-
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
Jack FM is here in Jacksonville
- Thread starter jpm3002
- Start date
Parttimer said:
To a degree, you're right, although, I believe, most programmers and consultants generally refer to the "Jack FM" format as "Variety Hits" or possibly "Adult Hits. "Classic Hits" has become a rather broad format category. Starting in the mid to late '80's, the original Oldies format on FM, was personality based, playing the classic Top 40 hits, mainly from the post Beatles '60's and early '70's, with some hits from the from the late '50 and pre-Beatles '60's. In most cases, this was the Oldies music model up until the early and mid 2000's, when programmers were forced to "update" the format, in an attempt to still attract, and keep, the all important 25 to 54 listeners on board. Most of these "Oldies" personality assisted formats were pop oriented. Now a "Classic Hits" station can range from playing a more modern verson of Pop Oldies, to a much more Rock edged version, like the Eagle. Some of the Classic Hits stations still employ live or voice tracked personalities presenting the hits, while some stations choose to run "jockless" and rely on pre-recorded "Imaging" to create the stations identity! In the case of most "Jack FM" formatted stations, they run jockless, with a "sarcastic" approach to their imaging!
Well, so now there is Jack. Some time has passed since the format has come to Jax. It’s probably the nature of the format but most listeners will not like everything. I probably like about 40% of what they play and how they sound and I’m probably generous.
In this string, Nfladxer said in reply to one of my observations “Clear Channel, and some of the other large radio groups, seem to be operating from a central authority. This has given rise to "cookie cutter" formats across the country, and more so than not, leaves the local programmers following orders. It seems to be the exception, rather than the rule, that a local OM or PD, is given much latitude to make large programming decisions.”
I do not disagree with that statement but I marvel at the “exception” approach. With the news of Brian Thomas being assigned to Tampa as VP of programming, Jeff Laurence who I believe does an excellent job voice imaging as he did @Magic 107-3 said this:
“Because.this is CBS and Dan Mason seems to understand the topical/local cosmetic of each station..K-Earth sounds like Los Angeles..WCBS-FM sounds like New York..WOGL sounds like Philly..WODS has a definate Boston "vibe"...and in Phoenix KOOL-FM sounds like desert/Arizona. ….They are, many times number one in the market. And the stations all bill very well as a result. How hard is this for station owners to “get it?”
Bravo to Jeff and I hope he is fine with my quoting him. Jacksonville is a very interesting radio market because while our land mass may present challenges, it also presents tremendous opportunities. With regard to “vibe” Jax certainly has one that makes it unique to all other Florida cities because we have lots of vibes. As you think of the Beaches and work your way west or then work your way south or north, little communities within communities seem to shout a different vibe. Still, a market our size and with the diversity we have given that land mass, are we saying there isn't room for a true adults-hits based format that doesn't lean rock?
Going cookie cutter for a format like Greatest Hits may seem to make economic sense but if you don’t realize your potential because of that decision or it requires a complete flip, those costs seem so unnecessary to me. The costs I speak of are not only financial but there are negative impacts to lots of listeners and no one seems to care about the ultimate client. It's obvious cookie-cutter did not work.
I’ve been looking at what appears to be the typical listener of Jack via the Facebook page as an observer. I’d say there are lots of 30 somethings so if the desire was to skew younger, they will. But I also noticed something else. One of the fans of Jack had a link to some kind of Planet petition. It was an interesting read. There were lots of displaced listeners who were very angry. As I recall there was 5-6 pages. Yes, format flips can be costly especially if they drive some people away from radio and radio in this town keeps socking it to the listener.
If we look to our neighbor to the south – Orlando, that market had some similarities to Jax in how the oldies format was treated with it being started and stopped and passed around like a used condom. Then Sunny 105-9 was born. It looked promising at first, then it began to decline. A new PD was brought in. CBS Radio stayed firm in keeping the format going.
There were a number of things I did not like and said so on this board when Rick Stacy took over. Perhaps with the format, there is trail and error to get it right. But CBS Radio invested the time and they supported the effort. Today, Sunny 105-9 is one helluva a great station. There is nothing about how they sound that I don’t like which says a lot especially given how fussy I am about the format. Bravo too goes to Rick - you are the right man for the market and the station.
