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Jacksonville
- Thread starter nuffsaid
- Start date
nuffsaid said:
You got your answer on the Florida board! LOL Unless, there's a tightly held secret (which there might be), Jacksonville's radio scene seems pretty quiet, with the only big recent change, several weeks ago, Clear Channel blew up Classic Hits WJGH-FM Magic 107-3, fired their staff, and replaced it with Adult/Variety Hits WWJK-FM 107.3 Jack-FM. Other than business as usual, and way too much rain, that's all I can give you! Now, let's bring back the Florida Sunshine! 8)
O
ok walters
Guest
WZNZ 1600 is running True Oldies - pretty neat on AM.
ok walters said:
How far do you live from their Atlantic Blvd. transmitter site near the Intracoastal? 1600 AM has a good daytime signal at and near The Jax Beaches, but has never had a great signal over the entire Jacksonville Metro, so that limits its potential. I'm not putting them down - I Love Oldies - just being realistic. In the next few years, as the Nostalgia formats and listeners start fading, you'll probably see more (Real) Oldies formats moving to AM, where much of the '50's, 60's, and early '70's music was played in the first place! Sadly, many AM car radio's, and the stations back then, sounded much better technically than they do today. ???
O
ok walters
Guest
I am in Ponte Vedra Beach, and it sounds good here day and night. With on 89 watts at night that high on the dial, it doesn't reach too far past me. The day signal is pretty good, but does not cleanly cover the metro. It has been religion for a long time and no promo work has been or apparently will be done, so it may or may not work in the long run. How is anyone who isn't a radio geek like us going to find the new format?
I've been in South Florida over the past few weeks. Always the optimist, I hit the scan button as I approached Jax hoping something here changed. This time there wasn't a song I recognized anywhere except good 'ol WKTZ where I heard a Streisand classic. It was in sharp contrast to radio listening in S. Fla where often 3, 4 sometimes 5 stations were all jockeying for my attention playing songs I really liked. I can accept the fact that in a market where diversity rules, the radio dial will offer a lot of variety and even specialized programming to reflect that community. I wouldn't expect Jax to offer a format appealing to Hispanics on a Class C stick or to offer a tropical format and maybe even a number of rhythmic ACs and rhythmic CHRs.
When I moved to Jax in the late 90's I thought radio in this town wasn't bad at all. There was legendary Rock 105 and Planet for the rock fans. There was Arrow too but I never was quite sure what that really was - perhaps it was classic hits for that time. There were 2 country stations - WQIK and WROO. There were a number of formats on 102.9 but mainly they all were an adults hit format offering an alternative to WEJZ. Of course there was a great oldies station in Cool 96.9 and WAPE got some of my attention too because I always thought they sounded very big market. What in the world has happened to radio here?
One of the major players we have in Jax is Cox Radio. Over the years, I haven't always agreed with how that company operates but I will give them props for this. They do a very effective job in identifying programming holes and even opportunities to challenge long established stations and they execute new stations/formats flawlessly. Easy WFEZ has been discussed on this board a number of times in the wake of Magic's demise. I witnessed something rather extraordinary. In my travel,s there are a number of places such as restaurants that I've gone to for decades. In all that time, the leading AC played in the background. That has changed. I heard WFEZ practically all over.
I bring this up for several reasons. One is to show how Cox once again knows how to nail it. That station I have to admit is now among the most I listen to. Beyond that, their success proves a number of other things. Oldies have been mentioned in this string. That format appears to be taboo in this market. But WFEZ proves that when the right songs are chosen to go along with promotion, effective imaging and yes TALENT too the results can be very effective for the cluster. Cox has partnered their sister AC WFLC to become a very formidable combo. For a long time I saw the merits of WSOS being a true sister of WEJZ. I always thought 'EJZ should have dropped most of the 70's a few years ago and taken on a more modern at work station. Well, that didn't happen.
So now with WSOS doing Classic Rock and Jack being more rock-oriented than pop oriented and with 3 country formats there is a total of 8 stations basically devoted to 2 formats. If you guys don't see anything wrong with that then I think it's time for me to just sign off giving up in frustration. For those who say Jax is a rock and country town, I say OK I can concur. But we are also a pop music 40 town too but the powers that be don't seem to recognize that especially in featuring a retro Top 40.
