K-Soul is gone!!!!

[dirtydan]

RO will sell their stattions in Dallas/Ft.Worth by the end of the year. There are at least three major buyers talking to them right now. It is the worst performing market they have in the chain. The PD's will tweak formats and continue to provide the best content to salvage it until the sale , but its a done deal. Also look for the 97.9 station to drop their syndicated moirning show in the next few weeks. Ricky Smiley is getting killed in Dallas (19th) by the KKDA morning show and they will drop him to try to get the ratings up, so the overall price of the stations will go up. Just business. Looks like after 7 or 8 years in a hard fought battle, old Hyman Chiles is the victor. Congrats. Cheer to the little guys out in Dallas

 

[wdb2003]

That will suck big time. History repeats itself just like they did when they exit Los Angeles back in 2008. Looks like Service might be the winner after all. First time I visit Dallas in 1999 on the air was Hot 100, K104 and KISS 106.1. Hot 100 was a good Rhythmic station during that time.

 

[bucwhyl]

RO will sell their stattions in Dallas/Ft.Worth by the end of the year. There are at least three major buyers talking to them right now. It is the worst performing market they have in the chain. The PD's will tweak formats and continue to provide the best content to salvage it until the sale , but its a done deal. Also look for the 97.9 station to drop their syndicated moirning show in the next few weeks. Ricky Smiley is getting killed in Dallas (19th) by the KKDA morning show and they will drop him to try to get the ratings up, so the overall price of the stations will go up. Just business. Looks like after 7 or 8 years in a hard fought battle, old Hyman Chiles is the victor. Congrats. Cheer to the little guys out in Dallas

Do you have any proof to back that up?

 

[bucwhyl]

They sure have created alot of drops for this "change". I hear a new one every time I turn on the radio. Got me even more interested....

 

[wdb2003]

The Beat Im sure is more profitble than KSOC. Both of them had a solid sound when they first launched in early 2000's. Dallas unlike Los Angeles have more african americans to support these stations it just the people they hire to do their programming which keeps them off track. I know KSOC can be picked up in Ardmore OK from the last time I checked not sure with the new tower location.

 

[Mac Black]

Radio One's not going anywhere...quit dreaming! They have the potential to be successful, they just have alot of managers on that bull. They're not the only company who's thinking is skewed, unfortunately the industry as a whole is getting sucked into this bull. I've always admired Cathy Hughes, her story & her commitment to the black community. Although I think she's got alot of people on her team steering her in the wrong direction & we're seeing the results of that. I would love to see Radio One do right & start expanding again..but they've got to get back to what made them successful to begin with.

 

[jeffdfw]

Rumor has it they are selling DFW to Emmis...

 

[Mac Black]

I'll believe that when i see it..

 

[mr.ric]

You people are saying Radio One will sell the cluster, yet don't have proof of that claim...

Yeah, sounds like that's not happening at all to me.

 

[wdb2003]

Rumor has it they are selling DFW to Emmis...

That doesnt make any sense Emmis is buying stations but they just sold 2 in Chicago and 1 in New York City

 

[wdb2003]

Radio One's not going anywhere...quit dreaming! They have the potential to be successful, they just have alot of managers on that bull. They're not the only company who's thinking is skewed, unfortunately the industry as a whole is getting sucked into this bull. I've always admired Cathy Hughes, her story & her commitment to the black community. Although I think she's got alot of people on her team steering her in the wrong direction & we're seeing the results of that. I would love to see Radio One do right & start expanding again..but they've got to get back to what made them successful to begin with.

I think you hit the nail when you said the people they hire dont know how to run their stations. I guess alot of the anger comes from people who lost their jobs with Radio One and sold off stations in other markets.

 

[bucwhyl]

Now there's a contest:

http://thesoulofdfw.upickem.net/engine/Registration.aspx?contestid=36031&snew=1

 

[Mac Black]

It really doesn't matter who they put up there if their music doesn't change, they'll still be losing. Especially if they only let em talk for 30 seconds twice an hour. Community presence is also a must. There are so many benefits of community involvement like networking, brand awareness, marketing, getting a feel for what people want, etc. If you're always in the community, always helping people out, always doing for the locals, then you'll always have advertisers & listeners willing to do for u. Radio One thinks the way to get more listeners is to hype up their station after every freakin song!!! That is so aggravating. I'm already listening stupid!! Promotion for the station should take place off the air in the community, it's actually driving listeners crazy & some of em are switching the dial or switching from radio to cd, to ipod, sattelite, etc. Now identifying the station is different, keep it simple & u only need to do it about every 15 minutes...something as simple as '94.5 K-Soul' or 'Today's R&B & Classic Soul' u don't have to squeeze every identifiable mark of the station into it...'94.5 K Soul Today's R&B & Classic Soul Home of The Tom Joyner Morning Show weekdays 6-10am with Huggie Lowdown at 8:30" or a whole montage of callers talking about how much they love the station...let your station speak for itself...keep it simple, keep the flow going. U want people to remember it right? Duh! who's gonna remember all that? It is really not that hard. These are very basic things.

