Now it is Oldies with the legendary WPTR calls in place. Hallelujah!!! Do I smell Sports/Talk 98.3 coming????? The irony here??? They were Oldies as WXXO the first half of 1996, after dumping Alternative Rock, (the WDRE network) and had very strong ratings in their very first book. But...the Oldies format was dropped for Jesus radio...
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Jesus has fled from 96.7!!!!!!!
- Thread starter Time Traveler
- Start date
96.7 also had a run as Oldies when it originally signed on in 1987 as WCSF. However, it was sold later that year and flipped formats to Top 40 as WVKZ-FM....KZ-96.7 which was much better known for the Active Rock format that they ran in the late 80s. So...this is the third time that Oldies has occupied this frequency...
Giving it a listen, it's got a much better mix than WTRY which is basically unlistenable (not in terms of signal, in terms of playlist)... sports on 98.3 might work (either simulcasting 980 or moving to it outright), but what other formats might work on that signal? Not country, that'd be better suited for 100.9 (the strongest A in the market I believe)... some type of AC? WYJB could use competition (although 98.3 signal is blocked in both the north and south by adjacent-channel 98.5 (WCKM or WCTW) 
) now that WBZZ went to the Crush. Don't expect smooth jazz as a full-time format either as it's been dropped in other markets, and no classic country either as it didn't work on WEGQ (93.7 The Eagle), WVKZ (AM 1240), or the old WPTR-FM (96.3, now WAJZ).
Urban AC? Modern Rock? Jack clone? Wonder what would be best for 98.3 if they were to flip eventually
) now that WBZZ went to the Crush. Don't expect smooth jazz as a full-time format either as it's been dropped in other markets, and no classic country either as it didn't work on WEGQ (93.7 The Eagle), WVKZ (AM 1240), or the old WPTR-FM (96.3, now WAJZ).Urban AC? Modern Rock? Jack clone? Wonder what would be best for 98.3 if they were to flip eventually
A
AMonFM
Guest
There's a simple reason for this flip... it's cheap, it's easy, and this station needs some cash flow. But I wouldn't expect it to make any huge waves in the pond, as Crawford based music stations have a tendency to sound very 'sterile' (for lack of a better word). One thing that is ok is this isn't the old Legends format brought out of mothballs. Pretty much straight up 60 & 70's hits with this one. The purist in me wants to hear this on the mighty 1540... doubt that'll *ever* happen. Something tells me that this format is being brought in to make the station(s) more marketable to a prospective buyer... that is strictly speculation though.
Wouldn't expect WTRY to even flinch at this development, as they're a modern interpretation of what an 'oldies' station is now, it makes some money, and it's cheap to run as is. Any reaction (months from now) would probably come from WROW or WVKZ.
Wouldn't expect WTRY to even flinch at this development, as they're a modern interpretation of what an 'oldies' station is now, it makes some money, and it's cheap to run as is. Any reaction (months from now) would probably come from WROW or WVKZ.
Exactly ! Put the Oldies format on a Heritage Clear Channel Station, 1540.(WPTR).. a no brainer. Especially since WROW is now at a 3.0 and showing ratings improvement since going to their MOR format.
To basically waste that station away, and to have it not even show up in the ratings for a 50,000 watt station is crazy.
As far as the "sound" and flow and choice of music, it all sounds much tighter and better than the original "Legends" incarnation. Now, hopefully they won't do what they did the last time, do zero promotion of the station, sealing its fate.
Perhaps they'll get Scott Shannon's True Oldies Channel away from the pitifully sounding 1240 and put that on 1540, or choose a Classic Country format. Then you'd see a positive cashflow and audience support.
To basically waste that station away, and to have it not even show up in the ratings for a 50,000 watt station is crazy.
As far as the "sound" and flow and choice of music, it all sounds much tighter and better than the original "Legends" incarnation. Now, hopefully they won't do what they did the last time, do zero promotion of the station, sealing its fate.
Perhaps they'll get Scott Shannon's True Oldies Channel away from the pitifully sounding 1240 and put that on 1540, or choose a Classic Country format. Then you'd see a positive cashflow and audience support.
Unfortunately, it seems as if Christian Talk will be staying on 1540... no changes there, but I think it's a waste of a 50kWer... and considering it's a Christian radio company, don't expect True Oldies or Classic Country on there... 1460 is more likely for True Oldies if Disney sells it to Anastos or Townsquare
As for 590, if they do dump Magic in the future, Pamal should consider a satellite-fed format, like classic country or urban AC, for the frequency so it doesn't completely go to waste either (Froggy should simulcast on either 100.9/107.1 or 104.9/107.1, putting Magic back on FM on the other frequency, preferably 100.9)
As for 590, if they do dump Magic in the future, Pamal should consider a satellite-fed format, like classic country or urban AC, for the frequency so it doesn't completely go to waste either (Froggy should simulcast on either 100.9/107.1 or 104.9/107.1, putting Magic back on FM on the other frequency, preferably 100.9)
I was just complaining to myself the other day about the paucity of oldies station in this region. Like Don Crawford Jr. said this market cannot support three full time Christian Contemporary stations so this move makes sense. So far it sounds to me like there's a bigger playlist then WTRY(which isn't saying much). It's exciting to this baby boomer's ears, after the disappointment of 105.7's switch, to have a FM oldies alternative (with a good signal) to redundant 98.3. I grew up with 1540 too but AM just does not have the sound or the availabilty of FM.
