S
SeenItAll
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All the money on "talent"...all the advertising and all Movin' can muster is a 1.2?
Here come the layoffs...
Here come the layoffs...
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All the advertising was wasted on bringing listeners into their first impression being Nick Caplan on AM drive.
And before Skip moved from middays to mornings, he talked too much. After 9am, just shut up and play the music.
Now that Nick's gone and Skip's on a shift that's more suited to his gift of gab, the station really should make another promotional effort with TV, billboards, and so forth... but probably can't afford to after the first wave.
A big contest would be good too, but you still need outside promotion to bring new people in. Running promos for a contest on your own air doesn't do much besides informing your existing listeners. Getting a few extra quarter-hours out of your P1's is always good, but it's even better when you can get new ears hooked.
Still, a tough market to break into... Ted & Amy have been on Q for 20 years, Ron & Becky have a solid lock on country... as far as morning shows go, the "heritage" stations don't have much turnover. Even though Marty & Shannon have only been together a few years, Marty's been at Hot forever, in his "previous incarnation" on mornings, as well as other shifts. It's hard to get people to leave a morning show they've been hooked on for years and years.
Movin probably would have been more successful in just stealing someone else's morning show from day one... but they probably don't have the bucks to do it, and every other company likely has their talent locked in contracts with tight non-competes.
And before Skip moved from middays to mornings, he talked too much. After 9am, just shut up and play the music.
Now that Nick's gone and Skip's on a shift that's more suited to his gift of gab, the station really should make another promotional effort with TV, billboards, and so forth... but probably can't afford to after the first wave.
A big contest would be good too, but you still need outside promotion to bring new people in. Running promos for a contest on your own air doesn't do much besides informing your existing listeners. Getting a few extra quarter-hours out of your P1's is always good, but it's even better when you can get new ears hooked.
Still, a tough market to break into... Ted & Amy have been on Q for 20 years, Ron & Becky have a solid lock on country... as far as morning shows go, the "heritage" stations don't have much turnover. Even though Marty & Shannon have only been together a few years, Marty's been at Hot forever, in his "previous incarnation" on mornings, as well as other shifts. It's hard to get people to leave a morning show they've been hooked on for years and years.
Movin probably would have been more successful in just stealing someone else's morning show from day one... but they probably don't have the bucks to do it, and every other company likely has their talent locked in contracts with tight non-competes.
I'll begin with the disclaimer that I don't know what the latest ratings are.
But, it's worth remembering that Movin' is not owned by a mega-corporation. Yes, there have been layoffs at stations all over the country, but Movin isn't under pressure to answer to shareholders. There's no stock price being watched and analyzed and dissected every day or every quarter. Being a locally-owned company, they only need to make a profit, period. They're not under pressure to take the existing profit and increase it every year.
From what I've seen, in terms of postings here, and job postings for the station, it seems as if they are live nights and weekends. (I'm not sure about overnights.) In any event, if there are to be cuts, I would expect those positions to go away first. What's next after that? I'm not sure, but I hope it wouldn't be a matter of anyone being replaced by a syndicated show. I cringe when I read headlines about local afternoon jocks being replaced by Ryan Seacrest or the like. Nothing against Seacrest, but if I wanted satellite radio, I'd go out and buy one.
But, it's worth remembering that Movin' is not owned by a mega-corporation. Yes, there have been layoffs at stations all over the country, but Movin isn't under pressure to answer to shareholders. There's no stock price being watched and analyzed and dissected every day or every quarter. Being a locally-owned company, they only need to make a profit, period. They're not under pressure to take the existing profit and increase it every year.
From what I've seen, in terms of postings here, and job postings for the station, it seems as if they are live nights and weekends. (I'm not sure about overnights.) In any event, if there are to be cuts, I would expect those positions to go away first. What's next after that? I'm not sure, but I hope it wouldn't be a matter of anyone being replaced by a syndicated show. I cringe when I read headlines about local afternoon jocks being replaced by Ryan Seacrest or the like. Nothing against Seacrest, but if I wanted satellite radio, I'd go out and buy one.
It's a format created by a consultant that isn't really working anywhere. It may even bring down a publicly traded company (Emmis) because their L.A. station is such a mess.
Well, again, WOLF isn't owned by a publicly-traded company. Sure, they'd be in trouble if the ratings kept coming in as hashmarks, but they're not in as much trouble as a megacorp-owned station would be, just for losing one or two shares.
Second, if Emmis was smart, they would have stopped the mess before it became a mess. Even if they would have had to breach the contract with Alan Burns, it probably would have been much less damaging to their bottom line.
Third, just because one format is a failure in elsewhere doesn't mean it's going to fail here. Kinda the opposite of the usual saying, "just because the consultant says it works elsewhere doesn't mean it will work here."
That being said, I don't think WOLF is perfect. They're usually a good "hybrid" between CHR and AC, but they also manage to come up with a bomb once in awhile. You can get away with playing a mix of CHR currents/recurrents and top songs all the way back to the 70s, but it has to be done very delicately. Relying on a turnkey format and just letting Selector auto-schedule everything doesn't quite do it. It might get you most of the way there, but a good deal of hand-holding is required by a music director who knows what they are doing.
On WOLF's side, again, is the fact they're a small, private company. Flat ratings in the middle of the pack might not be as exciting and lucrative as being #1, but as long as the company is still turning out at least a modest profit, everyone's happy. Private owners aren't always concerned about profits increasing every single quarter... they're just happy that there IS a profit every quarter. Hell, look at WMCR in Oneida. Again, small operation, private owners. As long as they make money, they'll just keep on doin' what they've been doin'. No shareholders to answer to.
