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Changes at WQKS 96.1?

N

Nate Wesley

A poster alluded to this in the 97.5/101.5 WVRV thread--but a trip to the website of WQKS Montgomery, aka Alice 96.1, shows a clean page a new 'Q96.1' logo next to a new (for 'QKS) slogan, "The Greatest Hits of All Time".

There's a working 'listen live' link, but I don't know of any musical change yet (Troy Trojans coaches show on--Trojans suck, go Blazers!). Anyone notice any on-air changes earlier in the day?
 
The "Greatest Hits" slogan suggested oldies, and that's what it is.

Bluewater had stayed with its classic hits format for a good while. I wonder if ratings or advertising inspired the change.
 
I did get the chance to check them out today. They were indeed catering to the "Oldies" format. Heard music from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. This station had a neat mix of music.

Speaking of 97.5, they weren't even on. I could get Koligia Country from the Dadeville area, at that spot. It wasn't real clear but it was coming in.

R.D.P. <><
 
"Alice 96.1" was in existence from early 2000 until 5pm Monday. It was a great station with a lot of personality. Our family always enjoyed listening to Alice.

However, Montgomery has been without an oldies outlet for several years -- and from the sound of things today, Q96 (nice throwback) will fit the bill quite nicely. Lots of records that haven't been played to death; I know I heard Bob Seger a while ago, but then I think I heard Paul Revere and the Raiders? This should be exciting and different for Montgomery.
 
Hey Michael,

Does 96.1 come in clearly in Tallassee? I have trouble picking it up in my office sometimes here in Montgomery. It has fuzziness...not unlistenable, just not clear.

I personally like the new format and I look forward to hearing how the rest of the station comes together.

One interesting note, I called my mom a little after 5pm Monday when I heard about the flip to let her know that Montgomery has a station that is the closest to the old Oldies format thinking she would be excited (She is in her mid 50's, a child of the 60's and 70's). She really wasn't though. I asked her out of curiosity what she listens to now and she talked to me about John Tesh on Mix 103 for the next 10 minutes. She was telling me about his new book, and his quirps on intelligence and so forth. I thought it was interesting because when Cool 104.3 was on the air she was pretty loyal to them but it's going to take something big to pry her away from John Tesh at this point it appears.
 
Actually, Q96 comes in pretty well on my side of Tallassee. There are areas of town where the coverage isn't so great, but overall the signal is strong enough to get into Elmore County and parts of Tallapoosa County. The tower is on Dunbarton Road in Montgomery East -- when I lived off Dunbarton, Alice was the strongest station I picked up on my Bose 3-2-1 system (without an antenna)! Now, I need an antenna for everything except WTLS and WACQ, which are both in Tallassee.

My wife listens to John Tesh on Mix 103, also, during the afternoons. I pointed out that she should support the Bluewater stations, but then she said, "no one over there gives health tips between records!" :D

(Personally, I always enjoyed Ben Hagler's 'health tips' about who was playing at the local clubs...)
 
I'm surprised Q96 could make it into Tallassee with 95.9 so close.

Okay folks, grab some cheese because I would like to whine for a moment.

IMHO, "oldies" doesn't include any 80's music. I really hate that, because to me the difference from the late 70's to early 80's, musically speaking, was huge. A station playing 70's and 80's music? Okay, that can work. So can 50's and 60's together, even with a few extra years back and forth. But a station playing 60's, 70's and 80's? It has too much potential for "trainwreck". Not a slam against Q96 per se, but the movement of time ever forward.

Imagine a station playing all 40's 50's and 60's. Sugar Shack followed by Chattanooga Choo-Choo does not a good segue make.

I guess I just don't want to hit a button expecting The Temptations and hear Phil Collins instead.
 
Think out of the box...the oldest 80's song is 28 years old. Hey, my wife was only 7 back then...these are OLDIES to her! You're right about the eras, IMHO a station can't play the Crickets and Platters and Don Henley and The Cars....but one can play the Beatles and Stones and Eagles with The Cars....That's OLDIES REDEFINED....and the slogan was chosen specifically cause Q96.1 must redefine the genre if it's going to be successful....and yes, the music blend is VERY critical.
 
sflaboy said:
Think out of the box...the oldest 80's song is 28 years old.
Click to expand...

Now you've ruined my week. I was in 10th grade in 1980. ;D

However it might be to someone in their 20s, I bristle at the thought of anyone calling hits by the J. Geils Band or The Cars oldies.

I haven't been in town to hear it for myself, but I'll get to check out the "new Q" next weekend. Best of godspeed with the new 'format.'

--Russell
 
BTW, the station does NOT call itself Oldies....it's 'The Greatest Hits of All Time'....which leaves it up to the listener to decide which songs are Oldies for "them". The Marketing campaign, which is just getting started, does use the line - "Oldies Redefined" which I believe says it all....it ain't your old (no pun intended) Oldies station....it's Oldies redefined - broader - more 35-54 appeal.
 
sflaboy said:
Think out of the box...the oldest 80's song is 28 years old. Hey, my wife was only 7 back then...these are OLDIES to her! You're right about the eras, IMHO a station can't play the Crickets and Platters and Don Henley and The Cars....but one can play the Beatles and Stones and Eagles with The Cars....That's OLDIES REDEFINED....and the slogan was chosen specifically cause Q96.1 must redefine the genre if it's going to be successful....and yes, the music blend is VERY critical.
Click to expand...

I tend to agree with sflaboy. The blend is critical, there are no songs that deserve a quota for rotation. You've gotta mix plenty of stuff in and out. And there are plenty of 80s songs with the 'bright pop' sound that oldies tends to go for. CBS-FM does it well.
 
