Smooth Jazz 92.7 Flipping Formats

[TODDMAYOR]

meant wkzf typo

 

[Interstate 78]

Hall honestly thinks this is going to get better ratings than smooth jazz? I put money on the ratings stay the same and we have a new format in a year. You'd think smooth jazz would have been more logical. Non-stellar ratings but easy to cross-sell smooth jazz with WROZ. It worked for seven years. Why the change now? I think it was a case of "oh wow, all the other stations in the country are bailing on the format, we should too." Even though there was no real reason.

 

[Interstate 78]

From the sounds of this article in the local Harrisburg paper, Paul Scott didn't get canned with the new format. Another interesting thing to note from this article: the change was in the works for years, but got held up due to economy. In the works for years? Odd they sunk so much money into the Berks Jazz Fest every year (as recently as this year) when they knew the station's days were numbered:

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/08/smooth_jazz_radio_station_927.html

 

[epmark]

The only thing Hall can do to make this format unique: Bruce Bond.

 

[reelyreal]

Hall honestly thinks this is going to get better ratings than smooth jazz? I put money on the ratings stay the same and we have a new format in a year. You'd think smooth jazz would have been more logical. Non-stellar ratings but easy to cross-sell smooth jazz with WROZ. It worked for seven years. Why the change now? I think it was a case of "oh wow, all the other stations in the country are bailing on the format, we should too." Even though there was no real reason.

It's not about ratings, it's about "sellability." Ever try to sell a station with less than desirable demographics to a local advertiser, when there are other stations in the same price range with better demos? In small markets, it's not about ratings for agency buys. It's about convincing the local business community that your format is a good fit for their business, and a good buy. More likely than not, WSJW wasn't a "cross-sell," it was more likely added value (same for WLPA.) When you're selling local advertising (which I do,) I can tell you right now classic rock is a better sell then Snooze Jazz.

 

[pdgreatness]

Ding, realyreel gets the prize!

Smoothjazz is not sellable, which is why so many stations have dropped the format in the last few weeks, as well as the past few years. You need to be able to sell it in order to pay the bills. Classic Rock would be an easier sell.

KZF does roll off the tongue well. I doubt there is any other meaning.

 

[SteelRocker]

Do the WKZF calls have any meaning in Central PA? I'm not from the area so I'm not sure. I really can't figure out what they mean. They do roll off the tongue though, "92.7 'KZF"

When I think of 92.7 I think of WRHY and WHTF. I moved away in the 90s and recently returned. Whe WKZF does not have any memories for me at least from this area.

 

[jackandcoke]

Realyreel is close, but not quite on the money. The Smooth Jazz demo was always too close to the ROZ demo--same basic pitch ("upscale adults, 35-54"), so it was hard for Hall's AEs to shift gears after taking the Rose order. You know, "Thanks, now would you like to buy more of the same at 92.1?"

The core AC pitch is Women 25-54. The core Classic Rock pitch is Men 25-54. This makes for a much more logical complement to WROZ. Something very different to offer the WROZ buyer. And it opens up a completely different category of advertisers--beers, bars, auto parts, strip clubs (oh, relax, I'm just kidding)--who wouldn't buy WROZ on a bet.

The downside is that the Harrisburg, York & Lancaster markets are saturated in similar (classic rock, classic hits, et cetera) formats, so this won't make a splash. Hard to rack up AQH as the listener's 4th or 5th choice.

 

[JH_Radio]

At the very least, WSJW had a format not found elsewhere in your markit.
Sad to see it go.

 

[RayThomas]

IMHO, jackandcoke made the best point in this whole discussion. The change is about selling a male audience as opposed to the Rose's female audience. If that's the case, then why not be a real MALE-ORIENTED station, a little different than the other Classic Rock/Classic Hits stations?

Rock and Roll WITH THE HARD EDGE...break out the Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, Black Sabbath, George Thorogood, Metallica...etc. Yesterday I heard "American Pie" and "Got To Get You Into My Life" by the Beatles. Great songs, but pop oldies, not "Classic Rock." The music is mainly the same beaten-to-death Eagles-Bob Seger-Steve Miller stuff everyone else plays. Be Different!
Different gets noticed!

As an aside...there were dozens of comments on Pennlive in response to the Patriot article, many referring to the station's history as a great Rock station and most referring to it as "Starview."
I think its a mistake not to use this name and capitalize on the history.....

 

[jackandcoke]

Ray is right on the money, on all counts. "Starview" is not just an extremely distinctive radio brand-name (quick, name another radio station called Starview!), but for thousands (or tens of thousands) of listeners in the target demo it is synomymous with 92.7. So it not only tells the prospective listener what the station is, it tells them where to find it.

And, yeah--as an old programming pal from Susquehanna's heyday once told me "The key in programming is to be better and different than the competition. And if you can't be better, then at least be different!" Listen around. Ain't no secrets in radio--it's all right there for anyone to hear...

