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850 WKVL is now country too

S

SchlitzBeer

Guest
Yet another (daytime) option for classic country in Knoxville: 850 WKVL (and the Loudon simulcast). They are still running CBS News at the top. THEN there's the Journal station that flipped also, AM 1040.

So now there's classic country on 730 (full-time), 850, and 1040. (I don't count 1380 WYSH because it is cluttered with too much other content.) Will these new stations attract more listeners to the classic country format, or will they cancel each other out? ? ? ?
 
If classic country on AM hasn't been successful with 730 (which I think has a very good music mix) then it surely won't succeed with the other two especially with the classic-leaning Merle on FM.

Why doesn't someone in this market try perhaps an Urban AC or Urban Oldies on AM? I think 1340 was fairly popular back when it ran a similiar format, was it not? Or how about even another Adult Standards format?

It's funny, the one AM that should have been classic country all along is 930 WSEV.
 
That seems to be a recurrent issue in Knoxville radio (and, really elsewhere). One station flips to, say, classic country and then 5 others flip over too. We can't seem to have any variety on a consistent basis. At least it's not ANOTHER sports or talk station! Too many of those already and now they're taking over music-worthy FM (but that's a whole 'nother rant).

I think a nice "Musicradio WLSQ" on 670, 850, 1040 or any decent-signal AM would gather a fair amount of listeners. That station was way too short-lived.

And, whoa, AM 930 WSEV is such a waste of perfectly good electrons. The same lame stuff over and over and over... ugh! No tourist listens to that junk.
 
Elkhosen said:
And, whoa, AM 930 WSEV is such a waste of perfectly good electrons. The same lame stuff over and over and over... ugh! No tourist listens to that junk.
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The last time I heard that station they were playing nothing but STALE Milton Crabtree jokes and those ANNOYING DJ Zack at the River Rat commercials. Is that still the case with them?
 
Today I made a point of listening to all of these "new" classic country stations, mainly AM 850, AM 1040, Merle FM and WLIL AM 730. Here's my thoughts and I welcome anyone else's. WLIL has been around forever and is certainly the most authentic of the bunch. Their music library runs pretty deep though and while that may be a true delight for the country music purist, it probably won't draw in a newer younger audience because a lot of what they dig up is fairly obscure. (I do like it though.) AM 850 really turned me off altogether. They're using local jocks and apparently not very knowledgable. The afternoon guy came out of Pancho & Lefty by saying it was Willie Nelson and then he had to think about who else... after which he used the word "brainfart" on the air! (Real classy!) Merle FM has been around for a couple of years now and while the music sounds better on FM there is a lot of static driving around town because the transmitter is aways out of town. And most of what I heard on Merle was 80's and 90's, nothing going back any further, which again is going to appeal to certain demographics more than others. I just remember hearing them play Fleetwood Mac once before and that completely turned me off. Not that I don't like Fleetwood Mac, but they really don't belong on a country station. The one station I enjoyed the most however was AM 1040 and I guess that's because it's a syndicated feed and the jock was smooth, professional and obviously well versed in the subject of country music and what's going on with the artists. It's not local, mind you, but if it's all about the music, most listeners don't really care about that anymore. AM 1040 gets my vote for the most enjoyable in the bunch. However... I will add that at the end of the day (or the next few ratings books), most of these stations will probably move on to trying something else while WLIL will continue to do what it's done forever!
 
I love Classic Country and I love these posts...

Per "cheapman's" post -- what Fleetwood Mac song did Merle play? Over the years, I've heard select country stations play some occasional "not-bad" songs but scratched my head over their place on a country station. I can remember way back in the early 80s on "Country Loving Stereo For the Tri-Cities" WXBQ, I heard Stevie Nicks' "Leather and Lace" and Pure Prairie League's "Let Me Love You Tonight".

Another poster in this thread brought up WSEV...while I like Mixx 105.5, I still miss the country previously heard when it was WDLY. With the country-themed theaters and tourist demo that vist PF, Gatlinburg and the Smokies, country as it was on WDLY seemed to be the perfect fit and I wish it remained. Additionally, I think standards on AM 930 would fit well with the older visitors and retirees in Sevier County.
 
I listened to 850 for a short time this afternoon and heard the swangin' Deacon back on the air again right before they headed into CBS news. That's all I could take. Who are these Blount Broadcasting folks anyway? Walker Johnson maybe?
 
WKVL 850 isn't worth listening to. Music mix is good (not great), but the DJ's... Well, saying "brainfart" on air should sum it up! Wondering too, who are Blount Broadcasters? In the end, WLIL will be the only one standing in classic-country-land.
 
