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Nine Coverage

Re: Question

> YTZ, What do you think?
>

Chicago is rich on heritage dance, you could feasibly launch a dance classics and a current dance format side by side and clean out a few radio stations clocks clean.

Dance has aged and is segemneted on old and new. The currents station can't risk delving older than a 5 year old track and 10 years old is really pushing it.

No one does anything full steam ahead, always watered down to have an "out" or constantly evolve.

Someone eventually will come out and take risks and shake up the tree. Until then, expect bland vanilla results.

Dang, gut instinct does not follow the research. I am looking forward one day to read that rumored research showing the gains vs risk of WLS-AM flipping to one of the many Variations of Spanish possible.<P ID="signature">______________

"Z"
Music Coordinator/Technical Support</P>
 
> Don't let anyone like David read this. You'll be considered
> someone who knows nothing as shows no evidence of anyone in
> radio. Good post. It's reality, simple and to the point.
> Most in radio would argue it but then tis better to be right
> and not liked than be wrong and surrounded by mindlessness.
>
I don't know if you're referring to me, or David Eduardo. The only thing I did mention in the thread that the person wanted to know, which was if a booster or translator could be placed in the city. With the spacing rules, won't happen on any of the 2nd adjacents. I know Energy did well on the north suburban 92.7 & 92.5 and as Kiss FM, plus on the 103.1 simulcast, it mainly relied on the north suburban 103.1 for ratings and it did well for 80's. Too bad I wasn't in their listening area to really take advantage of the 80's channel. The fact is Newsweb is committed to Nine FM and it's going to be around for a while longer. I know you don't like Nine FM. You and my sister have something in common, but she also doesn't like Jack FM either. She hates the whole variety hits format. She refuses to even listen to her own music collection outside of traditional formats.<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by dave73 on 03/27/06 11:38 AM.</FONT></P>
 
I meant in jest to not let d.e to read that, he'll cite a million bullshit research studies to show reality is in fact fiction.

I was agreeing with your assessment of what HAPPENED in the real world as opposed to David's "Fantasyland".

Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't like a format, I simply judge a format by it's ability to be a successful format and I get bored and tired of supposed gurus and boy wonders ramming bullshit concepts down our throats and then, when they are PROVEN to be dogs, losers and lack the billing power their PREVIOUS format had, they go find some Motley Fool to research something and twist the research to show they're right and reality is wrong. It's sinful and has done more to destroy radio than anything else I can ever remember.

If people like the format that's cool, but there's just not enough people who can handle trainwrecks like Ballroom Blitz into Vogue into Honkytonk Badunkadunk. In my professional opinion it's just bad radio. It's a bad concept that isn't working. Just because the company spewing it out refuses to acknowledge that doesn't make it any less so. Lest we forget most format changes occur at stations that were "researched" in the first place. If the research was so good they wouldn't be tweaking and nose-diving months and years into their "new" format. LOSERS MOVES in the last five years? I can't even begin to remember - let's see. The Zone, Kiss (billing half it's numbers from five years ago), That abomination of radio at 92.7 after energy (I believe that was the Star Of David's finest moment), WCKG, Jack FM, just to name the ones I know of off the top of my head.

When they become billings and ratings winners, profesionally, that's a good move. For the aforementioned above, that has not occured (save WCKG but this year and the next five under this mess will mean zilch for them billing wise). They're lower in billing, lower in ratings and yet their research and boy wonders like the Star Of David continue to inundate us with useless bullshit supposed, twisted, out of context facts to support their position as even the LAYMAN sits there and scratches his/her head wondering why someone needs so many figures to be so wrong.