 

[bturner]

Point well taken. I think it applies to every station! Does a classic rock listener need to be told they're listening to classic rock? or Country or R&B, or Talk Radio????? PPM has changed the game. I think we have fallen into the trap of forgetting listeners actually do have a clue. If we must slam liners with multiple points between every song is it because out content is so uneventful we have to try to get listeners out of their zombie state by buzzing them with constant liners. Would the world end if a station played two songs back to back without a liner or simply quit saying what their format is?

I understand the liner is like a nice necklace or accessory a lady adds to a stunning outfit to accent it, but are we going too far. Do we feel like we're naked without the liner crutch?

The double-edged sword or expanding playlists from the 'approved auditorium setting list' is tricky but I have been told by listeners in various formats that its like turning a Baskin Robbins from 31 flavors to just one, plain vanilla. Should we attempt to expand things a bit?

Certainly community involvement, especially for any urban based format is critical. These listeners expect their station to be more than a jukebox. They want you in the community, championing causes and personalities they feel like they know. It takes a lot more work to execute, but I believe it is worth it. I've always said it is easy to become #1 but hardest to remain #1. The best way to do that (remain #1_) is with the heart and ears of listeners.

 

[Mac Black]

Exactly, heaven forbid I tune in & I don't hear an id after a song....I might be tempted to actually keep listening! lol Especially if I enjoy the station & it's unfamiliar, I'll keep listening UNTIL I hear an id...can someone say PPM STRATEGY? I agree, it's not just urban, this can apply to ANY format. I agree testing is important, I think auditorium tests are a little overrated & expensive though. The internet is more relevant today. Just go to youtube, start typing in an artist & see what suggestions it gives u...see what people are searching for. Go to yes.com & search thru other same format station playlists in different markets, not looking for the songs that everyone is playing but those good rare songs u haven't played in a while. We all know the hits & even the hits get boring after a while. Community involvement doesn't even have to be a big thing, Power 98 here last week partnered with an ice cream supplier & went around to low income communities & gave away free ice cream. They go to schools & speak, rent out a community rec center for 2 hours & talk to the kids, they hosted a pool party & a dj contest, they go & post up in the community somewhere & do ticket giveaways, host talent nights & networking events at local night clubs & none of that involves huge extravagant budgets or big name artists or max hype, but make a huge difference in brand awareness in the mind of listeners & advertisers. Facebook & Twiiter are also a FREE & very effective way to interact with your listeners & get feedback & a feel for how they perceive your station. Community involvement is more than a marketing strategy or a hype night at a night club.

 

[bucwhyl]

I know a "stunt", or whatever you want to call it, draw more listeners out of curiosity, but it's time for 94.5 to launch something and stop dragging this $h!t out any further.

 

[bucwhyl]

Just heard that Friday at 5pm is the day that the "Big Secret" is revealed. I'm gonna be so mad if this is nothing but a crock of $h!t.....

 

[davideduardo]

If we must slam liners with multiple points between every song is it because out content is so uneventful we have to try to get listeners out of their zombie state by buzzing them with constant liners.

If I recall correctly, Coca Cola has been the most advertised single brand for decades and decades. They sell about a billion servings a day, yet seem to think that they have to constantly advertise so that they can sell a billion (or more) servings tomorrow.

The reason for branding incessantly is to remind people what they are using so they can buy it again.

The double-edged sword or expanding playlists from the 'approved auditorium setting list' is tricky but I have been told by listeners in various formats that its like turning a Baskin Robbins from 31 flavors to just one, plain vanilla. Should we attempt to expand things a bit?

What you mean by an "approved auditorium setting list" is unclear. I presume you are criticizing the process, yet it is the only process that can bring in both active listeners, passive listeners and both light and potential listeners. This is because the best recruits are done based on the overall appeal of a particular music style, not just a particular station.

In the process, a good programmer will obviously test all the core songs in a format, including those that may have appeared burnt in the past, as well as songs that may seem to be at the periphery of a format which may actually fit when listeners are consulted.

But, no matter how skillfully music is tested, songs that don't have mass appeal will hurt a station in the PPM world. The PPM has revealed the existence of P2 and P3 listening that the diary did not show, but those P2 and P3 folks won't accept deep, less well known cuts because they may love a genre, but not the songs only geeks of that format enjoy and love.

They want you in the community, championing causes and personalities they feel like they know.

More simply, listeners want a station that is involved in their lifestyle. Some lifestyles don't involve traditional community events and activities because the whole concept of community is changing and has been since the "global village" idea evolved.

 

[bturner]

I'm not putting down testing. I've had it done. The problem is too often some feel if it wasn't tested there, it doesn't get considered. Too often management says if it wasn't cleared through the auditorium testing, don't even think about it. I had a friend of mine that coordinated my auditorium setting. He had gone to work for a firm and I was one of his first stations. It was painstakingly done to be as accurate as possible. In the end, we added a bit of 'gut instinct' to the mix. Thanks to a great staff and management, we went to the top and stayed there.

 

[Mac Black]

If we must slam liners with multiple points between every song is it because out content is so uneventful we have to try to get listeners out of their zombie state by buzzing them with constant liners.

If I recall correctly, Coca Cola has been the most advertised single brand for decades and decades. They sell about a billion servings a day, yet seem to think that they have to constantly advertise so that they can sell a billion (or more) servings tomorrow.

The reason for branding incessantly is to remind people what they are using so they can buy it again.

The double-edged sword or expanding playlists from the 'approved auditorium setting list' is tricky but I have been told by listeners in various formats that its like turning a Baskin Robbins from 31 flavors to just one, plain vanilla. Should we attempt to expand things a bit?

What you mean by an "approved auditorium setting list" is unclear. I presume you are criticizing the process, yet it is the only process that can bring in both active listeners, passive listeners and both light and potential listeners. This is because the best recruits are done based on the overall appeal of a particular music style, not just a particular station.

In the process, a good programmer will obviously test all the core songs in a format, including those that may have appeared burnt in the past, as well as songs that may seem to be at the periphery of a format which may actually fit when listeners are consulted.

But, no matter how skillfully music is tested, songs that don't have mass appeal will hurt a station in the PPM world. The PPM has revealed the existence of P2 and P3 listening that the diary did not show, but those P2 and P3 folks won't accept deep, less well known cuts because they may love a genre, but not the songs only geeks of that format enjoy and love.

They want you in the community, championing causes and personalities they feel like they know.

More simply, listeners want a station that is involved in their lifestyle. Some lifestyles don't involve traditional community events and activities because the whole concept of community is changing and has been since the "global village" idea evolved.

Do I really need to be reminded that I'm drinking Coke? My taste buds work, my eyes work. Everybody already knows what Coke is. When I'm at the grocery store, do u really think I'm sitting there thinking about a Coke ad I saw on tv? Do u really think I'm sitting there thinking about a Coke can I saw on the side of the street? Be for real now. When I'm at work, do u really think I'm sitting there thinking of a radio station imaging? When I turn on my radio in my car, do u really think I'm turning to your station bc of the great liner I heard this morning? More than likely I have presets & if they're getting on my nerves I'll scan the dial for something else. Nobody's sitting there trying to remember some freakin imaging. When I'm talking to people here in Charlotte & I start talking about radio, I ask em about what station they listen to I always get 101.9 or 97.9 (community presence, no imaging outside of stop sets, jock talk...oh yeah they're both #1) or the name of the personality, nobody remembers the brand, they look down at the dial. When I suggest 92.7 the station with imaging after every song, never heard of em, always same response. Everybody knows what an auditorium test is & it's overrated. If you're in the community, u know what people like, don't like, are tired of, etc. U don't have to wait on some test to tell u what u already know. As for P2s & P3s only wanting to hear songs they've heard a million times & are familiar with is a bunch of crap. If I'm passing thru & I hear an unfamiliar song & it sounds good I'll stay & listen to it..nice breath of fresh air. Besides, you're not catering to P2, P3...you're catering to those P1's who listen to u on a daily basis, who are loyal to the station, who know the personalities, know the name etc. More importantly from a business aspect, businesses don't wanna advertise on a station with mostly fly by night listeners. If they don't have any loyalty to the station, what makes u think they'll go out & support these local advertisers & businesses? There's only so much u can make off these network ads. Reading a bunch of celeb 'lifestyle' gossip is not the same as being active in the community. Community involvement makes u unbeatable in branding & networking. Y would I listen to some dude I've never met before hype himself up & spew dirt on celebs vs somebody who I just saw the other day who helped raise money for my daughter's school supplies or that family who's house burned down & radio station put out a call to action to anyone who can help...I can guarantee u those are both loyal listeners right there & there's no amount of money any competition can throw into their station that can replace or tear down good ol fashioned community.