KKWD

[bchristi]

Does anybody else agree KKWD/Wild 104.9 has seen better days?

Back when it was Wild 97.9, the station was known for being cutting edge and it dominated the market. After the Cumulus takeover, its become a clone of every other small-market Cumulus CHR station, very conservative on new music with a heavy focus on older stuff. Their formula may work in small markets but it does not in a competitive market like OKC. The only time it sounds remotely good is during their Friday night mix show. Today, it only boasts a 2.2 share while KJ 103 is currently #1 in the market. KVSP also sounds very good despite their poor signal and covers hip-hop & r&b very well. I think the market is ripe for another player to do a CHR or CHR/Rhythmic in OKC and put KKWD out of its misery. Anybody agree?

 

[OKCRadioGuy]

Yeah... I agree with you. Wild is actually sounding quite LAME these days. There are a lot less people working at 104.9, and it shows. Also, the audio quality of the station has diminished quite a bit over the past year or so. The station actually sounds like it needs to be put out of it's misery.

 

[OKCRadioGuy]

LAME 1049, Not in HD. A CumeLess Broadcasting Station.

 

[bchristi]

Yeah... I agree with you. Wild is actually sounding quite LAME these days. There are a lot less people working at 104.9, and it shows. Also, the audio quality of the station has diminished quite a bit over the past year or so. The station actually sounds like it needs to be put out of it's misery.

I do think OKC needs a station though that is like KKWD was in its glory days. KJ sounds good but it is also very cookie cutter. Wild 97.9 in its Citadel days was exciting to listen to. It dominated this market from 2001-2006. It started to decline but held its own on 104.9 and sounded good until Cumulus took over and they tweaked the playlist to focus on older music. I used to use KKWD as an example of how a rhythmic CHR should sound, but not anymore. Today its pretty much an identical clone of Cumulus's 102.7 the Vibe in Fort Smith, which works there because its a small market and they are only competing against the independent station KISR (which actually sounds much better and more current than the Vibe).

LAME is the word to describe it. We are almost at the end of 2012...do people really want to hear songs like Bad Romance and Bed Rock every time they turn on the radio? It's not 2009 anymore Cumulus! Your small-market, gold focused playlist won't hold up when competing against a CC powerhouse like KJ 103.

 

[OKCRadioGuy]

The real problem with CumeLess is that they seem to think small-market, regardless what market they're in. Their low-budget minimalistic game plan just doesn't work is places where people expect more from radio. They seem to be systematically ruining each and every property they purchased. Take a look at the former ABC properties. S##t-to-sell did a bang-up job of ruining former ABC stuff, but CumeLess went ahead and gave those stations the death blow punch in the nuts to finish them off in ratings in revenue. CumeLess has succeeded in flushing their investment down the toilet and pulling the handle several times to make sure it's really gone. I can't wait until Little Dickey and his cast of clowns finally loose the "farm". The day is coming my friends... It's coming. It's not IF, it's WHEN will CumeLess #FAIL.

 

[Kent]

As bchristi correctly points out, KKWD was going down prior to sell to Cumulus. That's part of the reason it got downgraded to 104.9 in the first place.

When I worked for Cumulus, programming was heavily dictated by corporate. Your corporate brand manager knew pretty much everything that was going on at your station. So, it doesn't surprise me that Wild started sounding like most every other Cumulus CHR. CHR also wasn't one of Cumulus's best formats. I left for the competition three or four months after Cumulus took over, and my PD there repeatedly hammered into our heads that we should be doing better because Cumulus had only TWO CHR's in the entire company that were winning their head-to-head battles. Of course, we were one of the two losers.

I recently talked to a friend of mine who works at the local Cumulus cluster, and he said things have actually gotten a lot better over the last few years. They've gotten to hire a few more people, and he said Mike McVay has been a positive influence for the cluster. It's probably one of those situations where things have gotten better for longtime Cumulus employees but worse for the Citadel employees coming in.

 

[OKCRadioGuy]

My guess is that if McVey had 100 percent control of things, CumeLess would be a quite different operation. I truely believe he has helped, but unforutnately (not his fault) not enough.

 

[X-Man]

My guess is that if McVey had 100 percent control of things, CumeLess would be a quite different operation. I truely believe he has helped, but unforutnately (not his fault) not enough.

I agree. I think it went down when Citadel moved it from 97.9 to 104.9 and decided to put WWLS' Sports format when it moved from 97.9 to 98.1. I was very disappointed because I was really looking forward to Wild going on a much better signal to compete with KJ-103 on 98.1. When Wild first went on in the early 2000's the station was on fire and they beat on KJ-103 in quite a few books despite it's signal, not mention it was the first Rhythmic station in that market at the time since the old KZBS Z-99 (Now Hot AC KYIS) and KJ-103 when they were briefly a Rhythmic station in part of the late 80's-early 90's (Or both stations were labeled as a Dance CHR at the time). I'm really surprised no other station OKC has signed on a CHR format to really compete with KJ-103 since CHR is hot right now.

 

[shaneradio]

I spent a few days in Oklahoma City this week. KRXO sounded good. KJ wasn't bad. KMGL was decent but could use some updating. Nothing else popped. The talk radio was horrible. The KATT was not good.

 

[bchristi]

My guess is that if McVey had 100 percent control of things, CumeLess would be a quite different operation.  I truely believe he has helped, but unforutnately (not his fault) not enough.

I agree. I think it went down when Citadel moved it from 97.9 to 104.9 and decided to put WWLS' Sports format when it moved from 97.9 to 98.1. I was very disappointed because I was really looking forward to Wild going on a much better signal to compete with KJ-103 on 98.1. When Wild first went on in the early 2000's the station was on fire and they beat on KJ-103 in quite a few books despite it's signal, not mention it was the first Rhythmic station in that market at the time since the old KZBS Z-99 (Now Hot AC KYIS) and KJ-103 when they were briefly a Rhythmic station in part of the late 80's-early 90's (Or both stations were labeled as a Dance CHR at the time). I'm really surprised no other station OKC has signed on a CHR format to really compete with KJ-103 since CHR is hot right now.

OKC has way too many country stations.  Two of them do well in the ratings but the rest are a waste of airspace.  I agree the market is ripe for a new CHR in OKC and I think there is also plenty of room available for a flip if somebody wanted it to happen.  The 93.3 frequency would be ideal for a new CHR. That would quickly take out 104.9 and Cumulus would be forced to flip it to a format they actually know how to do.

Another great thing would be for OU to sell the 105.7 frequency being that it overlaps 106.3 and then there could be a new format on 105.7.  Due to its location and signal though, that frequency would probably work best for Perry if they wanted to give KVSP better coverage in the metro.

 

[ionosphere]

My guess is that if McVey had 100 percent control of things, CumeLess would be a quite different operation. I truely believe he has helped, but unforutnately (not his fault) not enough.

I agree. I think it went down when Citadel moved it from 97.9 to 104.9 and decided to put WWLS' Sports format when it moved from 97.9 to 98.1. I was very disappointed because I was really looking forward to Wild going on a much better signal to compete with KJ-103 on 98.1. When Wild first went on in the early 2000's the station was on fire and they beat on KJ-103 in quite a few books despite it's signal, not mention it was the first Rhythmic station in that market at the time since the old KZBS Z-99 (Now Hot AC KYIS) and KJ-103 when they were briefly a Rhythmic station in part of the late 80's-early 90's (Or both stations were labeled as a Dance CHR at the time). I'm really surprised no other station OKC has signed on a CHR format to really compete with KJ-103 since CHR is hot right now.

OKC has way too many country stations. Two of them do well in the ratings but the rest are a waste of airspace. I agree the market is ripe for a new CHR in OKC and I think there is also plenty of room available for a flip if somebody wanted it to happen. The 93.3 frequency would be ideal for a new CHR. That would quickly take out 104.9 and Cumulus would be forced to flip it to a format they actually know how to do.

Another great thing would be for OU to sell the 105.7 frequency being that it overlaps 106.3 and then there could be a new format on 105.7. Due to its location and signal though, that frequency would probably work best for Perry if they wanted to give KVSP better coverage in the metro.

First of all, 93.3 has been giving 101.9 a run for it's money in country, so there's no way Tyler's flipping that...unless they want to blow up the current formats on 92.5, 104.1 or 107.7 and switch them to country (I don't see any of that happening in the near-term).

Secondly, OU would have ZERO interest in selling 105.7...that's how they reach the north metro.

 

[bchristi]

First of all, 93.3 has been giving 101.9 a run for it's money in country, so there's no way Tyler's flipping that...unless they want to blow up the current formats on 92.5, 104.1 or 107.7 and switch them to country (I don't see any of that happening in the near-term).

Secondly, OU would have ZERO interest in selling 105.7...that's how they reach the north metro.

This is correct. What would be the possibility that OKC could get a new non-Cumulus CHR or rhythmic CHR then? I don't think 96.1 is doing very well but that is a Clear Channel property and Clear Channel wouldn't have two CHRs in the same market. What are the chances Cumulus would ever get their act together and try to compete? I've heard there is a new Cumulus CHR in Birmingham that actually sounds decent so it must be possible, but they had to depart from their typical gold-based CHR format in order to compete in that market.

Playing songs from 2-5 years ago isn't doing it, and even if that was what they were going for (like K-Hits 96.5 in Little Rock) they are doing a horrible job at it. If they want to be a station for older hits, they need more variety rather than playing the same overplayed stuff like "Bad Romance", "Airplanes", and "Cooler Than Me". 2008-2011 had a lot of great songs you don't hear anywhere anymore. Hope somebody at Cumulus reads this: if you are wanting a retro CHR, put some effort into it! If not, put some effort into being a current Top 40!

 

[ionosphere]

As long as 104.9 is doing "rhythmic" CHR, I doubt another station will go there...over saturation of the market. Look at Tulsa...they have straight-ahead CHR and a rhythmic (though sometimes its hard to tell the difference). The rhythmic has occasionally bested the CHR. But it's hard to compete with a heritage CHR, and that's what KKWD is dealing with. Though they've occasionally had successes, they competing with a station that has 30 years in the format, not to mention the limited signal. If anyone is going to take out KJYO, they'll have to go with a straight CHR format...rhythmic falls in and out of favor with listeners.

 

[bchristi]

As long as 104.9 is doing "rhythmic" CHR, I doubt another station will go there...over saturation of the market. Look at Tulsa...they have straight-ahead CHR and a rhythmic (though sometimes its hard to tell the difference). The rhythmic has occasionally bested the CHR. But it's hard to compete with a heritage CHR, and that's what KKWD is dealing with. Though they've occasionally had successes, they competing with a station that has 30 years in the format, not to mention the limited signal. If anyone is going to take out KJYO, they'll have to go with a straight CHR format...rhythmic falls in and out of favor with listeners.

KKWD is doing so poorly in the ratings that they almost aren't a factor. Also I think a huge part of KKWD's problem is their playlist. CHR and especially rhythmic varieties have to stay current. If another station came online doing straight CHR or even rhythmic CHR, KKWD would quickly be out of the game. Right now isn't a real good time for rhythmic CHR in general because hip-hop has lost popularity in Top 40. That's why Tulsa's has gone so pop because there isn't enough of a market for hip-hop to support both heritage K-Jamz and 92.1 The Beat. Most markets, except those with very high black populations, can't support both a strong rhythmic CHR and a strong urban in 2012. Since OKC now has a very good sounding (though weak signal) urban in Power 103.5, any new station should go straight CHR with maybe a slightly rhythmic lean.

 

[radiogooroo]

The early 2000s were a different time. People would put up with a marginal signal back then to hear something different and unique, and Wild was different and unique. These days, there are just too many other choices off the dial to put up with a bad signal, and Wild's 104.9 signal just doesn't reach much of the population that would enjoy the format. It's far inferior to what 97.9 was, and 97.9 was a short class A 6,000 watt FM designed to penetrate the office buildings downtown with as much power as possible for the prior smooth jazz format. Wild on 97.9 could have benefitted from being an over-height class A in a sprawling metro like OKC.

The decision to put WWLS-FM on 98.1 has always been a head scratcher for me. How much did moving the format to 98.1 improve its billing? I have a hard time believing it has been enough to offset what could have been if Wild had been given a real signal.

The Sports Animal simulcast on 640 and 104.9 were an almost perfect fit. The monster 640 signal's only weakness is the nighttime null on the west side of the metro where the 104.9 signal is strongest. The two signals fit like a hand and glove.

