I was in the Tampa area this weekend, and I checked out 105.5. It played a great soft AC and smooth jazz mix. No music was released after I was born, and no classic rock that plagues the oldies stations. Why can't other markets have a station like this when it's successful in Tampa.
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105.5 The Dove is the best AC station I ever heard
- Thread starter nd2023
- Start date
A few facts about The Dove...
--It is always the #1 station in Tampa Bay, often with double digits. That was true under the diary system and it's true today with People Meters.
--It has evolved from one of the last big market Easy Listening stations. To this day, it still plays one instrumental each hour, usually around :35. Sometimes at night, there's another instrumental around :05. The original poster uses the phrase "Smooth Jazz." Yes, sometimes that instrumental is a song that was popular on Smooth Jazz stations by David Benoit or Larry Carlton. But sometimes it's another familiar instrumental, such as 60s-70s-80s hits like "The Entertainer" or "Hill Street Blues." Or sometimes it's a movie theme such as "Forest Gump" or "Driving Miss Daisy."
--Up till a couple of years ago, you could hear Sinatra every couple of hours plus Nat King Cole, Dean Martin, Connie Francis scattered among the 60's, 70's and 80's soft hits. These days much of the standards artists have been eliminated. Once in a while you may still hear "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" or "New York, New York" but those songs are rare now.
--The Dove still plays plenty of artists that were staples on Soft AC stations 15 years ago but no longer, such as The Carpenters, The Fifth Dimension, Kenny Rogers, Anne Murray, Chicago, The Beatles, Barbra Streisand, Neil Diamond and Barry Manilow.
--Cox owns so many FM stations in Tampa Bay, it really doesn't have any format hole it could fill by killing The Dove. Cox already has two Classic Rock stations, a mainstream AC, a country station and even an 80s-90s Hot AC station.
--The Dove's payroll is at a bare minimum. It employs only one DJ, Dick Ring, who does mornings. He even reads his own news headlines so no newscaster is needed. The rest of the day is automated, but that was the way it was during its days as an easy listening station and that practice continued during the transition to Very Soft AC. Radio & Records Magazine used to list every year the top 20 DJs around the country in morning and afternoon drive. WDUV always made the afternoon list, but the DJ would always be listed as "automated."
--It's true, there are a lot of retirees in the Tampa Bay listening area for The Dove to calls its own. But I think this format would work just about anywhere if the sales staff knew how to sell these older demos to mom and pop retailers. The Dove is #1 6+, #1 35-64 but may not even make the top 10 25-54. Not great for an FM station although that's pretty typical for a talk station. If a sales staff can sell an AM talk station, it can sell a format in most towns like The Dove.
Gregg
[email protected]
--It is always the #1 station in Tampa Bay, often with double digits. That was true under the diary system and it's true today with People Meters.
--It has evolved from one of the last big market Easy Listening stations. To this day, it still plays one instrumental each hour, usually around :35. Sometimes at night, there's another instrumental around :05. The original poster uses the phrase "Smooth Jazz." Yes, sometimes that instrumental is a song that was popular on Smooth Jazz stations by David Benoit or Larry Carlton. But sometimes it's another familiar instrumental, such as 60s-70s-80s hits like "The Entertainer" or "Hill Street Blues." Or sometimes it's a movie theme such as "Forest Gump" or "Driving Miss Daisy."
--Up till a couple of years ago, you could hear Sinatra every couple of hours plus Nat King Cole, Dean Martin, Connie Francis scattered among the 60's, 70's and 80's soft hits. These days much of the standards artists have been eliminated. Once in a while you may still hear "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" or "New York, New York" but those songs are rare now.
--The Dove still plays plenty of artists that were staples on Soft AC stations 15 years ago but no longer, such as The Carpenters, The Fifth Dimension, Kenny Rogers, Anne Murray, Chicago, The Beatles, Barbra Streisand, Neil Diamond and Barry Manilow.
--Cox owns so many FM stations in Tampa Bay, it really doesn't have any format hole it could fill by killing The Dove. Cox already has two Classic Rock stations, a mainstream AC, a country station and even an 80s-90s Hot AC station.
--The Dove's payroll is at a bare minimum. It employs only one DJ, Dick Ring, who does mornings. He even reads his own news headlines so no newscaster is needed. The rest of the day is automated, but that was the way it was during its days as an easy listening station and that practice continued during the transition to Very Soft AC. Radio & Records Magazine used to list every year the top 20 DJs around the country in morning and afternoon drive. WDUV always made the afternoon list, but the DJ would always be listed as "automated."