> > Don't let anyone like David read this. You'll be
> considered
> > someone who knows nothing as shows no evidence of anyone
> in
> > radio. Good post. It's reality, simple and to the point.
> > Most in radio would argue it but then tis better to be
> right
> > and not liked than be wrong and surrounded by
> mindlessness.
> >
> I don't know if you're referring to me, or David Eduardo.
> The only thing I did mention in the thread that the person
> wanted to know, which was if a booster or translator could
> be placed in the city. With the spacing rules, won't happen
> on any of the 2nd adjacents. I know Energy did well on the
> north suburban 92.7 & 92.5 and as Kiss FM, plus on the 103.1
> simulcast, it mainly relied on the north suburban 103.1 for
> ratings and it did well for 80's. Too bad I wasn't in their
> listening area to really take advantage of the 80's channel.
> The fact is Newsweb is committed to Nine FM and it's going
> to be around for a while longer. I know you don't like Nine
> FM. You and my sister have something in common, but she
> also doesn't like Jack FM either. She hates the whole
> variety hits format. She refuses to even listen to her own
> music collection outside of traditional formats.
>
 
> Don't let anyone like David read this.

Why? It was an excellent, well reasond and explained post as to why neither translators nor boosters could be used to enhance the Nine coverage.
 
>
> In MLII's defense, WKIE/DEK had a combofied one-four during
> their peak and RZA had a point nine in the same book in
> question, so to think that a two-three 12+ is not possible
> in this day and age is preposterous given today's
> homogenized conditions.

There is a seeming trend for listeners to put up less and less iwth marginal signals, perhaps in response to the plethora of other options whereby listening to a bad signal can be replaced with a good satelite one or a web feed or an iPod.

RZA got its best numbers as a regional Mexican int he days when WOJO did not serve well that audience. Once a better signal did a good job, they had to change format.

> Quantify sellable ratings in
> Rockford and you could have a 10M+ biller targeting Persons
> 18-34, per se.

This is tough, as it would require separating the simulcast for local spots. A close analogy would be the LA stations that get huge Riverside numbers, but sell not a cent from that since monetizing would require selling an LA station at riverside rates (a more than 10 to 1 price difference).
>
> Secondly, Matt and the rest of the folks at NINE are good
> people with focus. No one built ROME in one day and they
> are trying to do their best without the kind of money that
> makes the big boys tick. It's almost like David and
> Goliath, but in the realm of radio.

The issue here is that stations on that kind of signal can not hope to live on transactional business (based on quantification of ratings) but have to do local selling in the coverage area. If they have enough listeners, they will produce results and can save the cost of Arbitron and carve out business nobody else except suburban newspapers goes after.
>

> David, I wonder how much money we could have billed there if
> we were a commercial station! I'm sure Loyola could have
> used the extra income! This way, they wouldn't have to rely
> on the money they now receive from NPR to stay afloat!

Now we have a subjective programming issue. I don't think dance is as popular as it was then. The Loyola station happened at the right time with the right format. I am afraid, based on what has happened in other markets like Dallas, LA, Miami, denver, etc., that this is not currently a viable format in the way it is envisioned.
 
> Once again, you live by research you die by research. But
> then you've been associated with enough ideas that have
> failed in the Chicago market to know.

Huh? I fail to see one "failure" I have been associated with, going back to my first work with WOJO in 1984.

Research, by the way, is "listening to the listener" and fundamental to finding out what can and will work in programming.
>
> You can only distort reality for so long before you have to
> take your head out of your books and find out what's really
> going on.

How many Chicago listeners did you interview last week? I did several hundred.
>
> But then you charge people for outdated, warped studies that
> create such memorable concepts in Chicago radio who's names
> have already alluded my memory.

I do not "charge people" as you claim. I work in programming and use research to find out what listeners want. 90% of research is interpretation and implementation, and that is what I do.
>
>
>
>
> > >
> > > Musiclover: "The sky is blue"
> > > David: "Research shows the sky is grey"
> > > Musiclover: "The sky is NEVER grey it is blue"
> > > David: "In my xx years of experience I have NEVER seen a
>
> > > blue sky".
> > > Musiclover: "How can you not see what the rest of us
> > > have...a blue sky!"
> > >
> > > Lather, rinse, repeat.
> > >
> > > No offense guys, but it seems like you all argue for the
>
> > > sake of arguing.
> >
> > Isn't that what these boards are for?
> >
> > I do admit that debating Musiclover is so muc like grabing
>
> > low-hanging fruit that it is tempting to challenge him
> every
> > time he messes up his facts.
> >
> > In this instance, an awful lot of research has been done
> to
> > determing how big a signal is needed for listeners to use
> it
> > regularly. Musiclover comes in with a statement based, no
> > doubt, on his n=1 experience and the loverly maps at
> > radio-locator. And in doing so, overestimates the vaible
> > audience of the Newsweb stations by about 60%.
> >
> > Even if you are not hungry, it is tough to pas by an
> > opportunity to shoot fish in a barrel.
> >
> >
> > >
> >
>
 
