Changes at Lite-fm?

[wmgcbs]

I've been hearing some subtle changes over at 106.7 on-air, and some hints of change on 106.7's website. When a DJ references the website on-air, listeners are directed to "1067newyork.com" instead of "1067litefm.com." Additionally, a new top of the hour sweeper has been airing - "Now in HD Digital WLTW New York's 106.7." As of Friday, the RDS for 106.7 reads "New York's 106.7," and now, the title of their website just says "106.7 fm - The Best Variety..." Seems like "Lite-fm" will soon be a thing of the past for 106.7. I would guess this move is a result of Fresh? The amount of pre-1980's music was cut significantly to make way for more 90's and now cuts.

Personally, I don't enjoy this updated Lite-fm. The music, while it wasn't totally "lite" before, is now certainly not soft or lite at all. Luckily, there is still a local truly lite station for me, WMGQ in New Jersey. No New York station is really a "soft music" station anymore. It's a shame.

What does everyone here think?

 

[mikesingh]

Maybe a change in name to how "Philly's 106.1" used to be? (Now My 106.1) Maybe we'll now see "New York's 106.7FM"... "New York's music station" or something like that.

Boy, leave it to CC to tinker with something that's not failing. Must be all the success going to their heads. Next thing you know, KTU will reposition as Movin 103.5FM... hey, it's already got the music mix.

 

[wmgcbs]

Boy, leave it to CC to tinker with something that's not failing. Must be all the success going to their heads.

I was very surprised that Lite reacted as quickly as it did to Fresh (I assume that's the main reason for all of the changes). Fresh can't hold a candle to the old Lite, but CC had to mess with 106.7. Oh well. Time will tell if these moves will actually pay off.

 

[redbullfan]

Hmmm...Clear Channel got advance info on the ratings coming out tomorrow and saw something huge...such as a huge increase with Fresh and a huge drop for Lite. If not than CC made a very stupid decision indeed.

 

[stench]

With PPM it does not matter what you call it anymore.

 

[mikesingh]

Seems I was right. I just went to the site and the title bar says "New York's 106.7FM" and the logo says the same thing... "New York's 106.7 fm, The Best Variety of Yesterday and Today".

Check it - http://www.1067newyork.com/

Adios, Lite FM!

I think this definitely has to do with the fact that Fresh shows promise and they're trying to shed the "Lite FM" image. At the same time, I think it will be hard to do. Just like how 101.1 was associated with oldies in NYC, 106.7 is associated with "older, slow music" (which Fresh was smart enough to capitalize upon and CC knows it). As false as that might be with 106.7's playlist, the fact that it IS 106.7 IMO won't help too much. People will still refer to it as Lite FM.

Let's see how good this decision turns out.

 

[KathyClningMyHseNYnkrs]

Hmmm...Clear Channel got advance info on the ratings coming out tomorrow and saw something huge...such as a huge increase with Fresh and a huge drop for Lite. If not than CC made a very stupid decision indeed.

Hmmm. it could be an extremely stupid decision. Right now, WFAS-FM is a suburban (Westchester) station, but according to Scott Fybush, Cumulus is trying to move the city of license from White Plains to Bronxville, in an effort to inch the station into the New York market.

http://www.fybush.com/NERW/2007/070205/nerw.html

If this is the case, WLTW might have some unexpected competition knocking at its back door. In other words, a very disgruntled portion of WLTW's current audience just may find some satisfaction in making the move to WFAS.

Besides all that, I think that changing the #1 - seven share!!!!!! - station in Market #1 is just about the most stupid thing I've ever heard of!!!!

 

[nycdavey]

This is a genious programming move by Jim Ryan. Think about it. Fresh is always saying that they're not like the "old Lite." Well, if 106.7 gets rid of that name, Fresh has NO way to attack them. What are they going to say? "We're not like that old station on 106.7"? They would never promote a competing frequency like that. Plus, WPLJ and Fresh have been using "New York" in their positioners for a while now (on and off), so 106.7 is taking ownership.

 

[leethalweapon]

This is a genious programming move by Jim Ryan. Think about it. Fresh is always saying that they're not like the "old Lite." Well, if 106.7 gets rid of that name, Fresh has NO way to attack them. What are they going to say? "We're not like that old station on 106.7"? They would never promote a competing frequency like that. Plus, WPLJ and Fresh have been using "New York" in their positioners for a while now (on and off), so 106.7 is taking ownership.

I like your thinking, but how do they counter punch the fact that FRESH is a lot more contempory with their music mix, while keeping their loyal fans happy?

