Re: Classic Country and less
> It doesn't matter if NO ONE likes it. This format isn't
> intended to attract significant numbers of listeners. It is
> simply a lowest-cost placeholder until whatever comes next,
> comes.
>
I agree, It does seem like it's just a placeholder. But it would appear that the bottom line would have been better served by what was being aired the last week of December. (Well... sort of)
Don and Mike, Tom Leykus etc. cost money to air: (boot 'em.)
All Comedy Radio, probably isn't free either, and definitely wasn't a ratings grabber.: another boot (kick... goodbye!)
The Afternoon Buzz jumped the shark when it became a chore for Steve Austin to attend. Tom and Monica kept it afloat, but it just wasn't the show that the audience expected to hear.: (Drop it... Oh yeah, they already did.)
The Sport Chix, as far as I know were pay for play (sponsored by Hooters)... and drew advertisers to the station. That's two sources of revenue.: (Keep them)
Classic Country bumps the station's licensing fees up, and doesn't have the same quality of sound on AM that can be heard on FM stations. It does seem to be an experiment of sorts though. With all of the classic rock stations around, why not try the same thing with country? The only problem there is that there are no personalities involved. There is nothing to draw an audience to the music in the first place, and no local content other than a few minutes of news every hour.
The Sport Chix have survived numerous other format changes over the years. They didn't exactly spike the station's ratings, but with a crappy signal and no help from the promotions department they held on to a very loyal core audience. It may not have been a bad idea to keep them on in the middle of the day, and play a song or two during their show. (Flashbacks of Cowhead and Brent drawing people who otherwise would never have listened to country) Some people may even hang around after getting to know some of the music, or remember it from days gone by. (Although they may have to change their name from "Chix" to "Hicks".)
On second thought, that scenario might actually show up in the book. Apparently that's not what CBS is going for with 1010.