Death Watch For WGRR??

[Joseph_Gallant]

Last Friday (June 3rd) at 5 P.M. EDT (4 P.M. CDT), Infinity simultaneously flipped two of it's longtime oldies formats, WJMK-104.3 Chicago (after 21 years) and WCBS-101.1 New York (after 33 years; CBS-FM was the world's first all-oldies station), to the red-hot "Jack" format. As you know, there's been much criticism of the changes, especially in New York.

Cincinnati has an oldies station owned by Infinity, WGRR. The area recently got a "Jack"-type station, but it's a simulcast on three "rimshots". I suspect that much of the metro Cincinnati area can't get a strong signal from any of those three stations.

I have, sadly, come to the conclusion that the next station Infinity will "blow-up" in favor of "Jack" is WGRR. It's an oldies station (a format Infinity seems to be abandoning), and is in a market where so far, the "Jack"-type format is only on suburban rimshots (like in Chicago; there were three stations there simulcasting a similar format before WJMK's flip).

And unfortunately, I see the flip occuring in days, perhaps as soon as this Friday afternoon (June 10th), perhaps at the same hour that one other Infinity-owned station (probably, like WGRR, an oldies format) will also get flipped to "Jack". It seems that Infinity has been flipping stations to "Jack" (for business and other reasons) at 5 P.M. EDT on Friday afternoons.

Actually, I think that "Jack" is worth a try in most markets, but not at the expense of a still-successful station (as WCBS-FM certainly was).

Again, I hope I'm wrong, but I'm afraid that come Friday at 5, WGRR could get hi-"Jacked".

 

[GoldenVoice]

> Last Friday (June 3rd) at 5 P.M. EDT (4 P.M. CDT), Infinity
> simultaneously flipped two of it's longtime oldies formats,
> WJMK-104.3 Chicago (after 21 years) and WCBS-101.1 New York
> (after 33 years; CBS-FM was the world's first all-oldies
> station), to the red-hot "Jack" format. As you know, there's
> been much criticism of the changes, especially in New York.
>
> Cincinnati has an oldies station owned by Infinity, WGRR.
> The area recently got a "Jack"-type station, but it's a
> simulcast on three "rimshots". I suspect that much of the
> metro Cincinnati area can't get a strong signal from any of
> those three stations.
>
> I have, sadly, come to the conclusion that the next station
> Infinity will "blow-up" in favor of "Jack" is WGRR. It's an
> oldies station (a format Infinity seems to be abandoning),
> and is in a market where so far, the "Jack"-type format is
> only on suburban rimshots (like in Chicago; there were three
> stations there simulcasting a similar format before WJMK's
> flip).
>
> And unfortunately, I see the flip occuring in days, perhaps
> as soon as this Friday afternoon (June 10th), perhaps at the
> same hour that one other Infinity-owned station (probably,
> like WGRR, an oldies format) will also get flipped to
> "Jack". It seems that Infinity has been flipping stations to
> "Jack" (for business and other reasons) at 5 P.M. EDT on
> Friday afternoons.
>
> Actually, I think that "Jack" is worth a try in most
> markets, but not at the expense of a still-successful
> station (as WCBS-FM certainly was).
>
> Again, I hope I'm wrong, but I'm afraid that come Friday at
> 5, WGRR could get hi-"Jacked".
>
All valid points. But I don't see it happening, at least not soon.
a: Infinity still seems to be committed to the Oldies format, despite naming a head of 'Jack' this week.

b: CBS corporate is taking a tremendous amount of 'heat' for the flips last week, so much so that CEO Les Moonves was forced to comment publicly about it. CBS-FM won't be changing back to oldies, but Moonves as much as said the flip should have been vetted better

c: Those 'rim shot' stations you're referring too won't have that status much longer. 97.7 stick is moving to Mason, throwing a strong pattern over the metro area.

An expanded playlist for 'GRR? Probably. Moving the music more to a 70's-80's genre to keep up with the back end of the 'boomer' crowd. Probably. But turning it into an Ipod format with only a live morning show? I don't think so.

 

[RumourMonger]

Death Watch For WGRR?? Maybe a Face lift.

I wouldn't count on the staff at WGRR to get JACKoffed yet, but anything is possible. Who would've thunk that Infinity would've blown up a station that billed 37 million. Down from the 40's but still more than WNEW.

Peter "Cowboy" Z had already started the transformation away from the Oldies moniker and musically toward the 70's & 80's. Boston and the Wilburys sounding Orbison cuts have been noticed.

Chris & Janine have the 80's Q heritage in their background and can make the transition. Rockin' Ron would sound GRRReat on any Pop music format you want AC or Hot AC. LaBabbler is the one who would be the odd man out. He's spent all this time fabricating the Music Professor personna. He was never on Top 40 WSAI, Q102 or any of the Pop stations. His Cincinnati tenure was with the MOR 70's WLW & WCKY and eventually talk on 1530 WCKY. His "Oldies" Credentials came from stints in Northern Ohio and the Quaker State. He has been a good cheerleader for himself. Ironic that as WGRR moves into the 70's and 80's he finds himself dis-associated with the era that he arrived in the Queen City. I couldn't imagine him talking about trying to make eye contact with Colin Hay after A Men At Work concert over a few beers at the Cricket Lounge or how Cyndi Lauper came on to him.

