First Media Radio...

[tothedj]

During Friday(8-8)i was examining the "Rocky Mount" ratings for Spring 2008,
and notice WPWZ and WDWG did well, but what happened to WZAX and WRMT?,
both stations apparently don't have many listeners, so if i was First Media Radio,
i would consider two things, sell them, or change formats to something that will
draw a decent radio audience, if i had WZAX, i would change the call letters to
WRMT, and consider a "talk/sports" format for 99.3, as for 1490, maybe put on
there the "Music Of Your Life", and make this WZAX.

 

[ZAX Double J]

First off WDWG and WPWZ are both 25,000 watt sticks, so they will get more listeners than that of WZAX which is 6,000 watts and WRMT which is only 1,000 watts. This does make a difference. As an employee of all four stations It does sadden me at ZAX and RMTs numbers, but at the same time I am proud of what WPWZ has accomplished and Dawg as well. Even after a format change I was expecting ZAX do better based on what I've heard, but obviously those listeners were not in the Arbitron ratings or something. Beyond that I am not at liberty to discuss it further.

 

[allenv]

WZAX and WRMT has much more potential than they are showing. The reality is the stations don't get enough attention. It all about Power and Dawg and the other two get the hind parts. It is sad that two stations that sit in Rocky Mount
don't make a dent in the ratings. WZAX is 6,000 watt I think and it should do well in Nash,Wilson & Edgecombe counties but it is a matter of corporate not being willing to invest the resources to make the stations a player. This is not a criticism,
its a simple fact. First Media is wasting a decent FM signal.When I was there I begged them to do something with WZAX and it just seemed as though corporate was using WZAX and WRMT as a tax write off or something. There is alot of talent in that building but WZAX is such a waste. I don't know about you but I would almost give a limb to have a 6,000 FM. Most of the problem lies in Easton,MD but some of it falls back to the local level as well. They are some of the nicest people
I've ever worked with but its the typical 4 stations in one building deal. Unless you operate them all seperately a couple always suffer and WZAX and WRMT are a textbook example. Maybe one day the corporate mentality will change. They really should consider maybe leasing WZAX to someone in my opinion. There is money to be made but not the way they are doing it now. My mouth waters when i think of the potential of WZAX... This is just my opinion...

Allen

 

[redneckriviera]

Allen, here's another two cents. The fact that WRMT shows at all is remarkable, given the tiny signal and the lousy AM conductivity in ENC. For comparison look next door where 50kw/10kw on 1070 gets WNCT-AM a big fat zero in the Greenville book. Eastern North Carolina has been an FM world for at least 30 years.

But its not just an FM world. It's a Class C FM world. And to make matters worse, Rocky Mount stations get to battle major league (yeah, low majors, but still Large Market programmers with monster signals) from R-D every day. Tough task for a little Class A like ZAX, but give it a few years and maybe it can carve out a niche for itself.

They've done a good job with DWG and PWZ. The other two aren't quite equipped to compete with the bigs. And it's too early to make a call on ZAX's format, regardless.

 

[allenv]

Good points man. I hope things do turn around for ZAX. The folks in Rocky Mt. are good people.

Allen

 

[ZAX Double J]

Allen, here's another two cents. The fact that WRMT shows at all is remarkable, given the tiny signal and the lousy AM conductivity in ENC. For comparison look next door where 50kw/10kw on 1070 gets WNCT-AM a big fat zero in the Greenville book. Eastern North Carolina has been an FM world for at least 30 years.

But its not just an FM world. It's a Class C FM world. And to make matters worse, Rocky Mount stations get to battle major league (yeah, low majors, but still Large Market programmers with monster signals) from R-D every day. Tough task for a little Class A like ZAX, but give it a few years and maybe it can carve out a niche for itself.

They've done a good job with DWG and PWZ. The other two aren't quite equipped to compete with the bigs. And it's too early to make a call on ZAX's format, regardless.

Well technically ZAX signed on back in Feb. 1997 so it's been on the air for quite a while now. Still hasn't gotten the public interest yet.

 

[tothedj]

I've often wondered if the frequency switched for WZAX hurt them?

