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The aftereffects of WFMX's move.

R

RobynWattsV2.0

Now that the dust is starting to clear of WFMX's move to the Triad, do you think another area station would go after the area's Country audience that was left behind? Specifically the ones that didn't listen to the Charlotte or Triad Country stations, but listened to WFMX? Would WKBC take advantage of WFMX's exit out of the area and flip to Country?

Discuss.

Robyn
 
GREAT point Robyn. Was wondering who if anyone would try to fill the void. Also if there was any noncompete clauses that would keep air talent or sales staff from working for someone else in the area even thought FMX is now in "another market." As much as I am on the road I don't get to listen to radio much in this area.
 
I think a logical candidate for a flip to Country would be WTHZ 94.1. They cover similar areas to WFMX and the station is not currently a ratings player with their Hot AC format. They could easily pick up WFMX's former listeners and advertisers. Wonder if the Hiltons have considered this? The station has a strong signal, but doesn't cover the Alamance area. I agree with XTalker that there will always be listeners that just won't tune in to WTQR for whatever reason. Plus, WTQR's morning show continues to decline and I think it's dragging the station down with it. They're vulnerable and if someone could offer a better morning show, I think they could make some headway against WTQR. They just aren't what they used to be.
 
Robyn, great thread and something I alluded to in one of the other half-dozen WFMX "stuff" threads. I wished that something similar to what happened to WNGC(95.5-Athens GA) several years back, could've happened to WFMX. That is, WFMX could've just "moved" to another frequency serving NW North Carolina, and the two possibilites could be Hitz 94 or WKBC. If you remember, WNGC is a heritage North Georgia station but not in a major market. Before 95.5 became "The Beat" and moved to Atlanta, WNGC was preparing a seamless move to 106.1 licensed to nearby Toccoa.
And today, North Georgia's heritage country station is still alive and well though on a different frequency from where it began.

I had to travel from Morganton to Greensboro yesterday, and decided to swing by 1117 Radio Rd in Statesville(I wish I'd had my camera) just to pay homage, I guess. I noticed something interesting about their sign out front. It's a two-sided sign--facing both directions of Radio Rd. One side has the WFMX logo on a top section and WSIC on the bottom...the opposite side of this sign has the sections reversed. And while I didn't get out of my car to closely inspect, it appears the whole sign is one piece of wood. What I'm getting it is that when they change the sign, they won't be able to just saw the sign in half, because one side will have WSIC and the opposite side will have WFMX.
I also noticed a large pickup in the back with the WFMX logo, and of course the standby-FM bays on the WSIC tower.
It was a lonely-looking sight.
 
The FMX problem stems from the ever expanding large metro areas. Stations with signals located and designed to serve the smaller towns will never be able to compete in the metros. I know, there are some older move-ins (like KRR) that succeeded. but times were different when they moved.

Let's forget the real reason FMX was moved for the sake of this discussion. Let's talk about it's success and lack thereof.

The station was very successful in Statesville and from the Statesville perspective. It was not, however, successful from the Charlotte or Greensboro Metro perspectives. Why? Because of the signal. While it was one of the best signals in the region, it couldn't cover the whole metro of either market. Just as 94.1 suffers because it can't cover Alamance (third largest county in the metro, I believe). ZTK suffers from the same problem. It was designed to be a Burlington station and has signal problems in both the Greensboro and Raleigh markets.

Markets grow in two ways - population increases in the existing definition - and changing the definition.

I recall when Alamance was NOT part of the Greensboro Metro. WTQR was extremely dominent. The stations home to Guilford County petitioned Arbitron to add Alamance - and wham - TQR's share went down! The cume was fine - it was the same size slice of pie - but from a bigger pie!

Stations like WFMX, WHTZ, WZTK, WGBT - the list is lengthy - who are in secondary markets or moved from secondary markets will always suffer in the METRO. If stations didn't try to be bigger than they are (I mean serve areas they can't reach) and concentrated on their realistic coverage, there could be a whole different outcome

Hits 94 is not a bad station. But it will never be a major player in the Greensboro Market because it has no signal in some key areas.

The smart broadcaster will forget the Arbitron market definition and the ratings! Serve and promote to a realistic audience and super serve them! Then, find some sales people who don't know how to spell ratings and turn them loose, knocking on doors! There is a lot of money to be made from local, direct advertisers who only care about results, not ratings!

