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G-Rock

Relax, fanboys...

My God. The passion and enthusiasm is coming across crystal clear and I appreciate it. But can I just say something here? Too many of you folks just don't get how radio works. Press owns this radio station and they weren't making enough money with it. Now you don't like it and that is indeed sad (it's happened to all of us) but regardless of you coming on here and saying things about how "stupid" Press is and that the CEO deserves spontaneous eye bleeding and how this move will surely drive the company out of business in short order (get real), it doesn't change the fact that they will make more money with the jukebox CHR than they were with the Alternative format. They won't even need to get the sort of ratings any of you is speculating about and I smile every time I see you guys talking about how they'll never beat Z100 or WPST or whoever. Press has absolutely no interest in beating Z100 (which is in New York City, BTW) or WPST (which is in Trenton, BTW).

As I said, Press owns this station. They were sick of losing money with it. The only hope you have of seeing another format replace the jukebox CHR is if Press sells the station. Now for a glimmer of hope: A lot of times, when a company makes a change like this, it's to bolster the place a little bit in advance of putting it on the block. But if they do sell it, I must warn you: the chance of an Alternative format returning to the station is minuscule at best. If it were something that looked workable in the market, don't you think someone else would have jumped on it by now?

I'm not trying to be a dick. This is the reality of this imploding industry. It's been all about money for as long as anyone can remember but the "big guys" (like Clear Channel) really sent the industry on a slip & slide toward death, changing the whole model (for the worst) and forcing the smaller guys (like Press) to follow suit. I know it sucks. But this is the way it is.
 
Re: Relax, fanboys...

Soon Yi CIV.V said:
My God. The passion and enthusiasm is coming across crystal clear and I appreciate it. But can I just say something here? Too many of you folks just don't get how radio works. Press owns this radio station and they weren't making enough money with it. Now you don't like it and that is indeed sad (it's happened to all of us) but regardless of you coming on here and saying things about how "stupid" Press is and that the CEO deserves spontaneous eye bleeding and how this move will surely drive the company out of business in short order (get real), it doesn't change the fact that they will make more money with the jukebox CHR than they were with the Alternative format. They won't even need to get the sort of ratings any of you is speculating about and I smile every time I see you guys talking about how they'll never beat Z100 or WPST or whoever. Press has absolutely no interest in beating Z100 (which is in New York City, BTW) or WPST (which is in Trenton, BTW).

As I said, Press owns this station. They were sick of losing money with it. The only hope you have of seeing another format replace the jukebox CHR is if Press sells the station. Now for a glimmer of hope: A lot of times, when a company makes a change like this, it's to bolster the place a little bit in advance of putting it on the block. But if they do sell it, I must warn you: the chance of an Alternative format returning to the station is minuscule at best. If it were something that looked workable in the market, don't you think someone else would have jumped on it by now?

I'm not trying to be a dick. This is the reality of this imploding industry. It's been all about money for as long as anyone can remember but the "big guys" (like Clear Channel) really sent the industry on a slip & slide toward death, changing the whole model (for the worst) and forcing the smaller guys (like Press) to follow suit. I know it sucks. But this is the way it is.
Click to expand...

You're absolutely right. To put it another way: one must ask "what is Radio's product? This is a free market, what do they sell?"

It's not music - they don't make money from that. If they're playing the right music to the right audience, they make money because that audience tells the ratings services they're listening, and advertisers pay to be put in front of that audience...

That's right. Radio's customers are its advertisers. Their product is the attention of their listeners. The customer, by the way, is always right, but the listener is only right if they can prove that they are listening.

And once you understand that, everything else falls into place.

That said, if a station can, for a low cost, expand listenership to a group of people they'd normally have no business attracting, it's in their best interest to do it.

(Helloooo, HD2.)
 
Press Communications is going to learn a lesson the hard way. Hit 106 may have an allure to advertisers in the short term, but I am confident that it will be short-lived. Pop music appeals to very young people with short attention spans and limited spending power. Most of Hit's listeners will almost certainly change the station when ads come on, and they can also tune out if a song comes on that they don't care for and switch to one of the countless other CHRs. G Rock listeners knew that there wasn't another FM station that appealed to them, and they locked it on 106.3/106.5.

