• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Best Moves or Worst Blunders in ENC Radio

K

Keith_Lake

Guest
Since this topic is getting a lot of play on other boards, I thought I would crank it up here and see what sort of responses it gathers.

What is the best programming move ever made by an ENC station? On the other hand, what is the worst blunder ever made by an ENC station? As Dennis Miller so aptly puts it, who fed it and who ate it?

In the interest of fairness, I will put mine on the table first. The station I worked for back in the early 80s, a 100 KW FM, was running one of those ancient four-reel automation systems. It came time to set the system clock back for the annual changeover from daylight savings time.

It looked simple enough in the automation system's manual. I was following the instructions to the letter (yeah, RTFM, I know) when something unexpected happened. To this day I don't know how or why but I found myself suddenly confronted by an automation system with a wiped memory. It was as blank as the day they took it out of the box. 100 kilowatts was sitting there dead silent. The only saving grace to the situation was that it happened around 3 AM.

I started slamming in reel numbers and eventually got the system back up and running, but until that system was replaced they wondered why it was running the reels in random order instead of its preprogrammed rotation. Several format changes (and about 15 years) later I 'fessed up. To be fair, it was my blunder rather than the station's, but I can look back and laugh about it now.

Anyone else? WSFL's brief tenure as a disco station comes to mind...

KL

<a href="http://home.nc.rr.com/gttyson/lastradio.html">The Last Radio Station<a>


<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by Keith Lake on 06/29/05 09:22 PM.</FONT></P>
 
93.3 has so much here under every category that I could spend hours typing it all. But I'll just say that blowing up 93DLX was a bad move. I guess 10 years and 15 formats later they decided to rekindle the CHR spirit.

94.3 going AC = good move
94.3 going Country = BAD move<P ID="signature">______________

Eastern NC & Raleigh/Greensboro Board Moderator</P>
 
Amen!

> 93.3 has so much here under every category that I could
> spend hours typing it all. But I'll just say that blowing
> up 93DLX was a bad move. I guess 10 years and 15 formats
> later they decided to rekindle the CHR spirit.
>


Amen!

-formerly Steve Taylor
Swing/fill/conference room sleeper
93DLX '88, '90-92 (by which time 93DLX was LONG gone)
 
Re: Amen!

Agree on the worst. I remember 93 DLX blowing up. All of us were devastated. That station has never recovered, however, their stint as ARROW 933, with classic hits was a brief bright spot. I was in college by then and signed up to do an internship with them because I enjoyed that station so much. By the time I started the intership they made another bone head move and changed to 933 WERO a 50/50 Mix of the 80's and 90's (and not a good mix at that). GooGoo Dolls 5 times and hour (or so it seemed). When I asked the PD why they changed they said because they were tired of listening to that old music over and over. Way to do your research.

A great move was 103.7 going from Rhythmic to Top 40 as HOT 104. That station may even have been better than 93 DLX.

More bad:Z 103-7 (enough said), the Sunny Beach FM, 98-3 Mom FM, and the whole 1999 thing that brought in BOB 93-3



> > 93.3 has so much here under every category that I could
> > spend hours typing it all. But I'll just say that blowing
>
> > up 93DLX was a bad move. I guess 10 years and 15 formats
> > later they decided to rekindle the CHR spirit.
> >
>
>
> Amen!
>
> -formerly Steve Taylor
> Swing/fill/conference room sleeper
> 93DLX '88, '90-92 (by which time 93DLX was LONG gone)
>
 
Re: Amen!

> More bad:Z 103-7 (enough said), the Sunny Beach FM, 98-3 Mom
> FM, and the whole 1999 thing that brought in BOB 93-3

98-3 Mom was a great idea but carried out with terrible execution. That station could have owned if they had named it ANYTHING else.

The 1999 thing was good as a stunt but baaaaaaaaaad timing for it to occur.

