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GSO/W-S/HP WINTER BOOK

I think it's obvious that CC has done some research and found that Aunt Eloise is positively perceived by the country listeners in this market. Therefore, they're putting all their bucks behind promoting what they feel is their "ace in the whole". Eloise is definitely well-known in this market and really their only differentiation with the Wolf. They're pounding the message on TV right now, and that's because we're currently in the Spring book ratings period. The Spring and Fall Arbitrons are CRITICAL to agency business. I think the problem with the Aunt Eloise recognition is that while she's well-known in the market, I think the novelty has worn off. I also think Aunt Eloise is tired...the spark just isn't there anymore, and the listeners know it. But, it's the best WTQR has right now so they're doing what they need to do. I personally don't think the Wolf is going to win this battle. There's just not enough of something different there. I think their ratings are about where they're going to remain for the duration. It's also interesting that the #3 little Country station, WIST "Country Legends 98.3" went back up in this book, even though WTQR was down and the Wolf was flat. They seem to have carved themselves a place. Good for them! At least they offer something different!
 
MaskMan, I think you're right on. CC is doing what needs to be done. NOW IS the time to promote for the spring book. I look for TQR to recover some, and Wolf to drop off in the next book. Just not enough difference in them for Wolf to take the audience, and like it or not, there is the Nascar factor. This isn't the first rodeo for TQR (many have tried and failed), and panicking certainly isn't the right move. Everyone expects Wolf to have a good book or two as listeners are naturally curious...but the fact they're already flat is not good news, no matter how you try to spin it. Given the market share of country listeners, both stations can easily thrive, but I expect WTQR to emerge (again) as the dominant country outlet. If Wolf can pull anything close to the numbers they had as an oldies outlet, they will have an easier time courting the agencies, and that's what they're after anyway.
 
The Wolf will need better jocks to do anything to TQR. I find most of them annoying and out of place. the night guy sounds like he wants to be the night guy with an attitude on a top40. TQR has stressed before that they're family friendly. there are lots of whole families that lisen to country, so family friendly is the way to go.
 
Big_Ben said:
The Wolf will need better jocks to do anything to TQR. I find most of them annoying and out of place. the night guy sounds like he wants to be the night guy with an attitude on a top40. TQR has stressed before that they're family friendly. there are lots of whole families that lisen to country, so family friendly is the way to go.
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answer: j.j. mccain...or not
 
"With the amount of TV ad time TQR IS STILL BUYING, they are running VERY SCARED. You don't continue to buy 2 ads in a stop set AFTER your book unless you are trying to shore up for your NEXT book."

Not scared - smart. The practice, by the way, is called book-ending! A 15 second spot first in the set and another last in the set. Reinforces the first spot and ads a very large multiple to the impact of the spots. Smart move on the part of CC.

Why no PD, don't need it. Music decisions are made elsewhere. No reason to do that locally. You have a couple of strong local talents who are in touch with the market. They can easily feed information to a remote PD!

TQR's biggest problem is that it is not longer the same kind of station it was when it dominated the Triad Market. In those days, it was a full service radio station with a great morning show that just a happened to play country music. News, weather, traffic and all kinds of service elements in ALL dayparts! Lots of listeners who didn't care about the music. Now it is just a music machine outside of AM drive, and in the mornings it is just lip service to service.
 
I still stand by my statement:

"With the amount of TV ad time TQR IS STILL BUYING, they are running VERY SCARED. You don't continue to buy 2 ads in a stop set AFTER your book unless you are trying to shore up for your NEXT book."

And I do for one reason. As you rightfully pointed out, it is smart to keep yourself in the public's eye with one spot a stop set several times a day, that is smart money. But when you run one at the start of a set and one at the end, several times a night, with the cost of primetime TV, it is more than a smart business decision. That is a sign of blood in the water. The question at this point is how much blood and that question won't be answered for at least the next book or two.
 
Realistically, both stations would have liked a better book. Spending as much money on promoting Wolf as Entercom did and landing a flat book probably was not what they expected...I'd say there is room for concern in BOTH front offices.
 
What will be interesting to see is how CC Corporate reacts to WTQR's not being able to produce the revenue it once did. There's no way they're going to continue dominating the Miller Kaplan report with the Wolf at the door. It's still the market leader, and still a great vehicle for reach, but I'm sure they're losing some buys. The fact that WTQR recently lost their top biller and relationship seller has got to put a dent in things as well. There's definitely some "blood in the water". From what I've seen on the street, however, the Wolf doesn't have the sales talent to overtake them. They're shooting themselves in the foot all over the Triad.
 
TQR shouldn't worry too much about Entercom. They don't have the ability or commitment to the audience to really make the WOLF a killer station. Speaking of killer though, hope they don't resort to another "KILLER" contest to bring attention to the WOLF. :eek:
 
Christopher Chenn said:
TQR shouldn't worry too much about Entercom.  They don't have the ability or commitment to the audience to really make the WOLF a killer station.  Speaking of killer though, hope they don't resort to another "KILLER" contest to bring attention to the WOLF. :eek:
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Actually, if it wasn't  the "Fickle NC Triad TQR would not be where they are today!
 
Killer contest? Please explain.
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You know, the radio station contest to see how long you can hold your wee to win a WII Nintendo. Contestants were having to drink a ton of water without peeing. Mother of 2 children died trying. This was an Entercom station. The jocks on the air were incredibly insensitive even after she dropped out of the contest, went home, called in to say she was really sick and didn't feel good. A nurse called in to say that you could die from this and they just made fun of it all. Entercom tried to brush it off and say they didn't know what was going on but we all know Entercom micro-manages everything and had to be fully aware of the contest and it's potential dangers.
I'll look for a recording if you haven't heard this yet. This might be worth a thread of its own actually.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-water17jan17,0,82778.story?coll=la-home-headlines
 
People have predicted the demise of WTQR for years - decades! Admittedly, the station is not what it used to be - back in the day when they were in solid double digits, but it is still a solid radio station.

One thing that made TQR so dominent in the past was the fact that it was not just about the music. The station's cume was tremendous and they shared with virtually every format.

Not to take away from some of the folks who are still there, but top to bottom, the personalities were stronger, and more real. Voice tracking has certainly hurt that. The morning show was strong.

The station was highly visible and had ownership of almost every event worth having.

There were service elements like news, weather and traffic that few others had - not just in AM drive, but through the day.

A large percentage of the cume put up with the country music because of the personalities and service elements. And if you asked them, it was maybe not their favorite station, but was the second choice to those who listened to other formats for the music.

TQR has lost that secondary cume that made it the powerhouse and now, simply caters to the country music fan. There will always be three or four share points of country fans who will NEVER listen to TQR for a variety of reasons, but the core country fan will be there for them!

I am not suggesting that WTQR is unbeatable - but Entercom or anyone else who tries needs to be prepared for the long haul. Some have called it running scared - I just call it smart. TQR will save the promotion dollars as long as there is no serious attempt to attack. But when there is a serious attack, CC will back it up with the full force of their resources!

It will be interesting to see who takes "ownership" of tonight's country music awards on CBS TV.
 
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