98.5, midnight, Sunday-Monday

[JerseyShor]

WJSE can do a couple of things with the 102.7 signal.

1) Make a deal with WAIV so they can go up to 6,000 watts (with one single null twoards Philly)

2) Move up the old WKOE tower (which is a bit farther north and a bit taller)

3) Move over to the top of the BL England power plant, which is very tall and reduce power accordingly

All of these would increase the signal.

 

[eatspaste]

1) Make a deal with WAIV so they can go up to 6,000 watts (with one single null twoards Philly)

That'll give them another 12 feet of coverage.

2) Move up the old WKOE tower (which is a bit farther north and a bit taller)

Access.1 owns the WTKU/WJSE tower in Strathmere = no tower rent. If WJSE moves to the old WKOE tower in Palermo (where WIBG is), tower rent is involved and there'll be a bunch of crud on WMGM around parts of Seaville (102.7+1.020 = 103.72 MHz).

3) Move over to the top of the BL England power plant, which is very tall and reduce power accordingly

Last I heard, that plant is closing in 2007. Who knows how much longer it'll be there.

 

[JerseyShor]

1) Make a deal with WAIV so they can go up to 6,000 watts (with one single null twoards Philly)

That'll give them another 12 feet of coverage.

Try more like a couple of miles. A couple of miles with several thousand people living in them.

 

[PhilGalasso]

WJSE can do a couple of things with the 102.7 signal.

1) Make a deal with WAIV so they can go up to 6,000 watts (with one single null twoards Philly)

2) Move up the old WKOE tower (which is a bit farther north and a bit taller)

The 102.7 allocation in Petersburg (WJSE) was "shoehorned" in by the FCC during Docket 80-90. As such, that station is severely limited as to where it could move its transmitter site. WJSE cannot move too much farther north, as it would be short-spaced to WNEW in New York City. It cannot move much farther to the south or west, as it would be short spaced to a 102.7 allocation (WQSR?) in Baltimore. And it cannot move too far to the northwest, as it is first adjacent to WMGK in Philadelphia. Moving the signal too close to Vineland would also create problems with an IF beat (102.7 - 92.1 = 10.6, which is within the IF passband of most FM receivers).

 

[SoulCrusher]

Frequency Switch: 102.7 & 103.7

WJSE can do a couple of things with the 102.7 signal.

1) Make a deal with WAIV so they can go up to 6,000 watts (with one single null twoards Philly)

2) Move up the old WKOE tower (which is a bit farther north and a bit taller)

The 102.7 allocation in Petersburg (WJSE) was "shoehorned" in by the FCC during Docket 80-90. As such, that station is severely limited as to where it could move its transmitter site. WJSE cannot move too much farther north, as it would be short-spaced to WNEW in New York City. It cannot move much farther to the south or west, as it would be short spaced to a 102.7 allocation (WQSR?) in Baltimore. And it cannot move too far to the northwest, as it is first adjacent to WMGK in Philadelphia. Moving the signal too close to Vineland would also create problems with an IF beat (102.7 - 92.1 = 10.6, which is within the IF passband of most FM receivers).

I knew something was preventing them from moving to the north. That's a shame. A format that would be guaranteed Top 3 in all male demos is doomed because of its location. We can't hear it in Ocean County, in fact there's a ton of static right around New Gretna.

A lot of people think I'm insane for suggesting this, but Access1 could roll the dice with a frequency switch between 102.7 WJSE and the much stronger 103.7 WMGM. My theory being that WMGM's listeners would gladly move to the new frequency, and a whole new window of opportunities will open by having "The Ace" on 103.7. I mean, they would do something that WMGM struggles to do sometimes: give WZXL a serious run for their money. People who like New Rock and don't know WJSE exists because of its anemic signal will make the jump from WZXL to WJSE - after all, what Modern Rock fans wants to sit through Kansas, Fleetwood Mac and Billy Joel all the time? WMGM has the heritage in the market that would keep listeners tuned in. And in WMGM's case, that powerhouse signal certainly hasn't helped them in other markets, where they barely register a blip, if anything. On the other hand, there is nothing remotely like WJSE anywhere else in this state, Philly, or NYC! I know I'm beginning to sound like an employee of the station (I'm not, trust me), but no station plays a library of music comparable to "The Ace", and they are the only commercial FM brave enough to play harder rock and metal acts like Slipknot and Underoath. They would pull in listeners in other markets - I know tons of people in Ocean County that would give their left arm for a station like WJSE.

