Comparing WAWZ and WKLV-FM

[stationless listener]

Now that K-Love is on the air I thought we could use the first week to compare their sound to the sound on Star 99.1. Star 99.1 currently has two HD channels in addition to the main channel. The HD2 is the "teaching and preaching" station while the HD3 has CCM but the difference being including Christian rap and R&B and some hard rock. Does anyone think that the HD1 and HD3 channels should flip? The WAWZ signal does travel through much of the urban areas in northern NJ so that might be the way to go if to differentiate themselves from K-Love. However, that could alienate people who listen to CCM on HD1. So which way to go?

Anyone can post here to comment and post on what is most interesting about these two stations.

 

[nd2023]

WAWZ is a local station. K-Love is a national god-caster. During tonight's tropo opening I heard FIVE K-Love stations. That's too many. They're one of the biggest translator abusers.

96.7 should have been a simulcast of WAWZ.

 

[Stormdesk]

Well, here in Cincinnati, we have that "other" Pillar of Fire sister radio station to WAWZ, that uses the same Star name, "Star 93.3". A 50,000 watt signal on a short tower that still gets a good signal out marketwide.
And, of course we have K-Love (WNLT 104.3) running 6000 or so watts.
After the end of Christmas, Star 93.3 WAKW continued with contempory Chistian music, and they tweeked their sound to a brighter sound, IMO.
We flip between Star 933 and K-Love. We really love both stations, but noticed K-Love playing a more limited and often slower song selection then Star. but we enjoy both very much.
Listen live to Star 93.3 here: http://www.mystar933.com/
I would love to know how 93.3 compares to their own "sister-station", and would also be interested in an out of market opinion of 933.

Stormdesk standing by...

 

[nd2023]

I went to Cincinnati last November and listened to Star 93.3 for its Christmas music. I liked its music mix better than Warm 98.5.

But I usually don't listen to Christian Contemporary. At least Pillar of Fire is programming all its stations locally.

 

[mz41966]

I love KLOVE and glad they're here in NY. I can't compare them to WAWZ because I live too far away to get that (WPLR comes in). Anyway, comparing KLOVE to The Message on Sirius is easy as KLOVE repeats alotta songs, (I heard City Harmonic TWICE in twenty minutes!) The Message plays newer songs. STill they both repeat but the message not as much.

It is weird having TWO stations to choose from where not long ago there were NONE!!!

 

[satech]

One difference is that WAWZ is not a full-time music station. For years, they would stop the music at 7:30 PM on weeknights to carry "Focus On The Family", followed by other talk and preaching programs for the rest of the evening. Probably in response to the number of prime-time listeners who would dive for the tuning knob and flip to another station whenever it came on, WAWZ has since moved FOTF up to 10:30 PM, and they now play music until 10 PM weeknights.

 

[Stormdesk]

Yes, Star 93.3 was the second this year to go all Christmas, before Haloween. I thought their mix was better then WARM 98 too. After Christmas, 93.3 continued Christmas until New Years also! LOL!
BTW, Star 93.3 WAKW also stops the music at 10pm just like WAWZ for teachings, etc, then goes back to music at 12 midnight.

Now if only a 99 watt CSN translator relaying KAWZ, Twin Falls ID could go up the Times Square CC tower, then the world's problems would be over!

 

[DToTheJ]

CCM music stations pausing their playlists for "Focus" and other religious spoken-word programming reminds me of the (CBN/Fox/ABC) Family Channel, which to this day breaks away from standard programming to air "The 700 Club" three times a day.

 

[nd2023]

Why do you want another god-caster from Idaho in Ohio? Wouldn't you rather have a local one instead?

Speaking of KAWZ, I remember they wanted to lease 87.7 in New York after the Party ended. Wonder why they didn't get it if they really wanted to be in market 1.

 

[VeteranPD]

Love the new K-Love. I think there's a tighter rotation than WAWZ and the signal is not as over processed as WAWZ.It's also a cleaner sounding station. The breaks are tighter and JD in the afternoon is top notch. The no commercial thing makes for a very listenable station. There is a pirate that comes on almost every afternoon and blows 96.7 out of the water. They are aware of it and working with the FCC. Good luck with that! When the pirate comes on, I take the internet feed and rebroadcast it around my property of a clear frequency.

