New Rewind 103.5/104.3

[cbusradiofan]

Looks like the thread about New Rewind 103.5/104.3 got dumped, bumped or somehow misplaced in the land of 0's and 1's. That said, I visited their site and Really hate it...colors are HORRIBLE.

Layout is alright but really most radio station websites are SO BORING all of them, not just the one for Rewind.

Take yourself out of being a radio person for a minute and think about what the end user really wants...

 

[dawg4life]

I also noticed that the other thread seems to come and go so I figure I'll chime in on this one.

I like the concept of Rewind and for the most part they're really not that bad of a radio station. They do a decent job capturing the 80's vibe and I actually dig some of the 70's era disco.

However, they also play too many songs that just simply leave you scratching your head. It's like they're trying to cross over some old AC sounding Snoozy 95 songs into the mix and in all honesty I believe it's making Rewind lose it's some of it's credibility.

If Saga tweaks out the snooze and keeps they're word of an upbeat radio station that sounds like an 80's pop station then they should have winner. If they don't, 103.5 will lose a preset in my car when a better station comes around.

 

[Nu_Roo_2]

On the plus side the snoozier periods generally don't seem to last too long.  Most of the time they're true to their word about being upbeat -- often exceedingly so.

Given the signal issues and lack of promotion (at least that I can tell), I've been surprised at hearing Rewind playing at numerous businesses already.  Again, with a big signal, I think that station would easily be top 5 25-54 in the PPMs, especially since Columbus has no Classic Hits of the WGRR Cincy/WMJI Cleveland type.  By ceding the Columbus "Greatest Hits" franchise to Saga, CC is really blowing the 93.3 (and cluster) optimization opportunity here, big-time, with its eternal dogged  dedication to "me-too" AC.  There are a few differences between them and WSNY (e.g., one 60's mega-oldie each hour), but basically they're pretty similar.  Pity.

Some more Rewind observations:

I heard some, well, "scintillating" production and imaging in the overnights a few days ago, but haven't heard it during the day.  Maybe they were testing to see how it comes across.  I hope they run with it -- it's fun-sounding.

One thing I've noticed about 103.5 is that it actually seems to do better in at least some parts of the downtown vicinity than the other rimshots that aren't on a downtown tower.  But get a few miles North of downtown, and BAM, it fades fast.  OTOH, 104.3 actually seems a lot better than I expected once you get, say, north of Morse Rd.  Does well West of Columbus, too.  And this is all with the stereo (thankfully) back on.

Finally I was surprised to hear that Rewind is going to split off 104.3 for regional high school sports on Friday nights.  Any opinions on whether that's a smart move?

 

[chad43358]

I don't think it would be a bad idea. I mean 104.3 IS licensed to Richwood. They have a small, but usually good football program up there, and Marysville's needed a station to broadcast their games as well since 1270AM stopped years ago. I'm all for a station with a big city rimshot signal taking a few hours to focus on the local scene. Should pull in more locals in the area. A lot of businesses in Marysville run 104.3, mainly just because it's the only thing that will come in clearly all the time.

 

[Nu_Roo_2]

The first game is going to be Dublin (Dublin Coffman?) I forget who the opponent is.

 

[del_griffith]

Given the signal issues and lack of promotion (at least that I can tell), I've been surprised at hearing Rewind playing at numerous businesses already. Again, with a big signal, I think that station would easily be top 5 25-54 in the PPMs, especially since Columbus has no Classic Hits of the WGRR Cincy/WMJI Cleveland type.

Which is funny you mention those two stations, as I've been listening to both of them on my droid phone while traveling in the car. Almost as good as XM/Sirrus.

 

[Nu_Roo_2]

Given the signal issues and lack of promotion (at least that I can tell), I've been surprised at hearing Rewind playing at numerous businesses already. Again, with a big signal, I think that station would easily be top 5 25-54 in the PPMs, especially since Columbus has no Classic Hits of the WGRR Cincy/WMJI Cleveland type.

Which is funny you mention those two stations, as I've been listening to both of them on my droid phone while traveling in the car. Almost as good as XM/Sirrus.

As you listen to MJI and GRR, and also realize how they rack up boxcar PPM numbers, doesn't that drive home how weird it is that CC would continue to relegate big-signal 93.3 to a "me too!" mainstream AC role instead? And as you know, MJI (like plenty of other similarly-formatted ratings-toppers with very saleable demos) is a CC station. I don't know, maybe they are planning to make it WTVN-FM after Christmas. CC/Columbus has made so many sensible moves lately that it's harder than ever to comprehend the continued squandering of 93.3's potential for the cluster.

 

[Nu_Roo_2]

One thing that surprises me about Rewind is that they apparently won't play anything that didn't hit the charts by Dec 31, 1989.  So they will play Tom Petty's Free Fallin' and Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation, since they first charted at the end of 89 -- even though neither became a big hit until 1990.  Meanwhile, Janet Jackson's Escapade -- which would be a natural fit for Rewind -- doesn't get played because it didn't initially chart until March, 1990. 

