-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
Rock on 101.9 - Could this be a stunt?
- Thread starter bigtom101
- Start date
Funny you say that Turnpike.....
On a New York radio board on Facebook, that subject was brought up. While I do believe that Merlin may be set with the alternative/new rock format on 101.9, it COULD be possible that a flip is at hand for something else. Granted, the RXP library was still around so it's just easy to get those tracks back and alter it where the oldies aspect is gone. Imaging can be done rather instantly.
I don't rule anything out but as we all know about radio, no one can truly predict what happens until things just happen. Lessons learned from the CBS to Jack flip and 98.7 Kiss to ESPN.
On a New York radio board on Facebook, that subject was brought up. While I do believe that Merlin may be set with the alternative/new rock format on 101.9, it COULD be possible that a flip is at hand for something else. Granted, the RXP library was still around so it's just easy to get those tracks back and alter it where the oldies aspect is gone. Imaging can be done rather instantly.
I don't rule anything out but as we all know about radio, no one can truly predict what happens until things just happen. Lessons learned from the CBS to Jack flip and 98.7 Kiss to ESPN.
This article lends weight to the stunt theory...
http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlny/breaking-end-of-line-for-merlins-wemp-as-fm-news_b64085
Sources tell FishbowlNY that WEMP will become a hybrid News/Talk format, likely modeled after Merlin’s Philadelphia station, IQ 106.9.
Someone with knowledge of the situation says significant layoffs are expected at the meetings.
“They’re expecting the worst because they’ve already seen the worst.” the source tells FishbowlNY
Ahead of tomorrow’s meeting, we’re told that the new format is expected to launch in September. There’s no word if the meetings will expedite the tweaking.
So, bring on September...
http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlny/breaking-end-of-line-for-merlins-wemp-as-fm-news_b64085
Sources tell FishbowlNY that WEMP will become a hybrid News/Talk format, likely modeled after Merlin’s Philadelphia station, IQ 106.9.
Someone with knowledge of the situation says significant layoffs are expected at the meetings.
“They’re expecting the worst because they’ve already seen the worst.” the source tells FishbowlNY
Ahead of tomorrow’s meeting, we’re told that the new format is expected to launch in September. There’s no word if the meetings will expedite the tweaking.
So, bring on September...
erwin33 said:
But, it could just be a place holder, until they sign on some other format... Maybe in September...
Don't look for Rush 101.9 anytime soon. Premiere/Clear Channel won't be sending out Cease & Desist letters for Rush or Hannity to WABC, or WLS for that matter. Cumulus just pretty much became a full partner in IHeartRadio. Not a bridge you want to burn 
B
Bob1370
Guest
When do the contracts between Premiere Networks and Cumulus expire? That may tell you a lot about what, if anything, Merlin will do at summer's end.
What will tell you even more about whether the format flips in Chicago and NYC are permanent, is whether there's active recruiting for new music personalities or if they continue jockless indefinitely. We know jockless stations in large markets rarely make any impact, or gather much revenue, and the Jack disaster at CBS taught a lot of people in NYC a lot of hard lessons about why jockless radio in the top 5 markets is not sustainable. So if they go jockless for a couple of months you can figure they'll be changing formats again soon and this is just a placeholder.
If they opt then to just raid WABC's and WOR's best known syndicated product instead of taking any talker they launch in a new, and more localized, direction, they might as well forget about attracting anything but a slice of WABC's aging core.
What will tell you even more about whether the format flips in Chicago and NYC are permanent, is whether there's active recruiting for new music personalities or if they continue jockless indefinitely. We know jockless stations in large markets rarely make any impact, or gather much revenue, and the Jack disaster at CBS taught a lot of people in NYC a lot of hard lessons about why jockless radio in the top 5 markets is not sustainable. So if they go jockless for a couple of months you can figure they'll be changing formats again soon and this is just a placeholder.
If they opt then to just raid WABC's and WOR's best known syndicated product instead of taking any talker they launch in a new, and more localized, direction, they might as well forget about attracting anything but a slice of WABC's aging core.
Merlin was hiring news format people away from jobs at other stations as recently as last month, and it just let them go. So, looking at whether they hire a music staff may not be a good indicator of future plans. It does appear that this flip to Alternative was a hastily made decision.
Running a computer music format is a whole lot cheaper than paying an entire all news staff, and if they were planning to blow up the news format in a few months anyway, for financial reasons they might have decided to do music for the summer and save all that cash.
A syndication station, like Merlin's got in Philly, could almost be instantly profitable depending on how a deal with Premier is structured. Clear Channel might be very interested in getting its big talkers on FM in NYC without blowing up one of its own top rated FMs, which would be foolish to do. But, Rush's contract with WABC is reported to run until sometime next year, and Hannity's syndication contract is a kind of partnership between Premier and Cumulus which owns WABC, where Hannity does his show.
So, Alternative fans might savour and support the music and the format, and hope that Merlin's apparent quick decision is the one that will last, and that it isn't just the cheapest interim format they could put on quickly. Don't forget Merlin has an Alternative station in Chicago, that could have come to the rescue with a new format on a hard drive over the weekend, and that was the best option available to save the bucks for now.
Running a computer music format is a whole lot cheaper than paying an entire all news staff, and if they were planning to blow up the news format in a few months anyway, for financial reasons they might have decided to do music for the summer and save all that cash.
A syndication station, like Merlin's got in Philly, could almost be instantly profitable depending on how a deal with Premier is structured. Clear Channel might be very interested in getting its big talkers on FM in NYC without blowing up one of its own top rated FMs, which would be foolish to do. But, Rush's contract with WABC is reported to run until sometime next year, and Hannity's syndication contract is a kind of partnership between Premier and Cumulus which owns WABC, where Hannity does his show.
So, Alternative fans might savour and support the music and the format, and hope that Merlin's apparent quick decision is the one that will last, and that it isn't just the cheapest interim format they could put on quickly. Don't forget Merlin has an Alternative station in Chicago, that could have come to the rescue with a new format on a hard drive over the weekend, and that was the best option available to save the bucks for now.
They just applied to change their calls to WRXP.
If that doesn't put this stupid theory to a rest, I don't know what will.
If that doesn't put this stupid theory to a rest, I don't know what will.
New Rock 101.9 and Chicago's 87.7 Underground have the same playlist: check out yes.com for WEMP-FM and look up Underground 87.7 for the 2 PM hour on 7/18/12 they have the same playlist. They keep tending to repeat themselves though in terms of their music. They need to add artists such as Jack Johnson, Jack White, Ramones, Gin Blossoms, Fall Out Boy, Angels & Airwaves, Jack's Mannequin, Kings of Leon, & other Alternative Acts. I personally think its sounding great, just need to get rid of the 80s rock on there, leave that for Q104.3
- Status