Format Change Coming To 95.5 PGC?

[JerseyDude]

I listened to WPGC online today. Sounds a little more Rhythmic (like WZMX/Hartford,CT) than it did last week.

 

[htowler]

BLACK EYED PEAS Boom Boom Pow
ESTER DEAN Drop It Low


These are the only 2 tracks in the Playlist that aren't really Urban.

Not really a change in my opinion
PGC has had a VERY Limited number or Rhythmic in their Playlist for quite a while

I remember Fergalisious was in the playlist when the song was on the charts.

I think they play these few tracks to Hold on to their Rhythmic Tag. A Practice Hot97 in NYC does

 

[kilamanjero]

WPGC is still trying to figure out its place in the DC market post-Jay Stevens era. I used to listen to WPGC on AOL Radio day and night back when Jay Stevens was the PD, but since his departure the station has been a ship without a captain. The station used to have a distinct sound that was a mixture of new and old with local and go-go artists from the DMV in its playlist. Reggie Rouse and Robert Scorpio aren't very savvy on what meshes with the market's sound and the drastic increase in number of spins in current songs the total elimination of throwbacks hasn't helped either. They can't lie and say they are "rhythmic" anymore because they have dropped the ambiguous "DC's #1, Blazin' 18 jams in a row" slogan for the clearly urban "DC's Hip Hop and R&B" slogan. I think if they reintroduce local music, some throwbacks to reduce the number of spins, and allow their talent outside of Donnie Simpson more ability to interact with the listeners then they might have a chance.

IMHO, the only good things left of WPGC is Donnie Simpson, Michele Wright, and the occasion when former host of "The Coolout" slow jams show Todd B is heard on the radio filling-in because I don't really listen for the music anymore.

 

[cklw800]

I loved WPGC for that awesome go-go music and the album cuts, mainly in the 91-96 era initially, then sporadically from that point on whenever I visited D.C. By album cuts I mean the tunes from albums that played alongside the hits from the same album. I distinctly remember in early '92 hearing the new song "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" by TLC and hearing the album cut "Baby-Baby-Baby" rotating as well. Back home I didn't hear "Baby" on the radio until June of that year when it became a single. I discovered "Lock It" by Rare Essence on WPGC in 1991 and remember the excitement delivered by the jocks about the song. It wasn't my genre but the atmosphere of the station sold me on that sound, alongside the hits. I remember Albie Dee, Paco Lopez, Big Tig, Michele Wright, Donnie Simpson, phone calls from "The Crazy Lady" and a whole lot more, and I don't even live in the market. WPGC was a great "out-of-town" radio listening experience and I really miss that feeling. I heard songs out-of-the-box and great cuts from current releases that later became singles. Some didn't but what a musical adventure. I hate to hear that is leaving us. Satellite radio is good musically and there's some adventure, but the jock excitement/presentation is woefully missing. Don't know if we can get it back, but I'm sure glad I had a chance to hear it.

 

[Jay F]

If PGC goes that HOT in Hartford will go even tho their ratings usually put them in the top 3, 12+. When HOT in Hartford came on in 01 Infinity said it was cloned from PGC.

I don't agree with this. If PGC had HOT/Hartford type ratings there never would be any type of rumors or speculation about format flips or tweaks.

PGC has taken a huge drop diary to PPM. Interestingly CBS sister Urban station WVEE/Atlanta is thriving with PPM.

 

[kilamanjero]

I loved WPGC for that awesome go-go music and the album cuts, mainly in the 91-96 era initially, then sporadically from that point on whenever I visited D.C. By album cuts I mean the tunes from albums that played alongside the hits from the same album. I distinctly remember in early '92 hearing the new song "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" by TLC and hearing the album cut "Baby-Baby-Baby" rotating as well. Back home I didn't hear "Baby" on the radio until June of that year when it became a single. I discovered "Lock It" by Rare Essence on WPGC in 1991 and remember the excitement delivered by the jocks about the song. It wasn't my genre but the atmosphere of the station sold me on that sound, alongside the hits. I remember Albie Dee, Paco Lopez, Big Tig, Michele Wright, Donnie Simpson, phone calls from "The Crazy Lady" and a whole lot more, and I don't even live in the market. WPGC was a great "out-of-town" radio listening experience and I really miss that feeling. I heard songs out-of-the-box and great cuts from current releases that later became singles. Some didn't but what a musical adventure. I hate to hear that is leaving us. Satellite radio is good musically and there's some adventure, but the jock excitement/presentation is woefully missing. Don't know if we can get it back, but I'm sure glad I had a chance to hear it.

