Norsan Media Acquires Magic 106.3

[KyleSmith1988]

You're right. It aims at mostly men over the age of 65. An unsellable demo for a radio station today.

Unsellable, or uninterested? 😆

New Country not been inspired then what's the point? Even WSM 650 in Nashville is true to its roots, I can hear them at night here, but I'm a Yankee from NJ, so not my preferred cup of tea, but would prefer the old stuff that already gotter done...Not "Well Done" way overcooked like usual around here, but perhaps "Medium Rare" which is too uncommon around here. 🍔😆

Recently added WKVL 104.9 near Knoxville TN is a great example of the type of station/playlist I am talking about. Stuff too new for WMYI but too old for WFBC...

Even the new WRTH-LP (KOOL-FM 101.5) understands my point, if it wasn't for their signal limitation they could easily be the number one (or two) station in this area. This station should be allowed to upgrade as shown by their devotion and respect, and variety, for reaching dedicated listeners and helping the community. Programming should be effortless, and this station does make it look easy, and with recent new transmitter, is sounding near optimum, exceeding the quality of the larger signals not far on the dial.

Seems most of the stations in the GSP market already do (somewhat) serve a very specific (fraction of) a small audience, which I feel intentionally, purposely unfulfilled, and disconnected or excluded from, which is difficult to accomplish, but this market nailed it!
Or Maybe I'm just used to a different era of radio that was the era from 1991-2006, seems this market easily forgot or neglected (completely ignored) the era that they choose not to have a decent choice yet completely waste on other formats I would be shocked to see their 15 or so (consistent) listeners. High priority for them, good for them, but when a majority are underserved (repelled) it shouldn't be difficult. Seems easy to someone interested to improve or maintain in even the smallest details, and not overlooking potential or priorities. Try or don't try. An Obvious Lack of effort is appalling (sound quality on Magic's translators on 95.1 / 101.5). Audacy pretty much blew it with Magic, when it was their MVP not long ago... Sorry for my rant, but perhaps I care much about their output, even more than their input. 😆

Also For example, (not counting religious stations) there is more than enough Sports Talk stations, New Hip Hop, and New Country, and not much else to consider, who is listening and interested and not getting bored with what limited options are currently.

That leaves Just the Small LP-Local options seem like the best bet around here, just because they aren't limiting themselves and making the best out of each "Milliwatt" (WZZQ / WQUL / WOHS / WSVM) or out of market stream (WJRZ / KEOM / KLOR) or lucky to hear an adjacent market (WKQC / WXRC).

 

[TheBigA]

Unsellable, or uninterested? 😆

Commercial radio is about selling commercials. 50s-80s country is unsellable. Just as that era of pop music is unsellable.

WSM makes no money for its owner. It stays on the air to support the Opry and the new video channel the company does.

The LP stations you mentioned are all non-commercial, so they don't need to attract advertising,

That's what you need: An owner who uses a radio station as a charity or tax write-off.

 

[101tm]

You're right. It aims at mostly men over the age of 65. An unsellable demo for a radio station today.

As you say, WESC protects WSSL but also still reaches a good ad base. The same combo is done by Cumulus in Dallas, Des Moines, and Nashville, as well as Steel City in Kansas City. Very effective for the format.

Wouldn’t WESC’s format be considered classic country by today’s standards? I mean, considering they go back to the 70s (somewhat rarely, but still), and play stuff from the early 80s, I consider that and the amount of 80s and early 90s material pretty “classic.” I don’t believe they play anything from the last decade, the focus is 90s/00s with 80s added in.

 

[The Beat]

The LP stations you mentioned are all non-commercial, so they don't need to attract advertising,

LPFM's don't need to attract financial support? I must be the last one to hear this.

 

[KyleSmith1988]

I thought LPFMs can't legally have advertising as they're categorized as Non-commercial...

Electricity Cost is Negligible @ 100 Watts Max-LP, at that rate it would take about 10 hours to reach one Kilowatt-Hour (kWh), and most Electric Bills currently average about 15 cents for each kWh. So Maybe it's about $11 per month just running a small transmitter...

Biggest Cost would be transmitter upgrades. As I posted recently, Greenville LP Station Kool FM 101.5/107.7 (WRTH-LP) recently upgraded to a New "AquaBroadcast Cobalt C-300" Transmitter (which is capable of 300 watt output max - though legally limited to FCC specification in the LP License and so, when factoring signal loss thru the cables and transmitter feedline - a TPO setting of 80 watts is equivalent to their licensed power output 25 watts )... and what a noticeable improvement in sound quality.... Check it out...The station owner seems to care about quality and its best possible potential.