I could understand this policy if the station's positioner specifically cited decades, but it doesn't.  Clearly they image around the 80's, but they don't use the term 80's much (if at all), and certainly they reach way back into the 70's as well.  So why the arbitrary hard stop on the release date?  Hardly any listeners are going know and care whether Free Fallin' was released in 89 or 90.

So Rewind's arbitrary Dec-89-release cut-off doesn't make sense.  Early-90's music that fits should be a natural resource for this station.  That said, if there MUST be an arbitrary cut-off, 1989 isn't such a bad place for it, since 1990 is when the CHR airwaves were largely taken over by AC pablum like Wilson Phillips, and ballads up the wazoo.  The change did align pretty closely with the change in decade.  But there were still upbeat early-90's hits that would sound good on Rewind.

 

[Nu_Roo_2]

One thing that surprises me about Rewind is that they apparently won't play anything that didn't hit the charts by Dec 31, 1989. So they will play Tom Petty's Free Fallin' and Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation, since they first charted at the end of 89 -- even though neither became a big hit until 1990. Meanwhile, Janet Jackson's Escapade -- which would be a natural fit for Rewind -- doesn't get played because it didn't initially chart until March, 1990.

I could understand this policy if the station's positioner specifically cited decades, but it doesn't. Clearly they image around the 80's, but they don't use the term 80's much (if at all), and certainly they reach way back into the 70's as well. So why the arbitrary hard stop on the release date? Hardly any listeners are going know and care whether Free Fallin' was released in 89 or 90.

So Rewind's arbitrary Dec-89-release cut-off doesn't make sense. Early-90's music that fits should be a natural resource for this station. That said, if there MUST be an arbitrary cut-off, 1989 isn't such a bad place for it, since 1990 is when the CHR airwaves were largely taken over by AC pablum like Wilson Phillips, and ballads up the wazoo. The change did align pretty closely with the change in decade. But there were still upbeat early-90's hits that would sound good on Rewind.

Just recalled that one of their frequent position montages includes Madonna's Vogue, which didn't hit the Top 40 until April, 1990. Not sure I've actually heard it played, though. Also, I seem to recall that I may have heard Roxette's Joyride, a 1991 tune, though I'm not sure; maybe it was on 106.7. Regardless, it's still essentially an "anything that first charted later than Dec 89 doesn't get played" policy for Rewind -- at least for now.

 

[xmusicmatt]

Given the signal issues and lack of promotion (at least that I can tell), I've been surprised at hearing Rewind playing at numerous businesses already.

Ive seen Rewind promoted on a few of the digital billboards around town that promote multiple businesses.

 

[Nu_Roo_2]

I also noticed that the other thread seems to come and go so I figure I'll chime in on this one.

I like the concept of Rewind and for the most part they're really not that bad of a radio station. They do a decent job capturing the 80's vibe and I actually dig some of the 70's era disco.

However, they also play too many songs that just simply leave you scratching your head. It's like they're trying to cross over some old AC sounding Snoozy 95 songs into the mix and in all honesty I believe it's making Rewind lose it's some of it's credibility.

If Saga tweaks out the snooze and keeps they're word of an upbeat radio station that sounds like an 80's pop station then they should have winner. If they don't, 103.5 will lose a preset in my car when a better station comes around.

A week ago I replied that the snoozier periods at least seemed to be fairly limited. Now I'm beginning to wonder. Today I've had Rewind on in the background for at least four hours, and they have been largely stuck in snoozy or "semi-snoozy" mode the whole time. Every time it appears they're breaking out of it, they race back to Snoozeville (or should I say sleepwalk back). Maybe there is a method to this madness, but it sounds like someone is not paying attention to the programming. I can see having songs on the list that are intended to offer an occasional break from an upbeat tempo, but something's amiss when they become the dominant sound for long periods.

Creating an expectation and then repeatedly violating it seems like a recipe for losing the traction you've been building. Hope the dominant sound I've heard thus far today turns out to be an aberration. Pay attention, guys.

 

[Nu_Roo_2]

I also noticed that the other thread seems to come and go so I figure I'll chime in on this one.

I like the concept of Rewind and for the most part they're really not that bad of a radio station. They do a decent job capturing the 80's vibe and I actually dig some of the 70's era disco.

However, they also play too many songs that just simply leave you scratching your head. It's like they're trying to cross over some old AC sounding Snoozy 95 songs into the mix and in all honesty I believe it's making Rewind lose it's some of it's credibility.

If Saga tweaks out the snooze and keeps they're word of an upbeat radio station that sounds like an 80's pop station then they should have winner. If they don't, 103.5 will lose a preset in my car when a better station comes around.

A week ago I replied that the snoozier periods at least seemed to be fairly limited. Now I'm beginning to wonder. Today I've had Rewind on in the background for at least four hours, and they have been largely stuck in snoozy or "semi-snoozy" mode the whole time. Every time it appears they're breaking out of it, they race back to Snoozeville (or should I say sleepwalk back). Maybe there is a method to this madness, but it sounds like someone is not paying attention to the programming. I can see having songs on the list that are intended to offer an occasional break from an upbeat tempo, but something's amiss when they become the dominant sound for long periods.

