Oh, WOW...how long can you listen?

[Smiths and Smittys]

Have not listened to the WOW! Factor online before today. Kudos for processing their streaming...however the audio is very bright! Turn down the treble a bit.
And with regard to country songs, I see that It's Five O'clock Somewhere had played earlier this morning. Guess you could say that has appeal beyond just a country listener.

Also hear the "More music next" which would normally be followed by spots, followed by a rejoin music set/kick off just go on by together with no spots in between.
You'd think someone would go through and clean up the logs A) in a major market and B) if you're trying to impress potential other stations to adopt the format.

Just seems like the station is stalled. Big splash to start and not much since then.
I know I'm preaching to the choir but normally start a station with music as a base and add stationality from there.
Maybe that doesn't matter anymore and people really don't care if a station has a overall feel to it vs. just music.
I'd argue that those who grew up on this music were used to a fairly foreground presentation with personalities etc.

 

[TheBigA]

Maybe that doesn't matter anymore and people really don't care if a station has a overall feel to it vs. just music.
I'd argue that those who grew up on this music were used to a fairly foreground presentation with personalities etc.

If you read the interview with Sebastian, he intended to add personalities. But I'm sure he anticipated bigger numbers and more advertising.

Sounds to me like what we've been saying about advertisers not targeting older demos has been proven here to be true.

Nobody I know in radio has a bias against older audiences, oldies, or big playlists. It all costs the same. But at the end of the day, we need to attract advertisers, and this format doesn't seem to be doing that.

 

[johndavis]

Sounds to me like what we've been saying about advertisers not targeting older demos has been proven here to be true.

Nobody I know in radio has a bias against older audiences, oldies, or big playlists. It all costs the same. But at the end of the day, we need to attract advertisers, and this format doesn't seem to be doing that.

The telling thing for me was every time Sebastian has spoken about the format (or when he got pissed off at me in a Sean Ross thread on Twitter) he brushes off criticism by saying that we're looking at the format through a 25-54 framework and he's looking only at 55+. Yet when the station introduced the format, station management talked about targeting people 45+ because...

a) The ad buyers care about 25-54
b) As a cluster strategy, KMVA/KZON covers the lower end of 25-54 and KOAI the upper end so they need 45-54 to sell combo

Yet I still hear songs on KOAI that we used to play when I was at KOY 25 years ago... where our audience was unashamedly 55+. I don't expect too many of those folks to still be alive, so I don't expect the older end of the old KOY library to still work. Hearing those titles is what made me wonder how they ever made it through an AMT.

I won't judge their account list post-COVID because everyone's business is off right now, but I wasn't hearing the same advertiser categories that we used to get on KOY back in the day. Of course, we also were pulling a 3.6 12+ so we had a better story to tell and a consistent product.

I worked for Mike Jorgenson, so I have lived through the hell of running a format programmed by someone's "gut instinct." But even Mike blew up Rhythm & Rock after the first book because we couldn't hit the revenue goals with a 0.9.

You can't prove a negative, so I can't prove that the former Classic Hits format would have done better than WOW, but right now what it has going for it is the format is cheap to keep on the air. In this economy, that's enough.

 

[DrAkbar]

Just seems like the station is stalled. Big splash to start and not much since then.

Perhaps the format should be called The Peter Principle as it has reached its highest level of incompetency. Apparently management is fat and happy with a mid 1 share.

 

[The Media Observer]

If you read the interview with Sebastian, he intended to add personalities. But I'm sure he anticipated bigger numbers and more advertising.

Sounds to me like what we've been saying about advertisers not targeting older demos has been proven here to be true.

Nobody I know in radio has a bias against older audiences, oldies, or big playlists. It all costs the same. But at the end of the day, we need to attract advertisers, and this format doesn't seem to be doing that.

Maybe the advertisers are tired of all the re-records Sebastian still plays!

 

[Groove1670]

Maybe the advertisers are tired of all the re-records Sebastian still plays!

I can speak in this case, but if you don't know re-recorded tracks (not remastered) well..... A pet peeve is to hear a station the plays a track updated by an artist.

 

[tbolt909]

If you read the interview with Sebastian, he intended to add personalities. But I'm sure he anticipated bigger numbers and more advertising.

Sounds to me like what we've been saying about advertisers not targeting older demos has been proven here to be true.

Nobody I know in radio has a bias against older audiences, oldies, or big playlists. It all costs the same. But at the end of the day, we need to attract advertisers, and this format doesn't seem to be doing that.

Stations usually need ratings to get advertisers. The puny ratings, older demos, and Pandemic certainly make selling this format difficult. The premise of the format seems flawed anyway. It's just a bunch of tired old songs strung together. Not much WOW in that...

 

[TheBigA]

We're approaching the one year anniversary for the WOW format on KOAI. It might be a good time to re-read when John Sebastian said in August 2019:

https://radioink.com/2019/08/23/why-sebastian-believes-his-new-format-will-work/

 

[tbolt909]

We're approaching the one year anniversary for the WOW format on KOAI. It might be a good time to re-read when John Sebastian said in August 2019:

https://radioink.com/2019/08/23/why-sebastian-believes-his-new-format-will-work/

The line about "The big markets will pay my stipend because the format will make them a huge pot of money" is absurd. Has anyone else signed up for his "Unique Concept"? The article was a sales pitch. Sell the sizzle, not the steak. In this case, it's a stale bologna sandwich...

 

[DrAkbar]

The line about "The big markets will pay my stipend because the format will make them a huge pot of money" is absurd. Has anyone else signed up for his "Unique Concept"? The article was a sales pitch. Sell the sizzle, not the steak. In this case, it's a stale bologna sandwich...

