With how poorly Alt 104.5 bills, they wouldn't attack it directly with a New Alternative format. But as I pointed out earlier, if they could claw listeners away from WMMR, WMGK, WBEN (and peel older listeners from WRFF), they could possibly make a decent billing Classic Alt.
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Nathan Graham out at WTDY... changes coming?
- Thread starter atthestars
- Start date
Y-96.5 it is.
I feel like Alternative (classic or otherwise) cannot be on the table. iHeart tried for years to convince advertisers to pay up for spots on WRFF, but to no avail (pun intended). Ad buyers are getting the bang they desire for their bucks by buying elsewhere, and no one has been able to convince them that it would make sense to instead spend on Alternative. I'm pretty sure Alt 104.5 still exists for two reasons: 1.) Package-sells. 2.) They don't have a format that has a good chance of improving the bottom line. Audacy would be out of their minds to launch a station that competes with a 16-years-established format that no one wants to buy.
They're making at least some money by letting WTDY survive. (Pretty much exactly what iHeart is doing by letting Alt 104.5 survive.) Neither company should blow up either of these stations unless they're pretty damn sure they have a format that's going to improve revenue--and won't be a short-term fad.
That brings me to my feelings about almost any other variation of Rock. It would be an enormous gamble to cross their fingers and hope they can peel off enough listeners from Beasley's "wall of men." Someone at Audacy would have to have two very large, very shiny brass balls to even bring up the idea.
If a change is imminent, I feel like Country is the best fit for their cluster. When then-Entercom sold WXTU back to Beasley, wasn't there some contingency that they (Entercom/Audacy) wouldn't launch a competing Country station for some period of time? If that is the case, and if that period of time was 5 years, that would mean they're free to launch a Country station at the end of September.
Here again though, the gamble is hoping to peel off enough of WXTU's listeners and then do package-sells with B101, WIP-FM, and WOGL. Would that make more sense than leaving the station as-is and doing package-sells with...pretty much the same sisters?
I am really at a loss for what they could possibly be considering as a new format. For what it's worth, I much prefer WTDY's library to that of Q102, so I would be just fine if everything remains status-quo!
They're making at least some money by letting WTDY survive. (Pretty much exactly what iHeart is doing by letting Alt 104.5 survive.) Neither company should blow up either of these stations unless they're pretty damn sure they have a format that's going to improve revenue--and won't be a short-term fad.
That brings me to my feelings about almost any other variation of Rock. It would be an enormous gamble to cross their fingers and hope they can peel off enough listeners from Beasley's "wall of men." Someone at Audacy would have to have two very large, very shiny brass balls to even bring up the idea.
If a change is imminent, I feel like Country is the best fit for their cluster. When then-Entercom sold WXTU back to Beasley, wasn't there some contingency that they (Entercom/Audacy) wouldn't launch a competing Country station for some period of time? If that is the case, and if that period of time was 5 years, that would mean they're free to launch a Country station at the end of September.
Here again though, the gamble is hoping to peel off enough of WXTU's listeners and then do package-sells with B101, WIP-FM, and WOGL. Would that make more sense than leaving the station as-is and doing package-sells with...pretty much the same sisters?
I am really at a loss for what they could possibly be considering as a new format. For what it's worth, I much prefer WTDY's library to that of Q102, so I would be just fine if everything remains status-quo!
I mean, the call letters ARE WTDY...
There was no such clause in the contract.
AKA a La WYSP reborn.
But why would they try this?
WYSP in its last days billed lower than WIP did.
It's been mentioned that WBEB has been sounding older and lighter since Xmas.
The room is there for a gold heavy Adult CHR, Hot AC to compliment the Audacity cluster.
I know Philly doesn't have the hatred problem with Country like New York but you can Fetter a conclusion that it would under index billing for rating to some degree. These are the types who sacrifice accurate business practices based upon that severe hatred and wish for the G word against the stereotyped people who listen to Country. Not New York level but enough that a second country station would not work.
965 could get low ratings and make good money with the mentioned format that caters to the coveted Philly Phetmales as a combo to get a wide range of Dem with B 101.
The room is there for a gold heavy Adult CHR, Hot AC to compliment the Audacity cluster.
I know Philly doesn't have the hatred problem with Country like New York but you can Fetter a conclusion that it would under index billing for rating to some degree. These are the types who sacrifice accurate business practices based upon that severe hatred and wish for the G word against the stereotyped people who listen to Country. Not New York level but enough that a second country station would not work.
965 could get low ratings and make good money with the mentioned format that caters to the coveted Philly Phetmales as a combo to get a wide range of Dem with B 101.
Greater Media went defunct in October 2016 when it was acquired by Beaseley Broadcast Group.
Greater Media's WPEN, WMGK, WMMR, WBEN-FM joined with Beasley's WTMR, WTEL, WWDB + WXTU.
Simulcast what? (Simulcast would be a 100% broadcast of another station's signal.)
I assume this was supposed to read "have a format similar to other Audacy-branded Alt stations".
Classic Alt sounds like a great format! I’d listen to it.
If they want to skew the music back toward Hot AC/Adult CHR, I'm not sure they even need to re-brand or mess with the staff. If that is the case, I'm not sure I understand why they needed to cashier Nathan. He did a damn good job for them. Perhaps they were paying him more than they wanted to, but that would've been their fault; not his.
YSP billed poorly then, who knows what it would do today. Listeners have so much choice today, so it’s a gamble any way you label it. Maybe they’ll rebrand the station as a new name and alter the music slightly like 98.1. Bring back the Wild 96.5 and face another lawsuit from IHeart. 😂
Oh come on, let’s blow up the station and play, “what will stick on 96.5!”
With the changes that have occurred since those WYSP days, I would think conditions are worse now for such a format than it was then. Like you say, it would be a gamble and I'm not sure who would put money down on that. Maybe Elon Musk. He's pretty good throwing away money to destroy things. lol
let’s keep that man out of radio. I don’t want to pay $12 for a blue checkmark next to a radio station in my car.
That they sold it back to them without such a contingency may be a bit instructive in regard to whether any of the broadcast companies think a second Country station has a chance around here. Perhaps they all know it wouldn't be sustainable. Just a thought.
Say what? Why would anyone try Hot AC or Adult CHR again in this town?
95.7 WMWX did so well that they switched to adult hits and it bills enough that its been adult hits for what. 15 or so years?
Mix 106.1 WISX (after trying Rhythmic AC) moved more in the Hot AC direction. After that failed, 106 tried the Breeze and now we're on a spanish format.
Hot AC was tried earlier with "Star 104.5" WYXR.
Hot Ac was also tried when 96.5 dropped the Rhythmic CHR as "Wired."
I'm not seeing it.
I'm really not seeing it.
I like the Adult CHR/Hot AC format too, but I know I'll never get that from the stations here so put on WSJO or WSTW instead.
In just about every case you mention here (and bringing up Star 104.5 in 2023 deserves after-school detention, BTW 😁), B101 made adjustments to put the kibosh on those attempts. B101 would stay just as soft and old (and unlistenable, but that's just my opinion--LOL) as they currently are and leave the Hot AC lane to their sister. Now that Audacy owns B101, Hot AC on a sister station is just about the only way I can see the format surviving in this market.
This is a bit pedantic. We know the intent from context, and sometimes habits die hard.
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