Pensacola Predictions??

[Rob]

Since there's a Jacksonville thread going, I'd like to get your input on a station I feel will make a flip (I still think 107.3 will become a yahoo sports affiliate, or sports.. however, they are playing more 90's hits)

It's 94.1. The format is bland, boring and in direct competition to 99.9. I enjoy 99.9 very much they seem to be going at it strong. It seems 94.1 dropped John Tesh.

What do you all think about this? WBLX and the 104.1/106.1 simulcast might be losing numbers, we won't know until the ratings come out. I really wish Cumulus would migrate the three to one radio station.

-Rob

 

[Poledo]

Did I see a new logo for WMEZ last week?

My prediction... hummmm... I think Pensacola will have 3 new translators this time next year.

I hope 1230AM sells the 103.3 translator to someone who'll put up a cool music format for the "Downtown Scene" in Pensacola.

 

[tomservo]

I'm with poledo — any P'cola action this summer will be on translators. HMN is doing fine, and I doubt Soft Rock will be going anywhere because it's boring safe and probably makes buttloads of money.

 

[Poledo]

What about that WMEZ logo? Is it new or have I just forgotten to pay attention for awhile?

Also, WCOA-FM doesn't appear to be affiliated with anyone, TV or newspaper, for their local news breaks (and the local news breaks are presenting Pensacola news, not Mobile, even though some of the commercials are for businesses located in Mississippi). Could it be that WCOA-FM is trying to be Pensacola's third news outlet?

 

[tomservo]

Looks new to me, but the last time I was on their website was… probably never.

 

[Dr voicetrack]

BLX and 104./106.1 will never combine. BLX targets young end, DLT/Magic target older. None of these stations are losing numbers. BLX dominates all in Pensacola as well as Mobile. WDLT is strong, and even with WDLT covering everywhere, Magic STILL pulls strong numbers in Pensacola. As long as numbers are good and billing is strong, it will be some time before just combining DLT and Magic is even thought about.

HMN is NOT doing well. It's not even grabbing a two share in either market. Matter of fact, it's been sliding since WABD signed on. The station is only still on the air until there's something more viable to put on that signal. Don't hold your breath for sports. There's many reasons why this wont happen. Tried explaining that before. So, I'll just let it go.

94.1 won't flip. Solid performer and viable for Cumulus in regards to packaging with other stations to go up against CC offerings. And, yes. They did change up the logo.

 

[Poledo]

See, I do pay some attention to those stations I don't listen too. Got that new WMEZ logo down!

Thinking on my feet about WCOA AM and FM and coverage areas etc...
It appears locally owned Pensacola news/talker WNRP-AM will be lighting up a translator on 106.5. WCOA has the rights to the top shows, Rush etc, but only for the Florida side of the WCOA 100.7 coverage area. Cumulus is now doing local Pensacola news, weather and traffic on the 100.7 flamethrower. Cumulus is launching their own talk radio network.
Here's a theory. Fast forward 6 months to give ADX plenty of time to light up their 106.5 translator. Cumulus could hit back by moving WCOA-AM to 106.1 with the WCOA-FM call letters, all the top shows and a healthy dose of local Pensacola News, weather, and traffic... as an established third loc independent outlet for Pensacola News unaffilated with WEAR TV or the PNJ. This would really hurt a new WNRP translator tow channels up the dial at 106.5.
This also frees up 100.7 to go all talk with Cumulus' new nationwide network of hosts and shows targeting everyone from Biloxi to Destin. Just needs a new set of call letters.

If Cumulus gives 106.1 to News/Talk they don't have to get out of the Pensacola Urban AC market, in fact, in a way, they can't (see WRNE info below).

Cumulus could drop a little cash and buy the 103.3 translator from the Catholics to rebroadcast 1370... heck, they could just trade the good 1370 signal to the Catholics for the 1230/103.3 combo... that may be close to an even trade especially if Cumulus agrees to take care of maintaince and engineering for 1370 for a few years?
Cumulus puts a local Urban AC that isn't so much of a WDLT clone (or just moves Magic over?) to the 103.3 translator. Cumulus also has local FM Urban AC competition on the way from WRNE's new 106.9 translator. Just by coincedice WRNE carries The Cumulus owned "The Touch" network feed when they aren't local, so if things don't change somewhere Cumulus' WRRX 106.1 will be competing with Cumulus' "The Touch" network soon on 106.9 and Cumulus' Mobile powerhouse WDLT on 104.1 in the Pensacola market.

