Past decisions – good or bad – have a way of manifesting themselves even today. Probably the way to do this subject justice is by company. Let’s start with Cox.
The decision to simulcast news/talk WOKV on FM before it was common to do was brilliant. While music formats fight for fractional shares, WOKV can leap several shares on that big news event. They just keep coming, don’t they? If the Florida primary election is any indication of what is to follow this year being called the most expensive presidential election ever, WOKV/Cox stands to make a fortune.
If vulnerability comes into play, I believe Cox has too many eggs in one basket. I always thought a cluster could be compared to an investment portfolio and it’s just best to diversify.
Last year there was a lot of buzz on these boards that Rock 104.5 would be going away. I’m of the opinion that will not happen in the near future because it goes against how Cox operates – they do give formats ample time to succeed or not.
Interestingly, Cox developed what I considered a very effective TV spot because it put the listener in the center speaking in the voices of typical listeners who wanted more music in the morning. This is one of those rare cases where listener preferences were in line with corporate objectives. Otherwise, most of us are of the opinion the listener doesn’t really matter to them. Still, I thought the spot was a damn good one.
For the sake of discussion only, if Rock 104.5 flipped to something else what would that be? Cox does urban formats very well. As much as this would bring diversity – unintentional pun – to their cluster, I think it would be very expensive to promote and risky given there are already two very established stations.
There is the AC format and IMO there is room for another one, especially for one that is more contemporary. I’ll have a lot more to say on AC later. Doing anything that could negatively impact WAPE would not make any economic sense. There is variety hits and Cox has launched the format elsewhere. However, I think that’s more appropriate for a lower power signal and I think that would impact Eagle. I think if a major move is to happen - it will be non music programming.
Sports I believe makes the most sense. The understanding I have is billing for the format, especially if on FM, is very good. I realize there are already two in the market but both are on AM. One is in a costly litigation battle and maybe that could work to Cox's advantage. The biggest consideration is the costs. Probably a local morning team followed by syndication could work. I'm not sure if Cox even does sports programming anywhere.If they don't, it could be a tough sell for market # 50 to execute.
I'll confess my ignorance here about rock formats. Can active rock elements heard on 104.5 be a part of a new rock format like X102 9? Maybe 25-54 wouldn't be affected too much but 18-34 could be. I'm not sure. But sports would diversify the Cox cluster and attract males which Cox owns anyway. It seems to make sense. Maybe 4 rock stations in the market give everybody something but on the surface things seem way too fragmented. It seems something is going to have to give eventually. Thoughts?
The decision to simulcast news/talk WOKV on FM before it was common to do was brilliant. While music formats fight for fractional shares, WOKV can leap several shares on that big news event. They just keep coming, don’t they? If the Florida primary election is any indication of what is to follow this year being called the most expensive presidential election ever, WOKV/Cox stands to make a fortune.
If vulnerability comes into play, I believe Cox has too many eggs in one basket. I always thought a cluster could be compared to an investment portfolio and it’s just best to diversify.
Last year there was a lot of buzz on these boards that Rock 104.5 would be going away. I’m of the opinion that will not happen in the near future because it goes against how Cox operates – they do give formats ample time to succeed or not.
Interestingly, Cox developed what I considered a very effective TV spot because it put the listener in the center speaking in the voices of typical listeners who wanted more music in the morning. This is one of those rare cases where listener preferences were in line with corporate objectives. Otherwise, most of us are of the opinion the listener doesn’t really matter to them. Still, I thought the spot was a damn good one.
For the sake of discussion only, if Rock 104.5 flipped to something else what would that be? Cox does urban formats very well. As much as this would bring diversity – unintentional pun – to their cluster, I think it would be very expensive to promote and risky given there are already two very established stations.
There is the AC format and IMO there is room for another one, especially for one that is more contemporary. I’ll have a lot more to say on AC later. Doing anything that could negatively impact WAPE would not make any economic sense. There is variety hits and Cox has launched the format elsewhere. However, I think that’s more appropriate for a lower power signal and I think that would impact Eagle. I think if a major move is to happen - it will be non music programming.
Sports I believe makes the most sense. The understanding I have is billing for the format, especially if on FM, is very good. I realize there are already two in the market but both are on AM. One is in a costly litigation battle and maybe that could work to Cox's advantage. The biggest consideration is the costs. Probably a local morning team followed by syndication could work. I'm not sure if Cox even does sports programming anywhere.If they don't, it could be a tough sell for market # 50 to execute.
I'll confess my ignorance here about rock formats. Can active rock elements heard on 104.5 be a part of a new rock format like X102 9? Maybe 25-54 wouldn't be affected too much but 18-34 could be. I'm not sure. But sports would diversify the Cox cluster and attract males which Cox owns anyway. It seems to make sense. Maybe 4 rock stations in the market give everybody something but on the surface things seem way too fragmented. It seems something is going to have to give eventually. Thoughts?