 

[RockofHBG]

As I recall The "Starview" brand's first run was from 1971-81 before Al Dame flipped the 92.7 to "The Music Of Your Life" format. The "Starview" moniker then returned in 1985 after the very successful CHR "92 Rock" format was dropped. I'm not sure why they dropped 92 Rock as it toppled the 50 kw 98YCR and was ratings-wise the most successful format the frequency ever had. I'm not sure how long Starview's second run was.

My point is that those who remember the first run of Starview are now in their 50s. Does the handle have any relevance to the 25-54 demo? I know it is remembered fondly by those of us on the radio board, but what about the masses?

 

[John-Summers]

Here's the short version, solely from my memory of what was happening at the time. The album rock format on 92.7 was dropped after sleepy old 104.1 WTPA became FM 104 and blew 92.7 out of the water with a better signal and better programming (Lee Abrams' "Superstars" format, which was all the rage at that time.) Ironically, the successful Top 40 format (92 Rock) was dropped when WTPA became Top 40 WINK 104 a few years later, and 93.5 became the new WTPA. Almost immediately 92.7 flipped back to Album Oriented Rock. They tried to bridge the gap by calling it Starview 92 Rock for a while. I guess they thought WINK would again blow them away, and they were right, so being proactive and going back to AOR under the Starview name was a good move. The station made an abrupt change to more modern rock in the early 90s and was called Solid Rock 92.7. I don't think they used the Starview name at all at that time. When Hall bought it they changed the format to Classic Rock and named it the Eagle. You're right when you say that most of us who remember "Starview" are out of their demo at this point, and the name hasn't been used in close to 20 years, so how meaningful is that name to their target demo.

 

[pdgreatness]

The name Starview, other than it's city of license, seems to have a number of connotations to various ages and to various types of music. If you remembered Starview as one connotation and Hall used the name again playing one of the other connotations, all that will do is sour many of the listeners. "That is not what Starview was!" Same works for any of the connotations. The writers here would be trashing Hall for whichever form of Starview they chose to format.

You know what Classic Rock is. (Although some writers here appear to have their own versions of that also.) Best to not use Starview and tick people off. The past was not always what you remember it to be.

 

[RockMustLive]

I realize this may not jive with the business of radio, but it's a played out boring format. There are too many stations playing the same thing. Why should I choose this classic rock station over the other 4 or 5 in the area? I think I'll keep my satellite radio for the time being!

 

[JH_Radio]

From wha I know of the Market (I dont live there, there's 92.7 , 93.5 out of Macanicsburg, then there's some overlap with WYCR, and there's WRVV "The River." Lots (too many IMO) of classic rock choices, with the clasic hits one sprinkeling in some rock.
I remember theEagle.
John

 

[RockofHBG]

Remember, 92.7 doesn't have to win big to achieve a corporate goal. That is one of the more fascinating parts of "cluster radio". In the old days, everybody wanted to be rated #1. Today, most secondary signals in a cluster have very specific, modest ratings goals and that is why they are provided with very modest resources.

 

[Alan Criswell]

I'm not sure why they dropped 92 Rock as it toppled the 50 kw 98YCR and was ratings-wise the most successful format the frequency ever had.

I think 92.7's best ratings period was during the Solid Rock 92.7 era ('93-'96), one of the 1994 books.

I'm not sure how long Starview's second run was.

The station was back to AOR and identified as "Starview 92" by 1985. Within a few years, "Starview 92.7." There was a flip from AOR to Classic Rock around 1989 (with the endless playing of the Eagles song "James Dean"). The station was playing new music again by 1991 or 1992, and still identified as "Starview 92.7." Circa February 1993, the station flipped to Active Rock and became "Solid Rock 92.7 Starview," which lasted until January 19, 1996. Under the new ownership of Hall, the format was flipped to Classic Rock.

SO, the second generation of Starview lasted eight or nine years. Ten or eleven years if you include "92 Rock."

 

[Alan Criswell]

The station made an abrupt change to more modern rock in the early 90s and was called Solid Rock 92.7. I don't think they used the Starview name at all at that time.

Actually, yes, WHTF's Active Rock moniker was "Solid Rock 92.7 Starview." The logo also included "Starview," however, it was missing from certain items, like bumper stickers.

 

[John-Summers]

The station made an abrupt change to more modern rock in the early 90s and was called Solid Rock 92.7. I don't think they used the Starview name at all at that time.

Actually, yes, WHTF's Active Rock moniker was "Solid Rock 92.7 Starview." The logo also included "Starview," however, it was missing from certain items, like bumper stickers.

I couldn't remember if Starview was used on the air at that time but I do recall it wasn't on the bumper stickers. Know why I have this amazing recall about a bumper sticker? Because I still occasionally see one! They must have been hell to get off!