News on 92.9 soon?

[wpb1999]

I feel like [Dave's] ratings were highest when they leaned Hot AC - they need to win back the listeners they've lost to Star, and they're not gonna do that by playing The Beatles, The Cars, David Bowie, etc.

And trying to resurrect 99X isn't the way to go, either. Trying to recapture a format that died a slow and painful death isn't the way to higher ratings and increased billings.

The problem is there is NO WAY TO GO with DaveFM.

 

[atlantaboy]

I feel like [Dave's] ratings were highest when they leaned Hot AC - they need to win back the listeners they've lost to Star, and they're not gonna do that by playing The Beatles, The Cars, David Bowie, etc.

And trying to resurrect 99X isn't the way to go, either. Trying to recapture a format that died a slow and painful death isn't the way to higher ratings and increased billings.

The problem is there is NO WAY TO GO with DaveFM.

The most successful AAAs in the country, though, are Hot AC/AAA hybrids (Minneapolis and Denver I think) - go back a year or so to when Dave was playing Train, John Mayer, Matchbox 20, etc. - I swear they were nearing a 4.0 share at one point

The problem is, IMO, when Star started to jump in ratings, Dave backed away from it, instead of going after it head-on - IMO the programmers at Dave basically backed themselves into a corner

 

[TheMusicMan]

They have good jocks but they don't let them talk

Are we listening to the same station? Every time a Dave FM music sweep is interrupted by a droning, minute-long background explication of the song that's up next, I can't sit through more than a few seconds before hitting the button. And I'm way more invested in a given station's jocks than 99.9% of listeners. There's no way that's flies with PPM.

The people who cited Dave's endless tweaking and move away from a more current mainstream playlist as its downfalls were right on target, in my opinion. I love the station, but I honestly think it's a hopeless case at this juncture.

 

[atlmike]

I used to like the old Dave too... they really messed up the station and I don't see it getting better.

Since WiLD can't capture a larger audience due to a crappy signal and stubborn Clear Channel management here in Atlanta... why doesn't CBS turn 92.9 back into Z93?? Or 92.9 NOW... Atlanta needs a real CHR station!

 

[MRFLASHPORT]

I agree, I think Dave has run it's course. I remember in 2004 when Dave was born, "Rock without Rules" was the moniker. It certainly tore from the older demos who were hanging on to 99X.

A real CHR would be great, but if you're hoping for the Z-93 of the 70's and 80's we all loved and grew up listening to (this was the first FM station I started listening to when I was 4 and could figure out how to change the station on my parent's Pioneer SX-1250 from Peach FM 95), that isn't going to happen in today's corporate market.

 

[atlmike]

I agree, I think Dave has run it's course. I remember in 2004 when Dave was born, "Rock without Rules" was the moniker. It certainly tore from the older demos who were hanging on to 99X.

A real CHR would be great, but if you're hoping for the Z-93 of the 70's and 80's we all loved and grew up listening to (this was the first FM station I started listening to when I was 4 and could figure out how to change the station on my parent's Pioneer SX-1250 from Peach FM 95), that isn't going to happen in today's corporate market.

I meant just use the same name, but obviously play top 40/CHR. I like the "Z93" name... or 92.9 NOW (like 92.3 NOW in NYC... which actually used to be KROCK)... so it's not like CBS has never flipped a rock station to CHR.

 

[jabba17]

I agree, I think Dave has run it's course. I remember in 2004 when Dave was born, "Rock without Rules" was the moniker. It certainly tore from the older demos who were hanging on to 99X.

A real CHR would be great, but if you're hoping for the Z-93 of the 70's and 80's we all loved and grew up listening to (this was the first FM station I started listening to when I was 4 and could figure out how to change the station on my parent's Pioneer SX-1250 from Peach FM 95), that isn't going to happen in today's corporate market.

