KLRZ fires up new transmitter

[WBWorld]

The Citadel purchase should get wrapped up soon
now that the new transmitter and tower are ready
to go on KLRZ. Testing should be completed in the
next couple days but everythings installed and
ready to go. Look for programming to start from
the new site in the next few days.

After that the big questions will all get answered.
Formats for 94.7/94.9/100.3/106.1

 

[radioray]

Why is everyone so certain that they will change formats? Why couldn't or wouldn't they keep KLRZ the way it is?

 

[jserigny]

> Why is everyone so certain that they will change formats?
> Why couldn't or wouldn't they keep KLRZ the way it is?
>


Even Jerry now has begun to admit that a change is coming. Just this past week during the talk on the bayou he walked into the studio after coming from the tower site to give a status report on the tower. He said that they were almost complete and next (this) week they should be up in running on the new tower. I've passed by it, and they did some work on it. It used to have 4 red night time lights, but now its down to three (I guess some new FAA and FCC requirements that may have changed since the stick was built about 10-15 years ago and never really used except for as cell tower). The tower only being about 600 feet tall, you can see the antenna array pretty good from the road. It looks like they added 6 antennea on the top northeastern corner of the stick facing New Orleans.

Funny thing about the change. Kurt joked about being able to say hi to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Then Jerry joked about having to say goodbye later. Jerry did mention that once the stick is ready and tested it will take about 2 to 4 months before the transfer would be complete. On the other hand Jerry left Friday to go to Boston for the weekend to go play baseball.

I know all the talk on this board has been about Citadel changing this station to Gospel and pair it up with 106.1 on the northshore which seems like the likely course of events. Now unless Citadel is smoking rope and thinks that a Cajun/Louisiana format would work on a stronger simulcast signal to cover the Entire New Orleans Market and broadcast from the city, that would be only way it would stay the same.

 

[RFLA]

> > Why is everyone so certain that they will change formats?
> > Why couldn't or wouldn't they keep KLRZ the way it is?
> >
>
>
> Even Jerry now has begun to admit that a change is coming.
> Just this past week during the talk on the bayou he walked
> into the studio after coming from the tower site to give a
> status report on the tower. He said that they were almost
> complete and next (this) week they should be up in running
> on the new tower. I've passed by it, and they did some work
> on it. It used to have 4 red night time lights, but now its
> down to three (I guess some new FAA and FCC requirements
> that may have changed since the stick was built about 10-15
> years ago and never really used except for as cell tower).
> The tower only being about 600 feet tall, you can see the
> antenna array pretty good from the road. It looks like they
> added 6 antennea on the top northeastern corner of the stick
> facing New Orleans.
>
> Funny thing about the change. Kurt joked about being able to
> say hi to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Then Jerry joked about
> having to say goodbye later. Jerry did mention that once the
> stick is ready and tested it will take about 2 to 4 months
> before the transfer would be complete. On the other hand
> Jerry left Friday to go to Boston for the weekend to go play
> baseball.
>
> I know all the talk on this board has been about Citadel
> changing this station to Gospel and pair it up with 106.1 on
> the northshore which seems like the likely course of events.
> Now unless Citadel is smoking rope and thinks that a
> Cajun/Louisiana format would work on a stronger simulcast
> signal to cover the Entire New Orleans Market and broadcast
> from the city, that would be only way it would stay the
> same.
>


It's considered a niche format that hasn't really produced any 12+ numbers in it's whole life as the format in the New Orleans book (to which Gisclair is a subscriber). I don't think Citadel will allow it to survive due to it. If it had 12+ numbers like some of their other properties, I would say differently.
That is what I was thinking also about Gospel going to both 100.3 and 106.1 (even though as tymer said,sister station 94.7 (to 94.9) never really built an audience there )....
If I was smart, I would flip one to country to compete against the WNOE powerhouse as Citadel has had luck in Programming this format in Louisiana (in Lafayette mainly)

But that is just my opinion.. I figured Citadel would wait and make sure the station had no porblems with the new transmitter before closing (cause last week they were still running the original due to the fact that skip from KRRV Alexandria was covering them in Thibodaux on occasion and the new setup is supposed to cure that)

RFLA

 

[radioray]

Understood, but maybe the Cajun format would be popular and get better ratings if it were on a better stick/signal. I couldn't get KLRZ in New Orleans.

