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J93.3 Slow Death

J

jaxradidio

All part-timers fired, morning show fired, sales staff put on commission-only, ad traffic person fired, bonuses for the people who are left canceled. If there's leadership or a firm strategy there, it doesn't appear to be going very well. And you can't blame this one on consolidation or Clear Channel.

Good, strong frequency for someone who knows how to do radio, so will they sell it? Have they devalued it past the point where it's even sellable? And if they're just going to park it, is an in-the-market GM or PD even necessary?
 
Is this true? This is strange considering all the hoopla in the past year about them moving their station into the Tyrone area from Peachtree City.

And if it IS true, how sad. I remember the old Joy FM, when they were HQ'd in Manchester. While not an Atlanta station then (not that they've ever become one) they had a strong, established history and listenership ranging from Columbus and Macon up to Clayton, Fayette, Coweta and - to a lesser extent - Douglas counties.

Some years back many of the stalwart tried-and-true talents who had been thru the lean times with them were suddenly let go, Rod Hampton, Wayne Hagan, Chris Wallace, Sheila Richards, and so on. In my view that was the beginning of their downturn.
 
The problem with that station is it has a huge signal that covers relatively few people. It's too far from Atlanta to be competitive.
 
I guess they reached for Atlanta because they felt they had to in order to get any kind of cume going. But ironically, given their format, that was a greedy play. Staying or going back to being hyper-local and superserving the southside counties - which are booming in population and future economic growth by the way - seems like the better bet for a station like that.

Now that they're out of money and ammo, they can't afford the on-air people, promotions and sales staff to go to that strategy. And being a mostly syndicated robo-station will appeal to nothing and nobody, especially with the Fish firing on all cylinders. There don't seem to be any "new media" initiatives going on there either, so where do they go from here?
 
X-14 said:
Is this true? This is strange considering all the hoopla in the past year about them moving their station into the Tyrone area from Peachtree City.

And if it IS true, how sad. I remember the old Joy FM, when they were HQ'd in Manchester. While not an Atlanta station then (not that they've ever become one) they had a strong, established history and listenership ranging from Columbus and Macon up to Clayton, Fayette, Coweta and - to a lesser extent - Douglas counties.

Some years back many of the stalwart tried-and-true talents who had been thru the lean times with them were suddenly let go, Rod Hampton, Wayne Hagan, Chris Wallace, Sheila Richards, and so on. In my view that was the beginning of their downturn.
Click to expand...

X: Some of those folks you mentioned left for other jobs - Rod left on his own for a gig at the Georgia Baptist Association, Wayne left on his own - he wasn't fired or "asked to leave." I can't remember why Shelia left but isn't she back with J93 - at least part time?
Both of us have worked at J93 and know the folks who run it. I won't argue that management was perfect - you can certainly fault them for being foolishly cheap - but they were/are sincere and ran/run the station as a ministry. I would also opine that it is a VERY good sounding Christian AC station.....always has been.....and would be the market leader IF it had a signal which was competitive. I would also add that the station was/is well managed by Rick Davison. And there have been some GREAT people and talents associated with J93.....people like you, Paige Long, Shelia, Jerry, Rod, Wayne, Chris....and all the folks at the Fish(like yourself and Parks Stamper) who are J93 alumni. There are many others - far too many to name.
EVERY radio station in Atlanta.....NO exceptions.....has cut the staff to the bone - and there may be more to come. It is a pathetic statement about what has happened to a once great industry.
 
taylorengineer said:
X-14 said:
Is this true? This is strange considering all the hoopla in the past year about them moving their station into the Tyrone area from Peachtree City.

And if it IS true, how sad. I remember the old Joy FM, when they were HQ'd in Manchester. While not an Atlanta station then (not that they've ever become one) they had a strong, established history and listenership ranging from Columbus and Macon up to Clayton, Fayette, Coweta and - to a lesser extent - Douglas counties.