The bottom line is this. It’s not that there isn’t a market or demand for a hybrid oldies format. Magic 107-3’s numbers were actually better than others doing the format in other markets. Yet they remain and Magic goes. What’s true is if corporate and local management don’t want to invest the time and effort in it, it won’t last. That has been the case in our town time after time.
I still say if the corporate philosophy over at CC mirrored more like CBS Radio, that playlist would have made a difference. Just to satisfy my own curiosity, the other day I mapped programming for 4 hours from Sunny and compared it to what WEJZ was doing and what WJGL was doing. My God. Sunny had a lot of different elements to it the other two did not have. It’s not how old a song is but rather how good it is and Sunny has it nailed IMHO.
What’s next here? I’m not holding my breath and honestly I don’t give a f***. But if someone wakes up one day, I ask them to look at the success CBS Radio is having with the format. But then reality sets in and I believe the format will just be lost in time. If there is any glimmer of hope in the horizon, I say look at WFEZ in Miami and look at how that format (E-Z oldies) has taken off and how it has virtually pulled aside the 4 decade long AC in the market in share. Someone wise I know calls it a female version of Eagle. If there is a strategy to increase females to the cluster or to prevent another Magic from coming to market so as to protect WEJZ then even Renda may consider that option.
If any oldies adult based format is ever to return to Jax, it must be on a signal that concentrates on the Southside of town and into St. John’s County where especially in northern St. John’s to include Fruit Cove, PVB and Vilano Beach and into St. Augustine, that’s where the audience is. In the meantime, I’m back to listening to other markets and one day I hope to support another local radio station. One last thing. Some of the anger I am feeling is actually the fact that I am angry with myself. I was warned a number of times about the expectations for Magic. I chose to not believe it. I thought CC was different. I guess I was too close to the station to be objective. I feel like a fool and personally that sucks.
In this string, Nfladxer said in reply to one of my observations “Clear Channel, and some of the other large radio groups, seem to be operating from a central authority. This has given rise to "cookie cutter" formats across the country, and more so than not, leaves the local programmers following orders. It seems to be the exception, rather than the rule, that a local OM or PD, is given much latitude to make large programming decisions.”
I do not disagree with that statement but I marvel at the “exception” approach. With the news of Brian Thomas being assigned to Tampa as VP of programming, Jeff Laurence who I believe does an excellent job voice imaging as he did @Magic 107-3 said this:
“Because.this is CBS and Dan Mason seems to understand the topical/local cosmetic of each station..K-Earth sounds like Los Angeles..WCBS-FM sounds like New York..WOGL sounds like Philly..WODS has a definate Boston "vibe"...and in Phoenix KOOL-FM sounds like desert/Arizona. ….They are, many times number one in the market. And the stations all bill very well as a result. How hard is this for station owners to “get it?”
Bravo to Jeff and I hope he is fine with my quoting him. Jacksonville is a very interesting radio market because while our land mass may present challenges, it also presents tremendous opportunities. With regard to “vibe” Jax certainly has one that makes it unique to all other Florida cities because we have lots of vibes. As you think of the Beaches and work your way west or then work your way south or north, little communities within communities seem to shout a different vibe. Still, a market our size and with the diversity we have given that land mass, are we saying there isn't room for a true adults-hits based format that doesn't lean rock?
Going cookie cutter for a format like Greatest Hits may seem to make economic sense but if you don’t realize your potential because of that decision or it requires a complete flip, those costs seem so unnecessary to me. The costs I speak of are not only financial but there are negative impacts to lots of listeners and no one seems to care about the ultimate client. It's obvious cookie-cutter did not work.
I’ve been looking at what appears to be the typical listener of Jack via the Facebook page as an observer. I’d say there are lots of 30 somethings so if the desire was to skew younger, they will. But I also noticed something else. One of the fans of Jack had a link to some kind of Planet petition. It was an interesting read. There were lots of displaced listeners who were very angry. As I recall there was 5-6 pages. Yes, format flips can be costly especially if they drive some people away from radio and radio in this town keeps socking it to the listener.
If we look to our neighbor to the south – Orlando, that market had some similarities to Jax in how the oldies format was treated with it being started and stopped and passed around like a used condom. Then Sunny 105-9 was born. It looked promising at first, then it began to decline. A new PD was brought in. CBS Radio stayed firm in keeping the format going.