 

[ZAX Double J]

I've often wondered if the frequency switched for WZAX hurt them?

I don't know, we weren't a rated market (I think) when we changed frequency. I've often wondered the same thing myself. But we did promote the heck out the frequency change (for about a month or two) so it wasn't like the listeners didn't know about it vs. the format change though. One day it was Classic Top 40 the next Jammin' with no mention of it on air or anything (no new logo or promotional items to introduce the new format when it went on the air) and we went for a LOOONG time after the format chage without any jocks. I think that was a wrong way to bring on a new format. But what do I know. I just do what they tell me to...

 

[EncSpy]

there are a lot of stations around ENC in the situation of WZAX and WRMT. it just sucks because both signals have a ton of potential, what made me fall out my chair was that WPWZ did well....considering that all dayparts are voicetracked and is a urban but formatted like a Urban AC.

 

[mjcarter1981]

there are a lot of stations around ENC in the situation of WZAX and WRMT. it just sucks because both signals have a ton of potential, what made me fall out my chair was that WPWZ did well....considering that all dayparts are voicetracked and is a urban but formatted like a Urban AC.

That must be new...when I was there, Selena, Paul and nights (B-Vick and later D-Train) were live. Zax was live in the mornings and tracked the rest of the day. Dawg was live through 7 pm with the exception of noon-3 which I tracked.

 

[EncSpy]

weekdayparts are live...mon-fri..10a.6pm...after that voicetracked and or satelite saturdays....10am-3pm...rest is voicetracked sundays...live gospel...then 3pm-8pm.....d-train is voicetracked on WPWZ from 7-midnite but live at WYTT from 2p-6p (originally 3p-7p)..its been that way for several years now

 

[mjcarter1981]

weekdayparts are live...mon-fri..10a.6pm...after that voicetracked and or satelite saturdays....10am-3pm...rest is voicetracked sundays...live gospel...then 3pm-8pm.....d-train is voicetracked on WPWZ from 7-midnite but live at WYTT from 2p-6p (originally 3p-7p)..its been that way for several years now

I left in the summer of '05, and D-Train may have been tracking at that time. B-Vick when he was there did his night show live. Selena and Paul were live during the day after the Russ Parr morning show off the bird. I understand they don't have Russ now.

 

[ZAX Double J]

weekdayparts are live...mon-fri..10a.6pm...after that voicetracked and or satelite saturdays....10am-3pm...rest is voicetracked sundays...live gospel...then 3pm-8pm.....d-train is voicetracked on WPWZ from 7-midnite but live at WYTT from 2p-6p (originally 3p-7p)..its been that way for several years now

I left in the summer of '05, and D-Train may have been tracking at that time. B-Vick when he was there did his night show live. Selena and Paul were live during the day after the Russ Parr morning show off the bird. I understand they don't have Russ now.

Yeah we dropped Russ for Steve Harvey which is sat fed. Steve is WAY better than Russ Parr. Selena is still live except maybe when she goes out for lunch. Paul is still live. D-Trian is vt'ed except for Thursday nights when he is live. Power is mostly vt or automation on the weekends except Sunday Mornings. Jammin is Live until 9am then vt until maybe noon when Paul takes requests otherwise vt until Dave Richmond at 3 and he is sometimes vt'ed, after 7pm its just automation city until the next day. Weekends are mostly automation except for my show on Sunday mornings which is vted. Maybe Sat night's Hometown Party show maybe live, but mostly vted. Dawg is Live most of the day until after lunch then vted until 3 when Ron-Eric Lundy comes in until 7 then Lia and Danny Wright. Weekends automation except the sunday morning church service and the Bluegrass Train show on Sunday night which is live. WRMT is simply ESPN satellite feed except for the Sunday morning church service and the occasional local sports, Wake Forest football/basketball or Carolina Panthers.