> I remember having a discussion with someone regarding what
> would happen in this market with the debut of the reggeaton
> VIV/X. In 50/50 hindsight, I was right and he was wrong -
> VERY wrong, since he felt the FCC would NEVER approve the
> move of WVIV-FM. Secondly, how devistating can this move
> be, if the VIV signal penetrates even farther into probably
> the largest concentrated areas of English speaking Hispanics
> in the area.

Kalle targets Spanish dominant Hispanics.
>
> One look at KXOL in LA would tell you what COULD have
> happened here and what very well COULD STILL HAPPEN as a
> result of the relocation of the transmitter to Evanston.

LA is 42% Hispanic. And KXOL has been on a 5 month long downtrend, as it is very English-leasning, even musically. We will see both Kalle and KXOL today in the trends in about 111 minutes, so this is an interesting topic you brought up.

There are about 3 diffrerent implementations of the reggaetón format. KXOL plays a lot of hip hop and even r&b and no Spanish pop. Kalle plays a little hip hop, a bit more pop, and mostly reggaetón, Kasa in Dallas plays more hip hop than reggaeton... so thus the flavors. Add to this taht some stations are mostly English in announcing (KLOL, etc) and others lean Spanish with a bit of Spanglish (Kalle) and you hve significant variations.

> Although currently not at the top of the pile of stations in
> the market, the VIV/X combo is doing VERY well against other
> 18-34 competitors, furthermore, as an ethnic format.

And has nearly double the numbers it had as a Spanish AC/Pop hybrid.
 
> Houston, do we have a problem?
>
> Looks like we are covering lots of Hispanic areas here,
> doesn't it?
>

Almost all listening will be (and is) from an area that is about 20% less than the innermost red curve. There is a reason why the radio-locator maps are labeled "for entertainment only."
 
> >
> > In MLII's defense, WKIE/DEK had a combofied one-four
> during
> > their peak and RZA had a point nine in the same book in
> > question, so to think that a two-three 12+ is not possible
>
> > in this day and age is preposterous given today's
> > homogenized conditions.
>
> There is a seeming trend for listeners to put up less and
> less iwth marginal signals, perhaps in response to the
> plethora of other options whereby listening to a bad signal
> can be replaced with a good satelite one or a web feed or an
> iPod.

I can see that. Is this what the research hypothesizes or is this based on information coming directly from listeners?
>
> RZA got its best numbers as a regional Mexican int he days
> when WOJO did not serve well that audience. Once a better
> signal did a good job, they had to change format.
>
> > Quantify sellable ratings in
> > Rockford and you could have a 10M+ biller targeting
> Persons
> > 18-34, per se.
>
> This is tough, as it would require separating the simulcast
> for local spots. A close analogy would be the LA stations
> that get huge Riverside numbers, but sell not a cent from
> that since monetizing would require selling an LA station at
> riverside rates (a more than 10 to 1 price difference).
> >
> > Secondly, Matt and the rest of the folks at NINE are good
> > people with focus. No one built ROME in one day and they
> > are trying to do their best without the kind of money that
>
> > makes the big boys tick. It's almost like David and
> > Goliath, but in the realm of radio.
>
> The issue here is that stations on that kind of signal can
> not hope to live on transactional business (based on
> quantification of ratings) but have to do local selling in
> the coverage area. If they have enough listeners, they will
> produce results and can save the cost of Arbitron and carve
> out business nobody else except suburban newspapers goes
> after.

