FWB Morning Show changes

[4ever_radio]

All I have to say is, they show no loyalty to the ones who care about that station. Sad cause I think Fly 92.1 could be HUGE in that area. They are too quick to blow people out or they chase them off.

BTW...moving to market 66 is a career mistake? Wow... You totally made the right move Holmes!!

I'm on the sales side of things and don't get why that is. I thought that someone would be given at least 12 months to give listeners/clients time to get used to it. What's your opinion dbnyce? Is it more blowout or chase? - educate me

 

[Rob]

Kraddick is probably Starguide.
(is he PREMIERE?)

I can hear him on three stations 100.7, 103.1 and 107.9 (dx)

Are the other morning shows in FWB local? I believe 93.3 is.

-Rob.

 

[dbnyce]

4ever_Radio:

One word....Politics. However that happens everywhere and not just in radio.

That's all I have to say about Qantum...

I love living there (FWB/Destin) and if i wasn't let go, I would still be there. I loved doing mornings.

Who do you sell for, 4ever_radio?

 

[Tibbs4]

Qantum has to be on life support in those markets in the panhandle. The ad revenues can't support the
cost of doing business, etc. It's amazingly quiet on the board about Qantum and Double O. That can't
speak well for their success rates. Back in "the day" (mid 90's) I seriously thought about flipping 98.1
from Classic Rock to something similar to Fly because WBLX was getting good numbers in the market.
Looks like the powerhouse 98.1 signal would have/could have been a player. To bad they won't let the Fly
do it's thing.

 

[Stewy]

Hey Tibbs, is anyone, I mean who is making a profit in the panhandle? I doubt any in PC, maybe Cumulus in Ft. Walton? But they sure paid Holladay well for the group. :-*

I think the boards are quiet in smaller markets 'cause the ones that haven't been fired are scared to speak while the ones that have been got bored with beating a dead horse(s). It used to be that people pointed out THE station/group that was clueless but now they are the norm and the ones doing a good job are the exception. Now reading the boards of the major markets they are getting what the rest of us experienced for the last few years. Revenues for the industry in general are down which means the big markets aren't propping up the whole.

How much longer until the blood letting really begins? Which group in the area do you think is going to swallow their pride first and dump (or be forced to by share holders, those wonderfully concerned citizens)?

FYI, I really miss the old classic rock on 98.1 but it is a huge mistake to program to my tastes.

 

[Tibbs4]

Stewy ---

The old 98one Classic Rock was the absolute BEST programmed station I have seen. The crap that is
really now Classic Hits mega- burned out is lame in comparison. The format did pretty well, actually top 3 behind
99 Rock, which proved the demo was strong for Rock. For some reason, actually I know the reason,
I was told from the second I met then owner Steve Riggs (a very good guy) that the station should
be Top 40. Plus, I just remembered that station being CHR 98 Surf. It was like it HAD to have a format
change. But, you just don't do it overnight or on a whim. The thought of bringing back a WPFM-stype
format on the Panhandle made me think it was best. But, interestingly, changing the format was like a
huge kick in the teeth to everybody who worked so hard to make 98one what it was and I loved the
cool and unusual playlist. A little thing called Hurricane Opal spelled its doom, decision made. They said
the station was a baby that should have never been born. I heard it 100 times. It was a kindred soul.
And after a series of blunders and bad owners, Ron Hale decided to ge a hold of this and not let go.
I dunno how he stays on the air. I'd love to know how. I can tell you the stations that are for sure
profitable in the FWB/Destin market --- 106.3. The rest, I seriously doubt exceed their expenses ---
92.1 (maybe) - 93.3 (???) 96.5 probably does okay, 98.1 nada; 99.5 yep; 100.3 (?) doubtful; Wave
doubtful; Mix 103.1 (doubtful) 104 (Jimmy's station does okay!!!) 105.5 (yes) 106.3 (very good) I am
sure I missed some real FWB/Destin stations, but it's late.


And yes, the Holladay's certainly maximized their purchase to Crumulass ...

 

[dtyson]

I was part of a mediation with 98.1 and I can tell you they are very profitable, it's just that the owner has a hard time managing money it appears. Plus, I would bet that a very large amount of his profits are being spent on attorneys! LOL! In 1997 the IRS return on 98.1 FM showed income of more than $2 million FYI.

 

[Poledo]

Even though 98 Surf was targeting Fort Walton, it was very popular all across south Alabama. I was shocked at how many cars had it blasting while cruising around Enterprise one Friday night. WPFM was also very popular in southeast Alabama and southwest Georgia. WPFM was probably the #1 top-40 station in Bainbridge, GA back in the 1980's. Now, with the saturation of the FM dial, you can hardly pick up WPFM in southwest Georgia.

 

[Tibbs4]

I was part of a mediation with 98.1 and I can tell you they are very profitable, it's just that the owner has a hard time managing money it appears. Plus, I would bet that a very large amount of his profits are being spent on attorneys! LOL! In 1997 the IRS return on 98.1 FM showed income of more than $2 million FYI.