Be the best damn radio station Lexington, or Statesville, or Burlington, ever had and forget the audience you have little chance of reaching.

I could go on .. but will take a breath and let someone else jump in.
 
And you teach broadcasting as it should be where? No it's not a put down. I couldn't agree with you more. There are people all over this country upset with not having a LOCAL station anymore. I would love to be able to put some of them back and have a group of people just like you on my team.
 
Just so you will know, I spent 40 years as a PD, DJ, News Director, and Talk Show host. Left the business in late 2005! Now work in politics. Love radio!!!!! Would love to see it the way it used to be! Let me know when you start yours - I'm there!!!

You know, none of us ever worried about the money (which generally sucked). We were more concerned about being able to do our thing, be creative, feed the ego, and make friends with the listeners! Too bad that part of radio is burried under the bean counters and lawyers!!!
 
X-Talker, would love to know who you are. You are so correct in most everything you say! I'm amazed at how much you know about the big players in the Greensboro market. I haven't been in the business as long as you, but it's been 22 years, and I can't imagine doing anything else! I can't tell you what I would give to work for someone who thinks like you. At one point, I was convinced you were Howard Nemenz because of your inside perspective. I've always been on the "sales" end of things, which differs from most of the people posting on this board. I now work for one of the secondary stations you mentioned, and it's true, there's money to be made from local direct advertisers who are interested in results. And, I know folks at most of the stations you mentioned and they are experiencing the same thing. It's just really tough to get any of the big $ from the agencies and some of the larger advertisers when you have reps from the big groups waving their rankers around. And, the pool of Mom & Pops is getting smaller all the time thanks to the big box stores. I don't want to sound like an old fart, but radio has really changed. Salesreps working for the big groups are experiencing yearly cuts of their commission rates and I think the way the industry is headed, more and more is going "National" and the "pie" for the salesreps will get smaller and smaller. Triad radio has lost some GREAT people to other industries and I think that trend will continue.
 
CCX said:
X-Talker, would love to know who you are. You are so correct in most everything you say! I'm amazed at how much you know about the big players in the Greensboro market. I haven't been in the business as long as you, but it's been 22 years, and I can't imagine doing anything else! I can't tell you what I would give to work for someone who thinks like you. At one point, I was convinced you were Howard Nemenz because of your inside perspective. I've always been on the "sales" end of things, which differs from most of the people posting on this board. I now work for one of the secondary stations you mentioned, and it's true, there's money to be made from local direct advertisers who are interested in results. And, I know folks at most of the stations you mentioned and they are experiencing the same thing. It's just really tough to get any of the big $ from the agencies and some of the larger advertisers when you have reps from the big groups waving their rankers around. And, the pool of Mom & Pops is getting smaller all the time thanks to the big box stores. I don't want to sound like an old ------, but radio has really changed. Salesreps working for the big groups are experiencing yearly cuts of their commission rates and I think the way the industry is headed, more and more is going "National" and the "pie" for the salesreps will get smaller and smaller. Triad radio has lost some GREAT people to other industries and I think that trend will continue.
Click to expand...

I think it's ironic that CCX wants to know who XTalker is, because of everyone who posts here, I think I've figured out who those two are.

One of the fun things about reading the posts here is trying to figure out who the people are. After that last post by XTalker, I was convinced that my earlier guesses were correct. In fact XTalker, with all the clues you gave you should just go ahead and say who you are.

With XTalker, his screen name was the first clue.

And the same with CCX. While I'm not positive that I know who he is, I'm pretty sure I have figured it out. Again, the screen name was the first clue. But I won't reveal my guesses. Anyone who wants to be anonymous should be allowed to stay that way.

It's just fun to play the guessing game.
 
chchcharlie said:
CCX said:
X-Talker, would love to know who you are. You are so correct in most everything you say! I'm amazed at how much you know about the big players in the Greensboro market. I haven't been in the business as long as you, but it's been 22 years, and I can't imagine doing anything else! I can't tell you what I would give to work for someone who thinks like you. At one point, I was convinced you were Howard Nemenz because of your inside perspective. I've always been on the "sales" end of things, which differs from most of the people posting on this board. I now work for one of the secondary stations you mentioned, and it's true, there's money to be made from local direct advertisers who are interested in results. And, I know folks at most of the stations you mentioned and they are experiencing the same thing. It's just really tough to get any of the big $ from the agencies and some of the larger advertisers when you have reps from the big groups waving their rankers around. And, the pool of Mom & Pops is getting smaller all the time thanks to the big box stores. I don't want to sound like an old ------, but radio has really changed. Salesreps working for the big groups are experiencing yearly cuts of their commission rates and I think the way the industry is headed, more and more is going "National" and the "pie" for the salesreps will get smaller and smaller. Triad radio has lost some GREAT people to other industries and I think that trend will continue.
Click to expand...

