No Sale Looming, ESPN 98.7 expected to pivot to Music

[Ryan Williams]

I'd like to make a point here that I hope will make the Alternative format cheerleaders (and their excessive use of exclamation points) go away.

As is well known, the last station in the market in the format was WNYL (Alt 92.3), which Audacy flipped to a simulcast of WINS almost two years ago. It would show a complete lack of understanding how this business works to believe that the ad revenue on 92.3 was sufficient to prevent a simulcast of the all-News format from happening.

That is what this is about: Ad revenue. Alt 92.3 didn't have it and Audacy believed they would do better with the simulcast. It was a business decision and none of your emotional attachments to the previous format matter. At all.

Before WNYL, the last time the format had any longevity in the market was the Active Rock/Alternative hybrid on the then-WXRK, which in my opinion was not a real attempt at the format. I suppose you could add in WNEW's Active Rock period, which lasted less than two years; at least Alt 92.3 made it to five.

The point is: Alternative has been tried -- more than once -- in modern NYC radio history. Station owners do not pull the plug on a format that is successful, defined by ad revenue. Therefore, all of the times Alternative has been done, it has failed in the long run.

And -- to revisit an earlier post of mine, pages ago -- look at what happened when 103.1 in Los Angeles dropped Alternative. For several years afterwards, people kept hoping beyond reason that the format would return. It has been over 15 years and that hasn't happened. Nor is it likely to, because once a format has been tried and failed multiple times in a market, no other station owner is ever going to try it again.

Listen to Lance and stop trying to prove that you know better than he does. He has a lot more knowledge about this, because he follows the industry as a journalist. In a match of credentials, I know very few people who can stand at his level.

The argument is over. All you will accomplish by continuing your cheerleading (and that's all it is, because not one of you has provided any factual basis for an argument that would sway a station owner) is this thread being closed. You've already diminished your credibility; don't go for the ignominious honor of "thread-killer".

That’s a good argument, but I’m afraid your post is way longer than the cheerleaders will read.

 

[NYRadioFan22]

Not to “well actually” but Z100’s time as a de facto Alt would have been the best ratings the format has ever had in NYC. Especially in 1994 and 1995, Z100 was basically an alt-rock station that happened to play some Eurodance, Bon Jovi, and Madonna. They had several books in the 3-4 range in those years, regularly finishing in the #4-7 range, and were #1 with teens multiple times, with a playlist that was 80% alt-rock.

Even the 80’s golds Z100 played in those days tended to reflect what Alts were playing inbetween new songs and not Z100’s past hits from that decade.

I know it was never an official flip and R&R at least kept Z100 on their CHR panel because so much alt-rock was crossing over, but if you look at what they were playing at the time they were basically an Alternative.

Even in 2005, Z100 was alternative. They played Green Day, Fall Out Boy, Linkin Park and I believe MCR too

 

[K.M. Richards]

That’s a good argument, but I’m afraid your post is way longer than the cheerleaders will read.

Then they will have no defense when they find themselves pariahs and say "but no one warned us".

 

[TheBigA]

Even in 2005, Z100 was alternative. They played Green Day, Fall Out Boy, Linkin Park and I believe MCR too

Not true. In 2005, Z100 reported to the CHR/Top 40 chart. They played those artists because those artists were charting in the Top 40 charts.

Some of those artists were also charting in Active Rock and AAA.

This was common then and common now. Beyonce had a country song that was played in 8 formats. The stations that played her country song didn't change their format. They still were whatever format they chose, but played songs that were aimed at different formats.

 

[K.M. Richards]

If we’re moving into dream territory I’d have 98.7 rehire everyone laid off at WCBS-AM.

It may be dream territory, but it's more on-topic than the dreamer's posts, and a wonderful sentiment.

 

[NYRadioFan22]

Not true. In 2005, Z100 reported to the CHR/Top 40 chart. They played those artists because those artists were charting in the Top 40 charts.

Some of those artists were also charting in Active Rock and AAA.

This was common then and common now. Beyonce had a country song that was played in 8 formats. The stations that played her country song didn't change their format. They still were whatever format they chose, but played songs that were aimed at different formats.

Even Ken Dashow on Q104.3 played her version of Blackbird on Breakfast With The Beatles!!

 

[henry]

That’s a good argument, but I’m afraid your post is way longer than the cheerleaders will read.

I can summarize it for today's "only read the headline audience"...

98.7 + Alternative = 🙁

 

[NYRadioFan22]

Now that there's only 1 week left, I wonder when we'll get the announcement

 

[luperm]

Now that there's only 1 week left, I wonder when we'll get the announcement

I would guess within the next week or so.

 

[K.M. Richards]

Now that there's only 1 week left, I wonder when we'll get the announcement

I guess you have conveniently ignored all of the posts which have said Emmis is under no obligation to make an announcement. They could just start up the interim programming without fanfare next weekend.

 

[macattack]

I guess you have conveniently ignored all of the posts which have said Emmis is under no obligation to make an announcement. They could just start up the interim programming without fanfare next weekend.

Correct, but an announcement would be nice. It would certainly put an end to all the speculation, informed and uninformed alike.

 

[davideduardo]

Correct, but an announcement would be nice. It would certainly put an end to all the speculation, informed and uninformed alike.

