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Taking bets on how long FREE-FM can last

W

Walter Graff

The book is out and FREE continues to drop to near single digit numbers. Yet another lesson for terrestrial radio that it is completely out of touch with reality. How much longer can the torture last?

Some of these radio folks ought to spend the day listening to radio programs from 20 years ago and learn how to program radio for people. Then again the radio industry's death is a symptom of the music industry. To think they actually think "HD radio" is a solution. Yea, now instead of one bad station you can listen to five.
 
With the bad ratings, a new CBS Radio VP, and a climate against hot talk.. a flip will happen sometime this year. What should they switch to?
 
Jay F said:
With the bad ratings, a new CBS Radio VP, and a climate against hot talk.. a flip will happen sometime this year. What should they switch to?
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Here's a forward thinking thought that could never be part of the decision making in todays corporate radio industry, not "what format" but a more broader stroke of "formats" that includes a number of different programming choices that play and evolve depending on the day and time. Sort of like how TV plays talk shows in the daytime, dramas at night, sports on the weekend. Scary huh!!!
 
the format itself is fine, its the imagine that sucks. Free-FM should tweek its imaging from surburban frat boy, to urban and suburban hip-hop. They should cut O&A and their contract, they should put DJ star on morning and Nik Carter on afternoons.

The people who want suburban frat-boy humor already bought sirius/xm, if CBS is offering a free product they should tailor it to those who'd be using it.
 
....they should put DJ star on morning ...
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Really bizarre that anyone would advocate hiring someone that asked his audience to help him find and sexually assault a child.

Lino
 
LinoNYC said:
Really bizarre that anyone would advocate hiring someone that asked his audience to help him find and sexually assault a child.
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The guy had great ratings. He made a mistake, and paid for it. His case was thrown out of the courts. Howard Stern did far worse during his tenure, and if history has taught us on e thing, its that ratings sell.
 
His case was thrown out of the courts
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Wrong.

Charges were dropped after Torain agreed to perform three days of "Community service" and promised to stay away from the child in question, "Star" regardless of ratings, had childish bad judgement and does not belong anywhere near a live mic.

.. Howard Stern did far worse during his tenure, and if history has taught us on e thing, its that ratings sell.
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I agree, to an extent. Stern was simply scum, hiding behind "free speech" and viciously attacking anyone that criticized him.

As for the ratings point, remember that indecency fines are now 340K per offense, Stern saw this and knew that it would cut his lucrative syndication deals (his affiliates were already slowly leaving) and headed for a desparate new medium that was willing to be taken by his over-the-hill act.


-Lino
 
As much as towerbuzz and I had hoped for Free to adopt our New Age Christian Country concept I don't think that, or anything radical will replace this trainwreck. Wouldn't it just be a bit easier to keep O&A in mornings and move JV & Elvis to afternoons, with alternative rock surrounding it? In the current format nobody is buying into this concept, but if you add the music that the demo requires this could be a hit.
 
UncleBozzle said:
As much as towerbuzz and I had hoped for Free to adopt our New Age Christian Country concept I don't think that, or anything radical will replace this trainwreck. Wouldn't it just be a bit easier to keep O&A in mornings and move JV & Elvis to afternoons, with alternative rock surrounding it? In the current format nobody is buying into this concept, but if you add the music that the demo requires this could be a hit.
Click to expand...


That would be a great idea but one they couldn't grasp. These folks all want a hit. They want stations that garnish huge numbers. That's what history tells them a great radio station is. Problem is I don't think such a thing exists anymore. Instead of creating something new, the whole idea of FREE FM was nothing but a reaction to Howard Stern leaving, not forward thinking about creating a viable station based on a solid idea. It was going to be free, not something you had to pay for, like you would if you 'now' wanted to hear Stern. Only problem was that Stern was part of the old-time big numbers radio that simply doesn't exist anymore. So when he left, nothing was going to replace his numbers. What you propose is what I think radio needs to be now, multi-format, talk at what time talk works, music (and even different types of music depending on the day) at other times. But old school thinking and the way the system works can't have such a mix, only the old, single minded, out of date term they call a format.
 
Walter Graff said:
UncleBozzle said:
As much as towerbuzz and I had hoped for Free to adopt our New Age Christian Country concept I don't think that, or anything radical will replace this trainwreck. Wouldn't it just be a bit easier to keep O&A in mornings and move JV & Elvis to afternoons, with alternative rock surrounding it? In the current format nobody is buying into this concept, but if you add the music that the demo requires this could be a hit.
Click to expand...


