Mix 965.... What Happened ???

[johndavis]

http://images.icanhascheezburger.com/completestore/2009/1/19/128768866697513257.jpg

 

[willdav713]

It's sad to see this legendary station sink so low. And hard to saw exactly what happened as the erosion was over time, not just a quick drop.

It would seem like management made some wrong decisions regarding on air talent in mornings. Kidd is an excellent talent with a stellar track record in Dallas and various other smaller to medium markets in syndication. Getting traction in a major market is difficult. It also appears a serious evaluation of the music is required (define serious as not just Tracy and Mark) to build a music strategy. And Mix needs to be more focused on their target lifegroup.

It's doubtful they would flip to all news, as Mix history and heritage still gets them at lease noticed on avails.

Let's hope they're not foolish enough to take a run at KODA. Sunny's 20 year history of success is due to a number of things including not making knee jerk reactions as Mix has over the years. Beside, look at the CBS "Fresh" brand in NYC, DC, and the Chicago Fresh which just flipped to be a BBM-AM simulcast. They're not doing any real harm to the established AC in those markets. Plus, KVIL struggles to be top 5 in demo in Dallas, not exactly a ringing endorsement for their AC programming acumen. Upending an established mainstream AC in a major market costs huge amounts of money which CBS won't spend and takes strategic expertise which CBS doesn't have.

Beside, CBS/Houston has problems with KILT-FM as well as Mix. (look at Dallas, problems with KVIL and Jack just tanked too.)

Interesting perspective. It's not sexy chat board fodder to consider that Mix may not be terminal, but I'm inclined to agree with you.

I agree to a point about not challenging KODA, but with the right people in place, I think anything is possible. I know of a guy on the beach here now that I'd love to see put together a new AC. KODA has heritage, but from my perspective, they're leaning on it too heavily. There's lots of really obvious voicetracking, and when I've listened anyway, I can't figure out what their music strategy is. I'm not an AC guy by any stretch, but I've heard music sets at my doctor's office that led me to believe they're just taking whatever Selector spits out and not massaging the logs at all.

It sounds like a radio station on autopilot to me. Admittedly, it wouldn't be easy to upset the heritage, but it would be possible. My dentist's office stays on Sunny each year until the Christmas music starts. Then they go to Mix because my dentist can't take the non-stop Christmas music, but they don't stay with Mix after Christmas because of all the morning show chatter. (We had a chat about that last December.) I have to wonder if a new AC station could pick up some of KODA's at work, background music listeners simply by not going 100% Jingle Bells? If radios tied in to PA speakers get tuned away from KODA at Christmas by Scrooges, would they ever get retuned back to Sunny after Christmas?

My dentist used to have on KQXT Q1019 until they play Christmas Music than he switched to 102.7 Jack FM, and left the station on since then.

But having 2 AC stations doesn't mean they won't both play Christmas music. In December of 1991, Christmas Music was played non stop on the following stations in San Antonio 92.9 KSRR, 99.5 KISS as KSMG 105.3 simulcast, 101.9, 105.3, and 101.1 106.7 was the only AC station that didn't and next year they went Country.

 

[CaptainShowbiz]

Lots of great ideas for rescuing Mix 96.5. I personally would love to see it return to its original vision, but it may be too late. CBS does know how to run Oldies/Classic Hits VERY well, and that would be killer. Urban would be a criminally insane move--just what Houston doesn't need, with the Box and Hot and Magic. We're probably a couple years away, but Urban will cycle back to being a purely ethnic format before long. And I can't wait. The decision, of course, would be made at corporate--not locally--so it'll be a long time coming.

 

[johndavis]

We're probably a couple years away, but Urban will cycle back to being a purely ethnic format before long. And I can't wait.

I think it's already there. Hip Hop is so 2009.

 

[mr.ric]

We're probably a couple years away, but Urban will cycle back to being a purely ethnic format before long. And I can't wait.

I think it's already there. Hip Hop is so 2009.