...and no pink underwear to go with it!

 

[Groove1670]

ME-FM has picked up a few small affiliates. At least is it has branding and a tie in with the TV network. The music flow is done with thought (songs that test well), and the website looks good (interactive). I think they got a 3.0 6+.

Agencies have slowed down buying 25-54 because of the current situation. They sure as heck are not going to buy 55+

Any 55+ success station stories to share? I'll start with WVLG The Villages in Florida.

KAHM Prescott?

WLML FM Palm Beach

 

[johndavis]

ME-FM has picked up a few small affiliates. At least is it has branding and a tie in with the TV network. The music flow is done with thought (songs that test well), and the website looks good (interactive). I think they got a 3.0 6+.

Agencies have slowed down buying 25-54 because of the current situation. They sure as heck are not going to buy 55+

Any 55+ success station stories to share? I'll start with WVLG The Villages in Florida.

KAHM Prescott?

WLML FM Palm Beach

Remember, KAHM's programming is in place right now via a LMA of the station from the farmworkers, and the CP for its upgrade to rimshot Phoenix expires in March.

There may come a point where the format is on a translator fed via HD-2 or something like that.

 

[Groove1670]

Remember, KAHM's programming is in place right now via a LMA of the station from the farmworkers, and the CP for its upgrade to rimshot Phoenix expires in March.

There may come a point where the format is on a translator fed via HD-2 or something like that.

I don't get the move? It is still is a Phoenix rimshot unless the pop count increases in the new CP location? and a better signal into prescott and surrounding communities.

 

[Billkex]

I can listen with no problem. I for one am tired of the stations that play the same genre of songs over & over. I prefer variety and hearing a song I haven't heard in a while.
Seems like most of the stations now are clones of each other & brag "We play more 80s" (yeah, over and over)
....and I know mnny others that are now listening to this station too.

 

[johndavis]

I don't get the move? It is still is a Phoenix rimshot unless the pop count increases in the new CP location? and a better signal into prescott and surrounding communities.

If I understand everything correctly, the now deceased owner of KAHM put together an upgrade to get the station on Towers Mountain with all of the other Phoenix rimshots. This raised the value of the station. The upgrade sat on hold for several years because one of the stations that needed to move wasn't built.

After the owner passed, the stations went on the market. The farmworkers union purchased the signal, the unbuilt station that was holding up the upgrade turned in its license, and the sale closed. Also relevant to the story was the farmworkers were in trouble with the FCC for running commercials on their noncommercial Radio Campesina stations in Phoenix and Fresno. They opted to find commercial stations to buy and sold their non-comms as part of the consent decree with the FCC. So buying 102.1 would satisfy this. Before the sale closed, they bought the 101.9 translator from Riviera and 860 AM from Bonneville and moved Radio Campesina there before spinning off their non comm frequency to a religious operator. Then they entered into a LMA with the management of KAHM that allows them to continue to program KAHM and KYCA for up to 10 years.

How long KAHM remains playing beautiful music in Prescott is entirely up to the Cesar Chavez Foundation.

KAHM doesn't need to move to cover Prescott and Prescott Valley; it already does. It does need to move if the aim is to get more signal into Phoenix. And there's certainly value to the Cesar Chavez Foundation to have Campesina on both 101.9 and 102.1.

 

[John Gallagher]

The what's playing now page apparently stopped working 61 hours ago and doesn't match what's actually on the air. The songs I saw listed aren't a total tuneout for me but I'm 61. Even though I spent nearly 25 years in the business, I rarely listen to music away from an event I'm DJing, and if I do, it's in the car listening to a number of Sirius channels.

 

[DrAkbar]

How long KAHM remains playing beautiful music in Prescott is entirely up to the Cesar Chavez Foundation.

KAHM doesn't need to move to cover Prescott and Prescott Valley; it already does. It does need to move if the aim is to get more signal into Phoenix. And there's certainly value to the Cesar Chavez Foundation to have Campesina on both 101.9 and 102.1.

Yup, that's it. The improved Valley coverage of 102~One is complemented by KNAI's translator at 101~Nine. There's nothing between those two back to back frequencies, so a simulcast mades a lot of sense. What's stopping them? The Ten year LMA agreement...unless there is a default.

 

[Sammi Brie]

Yup, that's it. The improved Valley coverage of 102~One is complemented by KNAI's translator at 101~Nine. There's nothing between those two back to back frequencies, so a simulcast mades a lot of sense. What's stopping them? The Ten year LMA agreement...unless there is a default.

KNAI also has translators on 101.9 CP in Buckeye and 102.1 for San Tan Valley (COL Casa Grande). Keep that in mind.

 

[DrAkbar]

KNAI also has translators on 101.9 CP in Buckeye and 102.1 for San Tan Valley (COL Casa Grande). Keep that in mind.

Interesting additions to the Farmworkers' Phoenix portfolio. KNAI is the primary station for the Buckeye translator, while KAIZ (EMF) is primary for San Tan. Both translators are at 102~One... the same frequency as KAHM and one click of the dial away from KNAI's 101~Nine translator. Clever. Very clever!

 

[Sammi Brie]

Interesting additions to the Farmworkers' Phoenix portfolio. KNAI is the primary station for the Buckeye translator, while KAIZ (EMF) is primary for San Tan. Both translators are at 102~One... the same frequency as KAHM and one click of the dial away from KNAI's 101~Nine translator. Clever. Very clever!

Not sure why KAIZ is listed as their L2C application states KNAI.