Just curious, who blew up Arrow? Colleen Jackson or Gary Jackson?
I was always told Arrow had piss-poor ratings against WSFL. Arrow was a much better station than 'SFL though I thought.<P ID="signature">______________

Eastern NC & Raleigh/Greensboro Board Moderator</P>
 
Re: Amen!

Bad: The whole financing debacle by Carvelle broadcasting that left both WSFL and WQDW silent (WQDW was used as collateral for a loan on WSFL).

Bad: The drug problem with the owner of the previous Bayboro 97.9 country station that ended with the license being deleted. He apparently was flying into New Bern regularly, staying at the Hilton, and charging it all through the station.

Bad: The deletion of 740 and 1400 in Carteret County due to corporate interest and lack of interest.

Bad: The switch of Z103 to Kat to soft rock. I realize there was a gaping hole for an AC, but V103 sounds so soft to the point of chasing X chromosones out of my body.

Bad planning: The book that ENC went from NO CHR to FOUR CHRs. 103.3, 99.5, 103.7, and 95.9/96.3 were all CHR for the space of one week.

Bad: 98.3 Mom. I actually listened to Matt and Ramona frequently, but this is just too small of a market to try to market a station like that. It didn't even work in NYC.

Bad: WANG to WKOO to Sam. I like the music much, much better, but the singal doesn't reach the right demographical mix (Greenville) for the format. Plus, there's a constant, annoying 60 cycle hum in the air signal. People under 60 can hear that kind of thing.

Bad: WNCT Talk 1070. The sound quality just plain sucks. The lineup is pathetic, and there is no local news other than Henry's GOBs (and girls).

Bad: Eagle Country. It might have had a chance if they had gone for the classic country niche before Bear.

Really, really bad: The original Country Bear on 104.7, 97.7, and 1230.

Good: The new Bear Country on the new 97.9 from Bayboro. What I remember from Eagle's launch: bad billboard placement, bad stunting, and pretty much the same format as when it was Carolina Couontry. At least then it was kitschy ("Broadcasting from a triple wide behind Wal Mart, you know it's Carolina Country") What I remember from Bear's launch, billboards EVERYWHERE, stunting with tv themes that my wife and I actually started ENJOYING, then the TV themes turned to bluegrass style TV themes. I don't listen much, but they went after their target and got it.

Good: Sunny Beach FM network. Deride me. I liked it.

Good: Kool 98.7 owning the beach during the summer of '91. They had their boat and tug out there every day. Nobody even TALKS about the beach anymore.

Good: Pirate Radio. I really like it. With the split of Hinton and Dreyfuss, you can really tell who brought the lightness into the former WCZI and who brought the old man get offa my lawn philosophy.

Good: 99X has had its ups and downs, but especially between the launch and 2001, it was mostly up.

Good: Country 102 becoming Kiss 102. WQDW owned the market with a 3kw signal and about a 20 share until Kiss signed on. Three things happened, WRNS shot up, WIKS shot up, WQDW dropped like a stone and went dark.

Good: Hot from about 1992-2001. Pretty good run. Some of the talent was amazing. I think the only disappointing thing was Rick Stix and Gina paired up for the "Dawn Patrol".
 
Re: Amen!

I think Gary was gone by then, but I don't know if it was totally Colleen either. Arrow was a lot better than SFL and up in our area that is what ALL the classic rock/hits listeners liked. I worked at a pool at the time. It was the only station I could put it on and no one would try to change it.



> > More bad:Z 103-7 (enough said), the Sunny Beach FM, 98-3
> Mom
> > FM, and the whole 1999 thing that brought in BOB 93-3
>
> 98-3 Mom was a great idea but carried out with terrible
> execution. That station could have owned if they had named
> it ANYTHING else.
>
> The 1999 thing was good as a stunt but baaaaaaaaaad timing
> for it to occur.
>
> Just curious, who blew up Arrow? Colleen Jackson or Gary
> Jackson?
> I was always told Arrow had piss-poor ratings against WSFL.
> Arrow was a much better station than 'SFL though I thought.
>
 
Re: Amen!