Love 'em or hate 'em, Cumulus CHRs do win - and in big markets - despite the assertions to the contrary. Q100 Atlanta and KRBE Houston are two prime examples.

 

[bchristi]

The early 2000s were a different time.  People would put up with a marginal signal back then to hear something different and unique, and Wild was different and unique.  These days, there are just too many other choices off the dial to put up with a bad signal, and Wild's 104.9 signal just doesn't reach much of the population that would enjoy the format.  It's far inferior to what 97.9 was, and 97.9 was a short class A 6,000 watt FM designed to penetrate the office buildings downtown with as much power as possible for the prior smooth jazz format.  Wild on 97.9 could have benefitted from being an over-height class A in a sprawling metro like OKC.

The decision to put WWLS-FM on 98.1 has always been a head scratcher for me.  How much did moving the format to 98.1 improve its billing?  I have a hard time believing it has been enough to offset what could have been if Wild had been given a real signal. 

The Sports Animal simulcast on 640 and 104.9 were an almost perfect fit.  The monster 640 signal's only weakness is the nighttime null on the west side of the metro where the 104.9 signal is strongest.  The two signals fit like a hand and glove.

Love 'em or hate 'em, Cumulus CHRs do win - and in big markets - despite the assertions to the contrary.  Q100 Atlanta and KRBE Houston are two prime examples. 

The move of WWLS to 98.1 had to do with the fact Citadel at the time was being required to sell the 104.9 frequency by the FCC, which they later acquired back. They made the decision to give up KKWD to keep an FM presence of the Sports Animal. What Cumulus should do is move WWLS back to 104.9 and put a new mainstream CHR with a new moniker on 98.1.

And you are right about the early '00s being a different time. Hip-hop was fresh and on the rise at that time and OKC also didn't yet have an urban station on the FM dial. Nowadays it's passé and the target demo (13-24) isn't listening to hip-hop like they were in 2001. Rhythmic CHRs are struggling all across the country unless they are either in a market with a very high black population or a market without a true urban station.

 

[Kent]

The decision to put WWLS-FM on 98.1 has always been a head scratcher for me. How much did moving the format to 98.1 improve its billing? I have a hard time believing it has been enough to offset what could have been if Wild had been given a real signal.

I haven't seen the most recent numbers, but WWLS has been that cluster's highest biller for a long time. There was no way Wild would've outbilled it, even if it got the more powerful signal.

 

[OKCRadioGuy]

With LB there's The Sports Animal and The KATT, then there some crap to support those two stations. It's really just that simple. Back in the day it was just the KATT and some other crap to help support the KATT. These days the Animal is the highest one in their food chain.

 

[Kent]

With LB there's The Sports Animal and The KATT, then there some crap to support those two stations. It's really just that simple. Back in the day it was just the KATT and some other crap to help support the KATT. These days the Animal is the highest one in their food chain.

Largely correct. KYIS has outbilled its ratings share for years, but it's been programmed like an afterthought for years.

 

[bchristi]

With LB there's The Sports Animal and The KATT, then there some crap to support those two stations.  It's really just that simple.  Back in the day it was just the KATT and some other crap to help support the KATT.  These days the Animal is the highest one in their food chain.

Largely correct.  KYIS has outbilled its ratings share for years, but it's been programmed like an afterthought for years. 

KYIS used to always be the "other" CHR station.  Lately though they sound better than they ever have in my opinion.  I think they are actually Adult CHR rather than mainstream CHR.  I don't know if I would call them hot AC because I rarely hear anything from the '80s on there and most hot ACs play 80s pretty frequently.  Cumulus could also tweak that station if they wanted to and go after KJ 103, it has the signal to do it.

104.9 could also go straight urban, its signal would work since most people who would listen to an urban station would be in the immediate OKC metro.  They wouldn't need coverage in the surrounding farmland and towns. NE OKC is prime territory for the urban format but KVSP barely reaches that side of town.  Power 103.5 has such a poor signal they might have a shot at the format, but OKC's demographics wouldn't support two urban stations long-term.  Power 103.5 is one of the better sounding urbans I've listened to though.