Like I said, it may be a roll of the dice, but it would pay off for the reasons mentioned. Also, think of all the ad revenue that you could drum up with a station that has much broader appeal than WMGM. This move would have everyone talking, for all the right reasons. But alas, I think it has a snowball's chance in hell of happening. No one at Access1 will take my approach to looking at a prospective move and how it would benefit both stations in the end.

 

[damian542]

Re: Frequency Switch: 102.7 & 103.7

WJSE can do a couple of things with the 102.7 signal.

1) Make a deal with WAIV so they can go up to 6,000 watts (with one single null twoards Philly)

2) Move up the old WKOE tower (which is a bit farther north and a bit taller)

The 102.7 allocation in Petersburg (WJSE) was "shoehorned" in by the FCC during Docket 80-90. As such, that station is severely limited as to where it could move its transmitter site. WJSE cannot move too much farther north, as it would be short-spaced to WNEW in New York City. It cannot move much farther to the south or west, as it would be short spaced to a 102.7 allocation (WQSR?) in Baltimore. And it cannot move too far to the northwest, as it is first adjacent to WMGK in Philadelphia. Moving the signal too close to Vineland would also create problems with an IF beat (102.7 - 92.1 = 10.6, which is within the IF passband of most FM receivers).

I knew something was preventing them from moving to the north. That's a shame. A format that would be guaranteed Top 3 in all male demos is doomed because of its location. We can't hear it in Ocean County, in fact there's a ton of static right around New Gretna.

A lot of people think I'm insane for suggesting this, but Access1 could roll the dice with a frequency switch between 102.7 WJSE and the much stronger 103.7 WMGM. My theory being that WMGM's listeners would gladly move to the new frequency, and a whole new window of opportunities will open by having "The Ace" on 103.7. I mean, they would do something that WMGM struggles to do sometimes: give WZXL a serious run for their money. People who like New Rock and don't know WJSE exists because of its anemic signal will make the jump from WZXL to WJSE - after all, what Modern Rock fans wants to sit through Kansas, Fleetwood Mac and Billy Joel all the time? WMGM has the heritage in the market that would keep listeners tuned in. And in WMGM's case, that powerhouse signal certainly hasn't helped them in other markets, where they barely register a blip, if anything. On the other hand, there is nothing remotely like WJSE anywhere else in this state, Philly, or NYC! I know I'm beginning to sound like an employee of the station (I'm not, trust me), but no station plays a library of music comparable to "The Ace", and they are the only commercial FM brave enough to play harder rock and metal acts like Slipknot and Underoath. They would pull in listeners in other markets - I know tons of people in Ocean County that would give their left arm for a station like WJSE.

Like I said, it may be a roll of the dice, but it would pay off for the reasons mentioned. Also, think of all the ad revenue that you could drum up with a station that has much broader appeal than WMGM. This move would have everyone talking, for all the right reasons. But alas, I think it has a snowball's chance in hell of happening. No one at Access1 will take my approach to looking at a prospective move and how it would benefit both stations in the end.

Doesn't MGM usually beat ZXL? I know they have signal problems now, but on a normal book don't they usually win??? I'm not sure, just asking... but other than your suggestion.. they can ditch the oldies format on 98.3 and put it on there... that's not too much of a risk... 98.3, and oldies in general is a dying format, and let's face it... they are never ever ever going to compete with FPG.... so, that would get them to 6kw, which is what we were talking about in the first place...

 

[eatspaste]

Re: Frequency Switch: 102.7 & 103.7

they can ditch the oldies format on 98.3 and put it on there... that's not too much of a risk... 98.3, and oldies in general is a dying format, and let's face it... they are never ever ever going to compete with FPG.... so, that would get them to 6kw, which is what we were talking about in the first place...

They can move WJSE to 98.3, but 98.3 has a pretty big null towards the NW. What would they gain?

http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=FM274886.html


Then what do you do with 102.7?