There were a number of things I did not like and said so on this board when Rick Stacy took over. Perhaps with the format, there is trail and error to get it right. But CBS Radio invested the time and they supported the effort. Today, Sunny 105-9 is one helluva a great station. There is nothing about how they sound that I don’t like which says a lot especially given how fussy I am about the format. Bravo too goes to Rick - you are the right man for the market and the station.
The bottom line is this. It’s not that there isn’t a market or demand for a hybrid oldies format. Magic 107-3’s numbers were actually better than others doing the format in other markets. Yet they remain and Magic goes. What’s true is if corporate and local management don’t want to invest the time and effort in it, it won’t last. That has been the case in our town time after time.
I still say if the corporate philosophy over at CC mirrored more like CBS Radio, that playlist would have made a difference. Just to satisfy my own curiosity, the other day I mapped programming for 4 hours from Sunny and compared it to what WEJZ was doing and what WJGL was doing. My God. Sunny had a lot of different elements to it the other two did not have. It’s not how old a song is but rather how good it is and Sunny has it nailed IMHO.
What’s next here? I’m not holding my breath and honestly I don’t give a f***. But if someone wakes up one day, I ask them to look at the success CBS Radio is having with the format. But then reality sets in and I believe the format will just be lost in time. If there is any glimmer of hope in the horizon, I say look at WFEZ in Miami and look at how that format (E-Z oldies) has taken off and how it has virtually pulled aside the 4 decade long AC in the market in share. Someone wise I know calls it a female version of Eagle. If there is a strategy to increase females to the cluster or to prevent another Magic from coming to market so as to protect WEJZ then even Renda may consider that option.
If any oldies adult based format is ever to return to Jax, it must be on a signal that concentrates on the Southside of town and into St. John’s County where especially in northern St. John’s to include Fruit Cove, PVB and Vilano Beach and into St. Augustine, that’s where the audience is. In the meantime, I’m back to listening to other markets and one day I hope to support another local radio station. One last thing. Some of the anger I am feeling is actually the fact that I am angry with myself. I was warned a number of times about the expectations for Magic. I chose to not believe it. I thought CC was different. I guess I was too close to the station to be objective. I feel like a fool and personally that sucks.
JohnJax, it's obvious you were a fan of Magic 107-3 from day one, were emotionally invested, and you certainly had every reason to have high expectations for the format to succeed here in Jacksonville! Clear Channel, while not as consistently successful as CBS with Oldies formats, does have the resources to pull it off. But not knowing what internally happened here locally, one has to conclude, for whatever reason, the management was just not fully supportive. While Magic 107-3 was never number one, they DID have respectable ratings, and, actually seemed to be trending upwards when the plug was pulled. So now CC Jax has not only recently upset and displaced their long time Planet Radio listener base, when they blew it up to create Magic, they've done it again, but probably to a lesser degree, especially for the younger skewing listeners. As a fellow Baby Boomer, I too, find it hard to keep Jack FM on for any length of time, I like some of the tunes, but not most of what I've heard so far. But, that's just this listeners opinion. As for an "Easy-Oldies" format here in North Florida, what in the hell do you think Sunny 94.1 was?! After Renda management adjusted Sunny to "Continuous Easy Favorites", the playlist was very similar to what WFEZ "Easy 93.1" in South Florida is now playing, although the overall presentation was not as polished as what Cox is doing in Miami. With a little bit of tweaking, all the basic elements were there for Sunny 94.1 to succeed, but unfortunately, the weak signal from the World Golf Village, and inserting the John Tesh Radio Show in evenings with a different playlist, were, IMHO, two leading causes for Sunny 94.1's early demise. When I've mentioned Sunny in conversation, many people have told me they liked the station. At this point, Jacksonville does have some obvious format holes, but, economics, not emotion, will decide what's to come. 
I'm sure research will prove me different, but I'd like to think there are plenty of people in highly valued younger demos who enjoy listening to oldies, and would be excited to have a good 60's-70's station on the air again.
On that topic, about two weeks ago as I traveled with some of the Jacksonville RollerGirls to a bout in Ormond Beach, they indulged me (since I was driving) with a quick detour to visit my friend Ron at Flagler County Broadcasting.
I'm 33, and the ladies traveling with me were all in the 25-30 age range. Out of the three stations in that facility, guess which one they were most excited about?
