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Changes Coming To 97.3 WXKW

S

SoulCrusher

This week I have heard liners on New Jersey 101.5 mentioning that the station will no longer be heard on 97.3 FM, referring listeners to both the 101.5 frequency and to the live stream at nj1015.com .

Millennium Radio has a killer signal with 97.3, and it looks like we can expect a brand new format to launch in the coming weeks.

The question is, what will they do? The prevailing belief amongst broadcasters these days seems to be that there can never be enough Top 40 stations, so can we expect the return of Boss 97? Methinks with Kiss-FM, WAYV, Philly stations and especially Millennium's own SoJo 104.9, that would be a foolish idea.

A station playing Alternative or edgier Active Rock with a decent signal could work - I know those of us in Ocean County would appreciate having it. Perhaps a format focusing on the '80s titles that seem to be disappearing from many a Hot AC playlist would do well. There's a couple of holes here, and then there's a couple of formats that we really don't really need more of (Classic Rock, Country, and definitely Top 40).

Let the speculation begin...
 
I know it would probably never fly but I would like to see a AAA format down in South Jersey....Has it ever been tried in South Jersey?.....Something similar to 107.1 WXPK in the Northern Suburbs of NYC.
 
Don't be surprised to see BOSS back or a rythmic CHR leaning dance just for the summer to attract the "summer" crowd in a test run....after that they may switch again....and I'm not sure if it's a terrible idea..I think WAYV is at its lowest point and can be beat. KISS is generic and if an in your face fun approach is taken with live jocks that are on the street people may switch.....especially if they bring back "BOSS 97" ..its been 15 years and every radio person that I associate with still says how much they loved that station and how it owned the streets down the shore....I would love to see it back...if it was done right with great imaging!!!
 
Maybe Millennium could work a deal with WVLT or WSJO to simulcast NJ 101.5 down there, or at least put it on an HD2. The 101.5 signal is a killer, it can be heard as far as Wilmington and Atlantic City with no tropo in the car. 97.3 is also a huge signal, making it to Cape May and Maryland, and as far north as 195 with no tropo (the slightest tropo would make 97.3 audible in the whole state south of I-80). I remember it used to simulcast on 1450 AM, but that station covers more of Long Island than New Jersey.
 
Maybe Millennium could work a deal with WVLT or WSJO to simulcast NJ 101.5 down there, or at least put it on an HD2.
Click to expand...

Remember Millennium owns WSJO

97.3 is also a huge signal, making it to Cape May and Maryland, and as far north as 195 with no tropo (the slightest tropo would make 97.3 audible in the whole state south of I-80). I remember it used to simulcast on 1450 AM, but that station covers more of Long Island than New Jersey.
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Back in November I was able to listen to 97.3 WXKW just about perfect while I was right under the 101.5 WKXW transmitter just off US-1.
 
wow what a bone-headed move!!! The ratings will tank ....Why why why...is all i can ask.
 
Instead of going Alternative, ala Alt Nation on XM/Sirius, they do this. The rotton, lousy, bald, cigar smoking, womanizing, Manhattan, Schmucks dictate what is hot.....at this time, Urban, Sports and Spanish are the big thing (WHICH IS TOTALLY WRONG), they preach.... so the rock audiance loses out once again....
 
oasisrulz said:
Instead of going Alternative, ala Alt Nation on XM/Sirius, they do this. The rotton, lousy, bald, cigar smoking, womanizing, Manhattan, Schmucks dictate what is hot.....at this time, Urban, Sports and Spanish are the big thing (WHICH IS TOTALLY WRONG), they preach.... so the rock audiance loses out once again....
Click to expand...

I guess it's all a matter of perspective.

In one way, I understand the move, since the more highly populated area that 97.3 covers can also receive 101.5. But at the same time, you're dropping a simulcast of New Jersey's highest rated radio station ... when you put it that way, it's easy to question the wisdom of such a move.

Now, as far as the choice of format goes ... with regards to the possible Alternative/Active Rock station, Millennium could look at it this way: "Well, we're serving the AC / Cape May area, and the market already has WJSE, which pulls mediocre ratings". My personal take: WJSE could have the weakest signal for a commercial FM in the entire state, and not only can 97.3 reach areas in market that WJSE can't, it also would reach much of Ocean County, which is currently without an Alternative/Active Rock station. Both arguments have merit, but obviously Millennium is pleased with the performance of their local ESPN affiliate and wants to see how it will do on a larger scale.

I just pulled up market ratings and I'm seeing quite a difference in ratings for WKXW/WXKW and WENJ. If WXKW isn't pulling its weight, a change wouldn't be a bad idea. Millennium should pick a format that wouldn't cannibalize its other stations, and while Alternative/Active Rock would have been a good idea, moving ESPN to FM fits the bill as well.

I think ESPN on FM will sink or swim based on how much of its programming is live and local. I know they have Mike Gill who has done stints with several in market radio stations, but it appears that most of their programming is syndicated. If this is the case, I don't see how this will translate to an improvement over the NJ 101.5 simulcast's ratings.
 
Now that we know what happeing to 97.3,does anyone know what will become of 1450 am. I think the reasonable idea would be to put nj1015 on 1450 again just to cover the area.
 
When Millennium took over the old Citadel stations (WPUR/WKOE/WFPG-AM&FM) they moved the Modern AC from 106.3 WKOE "The Shore" and put it on 97.3 as more of Hot-AC as "Mix" WIXM....106.3 became CHR Rhythmic as "Hot 106.3" and 1450 WFPG took the WKXW calls and became the "NJ-101.5" simulcast.....Less than one year "NJ-101.5" moved to 106.3 WKOE and 1450 became ESPN Radio with the WENJ calls coming later on....In 2004 Millennium sold 106.3 WKOE to Press Communications and Millennium would take 104.9 WOJZ from Nassau Broadcasting...The result was that "Mix 97.3" would move to 104.9 as "SoJo 104.9" WSJO and the "NJ-101.5" simulcast would come full circle and end up on 97.3 with the WXKW calls following......WKOE would later move to 106.5 Bass River and is now the present day "Hit-106"
 
I think it a great move, as WOND always seemed to have the upper hand in News/Talk down here, but... How did they get that affiliation move without WPEN sceaming bloody murder, as 97.3 covers nearly all of their Southern signal. Which would you rather listen to it on? AM 950 with IBOC hash, or FM? not to mention all the grief and $$ 950 invested to get that signal to 25kw.

http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WPEN&service=AM&status=L&hours=D

http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WXKW&service=FM&status=L&hours=U
 
GSP163 said:
Now when you go to 1450 WENJ's website there is now just a logo that says "97.3 ESPN Radio South Jersey" Coming Soon.

http://www.1450espn.com/
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Now when you go to 97.3 you get ESPN radio. :(

I guess there's no 101.5 for those of us too close to 101.3 and 101.7. And if there was (I can sort of get it in my car) I'm sure iBOC will finish the job. :mad:

Now all I have left is ATHF. :D ;)
 
Tuned in for a couple minutes around 3:30pm.....Pete Thompson sounded comfortable and relaxed but the host Mike sounded like it was his first day. He said the name of the show 10 times in 5 minutes and said the signing info of a caller at least 10 times before ever asking a question....they just kept talking about the signal, most listeners don't care about your signal.....I hope it works out but they have to own that show and not sound like it's their first day of community college.
 
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