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If You Owned WFME, What Would You Do?

M

Michael_Boehm

Guest
I'm sure some of the major companies would love to have that 94.7 signal. It covers such a large area. If you owned WFME, what would you do with it? Maybe a power house AC, FM News or talk station? Oldies?

Comments and ideas welcome
 
> Country would make a killing on 94.7
>

Thats a good idea. If country didn't work, maybe an AC to compete with WSUS, WLTW, and any other AC stations that come in through out NJ. Or NJ101.5 could buy it an simulcast the station.<P ID="signature">______________
The Place for the Latest Happenings in Radio
www.freewebs.com/radiostuffandnews
</P>
 
Energy 94-7, The Real Beat Of New York. It would be a pure dance format, better than KTU. I know it would not make a lot of money, but it would help the dance music scene in America.

If I had to make it commercially viable, I would put oldies on 94.7. CBS-FM had great ratings before Jack hijacked the station.<P ID="signature">______________
17-year-old radio geek
Location: Princeton Junction, NJ
AIM: KewlDude471</P>
 
> maybe an AC<

Way too much competition: WMGQ and WLTW are in 94.7's backyard. WHUD, WSUS, WFAS & WWZY all overlap in places as well.

> Or NJ101.5 could buy it and simulcast<

Too much overlap between the signals, this would be worse than all the 101.5/97.3 overlap.
 
> > Country would make a killing on 94.7
> >
>
> Thats a good idea. If country didn't work, maybe an AC to
> compete with WSUS, WLTW, and any other AC stations that come
> in through out NJ. Or NJ101.5 could buy it an simulcast the
> station.
>

Here Is what I would do with some of the North Jersey stations:

94.7 flip to Country as WXUS "US-94.7"

99.1 WAWZ sell to Greater Media and move WDHA's format there "99.1 WDHA"

105.5 sell to Millenium and simulcast WKXW "Serving North Jersey @ 105.5"

or

94.7 sell to Greater Media and move WDHA's format there "94.7 WDHA"

98.3 sell to Pillar of Fire and move WAWZ's format there "Star 98.3"

99.1 sell to Greater Media and move WMGQ's format there "Magic 99.1"

105.5 flip to Country as WCNJ "Jersey Country 105.5" (Y-107 did the best in the Morristown Book)


<P ID="signature">______________
V

NOT NEW YORK....
NOT PHILADELPHIA....
PROUD TO BE NEW JERSEY....</P><P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by V on 09/25/05 01:35 AM.</FONT></P>
 
>>105.5 sell to Millenium and simulcast WKXW "Serving North Jersey @ 105.5"<<

There would be way too much overlap with 101.5 since 105.5 has a great signal **south** of Dover in places like Somerville, New Brunswick, and Woodbridge, all places where 101.5 has a city grade signal. If I had the choice, I would put the simulcast on 103.7 from Newton to fill the void up in the extreme north, and 103.1 in Fort Lee to fill the void in the northeast part of the state.
 
"Serving North Jersey @ ________"

> >>105.5 sell to Millenium and simulcast WKXW "Serving North
> Jersey @ 105.5"
>

I choose 105.5 b/c it's really the only station (besides 99.1) that has a listenable signal throughout most of North Jersey......Yes 101.5 & 105.5 have overlap but north of I-80 101.5 gets bad quickly b/c WPDH starts to interfere......105.5 does struggle toward the Northeast from WDBY so that is where I would use 103.1 W276AQ to fill that gap......As for 103.7 they do have a great signal but they have a terrible signal to the east due to 103.5.....Linking up 103.7 & 103.1 would create a large void in parts of Passic & Morris where both stations are unlisteable.....Plus 103.7 has a far reaching signal into Southern NY and Eastern PA where listeners don't want to hear NJ news.....Therefore I would use do this instead:

102.3 flip to simulcast of WKXW and use 103.1 W276AQ to fill void in Bergen County (there would still be a gap between 102.3 & 103.1 but not as big)

103.7 takes WSUS's format since their signal is stronger in all of Sussex and into NY/PA

106.3 takes WNNJ-FM's format since 106.3 is the weakest of the 3 in ratings.

I could hear it now

"This is the New Jersey 101.5 Radio Network"

WNEW Franklin/Newton - Serving North Jersey @ 102.3
WJER Trenton - Serving Central Jersey @ 101.5
WSEY Millville/Atlantic City - Serving South Jersey @ 97.3
W276AQ Fort Lee/Paramus - Serving Bergen County @ 103.1

*Remember this is pretty much a joke and all of this is very unlikely to happen......Ownership changes, translator rules, call letters changes etc. are not taken seriously which would allow none of this to happen if they were*<P ID="signature">______________
V

NOT NEW YORK....
NOT PHILADELPHIA....
PROUD TO BE NEW JERSEY....</P>
 
I know it would not make a
> lot of money, but it would help the dance music scene in
> America.
>
That's exactly why it won't work.

