Mix 97.1 becomes The Fan 97.1

[hdtvnewbie]

The latest I heard is that DISPATCH 1460 will eventually be on the air in the coming weeks. I dont know how credible that source is but it makes sense. They can cross brand the newspaper and the AM station.

Rumor is it will be designed with News and Talk from local staff (I assume giving more indepth stories from the Dispatch). It will also have local sports and commentary from the Dispatch Sports columnist and a local afternoon talk show from the newspaper? Of course this is only a rumor, but it kinda makes sense.

No matter what the ratings, that would be a GREAT use of that signal. They could probably justify it as a 24-hour infomercial for The Dispatch.

 

[hdtvnewbie]

And presumably Dispatch Radio would have mostly (or a lot of) local news and info, which would be laudable and welcome -- esepecially since WTVN's self-positioning as a local news powerhouse has evolved into a silly charade.

Anyone know of any other stations named for a co-owned newspaper, and how they are faring?

The only problem is this. The Wolfes are good broadcasters, but I think they've lost their ability to produce anything with "zing". For that signal to be successful, it can't be boring and sleepy like CNN. It has to be more like Fox News from the standpoint of entertainment value and pizazz.

I've mentioned before that I'm a huge fan of Daryl Parks and Eddie and Tracy on WLW. I was also a fan of those two Cleveland guys who used to do the show Sunday nights on WTVN. You don't have to be nasty or "in your face", but you do need broadcasters who can keep you entertained for a 15 minute ride in the car or in the office.

If those guys don't understand the basics of how improving sound quality can make a station more listenable (and I think the flat sound was 60% of the reason WBNS never got good ratings), I don't have a lot of confidence that they know how to pull of interesting news-talk.

 

[dawg4life]

DISPATCH 1460 - Brilliant!

Hey I'm loving being able to listen to Mike and Mike in the Morning on 97.1 The Fan and I hope this crushes those idiots at nabco for blowing up the Blitz and putting Bob and Tom on in the morning.

Someone asked before what format I'd like to see flip next? BRING BACK REAL ROCK!

 

[gr8oldies]

I am aware that the former WTOP AM signal in DC became "Washington Post Radio" with contributions from Post reporters, but didn't last very long.

 

[Rusty Muck]

I am aware that the former WTOP AM signal in DC became "Washington Post Radio" with contributions from Post reporters, but didn't last very long.

If that. A year and a half into the "Washington Post Radio" experiment, that format (and partial LMA with the Post) was blown up for a straight-up talk format "3WT" - given that it was sprawled over three signals. That also failed over little over one year; the 1500 kHz signal is now home to a government news-and-talk format (that was originally an internet-only station; its' first terrestrial home on the AM dial now relays WTOP).

In the process, WTOP owner Bonneville blew up both a two-station AC simulcast that did fairly well (if not that great), and a heritage classical music outlet (that was donated to a public radio station).

 

[Rusty Muck]

In one way the 97.1 flip makes a lot of sense. They were constantly trying to be the home of the Buckeyes (indeed, the Buckeye network) on a station otherwise playing music targeted to youngish females. Basketball, in particular, was a jarring intrusion on the Hot AC. Since 97.1 wouldn't/couldn't give up Buckeye coverage, they can now ditch the split personality.

(My apologies if anyone else already pointed this out and I missed it...it's a long thread.)

My understanding is that CBS' switch of ther jock talk station WXYT in Detroit to FM has been a huge home run. Probably the same thinking here. Someone mentioned that WBNS-AM was slated to become Dispatch Radio. On the surface, this also sounds like a good use for that signal and they have the resources to pull it off.

I would be surprised if WBNS-AM separated to another format. WXYT is still on an AM/FM combo; and given the spillover that the stations have (for example, when the Red Wings and Tigers overlap on the same night, one game ends on the FM and the other on the AM) it makes sense to keep it on both stations, but identify the FM over the AM.

 

[redsfan1966]

While Dispatch 1460 is as intriguing to me as anything else--I dont see it--I see 1460 remaining as a simulcast of the FAN. This just follows in the steps of what has been happening in other cities--Dayton's WHIO (1270/95.7) and so on....It is cheaper and probably doesnt affect the ratings of each frequency that much. I do believe it wont be long before TVN takes one of its CC FMers (93.3/105.7?) and makes it a simulcast...

 

[schmave]

In one way the 97.1 flip makes a lot of sense. They were constantly trying to be the home of the Buckeyes (indeed, the Buckeye network) on a station otherwise playing music targeted to youngish females. Basketball, in particular, was a jarring intrusion on the Hot AC. Since 97.1 wouldn't/couldn't give up Buckeye coverage, they can now ditch the split personality.

(My apologies if anyone else already pointed this out and I missed it...it's a long thread.)

My understanding is that CBS' switch of ther jock talk station WXYT in Detroit to FM has been a huge home run. Probably the same thinking here. Someone mentioned that WBNS-AM was slated to become Dispatch Radio. On the surface, this also sounds like a good use for that signal and they have the resources to pull it off.

I would be surprised if WBNS-AM separated to another format. WXYT is still on an AM/FM combo; and given the spillover that the stations have (for example, when the Red Wings and Tigers overlap on the same night, one game ends on the FM and the other on the AM) it makes sense to keep it on both stations, but identify the FM over the AM.

