A wait and see period of who in the Triad will flip to Oldies........

[GoodTimesandGreatOldies]

There is a huge demand for a good Oldies station in the Traid. The Majic 94.1 deal was done very dirty and many loyal listeners are now crushed! I predict that WIST-FM Country Legends will flip to Oldies very soon. 98.1 out of Galax already has this area covered for Country Oldies. WIST-FM 98.3 would do good to hire Max McGann and the Shark. Majic 94.1 was a very good station in many ways, but they played way too much 80`s crap. The Oldies format will return here very soon....

 

[Tom Wells]

I'll bet you get another sports yap outlet before oldies.

 

[wavetrapper]

Is there just not enough demographic in this market for Oldies? Seems like there would be but what do I know.....? First 93.1 now 94.1.

 

[nuffsaid]

There is ample amount of listeners for an oldies station. 93 made the change to attack WTQR and make a run at the huge revenues that CC was pulling out of the market. They have done a great job with The Wolf and it fits nicely into their group of stations. The format needs to be on a station that has enough signal to make it happen in the metro survey area. That was the main problem with WTHZ for they had virtually no signal in Allmance County and the signal was weak on the east side of Greensboro and in Randolph County.

 

[tothedj]

If WIST flips to Oldies, they have one problem, coverage, i'm surprised the sister sports AM hasn't moved here yet.

 

[vchimpanzee]

98.1 out of Galax already has this area covered for Country Oldies.

No, it doesn't. WBRF is terrible. WIST is great. Don't touch my station!

 

[vchimpanzee]

There is another thread on this board that says Curtis Media, which switched WRBZ to oldies (the good kind) and brought back its WKIX letters, has bought WCOG, which is off the air. Maybe they'll change to oldies. They can't be picked up in Winston-Salem, which is why I used to have to listen to WKIX there. WPOL blocks out the signal, but Truth Broadcasting seems to be doing well with that station.

 

[DToTheJ]

There is a huge demand for a good Oldies station in the Traid. The Majic 94.1 deal was done very dirty and many loyal listeners are now crushed! I predict that WIST-FM Country Legends will flip to Oldies very soon...

Hey, GoodTimes, how's Atlanta been treating you - or did you have to move out? ;D (That is if this is the same person as the one I am thinking of...)

 

[markwooldridge]

My question is where is the space for a new Oldies station?

Only place I see that's obvious is the now dark WCOG and pair it with WPCM and tweak their format to be more like the Oldies 93 and Majic 94 playlists (somewhat).

FM? The only station that comes out as a candidate is the disaster that is WMKS - that had a loyal following when it was a Statesville station on country, but its programming seems to be aimed at spoiling the competition and not doing a very good job at it - firstly going against QMG and now going against KZL...

Oldies in my mind needs a strong personality led station that can be live and local, especially during the daytime. Voicetracking overnight seems to be the OK thing, though I'd prefer networking. CC has a track record of not exactly going live and local (Rush Radio seems to be an exception for mornings though...)

I don't see any other station going Oldies, CMG's 101.1 could go that way but that would also be a big risk, it seems to be billing OK.

 

[goatboy]

I think these are the three most likely to flip (in order)

1) 105.7 (they couldn't touch jamz or qmg and now they can't do anything against against kzl; cc needs the $$$, so roll the dice. but, they will NOT use local personalities....unless flynn wants to voice track ANOTHER station ;D )

2) 100.3 (looked like a strong candidate to flip to talk three months ago and now they're time may be up)

3) 98.7 (entercom could probably do it better than cc and actually hire talent to make it work)

 

[MaskMan]

I think these are the three most likely to flip (in order)

1) 105.7 (they couldn't touch jamz or qmg and now they can't do anything against against kzl; cc needs the $$$, so roll the dice. but, they will NOT use local personalities....unless flynn wants to voice track ANOTHER station ;D )

2) 100.3 (looked like a strong candidate to flip to talk three months ago and now they're time may be up)