Not NewsRadio 1550. Not Jack-like Beach 92.7. They just loved Easy Oldies 100.9! (EasyOldiesRadio.com for anyone outside of its 250 watts, or without an HD radio to hear it on 92.7 HD3.)
Even before this visit, I can't tell you the number of people my age that have said to me since Cool 96.9 went away, "You know, I miss that oldies station we used to have."
(I enjoyed Sunny, too.)
On that topic, about two weeks ago as I traveled with some of the Jacksonville RollerGirls to a bout in Ormond Beach, they indulged me (since I was driving) with a quick detour to visit my friend Ron at Flagler County Broadcasting.
I'm 33, and the ladies traveling with me were all in the 25-30 age range. Out of the three stations in that facility, guess which one they were most excited about?
Not NewsRadio 1550. Not Jack-like Beach 92.7. They just loved Easy Oldies 100.9! (EasyOldiesRadio.com for anyone outside of its 250 watts, or without an HD radio to hear it on 92.7 HD3.)
Even before this visit, I can't tell you the number of people my age that have said to me since Cool 96.9 went away, "You know, I miss that oldies station we used to have."
(I enjoyed Sunny, too.)
TommyR said:
Yes, I agree, the Oldies/Classic Hits (as in pop-oriented Classic Hits) IS a much more universal appeal format than research would suggest. While research IS important, and it's not going away, programmers shouldn't ignore their "gut" feelings and instincts. And I also agree, Flagler County Broadcasting has done an excellent job with all their signals, especially with Easy Oldies 100.9! Jacksonville should pay attention!
I enjoyed TommyR's post. A few weeks ago, on Jack's FB page someone who loved Magic mentioned switching to Cool 96.9 in protest. Well, I'm sure his distress only got worse when he tuned into 96.9. But seriously after all this time, the fact that listeners still mention the station, says a lot about the impressions made. Pat Garrett built an extraordinary great station. Back then Pat often mentioned to me Cool 96.9 was almost always in the top 2 in 25-54. Yes, it's a mass-appeal format and when done right, it can attract younger demos. Pat did it right.
In most other business, those who leave a company whether voluntary or involuntary are often sought by head-hunters, especially if there was a proven track record and success. Radio for whatever reason does not work that way. Pat never found a place in Jax and my understanding is he has given up radio altogether. To me, it just shouldn't be the case.
In radio, one decision, one even can have a ripple effect that lasts for years. Indulge me in a little fantasy right now. I mentioned CBS Radio before but just suppose it was CBS who came to Jax instead of Cox. Given CBS's philosophy it would be a high probability Cool 96.9 would still be around today. Instead of years of on and off format, we would be looking at a 22 year old heritage station. 102-9 would have probably been "Fresh" a more modern type AC than WEJZ. Without X102-9, Planet would still be around doing new rock and Rock 105 would have maintained a very large audience doing older rock because of less competition. The market would have 2 rock stations - a perfect amount in my opinion and no Eagle to boot!. Perhaps WEJZ would have not had years of no competition and perhaps they would not have been as big a cash cow. As a result, TR would probably not have bought WSOS and that would be a local St. Augustine station today, perhaps still doing Hot AC. Maybe too, there would be no Gator here if TR thought 2 stations was enough. Steve Sutton would have probably made the transition from Top 40 WAPE to Cool 96.9 where I think he would have been a better fit. 100.7 - who knows what that could have been. Perhaps, L&T would have still been on the air here on one of the rockers.
If you really think about it, oldies lovers would still be happy because they would have a station. There would have been more choice for the office crowd. Planet lovers would still have their station moving into heritage territory. L& T fans would still have their fix. Cox Radio, yes they are successful but in just looking at how they impacted this market tells me it came at such a high price.
In most other business, those who leave a company whether voluntary or involuntary are often sought by head-hunters, especially if there was a proven track record and success. Radio for whatever reason does not work that way. Pat never found a place in Jax and my understanding is he has given up radio altogether. To me, it just shouldn't be the case.