 

[SoulCrusher]

Re: Frequency Switch: 102.7 & 103.7

Doesn't MGM usually beat ZXL? I know they have signal problems now, but on a normal book don't they usually win??? I'm not sure, just asking... but other than your suggestion.. they can ditch the oldies format on 98.3 and put it on there... that's not too much of a risk... 98.3, and oldies in general is a dying format, and let's face it... they are never ever ever going to compete with FPG.... so, that would get them to 6kw, which is what we were talking about in the first place...

The ratings seem to go back and forth, with WZXL winning about 2/3 of the time, by my estimate. WMGM comes in loud and clear in Ocean County, where absolutely no one is listening because we have two or three other Classic Rockers that also come in strong (WCHR, 105.7 The Hawk being the prime example). WJSE, on the other hand, would have no competition since the Rock stations in Monmouth/Ocean are either older and/or Female skewing and won't play anything heavier than, say, Nirvana.

But going back to WJSE's home market - would moving to 98.3 benefit them much? Maybe to the south, where they can pick up some of WDOX's old listeners, but to the north they would be just as weak as they are now. Probably even worse, considering that Country hoedown music is playing on 98.5 through a good part of Ocean and Burlington County. Damn, I wish they could do something to boost their presence. I really wish WJSE or something like it was on that flamethrower of a signal on 104.9 that's a complete waste with their pathetic ratings and tired format. Won't happen though - different owners, specifically those purveyors of generic radio known as Millennium Radio Group. Pretty sad when you think about it - not since CBS's two high-powered FMs in NYC (92.3 WFNY and 101.1 WCBS?) has a good signal been wasted like this.

 

[damian542]

Re: Frequency Switch: 102.7 & 103.7

Doesn't MGM usually beat ZXL? I know they have signal problems now, but on a normal book don't they usually win??? I'm not sure, just asking... but other than your suggestion.. they can ditch the oldies format on 98.3 and put it on there... that's not too much of a risk... 98.3, and oldies in general is a dying format, and let's face it... they are never ever ever going to compete with FPG.... so, that would get them to 6kw, which is what we were talking about in the first place...

The ratings seem to go back and forth, with WZXL winning about 2/3 of the time, by my estimate. WMGM comes in loud and clear in Ocean County, where absolutely no one is listening because we have two or three other Classic Rockers that also come in strong (WCHR, 105.7 The Hawk being the prime example). WJSE, on the other hand, would have no competition since the Rock stations in Monmouth/Ocean are either older and/or Female skewing and won't play anything heavier than, say, Nirvana.

But going back to WJSE's home market - would moving to 98.3 benefit them much? Maybe to the south, where they can pick up some of WDOX's old listeners, but to the north they would be just as weak as they are now. Probably even worse, considering that Country hoedown music is playing on 98.5 through a good part of Ocean and Burlington County. Damn, I wish they could do something to boost their presence. I really wish WJSE or something like it was on that flamethrower of a signal on 104.9 that's a complete waste with their pathetic ratings and tired format. Won't happen though - different owners, specifically those purveyors of generic radio known as Millennium Radio Group. Pretty sad when you think about it - not since CBS's two high-powered FMs in NYC (92.3 WFNY and 101.1 WCBS?) has a good signal been wasted like this.

I do agree that something else can be done on 103.7, but I'm not sure what I would do if I had the opportunity... I'd hate to say it, but I think it's a harder sell to do Alt. Rock rather than a Jack format... I know the format is going to burn, but for now it would provide nice competition to AYV and FPG... which is a nice chunck of the sales pie...

Also, 104.9's signal is not geared towards the A.C. market... Millennium is using that station to take money out of the Philly market via the burbs (Cherry Hill, Glassboro, Williamstown).... the signal sucks in A.C. because the stick is tilted by 2 degrees with the antennas up in the air towards Philly... not illegal, but not quite legit... long story to that one, but that's why the signal is better in Philly than Radio-Locator shows...

 

[SoulCrusher]

Re: Frequency Switch: 102.7 & 103.7

I do agree that something else can be done on 103.7, but I'm not sure what I would do if I had the opportunity... I'd hate to say it, but I think it's a harder sell to do Alt. Rock rather than a Jack format... I know the format is going to burn, but for now it would provide nice competition to AYV and FPG... which is a nice chunck of the sales pie...