Think about it, the talent affected are for those 3 shifts. Evenings and Overnights are tracked and weekends are throw aways. Peter "Cowboy" Z is off to Dallas and they make an inexperienced person acting PD with the talent in the building that could easily get them through the transition. Marty the Party in the building, Ted McAlister is in town and Dangerous Dan is doing... Well whatever it is .. he IS doing it.

Of course if it were me. Q102 would get Jacked up, Blondie, Berlin, The Cars,maybe a little WBLZ music would sound pretty good. Maybe 24hrs of "Everybody Wants You" could launch it. And no, 20 years later "I WOULD NOT LIKE TO SEE YOU COMPLETELY NAKED". There ain't enough Viagra.

 

[nocece]

An idea that would be cool for Q-102

> Of course if it were me. Q102 would get Jacked up, Blondie,
> Berlin, The Cars,maybe a little WBLZ music would sound
> pretty good. Maybe 24hrs of "Everybody Wants You" could
> launch it.

I think it would really be cool and totally fi if Q-102 did this: Switching to a format of oldies based on all the songs it ever had on its weekly survey. After a few weeks, it would start adding other songs from that era that it didn't play originally, but should have. I know some of those songs would be unfamiliar locally, but they catch on pretty well.

Even if Q-102 only added an average of 3 songs per week for 33 years, it would be playing over 5,000 songs right off the bat. (I'm sure they added more than 3 per week back in the '70s.)

I know that if they go by their own surveys they used in the '80s, they'd have to play AC stuff like "Leave A Tender Moment Alone" and "Never Thought", but oh well, as long as it's dayparted to daytime.

In addition, they should use the jingles they used in the olden days.

Depending on how they implement this format, it would sound pretty close to variety hits - only better.

 

[bigwoody]

>
> An expanded playlist for 'GRR? Probably. Moving the music
> more to a 70's-80's genre to keep up with the back end of
> the 'boomer' crowd. Probably. But turning it into an Ipod
> format with only a live morning show? I don't think so.


Cinci already has formats that do well. Variety hits is being covered by the JACK tri-cast.

Expanding the playlist into the 80s would HURT WGRR more than help. Leave it the way it is, it's doing fine. If anything, open it up more than the usual "fried 400". Inject some fun into the station. Marty Thompson knows how to do it right....but he's with WUBE...who knows?

 

[MikeFromIndiana]

> >
> > An expanded playlist for 'GRR? Probably. Moving the
> music
> > more to a 70's-80's genre to keep up with the back end of
> > the 'boomer' crowd. Probably. But turning it into an
> Ipod
> > format with only a live morning show? I don't think so.
>
>
> Cinci already has formats that do well. Variety hits is
> being covered by the JACK tri-cast.

The Jack-Like Tri-Cast wont Stop Infinity from Flipping GRR if they Want to look at Chicago with Nine-FM. Infinity Still Flipped WJMK to Jack. Jack on RImshotters wont prevent a Jack on a City Grade
>
> Expanding the playlist into the 80s would HURT WGRR more
> than help. Leave it the way it is, it's doing fine. If
> anything, open it up more than the usual "fried 400". Inject
> some fun into the station. Marty Thompson knows how to do it
> right....but he's with WUBE...who knows?
>

 

[GoldenVoice]

> > >
> > > An expanded playlist for 'GRR? Probably. Moving the
> > music
> > > more to a 70's-80's genre to keep up with the back end
> of
> > > the 'boomer' crowd. Probably. But turning it into an
> > Ipod
> > > format with only a live morning show? I don't think so.
>
> >
> >
> > Cinci already has formats that do well. Variety hits is
> > being covered by the JACK tri-cast.
>
> The Jack-Like Tri-Cast wont Stop Infinity from Flipping GRR
> if they Want to look at Chicago with Nine-FM. Infinity Still
> Flipped WJMK to Jack. Jack on RImshotters wont prevent a
> Jack on a City Grade
> >
True...but, Cincinnati is a very different breed of market. We know this. For example, the MOJO format does well here, but nowhere else.

> > Expanding the playlist into the 80s would HURT WGRR more
> > than help. Leave it the way it is, it's doing fine. If
> > anything, open it up more than the usual "fried 400".
> Inject
> > some fun into the station. Marty Thompson knows how to do
> it
> > right....but he's with WUBE...who knows?

Expanding the playlist into the 80's, SELECTIVELY, wouldn't hurt. Taking it disco would. But think of how the demo is sliding. You can still play 60's and 70's....but keep the back end of your demo with selected 80's. WGRR is already doing that, to a degree. You'll hear an 80's Orbison and George Harrison in their rotation. I do agree, that there are a vast number of songs from the 60/70's that aren't getting airplay. Opening up that aspect will help too.
> >
>