Atlanta needs another country radio station...

[Surfer]

I'm very serious. I can pick up WSM-AM from Nashville and after listening to them I realize something both the Bull and Kicks are lacking...variety. Rock, pop, etc. formats seem to have narrow playlists but country music, for the most part, has such a wide, universal appeal that you can play just about any artist and, if done right (not too many old songs and not too heavy on the new either) you can have a good sounding playlist that most folks may just listen to. Yes, it's just a theory but, it might work...right? ???

 

[story@11]

The current format seems to be working for KICKS. PPM cume is up to 750K making KICKS one of the 3 most listened to country stations in the US. Top 3 station across the board. #1 non-ethnic in all demos.

949 could do it better and try to take a piece of the pie from KICKS but with what they are doing now it will never happen.

 

[Sykotik Monkey]

Have to disagree. Kicks already serves the country group.
Atlanta does not have a single new rock and alternative station. Project is attempting to straddle this format and classic rock and it is impossible to do both without losing listenrs.
Atlanta radio is now boring.

Are there any guys out there in their 20s or even teens tuning in to terrestrial radio anymore? I think that the programmers, in their desperate attempt to fight competition from satellite etc. have shot themselves in the foot and deserted the younger generation. They alone are making radio obsolete.

As far as country music goes, I think Atlanta is set with Kicks. Maybe programmers should look at listeners that aren't being served? Breaking new artists, being a frontrunner in the industry instead of a follower? Just a thought.

 

[jabba17]

Have to disagree. Kicks already serves the country group.
Atlanta does not have a single new rock and alternative station. Project is attempting to straddle this format and classic rock and it is impossible to do both without losing listenrs.
Atlanta radio is now boring.

Are there any guys out there in their 20s or even teens tuning in to terrestrial radio anymore? I think that the programmers, in their desperate attempt to fight competition from satellite etc. have shot themselves in the foot and deserted the younger generation. They alone are making radio obsolete.

As far as country music goes, I think Atlanta is set with Kicks. Maybe programmers should look at listeners that aren't being served? Breaking new artists, being a frontrunner in the industry instead of a follower? Just a thought.

I think both Project and Rock 100.5 are hurting themselves by trying to steal the other's listeners. Project needs to stick with new rock and Rock 100.5 with classic/heritage AOR. If Rock 100.5 did that, it would be a set-it-and-forget-it for me. When a new song comes on, I hit a button.

As an aside, I can never for the life of me understand why 80s hair metal is considered garbage and grunge is not. Why people snicker when they speak of Queensryche and genuflect when they speak of Nirvana, although they're both from Seattle. Yes, I'm "old" (41).

I would like to see Legend get on a better signal...105.3 perhaps? Heck, CC could put Legend on 94.9 and do better than they have been with the Bull.

If you think satellite is hurting terrestrial radio now, just wait until software-defined (wireless Internet) radio comes into its own in about 5 years. It will steal listeners too cheap to pay for satellite (teens/20s) and bring narrowcasting to a whole new level. Think of adding WiMAX or the GSM equivalent to an iPhone and you get the idea.

 

[jimbo722]

Curious as to what the Bull is doing that is so different from Kicks? I just don't see the big difference that would set Kicks that far apart from the Bull, other than market name recognition and listener habits.

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

Re: Surfer wants another country radio station...

I'm very serious. I can pick up WSM-AM from Nashville and after listening to them I realize something both the Bull and Kicks are lacking...variety. Rock, pop, etc. formats seem to have narrow playlists but country music, for the most part, has such a wide, universal appeal that you can play just about any artist and, if done right (not too many old songs and not too heavy on the new either) you can have a good sounding playlist that most folks may just listen to. Yes, it's just a theory but, it might work...right? ???

Re: Atlanta needs Surfer wants another country radio station...

IF.... IF Atlanta needs another country radio station, can we assume that need would cause the station to be a business success?

I don't know this to be factual, but I have read on the boards that WSM is NOT a big ringing success, but when the owner tries to change the format, there is a lot of noisy hell-raising by the traditional old country music crowd to keep their "museum" radio station alive, but the measureable audience in Nashville for WSM does not give them the kind of advertisng sales to support the expense of this "national treasure".

Do you think what will not work in Nashville has a chance in Atlanta?

 

[RTibbs]

Have to disagree. Kicks already serves the country group.
Atlanta does not have a single new rock and alternative station. Project is attempting to straddle this format and classic rock and it is impossible to do both without losing listenrs.
Atlanta radio is now boring.

Are there any guys out there in their 20s or even teens tuning in to terrestrial radio anymore? I think that the programmers, in their desperate attempt to fight competition from satellite etc. have shot themselves in the foot and deserted the younger generation. They alone are making radio obsolete.

As far as country music goes, I think Atlanta is set with Kicks. Maybe programmers should look at listeners that aren't being served? Breaking new artists, being a frontrunner in the industry instead of a follower? Just a thought.

I think both Project and Rock 100.5 are hurting themselves by trying to steal the other's listeners. Project needs to stick with new rock and Rock 100.5 with classic/heritage AOR. If Rock 100.5 did that, it would be a set-it-and-forget-it for me. When a new song comes on, I hit a button.