Also, 104.9's signal is not geared towards the A.C. market... Millennium is using that station to take money out of the Philly market via the burbs (Cherry Hill, Glassboro, Williamstown).... the signal sucks in A.C. because the stick is tilted by 2 degrees with the antennas up in the air towards Philly... not illegal, but not quite legit... long story to that one, but that's why the signal is better in Philly than Radio-Locator shows...

Once upon a time, WMGM was a Classic Hits station - only a few years ago did they become a full-fledged Classic Rocker, with "The Shark" rebranding. Basically, it all comes down to who they consider stronger competition, when it comes to choosing between Classic Rock or the "Jack" style eclectic Adult Hits format. What's more, such a move would solidify the audience on the WJSE format, but they also could wind up losing the audience to the closer-in-sound WZXL as well while building a new station from the ground up.

Perhaps this would be a good move considering the negativity directed at WAYV and their Adult CHR format (I call it Adult CHR rather than Hot AC, because they pound the hits like a CHR). WAYV does sound quite good during the weekend, switching over to all '80s music, but it's a predictable bore the rest of the time. The downside to something like "Jack" would be the obvious lack of personalities, but AYV seems to be automated much of the time as well.

Going on to SoJo - are they succeeding in targeting the suburbs of Philly? Whether they are or not, this station should be performing better than it is - for crying out loud, I get it perfectly in most of Ocean County, and being that it's so generic sounding, it's another format that we have little use for up here. If the station is not succeeding in any way after all this time, maybe a format change should be in the works - the question is, what format hasn't been done in this market? Maybe they would beat Access1 to doing something like "Jack", or perhaps revert back to Adult Standards with WRDR, which was more successful than any attempted format since then.

 

[damian542]

Re: Frequency Switch: 102.7 & 103.7

I do agree that something else can be done on 103.7, but I'm not sure what I would do if I had the opportunity... I'd hate to say it, but I think it's a harder sell to do Alt. Rock rather than a Jack format... I know the format is going to burn, but for now it would provide nice competition to AYV and FPG... which is a nice chunck of the sales pie...

Also, 104.9's signal is not geared towards the A.C. market... Millennium is using that station to take money out of the Philly market via the burbs (Cherry Hill, Glassboro, Williamstown).... the signal sucks in A.C. because the stick is tilted by 2 degrees with the antennas up in the air towards Philly... not illegal, but not quite legit... long story to that one, but that's why the signal is better in Philly than Radio-Locator shows...

Once upon a time, WMGM was a Classic Hits station - only a few years ago did they become a full-fledged Classic Rocker, with "The Shark" rebranding. Basically, it all comes down to who they consider stronger competition, when it comes to choosing between Classic Rock or the "Jack" style eclectic Adult Hits format. What's more, such a move would solidify the audience on the WJSE format, but they also could wind up losing the audience to the closer-in-sound WZXL as well while building a new station from the ground up.

Perhaps this would be a good move considering the negativity directed at WAYV and their Adult CHR format (I call it Adult CHR rather than Hot AC, because they pound the hits like a CHR). WAYV does sound quite good during the weekend, switching over to all '80s music, but it's a predictable bore the rest of the time. The downside to something like "Jack" would be the obvious lack of personalities, but AYV seems to be automated much of the time as well.

Going on to SoJo - are they succeeding in targeting the suburbs of Philly? Whether they are or not, this station should be performing better than it is - for crying out loud, I get it perfectly in most of Ocean County, and being that it's so generic sounding, it's another format that we have little use for up here. If the station is not succeeding in any way after all this time, maybe a format change should be in the works - the question is, what format hasn't been done in this market? Maybe they would beat Access1 to doing something like "Jack", or perhaps revert back to Adult Standards with WRDR, which was more successful than any attempted format since then.

Here's the problem with doing a format that's not being / been done... you're not going to make money... let's face it, there are really only a handful of genres

Rock
Rap / R&B
Country
Pop


There may be one or two others (it's late)... the point is, every station you've ever heard falls into one of those... you can take thinner slices and do a different format (Alt. Rock) is just a piece of Rock, and Jack is just a piece of Pop and Rock, so, as you start slicing thinner and thinner looking for that unique format, you begin to get less and less audience and money... that's is really why radio sucks... it's not about the love of the business anymore, it's all about money...