It can still make more mone than some of the full signal dogs in Chicago. Wouldn't you agree; even if it only covers 1.2M of the population?

>
>
> > David, I wonder how much money we could have billed there
> if
> > we were a commercial station! I'm sure Loyola could have
> > used the extra income! This way, they wouldn't have to
> rely
> > on the money they now receive from NPR to stay afloat!
>
> Now we have a subjective programming issue. I don't think
> dance is as popular as it was then. The Loyola station
> happened at the right time with the right format. I am
> afraid, based on what has happened in other markets like
> Dallas, LA, Miami, denver, etc., that this is not currently
> a viable format in the way it is envisioned.

You maybe right, but then again, Loyola's Energy Chicago was never programmed like the BCR Energy, or the stations in Dallas, LA, Miami, and Denver, so research in this instance, is null and void.<P ID="signature">______________
Rob Austin
Vice President
JamTraxx Media Inc.
http://www.jamtraxxmedia.com
"Major Market Solutions for Your Radio Station's Needs!"</P>
 
> My statement in regards to your Reggaeton station was based
> on a SMALL signal, not one with the coverage it has NOW. If
> you weren't so busy researching numbers that miss more than
> you do you'd have noted in many of my past posts I
> considered (with it's signal) that La Kalle will clean B96's
> clock, even with their terrible airstaff, it's a great
> station.

The signal improved only marginally with the small move int he transmitter site. The improvements came due to a format change, and the listening is in essentially the very same zip codes as before.

Kalle will not take any more B-96 listeners as the vulnerable, Spanish dominant ones already left. Done. Any growth by Kalle will be due to the expansion in appeal of reggaetón in broader demos as the music matures... if, indeed, it does that.
>
> I know, you do battle every day, you're a research guy, blah
> blah blah.

Actually I am a programmer. I use research, and consider research I have my own staff do to be superior to farmed out research as it is better controlled and more confidential.

> You're not the only guy in radio here. I may not
> talk like some suit but then I'm way past that point in my
> career. Please, I've seen enough of your posts to know when
> I'm reading garbage that doesn't apply in the real world.

Funny, you seem to be unable to post your successes. Mine are public record.

> But I understand, it's your way of justifying why you even
> have a job. If you need research to tell you Chicago could
> use a Reggaeton station then you're an IDIOT, especially
> knowing how much of a crutch Hispanics were for B96. If you
> needed research to tell you that 18 minutes of commercials
> an hour would cause people to get so pissed off that they'd
> rather PAY to listen to a different for of radio then you're
> an IDIOT. There's no other "professional" way to put it.

In a case like this, research is needed to know what reggaetón songs can be played in Chicago, in what mix. Chicago is not NY or Puerto Rico, driven by Puerto Ricans. It is driven by Mexicans and the "flava" is different.
>
> Take your 70dbu contour and go wipe with it, you're another
> person who's been lost in his desk too long. Reality is
> this, when you add up the towns and the city coverage that
> the NINE signals cover it's three million. Go research that,
> find it so and then figure out a way to show it's not,
> that's what you're best at.
>
>
> > > > Boy, even in replying to me you can't help yourself.
> > Just
> > >
> > > > had to get that dig in.
> > > >
> > > > Oh well, I'm not going to enable you, or engage you in
>
> > the
> > >
> > > > exact activity that I was trying to joke about.
> > >
> > > The problem with them is that they're both in the
> industry
> >
> > > and both have differing philosophies.
> >
> > Up to now, I have seen no evidence that Musiclover is
> > actually in the industry. In truth, he has so many of the
> > basics wrong, that would be hard to believe.
> >
>
 
Re: Question

> I would like to see a response from MLII and David on this
> fo shure:
>
> What happens if a station(s) enters the market playing what
> many have voiced we are lacking in the market: Dance/CHR.

As I said in a dfferent post, I think the interest in dance is lower now than 5 to 10 years ago. All the evidence, including the decline in ratings of many of the European dance stations and the total failure of them in Latin America indicates that there is a club scene but not a radio one.

Of course, the catch 22 is that none of themore recent music has been explosed, so we do not know its potential. One of the toughest challenges is putting ona staiton that plays basically music nobody has ever heard before.
>
> In terms of total market composition, demographics, and
> their respective ratings, where would Chicago radio be and
> how would such a station impact terrestrial FM/HD-1
> stations.

This is just "shooting off the mouth" but my guess is that a full signal would get about a 1.6 share. Considering Miami's dance station settled into the mid-2's in a very dance friendly market with different ethnicity percentages, my guesstimate seems reasonable.
>
 
> You distort the facts, at times you misplace the facts to
> justify your superiority complex. Your facts differ from
> many of ours who laugh at many of posts. While interesting,
> they don't always apply to REALITY.

The problem I have with you is that you do not cite any facts that disprove mine. In this thread, you gave a totally exaggerated population coverage for Nine, which both violates the laws of physics and the FACT that nearly all listening to FM is inside the 70 dbu coverage contour, and most of the rest is inside the 64 dbu contour.
 
Re: Question

> > I would like to see a response from MLII and David on this
>
> > fo shure:
> >
> > What happens if a station(s) enters the market playing
> what
> > many have voiced we are lacking in the market: Dance/CHR.
>
>
> As I said in a dfferent post, I think the interest in dance
> is lower now than 5 to 10 years ago. All the evidence,
> including the decline in ratings of many of the European
> dance stations and the total failure of them in Latin
> America indicates that there is a club scene but not a radio
> one.

I will agree with you on the European front, because I have been there to witness that myself and can attest from experience. HIP HOP IS KING THERE. AMERICAN AND LOCAL LANGUAGE HIP HOP.

>
> Of course, the catch 22 is that none of themore recent music
> has been explosed, so we do not know its potential. One of
> the toughest challenges is putting ona staiton that plays
> basically music nobody has ever heard before.

AGREED. It's safe no one will know unless the music is exposed and catering to the audience that wants to listen to it. That means, craving out a wide enough radio front to have people from the Mix, Q101, B96, Kiss, Power, and WGCI tuning in. After all, all those stations are playing some sort of dance music, aren't they?

> >
> > In terms of total market composition, demographics, and
> > their respective ratings, where would Chicago radio be and
>
> > how would such a station impact terrestrial FM/HD-1
> > stations.
>
> This is just "shooting off the mouth" but my guess is that a
> full signal would get about a 1.6 share. Considering Miami's
> dance station settled into the mid-2's in a very dance
> friendly market with different ethnicity percentages, my
> guesstimate seems reasonable.

Still not bad at the end of the day, is it. I still think a mid 2 share is possible on the right station(s).<P ID="signature">______________
Rob Austin
Vice President
JamTraxx Media Inc.
http://www.jamtraxxmedia.com
"Major Market Solutions for Your Radio Station's Needs!"</P>
 
> Anyone have an ETA on when WVIV will be moving to Evanston?
>

Nope. Nothing precise. Even with a CP, there are a lot of permits and issues involved in building a station today that have nothing to do with the FCC.
 
> > I remember having a discussion with someone regarding what
>
> > would happen in this market with the debut of the
> reggeaton
> > VIV/X. In 50/50 hindsight, I was right and he was wrong -
>
> > VERY wrong, since he felt the FCC would NEVER approve the
> > move of WVIV-FM. Secondly, how devistating can this move
> > be, if the VIV signal penetrates even farther into
> probably
> > the largest concentrated areas of English speaking
> Hispanics
> > in the area.
>
> Kalle targets Spanish dominant Hispanics.
> >
> > One look at KXOL in LA would tell you what COULD have
> > happened here and what very well COULD STILL HAPPEN as a
> > result of the relocation of the transmitter to Evanston.
>
> LA is 42% Hispanic. And KXOL has been on a 5 month long
> downtrend, as it is very English-leasning, even musically.
> We will see both Kalle and KXOL today in the trends in about
> 111 minutes, so this is an interesting topic you brought up.
>
>
> There are about 3 diffrerent implementations of the
> reggaetón format. KXOL plays a lot of hip hop and even r&b
> and no Spanish pop. Kalle plays a little hip hop, a bit more
> pop, and mostly reggaetón, Kasa in Dallas plays more hip hop
> than reggaeton... so thus the flavors. Add to this taht some
> stations are mostly English in announcing (KLOL, etc) and
> others lean Spanish with a bit of Spanglish (Kalle) and you
> hve significant variations.
>
> > Although currently not at the top of the pile of stations
> in
> > the market, the VIV/X combo is doing VERY well against
> other
> > 18-34 competitors, furthermore, as an ethnic format.
>
> And has nearly double the numbers it had as a Spanish AC/Pop
> hybrid.

You're right. I can't wait to see it either!<P ID="signature">______________
Rob Austin
Vice President
JamTraxx Media Inc.
http://www.jamtraxxmedia.com
"Major Market Solutions for Your Radio Station's Needs!"</P>
 
> > Houston, do we have a problem?
> >
> > Looks like we are covering lots of Hispanic areas here,
> > doesn't it?
> >
>
> Almost all listening will be (and is) from an area that is
> about 20% less than the innermost red curve. There is a
> reason why the radio-locator maps are labeled "for
> entertainment only."

That's fine, but I think it will have a dramatic impact on the market once they move.
<P ID="signature">______________
Rob Austin
Vice President
JamTraxx Media Inc.
http://www.jamtraxxmedia.com
"Major Market Solutions for Your Radio Station's Needs!"</P>
 
> > > You do realize ML2 is not just some "joe shmoe" and is
> > > actually in the radio industry, right?
>
> Yes, many have speculated that fact.

And some have doubted. :)
>
> Enron anyone? LOL! Cook the books! Seriously, I heard 6M
> as the final number for all five stations as of their last
> fiscal year.

At least one of us saw the "books" on the BCR stations and did due diligence on them. At least one of us was involved in actually buying several of them, starting with the first spin-off in Phoenix.
>
> > Second, the surrealism of the assertion that WVIV & WVIX
> > would have to reach out and get non-Hispanic cume to make
> > reggaetón a success as a format was about as ingenuous as
> > anything I have read, particularly since that simulcast is
> > in Spanish!
>
> Just wait and see what happens when they move their Highland
> Park transmitter to Evanston! =)

What in the world would they do other than continuing to do what they do now? The station is more Spanish driven than at the offset, in fact.

I can pretty safely say I do not forsee any modification of the current format based on gaining a few square miles of a good signal in the Loop (there is a power reduction, you know).

> Don't hate MLII's ambitious nature for quality radio
> programming and products.

Unfortunately, I do not see a quest for quality. I see a blind grasp for dance. When a programmer lets personal taste run amok, the listeners do not benefit.

> He's a passionate "programmer,"

I only detect one point throughout his posts, and that is his interest in dance.

> from the sounds of his posts, and is welcome to express his
> first amendment right to free speech.

That right does not apply here. This is a private board,a nd if he, or I, get out of the bounds the moderators and owners have set, we will get chastised or have our posts deleted. Freedom of Speech only applies to the limitations on the government, not the rights of private property owners.

> It's one's ambitions
> that will drive you either to success or insanity. =) The
> message boards reflect such an equilibrium.
>
And, we end in agreement! Good point.
 
> > There is a seeming trend for listeners to put up less and
> > less iwth marginal signals, perhaps in response to the
> > plethora of other options whereby listening to a bad
> signal
> > can be replaced with a good satelite one or a web feed or
> an
> > iPod.
>
> I can see that. Is this what the research hypothesizes or
> is this based on information coming directly from listeners?

It's based on analysis of the coverage contours of stations vs. diary returns (including at-work zips) for home and work (not car) listening by Arbitron and by individual market analysis.