3) 98.7 (entercom could probably do it better than cc and actually hire talent to make it work)

Can't see CC going Oldies on any of their stations, for the express reason that it would compete with 99.5 WMAG. Why would you create a new station to draw ratings away from your existing Cash Cow? Makes no sense. So that nixes both 100.3 and 105.7. I don't think Entercom will do it either for much the same reason. The Simon format lets them adjust the station and react to the market. They can make it sort of an Oldies station, or make it more current. So, why would they change? And why would Entercom want to change something they ditched just a few years ago? I think WCOG-AM is the most likely candidate. Curtis also has WMFR in High Point that is floundering right now. They might simulcast Oldies on several AM stations. I think that's the most likely possibility. It's what I would do if I owned those stations.

 

[John FL]

I don't live in your area but I'd like to throw in my two-cents worth because I did listen to Majic 94.1 on occasion. What happened to majic is typical of what happens to the format. Mainly, it revolves around getting rid of people who know what they are doing because others in the building are considered qualified to it - especially if it saves a buck or two. But in the long run, they loose and so do fans of the format.

In Jacksonville Fl where I am, we at one time had a very good oldies station under the leadership of Pat Garrett who eventually wound up at Majic. The guy who replaced Pat here didn't have a clue and the format went away never to return. For those of us who love even today's version of oldies/classic hits - it can be a heartbreaker.

The same situation apprently happened at Majic. When Pat was at Majic, he shared with me his numbers which were pretty darn good at that cherished 25-54 demo. But if stations are run by idiots, you can't expect much. That's my take.

In my market, I'm hoping some LPFM sees the light. For you fans of the format, I wouldn't hold my breath to wait for the big companies to jump on the format. They are too biased and narrow-minded. The format has potential to work - even do well in 25-54 with the right people. If any stations decides to go with someone just walking around the building to save a few bucks - don't expect much. If I sound angry, it's because I am - most radio is run by idiots because they rarely hire those who know what they are doing - pure and simple.Then the cycle of flipping and flipping some more continues which winds up costing more than if they just did it right the first time.

 

[carolinaradio]

Perhaps WMAG could go a bit more gold leaning. JohnJax, doesn't WEJZ play a lot of 70s/80s music?

 

[John FL]

Perhaps WMAG could go a bit more gold leaning. JohnJax, doesn't WEJZ play a lot of 70s/80s music?

WEJZ is an AC station, not classic hits/oldies. I'm not sure what you mean by "a lot" but one thing to remember is what they play falls into a narrow interpretation of what fits into that format so there's a ton of music not heard.

Also, to create a station that plays only 70s and 80s is going to have a lot of elements to it that sound like others in the market. That doesn't really differentiate the station. The true rockers (the Bon Jovi 80s crowd) will go elsewhere once they hear a pop, disco or dance type song and to do too much rock and alternative and the pop oriented crowd won't be interested either.

Many believe avoiding the 60s is the way to go. I don't agree. If an average non AM drive music hour has 14 songs, playing 3-4 60s per hour and the rest 70s and a handful of 80s will achieve a few things. It's different and it will deliver a wide range of listeners especially in the PPM world. It can be one of a few stations that earn a place in the workplace as a station all can agree on. I can't listen to everything but CBS Radio, I believe, does a good job with the formula I just outlined. Do they have over 54 listening? They sure do but realistically they have to go somewhere. But because they are able to be heard even pasively in the PPM world, they perform better in 25-54 than a traditional oldies (heavy 60s and 70s only.)

This is why I feel the big operators may not want to go through all the effort and so that's why so many stations sound alike. For those of you who believe as I do that the format is viable if done right, I hope someone steps up to the plate. I really do think it's healthy for radio to generate some market excitment and to treat listeners with a little respect that they can really handle some of the real classic stuff.

 

[vchimpanzee]

I don't think Entercom will do it either for much the same reason. The Simon format lets them adjust the station and react to the market. They can make it sort of an Oldies station, or make it more current. So, why would they change? And why would Entercom want to change something they ditched just a few years ago?

