Look out...another format change for WKOS! I'll bet the Rabbit is shaking in it's boots!!!!!..NOT!
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GREAT COUNTRY 104.9
- Thread starter cartercountyradio
- Start date
the marv said:3000 watts vs 100,000 watts. No such battle to think of unless they put Great Country on 101.5 with equal power.
How long have I been calling for this?
The point about wattage is legitimate. But can the station be heard in all of the Tri-Cities?
I mean sure, you'd like to be heard in Marion and Church Hill. But surely the station could be a factor as long as it can be heard where the people really are if it is marketed well.
The point about wattage is legitimate. But can the station be heard in all of the Tri-Cities?
I mean sure, you'd like to be heard in Marion and Church Hill. But surely the station could be a factor as long as it can be heard where the people really are if it is marketed well.
J
jamesgang2
Guest
Not any talk right now but lets just wait and see what happens after the 10,000 song marathon is over...could be interesting...................
All I know is that in the late '80s, WXBQ was still playing country but it also had competition. US 99 and WJCW, for instance.
And WQUT was easily the top dog in those days.
Now, it could be said the late '80s weren't exactly a boom for country music. It was before Garth Brooks hit and in its last days before becoming more of a modern adult contemporary genre. Meanwhile the Top 40, which WQUT was back then, was not overcome with hip-hop and had a heavy rock influence (Bon Jovi, Guns N' Roses, Def Leppard, hair band ballads), thus making it more friendly to local listeners.
But I'm not sure country is booming right now. And WXBQ has competition once again.
Questions-
A- Do ratings in the Tri-Cities even matter? Salesmen seem to sell in this market based on old contacts and reputations rather than "we will get you X amount of listeners" or "this talent/format is the next hot thing." Which is why talent in this market seems treated as a disposable commodity in this market; much more than elsewhere, and why radio is so conservative in this market instead of creative.
I don't even think the Gray cluster subscribes to the book. If WXBQ drops to less than a 20 rating (I don't know what their cume is) but is still beating everyone by 5-10 points, does it matter?
B- That said, the other Bristol Broadcasting stations aren't necessarily programmed that well. The sports station goes on auto pilot rather than attempts to be a player. The talk station always has the reputation of being second best and can't beat out its AM competition. Even WXBQ has ignored emerging country acts simply because their PD didn't like them.
Who will program this new country station? I would have more confidence in someone from outside the market- a corporate suit with a successful pattern or an Andy Travis type that would come in from who knows where with a bunch of new ideas- than anyone they have in that cluster who is set in their ways.
C- There are plenty of things that this new station could do that would make them a player. Would they be willing to lure one of WXBQ's main talents- say Reggie Neel or one of the morning guys- away with more money, security, or prestige? The rest of the talent at WXBQ won't lure anyone away from 96.9 if signed, their impact would be like an expansion baseball team signing a utility infielder as a free agent, but luring one of the station's stars away would be huge.
What about marketing? Billboards and remotes are standard operating procedure, but I might consider putting the Vols on 104.9 during football season. They used to be, and I can't believe that the listeners in Flag Pond are make or break. Maybe the Vol Network would balk if they were taken off the signal of WQUT, but if there was ever a time where a station could do it now is the time with UT football struggling. Such a move would lure many listeners to the station.
My guess is signal and listener habits will still allow WXBQ to prevail. And you know WXBQ is going to respond with a marketing push now (at least they will if they are alive).
But if the new station has life, could 104.9 and 101.5 swap formats, as some on this board have theorized?
And WQUT was easily the top dog in those days.
Now, it could be said the late '80s weren't exactly a boom for country music. It was before Garth Brooks hit and in its last days before becoming more of a modern adult contemporary genre. Meanwhile the Top 40, which WQUT was back then, was not overcome with hip-hop and had a heavy rock influence (Bon Jovi, Guns N' Roses, Def Leppard, hair band ballads), thus making it more friendly to local listeners.
But I'm not sure country is booming right now. And WXBQ has competition once again.
Questions-
A- Do ratings in the Tri-Cities even matter? Salesmen seem to sell in this market based on old contacts and reputations rather than "we will get you X amount of listeners" or "this talent/format is the next hot thing." Which is why talent in this market seems treated as a disposable commodity in this market; much more than elsewhere, and why radio is so conservative in this market instead of creative.
I don't even think the Gray cluster subscribes to the book. If WXBQ drops to less than a 20 rating (I don't know what their cume is) but is still beating everyone by 5-10 points, does it matter?
B- That said, the other Bristol Broadcasting stations aren't necessarily programmed that well. The sports station goes on auto pilot rather than attempts to be a player. The talk station always has the reputation of being second best and can't beat out its AM competition. Even WXBQ has ignored emerging country acts simply because their PD didn't like them.
Who will program this new country station? I would have more confidence in someone from outside the market- a corporate suit with a successful pattern or an Andy Travis type that would come in from who knows where with a bunch of new ideas- than anyone they have in that cluster who is set in their ways.
C- There are plenty of things that this new station could do that would make them a player. Would they be willing to lure one of WXBQ's main talents- say Reggie Neel or one of the morning guys- away with more money, security, or prestige? The rest of the talent at WXBQ won't lure anyone away from 96.9 if signed, their impact would be like an expansion baseball team signing a utility infielder as a free agent, but luring one of the station's stars away would be huge.
What about marketing? Billboards and remotes are standard operating procedure, but I might consider putting the Vols on 104.9 during football season. They used to be, and I can't believe that the listeners in Flag Pond are make or break. Maybe the Vol Network would balk if they were taken off the signal of WQUT, but if there was ever a time where a station could do it now is the time with UT football struggling. Such a move would lure many listeners to the station.
My guess is signal and listener habits will still allow WXBQ to prevail. And you know WXBQ is going to respond with a marketing push now (at least they will if they are alive).
But if the new station has life, could 104.9 and 101.5 swap formats, as some on this board have theorized?
Excellent post. Only time will tell.
On allaboutcountry.com they are asking for T&R's for future on-air openings. Sure wish I could get a mid-day or PM Drive back home and at least butt ears with the Rabbit!
I was hoping it would, but I think XBQ has it pretty much tied up. At first, Cumulus had advertised looking for talent for 104.9...but from what I've gathered, they are still just a jukebox. People don't invest in a station that is just a jukebox. Listeners are like family to people like Reggie Neel, Trags, and other personalities from other stations like Steve Mann, Taylor Morgan, Elva Marie on the HVBC stations, and people like Jeri George on QUT. I'm gonna get down off my soapbox now before I piss somebody majorly off.
If they are going to operate the station as a jukebox/music intensive outlet, then in my opinion they went in the wrong direction. Instead of coming after 'XBQ with an older "90s to Now" format, I would have went with a younger, CHR skewing country format. ("Fresh Country, 20 in a Row", etc., with nothing but currents/recurrents, with an uptempo approach & aggressive energetic imaging and jingles).
BRH- Not a bad idea.
But the problem is that not too many radio people in the market think contemporary.
But the problem is that not too many radio people in the market think contemporary.
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