I meant just use the same name, but obviously play top 40/CHR. I like the "Z93" name... or 92.9 NOW (like 92.3 NOW in NYC... which actually used to be KROCK)... so it's not like CBS has never flipped a rock station to CHR.

Z92.9?

 

[trusty]

The problem is there is NO WAY TO GO with DaveFM.

Currently, the ATL metro full-power FM dial is loaded with:

7 Religious/Contemporary Christian stations,
5 Country/Classic Country stations,
3 Hot Adult Contemporary/Modern AC (Top 40) stations,
3 Urban/Urban AC/R&B Oldies stations,
2 CHR/Rhythmic/Hip-Hop stations,
2 College Radio stations,
2 Hispanic Programming stations,
2 Public Radio/Non-Commercial stations,
2 Rock/Classic Rock stations,
2 60'/70'/80's Classic Hits stations,
1 AAA/Americana station,
1 Adult Contemporary station,
1 News/Talk station,
1 Smooth Jazz (Jazz) station,
1 '50s/'60s Oldies station,
1 '80s/'90s Variety Hits station and
1 Rhythmic Oldies station.

We have no Dance, Hot Talk, Rhythmic AC, Soft AC/EZ Listening/Adult Standards, Sports or Classical stations.

(source for stations: Radio-locator) (source for formats: Radio-info)

So, you can stay in the format box, or think outside the box. What do you have to lose?

Start with being "Z93/CBS", a full-service station (traffic, local news, traffic, info, some good music, CBS news, traffic, sports, weather, traffic, etc.) with a lot of energy. Make it a foundation to build a really good news dept. and let the news evolve as the station matures. Don't worry about WSB; just focus on being the best you can be. It won't take long for people to get used to it - and like it.

Remember, this is FM. 92.9 is an Atlanta station; 95.5 is a Doraville station.

 

[atlantaboy]

Currently, the ATL metro full-power FM dial is loaded with:
3 Hot Adult Contemporary/Modern AC (Top 40) stations

What are you grouping here with Star and Q100?

BTW ATL definitely doesn't have a Modern AC - I'd say that's a format hole right there, especially since Star plays so much back-to-back pop

Modern AC is currently in Minneapolis, Seattle, and San Diego - ratings aren't huge, but it's a better bet than Easy Listening, Classical, or Dance

 

[atlantaboy]

Just looked up KTCZ, the AAA in Minneapolis that's pulling a 4.2 share - it's a AAA/Hot AC hybrid that "fills in the gap" that their Hot AC left when it went extremely "pop", just like Star 94 has - and like Star, KSTP, the Hot AC in Minneapolis, is pulling huge ratings

IMO it's an identical situation in ATL - clearly the best choice for Dave at this point - add in Christina Perri, Train, Jason Mraz, Gavin DeGraw, etc. and pull in all the Star listeners that don't want to hear Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, GaGa, etc.

 

[jabba17]

7 Religious/Contemporary Christian stations,
1 '50s/'60s Oldies station,
We have no Dance, Hot Talk, Rhythmic AC, Soft AC/EZ Listening/Adult Standards, Sports or Classical stations.

Seven religious stations? Besides Praise, WWEV, WVFJ, and Fish, who else is there? WCON? Three of those stations (WWEV, WVFJ, WCON) don't even cover the market.
Who's playing 50s/60s on FM? Not AGH...
We could use FM sports, another FM talker, a commercial classical (but it ain't gonna happen--not since WGKA-FM flipped to Z-93 in the early 70s), a BM/EZ (which is about dead as a format) or at least a soft AC, and a 50s/60s station (that format died out the way nostalgia did in the 80s).