 

[satech]

I've sampled a little bit of "K-Love" and was surprised to hear the DJs often openly preaching on the air -- which strangely juxtaposes the format's liners and promos which just use the generic "Positive and Encouraging" tag line and are careful not to mention anything about the music being Christian or even religious.

On the other hand, I haven't heard the same from WAWZ's DJs -- maybe because they simply aren't paid to preach! They just talk about the music, upcoming events, the weather, segue into a traffic report, do a time check, etc. -- all pretty much standard commercial radio fare. Indeed, except for the music and liners surrounding him, Frank Forte really doesn't sound any different on WAWZ compared to how he sounded on WMTR.

 

[WPHA]

I've sampled a little bit of "K-Love" and was surprised to hear the DJs often openly preaching on the air -- which strangely juxtaposes the format's liners and promos which just use the generic "Positive and Encouraging" tag line and are careful not to mention anything about the music being Christian or even religious.

I have to say, my favorite part of K-Love, is hearing what the announcers have to say and the listener clips that they drop-in. Since the music is the same handful of songs, over and over, these bits are really special to me. While I do like most (but not all) of the music K-Love plays, they really do play it to death with their much-too-short playlist. Even their "Recurrent" list is much too shallow.

I do agree with their liner, they ARE "Positive and Encouraging". I am encouraged VERY often by what they are saying between the songs. My favorite is when they play a song with lyrics that match what was just said, or the other way around. Today, for example, one of the announcers was reading the lyrics of a new song they just played, and emphasizing the MEANING. I eat that stuff up!!

 

[fforte]

I haven't heard the same from WAWZ's DJs -- maybe because they simply aren't paid to preach! They just talk about the music, upcoming events, the weather, segue into a traffic report, do a time check, etc. -- all pretty much standard commercial radio fare. Indeed, except for the music and liners surrounding him, Frank Forte really doesn't sound any different on WAWZ compared to how he sounded on WMTR.

That's a pretty good memory you've got!

You're right about the preaching - I don't think anyone really wants to hear me preach. Talk to listeners, share stories, give info. about songs and artists, maybe a weather forecast and the baseball scores - but I'll leave the preaching to others.

-Frank

 

[WPHA]

You're right about the preaching - I don't think anyone really wants to hear me preach. Talk to listeners, share stories, give info. about songs and artists, maybe a weather forecast and the baseball scores - but I'll leave the preaching to others.

When I tune in to K-Love, one of the things I enjoy MOST about them, is that their announcers *DO* talk about their Faith, about the MEANING of the songs, and how such things are making Eternal differences in their listeners' lives! They even put listeners on the air, sharing such stories! I EAT THAT STUFF UP, MAN!!! I am not the only one, either! K-Love has built a successful format around this, and they continue to do WELL among the Christian audience across the USA!

I, for one, *WANT* to hear the announcers talking about REAL-LIFE STUFF like this! I really couldn't care less about discographies or lists of concerts in areas far away from me. Tell me something that I can RELATE TO, and you have my ears. K-Love does this. Talk about Jesus, and what He has done and what He means in your life, and the lives of listeners. Save the discography and artist trivia for the WEBsite.

I have heard WAWZ only a handful of times in the last few years, and to be honest, I would choose K-Love over them IN A HEARTBEAT! (Yes, even despite K-Love NOT being local.) I very much WANT that relevant and meaningful talk from the on-air staff. They don't "blab", they say what they say concisely. It is relevant and meaningful. I want more.

 

[VeteranPD]

I agree with WPHA...K-Love is a fine sounding station and has become my preferred station in the genre.

 

[nd2023]

It's nice to see the excitement of a new station here. While it may not be local, it's still a unique format. Haven't had this excitement over a new station for 40 months.

 

[satech]

It's nice to see the excitement of a new station here. While it may not be local, it's still a unique format. Haven't had this excitement over a new station for 40 months.

A little more recent than that, people were pretty excited (i.e. both happy and sad) about the debut of 92.3 "Now FM" in March 2009, and then the swap of 105.9 and 96.3 in July 2009. But this is indeed the first big "post-recession" NYC radio dial change.