This New Transmitter is from the UK and found it online for about $4500 on Ebay...I want one lol

Seems Reasonable, but hopefully it's easy to get one licensed, if there's an available frequency. I'll post the transmitter install links again:

KOOL FM Greenville New Transmitter - Field Testing

KOOL FM Greenville New Transmitter Unboxing & Install

 

[101tm]

Shorty has had WSPA-FM staple (until 2012) Lee Alexander on this afternoon. It’s nice for Audacy to let the staff share memories and say goodbye on such short notice. Sheri Taylor is on now. I recorded what I could:

Funny, it took EMF what felt like ages to finally take over 94.5, 95.5, and 103.3 yet here goes WSPA-FM before our eyes.

 

[KyleSmith1988]

⚠️⚠️ Sarcasm Alert ⚠️⚠️

When the best gets laid to rest (my favorite) and goes belly up, what does that say about the others still somehow surviving and dreaming of the days when Magic was thriving...Ironic that most of the Upstate SC dial isn't full of anything special or worthy of much attention.

Magic (I thought) was recently the #1 Audacy Greenville asset, but then I guess talk radio became important (to 98.9) and (...Like Magic,) Important was suddenly made irrelevant and valuable had a new definition, not something that was even a breakthrough, just a bigger signal for the same old WYRD, (as in "Weird" or "WIRED") Although more of the same, Magic was now more like "a once well loved cherished pet that was put on a short leash, just because..." I wish the station had better treatment and effort, and less restrictive owners that saw potential and not pessimism.

Loyal Listeners decide what's worthy of attention...but with no audience, a station is just a big science experiment that can never benefit the owner anything if there's no reason to listen, (no offense to Jay Gilstrap and a humorous use of the Southern accent in his advertising, in a tone that is funny [in a deliberate manner] while at the same time, borderline annoying to those without ADHD) 💰 but is it worth the advertising money if the content being offered repels most to not "listen" to the ads that were paid, with the amazing goal to "listen" to them anyway, no net gains in that case. ...Maybe just better to invest in something that is fail proof, not quite a cash cow, but something that's reliable where everyone is happy, or at least satisfied. Also no one is forcing anyone to buy their ads, and less listeners makes the ads ineffective when listeners are uninterested (and tired of it.)

Listeners are the valuable asset (priceless) and many extra station income is a bonus, (Net gain that easily covers expenses) but squeezing every possible penny out of places where money doesn't grow is not a good strategy in the long term, especially when the listener can also react. The listener should always feel valued & important, but feels unsatisfied and moves on to better pastures elsewhere (shouldn't have to). It's sad when the final product is not as sweet as it seems it should, it puts a priority on the (expletive) and not enough effort due to the unwanted (excrement). 😆 Listeners are the entire reason for radio, and what makes everything about radio relevant today, and into the future, because of reliability and portability, when nothing else was available, its much easier to do what was working just fine before..

I think BIG station owners should take note and respect the 📻 equipment a (function and potential) and program as if they are the #1 listener and not worry about speeding up the song 2% (pitch+tempo) just to add 5 extra seconds to the next commercial break. See other great examples of quality-focused programmed stations with limited ads (KEOM, KEXP, WRTH-LP, WGYT-LP, WRBK) easily come to mind...

 

[davideduardo]

You're right. It aims at mostly men over the age of 65. An unsellable demo for a radio station today.

Not quite. If you are in Traverse City, MI, or Flagstaff, AZ, or any of the thousands of small towns and markets, local advertisers don't look at ratings much and if they do, they look at customers, not demographics.

 

[davideduardo]

Listeners are the entire reason for radio, and what makes everything about radio relevant today, and into the future, because of reliability and portability, when nothing else was available, its much easier to do what was working just fine before..

You are looking at all of this from the wrong perspective. Revenue is the most important reason for radio, and without it a station can not serve listeners. But "listeners" are not the ultimate goal of a radio station, revenue is. So a station seeks to attract a group of listeners that advertisers want to reach. Period.

I think BIG station owners should take note and respect the 📻 equipment a (function and potential) and program as if they are the #1 listener and not worry about speeding up the song 2% (pitch+tempo) just to add 5 extra seconds to the next commercial break.

Songs are never... and never have been... sped up so that more ads will fit in an hour. If they are sped up, it is to make them sound "brighter". Stations don't have a "quota" of music minutes an hour that they must play.

See other great examples of quality-focused programmed stations with limited ads (KEOM, KEXP, WRTH-LP, WGYT-LP, WRBK) easily come to mind...