If someone wanted to make at least a short-term killing, Oldies would be the format. You'd get millions of dollars worth of free media coverage. You wonldn't have to hire back all the old jocks, but maybe one or two might be good draws. The rest of the time, just play the hits. In the beginning, you should probably be a clone of CBS-FM... same era of playlist and some of the same jingles. Over time, you could start to update the music and presentation... lose some of the 50's and 60's and start sneaking in some 80's. Since CBS-FM was billing over $30Mil when it made the switch, I've got to beleive a lot of advertisers would buy the station on the come.
 
Absolutely COUNTRY! WFME's signal would fill the North Jersey void in the format and definetly WOULD make a killing $$$ wise...
 
> I'm sure some of the major companies would love to have that 94.7 signal. It covers such a large area. If you owned WFME, what would you do with it? Maybe a power house AC, FM News or talk station? Oldies? Comments and ideas welcome >

Blasphemers, all of you !!! Harold Camping has a special place in the nether world for those who even think such thoughts !!! You will all burn in Hades !!!
Just kidding (I think)....
 
Re: "Serving North Jersey @ ________"

> > >>105.5 sell to Millenium and simulcast WKXW "Serving
> North
> > Jersey @ 105.5"
> >
>
> I choose 105.5 b/c it's really the only station (besides
> 99.1) that has a listenable signal throughout most of North
> Jersey......Yes 101.5 & 105.5 have overlap but north of I-80
> 101.5 gets bad quickly b/c WPDH starts to
> interfere......105.5 does struggle toward the Northeast from
> WDBY so that is where I would use 103.1 W276AQ to fill that
> gap......As for 103.7 they do have a great signal but they
> have a terrible signal to the east due to 103.5.....Linking
> up 103.7 & 103.1 would create a large void in parts of
> Passic & Morris where both stations are unlisteable.....Plus
> 103.7 has a far reaching signal into Southern NY and Eastern
> PA where listeners don't want to hear NJ news.....Therefore
> I would use do this instead:
>
> 102.3 flip to simulcast of WKXW and use 103.1 W276AQ to fill
> void in Bergen County (there would still be a gap between
> 102.3 & 103.1 but not as big)
>
> 103.7 takes WSUS's format since their signal is stronger in
> all of Sussex and into NY/PA
>
> 106.3 takes WNNJ-FM's format since 106.3 is the weakest of
> the 3 in ratings.
>
> I could hear it now
>
> "This is the New Jersey 101.5 Radio Network"
>
> WNEW Franklin/Newton - Serving North Jersey @ 102.3
> WJER Trenton - Serving Central Jersey @ 101.5
> WSEY Millville/Atlantic City - Serving South Jersey @ 97.3
> W276AQ Fort Lee/Paramus - Serving Bergen County @ 103.1
>
> *Remember this is pretty much a joke and all of this is very
> unlikely to happen......Ownership changes, translator rules,
> call letters changes etc. are not taken seriously which
> would allow none of this to happen if they were*
>

You actually have interesting ideas. I think it would be better if WSUS was on 103.7, but classic rock does well, and plus 106.3's signal is weak into areas of Sussex County.
<P ID="signature">______________
The Place for the Latest Happenings in Radio
www.freewebs.com/radiostuffandnews
</P>
 
I'd look at the present cash flow, then examine all other options and determine what the investment would be to implement a change; who my competition would be; hope deep their pockets are and determine the bottom line cash needs and then estimate what the return on that investment might be.

It could very well be no change.
 
Here's another vote for Country if WFME were to be sold. We all know most of the ratings on the last few NYC Country stations came primarily from the suburbs. So don't even worry about NYC. Make WFME a full-service Country station that unabashedly serves northern and central New Jersey. Such an operation might not have the cache of a NYC station to media geeks, but focusing on New Jersey will mean much higher billing. The station would have to be live and local and heavy on news and information in both AM and PM drive. But there should still be some kind of news presence outside of drive. And if, for some reason, Country doesn't work well enough (although I think it would), one could easily switch to Oldies or mainstream AC while keeping all of the same personalities and the full-service operation.

Steve
KC2LDY
 
> Here's another vote for Country if WFME were to be sold. We
> all know most of the ratings on the last few NYC Country
> stations came primarily from the suburbs. So don't even
> worry about NYC. Make WFME a full-service Country station
> that unabashedly serves northern and central New Jersey.
> Such an operation might not have the cache of a NYC station
> to media geeks, but focusing on New Jersey will mean much
> higher billing. The station would have to be live and local
> and heavy on news and information in both AM and PM drive.
> But there should still be some kind of news presence outside
> of drive. And if, for some reason, Country doesn't work
> well enough (although I think it would), one could easily
> switch to Oldies or mainstream AC while keeping all of the
> same personalities and the full-service operation.
>
> Steve
> KC2LDY
>

I too would want to see the 94.7 MHz frequency used for a
full-service operation for northern New Jersey, but not
necessarily as another wireless jukebox.