Shows how much some of you know about the format. : I disagree with some of these comments.

Now don't get me wrong, all of the other formats are a good idea too, in fact i wouldn't mind trying out oldies again. Im basically saying since Mix already sounds close to a CHR and the same thing with Hot, sounding almost like a "sub"urban station, might as well tweak both stations a little bit then see what happens. It shouldn't be that big of a change if it happened.

 

[bigtom101]

A well programmed filled Classic Hits on 96.5 would be a great move by CBS - Hot AC shares allot of titles with CHR anyways, and I'm sure Mix & Hot cannibalize each other to some extent. Why not go after the older KODA demo and grab some listeners from The Arrow/Eagle. As said previously, Classic Hits is one of the formats that CBS seems to get right (WODS, WOGL, CBS-FM, K-Earth, KOOL-FM, KLUV, etc).

Hell, get Ron Parker from CBS-FM back down to program it and do AM drive!

 

[metroneck]

What about a real competitor to the Buzz, CBS has the ability to do it.

 

[MarkW]

A move to Classic Hits is a possibility, and it's a move that could work.

However, a more likely outcome would be the migration of KILT-AM's programming to 96.5 FM. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. Look at CBS's recent format moves in other markets. Sports on FM done by CBS has a much better chance of succeeding in Houston as compared to Dallas, because unlike Dalls, CBS would not be forced to build a station from scratch.

Over the past 5 years, CBS has launched FM sports stations in Dallas, Detroit (migrated from AM), Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Washington, Cleveland, Boston and Philadelphia (migrated from AM). There might be a market or two that I'm forgetting.

 

[joesixpack]

Just please, whatever they end up doing, bring in something DIFFERENT. I (just a regular guy with no radio industry experience) don't need another station to play Led Zeppelin or any of the other overplayed annoying songs that they play on The Eagrow (since The Arrow and The Eagle are pretty much the same station). I don't need another pop station. And definitely no more Spanish stations. Why not have a station to play bands like Iron Maiden, WASP, Motley Crue, Megadeth, etc? Something similar to Z-Rock? Or like others have said, bring back a real oldies station, like how 94.5 used to be? Maybe a dedicated 80s station, like how The Point started off? Do they really need to rehash the same pop crap or classic rock songs over and over and over again? These corporate radio idiots (I hope some of them visit this website) need to realize that the market is out there for these formats, if they could only get their heads out from you-know-where. Listen to your customers.

 

[HoustonListener]

If CBS moves sports programming from KILT AM to 96.5, what would they do with KILT AM -- simulcast the sports programming? simulcast KILT FM to return KILT AM and FM together, or come up with a new format for KILT 610 AM.
I can see them moving the Texans from KILT FM to SportsRadio 96.5. -- Would their contract with the Texans let them move the frequency of the Texans' broadcats?

 

[Mediafrog+]

If CBS moves sports programming from KILT AM to 96.5, what would they do with KILT AM -- simulcast the sports programming? simulcast KILT FM to return KILT AM and FM together, or come up with a new format for KILT 610 AM.

Probably simulcast for a while, to get listeners moved over to FM, then launch a new format on 610. The AM signal doesn't add anything relevant to a simulcast.

CBS should get rid of 650 and pocket the cash in such a scenario.

I can see them moving the Texans from KILT FM to SportsRadio 96.5. -- Would their contract with the Texans let them move the frequency of the Texans' broadcasts?

I don't see why not. Identical signals on FM. The games would have to stay on 610 as well, regardless of any new format that is launched on the AM.

 

[sdh483]

What are you people smoking? There's enough sports stations here. No way are we going to have two FM sports stations. Classic hits is still a better choice than another sports station. The Astros and Rockets can't win jack. The Texans will stay on KILT FM.

 

[Mediafrog+]

What are you people smoking? There's enough sports stations here. No way are we going to have two FM sports stations.

A key reason for launching a second FM SportsTalker would be to kill off the first FM SportsTalker, which CBS could do easily.

