Source: Merlin To Flip WRXP To News/Talk

[TheBigA]

Somebody's been there and done that in NYC! Remember Blink 102.7? If you blinked, you missed it!

I think Blink was a great idea, done badly, and was hurt by the fact that it replaced WNEW-FM.

Had it replaced WFME, it might have had a better chance.

If Randy Michaels does a Blink-like format, replacing a format that doesn't engender a lot of passion, using well known female hosts, like the letters I mentioned, he could do well.

 

[Kent]

Didn't the FCC force stations to have separate programming on their AM and FM stations years ago? I wonder if the stations plan on leaving these simulcasts that way until policy changes again. I'm surprised it's happening on TV particularly, with so many duplicate broadcasts.

The FCC had such a policy in effect in the 70's. It went away at least 25 years ago after AM ceased to be viable on its own for the vast majority of stations.

 

[DToTheJ]

It's a failed format. It's failed everywhere... 4 stations that were at one time doing a "Talk Radio for Women" format. I'm sure there were others.

All low power AMs. It didn't matter what format they did. They were going to fail. Period...

Meanwhile, not for nothing, but that FM station geared at women in Minneapolis is doing pretty good.

 

[FightingIrish]

It's a failed format. It's failed everywhere... 4 stations that were at one time doing a "Talk Radio for Women" format. I'm sure there were others.

All low power AMs. It didn't matter what format they did. They were going to fail. Period...

Meanwhile, not for nothing, but that FM station geared at women in Minneapolis is doing pretty good.

I was going to bring that one up. KTMY has been doing the format for about a decade or so, with lots of local talkers, including Ian Punnett, the guy who does Coast To Coast on the weekends. Gets so-so ratings (2.0 share overall average -- us peons don't have access to the breakdowns). I assume they're making some money, though. Either that, or Hubbard is obsessed with the format.

 

[ansky212]

I tuned in to NJ 101.5 for a minute yesterday. The topic of discussion was whether or not the state of NJ should sell advertising on state vehicles. Now there's some riveting talk radio :

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

Not saying that 101.9 will end up a clone of NJ 101.5, but...Walter Sabo is one of Randy's first hires for Merlin.

My gut tells me that a straight-ahead local news/talk station with a 24/7 (yes) schedule is Randy's move in August. The local talk hole in NYC is big enough to drive a truck through.

 

[disney fanatic]

I hope that this station will be another WKIP-FM at 99.3 in Ellenville and WGY-FM at 103.1 in Albany. I hope they should compete with the two well known AM stations like WABC and WOR. We shall see!

 

[xmradiopro]

your suggesting for a station like WABC-FM or WOR-FM ?

I hope that this station will be another WKIP-FM at 99.3 in Ellenville and WGY-FM at 103.1 in Albany. I hope they should compete with the two well known AM stations like WABC and WOR. We shall see!

 

[disney fanatic]

your suggesting for a station like WABC-FM or WOR-FM ?

That's a good idea, why not put WABC-FM on 95.5 and drop the WPLJ calls. WABC used to be an FM station in New York City back in the 60's before it became WPLJ as "New York's Best Rock" in the 70's.

 

[Rusty Muck]

These are 4 station that were at one time doing a "Talk Radio for Women" format. I'm sure there were others.

All low power AMs. It didn't matter what format they did. They were going to fail. Period. Especially if they ran the ill-fated, short-lived syndicated talk network aimed at women.

Don't use those stations as an indication of anything, expect low power AMs running weak syndicated talk are destined to fail.

The station in Baltimore, WVIE/1370, is hardly low-power. 50,000 watts day and 24,000 watts night... ;D

WVIE's problem has always been running as the red-headed step child to news/talk WCBM/680 - to wit, the station is flipping from sports talk to the TRN-supplied "America's Radio News" conservanews format next week.

 

[Rusty Muck]

As several others have mentioned, AM is almost dead, and it probably will be gone in most of our lifetimes.

There are certainly select markets where the move to FM talk has really taken off. This will probably never happen in NYC, but in my hometown of Birmingham there are three FM talkers now and one FM sports station. That's four music formats (Hot AC, AAA, AC and Active/Modern Rock) taken off for talk. Other than AAA, those aren't exactly niche formats.