As far as country is concerned, consider this: A search on
JerseyMusic.com brought up just three venues statewide that
identified themselves with country music. Just three. That
includes bars, taverns, restaurants, theaters, concert halls,
etc. The Web site boasts a database of 500 locations so it
undoubtably isn't comprehensive. But if country was popular
in New Jersey you would expect more than three out of 500.

A search of country bands yielded a list of just 14. Again,
the site may not be comprehensive but its database does
suggest that country is just not that popular. A station
owner, when deciding on formats, has to consider the
number of potential listeners. I suspect that absence of
any significant number of country stations is indicative
of the viability, or lack thereof, of the format.

I see a shortsightedness in many of the posts on this
forum. Many, if not most of the posters are oriented
toward radio broadcasting more for its music content
than anything else. I hate to break it to you guys and
gals, but radio is fast becoming irrelevant on the music
scene. It is not beyond reason to suspect that within the
next five years you will be able to purchase a music
device..portable, desktop, or mobile..that will come
preloaded with 100,000 or more songs. It will be the
fulfillment of that Robert Klein comedy ad for "All
the World's Music" on a set of phonograph records. It
will soon be possible to have more music on your
pocket iPod-type device than you will ever have need
to hear.

All of the above will change the nature of what people
expect from radio. If you are a country-music fan you
will be able to carry every song you want in your
pocket. What then would be the appeal of a country-music
station...the DJs?

Start thinking about what radio will become. And hold
on to your hats. It's going to be very different. Very
different.
 
OLDIES OLDIES OLDIES = Musicradio 94-7 GOLD

If I won 300 million dollars I would buy 94.7 WFME. On the first week I would continue to run the Family radio programming affording the locals to say goodbye. Then on the first Monday after the closing at 6 AM I would stunt wierd formats...a different one every hour such as Polka, Bluegrass, Childrens Songs, Broadway Music...a different format every hour. Then I would play Construction noises starting at 6 PM with the "WFME Newark" Station ID playing every minute and remarks "Building a New Radio Station".

I would meanwhile hire a General manager, Program Director, Sales Manager, Chief Engineer, Accountant, and an Attorney (prior to the purchase. Then the next morning I would flip the station at 6 AM to Oldies like they used to play on CBS FM. I would automate the first week except for the morning show which I would temporarily do and the GM or PD would do the afternoon show temporarily.

Then I would order jingle packages resembling the old CBS FM jingles. We would add sponsors bit by bit and hire jocks bit by bit.

Dream Staff
5:30-9 AM Max Kinkle
9 AM-Noon Randy Davis-Backwards Oldie
Noon-3 PMMike Fitzgerald-Brown Bag
3-7 PM Bob Shannon/4 for The Road-Lost Hits-Songs with same title but are different-many other features
7-11 Bobby Jay - Hall Of Fame
Monday - Motown Monday 7-9; Soul Of City 9-11
Tuesday - Tuesday Trivia
Wednesday - SOunds of 70's and 80's
Thursday - 60's
Friday - 50's
11 PM - 2 AM Don K Reed
2 AM - 5:30 AM Christy Springfield

Saturdays
6-9 Bill Brown WFME Reports 7:30-8 AM
9-Noon Harry Harrison
Noon-3 Dan Taylor
3-7 Mike McCann - Top 20 Oldies Countdown 1965-1979
7-Mid Sock Hop/Jukebox Saturday Night - Bobby Jay
12 Mid-4 AM Jack Mitchell
4 AM-6 AM Public Affairs
Sunday
6-9 AM Marc Sommers
9 AM-Noon Gary Clark WFME Reports 10 AM-10:30
Noon-3 Dan taylor
3-7 PM Mike McCann - Top 20 Oldies Countdown
7 PM - Mid Doo Wop Shop - Don K Reed
12 Mid-3 AM Marc Sommers - Music For Lovers Only till 2 AM
3 AM-5:30 Gary Clark

Also would add several news people plus keep the traffic reports. Calls would remain WFME but only stated on top of the hour as WFME Newark.

The station would be 94-7 Gold and Music Radio would also be mixed into the name. Musically the station would play the following
Daytime 5 AM-7 PM
1. Pre 64-5
2-3 50's
2-3 1960-64
2. 1964-69 5-6
3. 1970-79 3-5
4. 1980-89 2-4
5. 1990-2000 - 1 per shift

Overnights 11 PM-5 AM
1. 50's - 2 or 3
2. Early 60's - 2 or 3
3. late 60's - 6
4. 70's - 4
5. 80's - 1
6. 90's - 1
7. 2000's - 1
8 Current - 1

Specialty Weekends would occur 2 weekends a month...sometimes 3.

I think this format would go from worst to first. The old CBS FM listeners would glue to this station and support it agressively. This format copuld do better than the orginal CBS FM.

Meanwhile Family Radio would keep Long Island along with transilators. I would probably get an AM station such as 1530 WJDM and 1310 WXMC and put Family Radio stuff there.

Eventually I would hope to acquire 99.5 FM and put Country there. I would also keep Family radio stuff on the HD subcarrier and stream them like Jack is to CBS FM with remarks "WE HAVENT FORGOTTEN YOU".
 
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