>
>
> Bad planning: The book that ENC went from NO CHR to FOUR
> CHRs. 103.3, 99.5, 103.7, and 95.9/96.3 were all CHR for the
> space of one week.
>
>Just curious, i've never listened to a 95.9?? what is this station, where, etc? WPNC?
 
Re: Amen!

> >
> >
> > Bad planning: The book that ENC went from NO CHR to FOUR
> > CHRs. 103.3, 99.5, 103.7, and 95.9/96.3 were all CHR for
> the
> > space of one week.
> >
> >Just curious, i've never listened to a 95.9?? what is this
> station, where, etc? WPNC?
>

Years ago 96.3 was on 95.9. They moved up the dial and raised power significantly.<P ID="signature">______________

Eastern NC & Raleigh/Greensboro Board Moderator</P>
 
Re: Amen!

It was called "Wright FM" with a Seagull on the logo. There was still a sign at the end of Little Nine Dr. for years.


> Years ago 96.3 was on 95.9. They moved up the dial and
> raised power significantly.
>
 
Re: Amen!

> It was called "Wright FM" with a Seagull on the logo. There
> was still a sign at the end of Little Nine Dr. for years.

Wright FM with a W before it? What was the significance? I always heard it was "The Right FM."<P ID="signature">______________

Eastern NC & Raleigh/Greensboro Board Moderator</P>
 
Re: Amen!

> > It was called "Wright FM" with a Seagull on the logo.
> There
> > was still a sign at the end of Little Nine Dr. for years.
>
>
> Wright FM with a W before it? What was the significance? I
> always heard it was "The Right FM."

You know, the Wright bros.
>
 
Re: Amen!

> You know, the Wright bros.

Yeah, but that would make more sense on the Outer Banks, not in Morehead...<P ID="signature">______________

Eastern NC & Raleigh/Greensboro Board Moderator</P>
 
Re: Amen!

> > It was called "Wright FM" with a Seagull on the logo.
> There
> > was still a sign at the end of Little Nine Dr. for years.
>
>
> Wright FM with a W before it? What was the significance? I
> always heard it was "The Right FM."

Might have been. It's been a long time.
>
 
Re: Amen!

> I think Gary was gone by then, but I don't know if it was
> totally Colleen either. Arrow was a lot better than SFL and
> up in our area that is what ALL the classic rock/hits
> listeners liked. I worked at a pool at the time. It was the
> only station I could put it on and no one would try to
> change it.
I know someone who met with a corprate guy or consultant for Pinacle right before Next Media bought it. He said they wanted to fix the format and Coleen wasn't doing a good job. Next Media bought it and came on with BOB (Still a stupid name) and went HAC, then T40.
 
Re: Amen!

> I know someone who met with a corprate guy or consultant for
> Pinacle right before Next Media bought it. He said they
> wanted to fix the format and Coleen wasn't doing a good job.
> Next Media bought it and came on with BOB (Still a stupid
> name) and went HAC, then T40.

...then HAC, and T40 once again...<P ID="signature">______________

Eastern NC & Raleigh/Greensboro Board Moderator</P>
 
Re: Amen!

> > I think Gary was gone by then, but I don't know if it was
> > totally Colleen either. Arrow was a lot better than SFL
> and
> > up in our area that is what ALL the classic rock/hits
> > listeners liked. I worked at a pool at the time. It was
> the
> > only station I could put it on and no one would try to
> > change it.
> I know someone who met with a corprate guy or consultant for
> Pinacle right before Next Media bought it. He said they
> wanted to fix the format and Coleen wasn't doing a good job.
> Next Media bought it and came on with BOB (Still a stupid
> name) and went HAC, then T40.
>

Correction, it was "BOB" before Next Media bought it from Pinnacle. Next Media came into play well after the whole "Party Like Its 1999" format stunt fiasco.<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by ES1 on 07/02/05 06:32 AM.</FONT></P>
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom