101.9 is now...

[XCountry285]

who ever said im glad yes i am. i hope this is real and not a stunt. I hope that 92.3 or 103.5 shift to Dance completely. I'm really rooting for 103.5 because it would fit perfectly with Z & Power and even Lite. But it must be like Pulse 87.7 though. I hope 92.3 becomes country or 103.5 though. We need WYNY back in NYC again it's needed. WYNY on 92.3 would be ok but I think that KTU's calls do belong originally to 92.3 FM. 103.5 should go country then and WYNY FM is known with that frequency more so than 97.1

 

[reelyreal]

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!I'm so Happy!!!!!!!!!Just hope that these people have jobs though! Please make sure that these people are given new jobs! Thank you Merlin Media. All we need is country and dance!

They don't have jobs. They were all fired.

 

[TonySantiago]

who ever said im glad yes i am. i hope this is real and not a stunt. I hope that 92.3 or 103.5 shift to Dance completely. I'm really rooting for 103.5 because it would fit perfectly with Z & Power and even Lite. But it must be like Pulse 87.7 though. I hope 92.3 becomes country or 103.5 though. We need WYNY back in NYC again it's needed. WYNY on 92.3 would be ok but I think that KTU's calls do belong originally to 92.3 FM. 103.5 should go country then and WYNY FM is known with that frequency more so than 97.1

It was me

I know you've wanted this format bad enough and apparently they've listened . Definitely savor the feeling! I was just as ecstatic, if not worse, 4 years ago when Pulse 87 launched.

But yes, dance (with core elements) and country need to be here.

Congratulations

 

[wprt949]

get ready for IQ101.9

im not sold on this music format

 

[Macker]

They basically did what I've been saying for over 2 years - alternative tracks, no dj's, with a voice-over after each saying the artist and title of the song. Randy Michaels is an idiot.

 

[TonySantiago]

For what it's worth, the #1 most requested song on Alternative WEQX (Albany market) is a song with a big dubstep element to it - "Global Concepts" by Robert Delong. It's not straight dubstep though - I just don't think the older listeners who love Beck, Talking Heads, U2, etc want to hear Skrillex immediately afterward.

I know the track.

Yeah, the older listeners wouldn't necessarily want to deal with dubstep after hearing the groups you've mentioned. Even for those within the dance music community, people either really love it or really hate it. But for what it's worth, if you want to get the younger listeners, I think dubstep would be a perfect fit for such a station because of that angst and rebellion in the sound that would well fit into a rock station's philosophy

 

[Element9]

Michaels' image of the grand news impresario has been tarnished. He got his assets handed to him in NYC and Chicago. If in fact he's "an idiot," he's a wealthy one. FM news was spinning it's wheels like a car stuck in mud in a construction zone. I hope the employees who were sent packing at least received measurable severance packages and health insurance.

 

[Macker]

If in fact he's "an idiot," he's a wealthy one. FM news was spinning it's wheels like a car stuck in mud in a construction zone.

How does this not make him an idiot? Wasting all that money on research, consultants, personalities, etc. on something that virtually everyone foresaw as a failure. Then to finally plug the alternative/rock music hole, as many people here suggested. Being rich does not = smart.

 

[nd2023]

Merlin did make a Facebook page for 101.9 FM New and 101.1 FM New (not news, new) when the stunt format launched. Then they added an "s" to "new" when FM News became official. Just because they have a Facebook page doesn't mean they won't change its name if the format changes.

Let's wait until they hire DJs for the rock format. If they don't hire DJs, it's probably a stunt.

As for FM News, I think the staff might have just been on a 1 year contract, so Merlin would only have to pay most of them less than a month's wages.

 

[wprt949]

I wonder if steve langford will go back to Howard 100 ?

 

[disney fanatic]

They basically did what I've been saying for over 2 years - alternative tracks, no dj's, with a voice-over after each saying the artist and title of the song. Randy Michaels is an idiot.

I guess Randy Michaels will be the next Joel Hollander of Merlin to bite the bullet for a WRRV clone.

 

[DToTheJ]

@Mike: You can probably expect Langford to return to Howard 100 before any of the former WINS staffers return to their former station.

With that said, I wonder if Paul Cavalconte - a 101.9 holdover from the "smooth jazz" Emmis ownershop days - is still on the Merlin payroll. With its current format, I would hope that he is.

 

[Mr_Place]

From Randy Michaels last summer: “I’ve long had a nostalgic love affair with the big AM stations known for the format, and today – as music moves to the iPod – it’s time for spoken word to move to FM.”

Hell, Randy was even wrong about music moving to the iPod. iPod sales have dropped each year for the last half-dozen years or so.

 

[Barry]

Should Merlin obtain the WRXP callsign for the new rock station?
I believe the WRXP call is up for grabs.
'RXP was starting to get decent ratings when the plug was pulled last year to bring in the news format. Though WRXP had issues, such as a rather unfocused presentation, at this point it may be remembered fondly overall by fans of current rock.

 

[JoeyBagODonuts]

Should Merlin obtain the WRXP callsign for the new rock station?
I believe the WRXP call is up for grabs.
'RXP was starting to get decent ratings when the plug was pulled last year to bring in the news format. Though WRXP had issues, such as a rather unfocused presentation, at this point it may be remembered fondly overall by fans of current rock.

It was a little over a year ago that we were talking about the low ratings that WRXP was getting. I don't think those call letters have the cache to warrant being used again.

On the other hand, WDRE is assigned to an off-the-air AM station upstate!

 

[liradioisbad]

From Randy Michaels last summer: “I’ve long had a nostalgic love affair with the big AM stations known for the format, and today – as music moves to the iPod – it’s time for spoken word to move to FM.”

Hell, Randy was even wrong about music moving to the iPod. iPod sales have dropped each year for the last half-dozen years or so.

I'm pretty sure people now listen to music on iPhones/iPads.

Also if Randy could survive what happened with WGN in Chicago I'm sure he'll survive this :-\

 

[Ozman]

is the http://formatchange.com website down? I cannot seem to get it to load.

 

[MoldaMania182]

Judging by the logs I've skimmed through so far, for those that wanted Philly's Radio 104.5 in NY, this comes really darn close, right on down the M83. It will be very interesting to see how it plays out.

No I don't think it's a stunt.

 

[pjc1961]

Yes.com has the WEMP-New Rock 101.9 playlist up and running as of early Wed. morning 7/18/12, although sporadic with some (many?) missed titles. Unfortunately Yes.com has been very buggy over the last few months.

http://www.yes.com/#WEMP

(if the above direct link doesn't work, go to www.yes.com and type "WEMP" in the "Search For Channels" box in the upper left corner)

 

[pjc1961]

RXP isn't streaming anymore. So yes, where?

What do you mean, where?

Here is a link to what myrxp.com indicates is a stream of their playlist. I don't have Spotify, so I cannot try it: http://open.spotify.com/user/121566034/playlist/0HaoW1hVuWpFLobklCnUfG

Furthermore, this page displays numerous listener comments regarding the myrxp.com playlist: http://www.myrxp.com/playlist/

That's not a stream, it's a playlist. Much different: one can pick and choose from that playlist of 150 or so songs while a stream is constantly flowing selections that the listener has no choice over (besides the obvious one of turning it on or off).

The one ongoing stream from the 'RXP era continues on the crowd-sourced jelli.com - direct streaming URL to copy/paste:

http://jelli.ic.llnwd.net/stream/jelli_stream_36