Format for 100.3 in August will be....?

[BillBattle]

I think RM is the big winner in all this turmoil. 100.3 and 107.7 are going to be focused on each other so much the RM is going to beat them both.

 

[Tennessee Cowboy]

I think RM is the big winner in all this turmoil. 100.3 and 107.7 are going to be focused on each other so much the RM is going to beat them both.

Sorry. I'm not that drunk.

 

[Tennessee Cowboy]

I think RM is the big winner in all this turmoil. 100.3 and 107.7 are going to be focused on each other so much the RM is going to beat them both.

Sorry. I'm not that drunk.

Yet.

 

[Fiveahead]

I would like to change my prediction. I now think that there is an 80% chance they'll be a Top-40/CHR station with a heavy urban lean.

Thoughts?

JP and Brantley will follow the money... your prediction actually has 0% chance of happening. If you think they are going to take the best signal in Knoxville and target teens and young adults... you havent been on the business side of radio.

Country - 99% going to happen

News Talk - Will have extremely high overhead after paying the local talk and news talent needed to make real money. However, the money is there if the format is done right. So there is a chance but not as likely as Country.

Other money making options might inclued AC or Classic Hits.

Rest assured thet 100.3 is going to be a country station. Not as young as 93.1 and not as old as Merle... this is a done deal. Brantley has already talked to one certain IVK jock about joining the team after he sits out his non-compete. What else do you need to know.

Obviously you haven't thought this through.

If someone were to walk into my office today and say,

"Clark, if you analyze the market you'll see by programming your 100,000 watt radio station with a CHR format you'll face very little in the way of competition and generate approximately 4 million dollars of revenue a year. By going country you'll face a large battle and if successful only generate roughly 2 million dollars of revenue a year."

I would be a fool to do anything but put a CHR format on the signal.

Your make believe dream numbers don't matter much in reality. Just to make it clear... 100.3 IS going Country... that is the fact. They rest of this is just fun speculation. Talk to you at the beginning of August.

August? What happens in August? I heard the change was taking place in July? Now I'm confused.

 

[Fiveahead]

I think RM is the big winner in all this turmoil. 100.3 and 107.7 are going to be focused on each other so much the RM is going to beat them both.

I don't know about that. If the Pirkle boys go country their first mission will be to crush MERLE and then focus on Q93 and WIVK. And who can fault them? It's the easiest target since it's satellite, with a weak signal.

 

[boogiecheck]

I think RM is the big winner in all this turmoil. 100.3 and 107.7 are going to be focused on each other so much the RM is going to beat them both.

I don't know about that. If the Pirkle boys go country their first mission will be to crush MERLE and then focus on Q93 and WIVK. And who can fault them? It's the easiest target since it's satellite, with a weak signal.

Like I said, someone is going to need a bigger boat. Or in RM's case a larger canoe.

 

[Tennessee Cowboy]

I think RM is the big winner in all this turmoil. 100.3 and 107.7 are going to be focused on each other so much the RM is going to beat them both.

Sorry. I'm not that drunk.

Yet.

Ok. Drunk enough now....

BWAHHHHAAAA HAAAAAA!

Now buy me a new keyboard Bill.

 

[Big Bopper]

I'm gonna put this out to see how it works out between now and the end of the year:

Two Anderson County licensees met in Litton's back room for an early lunch some time in June. The meeting included a well-respected GM and a small entourage of bean counters and lawyers. By the end of 2010:

107.7 erodes into the low teens and hasn't found the bottom yet
100.3 Merle country, with less Tom T. Hall and more Big & Rich. Top 4 or 5 by 12/31 and heading up
98.7 considering adding 990 to quiet nervous advertisers and Limbaughs
96.7 True Oldies
94.3 Moving off Sharps Ridge to wherever dad is renting offices, format based on what Ed's gut feeling
93.1 Staying right where it is because, well, a $30 country radio spot is less than a $150 country radio spot, no matter how many people are listening.

JP and RM hide their lunch meetings anyway. Neither thinks people know what their cars look like or think that Litton's bathroom has a clear line-of-sight to the back room.

It's still unlikely. These two guys are too independent and like it that way. Depends on how good a uniter Ed is.

And, yes, I'm off my meds again tonight. Cowgirl apparently prefers rum on Thursday nights. See you with something even stranger this time next week.

Cowboy...are you saying that Brantley was talking with both JP and RM before he left Citadel?
Wow! That one almost slipped by me, but if that is what you are saying, and if your info is reliable, you may have uncovered a very important part of this saga. Does anyone on this board know the exact date of Brantley's firing...and, Cowboy, do you have the exact date of the Litton's meeting! This is getting very interesting!

 

[Big Bopper]

Oops! Disregard my most recent post, as I just researched the board for the original thread about Brantley's firing and discovered it was discussed on May 13. I was in the wrong month, and thinking that the Litton's meeting in June was prior to the firing. My bad.

