SO WHATS NEXT FOR JACK FM MOBILE?

[macab4490]

Since the Journey has started on 100.7, is there anything Cumulus will do with Jack on 104.1?! Does it make sense to have Adult Hits on two stations in the same market owned by the same company? What format holes that Mobile/P'cola needs and wants?

People are saying FM talk but 106.5 fills that...
Spanish? I can't think of any formats that is something is different?!
Your thoughts, please..

 

[Groove1670]

Journey is more of a 80's/90's pop format. Jack has more of a rock lean and is targeted to men. Very different sound. Think Cyndi Lauper Vs Van Halen.

 

[Nate Wesley]

What musiconradio said. Here's a tremendous statement sure to blow up in my face: I don't think Cumulus is going to do any more dickering with 104.1.


(Well, almost: Part of me sees Cumulus keeping the Jack FM music but cheaping out on use of the Jack FM name and programming service licensed from Dial Global. "Classic Hits 104.1", get ready for it in late 2013!)

 

[tomservo]

Yeah, they really are different enough in their playlists to compliment each other. Maybe Jack could tighten up the rock a little and go after The Rocket some more? There's times I've tuned into 96.1 and been completely turned off and times I've been impressed with them, but they play way too much GnR and hair metal for me to listen long.

I'd love a deeper classic rock outlet that doesn't stray into the 80s too much, but like my wish for oldies, that won't sell on a 100 kW station. Hey, isn't that what HD-2s are for? Cumulus runs HD and none have subchannels. I guess outlaying for a $200 desktop to stick in a closet is beyond their means. They've turned Jack's HD off. I can only hope the equipment has been donated to the University of Alabama for WHIL or something.

This area could probably support one small AM Spanish station or a local TV outlet, but everyone's so spread out it would take a big signal, which would not be viable.

Talk on one of the bigger signals would be awesome, but 106.5 and 710 having all the higher rated shows locked up, I don't see how it would work unless CC flips one of THEIR FMs, and I don't see that happening.

 

[Poledo]

Remember that 100.7 and 104.1 spent 2-3 years both playing top-40 trying to put a dent in WABB... didn't work. So they have a history of very similar formats.

Maybe 104.1 could strike a deal with the Indian Bingo House and change the name to "Wind Creek 104.1 Atmore - Mobile" or something like that.. Take advantage of the Atmore COL and do a whole lot of Wind Creek Bingo commercials incorporated with the TOH ID?


Ahh, just though of a better name, "Bingo! 104.1, Atmore". Let the Indians pay for the bumper stickers!

 

[RollTide]

Remember that 100.7 and 104.1 spent 2-3 years both playing top-40 trying to put a dent in WABB... didn't work.

Well if it sounded anything like this BS Cumulus run supposed CHR in Huntsville I'm not surprised it didn't work!

Ahh, just though of a better name, "Bingo! 104.1, Atmore". Let the Indians pay for the bumper stickers!

LOL! Now that's thinking outside the box!

 

[tomservo]

"Bingo 104" does have a certain ring to it. ;D

 

[Dr voicetrack]

Poledo....

Gotta disagree with you. 104.1 did make a huge dent in WABB. If it wasn't for Ivan, 104.1 would've overtaken WABB. They were less than a share apart in Mobile at that time. WABB staffers from that time will tell you they were seriously worried.

100.7 was, until the flip to Journey, just a share off from WABB in PNS. But all the CHRs were anything but impressive that last book.

What made WABB really tough up until recently was it had local people inside the halls. Tough to compete with that kind of connection. That's all but gone now. That staff doesn't have nearly the relatablity it used to.

 

[Poledo]

Yes, I know the story of 104.1's demise being caused by Ivan... but Cumulus not putting the cash into it to bring it back to life tells me they weren't making enough money and didn't expect to make enough to keep it up. Ivan was just the "excuse" to kill off the station. Also, Q100 got close to Mobile's WABB in the Pensacola book, while Cumulus was trying to take over the Mobile market. It didn't matter that Pensacola needed it's own CHR/Top 40 station. Now we have to listen to Mobile or Fort Walton for Top 40 radio. I wonder if the Dickies even looked at the Pensacola numbers. Pensacola never seemed important to them.

Cumulus never does anything that makes sense in the Mobile and Pensacola markets. The last smart thing they did was to purchase K104 and kill it. They killed it because they feared K104 was about to become the #1 station in town. How smart was that? They could have owned the top three stations in town, but chose to go after WABB instead.

Hot 104 could be considered smart, but Cumulus killed it too. Never even tried to run it on a reduced budget. Didn't care that the folks at WABB were worried... Huh?


"Bingo 104.1 - Atmore. Come on up I-65 Y'all!" followed by a Jimmy Buffet song...

Besides having the Indians pay for bumper stickers, they could pay for the billboards too! Prizes and giveaways galore! Money in the bank! Cheap to run classic/adult hits station.