Amen! I think this could comeback if they could get a PD at WPGC that knows and realize what made the station a hit. PPM arrived at a time when the station didn't have any direction hence falter in ratings.

 

[kilamanjero]

If PGC goes that HOT in Hartford will go even tho their ratings usually put them in the top 3, 12+. When HOT in Hartford came on in 01 Infinity said it was cloned from PGC.

I don't agree with this. If PGC had HOT/Hartford type ratings there never would be any type of rumors or speculation about format flips or tweaks.

PGC has taken a huge drop diary to PPM. Interestingly CBS sister Urban station WVEE/Atlanta is thriving with PPM.

This is very interesting, WVEE is one of the top Urban stations (Urban/Urban AC/Urban Gospel/Mainstream Urban) in the nation ratings wise in the PPM environment.

 

[kilamanjero]

http://www.radio-info.com/sections/.../essays/967-michael-saunders-named-pd-of-wpgc

I wonder with this change will mean for programming at WPGC for sure. Saunders has a lot of track history with CBS in the past from WPEG to WJHM, but does this mean another shift?

 

[evolve991]

I've read on DC sites that WPGC is most likely staying as is basically with maybe a few tweaks.

 

[wprt949]

allaccess is reporting that cbs is getting ready to flip another station in a major market to top 40 hmmmmmm who could it be

 

[kilamanjero]

allaccess is reporting that cbs is getting ready to flip another station in a major market to top 40 hmmmmmm who could it be

I doubt it's WPGC considering they've seemed to be making some moves with this announcement.

 

[Martin Mac]

allaccess is reporting that cbs is getting ready to flip another station in a major market to top 40 hmmmmmm who could it be

I doubt it's WPGC considering they've seemed to be making some moves with this announcement.

I also HIGHLY doubt WPGC is the station being flipped, considering all the changes they've made. Although I do believe Washington is the major market about to receive a CBS CHR, I believe that WIAD 94.7 Fresh FM will be the station that is flipped. The ratings at Fresh FM are average at best, and the 18-35 year old demo seems more lucrative to me. Maybe CBS believes that they will make more profit with an AMP'd Radio than a Fresh FM in Washington D.C.

 

[kilamanjero]

It looks like Michael Saunders has made his first major move by bringing back "music themed weekends" on WPGC, something quite frequent of the Jay Stevens-era. This weekend they are playing all the throwbacks from the late 1980s to early 2000s (in other words the songs that WPGC has play from their beginning in 1987). I'm loving every minute of it because that is what made me fall in love with this particular station. It looks like Mr. Saunders wants to bring back those who felt WPGC's playlist was too repetitive and slowing it down so that we can get some variety. I hope he tries to bring back "Love Talk & Slow Jams" concept to the 10pm-midnight of the slow jams show on Sunday through Thursday nights. WKYS might have some major competition if Saunders does what I feel he is about to do.

 

[rapking]

WPGC is still trying to figure out its place in the DC market post-Jay Stevens era. I used to listen to WPGC on AOL Radio day and night back when Jay Stevens was the PD, but since his departure the station has been a ship without a captain. The station used to have a distinct sound that was a mixture of new and old with local and go-go artists from the DMV in its playlist. Reggie Rouse and Robert Scorpio aren't very savvy on what meshes with the market's sound and the drastic increase in number of spins in current songs the total elimination of throwbacks hasn't helped either. They can't lie and say they are "rhythmic" anymore because they have dropped the ambiguous "DC's #1, Blazin' 18 jams in a row" slogan for the clearly urban "DC's Hip Hop and R&B" slogan. I think if they reintroduce local music, some throwbacks to reduce the number of spins, and allow their talent outside of Donnie Simpson more ability to interact with the listeners then they might have a chance.

IMHO, the only good things left of WPGC is Donnie Simpson, Michele Wright, and the occasion when former host of "The Coolout" slow jams show Todd B is heard on the radio filling-in because I don't really listen for the music anymore.