That would be a great idea but one they couldn't grasp. These folks all want a hit. They want stations that garnish huge numbers. That's what history tells them a great radio station is. Problem is I don't think such a thing exists anymore. Instead of creating something new, the whole idea of FREE FM was nothing but a reaction to Howard Stern leaving, not forward thinking about creating a viable station based on a solid idea. It was going to be free, not something you had to pay for, like you would if you 'now' wanted to hear Stern. Only problem was that Stern was part of the old-time big numbers radio that simply doesn't exist anymore. So when he left, nothing was going to replace his numbers. What you propose is what I think radio needs to be now, multi-format, talk at what time talk works, music (and even different types of music depending on the day) at other times. But old school thinking and the way the system works can't have such a mix, only the old, single minded, out of date term they call a format.
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A format of talk and music can work. It has not been given the full chance. WFNY can move from talk to talk/rock. Can it work? not sure, what the hel give it a try. O & A do morning drive( and you back them). You move The Dog House to Afternoon drive( and again you back them). Music for all the other hours in the day time slot. I think you need to keep Ron and Fez. And to tell you the truth you can do talk all night after 12.
 
You guys got it 100% Mix rock music in and I think it might get better numbers.. I feel sorry for Nick D. becuse he one hilarious guy! But the way the station is going so far needs an overhaul.. would they do this to the FREE FM's in other markets or just NYC?

X
 
My bad about Ron and Fez as they would fit nicely on this station. They would be better in the overnight though, much as they were when originally on WNEW. I am not an expert but I think it would be a heck of an easy fix to utilize this method. Get rid of the name, change the imagining and website, and you are good to go.
 
deadman said:
I wouldn't be surprised if you see WBCN's Toucher and Rich come to WFNY soon...
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Have you seen WBCN's numbers? check allaccess for the proof. Their ratings are the lowest that they have been in years. In short Toucher and Rich are not doing anything in Boston, they're not going to NYC anytime that even resembles soon.
 
LinoNYC said:
His case was thrown out of the courts
Click to expand...

Wrong.

Charges were dropped after Torain agreed to perform three days of "Community service" and promised to stay away from the child in question, "Star" regardless of ratings, had childish bad judgement and does not belong anywhere near a live mic.

.. Howard Stern did far worse during his tenure, and if history has taught us on e thing, its that ratings sell.
Click to expand...

I agree, to an extent. Stern was simply scum, hiding behind "free speech" and viciously attacking anyone that criticized him.

As for the ratings point, remember that indecency fines are now 340K per offense, Stern saw this and knew that it would cut his lucrative syndication deals (his affiliates were already slowly leaving) and headed for a desparate new medium that was willing to be taken by his over-the-hill act.


-Lino


[/quote

Arent you the same one who was beating the free speech drum for Imus? free speech goes both ways, so if Imus can make racially tinged statements, Star can do what he did. The answer? they were both wrong, and freedom of speech had nothing to do with either case. Say what you will abouT Star but he's a phenom, ad while he is currently exiled to XM part time work, his numbers on Hot and Power spoke for themselves. I dont see him coming back anytime soon, especially ot to FNy who are currently trying to avoid firing the doghouse for their recent transgressions, but Star is a talent in his own right. You cant scream freedom of speech becuase you like the guy (Imus) but claim the opposite because you disagreed with what someone else (Star) said using the same freedom of speech Lion.
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Arent you the same one who was beating the free speech drum for Imus?
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Either you or the software messed-up your post so I don't know if you are intending to respond to my remarks.

Aside from poor reading comprehension, I don't know how you'ld draw the conclusion that I'am, or would defend Imus, Stern or "star".

Say what you will abouT Star but he's a phenom, ad while he is currently exiled to XM part time work, his numbers on Hot and Power spoke for themselve
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Say what you will about any of them, "star", to my knowledge was the first to threaten rape of a child over the air, and ask his audience to help.

It doesn't matter how much of a "phenom" he was, he should'nt and likely won't be back on the air in New York ever again.

I'am not going to spend more foolish time on this. I'll give you a link to an article that summs it up well.

http://mokellyreport.blogspot.com/2006/05/forgiveness-for-star-yesbut-no-job.html
 
deadman said:
I wouldn't be surprised if you see WBCN's Toucher and Rich come to WFNY soon...
Click to expand...

Yeah, because they sound so different from everyone else and are setting the Boston ratings ablaze.
 
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