Some years back many of the stalwart tried-and-true talents who had been thru the lean times with them were suddenly let go, Rod Hampton, Wayne Hagan, Chris Wallace, Sheila Richards, and so on. In my view that was the beginning of their downturn.
Click to expand...

X: Some of those folks you mentioned left for other jobs - Rod left on his own for a gig at the Georgia Baptist Association, Wayne left on his own - he wasn't fired or "asked to leave." I can't remember why Shelia left but isn't she back with J93 - at least part time?
Both of us have worked at J93 and know the folks who run it. I won't argue that management was perfect - you can certainly fault them for being foolishly cheap - but they were/are sincere and ran/run the station as a ministry. I would also opine that it is a VERY good sounding Christian AC station.....always has been.....and would be the market leader IF it had a signal which was competitive. I would also add that the station was/is well managed by Rick Davison. And there have been some GREAT people and talents associated with J93.....people like you, Paige Long, Shelia, Jerry, Rod, Wayne, Chris....and all the folks at the Fish(like yourself and Parks Stamper) who are J93 alumni. There are many others - far too many to name.
EVERY radio station in Atlanta.....NO exceptions.....has cut the staff to the bone - and there may be more to come. It is a pathetic statement about what has happened to a once great industry.
Click to expand...
Tom, I agree with you on some points, but not on others. In my memory, Rod was pretty much shown the door, as was Sheila. Sheila IS back, but along with other p/t'ers, will be wrapping things up there this week.

Please don't get me wrong, I truly wish no ill on any of these folks and my heart goes out to all of them. To a great extent they are just victims of the economy AND the sorry state of radio. And that is where I agree 100% with you on the 'once-great-industry' statement.

No one has a crystal ball and J did what they thought was best in the late '90's and early 2000's. But in hindsight it probably wasn't the best move to more or less 'abandon' their once-strong base down in middle GA.

Another point that I'm not sure I'd agree with you on is management. Rick always said "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."

A LOT of talented people, and not just on-air, but in sales, production, promotions and elsewhere, have come and gone thru those doors over the past decade, yet the management has stayed the same. I'm just sayin', in most other clusters/stations, by now the management would have changed, too. They are, after all, the ones who decide policy and it apparently isn't working well for J right now.

Let me wrap up by again stressing that I truly, truly wish ALL of them - and that includes Rick and the management and owners - nothing but good. I am so grateful for the years and experiences I had there and for the great folks I worked with. It was truly a blessing. My thoughts and prayers go out to those folks affected there - and at radio stations everywhere - who are now faced with trying to find work in a sinking profession and a bad economy.
 
This sounds like the last chapters of another great small-to-midmarket 100k(?) station moving in and cutting its power to try and break into a large market it had no business being in. I bet if you looked at coverage maps after each facility change, the amount of metro ATL it covered didn't change that much.

Someone needs to buy this station and move it back to cover Macon/Columbus, if they still can (i.e., if someone else hasn't moved in behind them already).
 
wow, wow, and wow. I am seeing a lot of interesting thoughts, ideas and opinions here on the recent happenings at J93.3. I think the one that gets me the most is the line about Rick being a good GM. Let's take personal views out and speak frankly.
In the last 4.5 years, J93 has had the highest turnover rate in its history. The recent ratings were a .4 while there are Mexican AM stations that are higher rated. True, Wayne left on his own and I don't know Todd. Monk and Kelly are now out and again, with my own ears, heard him say they aren't Christian enough for him and would prefer someone else there. A christian saying someone else is not Christian enough for them...another wow.

They stoped giving rasies in 2005 to save money. In the last 12 months, they fired the sales consultant Sean Luce to save money. They fired McVay Media to save money. They dropped Arbitron to save money. They put Rick's, his wife Roxanne's, and possibly their son's (IT) salaries on RTN. They bought a building to save rent. In just about one year alone, they have saved almost 1.2 million. In the last 4.5 years, they fired a minimum of 9 people and a minimum of 5 have left on their own. I know 4 of those 5 personally and the common demoninator for leaving was Rick. While it is reasonable to think that some businesses can survive with family members working together, this is not one of them. When the GM is the husband, and the wife is the Asst. to him, and the son is the IT person, and the daughter was the receptionist and pt ambassador, there is an obvious lack of fairness should any problem come to light involving any of them.