 

[tothedj]

You all at "First Media" radio sure do a lot of "voicetracking", but i guess this is a
way to cut down on spending to pay staff, which is a shame.
If i had WDWG, WZAX, and WPWZ, weekday mornings on 98.5 and 99.3 would
be "live", 95.5 would be the exception since they now have "Steve Harvey".
As for middays, afternoon drive and evenings, i would have someone on the air
from 10am until 7pm on "The Big Dawg", and "Jammin' 99", on "Power 95.5",
go live during the week from 10am until 12 midnight.
On Saturdays, WDWG and WZAX should be live from 9am until 6pm, and
WPWZ from 10am until 12 midnight.
As for Sundays, 98.5 and 99.3 could be live from 10am until 2pm, and 95.5
from 9am until 7pm.
If they did this, your ratings would increase especially on WZAX.
As for WRMT, they might want to prepare for a change especially if Capitol
Broadcasting decides to take 103.1, once the move is approved by the FCC,
and simulcast "99.9 The Fan", which would not surprise me.

 

[ZAX Double J]

You all at "First Media" radio sure do a lot of "voicetracking", but i guess this is a
way to cut down on spending to pay staff, which is a shame.

Mornings ARE live on Dawg and Jammin(WZAX) Monday through Friday. Unfortunately voice tracking is a mainstay of just about every station in Eastern NC and probably everywhere but the larger markets where they have the income from sales to support the staff. I agree that any station should be staffed from 6am until midnight at a minimum but perferably 24/7. But those days of 24/7 staffed stations are gone

 

[redneckriviera]

You all at "First Media" radio sure do a lot of "voicetracking", but i guess this is a
way to cut down on spending to pay staff, which is a shame.
If i had WDWG, WZAX, and WPWZ, weekday mornings on 98.5 and 99.3 would
be "live", 95.5 would be the exception since they now have "Steve Harvey".
As for middays, afternoon drive and evenings, i would have someone on the air
from 10am until 7pm on "The Big Dawg", and "Jammin' 99", on "Power 95.5",
go live during the week from 10am until 12 midnight.
On Saturdays, WDWG and WZAX should be live from 9am until 6pm, and
WPWZ from 10am until 12 midnight.
As for Sundays, 98.5 and 99.3 could be live from 10am until 2pm, and 95.5
from 9am until 7pm.
If they did this, your ratings would increase especially on WZAX.
As for WRMT, they might want to prepare for a change especially if Capitol
Broadcasting decides to take 103.1, once the move is approved by the FCC,
and simulcast "99.9 The Fan", which would not surprise me.

Man, you've gotta round up some investors and buy yourself some radio stations and put those ideas into practice. Or at least start playing the lottery so you can win a pile of money and put it all on the line. Time's a wastin'...

 

[allenv]

Way too much voice tracking. Voice tracking should be for maybe some holidays,emergencies, etc.... It should never be a regular staple of a station. There are so many more ways to make money and relate to an audience when you are live. There is alot of half used talent in Rocky Mt. In my opinion the more you voice track the less you care about your station. In First Media's case most who are voice tracked are working in the building while they are voice tracked. I hear so much wining about how stations aren't making any money.. well if you are VT'ed 80% of the time what do you expect??? Robot radio rarely makes money and in this economy its even worse. Voice tracking is in the top 5 things that are killing our industry. I really believe this...

Allen

 

[tothedj]

Allen is absoulutly right, too many stations are waisting money and not giving
potential talent a chance to grow, that's why radio has been going in the wrong
direction for many years, and if something isn't done to correct this, listeners
will continue to find other sources and surviving in this business will be slim.

 

[ZAX Double J]

Allen is absoulutly right, too many stations are waisting money and not giving
potential talent a chance to grow, that's why radio has been going in the wrong
direction for many years, and if something isn't done to correct this, listeners
will continue to find other sources and surviving in this business will be slim.

I agree with you and Allen. Allen knows where I stand on voice tracking. I really believe too that it is the one thing that is killing this industry in addition to the super tight playlists. People know that most of the artists played have more hit songs than one or two. I've said it bofore and I'll say it again, it's NOT rocket science poeple don't make it harder than it is or needs to be. Allen has told me that I am way better of a jock whn I am live than when I am voice tracked and I believe him.

 

[EncSpy]

there is a lot of voice tracking down in roanoke rapids as well...its just one of the things with consolidation and being short staffed...and they have a TV station to manage as well.