How's that for a brain storm for ya? A theory on how Cumulus could continue to grow in the market where they arguably own the most good sticks.

 

[Tibbs4]

Crums grow? Crums spend money? Surely you jest, Poledo....they can't run their top 50 markets worth a @&$?. They don't even know they have stations in Pcola or FWB....

 

[Poledo]

Crums grow? Crums spend money? Surely you jest, Poledo....they can't run their top 50 markets worth a @&$?. They don't even know they have stations in Pcola or FWB....

Why are they buying them all? Well over half my radio dial is owned by Cumulus. I assume that Cumulus could look at this area with all their 100kw sticks and see it as a single market with nearly 1,000,000 people under their signals.

Why would they care about adding a translator in Downtown Pensacola? Hell, I don't know! Why do they feel the need to duplicate formats on WDLT and WRRX and run similar programming on WCOA AM and WCOA FM?

Something about Mobile-Pensacola-FWB matters to the chiefs in Hotlanta. Maybe Dickie has a condo or a girlfriend down here? Maybe the cluster manager is a bastard child of someone in the family? Shit like that happens around here. I know a secretary that is overpaid because she doesn't know she's working for one of here real daddy's best friends. The man that raised her still thinks he's her daddy. Lucky for me my family tree shows the inbreeding ended before the War Between the States... but now I've found Porch Creek Indian blood in my veins and I still can't figure out how to claim my bingo and poker revenue.

 

[Tibbs4]

She must not be a secretary at Crumy, cause it would be minimum wage....haha. Things havent changed much down along the coast on love, lust and life near the Florabama have they? Gotta love it.

I think you're pretty close on your thoughts about Dickey and the beach. It is interesting that they have so much overlap in the markets. Buying the Hollidays sure got them in FWB/Destin. I have never added up what they paid for all of those stations. It has to be insane. I used to pay more attention to that. As the notes come due for Crumulass and CC, i would bet you will see a few changes in ownership, etc.

 

[tomservo]

You know, I know we're just a bunch of crumb-bum listeners but it really would make more sense for Cumulus to pair 106.1 with 1370. They could put the stars they have on the FM mixed with the national talk programming they're trying to get going and the leftovers to the AM, just like they do in Birmingham.

Hell, everyone keeps forgetting this weird mind-screw of a situation down here where people in Pensacola listen to the Pensacola stations and people in Mobile listen to the Mobile stations even though most of them broadcast from the same stick. Cumulus in all seriousness could move the urban AC to 100.7 and have TWO 100 kW signals with the same format, from the same tower, targeting different cities and there probably wouldn't be much overlap in listening. They'd get Rush et al on FM in Pensacola and retain domination in urban with their three stations. It's so stupidily brilliant it would never happen.

 

[Poledo]

I wouldn't say that it'll never happen. I knew more people in the industry back when Cumulus bought the CP for 106.1. Many of the staff of Cumulus Pensacola were under the impression 106.1 was purchased for WCOA. The rock format came as a surprise then they had Lex and Terry run away with the ratings and WRRX was stuck with the rock format. After TK got ahold of Lex and Terry the folks at Cumulus again thought WCOA to 106.1 was a done deal but Atlanta sent down Magic. Not too long after that most everyone at Cumulus Pensacola quit. Now I have no inside contacts with Cumulus.

Cumulus Pensacola thought Pensacola was going to be an early adopter of FM news/talk.

As for FloraBama culture, keep in mind the percentage of the population down here that are pure Yankees. In Pensacola you can't even joke about people's wives/girlfriends/kids/kissin' cousins. It's defiantly here, especially among the locals with that have families dating back before the war. Georgia and Alabama... hell 100 years ago you could ride your horse half a day and not reach anyone you weren't related to.

 

[Rob]

Well put, do we really need that many Urban-based stations? Merge BLX, 104/106.1 and put something more useful on 92.9. I know a few people who they target and can't stand that music.

Not to mention 980. (which has been on 24/7 lately.. are they a daytimer??)

I'd love to hear Jack FM on 92.9. One of the stations I enjoyed.

-Rob

 

[tomservo]

Not to mention 980. (which has been on 24/7 lately.. are they a daytimer??)

Are you hearing WRNE at night in FWB? I happened to catch them from Foley the other day at around 4 am. Thought it was unusual or a fluke. Maybe they're running the day pattern/power at night. They're supposed to be 1 kW directional at night.

