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All News 106.7??
- Thread starter ATLRadioFan
- Start date
Love them or hate them Cumulus or Dickey Broadcasting will try to improve their stations. This being said, in the "big radio poker game" sometimes a bluff beats a better hand. Any one can "register" a domain name for under $50. A station(s) in the Cumulus version of Aloha (IIRC Volt??) could be traded for a 106.7 in a market that no one suspects, or they are messing with Cox here in Atlanta or some one else in another market. Does anyone know if Cumulus is doing any "studio work" at the old 101.5 studios? That would be a good "tip off". Usually the studio at a news operation is different that a "music" station.
WCNN was all-news when Cox was LMAing them from Dickey, as well as before that when they were simuling the audio feed of CNN2/CNN Headline News. I don't know if I would call that a failure.FLjack2 said:
More of a question would be Cox's motivation for LMAing WCNN. Were they trying to flank WSB, exploit a weakness when WGST fired Tom 'The King' Hughes, or was this part of the AURA (ATL Urban Radio Alliance) joint venture between Midwestern/Dickey where Cox and Dickey would sell ads on 104.1, 104.7, and 1340 (and 680?) as a package deal to better compete with Infinity's V-103 and WAOK?
WGST hasn't been all-news since the 1980s when they were on 920 and before they picked up Rush. And they kicked WSB's tail, too. Of course, this was when WSB was stuck on the Morning Merry-Go-Round and their full-service format was being attacked by all comers, including the horde of FM ACs (Warm 100, Peach, Fox, 94Q, and sister 99FM/B98.5), not just WGST in the news department.
WCNN was known as All News 680 from late 1988 to about March or April 1990. It was live and local for most of the day, with either CNN or taped news overnight. The plug on the local was pulled over several weeks. First, the mid-day local and nights went to CNN Headline News with a local morning and afternoon drive. Then, it was CNN Headline News around the clock with some local inserts and Sports By-Line weeknights at 10:00pm. Midwestern Broadcasting, aka Dickey Broadcasting picked up WCNN and WALR real cheap. That's about the time the station was becoming a sports station until COX did the LMA in 1997. There was Hughes & Holman in the morning drive, and a news block in the afternoon hosted by Mike Kavanaugh. Mid days consisted of G.Gordon Liddy and someone else. The afternoon news block was eventually dropped for The Royal Treatment. When the LMA ended in 2000, the station reverted back to sports, Tom "The King" Hughes returned to WGST and Royal went back to full time duties at WSB.
All News 106.7? Won't happen.
All News 106.7? Won't happen.
So let's say they do flip. Why? What is the REAL motivation behind bringing an ALL NEWS format to Atlanta to TRY to compete with WSB? I doubt the station, if it does flip, will be anything less than some satellite news format with a few satellite talk shows sprinkled in. There's also the possibility of running 680 on the thing...or moving Rock 100.5. My thought, if the studios are not yet under construction, somebody's moving. If they are, somebody's getting a new format. Unless there are plans to sell...??? ???
Roddy may know more than any of us, but it sure seems like one of the four Cumulus FMs (Q, Kicks, AGH, and Rock) is either going to get sold, simuled, or put on the bird. It's NOT going to be Q or Kicks.Surfer said:
I have mentioned before that Cumulus can't buy BOTH of LFM's ATL stations (and I seriously doubt that LFM would sell Star without insisting that the buyer also buy WQXI) without unloading a station. Of course, my first choice would be 1340, but Dickey won't get anything for that station beyond property/plant/equipment. Where are Dickey's studios (WCNN, WFOM, WIFN) in all this? Could an internal paper-pushing deal be in the works for Cumulus to buy LFM, "sell" one of the less-successful stations (WQXI or WNNX) to Dickey, and Dickey unloads one of the weak stations (really any of the ones they own, or would own, except WCNN) to keep Cumulus/Dickey below the 8/5 station max? Could Cumulus or Dickey then use the WQXI or one of the Dickey AMs studio (whichever one gets sold) for the "extra" station they keep?
Bottom line: Maybe the reason they are short a studio is if they buy LFM, they will have to unload a station and have an extra studio for the divested station.
Of course, if Cumulus buys LFM they will have two heavily competing stations (Q and Star), and one of them will be flipped. This may free up a signal (100.5 or 106.7, or even 97.9?) for a simul of 680 in a large signal merry-go-round. Alternatively, WQXI could become the sportstalk flagship WITH a powerful (i.e., one of the C/C0s, not a translator or 100.5) FM side, with 680 eventually relegated to second-tier programming.
Lastly, they could go with an automated or sat format with one of the weaker FMs.