But, both the AM and FM are owned by a Christian company, and neither one made much of a dent in the ratings with previous choices of formats; with the exception of the earlier incarnation of Legends on 1540.
Here is why doing something big on the AM makes sense,
1) Zero ratings now, nothing to lose.
2) People who have lived here a while remember the Callsign and the station, so perhaps less promotion would be needed.
3) The second choice I mentioned, Classic Country has worked on many Full signal AM's and would compete with all the clone Country(politan) FM's.
4) Like WROW, it has a huge reach and with the right format could draw enough of an audience to achieve success.
5) If you put a decent format on, listeners will seek it out and support it. If it strikes a chord, it will be relevant to a segment of the audience.
Here is why doing something big on the AM makes sense,
1) Zero ratings now, nothing to lose.
2) People who have lived here a while remember the Callsign and the station, so perhaps less promotion would be needed.
3) The second choice I mentioned, Classic Country has worked on many Full signal AM's and would compete with all the clone Country(politan) FM's.
4) Like WROW, it has a huge reach and with the right format could draw enough of an audience to achieve success.
5) If you put a decent format on, listeners will seek it out and support it. If it strikes a chord, it will be relevant to a segment of the audience.
O
Oldiesmike
Guest
I'm really enjoying 96.7's oldies format. It is defintly better than WTRY.
Sounds like they're taking their format from Rochester (102.7 WLGZ [Legends]) which has been in place about 3 years now, with moderate success. At that time, they snatched it from their AM 990 signal, tweaking the music to a younger demo.
Just heard Crawford Jr., make an announcement about wanting to know what the listeners like & don't like about the new sound, urging us to write him at "Legendsnewpresident". ;D
Just heard Crawford Jr., make an announcement about wanting to know what the listeners like & don't like about the new sound, urging us to write him at "Legendsnewpresident". ;D
There's something right with the world again for someone who grew up in the Capital District in the 60's and early 70's. The two primary Top 40 (Oldies) stations are... WTRY and WPTR! When was the last time you could say that? And who would have thought it would ever happen again!
The WSNY calls are available for an AM station (WSNY-FM is in Columbus, Ohio): are you listening WVKZ?
The WSNY calls are available for an AM station (WSNY-FM is in Columbus, Ohio): are you listening WVKZ?
Not only is this new incarnation of WPTR taking it's format from Legends 102.7 in Rochester(in the top ten of ratings there), but they are using jocks from WLGZ. Both stations are owned by Donald Crawford Jr. Mark shuttlesworth, WLGZ's afternoon host, was voicetracking WPTR this morning and it's been announced that Maggie Strickland, the mid day host on WLGZ will be on WPTR after 11am this morning(most likely voicetracking). Hopefully this is temporary and they will hire local voices. I have some close friends who work at WLGZ where I visited a few years back when it was broadcast on 990 AM there. WLNZ has cut back their staff like other stations the last couple of years so whether any money will be spent to make WPTR a force in this market remains to be seen.
Makes me laugh to read some posts on this board...every time a new station signs on the air, it's a) automatically assumed it's going to be successful, and b) assumed that whatever stations it happens to be in competition with will flip due to the pressure.
While WTRY may be pretty mainstream when it comes to Oldies, the fact of the matter is that it does very well for what it has.....a small signal. It also follows the format of many of the very successful Oldies stations across the country. I doubt WTRY and their owners will give this new station too much thought, merely because it has cornered the market on Oldies. Unless this new station plans on investing some serious money into promotion, the only people that will know about it is people like us, who have a real passion for the medium. We must remember that the average person is not like us.
As far as WPTR goes, quite honestly, while it goes a bit deeper into it's playlist than WTRY does, it sounds like it's trying to be a bit of a clone. At this point, the jocks aren't too polished, but I too hope they get some local talent on the air soon.
Either way, I'm always happy to have options so having two oldies stations in the market that actually are focused towards people in their 50's is a plus. The one major piece of advice I would give to WPTR is to lose the Legends title....it sounds old. People in their 50's don't like to think of themselves as old or "legends" And it makes it sound like they'll be playing music from the 40's and 50's as opposed to the 60's and 70's.
While WTRY may be pretty mainstream when it comes to Oldies, the fact of the matter is that it does very well for what it has.....a small signal. It also follows the format of many of the very successful Oldies stations across the country. I doubt WTRY and their owners will give this new station too much thought, merely because it has cornered the market on Oldies. Unless this new station plans on investing some serious money into promotion, the only people that will know about it is people like us, who have a real passion for the medium. We must remember that the average person is not like us.
