"Free FM" done

[PhillyWatch]

Talkin' bout the name

Sorry RunWithScissors.

I heard on Kidd Chris today that the "Free FM" branding is out for all Free stations. It's been this way for the longest time on WHFS and I believe WYSP is in the beginning stages. Doubt it will do anything ratings-wise but perhaps it will wash some of the stigma off from the god-awful Roth start.

Some points-
1. Stop with the calls for YSP to return to rocking. The most recent report card was glorious for rock music, and I'm more than happy for that. But its only one so far. Nobody knows what could happen with the next ratings (though lets hope they continue in the rock direction). AND, you can't call Free FM in Philly a complete failure yet. I ask you give it time. You don't plant a seed on Monday, get angry about no result on Wednesday and then tear up the ground to start over.
2. Can we give up on WYSP dealing with rock/music in general? Lets let it go. I admit wholeheartedly that the loss of Y100, then YSP rock, were awful unfair blows to rock music fans on Philadelphia. But I doubt if any similar format were to return, WYSP wont be the trailblazer *coughcoughskinradiocough*.
2. Would it be safe to say that Free FM is suffering from severe lack of advertising? Perhaps if people were AWARE of the goddamn station they'd try it out. I know that CBS put together a commercial for WYSP, I saw it.

Twice.

Maybe PUMP the station, instead of letting it linger and then questioning the ratings.

My rants. Thank you for your time.

 

[Irishfl]

Some points-
...AND, you can't call Free FM in Philly a complete failure yet. I ask you give it time. You don't plant a seed on Monday, get angry about no result on Wednesday and then tear up the ground to start over. ...

Yes you can. Granted your point about giving stations time is true, however the time period for that is ussally a year (to get things together, establish itself, get the word out, and build up a listener base). This October Free-FM will be 2 years old. Stations have flipped after only a year of poor ratings, and thanks to the thread about revenue, we know 94.1 is made 41% less in 2006, then they did the year before. So yeah, the free fm we all know, has failed. It can change, and be a success sure, but as of now, its been on long enough to be called a failure sofar.

Come August rumba will offically be a failure aswell, despite the fact that 20yrs from now (if CC stays with it as many people argue is why they went spanish) it could be #1.

 

[Those RRRRs]

Am I the only one who has noticed that every flip or new format in Philly within the past 3-4 years has been a failure? And the 'second' flips within a year are even more unsuccessful than the first flip on the same station. WPEN anyone? What the hell is going on with these radio companies?

Even 106.1 which musically I would argue targets the so-called "target demo" seems to be a miserable failure. And considering that that kind of music may be the only thing on the radio left in Philly that targets the female late 30's and early 40's crowd, that's pretty pathetic.

No one over 50 buys anything. Fine. 25-44 spends money. Fine again, but if the ratings are in the toilet, than no one is hearing the advertisements so what is the point of targeting that demo?

 

[Yeziknoradio]

No one over 50 buys anything. Fine. 25-44 spends money. Fine again, but if the ratings are in the toilet, than no one is hearing the advertisements so what is the point of targeting that demo?

And that's EXACTLY the point! Radio is a business before it can be anything else.

 

[TowerBuzz]

With all due respect to he who posted this initially, Kidd Chris is in Philly, that decision would be made in /from New Yrok. Kidd Chris is about as far out of the loop as one could get while still being on the same coast. So while CKG in Chicago has dropped the "free" moniker, no others have as of yet, the possibility is of course that it could happen but Kidd pretending to have some inside info is laughable.

 

[tommygraser]

I posted last week that thing was going to change on 94.1.first its the free fm name then its going to be the rock music on the weekends.94.1 WILL be all talk.very soon!!!.24/7.trust me I have people in high places.but I can not and will not put there names on radio info.WYSP talk that rocks will #1!!!..

 

[BRNout]

I posted last week that thing was going to change on 94.1.first its the free fm name then its going to be the rock music on the weekends.94.1 WILL be all talk.very soon!!!.24/7.trust me I have people in high places.but I can not and will not put there names on radio info.WYSP talk that rocks will #1!!!..

Given the "wisdom" that CBS radio has shown us lately, I have no doubt that 94.1 will be ALL talk soon. Nor do I doubt that it will find itself at the very bottom of the ratings pile. "#1?" In failure, perhaps.

Rock worked on 94.1 and it can work again. CBS dodged a bullet when Clear Channel screwed the pooch with 104.5.