Lets look at the Detroit Lions. It took ten years of firing QBs, offensive players, Defensive players, Head Coaches, Asst Coaches, Waterboys, a few fans...until someone finally realized they had to get rid of the GM. There comes a time when a real leader must look at the whole picture. If that person is the true Christian and true business person they claim to be, and all that they lead is crumbling, then it is time to fall on the sword. How many times does someone have to be called into the owner's office and chastized for the way that someone treats others before it sinks in?
Yes, all radio stations are taking hits and making budget cuts. This is far beyond budget cuts. And if they want to tell you it is only about budget cuts, then let's start at the top.
Sales are at an all time low, yet you now want to tell the folks selling that they have to make 15% of anything they sell and that's it? If this is a way to boost sale, and someone in charge thinks that will help, then so be it.
In all of this, can you figure out why a morning show was fired without telling the PD? Thats right! They fired them at 9 am and THEN told the PD after they were gone! No matter who you are in radio, that is unacceptable.

Now again, some of you have your own opinions based on your experience there. But it would only be fair to look at all the experience's since your time there and see the ship is sinking and all the budget cuts in the world wont help until you:
A. Support those who dedicate thier lives to the station as employees.
B. Give the listener a great product NOT based on your own opinions (things like not playing songs because it says "God was smoking a cigarette" etc and wanting preyer every other hour, etc)
C. Do A and B and then begin to bosst your sales.
New buildings and telling pepople to work harder, more hours for less money while your LEADER makes no change, is NOT the sign of a good leader.
It's time to fall on the sword.
 
If J93.3 remains a Christian station, probably 2 options:

1. Sign up for the syndicated Air 1 or something similar. Air 1 plays CCM that is a bit more CHR, not AC. Would be different than the Fish, and not as boring.

2. Let those crazy cats that do the J93.3 Late Night Live show on Saturday nights loose to run the station. They play Christian Rock every Sat nite. Dial it back to CHR/Rock and some Urban, do a cheap promo campaign via youth groups and youth ministers (white and black), then sit back and watch the ratings grow.
 
radioman63 said:
wow, wow, and wow. I am seeing a lot of interesting thoughts, ideas and opinions here on the recent happenings at J93.3. I think the one that gets me the most is the line about Rick being a good GM. Let's take personal views out and speak frankly.
In the last 4.5 years, J93 has had the highest turnover rate in its history. The recent ratings were a .4 while there are Mexican AM stations that are higher rated. True, Wayne left on his own and I don't know Todd. Monk and Kelly are now out and again, with my own ears, heard him say they aren't Christian enough for him and would prefer someone else there. A christian saying someone else is not Christian enough for them...another wow.

They stoped giving rasies in 2005 to save money. In the last 12 months, they fired the sales consultant Sean Luce to save money. They fired McVay Media to save money. They dropped Arbitron to save money. They put Rick's, his wife Roxanne's, and possibly their son's (IT) salaries on RTN. They bought a building to save rent. In just about one year alone, they have saved almost 1.2 million. In the last 4.5 years, they fired a minimum of 9 people and a minimum of 5 have left on their own. I know 4 of those 5 personally and the common demoninator for leaving was Rick. While it is reasonable to think that some businesses can survive with family members working together, this is not one of them. When the GM is the husband, and the wife is the Asst. to him, and the son is the IT person, and the daughter was the receptionist and pt ambassador, there is an obvious lack of fairness should any problem come to light involving any of them.