 

[AMFMRadFan]

Seven religious stations? Besides Praise, WWEV, WVFJ, and Fish, who else is there? WCON? Three of those stations (WWEV, WVFJ, WCON) don't even cover the market.
Who's playing 50s/60s on FM? Not AGH...
We could use FM sports, another FM talker, a commercial classical (but it ain't gonna happen--not since WGKA-FM flipped to Z-93 in the early 70s), a BM/EZ (which is about dead as a format) or at least a soft AC, and a 50s/60s station (that format died out the way nostalgia did in the 80s).

jabba17, I think what trusty meant by the other 3 out of the 7 Religious/Contemporary Christian stations were WAEC, WNIV/WLTA, & WIGO (all on AM, of course). I don't even know why those count. WAEC & WNIV/WLTA are considered Christian Talk. Praise (WPZE) & WIGO (1570 The Light), they're both considered Black Urban Gospel. You're right about WWEV & WVFJ not covering the entire market. WAEC, WNIV/WLTA, & WIGO are all the same way. Yet, those 5 stations are all counted as part of the market. No, WCON does not count. They play mostly Country music in their rotation, but they do mix Southern Gospel in their rotation occasionally. WLJA in Elijay is the same way, but they go the extra mile to mix Bluegrass in their rotation.
Now, back to the subject of this thread. I don't know if 92.9 DAVE FM will flip to All-News anytime soon. I do think they should flip. News/Talk WSB-AM/WSBB-FM made a bad call last night by not airing the CNN Arizona GOP Primary Debate. They instead aired the Georgia vs. LSU Men's Basketball game. I'm thankful I was able to tune in to the debate at CNN.com. It would have been bad if I wasn't able to tune in online and had to sit through the game in it's full entirety. We had severe weather in the forecast. My heart does go out those who live up near Rome. I don't know if any of the TV stations were covering what eventually became an EF-1 tornado. More information is at http://www.wsbtv.com/. Right now, as I'm typing this up, it's still the top story for Channel 2. They sent Ross Cavitt out to cover the aftermath. Yes, the folks in Rome do have WRGA as their News/Talk station, but they don't have local anchors doing top & bottom of the hour newscasts 24/7 (just during the morning, midday, & afternoon hours during the week; I don't know about weekends, they could be done similar to that of WGST). After the debate was over, I was disappointed to find that News/Talk WSB-AM/WSBB-FM was not covering the severe weather. After the game was over, no one mentioned whether or not anybody was under any alerts. Yet, Floyd County, as well as some of the Northeast Georgia counties got issued severe thunderstorm warnings. Of course, there's severe weather in the forecast again tonight Thurs. 2/23/2012 going into early tomorrow morning Fri. 2/24/2012. The good news is there aren't any games tonight. So News/Talk WSB-AM/WSBB-FM has an opportunity to make a comeback, which they most likely will make a comeback. If either something goes weird with the weather during next year's college football & men's basketball seasons later this fall such as severe weather, or if News/Talk WSB-AM/WSBB-FM covers a Georgia game instead of a debate or a Presidential primary or caucus (If News/Talk WSB-AM/WSBB-FM fails to cover severe weather, debates, and/or election results), that would be the time for CBS Radio to flip 92.9 DAVE FM to All-News. They could call it News 92 Atlanta or News 93 (either one would work). Of course, they would not be able to cover CNN and FOX News debates, but they would still be able to cover CBS debates. As for the severe weather, WZGC would need a full-time meteorologist who is just as good as Kirk Mellish is. Now, if News/Talk WSB-AM/WSBB-FM wants to continue to be as good as they have been for the past 90 years, my advice to both program director Pete Spriggs and assistant program director Condace Pressley would be for them to move Georgia Bulldogs football & men's basketball coverage to 97.1 The River WSRV-FM. Then News/Talk WSB-AM/WSBB-FM would be able to keep their commitments to coverage of severe weather, election debates, and election results. I am a Georgia Bulldogs sports fan, but I prefer the coverage be on a station where it's not conflicting with severe weather and election stuff. Technology is not as far advanced as we wish it would be. Regular AM/FM radios don't have the capability to pick up Internet radio, and not every car has Internet radio yet. Some Fords & Toyotas now have the capability from what I've heard, but the technology hasn't yet gone to other makes & model cars. Another thing to add, not everyone has an Internet-enabled smart phone. Whether anyone agrees or disagrees, you're welcome to post below. I apologize for this post being so lengthy. Carry on.