It would be an interesting combo, but I could see the local content on 610 going to 96.5. KFNC 97.5 dumps sports, and 610 picks up the ESPN network feed. Local on FM, national on AM. Gets a former competitor under the same roof, and almost certainly kills KGOW, leaving 790 as the only competitor.

 

[radiolives]

Why would CBS need to move KILT 610 to FM when they are already beating out 97.5 ESPN? Plus 970 beats out 97.5.

Would be better off going classic hits like some have said in this topic. Or even go AC and go after KODA. CBS could make more profit by doing this instead of a simulicast.

This is different because most of the sports stations CBS moved from AM to FM, the FM was a talk station such as Detroit, Washington D.C., Baltimore.

 

[andrewduong77]

Some CBS Hot AC stations are doing fairly well which are WOMX/Orlando, KYKY/St. Louis, and KMXB/Las Vegas.

 

[alucard]

Here's what could have happened.  I was at 96.5 from '87 to '97 and helped kick off Mix in 1990 and I can tell you that Guy Zapolean is a genius.  They researched and researched the market.  Guy actually had a prototype of the station playing in his office all day for months, he listened, tweaked and refined the music and imaging.  It was like fine tuning a precision race car. They actually put on a station with music, personalities and imaging that Houston listeners could relate to.  It was compelling.  It was format that could not have worked anywhere else in the country and that's what made it stand out.  Guy had the support of another creative guy by the name of Clancy Woods and Nationwide who gave him the means to make it a ground breaking station.  Of course they had the luxury of concentrating on ONE station...not a cluster like today.

Tell me, is that kind of care and diligence being done now at Mix?  I would say not.  I'm long gone from radio (over 10 years) but in my opinion Mix, and pretty much EVERY radio station in Houston is a bland, generic pile.  Those days are over and gone.  Sales rules now, where programing ruled then.  These are different days, and different results.

And to whoever said to bring Energy 96.5 back, well I'm sorry...but that was the one of the worst attempt at forcing a format of music onto a city
that had no demographics to support it.  Total and complete failure.

I will also say this...that every radio station has a shelf life.  Any maybe Mix has been on the shelf too long and it's expiration date has come and gone.

 

[alucard]

And...sorry...I said Hou radio is a pile, but no offense to you who are working hard at making your station sound the best it can.  I was there but in these days of deregulation, I really don't see how any station can stand out.  Too few people doing too much work for too many stations run by sales people.  It's a different animal now and it saddens me what radio has become.  I'm very fortunate to have been able to work in radio for 25 years and make my sucessful escape to the audio post production/sound design world....but my success has come through my radio experience. 

 

[rageradio]

Well I listened to Energy. Still have tapes from the Tower Theater broadcasts. It was unique in its own way and that stood out to me. You right about it not having the demographic to support it. The daily mix of music was rough at times, mixing alternative with hit music (of that time, that urban/freestyle sound).. had a rough flow. At times KNRJ was a nice alternative to the other hit stations that seemed to be having trouble finding themselves in the post-80s era. KNRJ did usher in the Trash Disco era Houston saw in the early 90s with the sunday night shows. THAT was real disco. Studio 54 disco. Not the stuff KKBQ tried to feed us with during their shows and take over from the Tower when KNRJ left the dance format.

 

[HoustonListener]

what happened? 96.5 got boring. and unfocused. and sounds to much like KRBE and HOT now, not all that much difference at times, but lacking compelling personalities to get anyone to listen. and Kidd Kraddick's show, while it works well in Dallas because of heritage listening, I don't think will ever catch on here. The talk on that show is just plain stupid at times, and they talk down and demean some of their guests.

 

[crguy]

I'm not sure that they got unfocused, but they sound too much like a top 40 station with way to much of the music and are not playing some stuff an actual hot ac station should be playing. Morning show on a format like that needs to be local local local...and some of their personalities sound like they either want to be on a top 40 station or just sound too young. Pull a fork out of the drawer, cuz its almost time...