In radio, one decision, one even can have a ripple effect that lasts for years. Indulge me in a little fantasy right now. I mentioned CBS Radio before but just suppose it was CBS who came to Jax instead of Cox. Given CBS's philosophy it would be a high probability Cool 96.9 would still be around today. Instead of years of on and off format, we would be looking at a 22 year old heritage station. 102-9 would have probably been "Fresh" a more modern type AC than WEJZ. Without X102-9, Planet would still be around doing new rock and Rock 105 would have maintained a very large audience doing older rock because of less competition. The market would have 2 rock stations - a perfect amount in my opinion and no Eagle to boot!. Perhaps WEJZ would have not had years of no competition and perhaps they would not have been as big a cash cow. As a result, TR would probably not have bought WSOS and that would be a local St. Augustine station today, perhaps still doing Hot AC. Maybe too, there would be no Gator here if TR thought 2 stations was enough. Steve Sutton would have probably made the transition from Top 40 WAPE to Cool 96.9 where I think he would have been a better fit. 100.7 - who knows what that could have been. Perhaps, L&T would have still been on the air here on one of the rockers.
If you really think about it, oldies lovers would still be happy because they would have a station. There would have been more choice for the office crowd. Planet lovers would still have their station moving into heritage territory. L& T fans would still have their fix. Cox Radio, yes they are successful but in just looking at how they impacted this market tells me it came at such a high price.
JohnJax, an interesting post as always! The fact is if YOU had been the GM at Cool 96.9, it would still be a personality, pop-oriented Classic Hits station, and as COOL as ever! Pat Garrett did a great job as PD, and yes, Cool 96.9 was sounding better and better when Cox pulled the plug! IMHO, Jacksonville deserves another great pop-oriented Classic Hits station, or at the very least, a more polished and consistent "Easy Oldies" format like Sunny 94.1 was. Or, maybe, BOTH. You know there is HD-1 and HD-2! While reciever penetration is still low, if they can do an HD-1, HD-2, AND HD-3 in Palm Coast, why not in Jax. The key is making all the formats available on analog FM via well placed translators. And guess who has the Construction Permits? If you said Clear Channel, you're a winner, go claim your prize!
I think if Renda were smart they should pick up classic hits in Jax. Either on 100.7 (move Country Legends to 94.1, put the more niche format on the lower powered signal?) or just 94.1. The former seems more practical, but 100.7 is more of a northern signal. I believe the situation is different now than it was in the mid 2000s (pre PPM for one) when they put oldies on 100.7. A lot of operators would probably be more than happy to have the numbers Magic 107.3 had.
Renda has a very successful classic hits station in Oklahoma City, KOMA. It co-exists very well with their AC KMGL (which is a lot like WEJZ). Both have overlap, but co-exist and perform very well. Since Renda is a smaller company, KOMA has a lot of the localization that the larger companies lack. In Jax, I think a classic hits station would complement WEJZ quite well. A combo of AC/Classic Hits and Country/Classic Country seem quite practical.
Renda has a very successful classic hits station in Oklahoma City, KOMA. It co-exists very well with their AC KMGL (which is a lot like WEJZ). Both have overlap, but co-exist and perform very well. Since Renda is a smaller company, KOMA has a lot of the localization that the larger companies lack. In Jax, I think a classic hits station would complement WEJZ quite well. A combo of AC/Classic Hits and Country/Classic Country seem quite practical.
carolinaradio said:
For years I tried to make the case that when a cluster has an AC positioned with a Classic Hits/pop oldies format, the results can go way beyond practical. I would not expect Renda to be swapping out signals or eliminating Classic Rock at this time. And I would agree with that decision. One of the main themes of this string is the general consensus that Magic 107-3 was just not given a proper amount of time. What's fair is fair. Pulling the plug on WSOS at this time would amount to just about the same thing - treating listeners to a format they like than pulling the rug from them is simply not right.
And speaking of ratings, Jack didn't do so well out of the box. Even during Magic's Christmas disaster, their ratings were still better. Jack is a cheap operation and I can't see the format being big here. CC Jax is simply dysfunctional IMO. The "young and promising" MM brought in about a year ago was demoted to sales. The OM who came on board in October was let go earlier this week. What the hell is going on? I have to wonder if the plan is to get out of Jax all together. We'll have to see. It's like they are in melt down over there.
Here's my take. Jack seems to offer around 40% of its playlist featuring rock oriented hits. This could fragment the male audience even more. This means 4.5 formats are rock-oriented. Something is going to have to give. If someone can figure there is opportunity to attract upper-end females and if this strategy will position the cluster stronger, then that is where an adults hits/EZ - whatever will go.