 

[SoulCrusher]

This is a genious programming move by Jim Ryan. Think about it. Fresh is always saying that they're not like the "old Lite." Well, if 106.7 gets rid of that name, Fresh has NO way to attack them. What are they going to say? "We're not like that old station on 106.7"? They would never promote a competing frequency like that. Plus, WPLJ and Fresh have been using "New York" in their positioners for a while now (on and off), so 106.7 is taking ownership.

I like your thinking, but how do they counter punch the fact that FRESH is a lot more contempory with their music mix, while keeping their loyal fans happy?

If all it takes is playing the same 200 or so songs over and over again to keep your fans happy, then so be it. Fresh isn't going to work because they just play the same songs that have been played to death already. Fresh is nothing more than Blink v2.0 with a different name, and how many people listened to that mess of a station? CBS is getting it wrong with all of their stations in the market - Free and Jack are failures and Fresh is likely to follow.

As far as "Lite" is concerned" - I think, much like the "Oldies" tag, we're witnessing a phasing out of the name because it is connected to a demo that is currently undesirable for advertisers. Expect WLTW (will there be a change in calls?) to spruce up the station a bit but in the end have a better variety than Fresh. CBS should have given the market what it sorely needs instead - Alternative, Active Rocker and Classic Hip-Hop stations. Guaranteed they would perform better than the pitiful programming they have now.

 

[nycdavey]

This is a genious programming move by Jim Ryan. Think about it. Fresh is always saying that they're not like the "old Lite." Well, if 106.7 gets rid of that name, Fresh has NO way to attack them. What are they going to say? "We're not like that old station on 106.7"? They would never promote a competing frequency like that. Plus, WPLJ and Fresh have been using "New York" in their positioners for a while now (on and off), so 106.7 is taking ownership.

I like your thinking, but how do they counter punch the fact that FRESH is a lot more contempory with their music mix, while keeping their loyal fans happy?

By adjusting the music mix ever so subtly to include more young-end product...which they seem to have already done (unless I am imagining things).

 

[wmgcbs]

By adjusting the music mix ever so subtly to include more young-end product...which they seem to have already done (unless I am imagining things).

WLTW has adjusted the music mix. There used to be much more 70's music played on the station... sometimes up to six cuts per hour. Now, maybe we'll hear three 70's tunes in an hour. Even though the change was subtle, I find myself turning off 106.7 more often. They are certainly not Lite anymore. But, will this help out the station in any way? They are still a strong #1 in the ratings, and while Fresh did start off fairly well, I can't see Fresh taking over the top spot or even coming close. The format is too narrow to appeal to office listeners. At least with Lite, there is some older music, some rhythmic, some rock, etc. Fresh can't boast that kind of variety.

 

[neo11]

Fresh isn't really looking to become #1, it seems...not anytime soon, anyway. But they are looking to do damage to Lite FM and PLJ and it seems that, so far, they have managed to do so to a small extent. CBS can't be disappointed with the station's numbers after only four months on the air, and while the music mix is still "narrower" than Lite's, it's a great office alternative and they do play a lot of music that Lite FM hasn't touched in years, or at all, so they have carved out a bit of an identity of their own.

This almost seems to be a panic move for Lite FM. Yes, I've heard the arguments about the "Lite" tag making the station sound old and the PPM technology making it unnecessary to brand the station with a name like "Lite," but I disagree. The station was not in trouble and even now, with Fresh in the picture, is still the dominant station, both in terms of ratings and billing, in the NYC market. Lite is a brand that has name recognition in NYC, whereas a generic "106.7 New York" does not have, and cannot have, that sort of name/brand recognition.

Between this and firing some of their established on-air personalities to bring in the likes of Delilah, Lite FM seems to be making the wrong moves that are beginning to erode at their dominance in the market. It's also opened the door to a "fresh" new competitor, that might do enough damage to Lite to knock Lite out of the #1 spot, even if Fresh remains in the middle of the pack.

 

[chuckydoll]

Sounds like a Fresh reaction

Fresh made inroads not only in NYC but in Long Island and Central New Jersey. It did so by emphasizing "today's soft music" and going heavy on TV advertising.

When a DJ references the website on-air, listeners are directed to "1067newyork.com" instead of "1067litefm.com." Additionally, a new top of the hour sweeper has been airing - "Now in HD Digital WLTW New York's 106.7."

The old web address still works -- it's a mirror of the new website. Also, "WLTW New York's 106.7" does not constitute a legal ID per FCC rules.

