Does Tri-Cities Market need some changes... from a non-radio guy

[allngoodtime316]

I have noticed in the recent ratings that many stations in the tri-cities market are not as popular as they once were. For instance, 1049 The Peak is doing very badly and really when I listen to them does not seem to know if they want to be an oldies 80s/90s station or going hot AC.. I personally feel if they stay 80s/90s and continue to add some R/B and maybe some non hip-hop dance music they would become better. Sadly, i say drop Ryan Seacreast and the countdown and continue the 80s and 90s shows on the weekend. But what is that show they do on saturday nite??? drop it!!! quick!!

Another station that is now on fm is WKPT that is playing mainly oldies but is getting horrible numbers. I truly think that the talk of making this station either sport or another talk station would be better than what it is now.

The station 95.9 The Hog... I think that the classic hits station is taking some of its audience and this station needs to refocus because the audience can get it music from either Z-rock or WQUT... What they can start playing i am not sure but maybe go a completely different direction. Maybe a dance oriented station or just maybe for profit christian hits station that focuses on more variety of christian music. There is a lot of good stuff out there and I am sure in the area many people would pay to hear good music on the radio that is not dirty yet has a positive message... just a n iedea... let me know other thoughts... think it tis time to think about other ideas

 

[Mid West Clubber]

I love Dance music,, One of my favorite genre's.... I think Electric 94.9 could add a bit of dance music and be okay,,, but No Offense,,, but Dance-Club music in the Appalachian mountains... Might fly on a pea shooter in knoxville or Nashville,,,, but not tri Citys.. Reason being,,, Knoxville and Nashville have heard dance music before on WOKI at times,,, former 95.3 TNZ and Power 95.3,, and even the old Hot AC on Mix 95.7 played some older dance... and on Star 93.1 years ago. In Nashville, 102.5 The Party used to be very dance heavy....

 

[elchupacabras]

or just maybe for profit christian hits station that focuses on more variety of christian music. There is a lot of good stuff out there and I am sure in the area many people would pay to hear good music on the radio that is not dirty yet has a positive message... just a n iedea... let me know other thoughts... think it tis time to think about other ideas

I haven't live in the Tri-Cities for years, but there are plenty of Christian stations there already, and adding another to the pile would be foolish. There was one particular FM station, I think it was out of Gray, that had a quasi commercial sound and played a lot of good Christian tracks.

As for Electric 94.9, I remember it being one of the best programmed straight ahead CHR's I have ever heard.

 

[Pratte4Life]

The problems of Tri-Cities radio are many and they are great.

Nobody asked me- BUT . . .

The first thing to do is scrap The Peak. Even if the tweaks above were put to fruition and they were magnificent, what would happen? The station would do a 3.0 in the book instead of 1.1?

Here are the things they could do (but won't)-

A- Change the format to country. I'm convinced WXBQ wins the market with the numbers they do by default. I'm old enough to remember when WQUT was the top station in town because a variety of stations chased the country market. Now, WXBQ has no competition.

The Peak has the signal to compete. If Citadel would like WQUT to compete for No. 1 instead of fall to No. 3, I submit to you the way to do it.

B- Move WXSM to 104.9. There are enough sports contracts there already with the Bucs and Vols basketball. Move Vols football there, move the Braves, move NASCAR, keep King and Tennessee High on 640, which you can return to Classic Country and broker time on 1320.

C- Move Classic Country to 104.9. Broker time on 1320.

As for WKPT, their problem is an inability to pull the trigger. They've had the opportunities to go sports and/or talk for a generation and still half-@ss it. Nobody knows what the format is. New direction is badly needed there.

The area DOES NOT need another religious station. The Bible Belt mentality is a reason why the market stays behind the times.

 

[Radio PD]

And now that Marky Billson has shared his thoughts...we are all impressed!

 

[Pratte4Life]

Thank you.

I also do private parties and bar-mitzvahs.

 

[kd4rnc1964]

You mean Billson is still alive? I wondered where he was. Good ideas there non-radio-guy. You keep forgetting the word,"Citadel". Its the roulette wheel of Vegas telling the Tri-Cities what to do. They're just pushing more towards "total automation". Just ask John Patrick. (get ready to duck, when you ask him). HV still works out of a building from the Civil War.
102.7 is beating TFM'. The Rabbitt is in love with Taylor Swift(remember Shania Twain?)It aint gonna change bub. A great lady once told me all the ideas have already been tried. Just sit back and remember how it used to be and find you an oldies station on AM. Morristown and Newport are pretty good now. Classic country is over in the TC. Clubber, BB tried a "Jammin' oldies on 99.3. Lasted as long as a good bowel movement.....