I think it's ironic that CCX wants to know who XTalker is, because of everyone who posts here, I think I've figured out who those two are.

One of the fun things about reading the posts here is trying to figure out who the people are. After that last post by XTalker, I was convinced that my earlier guesses were correct. In fact XTalker, with all the clues you gave you should just go ahead and say who you are.

With XTalker, his screen name was the first clue.

And the same with CCX. While I'm not positive that I know who he is, I'm pretty sure I have figured it out. Again, the screen name was the first clue. But I won't reveal my guesses. Anyone who wants to be anonymous should be allowed to stay that way.

It's just fun to play the guessing game.
Click to expand...





wanna cookie????
 
Anyone with a class c could now take TQR down...Toby (Sorry Aunt Eloise) is way over, sounds more like a guy all the time, there's no one there that has any clue of how to fight a format competitor or has the will. Everyone is so busy voice tracking they wouldn't have time or energy for the battle...someone ought to get Nemenz to come back and tear down the station he built into a powerhouse. Wasn't he the one who brought Big Paul in?
 
For contractural reasons, I will never reveal my true identity on this board. I will, however, continue to contributy to threads and pose questions that may make others think. I know a lot about the market and the industry because I have worked in it - and observe. If on pays attention, one can learn a great deal!

I love radio, have always love it, but don't care much for what it has become.

As for the suggestion that WTQR is vulnerable - you may be right, but it would not be a cheap battle!

TOR's audience doesn't much care about who Aunt Eloise is (she is a woman) - they care more about what she says. Now, you are right that she is getting old and tired (voices change with age, don't they) - and maybe its time to retire. Honestly, the morning show hasn't been the same since Big Paul - but that's another thread!

All the research in the market, for years, has shown the TQR listener to be very loyal. Angie Ward is solid as a rock. She is involved in the community, interacts well with her listeners (on and off the air) and is not likely to go anywhere!

A competitor would have to do with something besides the music. A solid, local morning show with good news, weather, and traffic information is a must. Service elements must NOT end at 9AM! Go back to the old days when WTQR dominated the market! Their cume was tremendous! And it wasn't just country music listeners - it was a full service radio station that happened to play country music!

Its like Wal-Mart! Few people will tell you that Wal-Mart is their favorite store - but damn near everybody shops there from time to time. WTQR was not the favorite radio station of every listener in the Metro during that dominant period - but it was probably the second choice of most listeners in the market.

People that liked rock music usually turned TQR on for a daily doese of news, or to check on th weather (not just in the morning). Their morning show has always been informative and entertaining - without the music - so listeners who didn't care for country music put up with it for the other elements.

Problem with WTQR (and radio in general these days) is everyone has become a specialist and there are few full-service stations out there. Everyone's a specialist! Its like having the mall awithout Belk and Sears.
 
CC has trimmed that place back so much a good running, highly visible country station could steal away a lot of TQR's audience....you'r right about the full service aspect and TQR's cume has shrunk almost in half from what it was...
Angie's great but has virtualy no time..it wuld fun watching the few people who actually work on air at TQR try to scurry around to meet the competition. Leadership their is poor at best, everyone has to suck up to corporate so there's no free thinkers and their current morning show is very very average.
Where did the other 7-8 shares of the TQR audience go? to another country station...no! to another format...no! This is eveidence that a "good sounding country station" could pick up a lot of audience that would appear new, but would actually be people who have turned to p-2's or 3's and are just waiting for a fresh new sound.
 
Slogan asks a great question. Where does the listener go when they leave a station?

We have a tendency to think that country listeners will only go to other country stations, but when you look at audience sharing reports you find P2 listeners from a station like WTQR will also tune in to stations like WSJS, WKRR, WMQX, etc. It is less likely that they would tune to WJMH or WQMG, but it could happen.

Only a portion of the total cume of any one station will listen to that station only.

