRFF Philly, WBOS Boston or WLUM Milwaukee.

I think that this cannabalistic incident shall to pass. We will see less Live Hard Play Loud, and more of a Rock for the Ages or Variety Rock feel. But, it has to change names. Variety Hits is also a possible opportunity. TRG could move to 680, as their show is not music based.

 

[jabba17]

I think that this cannabalistic incident shall to pass. We will see less Live Hard Play Loud, and more of a Rock for the Ages or Variety Rock feel. But, it has to change names. Variety Hits is also a possible opportunity. TRG could move to 680, as their show is not music based.

TRG has to go somewhere--Cumulus makes too much money with them. The only other place I can think for them--and still inferior to an alt/AAA placement, which would suck--is Kicks.

If Rock100.5 changes, it will not go all-alt or all-active. I could see it being a "yesterday's classics and the classics of the future" variety rock station--essentially what they have today with a sprinkling of alt, 1-2 songs per hour. Or maybe an alt show after PM drive.

All-alt would be an ill fit for TRG. TRG could work with all-active, but TRG's target demo has always struck me as being older than the target demo for active.

 

[atlantaboy]

Keep in mind that alt's biggest audience is intown

That's not true at all - Alternative gets huge ratings from suburbs