-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
How Will Iheartradio's buying of WZLX affect it's format?
- Thread starter Retro
- Start date
I'm guessing perhaps somewhere in the middle of streamlining it to what most other iHeart classic rockers sound like to what ZLX is now. They can't get too "soft" since WROR is pretty close in format. I'd also imagine that their music system will be overhauled to the iHeart approved versions of certain songs--ZLX still occasionally lets a 'fleeting expletive' by. Not to mention that iHeart typically fades up the fadeouts of songs, particularly classic rock ones. I'd imagine they'd tweak the audio compression settings as well.
Jacko
Jacko
I did read that iHeartMedia could replace Karlson and McKenzie with The Woody Show. However, that would be very unlikely because WZLX is a classic rock station and iHeartMedia mainly syndicates The Woody Show on Alternative rock stations.
Unless they decide to go Alternative and finish off wbos?
Given the perennial lack of sales success at the iHeart Philly station, that possibility seems rather remote.
Although iHeartMedia brands most of their Alternative rock stations as "ALT", there's no point in iHeartMedia flipping WZLX to Alternative. Besides, what format would WBOS flip to?
That was just a rumor posted on these boards. It was completely unsubstantiated and appeared to just be the conjecture of the person who posted it. It doesn’t make much sense to me either. I'm sure Karlson and McKenzie are a little more nervous than they were a few days ago, but they'll find something if anything happens.
On a side note, I grew up in Texas and Oklahoma, and I remember when one of Tulsa's top-40 stations hired Karlson and McKenzie for mornings. Seems I heard they hired them from a station in Columbia, SC. They stayed about three years. I'm not sure where they went in the interim, but I remember being surprised to find them at WEGQ 93.7 (which is now WEEI-FM) two or three years later. Their humor was never my cup-of-tea, and they didn’t really take off in Tulsa either, though they went to a CHR that was determined to self-destruct. So, maybe that shouldn’t count against them. That station was easy to predict during their run. Just guess the stupidest possible move, and you'd almost always be right.
I don't get what format hole exists in Boston that warrants WBOS to flip formats. I'm glad that Entercom was able to deal a couple stations to iHeartMedia and Beasley just to get the DOJ approval for this merger, and you should also be lucky that EMF didn't acquire anything from Entercom in Boston.
Just expect a LOT of promos for “iHeartRadio” either the app, the events, “Music you should know”, etc. If there are live and local weekend and overnight shifts, those might be phased out for voice tracking.
Technically Active Rock is a hole since WAAF can't be heard on your average radio around here at all.
I hear iHeartRadio-related promos all the time, and if any changes happen with weekend and/or overnight shifts at WZLX, you will have to "roll with the changes".
I suppose that's the case. However, if Beasley wants to flip ALT 92.9's format, they can do that anytime. And if ALT 92.9 does flip formats, then another competitor will likely pick up the Alternative format.
I remember Eagle 93.7. I'd listen to the morning show a bit and when K & M came on ZLX I thought they sounded familiar.
iHeart has a lot of classic rock stations around the country, so I'd expect no real changes.
I hope you're wrong, but I fear you are correct.
I'm really pi$$ed that CBS sold some crown jewels to iHeartLess, and now both WBZ-AM (its employees must re-apply for their jobs) and WZLX (based on what you wrote above) are going to be screwed.
At least you're lucky that EMF didn't acquire any of the stations Entercom's divesting in Boston, because the DOJ wouldn't have approved this merger.
In fact, I've predicted that some of these divestitures would end up with iHeartMedia, so it didn't surprise me that Entercom decided to most of their Boston stations to iHeartMedia.
I don't see the AMs as "crown jewels" any more. They might have been 25 years ago, but they've been sort of running in place since then. iHeart is one of the few companies that still has an interest in aging AMs. I thought it was interesting that Entercom sold both BZ and RKO. Probably very happy to be rid of them. They have real crown jewels in other cities, like WCBS and KNX and even KMOX. Not surprised that none of the original CBS stations were spun off. With regards to WZLX, iHeart does a great job with classic rock stations around the country. I never read any complaints about 104 in NYC. If they make their numbers, they'll be left alone.
I'm not sure what radio world nowradioguy works in....but he makes a lot of definitive sentences that shows he either doesn't understand radio, or works in some small town podunk station.
nowradioguy....where are you from....and are you a radio pro...or just a listener/fan?
I knew for a long time that WBZ and WZLX would end up with iHeartMedia and I thought it was a perfect fit because Entercom helped iHeartMedia max out their Boston cluster. Barring some on-air talent changes, there shouldn't be other big changes happening at WZLX once iHeartMedia begins operating the station.
I am not "a radio pro", which, therefore, means "I know nothing".
- Status