 

[SoulCrusher]

Re: Frequency Switch: 102.7 & 103.7

Here's the problem with doing a format that's not being / been done... you're not going to make money... let's face it, there are really only a handful of genres

Rock
Rap / R&B
Country
Pop


There may be one or two others (it's late)... the point is, every station you've ever heard falls into one of those... you can take thinner slices and do a different format (Alt. Rock) is just a piece of Rock, and Jack is just a piece of Pop and Rock, so, as you start slicing thinner and thinner looking for that unique format, you begin to get less and less audience and money... that's is really why radio sucks... it's not about the love of the business anymore, it's all about money...

You're exacly right. It all comes down to formats with proven track records of mass appeal. That's why we will probably never see a commercial FM with a Reggae, Blues, Polka, Metal, Punk, etc. format, as much as I would like to see a few of them.

I do, however, admire stations that program a little outside the box with their format, which is why I am a fan of WJSE. It's a station with far more surprises up its sleeve than other Rock stations in New Jersey, Philly & NYC, and unlike certain stations, they don't bore the male listener with celebrity gossip stories during their morning show. I think I speak for all Men when I say that I really couldn't care less about Nick Lachey & Jessica Simpson, and I wouldn't shed a tear if both of their careers ended today. I really wish we had a station for Men in Monmouth/Ocean - I think it would pull very strong ratings if given the chance. Tell that to Press Communications - as far as they're concerned, the only people that exist are Women and Ocean County is as sparsely populated as Antarctica.

If WMGM ratings do not improve with Classic Rock, I think they should consider flip-flopping the station with WJSE - either that, "Jack", CHR/Rhythmic (WGBZ/WZBZ wasn't pulling bad ratings with this format before they went Urban) or Adult Standards would be best for them. A lot of people call WJSE a disappointment, but I think the station does well considering all the strikes against it. WMGM and WSJO have to be considered the biggest underachievers in the market, but the latter is a more extreme example - the ratings and ad revenue must be really strong outside of AC / Cape May for them to continue.

 

[damian542]

I know, I think MGM should do something else, but I don't think there's enough of a slice for a stick like that to make good money on alt rock.... I think they would need to do Jack, it's really the best solution, taking pieces from all the different stations... I don't think Nicky is ready to flip it though... and I think SJO is doing fine for what Millennium intended to do with it... last time I went to their web site they had pictures of events in all those suburbs of Philly, so that is really what they're up to, creating their own market. They paid a ton of money for that stick... $14MM if memory serves, and it was only doing about 700k gross with Nassau... so they have some serious money invested in the success of the license.

 

[htowler]

Re: Frequency Switch: 102.7 & 103.7

(WGBZ/WZBZ wasn't pulling bad ratings with this format before they went Urban)

Is WZBZ Urban or Still Rhythmic?

6:56 AM Ciara Get Up (w/ Chamillionaire)
7:00 AM Lil' Scrappy Money In Da Bank (w/ Young Buck)
7:04 AM Diddy Come To Me (w/ Nicole Scherzinger)
7:07 AM Lloyd You (w/ Tango Redd)
7:14 AM Danity Kane Show Stopper
7:23 AM Snoop Dogg That's That Sh** (w/ R.Kelly)
7:28 AM Paula Deanda Walk Away (w/ The Dey)
7:38 AM Ciara Promise
7:42 AM Baby Boy The Way I Live
7:48 AM Cherish Unappreciated

Alot of rythmic tracks in a short time

 

[htowler]

WZBZ/WGBZ is CLEARLY Back to a Rhythmic as of March 07 Their Playlist has been removed from AllAccess R&R And Mediabase. Probably to be Updated. R&R Changed their listing from Rhythmic to Urban a few weeks ago time to flip it Back. Might as well Ask the Big guy while I'm here

Rob Garcia What format is your station the Buzz now?