They sure do lean heavily toward 70s music, though. This is surprising for a station that has an attitude and tries to be hot AC.

 

[carolinaradio]

WEJZ is an AC station, not classic hits/oldies. I'm not sure what you mean by "a lot" but one thing to remember is what they play falls into a narrow interpretation of what fits into that format so there's a ton of music not heard.

Also, to create a station that plays only 70s and 80s is going to have a lot of elements to it that sound like others in the market. That doesn't really differentiate the station. The true rockers (the Bon Jovi 80s crowd) will go elsewhere once they hear a pop, disco or dance type song and to do too much rock and alternative and the pop oriented crowd won't be interested either.

Many believe avoiding the 60s is the way to go. I don't agree. If an average non AM drive music hour has 14 songs, playing 3-4 60s per hour and the rest 70s and a handful of 80s will achieve a few things. It's different and it will deliver a wide range of listeners especially in the PPM world. It can be one of a few stations that earn a place in the workplace as a station all can agree on. I can't listen to everything but CBS Radio, I believe, does a good job with the formula I just outlined. Do they have over 54 listening? They sure do but realistically they have to go somewhere. But because they are able to be heard even pasively in the PPM world, they perform better in 25-54 than a traditional oldies (heavy 60s and 70s only.)

This is why I feel the big operators may not want to go through all the effort and so that's why so many stations sound alike. For those of you who believe as I do that the format is viable if done right, I hope someone steps up to the plate. I really do think it's healthy for radio to generate some market excitment and to treat listeners with a little respect that they can really handle some of the real classic stuff.

I know WEJZ is an AC station, but it looks like they play around 2-3 70s and 4 80s an hour. That's not bad. A lot of classic hits listeners will flock to classic rock or AC stations if that format is not available because they usually have pretty good offerings of older music.

 

[Kabrich]

If an average non AM drive music hour has 14 songs...

Clearly you have not been in radio for several decades.

 

[John FL]

If an average non AM drive music hour has 14 songs...

Clearly you have not been in radio for several decades.

Clearly, there's a need to understand the format. For the purpose of this discussion, let's assume the averge 60s song is 3 minutes, 70s is 3.5 minutes and 80s is 4 minutes. Let's also go with what I like to see each hour in 4 60s, 7 70s and 3 80s songs per hour.

4 – 60s @ (4 X 3.0 minutes) = 12 minutes
7 – 70s @ (7 X 3.5 minutes) = 24.5 minutes
3 – 80s @ (3 X 4.0 minutes) = 12 minutes
Total 12 + 24.5 + 12 = 48.5 minutes of music an hour

That is a realistic expectation in what could occur. I believe I've seen you in the Orlando board and just recall this - the classic hits/oldies in that market promoted themselves as playing two 7 song super sets per hour. Where I come from 2 X 7 = 14. Will this happen all the time? No, throw in a Hey Jude or an American Pie. Papa was a Rolling Stone or Thriller and all bets are off. Up to 5 years ago, the oldies station in my market constantly talked about the 16 songs they played each hour when they did more 60s.

But I believe you actually brought up something that will make my point about programming this format. As music evolved into the 80s. it really was common to see popular titles closer to 5 minutes long. So for those who insist on airing 5-6 80s songs per hour, even if just 4 minutes long, you are looking at up to 24 minutes or half of your entire sound for that hour. You wind up sounding like everyone else with that kind of impression on the listener.

This is another reason I believe a smaller operator may allow for sufficient time for the format to attract, develop, take off and be around into the future. Many want results yesterday. For them, I say don't bother doing the format because you will doom it. I'm not some know it all, I just believe you need to apply some good common sense to programming and what I outlined above is that and more.

 

[Christopher Chenn]

Spot on JohnJax!

 

[Kabrich]

That is a realistic expectation in what could occur.

It's only realistic in your fantasty world. Clearly, you have not worked in radio and live in some fantasy world.