I was also an elementary school student in 1980. Oy! (Actually, "ouch" is more like it, because I remember being paddled in '80 for my mouth)

Just yesterday I found an aircheck from January 1, 1984 ... Casey Kasem counted 'em down on AT40. It's hard to believe that music is 25 years old ... and that the biggest star of that era, Michael Jackson, turned the big 5-0 today. But as a child of the '70s and '80s, I am digging the new Q.

As for "Chattanooga Choo-Choo" and "Sugar Shack" ... that sounds like a playlist at WTBF (right, Russell W.?).
 
MBird said:
As for "Chattanooga Choo-Choo" and "Sugar Shack" ... that sounds like a playlist at WTBF (right, Russell W.?).
Click to expand...

Actually, that might be quite tame for The Big T. How about Hank Jr. to The Monkees to Glenn Miller to "Jet" by Macca/Wings ... I did hear those artists/songs on WTBF in a single hour back in the late '80s. Pugsley Addams couldn't have created a better train wreck! ;)

Of course I find that kind of radio a bit appealing. Then again, I'm not normal.

(PS - any jingle packages for the new Q-96.1? Some late '70s JAM resings, i.e. Positron or Priority-1, would add a nice sizzle, IMO)

--Russell
 
Off topic, but Russell W., tonight I heard your son play some fine bass guitar on the sideline as the marching band from ECHS performed a Journey show, featuring "Don't Stop Believin'," "Open Arms," and "Any Way You Want It". Dude was jammin'. I knew him when he was just a baby, and now he's a guitar hero/chick magnet! Proud to know him.

I knew I shouldn't have picked trombone back in the day, but it helped me find a wife or two.

P.S. Should you ever have any spare time as PD of that Savannah station, I need you to re-cut my liner that says, "hoping your radio is still tuned in from yesterday's Markwell show," for the obvious reason that there is no more Markwell show. :'(
 
sflaboy said:
BTW, the station does NOT call itself Oldies....it's 'The Greatest Hits of All Time'....which leaves it up to the listener to decide which songs are Oldies for "them". The Marketing campaign, which is just getting started, does use the line - "Oldies Redefined" which I believe says it all....it ain't your old (no pun intended) Oldies station....it's Oldies redefined - broader - more 35-54 appeal.
Click to expand...

sflaboy, I have to tell you, I'm at the low end of that age range, and I have yet to hear ANYTHING on this new station that I really like. I may be in the minority, but I think the format flip was a bad move. Those of us who LIKED the "iPod on Shuffle" aspect of Alice are going to be running away in droves, I suspect...if only to get songs like "If Only You Believe" out of our heads... :p

Sorry, folks, but my hubby and I (at least) are ditching this "new" station...
 
I think the station sounds good. Rick is playing the hits. I guess the biggest difference between Alice and the New Q is that we're notplaying Pencil Thin Moustache by Buffett. I also believe that anytime you have a station that plays 60's thru 80's your gonna have an hour once in a while that will have some interesting music mixes. That's just par for the course. No doubt Q96.1 is a new take on Oldies... as a jock I find it fun... as a listener I enjoy it very much. 8) It sounds like my IPOD. Now I don't have to charge it and take it along.
 
That's just it, skipper - the _old_ Alice sounded more like _OUR_ iPod. :p And "interesting" is not what I'd call the mix that was on from 6-7am this morning..._bizarre_, maybe, but not "interesting"... (Though that word _is_ usually my nice word for something less than pleasant...) :p

And are you _sure_ about the "Pencil Thin Mustache"?? I never heard it on Alice...or at least I wouldn't recognize it if I had...

Ah, well...to each his own. Montgomery still has "The Fox", and we have the input on the radio for our iPod, so we're not relegated to buying satellite just yet...
 
LilSnoclaf,

Believe me when I tell you that the decision to change Alice to Q96.1 was heartwrenching. I personally programmed Alice for 4 years. It was a personal favorite of mine. Many people seemed to love the station, and I truly believe it had a very loyal audience. It was focused on a much more sophisticated listener than a typical radio station....and as such, I would of assumed it would do well in the ratings. But, it never got above the "bottom of the pack" in ratings. Maybe the Alice partisans just couldn't be bothered filling out those ratings surveys. I don't know. So, after 4 years I had to bite my lip and make the decision to find a format in the market that would serve an underserved audience - that's this "redefined" Greatest Hits format. The reaction has been overwhelmingly positive, but that doesn't mitigate your feelings. No radio station can be for everybody. Those stations ceased to exist around the time The Beatles did. Interestingly, over 50% of the music in any hour on Q961. was also played on Alice...so it's not a totally alien landscape to the old Alice audience. Just thought you'd like to know what goes on behind the scenes when these decisions need to be made.

Rick Peters
COO/Bluewater Broadcasting
 
I used to love the Station Formerly Known as Alice 96.1. I had all the radios at home tuned to it. I let it play while I drifted off to sleep, listened to it in the shower, on the ride to work, and all day at work. The all 80's Friday night was my favorite. The shuffle weekends were also excellent. I enjoyed the chance to hear songs that normally didn't get into the rotation during the week.

However, I've given the new format a chance, and while you still play some good songs, the mix of what I want to hear to things I don't care about went from about 95/5 to about 35/65. That's just not good enough of a ratio to warrant my listening. So, I switched over to Y102 at work, and Mix 103 as well. My Ipod is now my car companion, and my computer is hooked up to the receiver so I can listen to ITunes. I wish you luck with the new station, Mr. Peters. I won't be along for the ride.

Oh, and Skipper, I'm glad you are back on the radio. I used to listen to you on the Fox every day. Funny enough, I stopped listening to the Fox a little before you left because Alice played more of what I wanted to hear.
 
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