Countdown to the failure of Q-93

[Raingus]

364 days or less until Journal's new Q-93 changes format.

 

[RMarino]

Are you always this negative or is this just a special occasion?

 

[Raingus]

Are you always this negative or is this just a special occasion?

People can call me negative if they wish, however I am a realist.

Facts are anytime someone else does country and tries to go up against WIVK, it never works out. Plus most Class A radio stations in the Knoxville area change formats every 2 to 3 years on an average.

EARL will also one day come to an end. Just wait and see folks.

 

[radio30]

Hey Gus, I've been painted as negative and pessimistic too. It's just a label that we who deal in facts have to accept.

 

[Raingus]

362 days or less until Q-93 changes format.

I predict the next change of format will be either:

HOT AC
Classic Rock

Or back to another 80's oriented format.

 

[eacalhoun1]

I'm sure this has been posted before, but what's the rundown of stations who've attempted to compete against WIVK? I guess WBIR-FM was the first? I'm not a Knoxville native, but know some about its radio history.

Eric

 

[jwk1979]

I'm sure this has been posted before, but what's the rundown of stations who've attempted to compete against WIVK? I guess WBIR-FM was the first? I'm not a Knoxville native, but know some about its radio history.

Eric

WBIR-FM went country about 1974 and remained a country station until Mid Summer 1979, at which point they became ROCK 104 ( and changed it called letters to WIMZ about 6 months later). In 1980 or 81, 94.3 became Q-94.3 and tried to compete with WIVK. In the fall of 1981, WRJZ-AM went from Top 40 to Country and WNOX-AM changed from a Top 40 format to Country in Spring 1982. About a year later, Mack Sanders, the man responsible for WNOX change to country, purchased a Clinton station at 95.7 and changed it to KIX 95.7 to try to compete with WIVK. Both WNOX and KIX 95.7 would go dark within a few years of these changes. WRJZ changed from country to Oldies in 1983 before going dark in Spring 1984. WWST 93.1 changed from Album Rock to Country in 1992 and then traded formats with WOKI about a year later, with WOKI become the Hit Kicker and 93.1 becoming Top 40. WIVK and WOKI became business partners in 1995/1996 and the first thing that happened was WOKI chnaged it format to Classic Hits the Eagle 100.3. Since then, I don't think anyone with a half way decent signal in the Knoxville area has tried to compete with WIVK. There have been some fringe signals that can reach a portion of Knox County (i.e 104.9 in LaFolleite, 99.3 in Jefferson City, 93.5 in Lenoir City, 105.7 in Harriman (Big WOFE Radio)) that have been or are country, but most of them DID NOT TRY TO COMPETE with WIVK and didn't market to Knoxville but rather to the towns that they were licenced to.

 

[Raingus]

I'm sure this has been posted before, but what's the rundown of stations who've attempted to compete against WIVK? I guess WBIR-FM was the first? I'm not a Knoxville native, but know some about its radio history.

Mack Sanders, the man responsible for WNOX change to country, purchased a Clinton station at 95.7 and changed it to KIX 95.7 to try to compete with WIVK. Both WNOX and KIX 95.7 would go dark within a few years of these changes.

KIX 95 was actually 95.3 which later on became 95.3 WTNZ in 1986 and had a CHR/Rhythmic format until it went dark a couple of years later. The same station has had an automated satellite christian format for the past 19 years now.

 

[jwk1979]

The problem with trying to compete with WIVK is that the only stations that are trying right now are at signals that have a very limited coverage area that comes in stronger in one part of town than it does in others. The only way for a station to really compete with WIVK and be able to take away some of their numbers is if one of 100,000 watts FM signal were to change formats to country. Citadel isn't going to compete with itself by switching WNOX 100.3 to country, South Central is making too much $$$ with their AC Format @ 97.5 and Classic Rock on WIMZ 103.5 and Journal controls the Top 40/CHR format at 102.1. There is not another signal in Knoxville that could compete with WIVK, so I don't even know why anyone would even try to.