As far as WPTR goes, quite honestly, while it goes a bit deeper into it's playlist than WTRY does, it sounds like it's trying to be a bit of a clone. At this point, the jocks aren't too polished, but I too hope they get some local talent on the air soon.
Either way, I'm always happy to have options so having two oldies stations in the market that actually are focused towards people in their 50's is a plus. The one major piece of advice I would give to WPTR is to lose the Legends title....it sounds old. People in their 50's don't like to think of themselves as old or "legends" And it makes it sound like they'll be playing music from the 40's and 50's as opposed to the 60's and 70's.
Re: "I doubt WTRY and their owners will give this new station too much thought, merely because it has cornered the market on Oldies..." Is that right? Because I read a comment on another New York radio forum from a listener that WTRY has started promoting the fact that they are playing "fourteen songs every hour" - which, incidentally, appears to be a promise that the new (old) kids on the block at 96.7 just happens to be making! WTRY's giving the new station thought, all right...
Perspective from the west end of I-90: Two Albany Classic Hits/Oldies stations slugging it out on Class A signals. Two classic former AM Top 40 call signs, WTRY vs WPTR. Quite cool. The battle has just begun, but how long do these two stations battle for 35-64/25-54 listeners?
In Buffalo, 104.1 WHTT is Classic Hits using a 70's-based-approach, plenty of 60s and a sprinkle of 80s. Only two dayparts are live and local, AM & PM drive.
92.9 WBUF does Classic Hits as Jack and has an 80s and 90s rock-leaning approach with a seasoning of 70s, but no live personalities. Adults 35-64, WHTT beats WBUF by 2.5 shares; Adults 25-54, WBUF beats WHTT.
Classic Hits/Oldies is a great format and has value, but the sweet spot is predominantly 45-64and aging. In Buffalo, the sweet spot is 50-64 with shares leaning 60-40 Women to Men.
Do WTRY and WPTR have sales departments that can maximize the ratings in those demographics? Live, local personalities help to massage and promote the format, but when it's all said and done, if the upper demo numbers can't be sold the format won't survive, no matter how good the ratings.
In Buffalo, 104.1 WHTT is Classic Hits using a 70's-based-approach, plenty of 60s and a sprinkle of 80s. Only two dayparts are live and local, AM & PM drive.
92.9 WBUF does Classic Hits as Jack and has an 80s and 90s rock-leaning approach with a seasoning of 70s, but no live personalities. Adults 35-64, WHTT beats WBUF by 2.5 shares; Adults 25-54, WBUF beats WHTT.
Classic Hits/Oldies is a great format and has value, but the sweet spot is predominantly 45-64and aging. In Buffalo, the sweet spot is 50-64 with shares leaning 60-40 Women to Men.
Do WTRY and WPTR have sales departments that can maximize the ratings in those demographics? Live, local personalities help to massage and promote the format, but when it's all said and done, if the upper demo numbers can't be sold the format won't survive, no matter how good the ratings.
Wondering if history will repeat itself, and WTRY will win out against WPTR again, four decades later
However, consider the following:
WTRY:
- Weak signal to the north and south due to WCKM (98.5 Lake George) and WCTW (98.5 Catskill)
- Tends to have a smaller playlist (but has dumped most (all?) 80s recently)
- Live only in the morning, AFAIK
WPTR:
- Less signal interference on the 96.7 frequency, pretty good in all directions (except far west, where WOUR cuts in on 96.9)
- Has a broader 60s/70s playlist (haven't heard any 50s yet)
- Not sure if this'll be live 6am-midnight or 24 hours a day or what... expecting 6am-midnight for this station
So, I'm kinda expecting WPTR to win four decades later... but things like this take time, so...
However, consider the following:
WTRY:
- Weak signal to the north and south due to WCKM (98.5 Lake George) and WCTW (98.5 Catskill)
- Tends to have a smaller playlist (but has dumped most (all?) 80s recently)
- Live only in the morning, AFAIK
WPTR:
- Less signal interference on the 96.7 frequency, pretty good in all directions (except far west, where WOUR cuts in on 96.9)
- Has a broader 60s/70s playlist (haven't heard any 50s yet)
- Not sure if this'll be live 6am-midnight or 24 hours a day or what... expecting 6am-midnight for this station
So, I'm kinda expecting WPTR to win four decades later... but things like this take time, so...
WPTR is being voicetracked all day from Crawford personnel in Rochester and elsewhere. The music has been imported from WLGZ Rochester minus some Sinatra they were playing. No plans for local talent for now far as I know. It does play lots of songs and you don't have to endure any long commercial breaks like WTRY. Can this electronix jukebox format take listeners away from the long established 98.3?
Maybe Crawford is putting this format out there hoping someone in this area will buy the station. Could 96.7 wind up as the FM outlet for True Oldies 1240?
Maybe Crawford is putting this format out there hoping someone in this area will buy the station. Could 96.7 wind up as the FM outlet for True Oldies 1240?
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