 

[trusty]

What are you grouping here with Star and Q100?

BTW ATL definitely doesn't have a Modern AC - I'd say that's a format hole right there, especially since Star plays so much back-to-back pop

OK, go to Radio-Locator, set it on "atlanta", scroll down and choose "FM Only", only check "Licensed Stations" and "Construction Permits" and leave it on "Any Format. Then choose "Include Fringe Stations" and click "Locate".

The "Fringe" setting will give you about 4 more religious stations than the normal setting (mostly in the low educational part of the dial), but I chose Fringe because of the various discussion here about outlying stations (like what used to be Sunny 100 in Talking Rock and 102.9 in Gainesville (Clarkesville) - both which are now covered by translators in Atlanta). I knew the number of country stations would increase with the Fringe setting, but I didn't expect that large of an increase in religious stations. And, no, I did not include AM - that would have defeated the purpose of the study.

I left off the low power FM's because right now they seem to be in the experimental stage with format changes, so we didn't have 99x or Journey or WGST-FM or sports. ALso, the topic is about a full-power station anyway, so I didn't want to muddy the waters.

Now, the Modern AC format thing: Even though Radio-Locator listed 3 stations as "Top 40", I couldn't find Top 40 as a format on Radio-Info. So, I put it (apparently mistakenly) under Modern AC when maybe it should have been put under "CHR/Mainstream Pop" or just left as a format on its own (like rhythmic oldies or classical). Please tell me where it should be put, and we can change that part - no problem.

But, it does illustrate how such specialization can get confusing. With the formats being so "fractionalized", people have no tolerance for a format that just might be inclusive of at least one or two slightly different types of music. It destroys the appreciation for some other types which results in very fickle listeners, But, I digress... :

Hope that clears up any questions. So, we see what Atlanta metro has on its full-power FM dial to help see what formats are missing. With this information, where is the best opportunity for Dave?

 

[trusty]

Who's playing 50s/60s on FM? Not AGH...
We could use FM sports...

After I posted the list, I reviewed it and said the same thing, "AGH isn't oldies". Found that Radio-Locator is current with having WNGA/105.1 CoL as Clermont instead of Helen, but a little out-of-date as having it listed as "oldies". That station, before it went dark, seemed to be a member of the-format-of-the-week club.

Also, "Oldies" in Radio-Info is listed as "'50s/'60s Oldies" - just trying to be consistent...

And Radio-Locator shows WCNN on a 93.7 translator in Atlanta.

 

[jabba17]

The 102.9 translator in ATL is rebroadcasting one of the Radio One stations, not repeating 102.9 WDUN-FM.

 

[wooder]

What are you grouping here with Star and Q100?

