where do you get the idea greater media would ever even consider a flip to standards on fm? peter smythe was a major reason why wpen dropped the standards format. why? because it was not bringing in revenue. the standards format nationwide always suffered from revenue issues because of the demos. for many years wpen was in the arb top 10, 12-plus, and most of the time in the top 6, but the demos were top-heavy 55-plus which meant death for any agency buys. if you aren't a 25-54 producer, forget it. it's an industry problem how 55-plus is ignored. but it is.
the golden opportunity would have been to switch the standards format to fm when wpen had a strong listener base. it was talked about and it was heavily lobbied by those of us who had a part in it. the best we could hope for was the improved signal, which was also talked about for years. but without the support of corporate, it was moot. the problem was all the people who were part of the standards format origination in 1979 on wpen left, were asked to leave, died, retired, or just became frustrated and left. peter smythe had little passion for the format and understandably decided to try formats that he felt would be more revenue friendly. the oldies format had me scratching my head. the sports format has obviously been a major success (sure).
so back to your comment, with just a bit of history thrown in for validation - as long as peter smythe is with greater media, you will never see a standards format on fm - not as long as standards perform well only 55-plus. what about wpen? who knows? maybe they will come to their senses and realize wpen did produce a profit as a standards station - and try it again. i would doubt it 99 percent....but anything is possible! but it would never be the station it once was.
