Larry Mendte announce that IQ 106.9 will debut tomorrow at 5am

[Krazyjoe]

Larry Mendte, what a loser!
I know Merlin is going to go down the tubes now.......Family Radio . . . Run......why you still have your $22 million! No Refunds!

Down the tubes?? They got Glenn, Rush, and Sean! That is FRAKKIN' AWESOME!

 

[Kevin TRC]

It's always exciting when a new radio station comes around. They noted they would also have traffic and weather as many times in the morning that KYW has. I think the interesting thing is who will be be doing these reports. KYW has Mr. Clover who is the biggest name in traffic and they also have the biggest names in weather. It would take some serious competition to make headway into whay KYW has built. Since I'm not a big fan of Mendte from his days on TV, I hope they make the traffic and weather an important part of their show and not gloss them over. As for being better than WKXW they're not too great right now. As a South Jersey radio listener I welcome the new station, but please make sure traffic which is all but forgotten sometimes is a part of your station.

 

[Mrtraveler01]

It's always exciting when a new radio station comes around. They noted they would also have traffic and weather as many times in the morning that KYW has. I think the interesting thing is who will be be doing these reports. KYW has Mr. Clover who is the biggest name in traffic and they also have the biggest names in weather. It would take some serious competition to make headway into whay KYW has built. Since I'm not a big fan of Mendte from his days on TV, I hope they make the traffic and weather an important part of their show and not gloss them over. As for being better than WKXW they're not too great right now. As a South Jersey radio listener I welcome the new station, but please make sure traffic which is all but forgotten sometimes is a part of your station.

It doesn't make any sense to me why they'd be going after KYW and not after WPHT. Especially considering that they went with the conservative talk format rather than the All-News format. Maybe someone can explain the logic has in thinking that it can steal KYW listeners with syndicated right-wing talk shows?

 

[TimeIsTight]

Maybe someone can explain the logic has in thinking that it can steal KYW listeners with syndicated right-wing talk shows?

KYW has 967,000 individual listener a week, and WPHT has 379,000. The idea is to attract as many of the big morning drive listeners as possible with news on FM. That is a daypart where all-news does very well, and fits the needs of busy commuters. KYW certainly offers a bigger basket to steal from in the morning.

And then, switch over to the cheaper to run national talk shows, which have enough of a following that they will bring listeners to the station from the get-go. And, your cost-of-employees goes way way down. In some places, a computer runs the syndicated talk show station all by itself.

 

[Mrtraveler01]

Maybe someone can explain the logic has in thinking that it can steal KYW listeners with syndicated right-wing talk shows?

KYW has 967,000 individual listener a week, and WPHT has 379,000. The idea is to attract as many of the big morning drive listeners as possible with news on FM. That is a daypart where all-news does very well, and fits the needs of busy commuters. KYW certainly offers a bigger basket to steal from in the morning.

And then, switch over to the cheaper to run national talk shows, which have enough of a following that they will bring listeners to the station from the get-go. And, your cost-of-employees goes way way down. In some places, a computer runs the syndicated talk show station all by itself.

But do you think that right-wing talk can do an effective job at stealing listeners from an all-news station like KYW?

The programming content is completely different. I mean I understand going after the big fish but I still don't thin a lot of KYW listeners will switch from listening to all-news in the morning, to a program that's a mix of news and talk.

It just seems like the two stations are going after two different kinds of listeners. But maybe that's just me.

 

[erwin33]

They started with the morning show today at 5 AM. Lots of bugs and dead air in the beginning but it sounds fine now.
First thought lots of breaks for traffic, weather news and commercials. So much, there is no time for the hosts to run a real talkshow.

 

[Bill_W]

They started with the morning show today at 5 AM. Lots of bugs and dead air in the beginning but it sounds fine now.
First thought lots of breaks for traffic, weather news and commercials. So much, there is no time for the hosts to run a real talkshow.

Not a talk show. It is news from 5-9am. Traffic needs to be better. Kathy on WMMR gives a better traffic report.

 

[erwin33]

Ok, but why are there 2 hosts? Do it the same way as in NYC and Chicago. B.t.w. I hear a lot people from NYC, including the annoying 'weathergeek'.

 

[Ajohns66]

The traffic guy and the news woman are also coming out of NYC....looks like Gardner Mente and the reporter are the only local parts of this "local" station.

