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96 Rock Tribute video

I still occasionally still see the "turned up" 96 licence plates. It kind of makes you wonder if 96.1 was sold too "cheaply" to CC. WKLS was more that a licence and equipment. That kind of loallity / brand awareness with an intangible is almost impossible at achieve now days. P & G has been able to keep brands alive for 50 or more years (Ivory, Tide, Charmin, etc.), NBC's Tonight Show has survived over 50 years. In radio, WSM 650 is still viable. Anybody who is in or studied Marketing would tell you a "brand" can be priceless. I realize that most products occasionally need "updated", but to "throw away" the 96 Rock brand was stupid. They could have just changed the music if the demo's were too old. CC had a brand that represented the 18 to 30 audience. The folks who use to listen in the 70's and 80's understand we are not teenagers anymore and rock music has changed. Besides "Project" and "Planet Radio" both start with "P"!
 
secondchoice said:
I still occasionally still see the "turned up" 96 licence plates. It kind of makes you wonder if 96.1 was sold too "cheaply" to CC. WKLS was more that a licence and equipment. That kind of loallity / brand awareness with an intangible is almost impossible at achieve now days. P & G has been able to keep brands alive for 50 or more years (Ivory, Tide, Charmin, etc.), NBC's Tonight Show has survived over 50 years. In radio, WSM 650 is still viable. Anybody who is in or studied Marketing would tell you a "brand" can be priceless. I realize that most products occasionally need "updated", but to "throw away" the 96 Rock brand was stupid. They could have just changed the music if the demo's were too old. CC had a brand that represented the 18 to 30 audience. The folks who use to listen in the 70's and 80's understand we are not teenagers anymore and rock music has changed. Besides "Project" and "Planet Radio" both start with "P"!
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I agree. I would have kept the 96 Rock name--and freshened the logo--and actually "rebirthed" the station like the Project flip promised, without changing the name. I would have made a radical-enough change to qualify as a rebirth, but not so radical a change as to drive off so much of the old audience. A lot of thirty- and forty-somethings wanted a station that rocked, and had new stuff to hear, but what they got was alienated which left the door open for Rock100.5 and an audience perhaps spread too thinly among River, Project, and 100.5.

I agree with getting rid of the Elton John, Jethro Tull, and Fleetwood Mac as the flip mocked them, but they could have saved a lot more of the brand equity and the audience if they hadn't just ... "You Maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, d--- you! D--- you all to hell!"


Anyway, great job Steve on the video!
 
I agree, with Peach being the other example. And the best proof is WSB AM and B98.5 FM. They've gone through some changes and have come out well. And don't tell me that Peach had to change their name because it was viewed as elevator music...B98 played the Bonneville easy listening format and they shook off that image too.
 
I'm wondering if some long-time Atlantan could answer a couple of questions:

Was the Atlanta Townehouse, original location of 96 Rock, demolished? There's a building that looks similar to the drawing in the video that's perpendicular to the Connector, but I believe it's a little below 10th Street, which apparently was the Atlanta Townehouse's location.

Also, Don Kennedy said the original transmitter site was on Blackjack Mountain on Barnes Mill Road. But Blackjack Mountain is not on Barnes Mill Road. I assume Blackjack Mountain and not Barnes Mill Road was the location. Is that correct?
 
Does anyone think WKLS has missed an opportunity on the HD2 channel ? It would be great if 96 Rock was on there instead of the Alt Project.... ???
 
The Townehouse is still here, but offices now. You're right, technically it's not right at 10th & Spring, but next to the access road. That was a cool place to work. It was a hotel so the Sales office had showers, and the control room window looked out over the 2nd floor veranda. And there was the bar, where I believe we all spent some time.
 
Mitchell said:
The Townehouse is still here, but offices now. You're right, technically it's not right at 10th & Spring, but next to the access road. That was a cool place to work. It was a hotel so the Sales office had showers, and the control room window looked out over the 2nd floor veranda. And there was the bar, where I believe we all spent some time.
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The building is still there. When I was at Tech (and in the fraternity house across from the Tech Alexander Memorial Coliseum down 10th), it went from being a HoJo, to a hospital, and now it's student apartments (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=tenth...mi2W7IzyynvwbtDo2qY1A&cbp=12,218.97,,0,-10.01 ).

When I was at Tech (late 80s) WKLS was in the triangle building at Century Center. My girlfriend who had moved from Marietta to Montgomery wanted some 96 Rock swag, and I impressed her by taking her to the triangle building and asking for some. We got car tags, keychains, buttons, and stickers--the whole schmear. I still have the tag, buttons, and keychain.
 
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