Speaking of SoJO 104.9...

[Soon Yi CIV.V]

Does anyone here know anyone who is involved with the station? What geographic areas are they concentrating on nowadays? And how do they perform? Are they now aiming for Atlantic City/Cape May? Because if so, they're up against "heritage" Hot AC WAYV--and while I think WAYV is just about the worst a station can be, it's almost as tough to break listener habits in Atlantic City as it is here in Philly.

I think SoJO is an awesome station. I have for a long time wished a Philly station would sound like that. I would like to see 97.5 actually take a hipper approach (instead of just saying they do) and sound more like 104.9. (Either that, or I'd actually like them to take a softer approach but it might be asking a lot for them to compete with both B101 and WOGL!)

Anyway, my question--and I do have one--is whether anyone knows if Millennium is happy with SoJO 104.9. Is it actually in danger of being changed?

 

[eyg2181]

sojo has local signal strenght in a good chunk of the philly area. it goes more than half way up bucks county before starting to fade

 

[Soon Yi CIV.V]

oh, i know their signal is incredible. when i asked what geographic areas they're concentrating on, i meant where are they trying to compete? i know they launched with an rather interesting idea of competing in the burbs (burlington, camden, and gloucester counties for instance) but i think they since abandoned that. well actually i'm not sure whether they abandoned it or not. judging by their promotions and stuff, i get the impression they're now trying to compete in the atlantic city/cape may market.

 

[imhomerjay]

Agree with enjoying SoJo--I like their sound a great deal. I actually think it's funny close to half my car-radio presets are from non-Philly proper stations, like SoJo, Y102, WLEV, WJBR....a benefit of being in an area where I can pick up so many stations.

 

[rch66]

oh, i know their signal is incredible. when i asked what geographic areas they're concentrating on, i meant where are they trying to compete? i know they launched with an rather interesting idea of competing in the burbs (burlington, camden, and gloucester counties for instance) but i think they since abandoned that. well actually i'm not sure whether they abandoned it or not. judging by their promotions and stuff, i get the impression they're now trying to compete in the atlantic city/cape may market.

I haven't really paid that much attention lately, but I don't know how they could abandon Burlington/Camden/Gloucester.
According to their website:

On-Air Line: (800) 586-1049
Office Number: (609) 771-8181
Fax Number: (609) 771-0581
Sales Number: (856) 642-4050
Sales Fax: (856) 642-4051

Address:
SoJO 104.9 FM
East Gate Center
309 Fellowship Road • Suite 200
Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054

They have their sales office in Mt.Laurel, and have (856) numbers.

I bet their focus is Camden, Burlington, Gloucester and Atlantic counties (and I guess you could throw in Cape May, Cumberland, Salem and Southern Ocean too)...and maybe even up to Trenton - but classifying Trenton as South Jersey maybe pushing it though North Jersey people would easily see it so, but pretty much along the A.C. Line, RiverLine, PATCO, Rt. 55 routes, I-295 Bordentown and south.

 

[rch66]

Correction to the above post.

I don't think SoJo is so strong/relevant along the RiverLine/Route 130 communities.
As far as Burlington County, they probably have listenership in Maple Shade, Moorestown, Mt.Laurel, Marlton and Medford and maybe some of the Pine Barren communities, but
not so much in the more blue collar west and central side of Burlington Co:
Cinnaminson, Delran, Delanco, Florence, Burlington City, Burlington Twp., Bordentown, Willingboro, Vincentown, Lumberton, Eastampton, Westampton, Mt.Holly, Pemberton
I think in the latter towns/communities, WPST is more relevant, and that funky dance station from Burlington County college Z88.9, and regarding traffic, SoJo doesn't cover Mercer county well, even though a good share of folk live in those towns to commute to Trenton, Princeton or Plainsboro.

So maybe focus counties would be Camden, Gloucester, Atlantic, Cumberland and only Southern Burlington County, and then Cape May, S.Ocean, N. Burlington, Salem are peripheral bonuses.

I think SoJo's ideal listener is one that lives in Hammonton and commutes to Mt.Laurel, or lives in Vineland to commute to Deptford, but
not necessarily one that lives in Mt.Laurel to commute to Plymouth Meeting, PA, or one that lives in Somers Point and works in Pleasantville.

 

[NJ VET]

SOJO targets the 8 counties of South Jersey: Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, Salem and S. Ocean. Station news reports-traffic updates-charity events-on site promotions, etc are pretty well evenly spread around the region. I agree with many of the posts above. I think the music is right on target for a Hot AC and they are a nice sounding station in between the music as well. The station is rated in AC (diary), Monmouth-Ocean (diary) and Philly (PPM). Total weekly audience numbers are now around 225,000 - audience size was a little over 50,000 when Millennium purchased the station. Advertisers seem to be spread around the region too. Today alone I heard a Turnersville auto dealer, an AC Casino, the Burlington Center Mall, a Marlton plastic surgeon and the Chamber of Commerce of Cape May...just to name a few. There really never has been a true 8 county "South Jersey" station - and the bridges to the beach angle is pretty smart I think. Anyone in that area will tell you the traffic on the roads is brutal - especially in summer. They probably price their commercials right and the talent sticks around, so they must take care of them too. I'd say it's a safe bet that SOJO isn't changing or going anywhere anytime soon...

 

[Soon Yi CIV.V]

Thanks for the info! I remember, geez, I guess it was the '90s when they were doing a Tropical format of some sort(?), I would drive around thinking Wow! This thing reaches everywhere! And I'd wish it had a more mass-appeal format on it.

Now that it does--and it really is one of my favorite stations, musically speaking--I wish they'd turn off the HD. Irony: The signal still gets everywhere...but it seems to it poorly...so the HD is constantly locking and unlocking. That is very fatiguing!

Hope they can keep SoJO going for a very long time--but without the HD.