And seriously, you need to stop wishing for a change at BLX. John Boy and Billy will come out as gay lovers before anyone touches BLX. Maybe one day in a dystopic future 106.1 will fold into 104.1 but in the mean time I bet they're making money ass over teakettle with the urban/urban AC/urban AC combo.

 

[Poledo]

WRNE and WEBY shouldn't be sending signals toward FWB. WEBY's biggest problem as "Santa Rosa County's news/talk station" is hampered by their daytime null over the Midway/Navarre area and lack of any nighttime signal outside of downtown Milton.
WRNE's nighttime signal is second only to WCOA 1370, both are pretty directional at night. WEBY clearly has the biggest daytime signal in Pensacola. If WRNE could push some watts toward FWB, I have no doubt they'd pick up a respectable number of listeners east of Hurlburt. I wonder if WRNE would consider studying what is now possible with their AM signal now that 980 in Mariana appears to have died? Or are they just happy they'll be getting the 106.9 translator up in Pensacola.
WNRP has an acceptable non-directional nighttime signal but most of us know how limited 1000 watts from central Pensacola is.

 

[amfmxm]

WRNE and WEBY shouldn't be sending signals toward FWB. WEBY's biggest problem as "Santa Rosa County's news/talk station" is hampered by their daytime null over the Midway/Navarre area and lack of any nighttime signal outside of downtown Milton.
WRNE's nighttime signal is second only to WCOA 1370, both are pretty directional at night. WEBY clearly has the biggest daytime signal in Pensacola. If WRNE could push some watts toward FWB, I have no doubt they'd pick up a respectable number of listeners east of Hurlburt. I wonder if WRNE would consider studying what is now possible with their AM signal now that 980 in Mariana appears to have died? Or are they just happy they'll be getting the 106.9 translator up in Pensacola.
WNRP has an acceptable non-directional nighttime signal but most of us know how limited 1000 watts from central Pensacola is.

Poledo, the folks at WRNE should be doing cartwheels about 106.9. They've done a sensational job keeping it together for years as an AM music station, and that translator finally brings them into the FM world. It's been a long time coming.

 

[Poledo]

True, AMFMXXX. I expect WRNE's FM translator to give WRRX and WDLT solid competition... enough competition to finish off the Urban AC format on 106.1 less than a year after 106.9 finally gets on the air.

 

[Dr voicetrack]

Well put, do we really need that many Urban-based stations? Merge BLX, 104/106.1 and put something more useful on 92.9. I know a few people who they target and can't stand that music.

Not to mention 980. (which has been on 24/7 lately.. are they a daytimer??)

I'd love to hear Jack FM on 92.9. One of the stations I enjoyed.

-Rob

Yes, Rob. It's time to get over this delusion that BLX will ever go away. Only two (or three) total sticks that program urban in the area, and that's too many? Just because YOU don't like it? One more time...BLX is the biggest rated station in Mobile AND Pensacola by a landslide. If there was an african-american population of only about 5% you MIGHT have a case to combine. But, guess what? the population is much higher than that. Plus, there's a high favorability to urban music outside of the black audience. That's the reality. Hence the need for one station that targets young, and the other targets older, and why all the urban stations score better than anyone else.

I almost laughed out of my chair when you used the term "more useful". The urban stations are the most useful on the gulf coast! Maybe not to you and your 3 buddies (who also probably live in FWB and don't even matter). But they are far "more useful" than any station you wish you had that played music you can already find on a combination of at least three other stations in the area.

Let it go, man. Let it go.

If you can't, you're really going to hate life if the rumors I've heard the past couple days become reality.

 

[tomservo]

If there's a format that's over-done to in this area, I suggest my favorite: country music in Escambia County, Alabama. There's like seven or eight country stations serving all or part of that county: 94.9 101.1 102.7 105.1 105.9 106.3… not to mention a weak 92.3 from the Gump. Probably one more I'm forgetting.

 

[Poledo]

If there's a format that's over-done to in this area, I suggest my favorite: country music in Escambia County, Alabama. There's like seven or eight country stations serving all or part of that county: 94.9 101.1 102.7 105.1 105.9 106.3… not to mention a weak 92.3 from the Gump. Probably one more I'm forgetting.

104.7, 98.7, and probably a weak (maybe a good?) signal from 98.1... Not to mention weak signals from the Dothan Country stations that would come in like locals frequently.