Country it is

[John Waywoods]

Congratulations to the city I love most, New York City, from a former New Yorker that grew up on WKTU Disco 92, WNEW (with Scott Muni) and WPLJ (when they were Rock). Country has been sorely needed in the area. Those of you that have not experienced the Country format, please do yourself a favor and try it. The music has some of the nation's best songwriters and musicians. The messages are bright and happy and sometimes very sensitive and refer to events such as a death in the family, a daughter on a date while the father waits for her return home, or a tale of a long-term relationship at its end. Each song is a story which many of us can relate to. Even its fans tend to be very likable.

Enjoy.

 

[davideduardo]

The music has some of the nation's best songwriters and musicians. T

At a time when one of the biggest hit songs only has three understandable words*, that's a refreshing prospect.


* "Sexy", "Lady", and "Style".

 

[Bob E. Nelson]

David --

In your long and impressive radio history, is country the one format you haven't done? I realize that Univision had (or has) some country properties but were these in your scope?

 

[tvradiogeek]

just wanted to congratulate NYC for getting a country station being a former resident of NJ,and now living in the Boston area i listen to wklb a lot which is the top country station here its nice to know there will be another option for streaming etc!!

 

[disney fanatic]

Remember back on 7/1/87 at around 12:00 AM, WYNY pulled the plug on its AC format and went country. The last song was "Hello Goodbye" by the Beatles on what was known as "97 WYNY", and the first song on the new "Country 97" was "Talk About Love" by Dolly Parton, but you can't do that on "Nash-FM" at 94.7. Randy Houser's "How Country Feels" was the first song to play on this new format, but if you haven't this song in a long time, this is an example of the first song when it should've played on the new "Nash-FM", it's like when WYNY did since it launched back in 1987.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcfnSaQRXzw

And if you haven't heard this one in a long time, let's take you back 17 years ago to the summer of 1996 when WYNY at 103.5 ended its 9-year run as a country station, the last song that it was played before it flipped to a dance format as WKTU was "The Dance" by Garth Brooks. About 7 years later, they played the same last song as heard on "Y107" when it was part of the quadcast until it became an ill-fated Spanish format known as "Rhumba 107". That was in early 2003. Here it is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7FRbeaXjvk

 

[davideduardo]

David --

In your long and impressive radio history, is country the one format you haven't done? I realize that Univision had (or has) some country properties but were these in your scope?

I was the COO for a group that owned WTNT in Tallahassee about 20 or so years ago. We were consulted by Rusty Walker and Phil Hunt, and the station was also the "Voice of the Seminoles" and carried FSU sports along with sister station WNLS ("Noles") which was talk and sports and carried the rest of the FSU sports.

It's a great format, and I worked with really good people at TNT Country.

 

[Bob E. Nelson]

I was the COO for a group that owned WTNT in Tallahassee about 20 or so years ago. We were consulted by Rusty Walker and Phil Hunt, and the station was also the "Voice of the Seminoles" and carried FSU sports along with sister station WNLS ("Noles") which was talk and sports and carried the rest of the FSU sports.

It's a great format, and I worked with really good people at TNT Country.

Thanks for the reply, David. You've truly done it all. And now, I even see your tagline quotes Jimmy Dean. I'll be watching for you to host the CMA Awards any day now!

 

[Tony_Ramirez]

From what I remember, the signal of this station was always a challenge for me to pick up in midtown Manhattan. I wish this new station with the best of luck!

What about moving the stations transmitter to the new Freedom Tower (1WTC) when completed. WYNY was on the former 1WTC. I know about WMAS but it will service New Jersey better that way and should help in the metro New York area.

 

[Big Hugh]

How is the 94.7 signal compaired to the stations that transmit from the empire state building? How's the signal in Manhattan? In case anyone was wondering these question are coming from someone who lives in New Hampshire, so I can't just turn on the radio and see for myself.

 

[davideduardo]

Thanks for the reply, David. You've truly done it all. And now, I even see your tagline quotes Jimmy Dean. I'll be watching for you to host the CMA Awards any day now!

Somewhere I have a pic of myself standing on the stage at the Ryman Auditorium. Even though the venue was empty at the time, there is a ghost-like feeling of history there... I felt like the statue of Minnie Pearl was going come to life and say "Howdy!" at any moment!

 

[luperm]

From what I remember, the signal of this station was always a challenge for me to pick up in midtown Manhattan. I wish this new station with the best of luck!

