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Another Brew get uncorked

K

Kahuna

Guest
Saw that over the weekend another Clear Channel station, an AC in Omaha NE, flipped to 96.1 The Brew, Everything Rock, the 80's and more. Sounds like our Brew was not something that was thought up locally. I wonder how many other CC stations and set to flip to this new Jack/Rock format?
 
> Saw that over the weekend another Clear Channel station, an
> AC in Omaha NE, flipped to 96.1 The Brew, Everything Rock,
> the 80's and more. Sounds like our Brew was not something
> that was thought up locally.

As I posted the day the Cheers stunting started, 105.7 was almost sure to end up being CC's second go at something called "the Brew". The first is a hugely successful CC station in Milwaukee, where the moniker is especially appropriate. I believe the Milwaukee Brew is about a year old. There are some definite musical similarities between that Brew and Columbus's, but there are differences, too.

I find it interesting that Columbus's is the only one of the three Brews to-date that does not specifically mention 80's in its positioner.<P ID="signature">______________
Nu_Roo_2 formerly Nu__Roo formerly Nu_Roo</P><P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by Nu_Roo_2 on 09/26/05 07:49 PM.</FONT></P>
 
> I find it interesting that Columbus's is the only one of the
> three Brews to-date that does not specifically mention 80's
> in its positioner.

Maybe they wanted to distance themselves from 80's rock NABCO debacle which went over like a "lead zeppelin" here in Columbus.
 
>
> Maybe they wanted to distance themselves from 80's rock
> NABCO debacle which went over like a "lead zeppelin" here in
> Columbus.
>

That was my first thought, but can we really use anything on the crappy 103.9 signal as a benchmark?<P ID="signature">______________
Chris
202.FM</P>
 
> >
> > Maybe they wanted to distance themselves from 80's rock
> > NABCO debacle which went over like a "lead zeppelin" here
> in
> > Columbus.
> >
>
> That was my first thought, but can we really use anything on
> the crappy 103.9 signal as a benchmark?
>

No, we really can't.

<P ID="signature">______________
Nu_Roo_2 formerly Nu__Roo formerly Nu_Roo</P>
 
> I find it interesting that Columbus's is the only one of the
> three Brews to-date that does not specifically mention 80's
> in its positioner.

Milwaukee checking in... when it flipped a year ago, WQBW's billboards and promos did call it "Rock of '80s." There are still a few of the old billboards around, but the new billboards around Milwaukee have the positioner "Milwaukee's Classic Rock" in the place where "Rock of '80s" was. They're definitely downplaying the "80's" positoner. Interestingly, our Classic HITS station, WKLH, flipped to Classic Rock this year, too, so we have two stations that promote themselves as Classic Rock now.
 
> > I find it interesting that Columbus's is the only one of
> the
> > three Brews to-date that does not specifically mention
> 80's
> > in its positioner.
>
> Milwaukee checking in... when it flipped a year ago, WQBW's
> billboards and promos did call it "Rock of '80s." There are
> still a few of the old billboards around, but the new
> billboards around Milwaukee have the positioner "Milwaukee's
> Classic Rock" in the place where "Rock of '80s" was.
> They're definitely downplaying the "80's" positoner.
> Interestingly, our Classic HITS station, WKLH, flipped to
> Classic Rock this year, too, so we have two stations that
> promote themselves as Classic Rock now.
>
Has The Milwaukee Brew's music evolved much since it started? If so, how?

Also, do you think being located in the "Beer Capital" might have accounted for part of the sucsess of a station with that positioner? Is (or was) that connection specically promoted beyond the natural mental connection?

Re the fact that you've now got two stations positioned as Classic Rock: One thing worth noting is that (and correct me if I'm wrong), Milwaukee had lacked a true Classic Rock for years. WKLH, which was a dominant rock-based station until the Brew came along, was Classic Hits (although I believe it hardened its sound some in later years).

<P ID="signature">______________
Nu_Roo_2 formerly Nu__Roo formerly Nu_Roo</P>
 
When I heard the original "Brew" in Milwaukee this summer, it was playing a lot more hair bands and was a bit less obscure musically than the Columbus version. I would also say the Columbus version lacks some of the swagger that the Milwaukee one has.
May I say we have the "Light Brew"? (That's a reference to earlier posts that state that Columbus has some really watered down radio.)
I'll bring this up too. The audio processing on 105.7 pains my ears. I'm all for big, loud sounding stations but whatever they are doing just is relentless and fatigues my ears in seconds, especially in my car. Anyone else agree?

