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Free Exits Morning Show "Pablo & Free On PGC" At WPGC 95.5

M

Martin Mac

Guest
"@missfree - Dear DMV: I have enjoyed our time on the radio. Today was my last day at @WPGC #staypositive #ontothenext yall know how this goes! MUAH!- 27 Feb 13"

A post from her twitter page today stated that today was her last day at WPGC 95.5.

The WPGC website has already been edited to just say "Pablo On PGC" in the morning, removing all traces of Free.
 
This is no surprise her contract was up at the station. Sunni has been moved from middays to mornings. Morning drive continues to be a weak ratings spot for WPGC. There is no magic ratings bullet for WPGC in morning drive but Marc Clarke, Olivia Fox, and Troy Johnson(3 person morning team) would all sound good on PGC`s AM drive. Not gonna happen though.
 
Marc and Olivia would be a too expensive fix it seems to me. Though they could win in DC with Olivia and a less expensive side kick. This Pablo/Sunni thing seems an unlikely path to ratings success but time will tell.
 
Is it me or is WPGC slowly and quietly trying their best to get rid of all black female personalities? :-\ They have already did such for full-time black female personalities with Free's exit. You can tell they are definitely going to continue to be weak and get weaker with that demographic group because I know I am not the only one that sees that.

I can already predict this...WPGC will continue to slip in overall 12+ ratings and they won't be able to surpass Hot 99.5 as much as try because 18-34 white females aren't feeling them like that. Jason Kidd and Steven Swenson are driving this station into the ground. This market is not NY and is too heavily black to attempt to pull that type of mess here because the audience recognizes B.S.

CBS might need to break out the checkbook and attempt to lure Jay Stevens and Sam Rogers back from Radio One and ASAP because WPGC is quickly becoming a joke...
 
kilamanjero said:
Is it me or is WPGC slowly and quietly trying their best to get rid of all black female personalities? :-\ They have already did such for full-time black female personalities with Free's exit. You can tell they are definitely going to continue to be weak and get weaker with that demographic group because I know I am not the only one that sees that.

I can already predict this...WPGC will continue to slip in overall 12+ ratings and they won't be able to surpass Hot 99.5 as much as try because 18-34 white females aren't feeling them like that. Jason Kidd and Steven Swenson are driving this station into the ground. This market is not NY and is too heavily black to attempt to pull that type of mess here because the audience recognizes B.S.

CBS might need to break out the checkbook and attempt to lure Jay Stevens and Sam Rogers back from Radio One and ASAP because WPGC is quickly becoming a joke...
Click to expand...
Well its no surprise that she left she only came there because of Tigger anyway and she has no connection to the area. Looks like Jeannie Jones(black female) will replace Sunni in Middays. Jay Stevens is running several stations unless its a position at CBS Radio NY he would not come back and Sam Rodgers did not leave on good terms I believe. Dave Hughes from DCRTV.COM summed it up the best DC Radio is programmed towards the AD billing people not listners and that is a very true statement.
 
anatharadiorefugee said:
Marc and Olivia would be a too expensive fix it seems to me. Though they could win in DC with Olivia and a less expensive side kick. This Pablo/Sunni thing seems an unlikely path to ratings success but time will tell.
Click to expand...
I agree probably too expensive but probably its the only way too go. Thats the problem for them other than people like them there is no great morning talent out there IMO.
 
donta1974 said:
kilamanjero said:
Is it me or is WPGC slowly and quietly trying their best to get rid of all black female personalities? :-\ They have already did such for full-time black female personalities with Free's exit. You can tell they are definitely going to continue to be weak and get weaker with that demographic group because I know I am not the only one that sees that.

I can already predict this...WPGC will continue to slip in overall 12+ ratings and they won't be able to surpass Hot 99.5 as much as try because 18-34 white females aren't feeling them like that. Jason Kidd and Steven Swenson are driving this station into the ground. This market is not NY and is too heavily black to attempt to pull that type of mess here because the audience recognizes B.S.

CBS might need to break out the checkbook and attempt to lure Jay Stevens and Sam Rogers back from Radio One and ASAP because WPGC is quickly becoming a joke...
Click to expand...
Well its no surprise that she left she only came there because of Tigger anyway and she has no connection to the area. Looks like Jeannie Jones(black female) will replace Sunni in Middays. Jay Stevens is running several stations unless its a position at CBS Radio NY he would not come back and Sam Rodgers did not leave on good terms I believe. Dave Hughes from DCRTV.COM summed it up the best DC Radio is programmed towards the AD billing people not listners and that is a very true statement.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's obvious they are programming towards the sales/traffic people. Meanwhile, it's funny you can do both with a more balance full-service urban programming strategy. All Jason and Steve has to do is look at what Reggie Rouse and Dave Caffety are doing in Atlanta with V-103. It's #2 overall in the Atlanta market's billing as well, but it's also #1 overall in 12+. Also Reggie is doing this all by himself with spot programming per daypart along with a new morning show (Ryan Cameron).

