Gen-X Format In Columbus Needs Relaunched

[imadethisusernamemyslef]

They made a good move putting it in Columbus. But I think that they missed out on making it a huge sucess. It is sitting on 106.7 right now, going through songs like a iPod on a not very good signal.

Here's what I think Clear Channel should do right now, other people on this forum mentioned these:

- Move it to 93.3. I am pretty sure CC would survive letting Sunny 95 have that audience.

- Rebrand it as 93X. I see WCOL used to be a hit station in the 90s. It would make sense cause their target audience would remember 92X. And 92X probably played most of the songs they are playing.

- Get rid of the Hair Band songs.

- Add some DJs. Maybe voice tracked during 6am - 7pm. And at 7pm - 12am a local DJ. Late night can be the way it is now.

- Add some shows. Maybe a 90s pop show weekdays at 9pm. A grunge show on weekends. Just some ideas.

- As for 106.7? Turn it into a Hip-hop/R&B station. It could go up against Power 107.5. One that plays 25% new music, 40% '00s, 30% '90s, 5% '80s. Or maybe an Adult Urban station.

What do you think about all of this?

 

[dawg4life]

Sounds great but this is Columbus and for whatever reason it will never happen. So basically, don't hold your breathe.

 

[cbusradioman]

Gen-X HAS DJs and specialty shows as you suggest. Look at their website. www.genxcolumbus.com Looks like there are jocks on from 6am to 6pm. In addition, I heard Rick Dees on this weekend (Saturday morning). His show seemed to clash their overall laid-back image, but who am I do judge? Their website also lists Static Beach as a Sunday show. If you've heard Static Beach before, you'll know that it really fits on a Gen-X-targeted station.

I totally agree about the hair band thing. For me, when I hear Poison or Great White, the station suddenly sounds old and tired.

As far as a move and re-branding, I agree AND disagree. Here's why: I fit VERY comfortably into the target audience that 106.7 is obviously trying to reach. Moving the station to a better signal would not affect the way I listen at all. The ONLY time I ever actually listen to 106.7FM is in the car and I've never had any problem with hearing the station. I can listen with no problem downtown...and I can listen with no problem all the way to Kenton to the NW, WCH to the SW and Mansfield to the NE. Just about the same coverage as 93.3. When I'm not in the car, I don't even go near a radio. I listen strictly online and on I Heart Radio. I imagine I'm not alone.

As far as re-branding goes, I think it would do well with Columbus natives, but would prove meaningless to folks who have moved into the city over the years. The majority of Columbus's population growth happened post-92X if I'm not mistaken. I've been in Cbus for about 10 years and prior to reading posts on here, had never heard of 92X (and let me point out that I'm an AVID radio fan). I believe that Gen-X is a pretty straight-forward way to brand the station.

Just my 2-cents.

 

[lovejamminoldies]

I agree 100% about both moving it and making 1067 a competitor to Power. This is the perfect time for any station to attack Power, while they're weak! They went from #1 in the city to barely top 10? Sad. 1067 has gotten a little better, but overall it's really boring to me. I'd do a variety pop station of some sort, but you know.... they don't want anything that'd damage WNCI. That's why you haven't seen a urban or rhythmic

 

[talkers]

I don't understand why people think 106.7 is a weak signal? I have no problems picking them up, even around the RF hotspot WBNS-TV's towers. I can get the station well south of Columbus (down to Jeffersonville), and can get them quite far north of Columbus too (nearly to Mansfield). Maybe they are the weakling of the Class B's in this town, but they still have a very good signal compare to most of the rim stations in this market!

 

[the marv]

92X WXGt was more popular during the hairband days of the 80's than they were in the 90's. As a matter of fact in 1990 the owners at the time Great Trails switched them back to their old call letters WCOL and went oldies as Cool 92 which lasted until they were sold to their rival WNCI's owner Nationwide Communications. After they bought it we got full coverage country station in Columbus due to the ratings success they had with WGAR a country station they had in Cleveland. 93X will probably remind the ones that listened to radio in the 80's of 92X than the genx generation.

 

[lovejamminoldies]

I don't understand why people think 106.7 is a weak signal? I have no problems picking them up, even around the RF hotspot WBNS-TV's towers. I can get the station well south of Columbus (down to Jeffersonville), and can get them quite far north of Columbus too (nearly to Mansfield). Maybe they are the weakling of the Class B's in this town, but they still have a very good signal compare to most of the rim stations in this market!

I actually agree with you. The signal is very unique and has a lot of power both north and south of Columbus. There's certain parts within the city that people complain about. Plus, it's 7300 watts compared to WLZT's 32,000 which can reach the same places but with almost 5x the power. So Lite FM has 32,000 watts but still isn't performing well? It's never going to beat Sunny 95 except during XMAS time. I don't really think Gen X would do any better on 93.3, but it'd sound a lot better as 93X, and could be marketed a lot better. Gen X is making CC money, but it's time to dump WLZT...

 

[imadethisusernamemyslef]

92X WXGt was more popular during the hairband days of the 80's than they were in the 90's. As a matter of fact in 1990 the owners at the time Great Trails switched them back to their old call letters WCOL and went oldies as Cool 92 which lasted until they were sold to their rival WNCI's owner Nationwide Communications. After they bought it we got full coverage country station in Columbus due to the ratings success they had with WGAR a country station they had in Cleveland. 93X will probably remind the ones that listened to radio in the 80's of 92X than the genx generation.