 

[Mid West Clubber]

I think a dance format,, 90s based was tried in Morristown on 100.7 as well... Didnt last no time at all,,, partly because the Classic dance-Rhythmic AC is dead everywhere, and in Moristown on 100.7, no one could hear it that had ever heard dance music before,,, didnt make it into Knoxville or Tri Citie's.... 100.7 is a waste of signal for any format,, they be better to lease it out to a Knoxville or Tri cities station as a translator, like they did when Electric was on 99.3,, they used the Jeff city signal as a relay for electric...

 

[kd4rnc1964]

I thought 100.7 was ok as an AC to begin with. I liked the 80's show they had on weekends. I forget the network that's on 100.7. I think its CBS. It was similar to the "superadio" format that was on WIKQ 94.9 in Greeneville back in the 80's till 93'(Now,Electric 94.9). Maybe if Chuck Ray in Erwin would get off that hip-hop hobby horse he's been riding the last 10 years and sneak in some dance. Maybe.....just maybe....

 

[kd4rnc1964]

Here's a thought worth pondering...maybe. If WXIS is gonna keep playing hip-hop till Jesus returns, then how about a classic R&B on another small signal? hmmm. No demographics for such a format? If Chuck's playing crap to teenagers and older kids that have no ambition to work or leave home, then how about tunes for us older listeners who grew up with the Commodores, Isley Brothers, Kool & the Gang etc. I know its been tried with Jammin Oldies from BB a while back, but it wasn't done right. TFM is stuck on American Idol and only has 20 songs on the playlist. Just a thought. No need for Johnny Bolis(JB Stone) to do an Electric copy........
Film at eleven.....

 

[elchupacabras]

I don't think such a format could be monetized, especially since Jammin' Oldies crapped out. Not enough of a population/ethnic demographic base to make it work.

 

[kd4rnc1964]

This is true. no demo to support a classic R&B. I can't find the ratings anywhere since Billboard has merged with R&R, so I don't know how 'XIS is doing in the market. Just waiting to see if and when WTFM changes to country and challenges the Rabbitt.

 

[vchimpanzee]

Put classic country back on 640. It was doing well and I could even hear it where I'm going later this week.

If WKPT isn't doing well anyway, put back the standards. I can pick up WKTP at night where I'm going.

 

[elchupacabras]

Put classic country back on 640. It was doing well and I could even hear it where I'm going later this week.

If WKPT isn't doing well anyway, put back the standards. I can pick up WKTP at night where I'm going.

This probably is one market where a well-programmed Classic Country with a decent signal could do well. (It is afterall, the BIRTHPLACE of cow music.) 'GOC on 640 really rocked when it was there, before being bought out by the big guns (Top Gun Country).

Unfortunately, with aging demographics, standards don't do well just about anywhere in the country right now.

 

[kd4rnc1964]

I worked at WGOC back in the mid nineties. It was a mom & pop back then and had a great MD Jim Edwards and a great pd Tom Honaker (T.Tom). It was done right and gave the rabbitt a headache. The djs got to program their own show and everybody loved it. From the 60's to the currents at the time. I loved getting to play the 70's and 80's I grew up listening to. JT Parker was getting older by 2000 and decided to sell before he lost his mind. The rest is history. Citadel never gave a flip about the history of Bristol and thought the classic country listeners in the Tri were all dead. Tim White was real popular with the bluegrass fans even after the new ownership. It even had a decent nighttime signal into Johnson City. Oh well, get out the Kleenex.

 

[vchimpanzee]

Back when I could pick up WGOC where I was last week, they even played Kenny Chesney. He was just getting started back then.

This past week, all I could pick up in the motel room was The Hog and occasionally WTFM and WQUT. I thought I was hearing WQUT until I heard a second, similar station. Turns out I was hearing WROQ.

I might have heard more stations but they moved a new mattress and new TV (lightning the previous night) into my motel room and moved all my stuff around while I was gone. They gave me a room with one bed since I was by myself, or I would have had to wait for the man to get back with the TVs. They plugged the radio into an outlet in the bathroom. I don't know where I would have plugged it in but I never did it there. AM reception was worthless.

The danger of listening to fuzzy stations is that when you get to a good one it will startle you. That kept happening with Kiss 99.9.