What about moving the stations transmitter to the new Freedom Tower (1WTC) when completed. WYNY was on the former 1WTC. I know about WMAS but it will service New Jersey better that way and should help in the metro New York area.

1WTC does not address the short spacing to 94.3 on LI.

 

[WNTIRadio]

Back to the topic of "Country, it is" (sounds like Bigfoot from the Howard Stern show)... "NashFM" is a TERRIBLE name.

It always amazes me that tons of money gets dumped into research and out of it comes that horrible name.

What is NASH? Yeah, I know, Nashville blah blah blah... but does anyone in Nashville call it "Nash"? It's like naming a hip-hop station "Brook". Dumb.

Nice execution on the format, really really bad naming of it.

 

[MCNDRWS]

If This may be the first station of a National Format ... I wonder what other cities Cumulus has Properties in that will become NASH Stations?

 

[luperm]

If This may be the first station of a National Format ... I wonder what other cities Cumulus has Properties in that will become NASH Stations?

Sounds like the plan...

 

[badjef]

The music has some of the nation's best songwriters and musicians. T

At a time when one of the biggest hit songs only has three understandable words*, that's a refreshing prospect.


* "Sexy", "Lady", and "Style".

And our parents probably said the same thing about "Fly, Robin, Fly".

Just a different generation trying music that has been done before...

The human race is insane by the accepted definitions.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

 

[NJMark]

What is NASH? Yeah, I know, Nashville blah blah blah... but does anyone in Nashville call it "Nash"? It's like naming a hip-hop station "Brook". Dumb.

I don't like it either, but it's no dumber than naming a station "Jack" or "Bob."

 

[Tony_Ramirez]

Kicks Country sounds better.
Anyway glad after 17 years NYC has a country station.

 

[pjc1961]

New York Country stations - ratings/shares over the years:

For station WYNY - Country - 103.5 6.7 kw Spring 1991-Spring 1992 Owner: Westwood One - Nat'l Rep Firm: Schubert Radio Sales
(Ranks in AQH, Cume + Demos in chart below are for Spring 1992)

SP'91|SU'91|FA'91|WI'92|SP'92|12+ AQH Rank|12+ Cume Rank|12-17|18-34|18-49|25-54|35-64|Avg. Mins. Listened|
3.3  3.5  2.7  2.7  2.8      17            17        15    13    12    10    6          80        

For station WYNY (97.1 + 103.5) (July 1987-Feb. 1996):

Annual Average AQH share %:

WYNY 97.1  -  7/1987 - 12/1987  - approx. 2.2-2.5
WYNY 97.1  -  1/1988 -  9/1988 and
WYNY 103.5 -  9/1988 - 12/1988 - 2.7
WYNY 103.5 -                  1989 - 2.4
WYNY 103.5 -                  1990 - 2.6
WYNY 103.5 -                  1991 - 3.0 (see chart above: Spring/Summer 1991 was most successful period)
WYNY 103.5 -                  1992 - 2.8
WYNY 103.5 -                  1993 - 2.3
WYNY 103.5 -                  1994 - 2.0
WYNY 103.5 -                  1995 - 2.3

February 1996 - WYNY 103.5 converts to WKTU 103.5

===========================================

For station WKHK 106.7 "Kick 106.7 FM" (1980-Jan.1984):

Annual Average AQH share %:

1980 - 1.1
1981 - 1.3
1982 - 1.8
1983 - 2.0

January 1984 - WKHK 106.7 converts to WLTW 106.7

===========================================

For station WHN 1050 (Feb. 1973 - July 1987):

Annual Average AQH share %:

1976 - 3.3
1977 - 3.4
1978 - 3.1
1979 - 2.9
1980 - 2.6
1981 - 2.3
1982 - 2.4
1983 - 2.2
1984 - 2.7
1985 - 2.7
1986 - 2.6
1987 - approx. 2.5 (to July 1)

July 1, 1987 - WHN 1050 converts to WFAN 1050

===========================================

From 1984-1995, none of the above country-formatted stations made the annual NYC Top 10 Highest Billing List.

The January 2013 ratings survey period runs from Thu. 1/3/13 - Wed. 1/30/13, thus 94.7 will have:
9 days 14 hours 13 minutes in the country format as WRXP (Mon. 1/21/13-Wed. 1/30/13),
2 days 16 hours 47 minutes as WRXP in "Wheel Of Formats" mode (Fri. 1/18/13-Mon. 1/21/13),
7 days 1 hour 6 minutes as WRXP in a simulcast of WPLJ (Fri. 1/11/13-Fri. 1/18/13),
8 days 15 hours 39 minutes as WFME (Thu 1/3/13-Fri. 1/11/13) and
15 minutes of dead air (Fri. 1/11/13).