If I was a major stockholder in or lender to Cumulus, I would have to think twice about letting the CEO's family own stations in a market Cumulus has stations. Are the Dickey stations LMA'ed to Cumulus? I can only guess that nobody saw the "limitations" of such and arrangement several years ago. Five years ago who would have thought Cumulus would be second to CC in number of stations owned?
BIA/Kelsey released the top 10 billing stations in the U.S. yesterday, and 4 out of the 10 were all-news. WTOP in Washington was #1, and WBBM/Chicago, WCBS-AM/New York and WINS/New York were on the list.
I'm wondering whether All-News 106.7 will make the top 10 next year. And remember, news tips used on the air are worth $106.70.
I'm wondering whether All-News 106.7 will make the top 10 next year. And remember, news tips used on the air are worth $106.70.
How would an "all tabloid news" format do? Is there any kind of rule that news stations have to be conservative, or stale? What about a CKLW style..rock format news if you will.
The style of so many of these "all news" formatted stations is so....well so "coat and tie"
Could a fast paced, story based news format work? KHJ news vet J Paul Huddleston told a group of news students that each newscast should be treated as if you are arriving at a party full of people who have been drinking..and you (the newscaster) are late..the beginning of the newscast should be as if you are busting in the door "...sorry I'm late but here's why.." and tell the story..
"....Riders on a Trailways bus bound for Grand Rapids this morning were offered a "free drink" as their 58 foot land yacht took a dive on the now "former" route 48 bridge spanning the Takhomasak Bridge to Hammond County. As alarm clocks all over Michiana buzzed people out of bed, the 32 passengers were being pulled from the icy water by county firefighters and water rescue experts..no one hurt, and a fresh motor coach arrived in time to get everyone to breakfast..and a shower....."
Years ago there was an all news station run by the famous Bud Paxson..WWQT in Tampa Bay. It was a set of three carousel cart decks with each "story" on it's own cart. You could put stories on Audio Vault and just cycle them until they reached a stale state..a computer would alert the news reader that an update was needed or the story was too old to improve on.
It could be done on the cheap, and sound pretty good with minimal real effort. These days most every radio listener just assumes the voice they hear is recorded..so just go with it.
Might work..even on a short stick..and it would be fun.
The style of so many of these "all news" formatted stations is so....well so "coat and tie"
Could a fast paced, story based news format work? KHJ news vet J Paul Huddleston told a group of news students that each newscast should be treated as if you are arriving at a party full of people who have been drinking..and you (the newscaster) are late..the beginning of the newscast should be as if you are busting in the door "...sorry I'm late but here's why.." and tell the story..
"....Riders on a Trailways bus bound for Grand Rapids this morning were offered a "free drink" as their 58 foot land yacht took a dive on the now "former" route 48 bridge spanning the Takhomasak Bridge to Hammond County. As alarm clocks all over Michiana buzzed people out of bed, the 32 passengers were being pulled from the icy water by county firefighters and water rescue experts..no one hurt, and a fresh motor coach arrived in time to get everyone to breakfast..and a shower....."
Years ago there was an all news station run by the famous Bud Paxson..WWQT in Tampa Bay. It was a set of three carousel cart decks with each "story" on it's own cart. You could put stories on Audio Vault and just cycle them until they reached a stale state..a computer would alert the news reader that an update was needed or the story was too old to improve on.
It could be done on the cheap, and sound pretty good with minimal real effort. These days most every radio listener just assumes the voice they hear is recorded..so just go with it.
Might work..even on a short stick..and it would be fun.
You reminded me of when WPGC in Washington was a Top 40 station. In the 70's, they used to deliver the news dramatically and sensationally like CKLW. At one time, they would read a headline and say, "Stand by!" The news would start after a few commercials ran.
Once I was listening, and the headline was, "Murder! Robbery! Rape! A day of crime. Stand by!"
Once I was listening, and the headline was, "Murder! Robbery! Rape! A day of crime. Stand by!"
IMHO if Cumulus goes down the news path the logical station is 100.5. With the stereo pilot off, and being on an in-town tower it should cover all of the PPM wearer's clock radios. Then move The Regular Guys to 106.7 and go toe to toe with 97.1.
AtlRadioFan is right. The flip to all news will happen with weeks. You read it here first.
fussbudget said:
I thought earlier that this might just be a head fake but I think fussbudegt is on target. I heard mid-May. I still don't buy all news but more od a news talk. The all news format costs a ton of dough.
They're hiring.
Cumulus has hired several former CNN Radio folks, but whether that will impact one of their Atlanta stations remains to be seen. I've heard of other plans for 106.7 unless those have changed.
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