I don't know enough about rock formats to speak about the what ifs. Rock 104-5 is an active rock format, right? Does that require one station or can elements of it be added to another form of rock, such as X102-9? If it can and if impacting a WEJZ benefits the Cox cluster, then a "WFEZ" could find it's way on 104-5? I don't know. A while back, I predicted a lot of change would come to Jax this year. Man, how I wish I was wrong.
Once again JohnJax has brought up some interesting points. The fact that Clear Channel Jacksonville has gone through so many changes recently (and way too many talented people took the bullet, when they proabably didn't need to) does indicate, at the very least, a sense of disarray or panic. As I've stated before, it appears CC Jax has lost quite a bit of market share, in comparison to Cox, over the past couple of years, and this, at the very least, must be responsible for some of the changes. Ironically, a day after the CC Jax OM left the building, it looks like some of the local Clear Channel properties did see some increases in the latest monthly PPM. If, for whatever reason, Clear Channel Media and Entertainment decides to exit this market, I would guess it might interest companies like Townsquare Media or Cumulus, maybe Radio One. CBS Radio is NOT a likely candidate, they've already left the much larger Denver market, and are in the process of leaving West Palm Beach.
As far as Renda re-launching Classic Hits, that's probably not in the cards. As a witness and observer to what went on back when Kool 100.7 was launched, a great opportunity was blown. Just about everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong! The on air talent, the market and music knowledge, help from their sister station KOMA, even the former Cool 96.9 PD, was available, or about to be available, due to some contract issues. IMHO, at that time, I think the powers that be at Renda were afraid a really good Oldies station might damage WEJZ in certain demos, at least that was my take on the situation. So, as JohnJax has already pointed out, that leaves Cox as the most likely operator to consider any kind of pop oriented Classic Hits format, or possibly a clone of WFEZ, offering an Easy Oldies format here. Again, if any company does make a move to re-establish a REAL Oldies type station in Jacksonville, it will have to make Dollars and Cents (Sense)!
As far as Renda re-launching Classic Hits, that's probably not in the cards. As a witness and observer to what went on back when Kool 100.7 was launched, a great opportunity was blown. Just about everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong! The on air talent, the market and music knowledge, help from their sister station KOMA, even the former Cool 96.9 PD, was available, or about to be available, due to some contract issues. IMHO, at that time, I think the powers that be at Renda were afraid a really good Oldies station might damage WEJZ in certain demos, at least that was my take on the situation. So, as JohnJax has already pointed out, that leaves Cox as the most likely operator to consider any kind of pop oriented Classic Hits format, or possibly a clone of WFEZ, offering an Easy Oldies format here. Again, if any company does make a move to re-establish a REAL Oldies type station in Jacksonville, it will have to make Dollars and Cents (Sense)!
I know for me I liked the music better on 107.3 when it was plannit radio. Italso had that local and live feel such as radio stations are lacking. I was surprised to see Magic die like that, they just had put people on the airshift at the beginning of the year. That wasn't nearly enough time. I l liked the gold-based approach of active rock from Roc 105 also. It was local also (and thouh it still is, its much more n newer active rock). OH well formats I like aren't really doing well these days, Smooth Jazz is gone, and personality is dieing. And you wonder why people dont care abot radio as much as they used to. What compelling reason is there to listn? Take Jack for instance. liners, music, and what else? Its sad. If radio geeks dont see reason to listen to a station, then why would the average person?
John Holcomb II said:
Well, the average listener most likely doesn't have as much of an "emotional investment" in a particular station as a radio enthusiast or "geek". So, while I agree that we need more personality on music radio, not less, the average listener may not realize the lack of personality as quickly as someone who is a more involved listener. That may give any particular station a little more breathing room in the short term, but long term, especially considering all the media alternatives, IMO, this approach weakens radio's unique intimate nature. After all, radio should still be appealing to human beings, not just a PPM device. I would think it's difficult for most listeners to get excited about, or develop an emotional attachment to, a produced "image liner". Radio should be embracing the human touch, and looking for more ways to CREATE demand, rather than rolling over and playing dead! ???
nfladxer said:So, as JohnJax has already pointed out, that leaves Cox as the most likely operator to consider any kind of pop oriented Classic Hits format, or possibly a clone of WFEZ, offering an Easy Oldies format here. Again, if any company does make a move to re-establish a REAL Oldies type station in Jacksonville, it will have to make Dollars and Cents (Sense)!
