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K-104.7 Cleans House!

Y

yugoidar

Allaccess.com is reporting that Derek James, T. Edward Benson and others have been released.  Scarlet C is due to leave shortly.  The claim is because of budget considerations.

When a station releases pretty much it's entire airstaff, you have to wonder what the future holds programming wise.  Could a format change be coming in the days ahead?  I'm sure the folks at Lite 102.9 would like that idea.

Maybe a "classic hits" presentation like CBS-FM in New York with a "more personality" approach. Time will tell.
 
When I first heard the calls WKQC when the station was stunting to it's current format a few years back, I thought K-Rock. Charlotte needs a great rock station to take on 99.7 and 106.5
 
This should make the people at Lite very happy. Are we sure CBS isn't selling any Charlotte stations?

While I was there K-104.7 was treated like the red headed step child. The station would be better off being sold. It's also worth noting the Promotions director and Production director that work for both K and Kiss were also both let go. Both are very talented people.
 
I agree with maybe a format similar to WCBS-FM in New York, and since Oldies
106.1 is "mostly satellite" programming, this would be interesting.
But the Charlotte market can use a "Talk FM", which could give WBT some
competition, and if Danny Fontana decides to sell WDYT, some of those shows
could move to 104.7.
 
tothedj said:
I agree with maybe a format similar to WCBS-FM in New York, and since Oldies
106.1 is "mostly satellite" programming, this would be interesting.
But the Charlotte market can use a "Talk FM", which could give WBT some
competition, and if Danny Fontana decides to sell WDYT, some of those shows
could move to 104.7.
Click to expand...

None of those options would work. First most people don't know or don't care that Oldies 106.1 is satellite. As many have painfully pointed out, nobody wants the upper demos anyway. We have two oldies stations 94.1 and 106.1 and neither one is making any big strides in the ratings (12+).

As for FM talk, it would take more money than CBS wants to put into a station with not as much return on their dollar. To compete with WBT you better be ready to spend serious money and have some guts. Throwing satellite talk on the air isn't going to make it. People who don't listen to WBT for the talk programming listen for their reputation as "The News Voice of The Carolinas". They would need to hire good serious news people, some local talk personalities that could shake things up and then wait, and wait some more to give it time to catch on. Nope not going to happen. Radio today isn't geared toward long term results. It has to hit quickly.

I predict 104.7 will go Sports Talk as WFNZ-FM or CBS will sell it. Then they will sell 1660 to some poor sucker.
 
Wow... I'm shocked. I really don't get why this station (and its employees) have been given the shaft over the years. K's ratings have not been abysmal; in fact, many times they have overtaken Lite, albeit not by a ridiculously large number. I know not how they did in 25-54 this past book, but 12+, they did beat out Lite 102.9.

Had WOLS not arrived, I would have loved to see K take a "classic hits" approach (if, in fact, they do flip formats). It would have been nice to have a local format on the air for oldies in Charlotte proper.

This also raises the question... November 1 is a month away (and it is a Saturday this year). Usually, as we all know, K and Lite start their "Christmas Preview Weekends" on the first weekend in November, and I wonder if "Christmas K-104.7" will stick around for one more year. I would really miss K's Christmas format. The traditional AC approach to Christmas often overlooks some of the classics, like Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, which K often plays during the Christmas format.

It is sad to see the K-104.7 that I knew in, say, 2004 or 2005 compared with what is on the air today. While the music may be somewhat similar (much less gold tracks, though), the constraints of a certain consultant (I assume he still consults the station) make the station sound boring and tired.

Might K just keep the AC format with voicetracked talents from other markets? It would be like handing Lite their audience on a silver platter if they flipped. At least here in Charlotte, CBS's AC put up a great fight with CC's Lite. I think it would be silly to throw it all away, especially before another season of Christmas music.
 
Update: I just checked in on K online, and it seems as if there are NO jocks on the air at all. I heard the PSA after the commercial break, but I'm sure that it was prerecorded. This can't be a good sign for 104.7. No backselling of songs over the jingle bed at :10 past the hour, no jock breaks... nothing but the weather (without current conditions, of course, so I'm sure that was prerecorded as well).

Wow. I'm shocked. This is one of the last things I would have expected to read this morning.
 
Yeesh. Ya gotta love corporate radio!






Well, you don't GOTTA.....
 
Mike Sheridan wrote:

"None of those options would work.  First most people don't know or don't care that Oldies 106.1 is satellite.  As many have painfully pointed out, nobody wants the upper demos anyway.  We have two oldies stations 94.1 and 106.1 and neither one is making any big strides in the ratings (12+).

As for FM talk, it would take more money than CBS wants to put into a station with not as much return on their dollar.  To compete with WBT you better be ready to spend serious money and have some guts.  Throwing satellite talk on the air isn't going to make it.  People who don't listen to WBT for the talk programming listen for their reputation as "The News Voice of The Carolinas".  They would need to hire good serious news people, some local talk personalities that could shake things up and then wait, and wait some more to give it time to catch on.  Nope not going to happen. Radio today isn't geared toward long term results.  It has to hit quickly.