8:59 PM Snoop Dogg That's That Sh** (w/ R.Kelly)
9:02 PM Jay-Z Hollywood (w/ Beyonce)
9:04 PM Justin Timberlake My Love (w/ T.I.)
9:08 PM Fergie Fergalicious (w/ Will.I.Am)
9:11 PM Chamillionaire Not A Criminal (w/ Kelis)
9:20 PM Lil Rob Stuck With You
9:25 PM Chris Brown Poppin'
9:35 PM The Game Wouldn't Get Far (w/ Kanye West)
9:39 PM Rich Boy Throw Some D's (w/ Polow Da Don)
9:43 PM Young Jeezy Go Getta (w/ R. Kelly)
9:52 PM Baby Bash Na Na (The Yummy Song)
10:00 PM Timbaland Give It To Me (w/ Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake)
10:03 PM DJ Unk Walk It Out
10:08 PM Rihanna Break It Off (w/ Sean Paul)
10:10 PM Diddy Last Night (w/ Keyshia Cole)
10:20 PM Akon Smack That (w/ Eminem)
10:26 PM Akon I Wanna (w/ Snoop Dogg)
10:36 PM Justin Timberlake What Goes Around
10:40 PM Fat Joe Make It Rain (w/ Lil Wayne)
10:44 PM Omarion Ice Box
10:54 PM Ciara Promise
11:00 PM Nelly Furtado Say It Right
11:03 PM Akon Don't Matter
11:06 PM Snoop Dogg That's That Sh** (w/ R.Kelly)
11:11 PM Baby Boy The Way I Live
11:19 PM Jim Jones We Fly High
11:22 PM MIMS This Is Why I'm Hot

 

[SoulCrusher]

WZBZ/WGBZ is CLEARLY Back to a Rhythmic as of March 07 Their Playlist has been removed from AllAccess R&R And Mediabase. Probably to be Updated. R&R Changed their listing from Rhythmic to Urban a few weeks ago time to flip it Back. Might as well Ask the Big guy while I'm here

Rob Garcia What format is your station the Buzz now?

8:59 PM Snoop Dogg That's That Sh** (w/ R.Kelly)
9:02 PM Jay-Z Hollywood (w/ Beyonce)
9:04 PM Justin Timberlake My Love (w/ T.I.)
9:08 PM Fergie Fergalicious (w/ Will.I.Am)
9:11 PM Chamillionaire Not A Criminal (w/ Kelis)
9:20 PM Lil Rob Stuck With You
9:25 PM Chris Brown Poppin'
9:35 PM The Game Wouldn't Get Far (w/ Kanye West)
9:39 PM Rich Boy Throw Some D's (w/ Polow Da Don)
9:43 PM Young Jeezy Go Getta (w/ R. Kelly)
9:52 PM Baby Bash Na Na (The Yummy Song)
10:00 PM Timbaland Give It To Me (w/ Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake)
10:03 PM DJ Unk Walk It Out
10:08 PM Rihanna Break It Off (w/ Sean Paul)
10:10 PM Diddy Last Night (w/ Keyshia Cole)
10:20 PM Akon Smack That (w/ Eminem)
10:26 PM Akon I Wanna (w/ Snoop Dogg)
10:36 PM Justin Timberlake What Goes Around
10:40 PM Fat Joe Make It Rain (w/ Lil Wayne)
10:44 PM Omarion Ice Box
10:54 PM Ciara Promise
11:00 PM Nelly Furtado Say It Right
11:03 PM Akon Don't Matter
11:06 PM Snoop Dogg That's That Sh** (w/ R.Kelly)
11:11 PM Baby Boy The Way I Live
11:19 PM Jim Jones We Fly High
11:22 PM MIMS This Is Why I'm Hot

I find it baffling why they went to Rhythmic. The old adage "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" applies here. This station was topping the books back when it was an Urban and actually had slightly wider appeal than the current format has - I could actually picture people older than 20 listening to it. At least they played some stuff that goes back a few years back then, but now it's so current-based that it's ridiculous.

At the same time, it appears they're taking advantage of the fact that there is no CHR that covers the entire market, and they can target this audience better by playing Fergie, Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake rather than sticking to straight up hip-hop and R&B. Of course, CHR WSJQ (which admittedly has anemic ratings - bring WDOX back!) and Hot AC WSJO (far more rhythmic than your average Hot AC) also plays these acts, so it really wasn't necessary.

The risk still doesn't make that much sense, and the desired effects of the tinkered format haven't happened - thus far the station has lost momentum in the ratings since the change. Maybe things will improve in the long term, but speaking as someone who listened to the station at one time, I can't stand it now. But then again, I'm pushing 30 - it's not meant for my demo.