97X going away again

[microbob]

Sorry to hear that woxy.com is going away for good.

http://www.radioandrecords.com/radi...article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003086310

 

[bueller]

I miss them already. Best station ever in the market.

 

[ouuc]

Honestly, did you think this had any real chance of working? Lousy business model, and an all-over-the-road playlist of songs and artists most of the country doesn't care about. Hip-hip-hooray for artistic freedom and all that, but the fools that invested money in this probably bought the Brooklyn Bridge and swampland in Arizona. Internet radio is totally different from terrestrial radio, but a fool and his money are soon parted.

 

[mattsledge]

and an all-over-the-road playlist of songs and artists most of the country doesn't care about.

For those of us that are sick of hearing Lynyrd Skynyrd sing about Alabama for the 2 millionth time (in the Cincinnati market alone), I cared.

But then I'm biased.

 

[bueller]

Honestly, ouuc, do you think that only the mainstream formats have a chance of working? Ever consider there's enough people out there who want something different to make this work. You're right, internet radio IS different and thats why a format like this should be able to survive on the internet. The business model simply has to be worked out.

Stations like WOXY serve to be an important alternative to the mainstream and inspire people. There should always be a place for them in the media universe.

 

[ouuc]

In the late 60s, FM stations across the country embraced the progressive rock format, playing all kinds of rock tracks by established, new, and obscure artists, plus folk and jazz. People listened because no other format on FM at the time appealed to high school and college kids and young adults.

Then, in the mid-70s, Burkhart-Abrams developed the "Superstars" AOR format, which brought Top-40 concepts to rock radio...namely: a narrow playlist featuring the best songs by the most popular rock artists. In just about every market they went into, B-A blew away the progressive stations, many of which defected from the format. I witnessed it twice...once as a listener in Columbus, Ohio, where WLVQ quickly forced WCOL-FM to change to more of mainstream rock format, then eventually oldies. I also witnessed it as an employee. I was on the original airstaff of WAPI-FM in Birmingham. Within two months of our sign-on, progressive WRKK switched to country.

Radio is not a personal jukebox for anti-establishment music freaks. It's a business. If you don't appeal to the masses, you don't make money and you don't survive. But you knew that. So does WEBN. They started out with an all-over-the road playlist, but no more. They wouldn't have survived.

I liked listening to 97X and woxy.com, but I knew the web station was living on borrowed time from the moment they signed on.

 

[titoisradio]

Honestly, ouuc, do you think that only the mainstream formats have a chance of working? Ever consider there's enough people out there who want something different to make this work. You're right, internet radio IS different and thats why a format like this should be able to survive on the internet. The business model simply has to be worked out.

Stations like WOXY serve to be an important alternative to the mainstream and inspire people. There should always be a place for them in the media universe.

Non-mainstream formats can and do work on the internet, however not the way woxy.com was being ran. The key to internet success is 1) have large pockets, 2) spend lots of money on lobbying and legal challenges to the DMCA, 3) you can not have a full time live on air staff, doesn't work. Use of voice tracking and wan-tracking is a must for survival. 4) Don't be afraid to be "corporate". Internet radio must adopt a commercial model in order to survive, same with satellite.

 

[IWorkThere]

The key to internet success is 1) have large pockets, 2) spend lots of money on lobbying and legal challenges to the DMCA, 3) you can not have a full time live on air staff, doesn't work. Use of voice tracking and wan-tracking is a must for survival. 4) Don't be afraid to be "corporate". Internet radio must adopt a commercial model in order to survive, same with satellite.

Or you can let the listener choose what type of music they want to hear and fine tune the station to their own tastes: www.pandora.com

Here is a question or two to ponder: With the internet becoming more and more available wireless, how long will it be before we have internet radios installed in our cars where we could listen to any station, any where in the world? Then how long will it be before terrestrial and satellite radio dies a painful death?

Think about it...automatically generated local weather for(insert pod)casts from weather.com and traffic reports from say Metro. Then on to your favorite Amish Polka station from the Netherlands.

 

[Dirty_Harry]

In just about every market they went into, B-A blew away the progressive stations, many of which defected from the format. I witnessed it twice...once as a listener in Columbus, Ohio, where WLVQ quickly forced WCOL-FM to change to more of mainstream rock format, then eventually oldies.

Not true.

As Top-40 faded on WCOL-AM (and WING-AM in Dayton), Great Trails flipped the Top-40 format over to WCOL-FM, renaming it 92X-WXGT. WXGT was a very successful station and one of the better sounding Top-40 stations in the nation until WNCI got its act together and started throwing money at listeners. Eventually WXGT started fading in the ratings and then tweaked the Top-40 format to add dance and alternative, and then went to a Rock-40 format, and then went to an Oldies format as Cool 92, and then finally to country where it's been for many years.

WXGT sounded very similar to WGTZ in its heyday. Both great sounding Top-40 stations.

 

[hotpatrick2004]

There is a great statiob in los angeles www indie1031.com to listen to and it is not only streamed but on terrestrial radio!!!Agood substitue for woxy i love it!!!

 

[ouuc]

Maybe I didn't get the format right for WCOL-FM, but it is true that WLVQ absolutely smoked them and that was the real reason for bailing out of the progressive rock format.

 

[NoWayNoCC]

I remember when the Columbus station (92.3) switched from rock 40 to oldies. They were total idiots to do that, especially because there was already an FM oldies station in Columbus.

That oldies format ended up lasting like 3 seconds before they went country.