On a side note, I'd be interested to see the contract between Alan Burns and his Movin' affiliates. Obviously he hooked these stations with a pretty good presentation which at least implied the stations would be successful. But what about stations, like LA, where the format has tanked? I'm guessing he doesn't offer any kind of "money back guarantee" for that. Or maybe there are so many restrictions, where doing even just ONE thing differently from the way he specifies, violates the guarantee. Kinda stinks that the stations that are failing lose out, while he laughs his way to the bank. Then again, if he tries to do this again with another format, you can be pretty sure nobody will buy it.
Second, if Emmis was smart, they would have stopped the mess before it became a mess. Even if they would have had to breach the contract with Alan Burns, it probably would have been much less damaging to their bottom line.
Third, just because one format is a failure in elsewhere doesn't mean it's going to fail here. Kinda the opposite of the usual saying, "just because the consultant says it works elsewhere doesn't mean it will work here."
That being said, I don't think WOLF is perfect. They're usually a good "hybrid" between CHR and AC, but they also manage to come up with a bomb once in awhile. You can get away with playing a mix of CHR currents/recurrents and top songs all the way back to the 70s, but it has to be done very delicately. Relying on a turnkey format and just letting Selector auto-schedule everything doesn't quite do it. It might get you most of the way there, but a good deal of hand-holding is required by a music director who knows what they are doing.
On WOLF's side, again, is the fact they're a small, private company. Flat ratings in the middle of the pack might not be as exciting and lucrative as being #1, but as long as the company is still turning out at least a modest profit, everyone's happy. Private owners aren't always concerned about profits increasing every single quarter... they're just happy that there IS a profit every quarter. Hell, look at WMCR in Oneida. Again, small operation, private owners. As long as they make money, they'll just keep on doin' what they've been doin'. No shareholders to answer to.
On a side note, I'd be interested to see the contract between Alan Burns and his Movin' affiliates. Obviously he hooked these stations with a pretty good presentation which at least implied the stations would be successful. But what about stations, like LA, where the format has tanked? I'm guessing he doesn't offer any kind of "money back guarantee" for that. Or maybe there are so many restrictions, where doing even just ONE thing differently from the way he specifies, violates the guarantee. Kinda stinks that the stations that are failing lose out, while he laughs his way to the bank. Then again, if he tries to do this again with another format, you can be pretty sure nobody will buy it.
It time to get back to basics! Hit the streets, meet the people, change their listening habits one or two listeners at a time! Visit them at work, etc. Movin's only hope is an old fashioned grass roots effort. Get out every day and shake hands, win 'em over face to face. It's a lot of work but worth it!!! The best part...it's free...other then the cost of fuel for the station van. Interns with sandwich boards...hit the streets!
Part two: A much better web presence! Info, audio, contesting, video's...
Part two: A much better web presence! Info, audio, contesting, video's...
Excellent points. They came out of the gate pretty strong with lots of TV and billboards... but much of that effort was wasted when people were turned off by the former morning show talent. And I'm gonna guess there isn't a ton of cash for another round of massive media buys.
They need a contest where offices enter to have breakfast or lunch delivered right to their desks. The tough part is getting a client willing to part with free food for 20-30 people every single week. Dunkin Donuts has often done these, but usually only with the #1 or #2 station in town. A smaller, local restaurant MIGHT be willing -- but they'd probably want a ton of mentions/spots in exchange for the food, since a local restaurant takes a bigger hit than a megacorp chain. (It's kinda pointless to just show up at a workplace unless you have free stuff for people.)
They also need to get into sponsorship roles for various fests and other events in town. That way, they get a free booth or table or whatever. Show up and do live remotes at field days. Most field days don't have a budget for radio advertising, and would gladly welcome a radio station willing to appear for free. Pair up with a client who can hand out literature or other giveaways at the booth, and they cover the talent fee. (Or just convince the jocks to do it for free, for the benefit of helping the nonprofit volunteer fire deparment running the field days, for the overall good of the station, and for the basic security of their own jobs.)
As for the website, not bad for a smaller company. But yes, could use more content. Just need to be careful not to overload it... I think ClearChannel's websites (and some of the other megacorps) are so jampacked with features, most people probably aren't even aware half of them even exist.
They need a contest where offices enter to have breakfast or lunch delivered right to their desks. The tough part is getting a client willing to part with free food for 20-30 people every single week. Dunkin Donuts has often done these, but usually only with the #1 or #2 station in town. A smaller, local restaurant MIGHT be willing -- but they'd probably want a ton of mentions/spots in exchange for the food, since a local restaurant takes a bigger hit than a megacorp chain. (It's kinda pointless to just show up at a workplace unless you have free stuff for people.)
They also need to get into sponsorship roles for various fests and other events in town. That way, they get a free booth or table or whatever. Show up and do live remotes at field days. Most field days don't have a budget for radio advertising, and would gladly welcome a radio station willing to appear for free. Pair up with a client who can hand out literature or other giveaways at the booth, and they cover the talent fee. (Or just convince the jocks to do it for free, for the benefit of helping the nonprofit volunteer fire deparment running the field days, for the overall good of the station, and for the basic security of their own jobs.)
As for the website, not bad for a smaller company. But yes, could use more content. Just need to be careful not to overload it... I think ClearChannel's websites (and some of the other megacorps) are so jampacked with features, most people probably aren't even aware half of them even exist.
Hi guys! Just wanted to say that I listend to movin' this weekend and heard grrrrreat! Songs like 'One baaaad Apple by the Osmans (oh I luv that song) and a remake of Mickey and my favorite one of all 'Macarany! I also kept hearing about a cool event coming up for Radio Disney. Yeah! I can't remember what it was though. Darn it! Oh well. It was cool anyway.
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