Perhaps there are things I will never understand. Ironically, Cox radio stations in South Florida are so damn good. Talent on a number of stations seem to go way beyond what they are allowed to do here and still they can make it all work in the tough parameters of PPM. On my way back home I listened to a CC oldies station on 103.7. I didn't think they were bad at all, in fact I heard a number of songs that would have been a good fit on Magic here and from what I can tell the morning talent sounded live and local. Here it's the same company with the same financial problem but in the Treasure Coast all is well but here it is not. 3 months after the fact, I feel I miss Magic even more now than I did back then.
I listened to Sunny 105.9 for a considerable distance too and my God are they good. Maybe my words just can't express how frustrating it is that when I come upon the Jax city limits, signals from other markets disappear and what remains is just what currently exists. As far as Cox goes, these guys don't make any format changes until they are sure they will make the biggest impacts and that they will get it right. I can only hope the success of WFEZ, particularly in 25-54, can serve as a prototype and another alternative for Cox to consider.
Funny thing about ratings is it doesn't measure listener dissatisfaction. Radio here is like a strip shopping mall. There are 5 Italian Restaurants. Yeah, they may be different. One being gourmet/high end, the other budget and the others offering pizza from different regions. Still, they are all Italian. For someone who is looking for something else, they will either settle or go elsewhere. Radio wasn't always like that here. The optimist I am - I still hope something changes.
When I moved to Jax in the late 90's I thought radio in this town wasn't bad at all. There was legendary Rock 105 and Planet for the rock fans. There was Arrow too but I never was quite sure what that really was - perhaps it was classic hits for that time. There were 2 country stations - WQIK and WROO. There were a number of formats on 102.9 but mainly they all were an adults hit format offering an alternative to WEJZ. Of course there was a great oldies station in Cool 96.9 and WAPE got some of my attention too because I always thought they sounded very big market. What in the world has happened to radio here?
One of the major players we have in Jax is Cox Radio. Over the years, I haven't always agreed with how that company operates but I will give them props for this. They do a very effective job in identifying programming holes and even opportunities to challenge long established stations and they execute new stations/formats flawlessly. Easy WFEZ has been discussed on this board a number of times in the wake of Magic's demise. I witnessed something rather extraordinary. In my travel,s there are a number of places such as restaurants that I've gone to for decades. In all that time, the leading AC played in the background. That has changed. I heard WFEZ practically all over.
I bring this up for several reasons. One is to show how Cox once again knows how to nail it. That station I have to admit is now among the most I listen to. Beyond that, their success proves a number of other things. Oldies have been mentioned in this string. That format appears to be taboo in this market. But WFEZ proves that when the right songs are chosen to go along with promotion, effective imaging and yes TALENT too the results can be very effective for the cluster. Cox has partnered their sister AC WFLC to become a very formidable combo. For a long time I saw the merits of WSOS being a true sister of WEJZ. I always thought 'EJZ should have dropped most of the 70's a few years ago and taken on a more modern at work station. Well, that didn't happen.
So now with WSOS doing Classic Rock and Jack being more rock-oriented than pop oriented and with 3 country formats there is a total of 8 stations basically devoted to 2 formats. If you guys don't see anything wrong with that then I think it's time for me to just sign off giving up in frustration. For those who say Jax is a rock and country town, I say OK I can concur. But we are also a pop music 40 town too but the powers that be don't seem to recognize that especially in featuring a retro Top 40.
Perhaps there are things I will never understand. Ironically, Cox radio stations in South Florida are so damn good. Talent on a number of stations seem to go way beyond what they are allowed to do here and still they can make it all work in the tough parameters of PPM. On my way back home I listened to a CC oldies station on 103.7. I didn't think they were bad at all, in fact I heard a number of songs that would have been a good fit on Magic here and from what I can tell the morning talent sounded live and local. Here it's the same company with the same financial problem but in the Treasure Coast all is well but here it is not. 3 months after the fact, I feel I miss Magic even more now than I did back then.
I listened to Sunny 105.9 for a considerable distance too and my God are they good. Maybe my words just can't express how frustrating it is that when I come upon the Jax city limits, signals from other markets disappear and what remains is just what currently exists. As far as Cox goes, these guys don't make any format changes until they are sure they will make the biggest impacts and that they will get it right. I can only hope the success of WFEZ, particularly in 25-54, can serve as a prototype and another alternative for Cox to consider.
