They're really not, and WRVR probably can't. Moves like this that seem good on paper almost never work. Audacy, however, will find out the hard way.
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All-Access : WLFP (94.1 The Wolf)/Memphis To Move To 99.7, 'Sunsetting' Hot AC WMC (FM 100)
- Thread starter sjs1959
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They're really not, and WRVR probably can't. Moves like this that seem good on paper almost never work. Audacy, however, will find out the hard way.
You and I both know this is going to tank, but the margins are probably better on WRVR, so FM100 was the sacrificial lamb. As far as I'm concerned, David Field couldn't find his butt with both hands, so the chances of any of his bone-headed moves making any difference are DOA.
Could this end up like what happened to Rock 103 when they tried to change to Z103 and it flopped, and they ended up going back to the old format?
I don't think so. This is kind of like blowing up a wooden bridge with a nuclear bomb. There won't be anything to go back to. I really think that someone at Audacy just loves them some Wolf to the point of unhealthy obsession.
It could, but I don’t think it’s likely. I really think someone, probably Cumulus, will fill the Hot AC void, which will cut off Audacy's chance to return to the format.
What Audacy's doing in Memphis and Buffalo amounts to killing a fly with an atomic bomb.
Yeah, I say 98.9 to Hot AC soon. Good move, good signal.
Exactly. Last time I looked at a playlist it was quite conservative. Something may have changed since then.
I would love to see 98.9 drop news/talk permanently, but they have never seemed to keep any format for very long. Even if they did go with hot AC to replace FM 100 how long would it be before they replaced it with something else?
Their Wikipedia page at WKIM - Wikipedia shows how many different formats they've had since moving to Memphis. I actually think it would have been better overall if EMF had bought 98.9 instead.
Their Wikipedia page at WKIM - Wikipedia shows how many different formats they've had since moving to Memphis. I actually think it would have been better overall if EMF had bought 98.9 instead.
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Facts.
Don’t count on it.
You know, with all of the talk of Cumulus taking 98.9 Hot AC from Talk after FM100 goes away, wouldn't it be the most Cumulus move of all time if they stuck NASH FM on there? After all, that's about the only format they haven't tried there, and God knows they love them some NASH FM!
But, it's not really likely unless they make major changes internally. 98.9 is the University of Memphis flagship station, and the home of the Titans, so they'd have to shuffle those off somewhere else, including the coaches shows and ancillary programming.
But, it's not really likely unless they make major changes internally. 98.9 is the University of Memphis flagship station, and the home of the Titans, so they'd have to shuffle those off somewhere else, including the coaches shows and ancillary programming.
When in doubt, always bet against format changes, but the sports wouldn't be an insurmountable problem. It has a rock station that has been on its way down since it lost its morning show. Football would fit right at home there, probably better than angry man talk. Basketball would be a bigger problem, but that station wouldn’t seem to have many listeners after dark and runs a syndicated show. Plus, when I worked for Cumulus, we had college sports rights, and we struck an agreement with a rimshot owned by a third party to air the basketball games. That might be an option, too.
Seems like Citadel used to air sports play-by-play on 103.5 at one time, too.
There are only a handful of Nash branded stations left. Cumulus leadership of 10 years ago loved Nash, and then they saw the results. As far as I know, there are still Nash branded hit country stations in only tiny markets like Muncie, Indiana.
Plus a couple of "Nash Icon" stations in markets like Nashville.
103.5 had the Grizzlies for a couple of years. 98.1 had the Titans before they went to 98.9
This could be REALLY fun, come Christmas time!
That was a disaster, although Z-103 was one of the stations that played "Germantown Blues" at the time. I still have a tape of it (wife won't let me record over it!), although I now have a 45 of it that I discovered on ebay.
I think Ted was mostly joking when he said that. Cumulus has had a lot less interest in Nash since the Dickeys were pushed out. About the only stations still using the Nash branding are ones that didn't previously have strong brands. About the only exception to that I can think of is Des Moines, where I can't figure out why a station with KHKI calls in Hawkeye Country is still calling itself Nash FM.
Something that has crossed my mind is that country might see a brief surge for a book or two because big changes like these sometimes generate additional interest in formats, especially when displaced listeners look for new favorites. I can't imagine it lasting more than a couple books, but I wouldn't be surprised if we see country with a few more shares after the changes. Kix might well benefit from that additional interest, too.
In 2001, I worked for a company that blew up its oldies station to go after the top station in the market, which was the only CHR with about a 15 share. The next book, CHR went from 15 shares to 21. The heritage CHR's ratings were the same, and we had a 6.0. The following book, CHR was back down to roughly 15 shares, and we were ahead of the heritage station.
IMO 98.9 not succeeding is due to almost every format they’ve put on there, other than AC, is a niche or “trend” format…Kim FM, classic hip hop, 90s/Gen X, talk a couple of times, and AC before this past talk iteration which wasn’t going to do very well against 99.7/104.5.
I think Cumulus is trying to recreate in Memphis what they have in Nashville and Birmingham, which are strong locally-focused FM talk stations.
I think Cumulus is trying to recreate in Memphis what they have in Nashville and Birmingham, which are strong locally-focused FM talk stations.
Yes, 300KW and more height give WMC-FM a bigger signal but in the metro, nobody's going to notice a difference between 99.7 and 94.1.
I too am baffled by this move. While all we see are the 6+ numbers, they are large enough that FM 100's demos have to be excellent. And WMC-FM's demo is an attractive one for advertisers.
As far as WRVR and WMC-FM not cannibalizing each other, they seem to be doing fine as they are.
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