--It's true, there are a lot of retirees in the Tampa Bay listening area for The Dove to calls its own. But I think this format would work just about anywhere if the sales staff knew how to sell these older demos to mom and pop retailers. The Dove is #1 6+, #1 35-64 but may not even make the top 10 25-54. Not great for an FM station although that's pretty typical for a talk station. If a sales staff can sell an AM talk station, it can sell a format in most towns like The Dove.
Gregg
[email protected]
I'm always reviewing various formats in hopes of finding the elusive format that is not being utilized by any other station owner in our market -
I spoke to several people about the huge numbers generated by WDUV and was told basically that the reason this format is #1 in Tampa because Tampa has one of the oldest demographics in the US. It might do ok in other parts of the country but it's not going to hit #1... His description of WDUV is that it's the station for those at the end of their life.
I spoke to several people about the huge numbers generated by WDUV and was told basically that the reason this format is #1 in Tampa because Tampa has one of the oldest demographics in the US. It might do ok in other parts of the country but it's not going to hit #1... His description of WDUV is that it's the station for those at the end of their life.
M
MsMusicRadio
Guest
I certainly hope not. The Dove is really an oldies station of sorts. Back in the 70's and 80's, TOP 40 stations like WRBQ or WRVQ in Richmond played ballads too. The Dove is playing the softer side of Top 40 radio . If the Dove is for people ready to die, so is the Point because a TOP 40 station from the 80's played what they both play now. This was really before AC, Churban, or Hot AC (except in the largest markets). TOP 40 programmed for a wide spectrum of ages and tastes.josh said:
M
MsMusicRadio
Guest
The Dove does play Creedence. How cool is that!
M
MN Maniac
Guest
josh said:
Right. Same reason that WROD and WSBB both do so well in Daytona, even as AMs on "graveyard" channels.
I enjoyed 105.5 The Dove, and I am 21 years old and my favorite format is dance, but I enjoy AC and oldies too.
I also liked the oldies format on 105.5-HD2 much better than any other oldies stations besides WLNG. They were not afraid to play 50s music.
I can't see why The Dove can't be a success in other markets, or be simulcasted. It costs almost nothing to run, no need to even voicetrack the rest of the day.
I also liked the oldies format on 105.5-HD2 much better than any other oldies stations besides WLNG. They were not afraid to play 50s music.
I can't see why The Dove can't be a success in other markets, or be simulcasted. It costs almost nothing to run, no need to even voicetrack the rest of the day.
Cox has the luxury of 6 FM signals in the Tampa market, thanks to some amazing double-talk to the FCC regarding overlapping contours of WSUN and WHPT. Thus they can use this as an additional revenue stream and not necessarily a core product in driving income for the market.
Most major owners would see the income stream as too limited. They sell 25-54s and the Dove, despite its 12+ dominance, is the lowest-rated 25-54 FM station in the market (at least as far as full-market signals are concerned). There are very few places where you can make money with numbers like that. Interestingly, Pittsburgh's legendary KDKA is in a similar situation; they are #2 12+ in the market, but their mid-day programming, since they lost Rush to 104.7, barely pulls a 1-share 25-54.
Most major owners would see the income stream as too limited. They sell 25-54s and the Dove, despite its 12+ dominance, is the lowest-rated 25-54 FM station in the market (at least as far as full-market signals are concerned). There are very few places where you can make money with numbers like that. Interestingly, Pittsburgh's legendary KDKA is in a similar situation; they are #2 12+ in the market, but their mid-day programming, since they lost Rush to 104.7, barely pulls a 1-share 25-54.
Well, just to the south, in Ft. Myers... it's Sunny 106 www.sunny1063.com We are like the Dove, but a bit more current with recent Michael Buble releases, and the like. But maintaining the over sound.
Once we're out of Christmas after 12/27, give it a shot.
Randy Sherwyn
PD/Mornings
Sunny 106
Ft. Myers/Naples
Once we're out of Christmas after 12/27, give it a shot.
Randy Sherwyn
PD/Mornings
Sunny 106
Ft. Myers/Naples
HI Mike,
I would be interested in knowing how are your ratings?
We're always looking for the right mix. We do play Michael Buble, Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop by Landon Pigg (one of my favorites) , a few Glee Cast stuff and other similar songs but we're about 75% Christian CHR but going into the New Year we plan to make some positive changes.
joshzz
I would be interested in knowing how are your ratings?
We're always looking for the right mix. We do play Michael Buble, Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop by Landon Pigg (one of my favorites) , a few Glee Cast stuff and other similar songs but we're about 75% Christian CHR but going into the New Year we plan to make some positive changes.
joshzz
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