97.1?

[Nashradio300]

So is there any news on 97.1 (WRQQ) ? Are they flipping soon or whatever they think will help them? I like the music but I just dont like the imaging of the station. Someone mentioned about them flipping to "The Eagle" but isnt there an Eagle in Clarksville? http://www.eagle943.com/



So many questions so little time!



Have a great day everyone!

 

[LouP]

WRQQ is still "Classic Hits 97.1" -- the Eagle talk was simply speculation.

 

[NashRadio]

Does anyone keep a score

on how many of these rumors are just... well, rumors. And how many actually come true?

 

[courier37027]

I remember two rumors or gags played on Nashville listeners. Fall 1981 KDF circulated a rumor that the Rolling Stones would play the Tennessee State Fair. The Stones did not show.

1987 (or about) 104.5 The Fox hosted "Livestock", a concert with all the superstars. People sought tickets and wanted to find this mystery concert. The farce created lots of buzz. The "concert" was live album cuts and some crowd sound effects.

In late 1979 or early 1980 the Rock 106 WKQB change from AOR to easy listening seemed to catch the air staff off guard. Any truth to that rumor?

 

[romer979fm]

1987 (or about) 104.5 The Fox hosted "Livestock", a concert with all the superstars. People sought tickets and wanted to find this mystery concert. The farce created lots of buzz. The "concert" was live album cuts and some crowd sound effects.

I got to work the "Livestock" event...true theater-of-the-mind. We had maps drawn of the concert location...and posted them all over the control room. This allowed whoever was on the air to say things like..."off to the right...on the west stage...looks like the Stones are getting set up"...you get the idea. The premise was that WGFX had a broadcast studio at the edge of the stages...and we'd run muted crowd noise and use normal mic processing. Then during a stopset...the jock would "leave the broadcast booth...and step on stage to introduce the next act". Better crowd nose on cart...and
tons of reverb on the mic. I also had guitar tuning sfx...lots of cuts of feedback...drum warmups...etc...and ran them
during the tunes. And...a large crow laugh track, so I sounded like I was actually entertaining the crowd.
It was fun...and while a few believed it was a real event...most realized that Hendrix was NOT really at a secret location in Middle Tennessee. Very tiring shift...but a lot of funj. I have an aircheck somewhere...and I think this was late summer 1988. Could be 89...I dunno...but Leigh Jacobs was the PD during the event.

 

[Journeyman]

It was fun...and while a few believed it was a real event...most realized that Hendrix was NOT really at a secret location in Middle Tennessee.

I was working for a competing station at the time and our request lines were LIT UP by irate listeners who were p****d off that they were being taken by the the Fox. Yeah, I realize Jimmy Hendrix had been dead for decades, but some if these people apparently didn't! It was a HOOT! (By the way, I believe these same listeners today make up the core caller demo of most talk stations)

 

[deltas69]

not nearly as famous as the livestock caper, but when kris bradley, worked with us at WHIN, under the guise of FRB THE 3...we did a parody of OMAR the snake man. those who may not know of OMAR, he was one of Fate THomas old cronies and would set up in parking lots and get in a "pit" of live rattlesnakes. we did a loop of baby chicks squeaking on a cart, and put Kris in a pit of "deadly baby chicks" on the air...The soon to be Kris with a K played it to the hilt..and phones lit up..people actually came to the station( we hastily put cardboard over the studio door window, and kids were crying on the phone..don't kill frb..don't kill frb...no fun like that on the air now... :'(

 

[Tibbs4]

CR --- I am so so old . . .

But did Rock 106 (WKQB) flipped to Funeral Music as WJYN on January 1st???? Great just after Christmas present
to the gang that was let go. I seem to remember it was known in advance as jocks started fleeing prior to the flip.
I remember bits and pieces. It was a shock to radio listeners that this happened. I also somehow recall,
either before, during or after, that KDF made reference to the demise. It remains etched in a lot of people's minds
17/18 years later, wow. The other big flip and similar fiasco is still occurring ... no one has gotten their head out
of their ----- to right that injustice. For all that complain that The Rock is weak, it's nothing close to Joy 106.

 

[romer979fm]

Tibbs...it's early...I'm still brain-foggy...but the ROCK 106 to WJYN "Joy of Nashville" happened
on Christmas Eve. Not unusual for a station to drop normal programming for Christmas tunes...
but ROCK 106 never returned. Sudbrink owned the station (with WLAC) at the time...and Woody
Sudbrink decided for whatever reason...to do a favor to a buddy (Shulke)...and help him debut
a "world altering" format...called (horns sfx) "Shulke II". The format was also running in Orlando at WORJ...
another successful AOR blown up for this new format. The basic "Shulke II" format was this: easy listening
and standards...but...with a twist (wait for it)... instead of seques...there was planned dead air between every event. And wait...let's make it a positive...it's not "dead air"...it's called "SAVOR TIME".
I'm 100% serious...they thought "savor time" would let the listener reflect on how much they just ejnoyed hearing that Malilow tune. Brilliant. BTW...the jocks were not allowed to use headphones: there was no need...as you just waited for dead air to do anything...or say anything. The station was semi-automated...
with insta-carts for the spots. I never had to work the format...but I was hired for the switch away from
WJYN to "The New 106 FM" which was designed to grab the old SM-95 audience when WSM-FM went country. I had to do a few days of a modified WJYN format (no dead air) to learn the control room...
then (since I was doing overnights) got to be the first to use the WLAC-FM call letters with the switch.
Original airstaff also included Dave Nichols, Karen Gerson, and Dick Kiser. I think I'll wear my "New 106 FM"
Members Only jacket to work today...