jabba17, I think what trusty meant by the other 3 out of the 7 Religious/Contemporary Christian stations were WAEC, WNIV/WLTA, & WIGO (all on AM, of course). I don't even know why those count. WAEC & WNIV/WLTA are considered Christian Talk. Praise (WPZE) & WIGO (1570 The Light), they're both considered Black Urban Gospel. You're right about WWEV & WVFJ not covering the entire market. WAEC, WNIV/WLTA, & WIGO are all the same way. Yet, those 5 stations are all counted as part of the market. No, WCON does not count. They play mostly Country music in their rotation, but they do mix Southern Gospel in their rotation occasionally. WLJA in Elijay is the same way, but they go the extra mile to mix Bluegrass in their rotation.
Now, back to the subject of this thread. I don't know if 92.9 DAVE FM will flip to All-News anytime soon. I do think they should flip. News/Talk WSB-AM/WSBB-FM made a bad call last night by not airing the CNN Arizona GOP Primary Debate. They instead aired the Georgia vs. LSU Men's Basketball game. I'm thankful I was able to tune in to the debate at CNN.com. It would have been bad if I wasn't able to tune in online and had to sit through the game in it's full entirety. We had severe weather in the forecast. My heart does go out those who live up near Rome. I don't know if any of the TV stations were covering what eventually became an EF-1 tornado. More information is at http://www.wsbtv.com/. Right now, as I'm typing this up, it's still the top story for Channel 2. They sent Ross Cavitt out to cover the aftermath. Yes, the folks in Rome do have WRGA as their News/Talk station, but they don't have local anchors doing top & bottom of the hour newscasts 24/7 (just during the morning, midday, & afternoon hours during the week; I don't know about weekends, they could be done similar to that of WGST). After the debate was over, I was disappointed to find that News/Talk WSB-AM/WSBB-FM was not covering the severe weather. After the game was over, no one mentioned whether or not anybody was under any alerts. Yet, Floyd County, as well as some of the Northeast Georgia counties got issued severe thunderstorm warnings. Of course, there's severe weather in the forecast again tonight Thurs. 2/23/2012 going into early tomorrow morning Fri. 2/24/2012. The good news is there aren't any games tonight. So News/Talk WSB-AM/WSBB-FM has an opportunity to make a comeback, which they most likely will make a comeback. If either something goes weird with the weather during next year's college football & men's basketball seasons later this fall such as severe weather, or if News/Talk WSB-AM/WSBB-FM covers a Georgia game instead of a debate or a Presidential primary or caucus (If News/Talk WSB-AM/WSBB-FM fails to cover severe weather, debates, and/or election results), that would be the time for CBS Radio to flip 92.9 DAVE FM to All-News. They could call it News 92 Atlanta or News 93 (either one would work). Of course, they would not be able to cover CNN and FOX News debates, but they would still be able to cover CBS debates. As for the severe weather, WZGC would need a full-time meteorologist who is just as good as Kirk Mellish is. Now, if News/Talk WSB-AM/WSBB-FM wants to continue to be as good as they have been for the past 90 years, my advice to both program director Pete Spriggs and assistant program director Condace Pressley would be for them to move Georgia Bulldogs football & men's basketball coverage to 97.1 The River WSRV-FM. Then News/Talk WSB-AM/WSBB-FM would be able to keep their commitments to coverage of severe weather, election debates, and election results. I am a Georgia Bulldogs sports fan, but I prefer the coverage be on a station where it's not conflicting with severe weather and election stuff. Technology is not as far advanced as we wish it would be. Regular AM/FM radios don't have the capability to pick up Internet radio, and not every car has Internet radio yet. Some Fords & Toyotas now have the capability from what I've heard, but the technology hasn't yet gone to other makes & model cars. Another thing to add, not everyone has an Internet-enabled smart phone. Whether anyone agrees or disagrees, you're welcome to post below. I apologize for this post being so lengthy. Carry on.

Way to keep it brief and digestible.

 

[trusty]

Way to keep it brief and digestible.

Take out "News/Talk WSB-AM/WSBB-FM" and you'd cut the paragraph in half. ;D

 

[RR Piper]

I listened this morning and noticed a significant change in the music...no sleepy 70s rock. It sounded really good. On another note, how many times can Steve say his name in a 20 sec spot? I know, a snarky comment but it's beyond ridiculous. Big ego anyone?

 

[atlantaboy]

I listened this morning and noticed a significant change in the music...no sleepy 70s rock.

Ehhh...just checked yes.com, and they're still playing constant David Bowie, Dire Straits, The Police, The Cars - seems like at least one song by each of those artists every 2 hours :-\

 

[wpb1999]

Sorry to bring this thread back, but because of CNN Radio's layoffs, ALL NEWS 92.9 might actually have a chance. All of those people were based in Atlanta, CBS could hire them. A full list from Rodney Ho: http://blogs.ajc.com/radio-tv-talk/2012/03/02/cnn-radio-network-shrinks-operation-in-atlanta/