The big, big, caveat is that when you analyze this you are looking at a tool, the diary, that measures listening. So if a station has sucky programming, it will not do well in OR out of its 70 dbu. Or if a station is ethnic, the contours are less important than ethnic distribution. So this is a real double edged blade.

Still, there appears to be pretty significant evidence that folks just will not put up with bad signals now that they have alternatives. It used to be the belief that a niche format would overcome signal defects, but I believe this is a rapidly diminishing tenet.

What is well-proven is that nearly all listening (around 85%) is in the 70 dbu, and most of the rest in the 64. Of course, most of the population is there, too, for the big signals. But, when indexed against population density, the numbers don't change much.
>
> It can still make more mone than some of the full signal
> dogs in Chicago. Wouldn't you agree; even if it only covers
> 1.2M of the population?

It could, and there are cases. KRCD/KRCV in LA cover about 50% of the Hispanic population, yet the station is #5 25-54 in the total market in January (#3 Spanish, right after its sister stations) and it beats numberous full Mt. Wilson B's.

Obviously, it is about content. Good signal, bad content is no better than having no signal. As obvious as it sounds, that gets missed sometimes.
>
> You maybe right, but then again, Loyola's Energy Chicago was
> never programmed like the BCR Energy, or the stations in
> Dallas, LA, Miami, and Denver, so research in this instance,
> is null and void.
>

Haha. I have to laugh (a defense mechanism as I do not want to fight about dance). Every time a dance station fails, as all but WKTU have done in the Western Hemisphere, the "DanceDefenders (tm)" all say that it is not the format, but the execution and mix. It would take some extensive perceptual and music research to find a "sweet spot" that satisfies purists and the rest of the potential base to determine the truth of this... and I suspect you would find that the end product would look like... WKTU!
 
I don't look at suburban signals as losers in the city proper's metro, rather, I believe it's an untapped potential to deliver a successfully proven format on the most frugal of means to show how proper spent finances can take you from zero to hero.

In the real world, MLII should have said, Program Directors are like Mutual Fund Managers: The minute you start bleeding cash (AQH, TSL, TEENS, etc.), it is time for change and fresh blood; new blood. Then again, that could be said of any business. <P ID="signature">______________
Rob Austin
Vice President
JamTraxx Media Inc.
http://www.jamtraxxmedia.com
"Major Market Solutions for Your Radio Station's Needs!"</P>
 
> Another perfect example of great programming is WLUW-FM,
> Chicago's ORIGINAL Energy, which back in the 90s was CUMING
> 100,000+ on a single 100 watt tower situated on top of 11
> story campus residence hall in Roger's Park. It was a
> perfect hybrid Rhythmic CHR playing Dance Hits, Original Top
> 40 releases with an occasional remix if it was hot, and yes,
> hip hop! Program Directors that established the format that
> lead to its vast popularity amongst the 18-34 demographic
> include Jeff Andrews, Rob Creighton, and Jammin' Down JD.
> David, I wonder how much money we could have billed there if
> we were a commercial station! I'm sure Loyola could have
> used the extra income! This way, they wouldn't have to rely
> on the money they now receive from NPR to stay afloat!

IIRC, the reason Loyola gradually killed Energy on WLUW was that the administration made a complete 180 from the decision in the early 80s to make the station a professional lab that made Energy possible (and its CHR predecessors MetroSound and HitLine) and said that the station had to become a "community resource." When that decision was made, Energy lost hours on the weekdays and particularly on Saturdays and eventually disappeared.

I realize that there were a lot of other matters involved, but it is fair to point out that WLUW is doing OK these days--they've shown up in the last few Radio Research Consortium breakouts of non-com stations from Arbitron. Even if they're not getting the cume of Energy's days, their indie rock and lefty political shows have gotten them a loyal audience and the LMA to WBEZ (not NPR) has given them some business stability and more sophisticated fund-raising. Their name's on a helluva lot of indie rock shows and they've got their audience. It may not be "ready for commercial radio," but they are doing OK.
 
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