Oh, for some reason I was thinking that the country music started in 1998 or 1999 and that they were 92X for about 10 - 12 years before that. I don't know why I was thinking that. ???

 

[imadethisusernamemyslef]

Gen-X HAS DJs and specialty shows as you suggest. Look at their website. www.genxcolumbus.com Looks like there are jocks on from 6am to 6pm. In addition, I heard Rick Dees on this weekend (Saturday morning). His show seemed to clash their overall laid-back image, but who am I do judge? Their website also lists Static Beach as a Sunday show. If you've heard Static Beach before, you'll know that it really fits on a Gen-X-targeted station.

I totally agree about the hair band thing. For me, when I hear Poison or Great White, the station suddenly sounds old and tired.

As far as a move and re-branding, I agree AND disagree. Here's why: I fit VERY comfortably into the target audience that 106.7 is obviously trying to reach. Moving the station to a better signal would not affect the way I listen at all. The ONLY time I ever actually listen to 106.7FM is in the car and I've never had any problem with hearing the station. I can listen with no problem downtown...and I can listen with no problem all the way to Kenton to the NW, WCH to the SW and Mansfield to the NE. Just about the same coverage as 93.3. When I'm not in the car, I don't even go near a radio. I listen strictly online and on I Heart Radio. I imagine I'm not alone.

As far as re-branding goes, I think it would do well with Columbus natives, but would prove meaningless to folks who have moved into the city over the years. The majority of Columbus's population growth happened post-92X if I'm not mistaken. I've been in Cbus for about 10 years and prior to reading posts on here, had never heard of 92X (and let me point out that I'm an AVID radio fan). I believe that Gen-X is a pretty straight-forward way to brand the station.

Just my 2-cents.

Opps, I have not listened to the station very long for a while, so I didn't know about the DJs and new show on Sundays. I was wrong about the dates of 92X being around to. I guess I should really do some up-to-date research before posting. :-X Oh well, 93X would still be a good branding for a '90 s hit music station, even though I'm sure CC is probably never going to put it on 93.3.

It looks like Gen-X Radio 106.7 has been getting some improvements though. But getting rid of the hair bands would be a good change for the station. Hopefully this station doesn't continue to lose ratings.

 

[Nu_Roo_2]

To all the people saying they experience no interference on Gen-X in such-and-such area, note that:
(1) This can vary a LOT by individual radio engineering and quality
(2) This can vary a LOT by the specific route you take
(3) This can vary a LOT by daily variation in atmospheric conditions (and mornings and latenights tend to be best)
(4) This can vary a LOT by where you are listening if indoors.  Even where you are in a given building can make a difference.
(5) This can vary a LOT by other factors,...the above is just some of the major ones. 

Be cautious in over-generalizing your own experience to others.  And note that a station can have plenty of range (Gen-X is pretty decent on that count) and still have problems.  Cows don't carry PPMs (yet).

As long as we're talking Columbus metro, 106.7 is far more susceptible to such variations than the big signals, including 93.3.  And in many parts of Franklin county, 106.7 is far more susceptible to such variations than even the Class A's that are on the  Dispatch tower.  That's a fact.  Whether Gen-X is preforming to expectation or not, it would have better ratings with a better signal.  The same applied to their previous alternative format.

I know I'm not imagining it when I drive north on High from downtown and I am getting some stereo fade and mild static on 106.7, until well north of Morse road.  If it's happening to me, it's happening to some (not "all") others, even if it's not happening to everyone in the self-selected sample here.  As I've mentioned before, I've stayed in a hotel at Crosswoods (23 and 270) twice -- top (3rd) floor -- and both times had to diddle with the antenna to get 106.7 to come in properly while 93.3 and 105.7 were booming.  Another time, in a different top-floor room at the same hotel, it wasn't has bad -- which once again demonstrates the problem with being too quick to assume "the signal's fine" just because you've never personally had any problems with it.

106.7's signal has some definite deficiencies, which some people will run across and others won't.   That DEFINITELY, DEFINITELY limits their ratings potential, regardless of what they broadcast.

FYI, re the area growth comment, most of the Columbus area's growth came before 92X started, especially if you don't count municipal and metro area boundary re-definitions as "growth."

 

[imadethisusernamemyslef]

Sounds great but this is Columbus and for whatever reason it will never happen. So basically, don't hold your breathe.

Yeah I am not holding it. This is just one of those "Awesome Columbus Radio Changes" ideas that we all get on this forum and bring up.

 

[Dave Sarnoff]

Sounds great but this is Columbus and for whatever reason it will never happen. So basically, don't hold your breathe.

Yeah I am not holding it. This is just one of those "Awesome Columbus Radio Changes" ideas that we all get on this forum and bring up.

I wouldn't hold your breath, either.

 

[imadethisusernamemyslef]

Alright guys, this is what all in Columbus I would change, if for some reason they put me in charge at all the Columbus radio stations.

93.3 - 93X - Gen-X Music
97.1 - WBNS-FM - Sports Radio during day / General Talk radio at night
103.9 - NOW 103.9 - CHR
105.7 - Mega 105.7 - Spanish
106.7 - 106.7 Tha Bomb - Urban

103.9 as a hit music station would never be a competiter to WNCI with that signal. But if Power 107.5 got ratings that well on thier signal like they used to, it could get decent ratings.