Reality will set in when the next ratings book arrives and Hit 106 is pulling lower ratings than G Rock ever had. This change was just another very impulsive move from a company with a long history of them. From trying to convince us that Pink and Sheryl Crow were "alternative" in 2001, to spinning Santana and Norah Jones in 2004, to making Nickelback and 3 Doors Down core artists when "G Rock Radio" launched the following year, Press needs to accept that they turned a lot of listeners off over the years. If Press didn't give WHTG a "Lilith Fair" makeover and used the approach that we heard in 2008, I guarantee the ratings would have never fallen and G Rock would still be on the air today.
 
I almost feel like you're joking. But if not, please refer to my last post. It explains away everything you just said.
 
We understand what you are saying and we understand how radio works. Clients pay money to here there commercials on air thats how they make money and with the correct format you can do quite well yeah we get that but the blame for the failure is all on press not g rock.

It is a given that the alt format is not doing all that great nationwide but it is still a viable format i mean indie 1031 in los angeles lasted five years and some change and owned by a hispanic broadcasting company so that has to say something. Entravision never told them how to program it thats where press screwed up when they took over 106.3.

They rebranded it to be a commercial alternative station but kept tinkering with it and tweaking this and that and just drove off listeners so they have noone to blame but themselves.It is obvious they do not belong in the broadcasting industry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now that aside chr which i like was a horrific choice. Why not smooth jazz?Why not fill a hole in the market
 
Soon Yi CIV.V said:
I almost feel like you're joking. But if not, please refer to my last post. It explains away everything you just said.
Click to expand...

Nah, I think the thrust of it is "Count on Press to get this wrong - at least as wrong as they got G-Rock for most of their ownership of it." It doesn't challenge much that you said - it prejudges Press' execution, not the general landscape, and based on Press' track record, my money's with SoulCrusher. (Though I don't think the button pushing when a commercial comes on really matters - it matters what those listeners remember listening to in that quarter hour, and how they mark it down in their diaries. What's easier to remember: Z-100 or Hit106.3?)

I think Press thinks they can push a button - in this case, the one marked "CHR" - and everything will be alright; it certainly tracks with their behavior in the past. From what I can see, which is admittedly non-omniscient, it appears that what they're doing isn't making anyone re-set their presets. (Which gives me another laugh from their open letter on the day of the protest - after blaming the listeners for not being countable enough, they suggested you could still tune in to hear your favorite DJs, playing music you don't like. Great marketing, that.)

But maybe it doesn't have to make a lot of money. Maybe it just needs to save them money and let them tread water for a while. Certainly it's easier to sell a station whose format potential advertisers associate with "wild success", even if it doesn't actually draw listeners. (Remember, they're the customer, so they're always right.)

I think they'll get a bye in their first book - on January 19, they reset their rating to "0.0" - but I also agree that there are so many options in this market for so many different flavors of CHR, they're competing for a slice of an already well-sliced pie. Their second book will be interesting.
 
Re: Relax, fanboys...

softmachine said:
hubcity said:
(Helloooo, HD2.)
Click to expand...

Yes, let's move from few listeners to none.
Click to expand...

Well, there's that. But ya gotta start somewhere...besides, none, when measured against other stations whose ratings are also non-existent, isn't a bad rating at all.
 
Re: Relax, fanboys...

hubcity said:
softmachine said:
hubcity said:
(Helloooo, HD2.)
Click to expand...

Yes, let's move from few listeners to none.
Click to expand...

Well, there's that. But ya gotta start somewhere...besides, none, when measured against other stations whose ratings are also non-existent, isn't a bad rating at all.
Click to expand...

That and handing out fixed-frequency HD radios at the GSP tolls might do something. You can even put an Altrok logo on them.
 
Re: Relax, fanboys...

softmachine said:
hubcity said:
softmachine said:
hubcity said:
(Helloooo, HD2.)
Click to expand...

Yes, let's move from few listeners to none.
Click to expand...

Well, there's that. But ya gotta start somewhere...besides, none, when measured against other stations whose ratings are also non-existent, isn't a bad rating at all.
Click to expand...

That and handing out fixed-frequency HD radios at the GSP tolls might do something. You can even put an Altrok logo on them.
Click to expand...

Eh, probably have as much luck lobbing them at the drivers with EZ-Pass...
 
I actually listened a little bit to "Pork Roll & Eggs" just out of curiosity.