Citadel can do what it wants of course, but I'd give the Cajun format one year to see if it can build an audience in New Orleans. I'd also give the format some advertising, maybe do a music test, get a jingle package, improve the simplistic sweepers, etc. Do that for a year and see if works, if not, flip it by all means.

I'm just saying, they should give it a fair chance. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work, but give it a chance.

 

[smashedcd]

> Understood, but maybe the Cajun format would be popular and
> get better ratings if it were on a better stick/signal. I
> couldn't get KLRZ in New Orleans.
>
> Citadel can do what it wants of course, but I'd give the
> Cajun format one year to see if it can build an audience in
> New Orleans. I'd also give the format some advertising,
> maybe do a music test, get a jingle package, improve the
> simplistic sweepers, etc. Do that for a year and see if
> works, if not, flip it by all means.
>
> I'm just saying, they should give it a fair chance. If it
> doesn't work, it doesn't work, but give it a chance.
>
maybe in theory but you are talking about a major corporation. simply put maybe a fourth of the population would even listen. it would be like putting on an 80s metal or a punk station. yea they would have listners. but very few. and it would be hard to sell. they could flip it to country and do swamp pop on saturday mornings 5-8. but keep it as the format. i just dont see it. swamp pop is not exactly a national music style. it barely gets out of south louisiana.<P ID="signature">______________
note to tvland...bring back wkrp!!!</P>

 

[RFLA]

> > Understood, but maybe the Cajun format would be popular
> and
> > get better ratings if it were on a better stick/signal. I
> > couldn't get KLRZ in New Orleans.
> >
> > Citadel can do what it wants of course, but I'd give the
> > Cajun format one year to see if it can build an audience
> in
> > New Orleans. I'd also give the format some advertising,
> > maybe do a music test, get a jingle package, improve the
> > simplistic sweepers, etc. Do that for a year and see if
> > works, if not, flip it by all means.
> >
> > I'm just saying, they should give it a fair chance. If it
> > doesn't work, it doesn't work, but give it a chance.
> >
> maybe in theory but you are talking about a major
> corporation. simply put maybe a fourth of the population
> would even listen. it would be like putting on an 80s metal
> or a punk station. yea they would have listners. but very
> few. and it would be hard to sell. they could flip it to
> country and do swamp pop on saturday mornings 5-8. but keep
> it as the format. i just dont see it. swamp pop is not
> exactly a national music style. it barely gets out of south
> louisiana.
>


Radioray, The format wasn't Cajun perse, Actually the Cajun is the format of it's sister am station KLEB 1600 Golen Meadow. It was swamp pop that was played on KLRZ.(For those unfamiliar with the format, think of a beat like classic country or oldies with cajun accordian and fiddle included). He also does play some Zyde-Cajun like Wayne Toups.

It actually falls in the 25-54 demo somewhat but most who listen to the station that I have observed are at the high end of the demo at the 50-54 side. As Smashedcd said..hard sell... (I've seen people in the 30s and 40s, but they are people who grew up listening to it due to parents,grandparents, or say at the fishing/hunting lodge.. I haven't seen really anyone in my observation who fell in love with it who didn't listen to it at a younger age)

Someone like Gisclair, If he promoted the station in New Orleans like he did the station in the z-100 Chr days (mainly the signal covered the westbank of New Orleans and this was at s 25kw power level around 1993-1994 I beleive) I think he could have had better numbers, but not as many people grew up on swamp pop IMO in the NOLA area as say here on the Bayou where it's was played at every Juke joint around.

Now if the format was expanded like KBON in Mamou, I think we would have more tourist folks listening than locals in New Orleans (where the core would still be IMO westbank and the bayou area of locals listening). Citadel purchased this station for the one reason of rimshotting it into the New Orleans metro and I'd be waiting on a format that would fit in the metro.

A big corporation like Citadel usually doesn't try local flavor programming as they can't cookie cutter it for or from elsewhere. But surprisingly, this is the same company that tried Diva in New Orleans and BR (but on the fact that it may work elsewhere) So with them buying the station and the intellectual property of the station (such as current positioning "The rajun Cajun") It could be a possibility, But Citadel is a company run by stockholders than radio people so gut says go with another format like country (but having a cajun/swamp pop program could not be out of the question as all country stations in the bayou area and Baton Rouge run a program of that format at least one morning out of the week)

RFLA