I do think WTQR is vulnerable, but not necessarily from a station that plays country music. A direct attack would be expensive - a staff of personalities, services (news, weather, traffic), marketing money, rolling stock and the staff to keep it on the road, a willingness to be as you say "high profile".

That operation could hurt a lot of stations in the Greensboro metro!
 
slogan said:
CC has trimmed that place back so much a good running, highly visible country station could steal away a lot of TQR's audience....you'r right about the full service aspect and TQR's cume has shrunk almost in half from what it was...
Angie's great but has virtualy no time..it wuld fun watching the few people who actually work on air at TQR try to scurry around to meet the competition. Leadership their is poor at best, everyone has to suck up to corporate so there's no free thinkers and their current morning show is very very average.
Where did the other 7-8 shares of the TQR audience go? to another country station...no! to another format...no! This is eveidence that a "good sounding country station" could pick up a lot of audience that would appear new, but would actually be people who have turned to p-2's or 3's and are just waiting for a fresh new sound.
Click to expand...




How would you attack TQR??? They already pay the hits...which is the most important thing you can do. We can sit here and say pressing th flesh and stopping at Reidsville High School for a 30 min pep rally is "serving the ommunity"...but people still listen to the radio for the music. TQR is out in the community...freeby appearences and remotes...local racetracks and the ______________ County fair or festival. They doa ton with the Victory JUnction Gang. As for the "few people who actually work on air at TQR" line...they are as fully staffed as you'll see. 7-mid is the only daypart that's VTd. Every other voice you hear is in-house. The morning show isn't as good as it was...But it amazes me how people are on here. LAst week it was ..."CC killed years and years of heritage and doesn't care"..."Now it's TQR morning show is tired and needs to go"....So what is it???? Heritage, loylty, old familiar voices that work??? Or a fresh new sound??? And how would you do that? And how would you pay the people?
 
XTalker said:
Slogan asks a great question. Where does the listener go when they leave a station?

We have a tendency to think that country listeners will only go to other country stations, but when you look at audience sharing reports you find P2 listeners from a station like WTQR will also tune in to stations like WSJS, WKRR, WMQX, etc. It is less likely that they would tune to WJMH or WQMG, but it could happen.

Only a portion of the total cume of any one station will listen to that station only.

I do think WTQR is vulnerable, but not necessarily from a station that plays country music. A direct attack would be expensive - a staff of personalities, services (news, weather, traffic), marketing money, rolling stock and the staff to keep it on the road, a willingness to be as you say "high profile".

That operation could hurt a lot of stations in the Greensboro metro!
Click to expand...




I think it's a combination of allllllll those factors. I think the bottom line is simply that people don't listen to the radio as much anymore. BUt you are right on with the flippers. BUzzard and KRR aren't the only radio stations the rock listeners listen to. Rock and country demos mirror each other. Especially in a market that's got a lot of rural population like Greensboro. Then you throw in the pop culture and American Idol type hype machine that spits something out every 15 minutes and you've got a mess. People aren't as pigeonholed as they once were. Your typical 34 year old soccer mom is likely to have Nelly, Nickelback, Fleetwood Mac, and Tim McGraw in her CD case. Same on her pre-sets in the car...

So what does radio do to be successful??? Damn if I know. If I did, I'd be wearing a suit and cashing bigger checks. Do you target a certain demo and then superserve them??? OR do you go wider these days. I think it still comes down to what you are. A RADIO STATION. PLay the right music and hire good jocks and good things usually happen.
 
It is now 33 days since WFMX's longstanding country format left the air. Steve Harvey's show has hit the air in the Triad, and commercial ad sales have begun. Not much else is happening.

In Northwestern NC, life did not end for former WFMX listeners. To be sure, there is lots of anger among them, and a determination that they will never listen to another station that uses "...a Clear-Channel station..." as part of their station ID. The ones around Statesville are holding off until the sale of WSIC becomes official, but they will likely face the static and listen to their NASCAR races in Mocksville and Hickory on 1400.

In Greensboro, the owner of the LPFM at 106.1 finds people who think the station has changed format and call letters to WFMX. Life and listenership goes on at WQMG, with scarcely a notice on the air that there is a challenger vying for their audience.

Otherwise, you mention WFMX to the average person, and their response is "...that country station...", or "...who?"

The market yawns at 105.7.

Later....
Matt Smith
 
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