Elsewhere...word on the street (I have noticed that unfounded rumors on this board almost always start with those 5 words) is that Citadel is claiming to have filed with the FCC to raise their power. Anybody have any credible info about this? I think FCC filings are public record. I also think it would be a serious offense to claim someone has filed if it were not so.
Just wondering.....
"Oh Baby, That's What I LIKE"
Big Bopper

 

[Fiveahead]

Oops! Disregard my most recent post, as I just researched the board for the original thread about Brantley's firing and discovered it was discussed on May 13. I was in the wrong month, and thinking that the Litton's meeting in June was prior to the firing. My bad.

Elsewhere...word on the street (I have noticed that unfounded rumors on this board almost always start with those 5 words) is that Citadel is claiming to have filed with the FCC to raise their power. Anybody have any credible info about this? I think FCC filings are public record. I also think it would be a serious offense to claim someone has filed if it were not so.
Just wondering.....
"Oh Baby, That's What I LIKE"
Big Bopper

I've been watching the filings and there haven't been any. I actually don't expect there to be any either, but you never know.

 

[knoxside]

Okay, I am new to the area. So, I don't have the benefit of knowing the history of the market (although I'm trying to catch up as quickly as I can!) But here's what I have learned so far:

1) 100.3 is a huge signal. It is one of few that has parity with WIVK. As far as I have been able to determine, none of the recent Country challengers to WIVK (93.1, 96.7) has a comparable signal. Presumably, this has much to do with the fact that neither has been able to make much of a dent in WIVK's incredible shares. 100.3 has no such signal limitations. This would suggest they have a much better chance against WIVK vs it's previous challengers.

2) Ed Brantley was part of WIVK for several years, both as an air talent and then as a General Manager. He was let go by Citadel in early May. Ed Brantley has now been hired by 100.3's owners to serve in the same capacity there. Ed knows WIVK inside and out, better than anyone else.

3) Country makes a lot of money in these parts. Specifically, WIVK makes a WHOLE lot of money.

These three factors added together tells me that 100.3's new format will be Country. The new station will be imaged, packaged, promoted, and marketed as a direct competitor to WIVK.

100.3, "The Hitkicker" was the only station ever to really challenge WIVK for not only listeners but also those all important advertiser dollars. The then owners, Dick Broadcasting, saw the threat and made one of the smartest moves in market history, they entered into an LMA so they could at least get those dollars in house until they could figure out a format they could place on the signal.

Let's remember, 100.3's signal footprint is much larger than WIVK's giving them the upper hand with where it can be heard, static free. It's also larger than anyone else's in this market, yes, even WOKI's current or future signal.

Ed Brantley is a legend in the market. He was a very successful PM drive jock for many decades on WIVK and at one point was one of the most listened to jocks in America. Ed knows country music so well it's surprising he isn't one of the Carters. He was also one of the top billers for WIVK when they finally allowed him to "double up" his airshift with a client list. Finally Ed was the GM of the entire cluster and was the sole reason the Knoxville cluster was the only Citadel cluster to outperform projections.

WIVK does make a lot of money. WIMZ makes a lot of money too, as does WWST/WKHT.

All I know is that if I were the GM or PD of any Citadel, Journal or South Central station I wouldn't be sleeping much.

Someone is going to need a bigger boat.

If they're doing a good job they shouldn't be losing any sleep. Competition is always stimulating for the market.

 

[jetfli]

WIVK does make a lot of money.

One of the biggest reasons WIVK brings in the listeners, and makes the money it does, is that it is the flagship station for UT football. While a Country 100.3 could compete on the music/announcer/signal level, it can't compete on the football level. That factor won't be going away.

 

[Fiveahead]

WIVK does make a lot of money.

One of the biggest reasons WIVK brings in the listeners, and makes the money it does, is that it is the flagship station for UT football. While a Country 100.3 could compete on the music/announcer/signal level, it can't compete on the football level. That factor won't be going away.

UT Football is a ratings loser for WIVK. It is though a big revenue winner.

 

[Tennessee Cowboy]

If they're doing a good job they shouldn't be losing any sleep. Competition is always stimulating for the market.
[/quote]

THIS.

Anybody else notice that the general population is talking more about radio these days?

 

[Tennessee Cowboy]

WIVK does make a lot of money.

One of the biggest reasons WIVK brings in the listeners, and makes the money it does, is that it is the flagship station for UT football. While a Country 100.3 could compete on the music/announcer/signal level, it can't compete on the football level. That factor won't be going away.

WIVK does make a lot of money. WIVK sure passes a lot of money to UT through Host Communications. FIFY. Anybody know the status of that contract? It's not like the university is flush with cash these days.

 

[Big Bopper]

(details about UT football contract bids deleted by user)

Lost my nerve!

 

[Fiveahead]

You are known for your blinking.

 

[Tennessee Cowboy]

(details about UT football contract bids deleted by user)

Lost my nerve!

Not so curious about the UT side of this as what the bankruptcy judge did with this contract. You woulda thunk the court would've flushed this one with the same pen stroke that got the 100.3 agreement. And you would figure that the state would be about as negotiable as Mr. Pirkle when it comes to the fine faceless $3,000-a-suit guys in Vegas.

 

[MurvleJumpUp]

Talk?

 

[BillBattle]

My bet is Country. Why would Pirkle hire Brantley to do anything other than Country?