Dtyson --- are you referring to the Affable ownership of 98.1 or are you talking about K-92 and the takeover from Ron Hale of 98.1? I cannot remember the years of that, but I don't think it was that early. I could quote some previous yearly figures, but it was not remotely that strong and had better ratings. Care to clarify? Maybe Hale did have it by 1997 and I am to burned out to remember. True on the attorneys fees. Geez. But
what about the IRS liens, tax issues, etc. I can't see how that station billed that money as a sports station, but have to admit, I'm impressed
if it did and saddened that with the potential to make a great income, it was thrown away in possible bad and unethical business practices.
Even with debt service, revenues like that could pay if off pretty quickly and you'd be set. How can it generate that kind of income, when
the word on the street is so bad? Wonder what it's billing now////

 

[Tibbs4]

Even though 98 Surf was targeting Fort Walton, it was very popular all across south Alabama. I was shocked at how many cars had it blasting while cruising around Enterprise one Friday night. WPFM was also very popular in southeast Alabama and southwest Georgia. WPFM was probably the #1 top-40 station in Bainbridge, GA back in the 1980's. Now, with the saturation of the FM dial, you can hardly pick up WPFM in southwest Georgia.

Wasn't WJAD rocking during that time out of Bainbridge? You're right PFM was the most unreal station to be heard everywhere. Did you ever
try listening to the cars cruising Front Beach Road on weekends? Every car had it blasting. Now, PFM doesn't penetrate PCB well. A little radiOO
company full of "radio executive experts" seems unconcerned how it sounds or carries, I guess. You're right about 98 Surf. It's signal was so
far from the beach that it blasted up to near Montgomery. As FWB filled up, it washed out, and time took it's toll on the equipment.

 

[Poledo]

Wasn't WJAD rocking during that time out of Bainbridge? You're right PFM was the most unreal station to be heard everywhere. Did you ever
try listening to the cars cruising Front Beach Road on weekends? Every car had it blasting. Now, PFM doesn't penetrate PCB well. A little radiOO
company full of "radio executive experts" seems unconcerned how it sounds or carries, I guess. You're right about 98 Surf. It's signal was so
far from the beach that it blasted up to near Montgomery. As FWB filled up, it washed out, and time took it's toll on the equipment.

Yeah, WJAD (then 97.3), was big in Bainbridge. Back then they had a monster signal that covered everything from De Funiak Springs down to Apalachicola and who knows how far north and east they reached. The music wasn't the best, but the station was good anyway. My mind is cloudy right now, but I think WJAD was more of a rock station than a top-40 station. WPFM had the best music. Everyone who could pick it up inland made frequent trips to the beach, so it didn't seem like an out-of-market station. It was THE station in southwest Georgia and southeast Alabama back in the day.

A station I don't think I've ever seen anyone mentioned on here before is WDJR 96.9 circa 1990. If any area station was better than WXCR it was 96.9, that station just didn't get the respect it deserved. That was the best rock station I think I've ever heard. It wasn't around long, but they had a lock on southwest Georgia before they flipped to country.

 

[4ever_radio]

4ever_Radio:

One word....Politics. However that happens everywhere and not just in radio.

That's all I have to say about Qantum...

I love living there (FWB/Destin) and if i wasn't let go, I would still be there. I loved doing mornings.

Who do you sell for, 4ever_radio?

CC Tampa. Thanks for the info.

 

[McCloskey981]

WTKE went sports Feb. 3, 1999...then as a part of Capstar.

Obviously, I won't say what it bills now...but I doubt that 1997 tax returns were a part of any legal proceedings. Crawford probably owned it then, dunno, I was a junior in highschool then. However, there's not one station in the market billing 2 million that would have changed formats.

The day I was hired (2/5/99), I was told to not get used to it.

I was there when AM/FM was going to flip it, it wasn't going to survive at Clear Channel, and Star obviously wanted to change the format, which is why they bought it.

Yet, we approach 10 years soon. I was 19 when I started there, and I've seen some things get royally screwed up (Caused a lot of them myself). I've also been told that inbound calls in the first week made a year of WQAM look like Pocatello, ID.

I've been approached by many, many groups. Declined a network gig in Chicago because it didn't pay me what I was making here. Rarely do the discussions even get that far, because inside this format, there aren't many stations that get the talk we do. Ask about us at Fox, ESPN, SNR - why is WTKE on their radar and WNSP in Mobile isn't? I Even took a job for a year where I saw true mismanagment by a company that had a spotless reputation (Simmons).

There are 3 sports stations in Dallas. About 38 in LA, three in NYC for most of the last decade, a pair in Detroit, Austin, Pittsburgh... yet only one here. Ever stop to wonder why that is, when there's obviously an over-abundance of signals?

I've read accusations here, seen statements there. Even seen people biting the hand that feeds.

Yet at the end of the day, if we receive a shipment of pink trucks, that is what we hit the street with.

We're not Timex, selling watches by the hundreds of thousands. But who brags about having a Timex?

And while everyone else sits around waiting for the fax machine to send in the next order from Katz, we'll be out there getting results.

Now, I'd love to throw more vague statements about the station out there, but I have to be on the air in less than 30 hours, so I have prep work to do. My stuff isn't 30 pages on a fax machine at 5:45.

I'd leave you with some Mark Twain, but "greatly exaggerated" might be an understatement.

-Adam McCloskey