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Before you kill The Frog, Lew, how about a profitable idea?

T

Tennessee Cowboy

Guest
There's reliable word getting out about what's going on at Old Kingston Pike. Granted, a couple of weasels needed to be neutered or shown the door. But there are a lot of good people still there who can keep the place dominant. How about a common-sense solution?

You apparently can function just fine if your Knoxville flagship isn't strong enough to withstand an assault from a competitor. Why don't you make a few million today?

Here's the idea: Swap The Frog with one of your lower-rated, but similarly powerful competitors. They can pay you a multiple of today's cash flow, giving you an instant infusion. You can take the stick they trade you and play all K-Tel CD's if you want, and have minimum wage people run the place.

Sure, it's a stupid idea. But it's not as stupid as the view in the crystal ball.
 
The elimination of Sound Off on Sunday mornings is the beginning of the WIVK-FM gradual move from First to Worst.
 
I think so in a gradual way. Cumulus is gradually getting rid of full service radio little by little. When that is eliminated, there will be a lot more automation to the point that WIVK will fade from their throne. If Mike Hammond gets let go, a certain Mr. Pirkle will hire him. If Mr. Pirkle has the guts to let Talk go, he'll fire a missile at the Frog and eat some Frog in the Arbitron books with one format change. The Knoxville market will never be the same.
 
In one old man's opinion, WIVK's success started with country music and morphed into strong community service and involvement. When they abandoned real country music for all soda-pop stuff, the listeners that stayed did so for the local connection.

If JP bought Merle, moved the format to 100.3, got rid of the voice tracking, and did country with his current news and sports people, the merged stations would be better than the sum of their parts. He could put oldies on 96.7.

It's more likely that Mrs. Cowboy will turn into a Victoria's Secret model. Without my having to down half a pint of Jim Beam, I mean.
 
Or just do oldies on 100.3 with full-service news and sports already in place. It would take audience from everybody, not just the big station that's going to lose a good chunk of its audience over time.

Either way, there's opportunity lost if nothing happens.
 
If anything big is in the works, it'll likely stay quiet until somebody speaks out of school, or we see billboards every half mile. The Frog's changes will most likely go unanswered by competitors, or possibly addressed with something minimal. WCYQ may drop back to 11 minutes of spots an hour and shout like it's The Second Coming.

I wonder what will happen when the public notices a different frog, and there's no real successor doing what they need to do to attract the drifters. Will some stations pick up a share or two? Will those people decide that Willie's Place on XM is their new frog station? Will some realize that Katy Perry has a stronger voice than Taylor Swift and decide the difference so close they'll start listening to WWST?

What do the esteemed members of this forum predict for the summer of 2013?
 
I see 100.3 WNOX changing to Country and going for the jugglar vein of the frog, straight ahead Country and the Big Guy J.P. getting his 94.3 back and doing Good Times and Great Oldies!!! ;D
 
I remember glancing at this board now and then and hearing how Pirkle's on-air product would be so superior to anything on the dial that they would own talk radio (or whatever format) within the first 30 minutes of programming. Then there was the real WNOX. Makes me a little skeptical that they'll be putting on a new format, country or otherwise, that will be so polished that it will dethrone the Frog in the first book (heritage Country stations are very difficult to beat).

If the claim is that listeners abandoned WIVK because it stopped playing "real country" (by whoever's definition) how is the Frog's playlist different from leading Country stations everywhere (not including those that brand as Classic Country)?

Maybe the Pirkle/Branley brain trust has been working on the next big thing while the talk format limps along, but excuse my skepticism. Cumulus, based on other markets, does make cuts, but they don't cut off their nose to spite their face, unlike CC.
 
I remember 100.3 foray into country. It was well done. The "beautiful" thing about music radio verses talk listeners is their lack of loyalty. Kicks 101.5 (Atlanta's main country station since the 1980's) is in a real battle with relative newcomer 94.9 The Bull. Knoxville is a diary market and that gives an established station the edge, but IMHO if you get the correct mix of any type of music and "counter program" your competitor, you should made inroads assuming equal signal coverage. I am surprised about the talk programming on 100.3 from the start, but it is JP's station, bank loans are not a problem so he can do whatever he wants with his money and station.
 
borderblaster said:
Cumulus, based on other markets, does make cuts, but they don't cut off their nose to spite their face, unlike CC.
Click to expand...

You don't consider the current personnel cuts as rhinoplasty?
 
Must confess to not knowing who was cut though I know some were. Of the cluster about the only one I listen to while in town is 98.7, which so far seems relatively intact except for afternoon traffic.

Country seems to be an exception to the idea that music listeners have no loyalty though I'm sure there are exceptions, such as Atlanta. Up the road in Dayton OH, Cox's K99.1 has fought off every Country challenge and now is the last country station standing. Of course your (Knoxville's) mileage may vary.
 
Interesting exercise, letting other people know how we want them to spend their own money.

Maybe South Central can take WIMZ full service country. Nice signal, good listener base, and all they'd need to do is beef up their news and promotions. They're probably the only guys in the market with the experience, patience, and deep pockets to take on the risk.

They could still squeeze in Free Bird at night. Stairway To Heaven would have to go, though. Unless they could substitute the Dolly Parton version.
 
One possiblem game changer: A Cumulus cramdown of Mike Huckabee's new 12-3pm talk show. Some Cumulus markets are being told Huckabee MUST be cleared before 7pm. Should this be true for 98.7, they have 2 choices....dump Rush or dump Phil. If they dump Rush (I think part of this is getting Premiere product off their stations), I would assume Pirkle picks him up immediately (as soon as the notice period is through)
 
borderblaster said:
One possiblem game changer: A Cumulus cramdown of Mike Huckabee's new 12-3pm talk show. Some Cumulus markets are being told Huckabee MUST be cleared before 7pm. Should this be true for 98.7, they have 2 choices....dump Rush or dump Phil. If they dump Rush (I think part of this is getting Premiere product off their stations), I would assume Pirkle picks him up immediately (as soon as the notice period is through)
Click to expand...

WNOX appears to have an aversion to programs that cost money or draw an audience. Look for Mack Daddy Rush soon on Hot 104.5.
 
borderblaster said:
One possiblem game changer: A Cumulus cramdown of Mike Huckabee's new 12-3pm talk show. Some Cumulus markets are being told Huckabee MUST be cleared before 7pm. Should this be true for 98.7, they have 2 choices....dump Rush or dump Phil. If they dump Rush (I think part of this is getting Premiere product off their stations), I would assume Pirkle picks him up immediately (as soon as the notice period is through)
Click to expand...

It seems like the only people with programming money in K-town are either Hispanic or religious. And both groups have something in common besides money.
 
Matt Cvetic said:
Which is what?
What do they have in common?
Click to expand...
Pronunciation aside, someone named Jesus probably plays a key role in both organizations.

\\I'm here all week. Try the veal.
 
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