Clear Channel

[MsMusicRadio]

Does anybody think CC is going to make big changes soon. Why?

1) recent changes on WFLA

2) reduction in air staff on US103.5 while locked in a battle with QYK

3) flipping Mix to CHR complete with the Cox sound of loads of gossip and no jingles anymore. Looks like CC might be trying to outflank Hot , but conceding AC to Cox.

4) Dropping "Animal" branding on 620.

I could be wrong as usual cause as I never worked in radio. Any thoughts?

 

[Frank Ferreri]

Interesting questions and possibly someone has an opinion and/or facts to answer. My only 2 cents concern "The Animal". The Animal branding never did anything for me personally and the new image of Sports Radio says it all and what they are. Why not? There is News Radio. 620 has tightened up nicely in my opinion. The sports updates with Carney and Lane are good because those guys sound good. The teases going into a break are good. The production elements are good. And, of course, being the broadcast flagship of all the major league teams is huge. You simply can not compete without having at least one of the local major league team boradcast rights. Always wondered if any listener actually when asked would refer to the station as "The Animal". In this market folks seem to refer to the FM's by dial position and the AM's by 3 letters...FLA...DAE...and so on...To me, no big deal dropping "The Animal" branding.

 

[badjef]

The entertainment mediums are ever changing. The public and mass audiences are fickle.

Radio has been the ugly, red-headed, stepchild for quite some time. But, it is easy for a person to take along with them and be entertained - be that music, talk, or sports. It is their companion and it is perceived as personal.

If you have two TV's, you can watch them at the same time, not so with radio. But, you can button push.

If you are going to target an audience, who do you want to listen? If it is geared toward teens, they get older, and tastes change as the person gets older.

In the case of 23 year old CHR as WFLZ, at what point does your very existence work against you as your parents listened to that station while they were growing up?

Conversely, if you are targetting 25-54, at what point do you add newer music so that you don't sound old to the audience that is aging into your key demographic (read as: core audience)? Do they want to hear "Annie's Song"?, probably not. Button pushed.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

 

[IckPodcastGuy]

To follow your point, Jeff, and to add my own two cents to it, in my opinion 98.7 is staking out for the long haul, and is also trying to grab the younger end of the 25-54 compared to 620. Let those listeners grow into long time, dedicated listeners like 620 has owned for quite some time. As th e620 listeners age out, 98.7 moves into prime position. Most of their hosts are on the younger side on 98.7 when compared to other DJ's in the country and I notice the bumper music selection on 98.7 heavily skews towards the 25 year old end of the spectrum, while 620 goes all over the place and is often playing music at least 20 years old if not much more.

Or am I completely off my rocker?

 

[Mike_Hennessy]

I hear the Doobie Brothers and Led Zeppelin on 98.7, but that's mostly during the Gary and Commish and we might be listening at different times.

 

[badjef]

To follow your point, Jeff, and to add my own two cents to it, in my opinion 98.7 is staking out for the long haul, and is also trying to grab the younger end of the 25-54 compared to 620. Let those listeners grow into long time, dedicated listeners like 620 has owned for quite some time. As th e620 listeners age out, 98.7 moves into prime position. Most of their hosts are on the younger side on 98.7 when compared to other DJ's in the country and I notice the bumper music selection on 98.7 heavily skews towards the 25 year old end of the spectrum, while 620 goes all over the place and is often playing music at least 20 years old if not much more.

Or am I completely off my rocker?

I couldn't tell you if you are "off your rocker", but imaging is everything. How are you perceived by your core demographic?

I started listening to Rush Limbaugh the day after the San Francisco earthquake in '89. WFLA ended the news and "My City is Gone" came on. I like the song so I stayed with it. Rush comes on and starts talking about the coverage from KRON - the San Francisco NBC affiliate at the time - and the feed. He was talking about the earthquake but I had heard all about the same stories over and over. Here was someone taking a different angle. It was refreshing. I stuck with the program and have been listening ever since. His bumper music fits with the imaging he is trying to convey. As a radio person on the other side of the mike We tend to think bumper is not important. Everything that goes over the air of your station is important to the listener. Once you forget that, you're done. Age doesn't have much to do with it, but the appearance of being out of touch does.

Johnny Carson did not age his program, he aged. He was tired of hosting The Tonight Show. He retired at the top and knew when it was time to leave.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!