 

[Bill_W]

i the news woman Hilarie Barsky who used to be here in Philly?

 

[Ajohns66]

Was part of the ill-fated WWDB-FM morning news experiment that died like a dog in less than 2 years

 

[Robbien]

I think they are going after 1210. I heard them say today the liberal agenda of CBS. And they are not "live and liberal," which is a direct shot at PHT's "live and local." They are picking on CBS, but I sense they want to first get rid of 1210 then concentrate on competing head to head with KYW.

 

[TimeIsTight]

But do you think that right-wing talk can do an effective job at stealing listeners from an all-news station like KYW?

I think that they hope to steal some KYW listeners in morning drive, and add some new listeners who will stop by for updates on weather and traffic, while their FM music stations are playing commercials. I wouldn't expect them to "steal" a significant percentage of KYW listeners any time soon, meaning years. But they may get enough to do OK.

I think they are going after 1210. I heard them say today the liberal agenda of CBS. And they are not "live and liberal," which is a direct shot at PHT's "live and local." They are picking on CBS, but I sense they want to first get rid of 1210 then concentrate on competing head to head with KYW.

The fact is, that they will co-exist with both CBS-owned stations for a very long time. Portraying PHT as "liberal" is an attempt to get the "loyal" red meat Right Wingers to avoid PHT like the plague and move over to Merlin. And, for a certain Fox News type audience that may work. But that audience is a small fraction of the total radio audience, especially in Democrat leaning Philadelphia. Remember, only eight-percent of the potential Philly market radio audience has been listening to talk radio even once a week. Still, hard core Right Wing radio listeners spend lots of time listening, so that helps the ratings, and may give Merlin the numbers it needs to succeed in the business sense.

 

[Kevin TRC]

I have to agree on this. I listened to part of this morning after I read on this board that they have started. While I thought the news person was so-so and pretty average, I recognized the traffic reporter. Jeff McKay was on WKXW for years and also in New York and is one of the best traffic reporters there is. Obviously if they have him on WWIQ then they're going to make a big push for people who want traffic. I think if they also work out some of their technical problems they might be entertaining, and with the conservative hosts they're lining up it's just in time for this big election year.

 

[John1]

Sampled this morning show today. Considering they've had months to gear up for this it sounded amateurish and the pace & timing off. If you want a model of how to do news in a more talk-casual format, get tapes of WCAU in the 1970's with Bruce Bradley & Gene Scott. While never coming close to KYW, it still sounded professional, informative, well-timed and entertaining. While fitting in all the features Bradley still found time to throw in little anecdotes. It was a good mix of information in a more entertaining fashion without the fake teletype. And the swarmy liners against the competition like a top 40 station might use really sound out of place on a 'news' program. They were talking like they were going to give this market something 'different' but 20 hours of syndicated conservative talk & 4 hours of disorganized news is really not that unique. (I already know this station isn't for me but I did want to hear what they were doing in the morning & I'm done now.)

 

[Giacomo Siffredi]

Sampled this morning show today. Considering they've had months to gear up for this it sounded amateurish and the pace & timing off.

And the swarmy liners against the competition like a top 40 station might use really sound out of place on a 'news' program. They were talking like they were going to give this market something 'different' but 20 hours of syndicated conservative talk & 4 hours of disorganized news is really not that unique. (I already know this station isn't for me but I did want to hear what they were doing in the morning & I'm done now.)

It IS unique because that is, what I call, the Merlin Marlin style. It's one thing to be cocky if you're good and professional, but if you're poor and unprofessional, it isn't even cocky, it's just plain stupid.

This disorganized approach to news presentation is standard for Merlin Media. I've heard the disaster that is WEMP New York. Extended listening to this station is something I've found I cannot do. The reports out of Chicago confirm that "FM News" outlet there is likewise piss-poor and ratings-wise has half the audience the New York outlet has. WEMP usually ranks about a 1.1, by the way.

I don't know how well Merlin will get the syndicated conservative-talk shows on the air (production is another one of the company's deficiencies), but I suspect WWIQ Camden will out-perform the two "FM News" outlets in New York and Chicago because the talk shows are not produced by Merlin.

I do have to give Merlin credit for one thing: Bringing the classic WFIL and WIBG news airchecks into the Hannity 106.9FM stunt was a nice touch. Very tasteful and respectful of Philadelphia's radio and cultural history.