Funny thing about ratings is it doesn't measure listener dissatisfaction. Radio here is like a strip shopping mall. There are 5 Italian Restaurants. Yeah, they may be different. One being gourmet/high end, the other budget and the others offering pizza from different regions. Still, they are all Italian. For someone who is looking for something else, they will either settle or go elsewhere. Radio wasn't always like that here. The optimist I am - I still hope something changes.
JohnJax said:
JohnJax, you're preaching to the choir! You are spot on! Jacksonville WAS for many years, a very good, competitive radio market, and, as you remember, Cool 96.9 played to a sizable audience for well over a decade. There is still huge potential for either a Classic Hits/Oldies formatted station, or a WFEZ-like Easy Oldies station here! And, there IS experienced, knowledgeable, local talent available to help make it very successful! Let's hope that there's still an owner/manager with the smarts to make it happen!
John, there are two stations that cater to "pop" in Jax (3 if you count 93.3, since pop is so heavily dominated with an urban sound nowadays). This is a rock & country market, no doubt. And it works. Your market dumped it's only rock station recently. I don't get that at all.
G
G
When I got to Flagler in 1997, I thought of things differently. Rock 105 got stale & boring after about 2 months; Arrow 100.7 was my choice for classic rock after Big 106.5 went off the air. But 105 was boring as hell (played only the same 7 bands) & the "personalities" weren't anything to write home about, especially the morning morons. My roommate worked @ Planet but I can remember not being impressed by the music & hated the cutesy names the D.J.s had (Flounder, Crissy "no h, no t", etc.). I was glad we could receive Orlando-area stations as well as Daytona in St. Aug.. Otherwise, I might as well not have a radio! WHTQ was good, WJRR sucked, WTKS was OK, WHOG-FM wasn't bad & WKRO-FM was decent as The Krow.
V
vadar
Guest
Stick with WJRR in Orlando, that's all they got.
It's like that with AM radio too. 96.9 was a great oldies station. I remember it from the brief time it was simulcasted on 600 which bled into Charleston. It was almost as good as our local oldies station, which was really good.
One of the best in the Southeast but Cox took it off. We hear Tom Murphy more now in Charleston and other markets. He is the VO guy for a couple high-profile car dealers in Charleston and Columbia.
You have WOKV's morning news, and except for a couple shows on 600, those are the only local talk shows you can get.
I remember when 600 and 930 were both very good mostly local sports stations, and now thankfully 600 is a decent format (news/talk) for the signal it has.
One of the best in the Southeast but Cox took it off. We hear Tom Murphy more now in Charleston and other markets. He is the VO guy for a couple high-profile car dealers in Charleston and Columbia.
You have WOKV's morning news, and except for a couple shows on 600, those are the only local talk shows you can get.
I remember when 600 and 930 were both very good mostly local sports stations, and now thankfully 600 is a decent format (news/talk) for the signal it has.
N1WVQ said:
Musically & personality-wise, Planet, JRR & KRO were the same (and weekends on TKS to an extent).
G
Hey, guess what? Due to some juicy Tropo ducting, Jacksonville had an Oldies station loud and clear (until about 11:30am)! Actually 105-9 Sunny FM from Orlando was coming in quite strongly this morning. Great to hear a real radio station with real on air personalities while driving down Roosevelt Blvd! Too bad Jax doesn't have a real Classic Hits/Oldies powerhouse anymore! ??? Makes too much sense, which in turn could make some saavy company some dollars and cents! Just sayin'! Note to powers that be: A properly programmed Oldies format has a much wider appeal than your overpaid consultant may advise. Clear Channel had a healthy adult oriented idea with Magic 107-3, and then killed it off for no apparent reason! I guess they thought they were going to knock off 96-9 The Eagle, when it didn't happen right away, Magic got Jacked! Not Good! Have a safe and Happy 4th of July!
Have a safe and Happy 4th of July! ^ I don't see what listeners "hear" in The Eagle, but they seem untouchable. I don't think Jack will impact it any more than Magic did. 94.1 hasn't really succeeded at it.
Will be interesting to see after Jack has been around a while if its numbers are as good as Magic's were. I doubt it. Magic's performance actually wasn't that bad.
Will be interesting to see after Jack has been around a while if its numbers are as good as Magic's were. I doubt it. Magic's performance actually wasn't that bad.