And the people speculating are of no interest to Emmis or its shareholders.

 

[Larry]

Correct, but an announcement would be nice. It would certainly put an end to all the speculation, informed and uninformed alike.

I think the important announcement (for current listeners) has already been made, where to find the ESPN programming that currently airs on 98.7 FM.

 

[K.M. Richards]

Correct, but an announcement would be nice. It would certainly put an end to all the speculation, informed and uninformed alike.

You presume that Emmis cares about the speculation on a message board. I would be extremely surprised if they did.

I am reminded of what happened at midnight on November 15, 1982. That is when KOST flipped from Beautiful Music to Adult Contemporary. I consider myself to be fortunate in that both Jhani Kaye (the PD who engineered the switch and remained there for 27 years) and Bryan Simmons (the original late night KOST air talent) are friends; they both say that what happened was that the last instrumental from the old format finished, Bryan started the first song of the new format, and did legal ID and tag line as if the format had been there all along.

Emmis may well do the same thing.

 

[davideduardo]

You presume that Emmis cares about the speculation on a message board. I would be extremely surprised if they did.

I am reminded of what happened at midnight on November 15, 1982. That is when KOST flipped from Beautiful Music to Adult Contemporary. I consider myself to be fortunate in that both Jhani Kaye (the PD who engineered the switch and remained there for 27 years) and Bryan Simmons (the original late night KOST air talent) are friends; they both say that what happened was that the last instrumental from the old format finished, Bryan started the first song of the new format, and did legal ID and tag line as if the format had been there all along.

My own story: I took the #1 FM in Market 14 (Puerto Rico) back in 1979 and switched to what I thought might be a better and more mass appeal format.

At 6 PM on December 29th of 1978, I turned off the Beautiful Music format. We were going to go with the new one the next day. We had been rehearsing the new format internally for over a week, and I got impatient. I turned on the transmitter to the "rehearsal" at 7:21 PM with an all salsa format.

That was like going from Beautiful Music to Country. But we said nothing on the air. We just did the new format, as you say, like we had been doing it all along.

We did have to call in the whole staff on a New Year's weekend to answer the angry phone calls from Beautiful Music listeners who thought our new music choice was low class and disgusting. We were not going to go back, but we did think we owed listeners a chance to express themselves and tried to be very polite despite all kinds of borderline racial and class insults. In 90 days, we worked up to a 31.5 share; take that and shove it.

 

[fybush]

There are only a couple of ways this can play out now.

If Emmis doesn't have a buyer or a new LMA partner lined up - as seems VERY likely at this point - then whatever it puts on starting September 1 will be just a filler format to keep the signal alive until a buyer or LMA partner is found. Emmis has no particular reason in that case to make a big announcement about what's coming, because what's coming won't be permanent.

If there's a sale or new LMA already in the works, it's unlikely at this point that it will be ready to launch on September 1. Why make an advance announcement that would give a competitor the ability to counter whatever move is coming next?

It is EXTREMELY likely at this point that we will all find out what's going on 98.7 at 12:01 AM on September 1st.

Think of 98.7 as that spot in the mall where Macy's is having its going out of business sale.

Nobody has anything to announce about what's going in there next. If it's going to be a Spirit Halloween, it will just show up there one day.

 

[davideduardo]

If there's a sale or new LMA already in the works, it's unlikely at this point that it will be ready to launch on September 1. Why make an advance announcement that would give a competitor the ability to counter whatever move is coming next?

This is a key competitive point for a new owner.

I've even gone to the step of registering service marked names for formats I would never do to distract competitors from my actual intent.

 

[NYRadioFan22]

There are only a couple of ways this can play out now.

If Emmis doesn't have a buyer or a new LMA partner lined up - as seems VERY likely at this point - then whatever it puts on starting September 1 will be just a filler format to keep the signal alive until a buyer or LMA partner is found. Emmis has no particular reason in that case to make a big announcement about what's coming, because what's coming won't be permanent.

If there's a sale or new LMA already in the works, it's unlikely at this point that it will be ready to launch on September 1. Why make an advance announcement that would give a competitor the ability to counter whatever move is coming next?

It is EXTREMELY likely at this point that we will all find out what's going on 98.7 at 12:01 AM on September 1st.

Think of 98.7 as that spot in the mall where Macy's is having its going out of business sale.

Nobody has anything to announce about what's going in there next. If it's going to be a Spirit Halloween, it will just show up there one day.

If what's coming next is just filler, I hope they DON'T do alt rock, like what they did in 2012 before the sale to CBS and switch to WFAN, that was just cruel!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[K.M. Richards]

If what's coming next is just filler, I hope they DON'T do alt rock, like what they did in 2012 before the sale to CBS and switch to WFAN, that was just cruel!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't worry. I have a feeling that whatever Emmis puts on 98.7 in the interim will be something innocuously mass appeal. Alt Rock isn't that.

(!!!!!!!!!!!!)

 

[Theater of My Mind]

That’s a good argument, but I’m afraid your post is way longer than the cheerleaders will read.

Alternative hater is a guy stuck in the past running an 80s format. Sorry but there are more successful alternative stations than all-80s stations on the air so consider the source.