Zach, You're right. WCOA should have it figured out by now. My guess is they do. What you need to learn is that majority of shows, especially when that show is airing on an AM station, have certain language built in the contract that puts a lot of power in their hand when something like WCOA-FM hits the air. Just the very existence of this station has put all the AM stations into DEFCON 1 mode. It will be very interesting to see where things sit 6 months from now. This very move puts a ton of pressure on CC. Excuse me CCM+E specifically. Do you keep HMN on 107.3 and continue fighting a fight that with the way things are looking might get you marginal results at best? Or cut your losses to protect a product that sells itself? ???
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Five News Talk Stations in Pensacola? Someone's got to go!
- Thread starter Poledo
- Start date
I personally think that Clear Channel should just give Cumulus the CHR format and quickly pull Premier contracts from WCOA-AM and move forward with a new WNTM-FM on 96.1 (of course the best call letters would be WALA-FM, since a Clear Channel FM news talker would likely be Fox news radio, it seems like they could work out a deal with Fox 10 for the call letters and local news inserts.) Then flip 107.3 to Sports and put classic rock on 101.5 HD-2 and the new 100.3 translator...
The twelve station Mobile/Pensacola radio dial was very stable one year ago (with only three under performing signals: 100.7, 104.1, and 107.3.) It's now all fair game. I believe WBLX, WKSJ, and WMXC are the only safe class C stations left. Three 100kw country stations made sense last year... but now, not so much... Pensacola's probably going to have to give up one Country station to fill a format hole.
The twelve station Mobile/Pensacola radio dial was very stable one year ago (with only three under performing signals: 100.7, 104.1, and 107.3.) It's now all fair game. I believe WBLX, WKSJ, and WMXC are the only safe class C stations left. Three 100kw country stations made sense last year... but now, not so much... Pensacola's probably going to have to give up one Country station to fill a format hole.
M
Mario500
Guest
I heard "Sound & Vision Radio" for the first time when it was broadcast by WCOA-FM Saturday night between 6:00 PM and 8:00 PM. I would listen to the program every week it were not broadcast the same time WAVH-FM broadcasts "The Kim Komando Show" (between 5:00 PM and 8:00 PM).
The local commercial breaks for "Sound & Vision Radio" interrupted the program before the announcers said anything about a break. I wonder about those occurrences.
I doubt the folks at LIN Media (the owners of WALA-TV) would want the call letters for WALA-TV on a radio station they don't own (when WNTM-AM was WPMI-AM, Clear Channel owned both WPMI-TV and WPMI-AM). Besides, WALA-TV is all ready associated with WAVH-FM by producing local news segments for them.
The local commercial breaks for "Sound & Vision Radio" interrupted the program before the announcers said anything about a break. I wonder about those occurrences.
poledo said:
I doubt the folks at LIN Media (the owners of WALA-TV) would want the call letters for WALA-TV on a radio station they don't own (when WNTM-AM was WPMI-AM, Clear Channel owned both WPMI-TV and WPMI-AM). Besides, WALA-TV is all ready associated with WAVH-FM by producing local news segments for them.
Does WAVH 106.5 carry any shows also carried on WBUV 104.9?
As for WALA's relationship with WAVH, you don't think they'd throw that contract in the trash for the chance to partner up with Clear Channel and a big ass 100kw signal covering more area than WALA's VHF TV signal reaches?
Lin could also lease the use of WALA-FM to Clear Channel, but I don't know how much Clear Channel would be willing to pay, it might not be feasible. Some type of trade out where Lin allows Clear Channel to use the WALA-FM calls for as long as a mythical WALA-FM carries Fox 10 TOH news breaks seems like a fair trade.
I believe Clear Channel's Fox news radio affiliates all have local TV station top of the hour news and co-promotion. If I recall correctly, when Clear Channel sold WPMI/WJTC the clear channel radio stations started getting their news from WKRG. I think I've been hearing WEAR on some of them lately, but I haven't been listening to much Clear Channel radio. With WEAR focusing on Florida that only leaves the three Mobile news stations for TOH news. Fox News Radio would fit best with the local Fox affiliate, but it would all come down to the dollars if or when Clear Channel goes ahead with FM news talk here.
The real question is, with the trend of news/talk migrating to FM, what happens to all the news/talk AM stations, especially the ones carrying the bottom tier shows like WPNN. Without the allotment of an FM translator there aren't many choices available. It could spawn a rebirth of Oldies, Classic Country and Standards on AM stations. Gospel and Blues could also work. I wonder how Classic Rock would sound on AM?
As for WALA's relationship with WAVH, you don't think they'd throw that contract in the trash for the chance to partner up with Clear Channel and a big ass 100kw signal covering more area than WALA's VHF TV signal reaches?
Lin could also lease the use of WALA-FM to Clear Channel, but I don't know how much Clear Channel would be willing to pay, it might not be feasible. Some type of trade out where Lin allows Clear Channel to use the WALA-FM calls for as long as a mythical WALA-FM carries Fox 10 TOH news breaks seems like a fair trade.
I believe Clear Channel's Fox news radio affiliates all have local TV station top of the hour news and co-promotion. If I recall correctly, when Clear Channel sold WPMI/WJTC the clear channel radio stations started getting their news from WKRG. I think I've been hearing WEAR on some of them lately, but I haven't been listening to much Clear Channel radio. With WEAR focusing on Florida that only leaves the three Mobile news stations for TOH news. Fox News Radio would fit best with the local Fox affiliate, but it would all come down to the dollars if or when Clear Channel goes ahead with FM news talk here.