 

[Groove1670]

The bottom line is the revenue. Even if the numbers look good. Gotta adapt and change to get the revenue up. My 1073 was a good example, pretty decent #'s I heard, but low revenue. The reason for "Now" not the format but to dent the competition. If that objective isn't reached the format wheel will spin again.

 

[Dr voicetrack]

Poledo...

The story on Hot 104 is this. What killed it? Pizatti. He never wanted the station since day one when he was market manager. When Ivan hit, he dragged his tail in securing a transmitter site while he did everything he could to sell ATL on what he wanted. Country. That's what HE wanted from the get go. It wasn't about revenue, or ratings. I've heard this from more than one person who was in the building at the time.

 

[Poledo]

Where does this Pizatti guy work now? And why did they have to put Country on 104.1 when they had 100.7 wasting away in the back room?

I never understood how Cumulus planned on selling Country to their Urban add buyers in Mobile. That Cadillac Jack Country station never stuck to me... as in I don't remember it existing unless someone reminds me.... kinda like "Magic 100.7", WMYC or that short lived Alt Rock format on 92.1. Now going way back to 104.1 the Dawg.... that was some country boy... too bad Clear Channel had to sell off 104.1 and move The Dawg to that little 104.9 signal.

 

[tomservo]

What's the deal with WABB? I don't listen to it regularly and am still kind of a greenhorn in the market. I know it was live/local when I came down here as a kid, but it isn't now?

 

[blah blah]

Let me educate you just alittle bit on the battle between HOT 104 and WABB. Bottom line is HOT 104 NEVER had a game plan. All they did was attack WABB! I was there for about a year and every remote WABB did HOT 104 would show up and try to talk S#it. Every time WABB did something HOT 104 would react to them. If HOT 104 had people with a plan maybe it would have shaken out a lttle different! But they didn't!! Why not just say YOU LOST??

 

[Poledo]

Everyone here knows Hot 104 lost to WABB.

Most people here know the next Top-40/CHR station to test the waters will loose to WABB.

What wouldn't be surprising (to me) would be to see big corporate radio purchase WABB and change the format on 97.5... That'll be a sad day.

 

[Nate Wesley]

Let me educate you just alittle bit on the battle between HOT 104 and WABB. Bottom line is HOT 104 NEVER had a game plan. All they did was attack WABB! I was there for about a year and every remote WABB did HOT 104 would show up and try to talk S#it. Every time WABB did something HOT 104 would react to them. If HOT 104 had people with a plan maybe it would have shaken out a lttle different! But they didn't!! Why not just say YOU LOST??

Not entirely true. IIRC, WABB rented a Hummer of their own after Hot 104's started getting some remote event notoriety--so there's that.

 

[Poledo]

Not entirely true. IIRC, WABB rented a Hummer of their own after Hot 104's started getting some remote event notoriety--so there's that.

That Hummer thing is tricky, they did that in a year that you could write off the cost of vehicles that weighed over a certain amount. Hummers qualified, 1/2 and 3/4 ton pickups, most vans, and normal SUVs were not heavy enough. WABB made a smart choice to buy/lease that Hummer. Heck, I was about to buy one back then too. Now I'm glad I didn't... can't give those things away now.

It's all about the Benjamins taxes.

 

[Dr voicetrack]

Hot 104 came out of the gate with a very vanilla approach. Didn't gain any traction. Then changed up the music and approach. Started gaining momentum. WABB then fired their consultant and made all kinds of staff moves, and changed up their music a few months later. Bought a hummer only because Hot 104 had one. Problem was...listeners saw what was happening because it was that obvious. That's reality. Blah blah is in denial or only knows what was told to them while they were hanging banners. The pros in this town know the real situation. Go look up old books. There were plenty of instances were Hot was beating ABB in different demos/dayparts.

 

[macab4490]

Everyone here knows Hot 104 lost to WABB.

Most people here know the next Top-40/CHR station to test the waters will loose to WABB.

What wouldn't be surprising (to me) would be to see big corporate radio purchase WABB and change the format on 97.5... That'll be a sad day.

Pshh, yeah right. Like who would buy them? Cumulus?

 

[Nate Wesley]

Everyone here knows Hot 104 lost to WABB.

Most people here know the next Top-40/CHR station to test the waters will loose to WABB.

What wouldn't be surprising (to me) would be to see big corporate radio purchase WABB and change the format on 97.5... That'll be a sad day.

Pshh, yeah right. Like who would buy them? Cumulus?

It's not impossible, mcab4490. Four of the Mobile-targeted commercial FMs have localized owners that aren't large public corporations: Dot Com Plus' 92.1/105.5 duo, Bigler Broadcasting's FM Talk 106.5--and of course, the 100kw WABB @ 97.5.

It might not be feasible/possible for Cumulus or Clear Channel to buy WABB, but I could definitely see a smaller company like Townsquare Media coming in and getting some operators to 'cash out'. I think 97.5 will someday have ownership outside of the Dittman family.