Luckily, there is still a local truly lite station for me, WMGQ in New Jersey.

Magic 98.3 sounds old and whiny. Old because of its on-air sound and reliance on 30-year-old music -- the "played-out old songs" that Fresh refers to. Whiny because of its "Continuous Soft Rock" jingles.

95.5 PLJ has a loyal New Jersey audience because of Magic.

 

[wmgcbs]

Re: Sounds like a Fresh reaction

Magic 98.3 sounds old and whiny. Old because of its on-air sound and reliance on 30-year-old music -- the "played-out old songs" that Fresh refers to. Whiny because of its "Continuous Soft Rock" jingles.

95.5 PLJ has a loyal New Jersey audience because of Magic.

I'm not going to lie... Magic's jingles stink, their DJs are nothing special outside of Steve O'Brien and Matt Newman, but for me, Magic's music is spot on. I used to listen to Lite-fm, so I hadn't heard many of their songs for quite a while. Hearing "The Way It Is," "Take it Easy," and "The End of the Innocence" is better than "Hips Don't Lie" and "Let's Get This Party Started," which are frequently played on 106.7 and 102.7. It's just a personal opinion, but the music on WMGQ is much better sounding to me than the music currently being played on any New York station.

I don't blame you for thinking Magic is stale. I'm sure in a year, I'll be burned out of their music too. But, for now, musically it's just what I've been looking for.

 

[TheLaffer]

I've been hearing some subtle changes over at 106.7 on-air, and some hints of change on 106.7's website. When a DJ references the website on-air, listeners are directed to "1067newyork.com" instead of "1067litefm.com." Additionally, a new top of the hour sweeper has been airing - "Now in HD Digital WLTW New York's 106.7." As of Friday, the RDS for 106.7 reads "New York's 106.7," and now, the title of their website just says "106.7 fm - The Best Variety..." Seems like "Lite-fm" will soon be a thing of the past for 106.7. I would guess this move is a result of Fresh? The amount of pre-1980's music was cut significantly to make way for more 90's and now cuts.

Personally, I don't enjoy this updated Lite-fm. The music, while it wasn't totally "lite" before, is now certainly not soft or lite at all. Luckily, there is still a local truly lite station for me, WMGQ in New Jersey. No New York station is really a "soft music" station anymore. It's a shame.

What does everyone here think?

Totally in aggreement with you!!!

 

[disney fanatic]

I guess they took the "Lite-FM" name out of the station, but it's now New York's 106.7 FM instead of 106.7 Lite-FM. Look what happened elsewhere including the Hudson Valley, they still have their "Lite-FM" name on both 92.1 and 98.5. Are any of the stations would change? I don't think so.

 

[radiolives]

Well Fresh 102.7 is still saying between songs. "Were not like the old LITE" What can they say now. Were not like the station that changed its name. Ok thats to long to say on radio. What can Fresh say now?

 

[neo11]

Well Fresh 102.7 is still saying between songs. "Were not like the old LITE" What can they say now. Were not like the station that changed its name. Ok thats to long to say on radio. What can Fresh say now?

Maybe something like "not like those other lite music stations" (a reference to a lite music station doesn't necessarily imply that the station is named Lite FM), or something like "not like those other at-work stations."

Or they won't say anything at all, after all, they have gotten some momentum under their wings.

As for Lite, I know they want to ditch the perception that they are an "old" and "boring" station, but between dumping the Lite name and continuously adding heavier music to the playlist (see: Nickelback, Daughtry), how much longer will it be before Lite...err, 106.7 loses its identity as a station that is easy to listen to in the office?

 

[wmgcbs]

As for Lite, I know they want to ditch the perception that they are an "old" and "boring" station, but between dumping the Lite name and continuously adding heavier music to the playlist (see: Nickelback, Daughtry), how much longer will it be before Lite...err, 106.7 loses its identity as a station that is easy to listen to in the office?

My concerns exactly. Even a year ago, WLTW was still fairly "Lite" while occaisionally pushing the envelope with some songs. But, I tuned in yesterday and really payed attention to the songs that they were playing. Quite a few made me double check that it was 106.7. As narrow as Fresh's format is, I think that it will soon be somewhat "lighter than [the current] Lite." Again, only time will tell if the change will pay off.

On another note, last night, I saw two ads for 106.7 referencing the new website address and logo, and also a new ad for Fresh, using a new female actress, with the same line about liking soft music, but not the old, tired Lite...