Here's a few thoughts to respond to the previous posts. As far as Sunny 105.9 goes, the station/format was not always a ratings success. Almost similar to Jax, the format was started/stopped a number of times among a number of stations. Not only is this disruptive to listeners but it makes success even more elusive in the competitive world of radio. However, what Sunny had going for it was they had a company behind them vested in their success. A new PD was brought in and he was given latitude and certainly ample time to turn things around. Yes, there was trial and error and some things didn't work. Today, time and patience has created a win/win for both listeners and for the parent company. This doesn't happen too often in radio nowadays but how sweet it is when it does!
Magic 107.3 had a lot going for her. There was a very capable PD and a talent who knew this market and music inside and out. There was another who was a part of the CBS Radio culture and let's face it, they do the format very well. Their expertise and knowledge meant very little. Instead, decisions were made by someone who clearly was over his head. When I visit S. Fla I usually hook up with a number of radio friends there.Even they knew, the former PD brought in a year or so ago simply did not like the format. Still, I believed that given the former OM's brother was a brand coordinator for oldies/classic hits, I was really hopeful an effective level of support and attention would follow. Obviously, none of that happened. RIFs are a fact of life and still it's a shame the pain couldn't be spread around.
As far as the positioning of Magic goes, in no way was the intent to knock off Eagle. Magic was designed to be a more female friendly version of Eagle while also attracting some WEJZ listeners who weren't exactly turned on by contemporary music. Overall, Magic's ratings weren't the best but they were far better than many others doing the format. Magic actually beat Eagle in certain targets/demos. I can't help but think of Miami/South Florida. The hybrid oldies station there has been drifting and struggling for years. Yet, they are given another lifeline with the hiring of a new PD. We aren't so fortunate in Jax and there is a track record of not supporting the format in all 3 major radio groups.
Frustrated? You bet I am and it's because the powers that be in this market don't recognize the real demand that does exist. In my travels, besides S. Fla, I know some radio folks in the Northeast. Almost always the subject of radio in Jacksonville comes up in conversation. It's rare for them to bring up rock or country. But rather they talk about the mighty WAPE of the past when they would travel through Jax between NYC and Miami. A Top 40 popular music town - indeed we are- there is lots of history there and a big format bucket. For a number of years, when I would review ratings almost always the hit music stations to include retro formats such as Magic combined out-performed rock, country and urban at least in audience shares. To me, that says a lot.
Here we are in the July 4th holiday and summer is such a great time to listen to the radio. Locally, my radio is turned off. I do have 105.9 on my car presets and sometimes I'm treated to good radio, most times I am not. One of the biggest complaints I read on the boards are stations/brands like Eagle that play the same 300 songs over and over. I get why that happens because from a programming perspective it works. Indeed, Eagle is a successful brand. However, that format is limited and restricted as it generally presents one genre of music and it's the same old same old every single day.
We live in a wonderful age. I've been listening to CBS Radio's Oldies/Classic Hits WOGL over the past several days. They are presenting a Top 1000 countdown and it's great. There are so many wow songs, some I haven't heard on the radio since Cool 96.9 went away. In some ways, CBS Radio has almost taken a "Jack" approach with all the variety and genres of music presented. In a sea of sameness, I always saw so much opportunity in differentiating yourself more especially in weekend and holiday programming. CC just didn't have the same philosophy as CBS and I believe it could have made a difference here. So now there is Jack. Jack is cheap. Cheap trumps real listener demand. Happy 4th!
Magic 107.3 had a lot going for her. There was a very capable PD and a talent who knew this market and music inside and out. There was another who was a part of the CBS Radio culture and let's face it, they do the format very well. Their expertise and knowledge meant very little. Instead, decisions were made by someone who clearly was over his head. When I visit S. Fla I usually hook up with a number of radio friends there.Even they knew, the former PD brought in a year or so ago simply did not like the format. Still, I believed that given the former OM's brother was a brand coordinator for oldies/classic hits, I was really hopeful an effective level of support and attention would follow. Obviously, none of that happened. RIFs are a fact of life and still it's a shame the pain couldn't be spread around.
As far as the positioning of Magic goes, in no way was the intent to knock off Eagle. Magic was designed to be a more female friendly version of Eagle while also attracting some WEJZ listeners who weren't exactly turned on by contemporary music. Overall, Magic's ratings weren't the best but they were far better than many others doing the format. Magic actually beat Eagle in certain targets/demos. I can't help but think of Miami/South Florida. The hybrid oldies station there has been drifting and struggling for years. Yet, they are given another lifeline with the hiring of a new PD. We aren't so fortunate in Jax and there is a track record of not supporting the format in all 3 major radio groups.