For starters: Press Communications' transformation of G Rock to "BENNY Radio" is now complete.

Much has been made of the New York sensibilities of the local personalities on the new station. I also noticed that when they played a song by Lady GaGa, a prerecorded ID introduced her as "New York's Lady GaGa". I don't think most people in this market care if someone is from New York, especially when WHTG/WBBO was once home to a format that gave airtime to plenty of acts from New Jersey.

But it's not about us. It's about giving the "BENNIES" something to listen to when they're in the area and Z-100 doesn't come in well. And though it's not local aside from mornings and drive-time, it's musically identical to Z-100, so I'd say it fits the bill as a replacement nicely for these people.

On a related note, Matt Murray, who was known for his often hilarious jokes about "BENNIES", is no longer with WHTG/WBBO. I'm sure many a "Seaside Tony" is happy about that decision.

But back to "Pork Roll & Eggs". Not my cup of tea, not outside the box, just not creative enough, but appealing enough to the audience they're trying to reach now. What I heard was plenty of celebrity discussion, which is an instant turn-off for me. But then again, I'm not the demo they're trying to reach now. I don't wear lots of Drakkar Noir, gold chains and mousse, don't drive a Corvette/Camaro/IROC-Z that my parents bought for me, don't hit the clubs in a sleeveless undershirt and don't get into a fight with someone that says to me "Yo, were you starin' at my chick?". Then there's the female equivalent, with their pierced belly buttons, lower back tattoos, hairspray and perfume combination that you can smell from 50 feet away, 10 pounds of makeup, and of course they also get into fights and throw garbage & cigarettes out of their car windows with the same frequency as their male counterparts.

But I digress. I'm not happy about the decision, but best of luck to Press, Matt Knight, the new morning show and the new station.
 
SoulCrusher said:
I actually listened a little bit to "Pork Roll & Eggs" just out of curiosity.

For starters: Press Communications' transformation of G Rock to "BENNY Radio" is now complete.

Much has been made of the New York sensibilities of the local personalities on the new station. I also noticed that when they played a song by Lady GaGa, a prerecorded ID introduced her as "New York's Lady GaGa". I don't think most people in this market care if someone is from New York, especially when WHTG/WBBO was once home to a format that gave airtime to plenty of acts from New Jersey.

But it's not about us. It's about giving the "BENNIES" something to listen to when they're in the area and Z-100 doesn't come in well. And though it's not local aside from mornings and drive-time, it's musically identical to Z-100, so I'd say it fits the bill as a replacement nicely for these people.
Click to expand...


Wooooooooooww...and I thought that 96.7 Party was "a station FOR the bennies" as they said, since it was a DANCE STATION..... ::) *ahem* even though I broadcasted the online station FROM monmouth county..Oakhurst to be exact. anyway....if Press really wanted to give the "bennies" something...you'd expect a Pulse 106.3/106.5, or maybe a KTU knockoff on 10.3/106.5.
 
There are talks that CBS is about to launch a new CHR in New York in the near future (either WWFS or WXRK).....CBS has already pulled one trigger and is launching KLSX "Amp 97.1" in LA on Friday.....Even though I am a rock fan I would LOVE to see a new CHR in NYC just so that Hit 106 can have more competition setting itself for even more possible failure with their satellite driven CHR format.
 
You know, it's really sad to see people sit here and wish failure on people who are working their butts off.

"Even though I am a rock fan I would LOVE to see a new CHR in NYC just so that Hit 106 can have more competition setting itself for even more possible failure with their satellite driven CHR format."

How shallow of a statement is this? "I am a rock fan, but I sure hope ANOTHER rock station goes off, just so that a particular station that I hate can fail." Brilliant thinking.

I always had a good amount of respect for the people on this board, but when you wish doom and demise on a building of very hard working people...that's quite pathetic. Some of you talk and don't think before making a statement. Why don't you just wish that all of the people in our building have no food on our tables anymore? So when I say that we're going to begin programming in house, what's the reason for you hoping we fail then? Spite?

You know, for all the differences I've had with SoulCrusher for the past 9 years, at least he wished us (and me personally) the best of luck. That's ALOT more than I can say for most others who have already marked us for failure barely one month into this. Why do you want that? So you can feel good about yourselves and give a pat on your own back?

