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How Long Can The River Be "New?"

R

RoddyFreeman

I was watching WXIA-TV's news last night since I usually end my day with Leno's monologue. On the "Questions" segment, someone asked how long "97-1 The River" is allowed to say it's new. After all, it's been on the air for 5 years.

Anchor Ted Hall said that after many calls to the station, Tony Kidd responded that, "New is part of our name." Hall went on to say that products can say they're new as long as saying that is effective.

Radio stations are probably exempt, but I remember from my days working on Procter & Gamble at an advertising agency that there's some FTC law about how long a physical product can advertise that it's new.
 
They can be new just as long as B98 can be #1 while listening at work. Haven't they been using that one for at least 15 years now?

NEW suggestion for B98- "Enough Soft Rock To Put Your Granny To Sleep"
 
gregg75 said:
They can be new just as long as B98 can be #1 while listening at work. Haven't they been using that one for at least 15 years now?

NEW suggestion for B98- "Enough Soft Rock To Put Your Granny To Sleep"
Click to expand...

But there is no time limit to being #1 at something. It might get old and tired to keep repeating the same bit of bragging, but if it has been true for 15 years, then it's still true.

But "new" has a meaning. It means "not old". Eventually, anything that's new that stays around long enough stops being new.
 
gregg75 said:
They can be new just as long as B98 can be #1 while listening at work. Haven't they been using that one for at least 15 years now?

NEW suggestion for B98- "Enough Soft Rock To Put Your Granny To Sleep"
Click to expand...

Did someone say B98.5FM?
 
gregg75 said:
They can be new just as long as B98 can be #1 while listening at work. Haven't they been using that one for at least 15 years now?

NEW suggestion for B98- "Enough Soft Rock To Put Your Granny To Sleep"
Click to expand...

"B98.5...Our rock is soft so you can lay your head on it as we lull you to sleep..." ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
 
If there are any regulations on this which seems doubtful since as a listener you are not buying anything directly from them so what's the harm. Also since it is not a physical product new can mean we changed our commercial breaks by 30 seconds or we simply adding a song into the rotation makes it new I suppose.

BTW - This bothers the hell out of my 11 year-old.
 
RTibbs said:
If there are any regulations on this which seems doubtful since as a listener you are not buying anything directly from them so what's the harm. Also since it is not a physical product new can mean we changed our commercial breaks by 30 seconds or we simply adding a song into the rotation makes it new I suppose.

BTW - This bothers the hell out of my 11 year-old.
Click to expand...

If that was the only thing objectionable about The River, I suppose I'd jump on it myself. The thing is, their playlist is so limited that I can't handle listening to them on and off for more than a few days, then it's back to repeats. I mean, they're playing songs that used to be my favorite songs, but they've been played so often that they're burned out. If anything, the few times I left my car radio tuned to The River, I found myself angry that they had ruined so many of my favorite songs for me by overplaying them.
 
gregg75 said:
I like Fleetwood Mac, but the River plays them so much I have to change the channel.
You can go your own waaaaaaay.
Click to expand...

Actually, the could play a lot more Fleetwood Mac songs, if only they'd play something other than "Go Your Own Way". I mean, it's not like there aren't plenty of other songs on their entire library of albums.
 
The River can justify it any way they want, but I think they're shooting themselves in the foot.

It' obviously irritating to many people and I think there are probably 2 general opinions that listeners would have to the ridiculous use of "new" after 5 years:

1) How stupid ARE they over there? Can they not afford to freshen their image and branding? Jeeze.
and
2) How stupid do they think I am? C'mon, guys, you're not 'new' any more.

Honestly, what is the downside to getting rid of the 'new' and freshening the branding?
 
X-14 said:
The River can justify it any way they want, but I think they're shooting themselves in the foot.

It' obviously irritating to many people and I think there are probably 2 general opinions that listeners would have to the ridiculous use of "new" after 5 years:

1) How stupid ARE they over there? Can they not afford to freshen their image and branding? Jeeze.
and
2) How stupid do they think I am? C'mon, guys, you're not 'new' any more.

Honestly, what is the downside to getting rid of the 'new' and freshening the branding?
Click to expand...

Personally, they could leave the branding alone and freshen their playlist and I'd be more likely to listen. I didn't stop listening to The River because of their branding, I stopped because their teeny-tiny little playlist sucked. You can't sell an inferior product by changing its name, at least not in the long run. And, if you improve an inferior product, you don't have to re-brand it to sell it, though re-branding if the product is genuinely improved isn't a bad idea.
 
Talk_Dude said:
Personally, they could leave the branding alone and freshen their playlist and I'd be more likely to listen. I didn't stop listening to The River because of their branding, I stopped because their teeny-tiny little playlist sucked. You can't sell an inferior product by changing its name, at least not in the long run. And, if you improve an inferior product, you don't have to re-brand it to sell it, though re-branding if the product is genuinely improved isn't a bad idea.
Click to expand...
I've said before that River and B98.5 are a pair of Jack & Jill stations--that is, very similar in concept and execution but one skewed towards men and one towards women (and certainly not to be confused with the "Jack" format). Part of that is to have a very narrow playlist, burn the hell out of it, do a ballroom study and check the results, freshen up the playlist (drop the burnouts and add "new" stuff that tested well), and repeat over and over.
 
I was listening to WSB earlier and they always say "AM 750 and NOW 95.5 FM WSB". I wonder how long the "NOW" will stay. Obviously too soon to drop it but I have to wonder if they will ever drop it.
 
RTibbs said:
I was listening to WSB earlier and they always say "AM 750 and NOW 95.5 FM WSB". I wonder how long the "NOW" will stay. Obviously too soon to drop it but I have to wonder if they will ever drop it.
Click to expand...

How about "News/Talk 750 and 95.5 FM WSB"

Certainly "AM" redundant now - they won't be gaining any more listeners on that band in town, at least. In DC, WTOP has been branded something like "103.5 FM and WTOP.com" for years; I thought WSB would have followed suit.
 
MCMagicCracker said:
RTibbs said:
I was listening to WSB earlier and they always say "AM 750 and NOW 95.5 FM WSB". I wonder how long the "NOW" will stay. Obviously too soon to drop it but I have to wonder if they will ever drop it.
Click to expand...

How about "News/Talk 750 and 95.5 FM WSB"

Certainly "AM" redundant now - they won't be gaining any more listeners on that band in town, at least. In DC, WTOP has been branded something like "103.5 FM and WTOP.com" for years; I thought WSB would have followed suit.
Click to expand...
Well, WSB is a class A clear, and there are some out-of-town listeners who could use the ID at night.

I wonder what WSB's listenership is outside of their primary service area. Back when the had the Braves, they had a lot of secondary service area listeners (as is true with any class A with a ball team).
 
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