The trouble of it is that this company does not seem to recognize when they've made a mistake and would prefer to stubbornly fly the plane straight into a mountain rather than change course. Just look at the shambles they've made of their ops in New York. They mucked up the CBS-FM flip, have had umpteen formats on 102.7 since blowing out a perfectly functional NEW-FM, and have made 92.3 into a perennial loser. If it weren't for their successes on the AM side, they'd be hurting. Not one successful station on FM up in Gotham. THAT is the kind of leadership and crack decision-making (fueled by crack, perhaps) that we're now seeing here.

So, when people say that rock is finished on 94.1 - they may be right. Despite the fact that returning the original 'YSP rock format would be the smart thing to do.

 

[SoulCrusher]

Given the "wisdom" that CBS radio has shown us lately, I have no doubt that 94.1 will be ALL talk soon. Nor do I doubt that it will find itself at the very bottom of the ratings pile. "#1?" In failure, perhaps.

Rock worked on 94.1 and it can work again. CBS dodged a bullet when Clear Channel screwed the pooch with 104.5.

The trouble of it is that this company does not seem to recognize when they've made a mistake and would prefer to stubbornly fly the plane straight into a mountain rather than change course. Just look at the shambles they've made of their ops in New York. They mucked up the CBS-FM flip, have had umpteen formats on 102.7 since blowing out a perfectly functional NEW-FM, and have made 92.3 into a perennial loser. If it weren't for their successes on the AM side, they'd be hurting. Not one successful station on FM up in Gotham. THAT is the kind of leadership and crack decision-making (fueled by crack, perhaps) that we're now seeing here.

So, when people say that rock is finished on 94.1 - they may be right. Despite the fact that returning the original 'YSP rock format would be the smart thing to do.

Add to that the firing of Don Imus, and that hurts their modestly successful station in NYC, WFAN. They may have been concerned by the fallout that came from the situation and several advertisers pulling their support, but this should not have been done immediately - they should have waited a couple of weeks to assess the situation and (if firing Imus was the best decision from a business standpoint) taken some time to find a suitable replacement. They risked losing some money for a couple of weeks if advertisers did indeed abandon ship, but they have been operating several stations that are already big losers, so what's another one? Who are they trying out for the position now - Boomer Esiason? Might be apropos for a Sports station, but won't draw anything on other formats.

CBS is overestimating the impact of satellite radio - that could be the only explanation of why they have abandoned Active/Alternative formats across the country. But how long is it going to take before they realize that Free-FM is doomed? I knew it would be an abysmal failure from the start and time has proven me correct. I can only imagine that either the company is doing this for tax write-off purposes, or because they are looking to sell off their radio division.

 

[TowerBuzz]

I posted last week that thing was going to change on 94.1.first its the free fm name then its going to be the rock music on the weekends.94.1 WILL be all talk.very soon!!!.24/7.trust me I have people in high places.but I can not and will not put there names on radio info.WYSP talk that rocks will #1!!!..

Considering that "Hot talk" is now in the cross hairs and being watched like a hawk becuase of Imus and more recently Jv and ELvis in NYc, and the fact that ysp only recently scaled back on the music, in short talk 24/7 will NOT happen. I dont care what your "high placed sources" say, and usually whenever anyone cites high placed sources they're talking squarely out of their arse to begin with.

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[Ozman]

you would think that CBS would have learned after WNEW!!!!
I really miss eddie trunk in NYC both on friday and saturday nights. It will probably not happen ever again...

I posted last week that thing was going to change on 94.1.first its the free fm name then its going to be the rock music on the weekends.94.1 WILL be all talk.very soon!!!.24/7.trust me I have people in high places.but I can not and will not put there names on radio info.WYSP talk that rocks will #1!!!..

Considering that "Hot talk" is now in the cross hairs and being watched like a hawk becuase of Imus and more recently Jv and ELvis in NYc, and the fact that ysp only recently scaled back on the music, in short talk 24/7 will NOT happen. I dont care what your "high placed sources" say, and usually whenever anyone cites high placed sources they're talking squarely out of their arse to begin with.

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[PhillyWatch]

With all due respect to he who posted this initially, Kidd Chris is in Philly, that decision would be made in /from New Yrok. Kidd Chris is about as far out of the loop as one could get while still being on the same coast. So while CKG in Chicago has dropped the "free" moniker, no others have as of yet, the possibility is of course that it could happen but Kidd pretending to have some inside info is laughable.

It wasn't Chris who brought it up, it was frequent caller Dave the Sports Guy (like this is sounding any more reliable), but it was along with other news topics and his calls usually consisit of talk on factual sports/news topics, so it wasn't some bit or anything. I looked around online but didn't find anything (yet. I doubt CBS wants to come right out and admit a failure).