And that would solve some conflicts that in the past have kept some events/teams, i.e. the World Series or the Indians, off the air in Columbus because 1460 had no station to which they could farm out those programs.
I would like to see 1460 go all-news. There's no reason to waste it as a simulcast of the FM; who would listen to 1460 over 97.1 to hear the same things?

 

[hdtvnewbie]

And that would solve some conflicts that in the past have kept some events/teams, i.e. the World Series or the Indians, off the air in Columbus because 1460 had no station to which they could farm out those programs.
I would like to see 1460 go all-news. There's no reason to waste it as a simulcast of the FM; who would listen to 1460 over 97.1 to hear the same things?

I don't see them simulcasting because the AM has a relatively good 5,000-watt signal that could be put to some kind of revenue-producing use. Dispatch radio would be a good use of their resources since they wouldn't have to spend a lot of dough staffing up a real news station. Pull a few people from ONN and WBNS, and then they have 3 guys in Washington ... plus they could recycle some of the sports shows from 97.1 ... they could fill up the schedule easily at minimal additional cost.

or ....... What about another Christian station? (joke)

 

[redsfan1966]

Proposed formats for 1460---

Steph 1460----all Stephanie Miller; all the time!!!!
Metal 1460----Black Sabbath/Ozzy/Motorhead/Led Zep, etc...
Info 1460----all time/weather/traffic all the time....
Woody 1460---replays of every Buckeye football game in the Radiohio library...
1460 Closing Radio---All closings, all the time....weather and economy related...
Dom 1460----A station dedicated to everyone's fave---Dom Tiberi
or how about just a simulcast of channel 10?

In all seriousness, if 1460 does go Dispatch Radio--where would the weather info come from---being that TVN uses BNS tv weather personalities??

 

[del_griffith]

And that would solve some conflicts that in the past have kept some events/teams, i.e. the World Series or the Indians, off the air in Columbus because 1460 had no station to which they could farm out those programs.
I would like to see 1460 go all-news. There's no reason to waste it as a simulcast of the FM; who would listen to 1460 over 97.1 to hear the same things?

I don't see them simulcasting because the AM has a relatively good 5,000-watt signal that could be put to some kind of revenue-producing use. Dispatch radio would be a good use of their resources since they wouldn't have to spend a lot of dough staffing up a real news station. Pull a few people from ONN and WBNS, and then they have 3 guys in Washington ... plus they could recycle some of the sports shows from 97.1 ... they could fill up the schedule easily at minimal additional cost.

or ....... What about another Christian station? (joke)

That's what I never quite understood about the signal comments. The 5kw day signal is pretty good and is when most football games are played. And for night games, it was always a simulacast anyway. But people did gripe, and probably because of the long prodding of TVN. Although they are terribly crippled east, west and especially southeast and southwest. Can't even listen to them in most of Pickerington.

 

[quackattack34]

If Dispatch takes on 1460 I think it would actually work in Columbus. The reason it DIDNT work in DC was the Washington Post and WTOP had issues that couldn't be resolved. I bet you any dollar if it were around today it would be in the Top 20 with PPM. Plus it did have a major signal disadvantage!

I assume they just make a deal with WTVN that either ONN does their weather or The Dispatch does the weather from a "reporter" ala TV10

 

[gabigley1]

The Columbus Dispatch has a NEW news story on Sports radio here in Columbus:

http://www.columbusdispatch.com/liv...O__2.ART_ART_02-10-09_D1_S1CQJK3.html?sid=101

Radio-Info is quoted in the story.

 

[V.Riley]

With AM/FM stations facing possible royalty issues for the music they play, and with the plethora of Internet Radio stations playing a wide variety of music formats, this may be the future of terrestrial radio as we know it. It's apparently cheaper to syndicate talk shows, talk about and play sports events on the radio than it is to play music.

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

Radio-Info is quoted in the story.

Well, R-I news columnist Tom Taylor is quoted. I don't think they got to us here.

And what is it with newspaper stories screwing up radio call letters? It is KKFN in Denver, not KKFM...

 

[redsfan1966]

Feran's article is good--but there are a few errors...most notably that 1230 does NOT carry the Cavaliers anymore...

 

[Nu_Roo_2]

Radio-Info is quoted in the story.

Well, R-I news columnist Tom Taylor is quoted. I don't think they got to us here.

And what is it with newspaper stories screwing up radio call letters? It is KKFN in Denver, not KKFM...

No surprise that newspaper stories screw up call letters, because they screw up everything else. At least every other time I read a story about something I'm very familiar with I cringe at the inaccuracies and highly-misleading statements. That's especially true in local papers, but applies a lot at the national level, too. And it's not usually the purposeful biasing so many people accuse the press of -- it's just sloppy investigating and reporting.

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

I understand an occasional error or misprint...even in a newspaper.

But it seems like EVERY ARTICLE about radio contains at least one simple, factual error. Messed up call letters. Wrong frequencies. I can't tell you how many times I've seen talk WTAM/1100 here - a popular, successful station that is not exactly obscure - called "WTAM-FM"!

 

[willcail]

When did Fox news start broadcasting news? Seriously there is a Georgetown study that people who watches Fox News are bout 60% misinformed.

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

When did Fox news start broadcasting news? Seriously there is a Georgetown study that people who watches Fox News are bout 60% misinformed.

Did you reply to the wrong thread? I'm pretty sure WTVN/610 is the Fox News Radio affiliate in Columbus, not WBNS, either AM 1460 or FM 97.1. And the TV is a CBS affiliate.