Useless trivia time… These are big signals: a C2, a C1 and two C0's, although two are out of market rimshots. Three of the four have market-heritage calls (WAPI, WERC, WYDE) but only one (WYDE) runs stereo. Three of them run HD (not WAPI). The sports station (WJOX) runs mono with HD and no subchannels which seems like a waste of electricity considering the market's challenging terrain, which renders all HD signals useless.

Birmingham is also a front runner in something that I think will keep the AM dial alive for a wee bit longer, that will have little effect on the NYC dial: AM-to-FM translator pairings. The market has had up to 4 AM simulcasts on FM translators at the same time. So while the market lost four music formats to talk, it gained four music formats on FM (Neo Soul, Active Rock, Rhythmic Oldies, Gospel).

And, the former WERC-AM went from talk... to the same active rock format that was displaced to form WERC-FM! (It has since flipped back to simulcasting WERC-FM.)

 

[radioguy39nj]

Not saying that 101.9 will end up a clone of NJ 101.5, but...Walter Sabo is one of Randy's first hires for Merlin.

My gut tells me that a straight-ahead local news/talk station with a 24/7 (yes) schedule is Randy's move in August. The local talk hole in NYC is big enough to drive a truck through.

New York has two talk stations, WABC and WOR that don't talk to metro NY! Local news/talk on 101.9 that entertains and informs will strongly impact WABC and WOR. One could even get forced out of the talk format.

24/7 local news/talk a la WGN and KGO, is a great fit for NY, but does Merlin have the $$$$ to do it? News/Talk is an expensive format to do 24/7 local, even more so in NY.

 

[TheBigA]

Local news/talk on 101.9 that entertains and informs will strongly impact WABC and WOR. One could even get forced out of the talk format.

And go to what format? Both stations have their audiences and fan bases for the shows they do. Their audiences are old and set in their ways. They will stay with those stations until the day they die. This new station is more likely to take audiences away from music stations. If it's done well, it will take audiences away from WBLS or WLTW.

 

[davideduardo]

24/7 local news/talk a la WGN and KGO, is a great fit for NY,

It's a great fit if you want to be sure not to get into the top 20 in 25-54, as is the usual case for the two stations mentioned.

 

[radioguy39nj]

24/7 local news/talk a la WGN and KGO, is a great fit for NY,

It's a great fit if you want to be sure not to get into the top 20 in 25-54, as is the usual case for the two stations mentioned.

Actually, my point was about the expense of doing 24/7 local talk in NY. KGO and WGN might not be getting 25-54 listeners but they are 24/7 live/local, which is an expensive format anywhere you do it, even more so in NY. Does Merlin have the $$$ to do 24/7 local news/talk in NY?

News/Talk on 101.9 will have to be different than what has been offered on WABC and WOR (or KGO and WGN) to get that coveted 25-54 listener.

 

[TheBigA]

Actually, my point was about the expense of doing 24/7 local talk in NY.

You're right about that, and what makes it even more expensive is that it will operate as a single station, not as part of a cluster. I imagine they will keep their studio and office in the Emmis facility, and share some services like engineering. But operating a single station in the #1 market will be extremely expensive, regardless of format. It's been my experience that the expense will be a function of the partners they make. There are ways to do things that share cost and expense. Those deals will be crucial in making this a cost-effective operation.

 

[tomservo]

So what will the station's positioning be to fight against the entrenched AM news stations? I like “when it comes to news, 1010 loses, 1011 wins!”

But that's just me.

 

[radioguy39nj]

"We're talkin' to you, New York! FM News Talk 101.9" That would distinguish the new station from mostly syndicated WOR and WABC and let listeners know that 101.9 is talking to them.

 

[WNTIRadio]

Don't think you want to say "101.9 wins!" since there is 1010 WINS already in the market...

 

[stationless listener]

Don't think you want to say "101.9 wins!" since there is 1010 WINS already in the market...

How about "101.9 winning!", then?