It's interesting watch WPGC struggle to find themselves while KYS and Hot benefits by winning the ground game in the long run.
 
Let's get real about PGC for a moment. I can't tell that their programing targets sales at all. I was just looking at the money demo ratings that are posted on dcrtv. Hot 3, KYS 7, PGC 16. Now I have read before that PGC does so well in their target demo. I don't have the 18-34 numbers but if you are 10th 6 plus and 16th 25-54 how could you possibly be any higher 18-34? I don't believe this rythmic experiment is working well at all. I know I am well out of the demo, but that station has become unlistenable. I have friends on their air staff and it hurts me that I can't sit through the music to hear their breaks. When the top performing station in your cluster doesn't even broadcast in English there is a problem.
 
anatharadiorefugee said:
Let's get real about PGC for a moment. I can't tell that their programing targets sales at all. I was just looking at the money demo ratings that are posted on dcrtv. Hot 3, KYS 7, PGC 16. Now I have read before that PGC does so well in their target demo. I don't have the 18-34 numbers but if you are 10th 6 plus and 16th 25-54 how could you possibly be any higher 18-34? I don't believe this rythmic experiment is working well at all. I know I am well out of the demo, but that station has become unlistenable. I have friends on their air staff and it hurts me that I can't sit through the music to hear their breaks. When the top performing station in your cluster doesn't even broadcast in English there is a problem.
Click to expand...
A lot of WPGC`s problem`s have been since PPM. They have basically had the same or simiular problems for the last five years as far as ratings go. There problems with ratings most likely will continue. They are in an uphill battle with ratings its the same story year after year. If CBS wants to continue with any type of Urban format in this area they have to choose which one they want to be and stick with it ratings lumps and all.
 
^^^I would agree about it being PPM only if they haven't bounced back a couple of times over the past 6 years. Especially like early last year when they were back in the top 10 for least 2 books in a row. Ironically, this was around the time the Coolout went back to being actual R&B and soul slow jams along with the introduction of urban throwbacks into the regular rotation.

WPGC's biggest problems has been has been leadership and programming. Even before Donnie Simpson left, he acknowledged that it is the music that was the station's biggest draw not his show. So when he saw he couldn't control the music programming of his own show, then he ended his contract with CBS 18 months early.

I'm going to be honest, Jason Kidd and Steve Swenson are not a good choices for PD and market manager because they have made some very indiscernible decisions with WPGC. Dropping the Coolout from weekdays to spinning too many pop songs when ratings still suck to formally moving back to the Rhythmic panel are all bad decisions in a market with 25+% of the demographics are black along with being the station's core audience. The market's demographics are incompatible, thus they are hemorrhaging 18-49 listeners to both Hot and KYS.

Anatharadiorefugee has a point, if you listen to their commercials, concert promotions, and station events. You are like, "Exactly, whom do you guys think you are fooling? You guys want black consumers but suburban whites listeners." That doesn't even make any sense with their abrupt programming choices.
 
IMO I think that they were and are trying to max out the billing for the station(keep just enough black listners while trying to add new white listners for billing not ratings). The station made 20 million in 2011 I think that they are thinking lets hold that 20 million(black listners) and add just enough white listners to get it to 23 or 24 million. Despite its on going ratings issues It has been the number 2 biller in the DC market regularly. DCRTV Dave said it, it`s not just WPGC but most of DC`s radio stations are programmed for the Advertiser`s and not listners this apply`s to PGC IMO. The billing numbers for 2012 should be out real soon it will be interesting to see them. They are trying to fool the Ad people the listners are not fooled though but that is the point if you can fool advertises you are winning by making money. I disagree with there moves but hey who am I.
 
I understand what you mean, program towards the advertisers rather than listeners, but that is not how you win in the long run. Everyone thought V-103, Hot 103 Jamz (KPRS/Kansas City), and 106 KMEL would collapse post-PPM. Nevertheless, they all survived and are all now thriving because they program for their listeners. In the case of PGC sister station, V-103, they are winning in the ad revenue game.

Also your opinion does matter because you like myself, anatharadiorefugee, and many others agree this station is in some serious trouble in the long term. There are too many short-term decisions won't solve long term problems (overall 12+ in the PPM) and screwed up musical programming.

I'm going to say this: maybe they need Robert Scorpio back at the helm at WPGC because at least he knew what he was doing.
 
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