E-Z oldies formats are certainly not top billers. But they are playing an increasingly more prominent role in strategy and enhancing the cluster as a whole.
Let’s say a cluster has 5 stations A-E. If “A” is underperforming and is being flip-considered to E-Z Oldies, number crunchers would have to take a few things into consideration. Billing/revenue history and demo info would already exist for Station A. If billing projections for E-Z Oldies is less than current format, that’s just one thing to consider.
Let’s also say a significant share of Station A’s audience also listens to Station B and to a lesser extent Station C. If it is believed displaced listeners from Station A can enhance certain demos in one or two other strong stations in the cluster, the increased billing revenue as a result could compensate for a replacement that bills less than originally. Then there are impacts to a competitor. If enough listeners in certain key demos can be lured away, then that in itself can help the new kid on the block so to speak at a chance for a successful run.
From a market share perspective, E-Z oldies generally earns high shares. If Cox believes the Jax market is changing and perhaps conservative talk is not as hot as once was, a flip to E-Z oldies can be another way to compensate for market share lost elsewhere.
As far as WFEZ in S.Fla goes, that station/format has helped Cox in a big way. I won’t go into the specifics because that is a subject for another board. Personally, I love that station. Cox launches formats so very well. I was in S.Fla when rock flipped to Christmas and then E-Z oldies. TV spots blanked the airwaves. Props to them – they do those things well. I hope history has a way of repeating itself in Jacksonville.
I’m all about what makes sense/cents and E-Z, done right, would prove a winner, at least in my way of thinking.
As far as lost opportunity with regard to KOOL 100.7 goes, my views on that subject and the MM who oversaw that and the old WSOS are very well known to all of you on this board.
Just to throw out there, I highly doubt Cox will do a pop-classic hits format. While different from Eagle, there would still be too much overlap. It would have to be easy listening oldies if anything.
I don't get how The Eagle has been so successful. The Tampa "Eagle" is extremely popular, as well, but it's just the same exhausted songs over and over with no true personality, IMO. Atlanta's 97.1 The River is the same way but has improved in the last year or so. More variety and deep cuts than before.
I don't get how The Eagle has been so successful. The Tampa "Eagle" is extremely popular, as well, but it's just the same exhausted songs over and over with no true personality, IMO. Atlanta's 97.1 The River is the same way but has improved in the last year or so. More variety and deep cuts than before.
I
IT_Guru
Guest
I thought I was the only one who still missed Cool 96.9 but after reading the posts I guess I'm not the only one.
I started listening to them back around 1990 when I was a teenager and I'm so glad that I have several hours of them on tape (need to get those out and convert to CD). I loved the DJ's and for some reason the two that I still remember are Smokin' Joe Beamer and Mimi Monroe. Are they still around? It was the best Oldies station I've ever heard and I have to admit that they are the reason that Oldies/Classic Hits are now my favorite format.
I got to listen to Magic 107.3 a couple of times and while it wasn't the same as Cool 96.9 I still liked the station and listened to it when I was in Jax and I hate that it's gone now.
If anyone is interested I'll be happy to post some of my tapes of WKQL Cool 96.9. I live in NE Ohio now and ironically the WKQL calls still live on and are at Cool 103.3 about 80 miles away from me in Brookville, PA.
I started listening to them back around 1990 when I was a teenager and I'm so glad that I have several hours of them on tape (need to get those out and convert to CD). I loved the DJ's and for some reason the two that I still remember are Smokin' Joe Beamer and Mimi Monroe. Are they still around? It was the best Oldies station I've ever heard and I have to admit that they are the reason that Oldies/Classic Hits are now my favorite format.
I got to listen to Magic 107.3 a couple of times and while it wasn't the same as Cool 96.9 I still liked the station and listened to it when I was in Jax and I hate that it's gone now.
If anyone is interested I'll be happy to post some of my tapes of WKQL Cool 96.9. I live in NE Ohio now and ironically the WKQL calls still live on and are at Cool 103.3 about 80 miles away from me in Brookville, PA.
- Status