Creating an expectation and then repeatedly violating it seems like a recipe for losing the traction you've been building. Hope the dominant sound I've heard thus far today turns out to be an aberration. Pay attention, guys.

Even though the music has returned to expectation (for now...) since I posted this, I just heard yet another mention of the "three week commercial-free taste test" that actually ended over a week ago. Given this, it's not surprising that the music can end up off-kilter for hours at a time. Pay attention, guys.

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

Ive seen Rewind promoted on a few of the digital billboards around town that promote multiple businesses.

I dunno who owns those billboards in Central Ohio, but up here, Clear Channel owns them. Heh!

(Of course, CC's outdoor side is more than happy to take money from radio competitors.)

 

[Clinton70]

Rewind can be good if they dump the 70s (mostly a crappy decade lol) add the first couple years of the 90s. Beef up the sound on one or both of the channels.

If not 50s/60s/early70s oldies, I would love to see a dedicated 80s pop station in town.

 

[xmusicmatt]

Ive seen Rewind promoted on a few of the digital billboards around town that promote multiple businesses.

I dunno who owns those billboards in Central Ohio, but up here, Clear Channel owns them. Heh!

(Of course, CC's outdoor side is more than happy to take money from radio competitors.)

That they are. I can't remember it was either ClearChannel Outdoor or CBS. I will look the next time I pass one. I've seen a few around town here in Columbus so they are doing billboard promotion at least.

 

[Nu_Roo_2]

Ive seen Rewind promoted on a few of the digital billboards around town that promote multiple businesses.

I dunno who owns those billboards in Central Ohio, but up here, Clear Channel owns them. Heh!

(Of course, CC's outdoor side is more than happy to take money from radio competitors.)

That they are. I can't remember it was either ClearChannel Outdoor or CBS. I will look the next time I pass one. I've seen a few around town here in Columbus so they are doing billboard promotion at least.

I saw one of their digital boards. Although the digital boards are nice and bright, it shifted to the other advertiser too quickly to really digest the content. So maybe they should either switch to dedicated boards or reduce the amount of copy (if that's what you call it on a billboard...).

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

CC Outdoor does indeed have a bunch of the fancy new digital boards in Columbus:

http://www.clearchanneloutdoor.com/products/digital/don/columbus/index.htm

(There's a map, even!)

But as mentioned, they have no problem making money off of CC's radio competitors. Up here, I've seen digital boards for AAA WAPS/91.3 "The Summit", among others...

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

Heh...

http://www.clearchanneloutdoor.com/assets/downloads/media_kits/2010_cleveland_don.pdf

Big PDF file about Cleveland's CC Outdoor "Digital Network"...example of a radio competitor advertising is on page 3...

 

[Nu_Roo_2]

Rewind can be good if they dump the 70s (mostly a crappy decade lol) add the first couple years of the 90s. Beef up the sound on one or both of the channels.

If not 50s/60s/early70s oldies, I would love to see a dedicated 80s pop station in town.

This is in line with what you said in the car presets thread, namely, "The new 103.5/104.3 had potential but just suck now. I like 80s and disco but not together. I mostly hate 70s music."

I found your comment interesting as I had just been thinking about how the PD of the old Star 107.9, Kevin Fodor (Jason Roberts) has posted here in the past about how one key to doing a successful 80's station in Columbus was sticking to rock or pop-rock, and minimizing rhythm. (Hope I'm paraphrasing accurately...) To the extent that was true, I wonder if the substantial rhythmic content (for both 70's and 80's) could hurt Rewind. Somehow I get the sense that that Rewind is a different kind of animall, in a different time and radio environment, and with a somewhat different target -- and that its basic approach can in fact succeed here today. Of course, the lack of a traditional Classic Hits station is a significant aid for them, although the signal issue could be a fatal handicap.

As for the 90's, that and even the 00's is what most differentiates Chicago's successful Rewind from 103.5/104.3. Musically they sound very similar to Columbus, but with 90's/00's replacing a couple of the 70's tunes most hours. Maybe in Columbus the lack of 90's/00's is partly to stay further off Sunny's turf. Unlike Saga, Bonneville doesn't have a mainstream AC in Chicago, although they do have an extremely successful Hot AC, WTMX. The difference also could be related to the way Chicago's Rewind evolved from previous formats, vs. the debut of a spanking new station here. Maybe it makes sense to to start more focused here, and then tweak with the eras a bit later. However, as I said in a previous post, even right now there's no need for 103.5/104.3 to have a hard and fast stop at Dec 31, 1989 (release date).

 

[dawg4life]

I agree Nu Roo that the potential for rewind was definitely there but now the more that I listen to it, the more I don't like it. 103.5/104.3 is nothing but a glorified AC station with an 80's label on it.

Boo Saga!