Lets look at the Detroit Lions. It took ten years of firing QBs, offensive players, Defensive players, Head Coaches, Asst Coaches, Waterboys, a few fans...until someone finally realized they had to get rid of the GM. There comes a time when a real leader must look at the whole picture. If that person is the true Christian and true business person they claim to be, and all that they lead is crumbling, then it is time to fall on the sword. How many times does someone have to be called into the owner's office and chastized for the way that someone treats others before it sinks in?
Yes, all radio stations are taking hits and making budget cuts. This is far beyond budget cuts. And if they want to tell you it is only about budget cuts, then let's start at the top.
Sales are at an all time low, yet you now want to tell the folks selling that they have to make 15% of anything they sell and that's it? If this is a way to boost sale, and someone in charge thinks that will help, then so be it.
In all of this, can you figure out why a morning show was fired without telling the PD? Thats right! They fired them at 9 am and THEN told the PD after they were gone! No matter who you are in radio, that is unacceptable.

Now again, some of you have your own opinions based on your experience there. But it would only be fair to look at all the experience's since your time there and see the ship is sinking and all the budget cuts in the world wont help until you:
A. Support those who dedicate thier lives to the station as employees.
B. Give the listener a great product NOT based on your own opinions (things like not playing songs because it says "God was smoking a cigarette" etc and wanting preyer every other hour, etc)
C. Do A and B and then begin to bosst your sales.
New buildings and telling pepople to work harder, more hours for less money while your LEADER makes no change, is NOT the sign of a good leader.
It's time to fall on the sword.
Click to expand...

I've been a frequent reader of Radio-Info.com for over a year and this post is the first one that drove me to chime in. A post like that sounds a little disgruntled. The anonymity of a message board is pretty emboldening. I must say, your post radioman63 caught the attention of quite a few people in my circles (I was emailed the link twice!). I know many of the people who have posted prior to your comment and their opinions of management at J93.3 have always been favorable. I'm just curious what you know and how, that apparently no one else does.
 
I agree with the concept of, "the buck stops here." The president of any corporation is ultimately responsible for it's success or failure. Radio station managers are given great latitude when it comes to operations and business strategy and also bear responsibility for the success/failure of a station.
My opinion is that J93 would be a major contender in the ATL market if not for it's lousy signal. Especially since IBOC slop overruns J's signal in a large area downtown and up the I-85 corrider. To compare J93 to a station which city grades most of the ATL metro area is just not fair.
I think Rick has done a terrific job over the years at WVFJ. Don has the formatics perfectly tweaked but so did Jerry(PD before Don)and so did Rod(PD before Jerry.)The station always sounded major market when it was in Manchester - except for the paid "teaching" programs. I still contend that J93 would be the market leader if it had a comparable signal to "The Fish."
Jim Cambell is the President of Provident - he is ultimately responsible for the station. Blame him if it makes you feel better......but I think all these folks did a good job with the resources available.
If I owned the station.....I would forget ATL and concentrate on the south metro counties where WVFJ dominates. They actually have(or at least used to have - I can't see the mechanicals for those southern counties anymore) good numbers compared to ANY station. There is money to be made on the southside and western parts of the ATL ADI.
I have always faulted the management for not spending money on marketing. Jim Cambell was just plain ol' cheap and wouldn't budget the money for it.I always thought it was shortsighted of Jim - penny wise and pound foolish. I think that a business which SELLS advertising should believe in the concept enough to BUY advertising.
Focus on the counties where you have a city grade signal, intensive marketing, and really working the local "megachurches" would be a success formula for WVFJ.
 