In the end, what do you stand to gain? An "I told you so?"

Some people tend to forget as they sit behind their keyboards that there are REAL people here, with real emotions and feelings...and those people read some of these harsh things being said. Criticism is one thing and I'm all for hearing it whether it's good, bad, or indifferent. Wishing for people to be unemployed or praying for their ultimate failure is another.

Of course, there's always that old saying of "if you don't like what you hear...", well you know the rest. And if someone's not listening to begin with, then why would they care if we succeed or fail?

Matt Knight
Assistant Program Director/Music Director/Afternoons
Hit 106
 
No offense to G-Rock fans (I miss it just as much as you do and I even went to the protest), but the negative attention of the new format on 106.3/5 probably gave free advertising to the station to people who like hit music. There is at least one person that added 106.3 to his presets who never listened to GRock when it existed because they found out there's a new CHR station in town. If there were no protest, there would be no free publicity for Hit 106, even though it's negative press.
I kind of like the music on Hit 106 (lots of hits I heard in my high school years that fell off the charts) and the audio processing is certainly unique. I just wish it didn't displace GRock.
It's nice to hear a familiar voice in the afternoons (Matt Knight). In this economy, I'm glad he kept his job with Press, even though he may not like the music he plays. Elyse, the organizer of the protest and the anti-Hit 106 movement, stopped fighting against Hit 106 and the advertiser boycott, because that would ultimately hurt Matt Knight. I think most of us want to see Hit 106 fail and revert back to GRock, just like Jack FM failed and went back to CBS-FM. We don't want to see Matt Knight or any of the DJs lose their jobs over this.
 
Its so funny that radio seems to pride itself on listener loyalty...."you be loyal to us...we are to you"...
GROCK seems to appear to have that loyalty ...from the listeners (as is very evident on Facebook) and now they are being chastised for showing it? Listeners LISTEN ...we are not thinking about if someone is working or not working...we just listen....(to take away from our own job troubles!!) .and if you take our stations away, and we stand up for it, seems to me that a station has done its job. No offense to anyone "working their asses off", but I am a radio listener and I want to be entertained on a music station with music that I like. I really dont care who is working there or not. Replace my station with a piece of crap...(and this is not directed at GROCK personally as I don't really get the station in all that much in Somerset, but liked it alot when I could) and I am really not concerned how hard the NEW station personell is working....come on....give us listeners a break.
Ask for loyalty...and guess what....good stations may actually get it....Deal with it!
 
The loyalty shown by GRock listeners on Facebook is amazing. That group has over 10,000 members in less than a month of GRock's death. The Pulse 87 facebook group has about 6,000 in a year, and it's also promoted on the air and on the main Pulse 87 website. The GRock group had no media promotion.
 
BigBoy -

Show me where I questioned the loyalty of any G Rock listeners? My original point is just showing simple human respect.

I, more than ANYONE, was quite moved by the fact that people would stand outside in 30 degree weather on a Saturday afternoon and let their voices be heard about G Rock. In fact, I drove to our offices and watched everything happen that day. It was a very emotional day and to see that kind of love for G Rock was truly amazing. Does that not show loyalty on both ends?

I'm talking about the here and now. You say "you are a radio listener and want to be entertained." We are not robots in this building. Do you not think that we haven't been through an emotional rollercoaster ourselves? You're a listener of the radio station. We WORK there. We put a ton of effort into making G Rock what it was and in the end, unfortunately, the efforts came up a bit short.

How do you think we feel knowing that for all the hard work we put into a project, that it didn't pan out? You think that doesn't have an emotional toll? People on this radio board are obviously passionate (to an extent) about radio. I'm sure people here who have been through a format flip at a station they truly loved (this is my SECOND one by the way, with the first one being B98.5) have had some emotions running wild for a while after. You'll notice also that most people don't actually SURVIVE a format flip. That being proven by some of my friends who no longer work here. Have you watched a friend lose a job? It sucks doesn't it?

You say I chastise people for being loyal? Wrong. Did I ever say "It's gone, get over it and shut up?" No. I still have very good, personal friends in this building who's jobs and livelihood depend on the success of this new station. You don't have to "care" who works here. Just have some respect for those who DO.

God knows I wouldn't wish anyone in YOUR family or group of friends to lose a job in 2009. It's RESPECT.
 
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