I predict 104.7 will go Sports Talk as WFNZ-FM or CBS will sell it. Then they will sell 1660 to some poor sucker".


I disagree with the potential for a CBS-FM type format. I think anyone would consider WCBS-FM's turn to a "Classic Hits" approach with an updated playlist and high profile personalities successful from a ratings standpoint.  It's not the old CBS-FM "oldies" format with a lot of do-wopp and pre-Beatles music.  Now, from a budgetary standpoint -- you're probably right.

I agree totally with your thoughts on an all news operation. 

As far as a conversion to a sports talk station.  I don't see it.  WFNZ rarely cracks a 2 share (12+) and I don't think the format will attract much larger shares even it were moved to FM.  While Charlotte has grown considerably in market size, I don't think it's big enough yet for a sports/talk station, AM or FM, to attract big shares.

Just my 2 cents...
 
Yes and I agree with what yugoldar says about Sports Talk and yet groups seem to love the format. You're right, no ratings but for some reason they survive. I keep thinking there must be some hidden source of income.

Let's face it after paying 1.8 Billion for CNet this didn't really didn't have to happen. It's not like these people were pulling down big money.

CBS doing their part to make Clear Channel look good!
 
Maybe CBS will tweak 104.7 and rebrand it as "Fresh 104.7" (they have similar stations in New York and Chicago).

For those of you hoping CBS flips it to talk, I have two words for you... "Free-FM". Nuff said.
 
DToTheJ said:
Maybe CBS will tweak 104.7 and rebrand it as "Fresh 104.7" (they have similar stations in New York and Chicago).
Click to expand...

It's certainly a possibility. Fresh is like a combo of Modern AC and Hot AC, and Charlotte doesn't have a full-time Hot AC station. It's worth a shot, but Fresh hasn't performed as amazingly well as CBS thought it would in NYC, although it does better than previous formats on 102.7. Nevertheless, many of K's mainstream AC listeners would probably migrate over to Lite. Where would new "Fresh" listeners come from, though?
 
And I thought K 104.7 was doing fine. CBS Radio in the Charlotte, NC market does well. Most of their statios are on top. So why would CBS even want to touch K 104.7
 
Ken said:
And I thought K 104.7 was doing fine. CBS Radio in the Charlotte, NC market does well. Most of their statios are on top. So why would CBS even want to touch K 104.7
Click to expand...

Yep. It's quite a stumper!!
 
wmgcbs said:
Ken said:
And I thought K 104.7 was doing fine. CBS Radio in the Charlotte, NC market does well. Most of their statios are on top. So why would CBS even want to touch K 104.7
Click to expand...



Three words as to why - and these apply to the people across the street as well.

Because. They. Can.
Click to expand...
 
Wasn't 104.7 classic hits in the last days of WSSS? I seem to remember the format flip to K104.7 happened shortly after 95.7 the Ride was launched.
 
The various owners of 104.7 have averaged a format flip- or major tweak roughly every 18 months for the last- oh, 10 years or so... why is anyone surprised? That being said, what about a "Jack" variant?
 
Charlotte is perfect for SPORTSTALK RADIO...NBA...NFL....ACC...ISSUES....USC ( SEC ) It is a perfect fit.Also It doesn't care about 12+ numbers or women...ITS A MALE DRIVEN format that caters to 18-34 and 25-54 males....Thats it. I would bet WFNZ had decent numbers in those areas.....plus look and see how the afternoon drive does among those demos...if its solid ( and it has been for pretty much sometime ) they will be fine...Charlotte needs a Sportstalk Radio format. For a 5,000 watt station they do fine with the foramt...they just have to make sure to keep it fresh. I haven't listened in a long time since i'm out of market so I don't know who is doing what show except for PM drive.......I hope Charlote always has Sportstalk.....tons of stuff to talk about.
 
104.7 was a classic hits station back in the mid-late '90's, and a very good one at that. Star 104.7 back in the day really pulled out some gems back then and sounded a lot better than the Fox. I hated to see them go.

Going oldies or classic hits today would not be a smart move. The market is saturated with 60's-70's music. Between 106.1 and 94.1 doing oldies, 99.7 doing classic rock and 95.7 technically holding the classic hits format, and a rabidly loyal audience, it's time to do something different.

A hot or modern AC would fill a big format hole in this market, but I highly doubt CBS would program a station that would threaten its sister Kiss 95.1. As much as I would love to see an active rock or a modern rock to compete with 106.5, I don't see that happening on 104.7.

I think Mike Sheridan nails it on the head. Bring sports talk to FM. Simulcast with 1660 for a while, and perhaps eventually make 1660 another talk station.
 
My suggestion to CBS Radio in Charlotte is move WFNZ's Sports Format to 104.7,
which would increase their ratings, as for 610 and 1660, if it were to be put up
for sale, i wonder if Danny Fontana would purchase it?, even though WDYT is
25,000 watts during the day, their night coverage into Charlotte is non-existant.
 
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