Possible that Arbitron will "zero out" the WFME rated portion of the period and WRXP will get credit for "0.0" for the WFME period; confirmation needed on that procedure.
(BTW, WFME wasn't subscribing to Arbitron - so can only guess that the shares were in the 0.6-1.1 range.)
Interesting to see how Arbitron handles the WRXP/WPLJ simulcast;
likely it won't be applied as such to either station since they weren't simulcast for the full period.

First full ratings report for 94.7 will be for the February 2013 period covering Thu. 1/31/13-Wed. 2/27/13.

 

[HHH]

New York Country stations - ratings/shares over the years:

For station WYNY - Country - 103.5 6.7 kw Spring 1991-Spring 1992 Owner: Westwood One - Nat'l Rep Firm: Schubert Radio Sales
(Ranks in AQH, Cume + Demos in chart below are for Spring 1992)

SP'91|SU'91|FA'91|WI'92|SP'92|12+ AQH Rank|12+ Cume Rank|12-17|18-34|18-49|25-54|35-64|Avg. Mins. Listened|
3.3 3.5 2.7 2.7 2.8 17 17 15 13 12 10 6 80

For station WYNY (97.1 + 103.5) (July 1987-Feb. 1996):

Annual Average AQH share %:

WYNY 97.1 - 7/1987 - 12/1987 - approx. 2.2-2.5
WYNY 97.1 - 1/1988 - 9/1988 and
WYNY 103.5 - 9/1988 - 12/1988 - 2.7
WYNY 103.5 - 1989 - 2.4
WYNY 103.5 - 1990 - 2.6
WYNY 103.5 - 1991 - 3.0 (see chart above: Spring/Summer 1991 was most successful period)
WYNY 103.5 - 1992 - 2.8
WYNY 103.5 - 1993 - 2.3
WYNY 103.5 - 1994 - 2.0
WYNY 103.5 - 1995 - 2.3

February 1996 - WYNY 103.5 converts to WKTU 103.5

===========================================

For station WKHK 106.7 "Kick 106.7 FM" (1980-Jan.1984):

Annual Average AQH share %:

1980 - 1.1
1981 - 1.3
1982 - 1.8
1983 - 2.0

January 1984 - WKHK 106.7 converts to WLTW 106.7

===========================================

For station WHN 1050 (Feb. 1973 - July 1987):

Annual Average AQH share %:

1976 - 3.3
1977 - 3.4
1978 - 3.1
1979 - 2.9
1980 - 2.6
1981 - 2.3
1982 - 2.4
1983 - 2.2
1984 - 2.7
1985 - 2.7
1986 - 2.6
1987 - approx. 2.5 (to July 1)

July 1, 1987 - WHN 1050 converts to WFAN 1050

===========================================

From 1984-1995, none of the above country-formatted stations made the annual NYC Top 10 Highest Billing List.

The January 2013 ratings survey period runs from Thu. 1/3/13 - Wed. 1/30/13, thus 94.7 will have:
9 days 14 hours 13 minutes in the country format as WRXP (Mon. 1/21/13-Wed. 1/30/13),
2 days 16 hours 47 minutes as WRXP in "Wheel Of Formats" mode (Fri. 1/18/13-Mon. 1/21/13),
7 days 1 hour 6 minutes as WRXP in a simulcast of WPLJ (Fri. 1/11/13-Fri. 1/18/13),
8 days 15 hours 39 minutes as WFME (Thu 1/3/13-Fri. 1/11/13) and
15 minutes of dead air (Fri. 1/11/13).

Possible that Arbitron will "zero out" the WFME rated portion of the period and WRXP will get credit for "0.0" for the WFME period; confirmation needed on that procedure.
(BTW, WFME wasn't subscribing to Arbitron - so can only guess that the shares were in the 0.6-1.1 range.)
Interesting to see how Arbitron handles the WRXP/WPLJ simulcast;
likely it won't be applied as such to either station since they weren't simulcast for the full period.

First full ratings report for 94.7 will be for the February 2013 period covering Thu. 1/31/13-Wed. 2/27/13.

You are presuming that nothing has changed in Country music in the past several years. Jason Aldean just sold out Madison Square Garden in an hour. I think he was in elementary school when your information was current.

 

[FightingIrish]

Country is much more mainstream now than it was in years past.