Frustrated? You bet I am and it's because the powers that be in this market don't recognize the real demand that does exist. In my travels, besides S. Fla, I know some radio folks in the Northeast. Almost always the subject of radio in Jacksonville comes up in conversation. It's rare for them to bring up rock or country. But rather they talk about the mighty WAPE of the past when they would travel through Jax between NYC and Miami. A Top 40 popular music town - indeed we are- there is lots of history there and a big format bucket. For a number of years, when I would review ratings almost always the hit music stations to include retro formats such as Magic combined out-performed rock, country and urban at least in audience shares. To me, that says a lot.
Here we are in the July 4th holiday and summer is such a great time to listen to the radio. Locally, my radio is turned off. I do have 105.9 on my car presets and sometimes I'm treated to good radio, most times I am not. One of the biggest complaints I read on the boards are stations/brands like Eagle that play the same 300 songs over and over. I get why that happens because from a programming perspective it works. Indeed, Eagle is a successful brand. However, that format is limited and restricted as it generally presents one genre of music and it's the same old same old every single day.
We live in a wonderful age. I've been listening to CBS Radio's Oldies/Classic Hits WOGL over the past several days. They are presenting a Top 1000 countdown and it's great. There are so many wow songs, some I haven't heard on the radio since Cool 96.9 went away. In some ways, CBS Radio has almost taken a "Jack" approach with all the variety and genres of music presented. In a sea of sameness, I always saw so much opportunity in differentiating yourself more especially in weekend and holiday programming. CC just didn't have the same philosophy as CBS and I believe it could have made a difference here. So now there is Jack. Jack is cheap. Cheap trumps real listener demand. Happy 4th!
JohnJax, Even though you claim not to be in radio, your "head" is obviously in the business, due to your passion. And it's clear to this poster you've talked to some of the people involved with the former "Magic", so have I. Yes, Magic 107-3 started out more female friendly when launched, and seemed to be originally aimed somewhere between Lite 96.1 and 96-9 The Eagle. And, yes, many involved have indicated the GM brought in a year or so ago to the local CC Media and Entertainment cluster did not like the "Oldies" format. It surprises me that that was a factor, since CC seems to dictate the orders from a higher level. But, in well over 30 years of experience and observation, in most cases, a radio station can never be better than the GM - period. Too bad they didn't give Magic the time to really succeed, they WERE on the right track. And, while 105-9 Sunny FM in Orlando is very good, the Oldies station that preceded it, programmed by my former boss, Scott Sherwood, Cool 105.9, was much better to my ears. The jocks were smoother, the music mix was excellent, and despite the jocks being slicker, and the station was still fun to listen to. But, for some mysterious reason, CBS (who IMHO runs THE best Oldies stations) pulled the switch on Cool in April 1999 - a very pre-mature death! Of course, the same company made the same mistake a few years later with WCBS-FM in New York, and ultimately corrected that mistake! While the current Sunny FM is well programmed, and I still really like the music mix, the jocks seem to sound intentionally more sophomoric and inrritating - not sure why, I guess the current PD's style. Since it seems to be working, this old jock better shut up! Ouch! There must be a PPM close by!
All very good points. When I go through Jacksonville soon, I'm going to miss Magic. It's really sad that even markets like Savannah, GA have the format but Jacksonville can't. The market has too many rock stations for my tastes.
I'm wondering how Classic Rock 94.1 is doing with 96.9 and 107.3 sort of breathing down their throat on much better signals. I don't see how 94.1 can compete with a performer like 96.9 with their limited signal. We can't see their numbers anymore. If classic rock doesn't work out for them, perhaps Renda should re-consider classic hits after seeing how it did on Magic with PPM.
I'm wondering how Classic Rock 94.1 is doing with 96.9 and 107.3 sort of breathing down their throat on much better signals. I don't see how 94.1 can compete with a performer like 96.9 with their limited signal. We can't see their numbers anymore. If classic rock doesn't work out for them, perhaps Renda should re-consider classic hits after seeing how it did on Magic with PPM.
carolinaradio said:
Interesting 94.1 news today as they add FSU football, men's basketball, and coaches' shows: http://www.seminoles.com/blog/2012/...nnounce-new-jacksonville-radio-affiliate.html
WBOB was the former home of these broadcasts.
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