Trick_Magnet

> > >
> > > Maybe they wanted to distance themselves from 80's rock
> > > NABCO debacle which went over like a "lead zeppelin"
> here
> > in
> > > Columbus.
> > >
> >
> > That was my first thought, but can we really use anything
> on
> > the crappy 103.9 signal as a benchmark?
> >
>
> No, we really can't.
>
 
> Has The Milwaukee Brew's music evolved much since it
> started? If so, how?

Have to admit, I don't listen to it much.

>
> Also, do you think being located in the "Beer Capital" might
> have accounted for part of the sucsess of a station with
> that positioner? Is (or was) that connection specically
> promoted beyond the natural mental connection?

Yes, Milwaukee is Brew-town, and the positioner was a perfect fit! But those who listen to it say it is also programmed very well. Its BIG success in this market was a surprise to many. It had been WLTQ, a light rock station. Now the only "adult contemporary" station left in the market is WEZY in Racine, which puts a marginal signal over downtown Milwaukee and its northern suburbs.

>
> Re the fact that you've now got two stations positioned as
> Classic Rock: One thing worth noting is that (and correct
> me if I'm wrong), Milwaukee had lacked a true Classic Rock
> for years. WKLH, which was a dominant rock-based station
> until the Brew came along, was Classic Hits (although I
> believe it hardened its sound some in later years).

WKLH pomoted itself as "classic hits" until just a couple of months ago. I still hear more "classic hits" on it than I perceive are on WQBW, but they are clearly promoting themselves as "classic rock" now.
 
> Yes, Milwaukee is Brew-town, and the positioner was a
> perfect fit! But those who listen to it say it is also
> programmed very well. Its BIG success in this market was a
> surprise to many. It had been WLTQ, a light rock station.
> Now the only "adult contemporary" station left in the market
> is WEZY in Racine, which puts a marginal signal over
> downtown Milwaukee and its northern suburbs.

How about Milwaukee's two longtime big-signal Hot AC's, WKTI and WMYX?<P ID="signature">______________
Nu_Roo_2 formerly Nu__Roo formerly Nu_Roo</P>
 
> When I heard the original "Brew" in Milwaukee this summer,
> it was playing a lot more hair bands and was a bit less
> obscure musically than the Columbus version. I would also
> say the Columbus version lacks some of the swagger that the
> Milwaukee one has.
> May I say we have the "Light Brew"? (That's a reference to
> earlier posts that state that Columbus has some really
> watered down radio.)


If by “watered down” you mean “softer”, then I strongly disagree. The Blitz and the Wazoo are both a lot harder than any of Milwaukee’s three rock stations. Now, if what you meant by “watered down” was “more boring” or “less interesting”, you might be onto something...

Hard for me to understand what you mean when you say Milwaukee's Brew was "less obscure". I thought one complaint some had (not speaking for myself) is that the Columbus version has been TOO big-hit oriented.

As for Columbus’ Brew, we might not know for awhile what it’s ultimately going to sound like. It doesn’t have a PD yet, and seems to change musical personality frequently (and I’m not just talking about dayparting). You can tune in at one point and it will sound almost Hot AC with Survivor and Bruce Hornsby, then tune in another time and hear lots of hair bands and edgier older stuff (e.g., “Rock & Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution”). Still other times, they truly mix it up. (I have a feeling you and I might not agree as to which “version” is preferable.)

I see in the latest trends that Milwaukee’s Brew just took almost a two-point tumble after a year of sustained boxcar numbers. The big rock gainer there was Saga’s Active Rocker, which repositioned from “Lazer” WLZR to “the Hog” WHQG ( http://www.1029thehog.com ) in response to the hit it took from the Brew. 102.9 actually became softer and more mainstream, adding a lot of older hits from acts like Tom Petty and the Greg Kihn Band to the Megadeath. This is surprising since Saga also owns a highly-rated Classic Rocker in Milwaukee. But early signs are that the strategy may be working. Based on what I’ve observed in the past, CC Columbus wouldn’t dream of having two stations which overlap that much musically, even though such an approach often works quite well for CC clusters elsewhere.