I'm taken with all the passion about a station that has stirred less and less audience interest the past couple of decades but this format attracts people with loyalty and high expectations.
Start with the basics thought. The Christian music format is not growing, period. Gospel music of all genres is less than 6% of total music sales. The CCM format centers around only a few "core" artists limiting it's potential. Over the past few years former big names in the format released fewer cds, toured less, sold fewer concert tixs when they did, etc. Fish seems to have basically peaked over the past few years as well. The puzzle that starts the assumption J93 should be doing better is based on Atlanta having so many active and large churches. Come on if this format were going to show us impact Atlanta should be an easy market. Basically when Fish came along half of J93's cume and most of Victory 91.5's cume just transferred giving Fish a quick momentum.
Just like now J93 is blaming the economy, prior to that they blamed Fish's signal for limiting their success. The format just has a low ceiling. The only recognized on air name, John Tesh, hasn't improved their forecast.
Sure they spent money on a signal but Taylor could also recall if they'd spent a bit more the signal would have been done right. And he might recall after Mr Watkins died the estate really upgraded the signal HOPING to sell the station years ago when it could have brought a good return. Plenty of big groups looked at it and if Provident had a buyer it would have been gone a decade ago and the format with it.
It's probably not fair to blame Rick for their woes. He is simply a good employee having to get approval for everything. The owner operates non commerical stations and guessed incorrectly they could use their were consistantly big names and expensive with no answers. Maybe they spent too much money in the wrong place. But to be honest, if this station were going to make it, it would have long before now It was never meant to be, but the loyal employees all these years bought into the mission without questioning anything it's been difficult to understand the lack of success when it clearly was never coming.
 
Maybe more than J93 dying a slow death. Could the whole format be in trouble? Earlier this week the president of the Gospel Music Assn resigned and many of their future positions will be filled by volunteers. The Dove awards have been insignifcant for years and certainly aren't growing in audience size or impact. Plus, what happened to the big free event Fish had every LaborDay weekend with free concerts mostly by unknown names. That didn't happen this year. What does that mean? Anyway both Fish and J seem to try and distance themselves from a Christian label calling themselves "family friendly"

Does anybody recall the story in the 90s when J did the signal upgrade? I heard a consultant led them to believe they could upgrade the signal to cover Atlanta and put it in a great position to sell the station. Somehow what looked right on paper didn't come off and nobody would pay their price. Wasn't sure if they were serious about selling and don't know if they're still serious about this format.
 
The signal was not improved in an effort to sale the station - it was improved to try to serve most of Atlanta. The studios were moved from Manchester to Peachtree City at the same time. This was pre-Fish - Atlanta had no full market Christian radio and the Provident folks hoped the multi-million dollar investment would work.
Radio signals are hard to predict. You can model them on computers and quantify all types of variables - but you just can't always "figure" everything. On paper, the signal seemed like it would work better.No one was sold "magic beans".......but the math did look better than what we really wound up with. The signal was noticeably better in Atlanta after the move - it just wasn't improved enough to compete.
We tried to get WZGC to make the move to Richland(which they eventually made) so J93 could go 100,000 watts from the current 1600 foot tower.(They are 28,000 watts)Cox eventually killed this by upgrading 104.1 in Newnan to C-0.(J93 and Kiss 104 have an IF seperation issue)The last I heard WVFJ has a CP to build a directional at close to 100,000 watts on a new 1500 foot tower somewhat further south - but the signal will be no better towards Atlanta.(It will work much better in Macon and Columbus - I don't know why anyone would care about picking up Macon and Columbus!!)
Yes....later the station was shopped to some other companies. But the plan was always to buy a non comm and continue the Christian programming in Atlanta. The main reason nothing ever happened with the sale is they couldn't find a willing non comm that could be upgraded or moved to serve their purpose.
I'm not sure about the format's future but I can tell you many of the soccer moms in Douglas County listen to J93 (including my wife.)Last time I saw numbers for southern/western cresent WVFJ had some decent numbers - but it has been a few years.
 
I wouldn't say the format is in trouble. Skillet - Christian Rockers debuted this week on the Billboard 200 at #2 - ahead of new releases by Miley Cyrus and Kings of Leon. Pretty respectable. The economic downturn has hit an already ailing radio industry hard across all formats in all markets. The Fish's numbers have increasingly gone up in W 25-54 since PPM's so I don't think they've peaked. The big, free concerts were free because advertisers paid for them. Economy tanks - businesses spend less on advertising.
 
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