And all of those are non-commercial stations that depend on either donations or the "wealth" of the owner of the licensee. They are not allowed to run ads, although they can run very restricted announcements for supporters of the stations mentioned, just as PBS does.

But those stations don't worry about the demographics advertisers want to reach... their concern is reaching people who will support them with donations.

 

[The Beat]

But those stations don't worry about the demographics advertisers want to reach... their concern is reaching people who will support them with donations.

With respect, WRTH-LP does worry about listeners and demos. Sponsors do not want to make donations, they want a return on their support. Sponsorship messages, much like the audio used in commercial radio "the weather is brought to you by..." works just as well for LPFM. But, it starts with attracting listeners by demo. That's why WRTH is proud to state its the only station left targeting the over 45 demo/1960s-1990s top 40 listener in Greenville now.

 

[TheBigA]

LPFM's don't need to attract financial support? I must be the last one to hear this.

That's not what I said. LPFM are non-commercial, so they don't have to attract advertising,

But they need to get listeners to become members and send regular donations.

 

[TheBigA]

Wouldn’t WESC’s format be considered classic country by today’s standards?

Yes

 

[KyleSmith1988]

Understood, But Many of the artists played on WESC are from current artists, that still make new music. WESC plays some of their older stuff from 20+ years ago, that is now slightly too old for WSSL. I think that Hardly Qualifies as a Classic Country station in the simplest definition. (Maybe A Slight Lean at Best?)

 

[The Beat]

That's not what I said. LPFM are non-commercial, so they don't have to attract advertising,

But they need to get listeners to become members and send regular donations.

Or like WRTH, they focus strictly on local business support and never beg from listeners or create a membership drive. Instead, local businesses sponsor programming and receive promotional benefit from such.

 

[TheBigA]

I think that Hardly Qualifies as a Classic Country station in the simplest definition.

Keep in mind that Toby Keith was just elected to the country Music Hall of Fame, and George Strait, Brooks & Dunn, Garth Brooks, Vince Gill, Patty Loveless, and Alan Jackson are already members. By definition, they are classic country. The newest song I see in their playlist is 15 years old. But the vast majority are 80s and 90s. That's where the format is now. Classic hits is mainly 80s with some 90s.

They are playing the music that attracts an audience they can sell. That is the basis for their definition.

 

[TheBigA]

Or like WRTH, they focus strictly on local business support and never beg from listeners or create a membership drive. Instead, local businesses sponsor programming and receive promotional benefit from such.

Once again, they are not focused on attracting a demographic for advertising. Commercial radio and non-commercial radio have very different goals, and therefore play different music.

 

[The Beat]

Once again, they are not focused on attracting a demographic for advertising. Commercial radio and non-commercial radio have very different goals, and therefore play different music.

I am not sure how marketing as an LPFM would affect the music for the station. The target demographic controls that. The goals of both commercial and noncommercial radio is to survive and make money. They may have slightly different rules, but they have similar goals. To the average listener, an FM is an FM.

 

[TheBigA]

I am not sure how marketing as an LPFM would affect the music for the station.

They're not constrained by the same audience age demographics typically desired by national advertising agencies. So what we typically see musically is a deeper playlist going back to the 50s, which attracts an audience much older than what ad agencies want.

If it works for local sponsorships...hooray. But that is not what WESC is aiming for.

 

[The Beat]

They're not constrained by the same audience age demographics typically desired by national advertising agencies. So what we typically see musically is a deeper playlist going back to the 50s, which attracts an audience much older than what ad agencies want.

If it works for local sponsorships...hooray. But that is not what WESC is aiming for.

Agreed. LPFM stations are not as constrained. Agency buyers are between 25-35 and don't always understand the value of a weathly older audience for their clients. They also buy with Nielsen numbers that LPFM stations don't typically subscribe to; hence don't show in. Further, they seem to place client value on a long, hyper-selling spot placed in the middle of a 6 minute spot set as opposed to a standalone short NCE sponsorship between two songs. They can't be getting real ROI results for their advertisers. WRTH's, and perhaps other LPFMs, clientele will get tangible results not found in a buried spot in a sea of audience-perceived spam. No wonder so many radio groups are going bankrupt.

 

[TheBigA]

No wonder so many radio groups are going bankrupt.

In every case, the ONLY reason the radio groups went bankrupt was because of debt. Not because of operations or spot clusters.

The advertisers can buy entire hours if they want. They can control where they are in the spot cluster. They can be the only spot. Its their money, and they know what they're buying.