As an aside, I can never for the life of me understand why 80s hair metal is considered garbage and grunge is not. Why people snicker when they speak of Queensryche and genuflect when they speak of Nirvana, although they're both from Seattle. Yes, I'm "old" (41).

I would like to see Legend get on a better signal...105.3 perhaps? Heck, CC could put Legend on 94.9 and do better than they have been with the Bull.

If you think satellite is hurting terrestrial radio now, just wait until software-defined (wireless Internet) radio comes into its own in about 5 years. It will steal listeners too cheap to pay for satellite (teens/20s) and bring narrowcasting to a whole new level. Think of adding WiMAX or the GSM equivalent to an iPhone and you get the idea.

I agree on the 2 rock stations. Today I heard a new song from Staind on Rock 100.5. Seemed quite out of place. The reverse is hearing a Pink floyd song on Project.

Also I agree on the wireless internet radio. I already use my iphone to listen to the radio. Hoing home from work today I god forbid wantes to listen to the Zone after 5:30 OTP. Instead of listening to staic I simply streamed the phone throgh this great iphone app. Better reception even when the Zone is full power. One app has over 75,000 adio stations from around the world except of course for Clear Channel stations.

 

[amlover]

Cowboy is right...The ratings on 650 WSM are not very good. They tried to switch it to all sports some years ago but all the old burned out country artist's and a few listeners put up such a huge protest they stayed country. My guess is it won't stay country forever. Atlanta does NOT need another country outlet. Kicks covers the bases just fine. 94.9 is anybody's guess.

 

[ClarkKent]

This old saw again? No one station has any mainstream format "covered."

 

[Atlanta Listener]

I like the current choice for country here in the ATL on 94.9 and 101.5, however I would like to see more of 96.7 Legend type songs (older country). I listen to Sirius mostly to avoid long commercial blocks and jock talking.

 

[RoddyFreeman]

Hoing home from work today I god forbid wantes to listen to the Zone after 5:30 OTP.

Your full-time job isn't paying you enough?

 

[RTibbs]

Wow that was horrible. Too late at work does that to me. Plus this computer does not spell check for me but my home compuuter does.

I think I channeling IYH. At the very least he will appreciate the shout out.

 

[kws31a]

A bit off topic...however, there's a "High School" station in NJ that runs a country format. They have a terrific variety that I believe some commercial outlets would benefit from.....give them a listen!

http://www.wcvhfm.com/

 

[RhubarbFan]

94.9 can be successful if they get the right people,if Eagle hadn't been sold to S***aidel they might still be arround. WNGC is trying to make end roads into Atalnta. It would have been nice if Atlanta could have supported three country stations. As for WSM they carry the Grand Ole' Opry,that's why there is such a fuss when they try to change it.

 

[RoddyFreeman]

And where would these end roads go to? How many lanes would they be?

 

[RTibbs]

94.9 can be successful if they get the right people,if Eagle hadn't been sold to S***aidel they might still be arround. WNGC is trying to make end roads into Atalnta. It would have been nice if Atlanta could have supported three country stations. As for WSM they carry the Grand Ole' Opry,that's why there is such a fuss when they try to change it.

A carpetbag city like Atlanta I don't think can reasonably support three country station. When you really look at they never really supported two. Eagle was basically a flanker station to keep a third station out of the market.

Also what is an end road? Is it like dead-end?

 

[jabba17]

94.9 can be successful if they get the right people,if Eagle hadn't been sold to S***aidel they might still be arround. WNGC is trying to make end roads into Atalnta. It would have been nice if Atlanta could have supported three country stations. As for WSM they carry the Grand Ole' Opry,that's why there is such a fuss when they try to change it.

A carpetbag city like Atlanta I don't think can reasonably support three country station. When you really look at they never really supported two. Eagle was basically a flanker station to keep a third station out of the market.

Also what is an end road? Is it like dead-end?

And don't forget all of the country rimshots (WNGC, South 107, Bear, WCON, and the one out of Dahlonega).

 

[RoddyFreeman]

A carpetbag city like Atlanta I don't think can reasonably support three country station. When you really look at they never really supported two. Eagle was basically a flanker station to keep a third station out of the market.

It's not even so much a matter of a lot of Atlantans moving in from out of town. It's really that Atlanta is such a huge urban market that it's hard to have 2 really highly successful stations in the same non-urban format.

 

[RhubarbFan]

Atlanta could deffinatley support two stations. The thing about Eagle was that ABC favored Kicks over them. They wouldn't give Y/Eagle the resources they needed to really be competitive with Kicks. steve Mitchell even told Rodney Ho that after the leap day massacare.

 

[RTibbs]

More than likely though Eagles success would have primarily been at Eagles loss. Do you really think there were so many Country fans in Atlanta not listening to either of them??? Probably not so a thrid station is only going to take their share from the other two stations and not bring in new listeners of any great effect.

Personally I prefer a station that plays both kinds of music, Country and Western.