The real question is, with the trend of news/talk migrating to FM, what happens to all the news/talk AM stations, especially the ones carrying the bottom tier shows like WPNN. Without the allotment of an FM translator there aren't many choices available. It could spawn a rebirth of Oldies, Classic Country and Standards on AM stations. Gospel and Blues could also work. I wonder how Classic Rock would sound on AM?
M
Mario500
Guest
Both WAVH-FM and WBUV-FM have "The Wall Street Journal This Morning", "The Schnitt Show", and "The Savage Nation" on their programming schedules. Since WPNN-AM in Pensacola was mentioned, I was reminded they have "Leo Laporte the Tech Guy" on their Sunday programming schedule. I hope WAVH-FM broadcasts the Saturday and Sunday editions live some day.
As for what may happen to local radio stations with news and talk formats, I predict they adopt unusual formats. I would suggest a format of music from TV programs, theatrical movies, and video games with live announcers and requests from radio listeners. Not everyone may not like hearing such music from AM stations, but the broadcasts would be helpful in getting folks interested in the music.
As for what may happen to local radio stations with news and talk formats, I predict they adopt unusual formats. I would suggest a format of music from TV programs, theatrical movies, and video games with live announcers and requests from radio listeners. Not everyone may not like hearing such music from AM stations, but the broadcasts would be helpful in getting folks interested in the music.
Mario-500 said:
WTKX 1230 AM in Pensacola, circa 1991, played music from games on the original Nintendo video game system every now and then. Once it was announced that the station had been sold and they would be dropping the "Free Form" format at midnight, I called in many requests on that last day. One of my requests was for the Super Mario Brothers theme song, and they played it about 4-5 songs after I called.
Otherwise I can't imagine any stations getting too eclectic in this area. Pensacola doesn't have any full time brokered format AM's, so one or two of those could wind up on the air. Besides that, I think Standards, Oldies, and/or Classic Country are the most viable formats for the AMs without FM translators to try to survive on. I'd love to see an AM get an FM translator and do AAA, ala Mobile's 92 Zew... even a simulcast of 92 Zew on a Pensacola AM and a FM translator would rock. The current Pensacola "downtown crowd" would probably pull together and advertise enough to keep a 250 watt FM translator AAA format viable now, as long as the AM involved doesn't have a power bill that's too high (like WEBY's power bill for 15kw).
Someone would actually have to figure out how to get a translator to Pensacola first. The amount of holdup with the move-ins that are in progress now is very frustrating. Pensacola may not be a huge radio market but it deserves more diversity on air than it now has, if for no other reason than to reflect the diverse population that lives there.
If Pcola was a top 25 market, then yes, get more diverse with programming. Because there's enough of a population base to where you focus on that audience and still be able to pay the bills. But when you're a smaller market that's somewhat in competition for ad dollars with stations from closely neighboring markets. You have no choice but to keep programming as mass appeal as possible to get the largest audience possible.
G
Groove1670
Guest
The rocket has decent numbers and sales. No staff (afternoons are live). I'm sure that guy takes care of programming the syndicated and voicetrack stuff. Ain't goin' nowhere.
With WABD now settled (any probably the CHR winner). Any changes you will see will be in the Pcola market.
I hadn't posted anything because I don't really know what to post. I recently spoke to the owner of one of the translators known to be headed toward Pensacola. First of all he was absolutely shocked that anyone knew he owned an FM signal that was going to put his AM on the FM dial. He didn't really want to talk about it at all. I asked why the FM didn't go on the air around a year ago and he didn't say. I asked when or if it was still going to happen and he confidently told me that it should be hot sometime this summer.
I couldn't get any answers on what is holding up the translators and I didn't push the topic because he started off uncomfortable talking about it, but the owners still expect to get them on the air in the near future. I'm thinking Pensacola (or Escambia/Santa Rosa counties) are going to be getting 5-7 translators live in the next year. I assume the same will happen in Mobile.
I couldn't get any answers on what is holding up the translators and I didn't push the topic because he started off uncomfortable talking about it, but the owners still expect to get them on the air in the near future. I'm thinking Pensacola (or Escambia/Santa Rosa counties) are going to be getting 5-7 translators live in the next year. I assume the same will happen in Mobile.
musiconradio.com said:
Afternoon's are live on The Rocket? I wonder what Chip Nelson is doing every afternoon during the "4:20 Smoke Break"?
I never meant to imply that The Rocket would go away. I would just expect Clear Channel to go whole hog with a News Talk FM at this time with Cumulus suddenly launching Talk WCOA-FM on the huge 100.7 signal. I wouldn't be surprised to see CC launch News Talk on 96.1 and move The Rocket over to the weaker 107.3 signal... Also, it would be weird for "News Talk Mobile" to be on "107.3, WNTM-FM, Pensacola-Mobile." I would have suggested WNTM-FM 101.5 if it wasn't also licensed to Pensacola, Active rock listeners would be easier to move to a new frequency that the Classic Rock crowd, but since neither station has any competition (except for 92Zew which is a whole different format and probably gets listeners that would be listening to XM or CDs more than taking listeners from The Rocket and TK). I guess the FCC might let CC swap the COL for 96.1 and 107.3 without moving them from the big city to some little town as "first local service"
Is that a feasible idea or am I crazy? I'm going to take a Zoloft and a Xanax while I wait for your answer.
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