 

[jason99]

if it was speculation then why do we still have 971eagle.com going to cumulus when you put it in the address bar, and why is www.classichits971.com still under construction??

 

[Tibbs4]

Jason, Crumulus owns a few other 97.1 frequencies. I am not saying it won't happen. It doesn't
mean it's fact. Just remember, why should they flip it? It sounds fine to them. Seriously, the
Eagle name is already tired sounding and proof that they won't have anything exciting on there.
They just ought to call it Format 28, WRQQ. "Another radio failure, while we wait for #27's website."

 

[LouP]

I don't see how 971eagle.com could be intended for anything other than WRQQ. I did a search on 100000watts.com and no other station showed up for Cumulus in a nationwide query for all stations on 97.1.

It could always be a placeholder for future use (with no intention of switching now), a red herring, or a rib by Cumulus on radio insiders (but why go to the trouble?), but it is interesting that it showed up and still directs to Cumulus' corporate site. The corporate site direction is the exact same thing that the Houston Jack websites did prior to the KIOL flip last week.

Lou Pickney
LouPickney.com

 

[Tibbs4]

Lou/Jason:

You know, I guess I was dreaming (make that nightmaring) that Crum. has a 97.1 out West. My apologies. What are the
chances of WRQQ-HD's being called the Eagle? Talk about an oxymoron. Speaking of morons, what do I know? Bring
on the Eagle.

 

[Bob E. Nelson]

I never had to work the [Shulke II WJYN] format...but I was hired for the switch away from
WJYN to "The New 106 FM" which was designed to grab the old SM-95 audience when WSM-FM went country.

Apropos SM-95, back when I was in the market back then and had access to Arbitron books, WSM-FM was consistently strong (often dominant) in the 25-44 cell with that quasi-AAA/soft-AOR/AC approach. What actually led to the country flip at 95.5? Did the numbers and sales start to taper off on SM-95?

Anecdotally, I used hear SM-95 seemingly everywhere, especially in stores around Green Hills, Brentwood and Belle Meade. I was teaching at MTSU at the time and it seemed to be favorite choice for grad students and some of the younger profs.

 

[jetfli]

It could always be a placeholder for future use (with no intention of switching now), a red herring, or a rib by Cumulus on radio insiders (but why go to the trouble?)

Maybe they wanted to expose GETALIFELOSERS ;D

 

[courier37027]

To address Bob E. Nelson, SM95 lost some of its appeal and ratings late in its existence. Audience aged, tastes changed, whatever reasons led to lower ratings. Personally I enjoyed SM95 and was saddened by the format change to country. Wikipedia has a very generic and believeable recollection.

I remember the SM95 music list taking a more mainstream approach around 1981 and 1982. There were fewer Gene Cotton and Dan Fogelberg songs, and more Foreigner, Phil Collins and mainstream artists.

SM95 has a Yahoo Groups web page. Please take a look. Brentwood, Belle Meade and Green Hills seemed to be the hot demo areas for SM95. A few Yahoo groups posters also listened to SM95 in Dickson and other rural areas. Even if SM95 pulled a 3 share or ratings in their sunset days, it would still be triple what 106.7 The Fan gets today.

 

[Tibbs4]

Would a jazz and/or lite AC station work on 106.7 since it's signal is strongest in Belle Meade, Green Hills, Hillsboro Village?
Take the aspects of Jazzy, which did decently, without fanfare and SM 95 and update it. They could call it Eagle1067....

 

[Nock]

They could call it Eagle1067....
[/quote]

And when they flip it they can play Steve Miller non stop all weekend.

Nock

 

[Tibbs4]

Well now, Nock --- funny you should pick that up, as ClassicsHits 97.1
played "Fly Like an Eagle" just this very morning after Bob and Tom at 10.
I thought it could possibly be the end of time for the station. But, no,
now Nock, no...after STB, and as they do every 23 songs, they played
Segar's "Main Street" and continued their stellar performance on the
ratings charts...


I guess the chances of a commerical Jazz station are as good as
Steve Miller releasing a new CD with "Fly Like An Eagle" on it in our
lifetimes.

 

[courier37027]

I think 101.1 was briefly a jazz station before it became "The Juice" eleven years ago (now The Beat--holla and mad props to that Clear Channel tru playa Chris Romer). 101.1 The Juice was The Tom Joyner Morning Show's first stop in Nashville.