Well Donnie Simpson maybe gone http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/15/AR2010011503605.html

 

[johnnyu]

WPGC is still trying to figure out its place in the DC market post-Jay Stevens era. I used to listen to WPGC on AOL Radio day and night back when Jay Stevens was the PD, but since his departure the station has been a ship without a captain. The station used to have a distinct sound that was a mixture of new and old with local and go-go artists from the DMV in its playlist. Reggie Rouse and Robert Scorpio aren't very savvy on what meshes with the market's sound and the drastic increase in number of spins in current songs the total elimination of throwbacks hasn't helped either. They can't lie and say they are "rhythmic" anymore because they have dropped the ambiguous "DC's #1, Blazin' 18 jams in a row" slogan for the clearly urban "DC's Hip Hop and R&B" slogan. I think if they reintroduce local music, some throwbacks to reduce the number of spins, and allow their talent outside of Donnie Simpson more ability to interact with the listeners then they might have a chance.

IMHO, the only good things left of WPGC is Donnie Simpson, Michele Wright, and the occasion when former host of "The Coolout" slow jams show Todd B is heard on the radio filling-in because I don't really listen for the music anymore.DCRTV reported this item three days before the Washington Post.

Well Donnie Simpson maybe gone http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/15/AR2010011503605.html

 

[cklw800]

I like the idea of the throwback songs on the weekend. I'm a WPGC fan of the 1991-2000 era. Especially 1991 with Rare Essence and "Lock It", all those great album cuts from hit albums and of course the other great go-go. Paco Lopez, Albie Dee, Michele Wright. I miss those guys but the music will remind me of them. I think it would be easy to give folks the best of what they remember about a station along with what's going on today. I believe WPGC can stay relevant, delivering a smart balance of "back in the day" and today. A phoenomenal radio station and I've never lived in D.C. I have family in Maryland and Virginia and discovered 'PGC on those visits, so much that I remember the personalities and music like I lived there.

 

[fatlady]

Donnie leaving is the second best thing that could happen to WPGC, the first is bouncing the diarrhea mouth TIGGER! You think the ratings suck now WITH Donnie in am drive, just wait when TIGGER takes over. You are gonna get bounced just like NYC and MIAMI. WPGC will NEVER be like it was when Albie Dee was going the music and holding down either Nights or PM drive. Just look at the numbers. When Albie Dee was doing the music and on the air there, WPGC was double digits-10.5. When he left in 1997 the station went on a continuous slide down hill and has NEVER been the station it was under Albie Dee's watch. The Arbitron ratings don't lie.

 

[kilamanjero]

Donnie leaving is the second best thing that could happen to WPGC, the first is bouncing the diarrhea mouth TIGGER! You think the ratings suck now WITH Donnie in am drive, just wait when TIGGER takes over. You are gonna get bounced just like NYC and MIAMI. WPGC will NEVER be like it was when Albie Dee was going the music and holding down either Nights or PM drive. Just look at the numbers. When Albie Dee was doing the music and on the air there, WPGC was double digits-10.5. When he left in 1997 the station went on a continuous slide down hill and has NEVER been the station it was under Albie Dee's watch. The Arbitron ratings don't lie.

I highly doubt that Donnie Simpson is the cause of ratings decline. The fact that there is no personality in the personalities or good music choices in the playlist rotation since the departure of Jay Stevens. Bad choices by upper management of CBS Radio and the pressing matters with production behind the scenes is what caused his morning show be in the current predicament. Big Tigger is annoying as hell, but they should find a strong afternoon personality that isn't such a nuisance as him. However, in this day where talent isn't allowed to develop that it will be damn near impossible for anybody to fill that hole in key time slot on WPGC.

 

[kilamanjero]

I like the idea of the throwback songs on the weekend. I'm a WPGC fan of the 1991-2000 era. Especially 1991 with Rare Essence and "Lock It", all those great album cuts from hit albums and of course the other great go-go. Paco Lopez, Albie Dee, Michele Wright. I miss those guys but the music will remind me of them. I think it would be easy to give folks the best of what they remember about a station along with what's going on today. I believe WPGC can stay relevant, delivering a smart balance of "back in the day" and today. A phenomenal radio station and I've never lived in D.C. I have family in Maryland and Virginia and discovered 'PGC on those visits, so much that I remember the personalities and music like I lived there.

I agree, hopefully, this too shall pass and WPGC will continue to climb back to it place as a top-rated urban in the DC market. I've never lived in DC either, but I've listened to them via AOL since they've began streaming online in the late 1990s. Them along with WVEE and KMEL are the few major market urbans left that are decent, balanced, and not over-skewed when it comes to their playlist choices.

 

[figthisishout]

grew up listening to wpgc and i hope they freshen the station up and not change it totally. i know there will be changes but I also hope they bring back love talk but of course with different hosts.