Tom: First of all, we all know that the Arbitron survey method of tracking ratings is archaic and inaccurate, and is in the process of being phased out around the entire country. Most surveys wind up finding their way to bingo halls or places of that ilk.
Next, to suggest that MonOc "wasn't interested" in alternative station G Rock 106.3/106.5? There's a Facebook group that's over 10,000 strong that would prove otherwise ... would your token soft rock station inspire that kind of devotion? I doubt it - most would just go listen to one of the other soft rock stations. Alternative rock fans don't have any other options, on FM radio at least. In addition, the most recent ratings indicated that there are two other stations that MonOc is equally interested in - in other words, stations that received the same share of ratings as G Rock, including one of its sister stations.
Finally, I've gone over this before: The lack of passion for alternative rock from Press management is what led to its ratings erosion. G Rock seldom ever had remotes, you hardly ever saw any billboards even after the Ocean Co. simulcast moved from 98.5 to 106.5 ... compare that to Hit 106, for which Press is finally reaching into those deep pockets to foot the bill for some promotion.
WRAT couldn't be further away from my tastes in rock music, but I'll give credit where it's due: Even through an ownership change, the station has always been promoted well, has kept the same style of station identification throughout its run, and has maintained almost the same exact regular on-air lineup since they signed on nearly 14 years ago.
By contrast, since Press purchased WHTG and launched G 106.3 (and later G Rock), there have always been revolving doors: PDs came and went, staff changes were incessant, and the sound always changed, largely going for an ill-advised Alternative-flavored Hot AC sound. Despite this, they branded themselves "Your Rock Alternative" ... while playing Nelly Furtado, John Mayer, Avril Lavigne, Maroon 5, Five For Fighting, Pink, etc. That made a lot of people jump ship - we already had several stations playing them all and did not need another one. There was a time when they impulsively changed their sound/branding after one weak book and went even heavier on the adult contemporary titles, playing Santana, Sting, Sheryl Crow, Dido and even Norah Jones! After a few months, they returned to their old sound.
After the G Rock launch happened, they made more mistakes: Going really heavy on Nickelback, 3 Doors Down, Shinedown, etc. really grated on listeners, resulting in their eventual dismissal from the rotation in early '07. The GM at the time made the decision to replace popular morning show hosts Brian Phillips & Jen Ursillo with his friend Kramer who had been hosting a morning show for a Hot AC down south - the new show did not go over well with the audience and lasted less than a year. The aforementioned frequency change where Press failed to give adequate notification to their listeners - for all many of them knew, G Rock was being replaced by a country station. And the main overriding attribute that hurt G Rock the most: the lack of passion and interest from Press executives, as demonstrated by the way they flipped the station - no warning to listeners, no proper sign-off, not even an online replacement like what happened with WOXY in Cincinnati and Indie in LA. They knew how to build up their adult contemporary station - they gave it the correct execution and promotion, and that's why it's so successful. No one should expect an alternative station to do quite as well in senior-heavy Monmouth/Ocean, but I know it could have done much better if G Rock had not been treated as the red-headed stepchild of the Press cluster.
Low rated stations have the ability to be solvent if their owners have passion and dedication. Local WCHR "105.7 The Hawk" and Boston's WFNX are a testament to this. Sadly, the only Press employees that had any enthusiasm for G Rock were its on-air staff and programmers. They'll soon find out the hard way that even though they are clearly more passionate about the Top 40 format, Monmouth/Ocean listeners don't need to fill their presets with six stations of the exact same thing, and Hit 106 will be the odd loser out.