For 930 WSEV, I too think adult standards or classic country would be a great fit. Seems with all the tourists, they could find a better use than the same tape-loop of lame jokes and lame ads. Right now, if they're tower fell, no one would notice (except the guy that mows the grass around it).
 
Elkhosen said:
For 930 WSEV, I too think adult standards or classic country would be a great fit. Seems with all the tourists, they could find a better use than the same tape-loop of lame jokes and lame ads. Right now, if they're tower fell, no one would notice (except the guy that mows the grass around it).
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If they're like their sister station in Branson, MO, they're charging for those tourist trap ads and making more than they could with an old skewing music format. I agree it's a lame format, and it certainly doesn't cater to locals in terms of the listening audience (though it definitely caters to locals in terms of the ads it runs). However, Perme did well enough in Springfield/Branson to find the same format worth doing in Pidgeon Forge, near his other resort.
 
850's audio sounds terrible. Sounds like the audio is being piped to the transmitter through the ground.
 
The audio wasn't that bad but what they are putting into it can use some improvement. I was listening this morning between 7 and 7:30 and wasn't impressed with whoever is the morning person. I'm no Larry Lujack but surely they could find a better talent than that. Unless he's the owner. Then you have Eddie Beacon on at 11am, the passion for radio just doesn't sound like it's there anymore. The music wasn't that bad, I too enjoy the classic country music that most country station don't play anymore.
 
ea, I can't honestly tell you what particular Fleetwood Mac song I heard on Merle FM as it was a couple of years ago. I will say that it was one of their better known hits (perhaps Don't Stop or Go Your Own Way) and it clearly didn't fit what I think of as any type of country music format. I will agree that Fleetwood Mac has turned out a handful songs with a country feel and personally I enjoy them, but when it comes to programming a station there are certain boundaries you usually have to stay within and there's really no reason for a station wanting to be perceived as "classic" country to pick from the core artist base of the adult contemporary and 80's formats. I will admit there are certain songs by certain artists that could be considered exceptions to the rule but they are few and far between ("Peaceful Easy Feeling" might be one example.) But in my opinion Fleetwood Mac hasn't anything in their repetoire that really falls into this category.

Also, in regard to WKVL's music selection, this morning I heard Billy Jo Spears' "Blanket On The Ground," which truly does qualify for the format but unless my ears were deceiving me or my memory is atrocious, the version they played was a re-record and not the original hit.
 
Are you sure the Fleetwood Mac tune you heard wasn't the Dixie Chick's rendition of "Landslide?"
 
boogiecheck said:
Are you sure the Fleetwood Mac tune you heard wasn't the Dixie Chick's rendition of "Landslide?"
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For what it's worth, they used to play several Fleetwood Mac songs on WSM-FM "95.5 The Wolf" in Nashville a few years ago. They mixed in about one rock song per hour. I don't know if they still do this, but it sounded pretty good.
 
Yes, I am absolutely certain I was not hearing the Dixie Chicks. It was a very popular Fleetwood Mac hit. May have been You Make Loving Fun, Say You Love Me, or the two I mentioned before. Upbeat tune complete with drums and definitely not an acoustic tune like Landslide. This was a couple of years back so my exact memory isn't correct. And I suppose it's entirely possible someone slipped it in when they shouldn't have or they were just testing new ground. But yes it was Fleetwood Mac and a well known song.
 
SchlitzBeer said:
Yet another (daytime) option for classic country in Knoxville: 850 WKVL (and the Loudon simulcast). They are still running CBS News at the top. THEN there's the Journal station that flipped also, AM 1040.

So now there's classic country on 730 (full-time), 850, and 1040. (I don't count 1380 WYSH because it is cluttered with too much other content.) Will these new stations attract more listeners to the classic country format, or will they cancel each other out? ? ? ?
Click to expand...
 
I scanned across them today and actually heard some local commercials. I saw where they were advertising for a sales manager recently, I guess they finally got someone.
 
Elkhosen said:
That seems to be a recurrent issue in Knoxville radio (and, really elsewhere). One station flips to, say, classic country and then 5 others flip over too. We can't seem to have any variety on a consistent basis. At least it's not ANOTHER sports or talk station! Too many of those already and now they're taking over music-worthy FM (but that's a whole 'nother rant).

I think a nice "Musicradio WLSQ" on 670, 850, 1040 or any decent-signal AM would gather a fair amount of listeners. That station was way too short-lived.

And, whoa, AM 930 WSEV is such a waste of perfectly good electrons. The same lame stuff over and over and over... ugh! No tourist listens to that junk.
Click to expand...
Speaking of 1040 what are they up to these days? There are two websites promoting the station: www.studio1040.com and www.wkti.com. I think someone needs to take a hint and take down or alter one (or both) of those websites! Soooo which is on 1040 down there? Just curious. Also, what's the current state of 850?
 
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