> I'll bring this up too. The audio processing on 105.7 pains
> my ears. I'm all for big, loud sounding stations but
> whatever they are doing just is relentless and fatigues my
> ears in seconds, especially in my car. Anyone else agree?
>
> Trick_Magnet


Yeah, I kind of see what you mean. But I still prefer that to local stations that have the opposite problem, e.g., 97.1. I'll bet that simply turning up the processing on that bland-audio 97.1 could gain them a few tenths of a point, even with no other changes.<P ID="signature">______________
Nu_Roo_2 formerly Nu__Roo formerly Nu_Roo</P>
 
> How about Milwaukee's two longtime big-signal Hot AC's, WKTI
> and WMYX?
>

Yes, they're still Hot AC, but the "light rock" AC approach is unique to WEZY.
 
> If by “watered down” you mean “softer”, then I strongly
> disagree. The Blitz and the Wazoo are both a lot harder
> than any of Milwaukee’s three rock stations. Now, if what
> you meant by “watered down” was “more boring” or “less
> interesting”, you might be onto something...

With the exception of the Blitz (one of the hardest stations I've ever heard), Wazoo and perhaps CD101 in terms of an edge to their particular format, this town is getting pretty snoozy (or always has been). When I said watered down, you understood boring perfectly fine. I meant musically like plain yogurt, light beer, dry toast or unsalted soda crackers. They leave you unsatisfied and wanting something more.

>
> Hard for me to understand what you mean when you say
> Milwaukee's Brew was "less obscure". I thought one
> complaint some had (not speaking for myself) is that the
> Columbus version has been TOO big-hit oriented.
>


A later listen has verified the big-hit oriented thing you mentioned. My impression was from just the first few days.

Trick_Magnet
 
> > Yes, Milwaukee is Brew-town, and the positioner was a
> > perfect fit! But those who listen to it say it is also
> > programmed very well. Its BIG success in this market was
> a
> > surprise to many. It had been WLTQ, a light rock station.
>
> > Now the only "adult contemporary" station left in the
> market
> > is WEZY in Racine, which puts a marginal signal over
> > downtown Milwaukee and its northern suburbs.
>
> How about Milwaukee's two longtime big-signal Hot AC's, WKTI
> and WMYX?
>


Those two have been slowly dropping. Even WOKY-AM, which plays standards and has moved a little into AC, has topped them. Not bad for an AM 5kW days 1 kW nights!
 
> > Milwaukee checking in... when it flipped a year ago,
> WQBW's
> > billboards and promos did call it "Rock of '80s." There
> are
> > still a few of the old billboards around, but the new
> > billboards around Milwaukee have the positioner
> "Milwaukee's
> > Classic Rock" in the place where "Rock of '80s" was.
> > They're definitely downplaying the "80's" positoner.
> > Interestingly, our Classic HITS station, WKLH, flipped to
> > Classic Rock this year, too, so we have two stations that
> > promote themselves as Classic Rock now.
> >
> Has The Milwaukee Brew's music evolved much since it
> started? If so, how?
>
> Also, do you think being located in the "Beer Capital" might
> have accounted for part of the sucsess of a station with
> that positioner? Is (or was) that connection specically
> promoted beyond the natural mental connection?
>
> Re the fact that you've now got two stations positioned as
> Classic Rock: One thing worth noting is that (and correct
> me if I'm wrong), Milwaukee had lacked a true Classic Rock
> for years. WKLH, which was a dominant rock-based station
> until the Brew came along, was Classic Hits (although I
> believe it hardened its sound some in later years).
>

WKLH has been a classic rock station for years. They called it 'classic hits' to widen the listener base. Otherwise, it's tons of Pink Floyd, Zeppelin and Doors. The jocks come from rock backgrounds.

I live in Milwaukee, and little changed in the playlist when they started calling themselves 'classic rock'. Brew changed from "Rock Of '80's" to "Milwaukee's Classic Rock", and now the insipid "Everything... Rock of '80's and more" in response to a repositioning by KLH's sister station, 102.9 The Hog (formerly active rocker Lazer 103), which uses the moniker "Everything That Rocks". The Hog's playlist is basically hard rock from the 70's on up, including newer stuff like Audioslave. The only ballads I've heard are "Dream On" and "Mama I'm Coming Home". <P ID="signature">______________
The Liberal Talk Radio Update</P>
 
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