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The All New Power 108 Jams!

B

blazinjonb

The all New Power 108 Jams Central Pa’s New Hit Music Station will conduct a live 2 hour test of its 128k audio stream this Wednesday from 7pm – 9pm.

This is the 1st of 2 stations developed.

The 2nd stations stream will test in a couple of weeks and both stations are scheduled to stream live 24/7 sometime in May.

Please feel free to listen, comment, ask questions & compare it to similar formatted stations in the targeted markets. I will respond back.

The link to the stream is below. Go to the stream 15 minutes early to hear some interesting pre format audio.


http://www.power108jams.com/
 
Why do all these new fangled FM stations call themselves "jams, lazors, frogs, powers," etc. Why can't a station just use four (4) call letters starting, of course, with a W pronounced "double u". That way you know who you are listening to. What in the hell is a "lazor"? That doesn't tell me anything. KDKA has been good enough to last since the 1920's with those famous reliable call letters. Tell me if I am wrong.
 
three towers said:
Why do all these new fangled FM stations call themselves "jams, lazors, frogs, powers," etc. Why can't a station just use four (4) call letters starting, of course, with a W pronounced "double u". That way you know who you are listening to. What in the hell is a "lazor"? That doesn't tell me anything. KDKA has been good enough to last since the 1920's with those famous reliable call letters. Tell me if I am wrong.
Click to expand...

OK... you are wrong. It's all about marketing and positioning and giving yourself and your station an "identity". Some words are targeted to get a response from certain audiences... preferrably the audience you want. Just like "Mix" or "HOT" helps to identify the format. With so many call letters out there it's hard to get them recognized and better yet remembered when it matters. Prime example... FROG stations; Like them or not....(and a lot of programmers are in the "Not" category)...it works. You can listen to the station and remember the names of the jocks INSTANTLY because they are EASY to remember. Having a "ribbit" between songs lets you know INSTANTLY that it is a "FROG" station. Corny? yes... memorable...ABSOLUTELY. If it works... then why not?
KDKA has been established for years and has had it' s identity with it's call letters. The call letters are different because it's the only station East of the Mississippi with call letters starting with "K". That in itself keeps them "different" and helps them to stand out for YEARS in the Pittsburgh market. Being the Grandfather of ALL radio stations is also a help. Try to remember all the other "Dubya" stations in that market.... I doubt you could name more than 3 with the call letters.
 
Why put a "ribbit" between songs? Makes no sense to me. How about a super jingle that sings "you're in the middle of a twin spin, twin spin, twin spin (echo). Now...that's when radio was radio. And if you can't remember 4 call letters, you have a serious memory problem.
 
Am I losing something in the translation here? Is this internet-only radio we're talking about?

The "108" implies FM, and ordinarily it implies 107.9 on the old FM dial. Around this neck of the woods isn't that Educational Media Foundation's K-Love Christian Contemp thing? Are they chucking God for Power Jams?

Well, at least they waited til after Easter...
 
Jon-

I've been listening to a bit of it and while I'm not a fan of the newer top 40 music, I think the presentation, audio quality, and the station overall sounds fantastic. I will let you know that I do have a thing for the Pussycat Dolls so I commend you for playing that tune. They have both the looks and the talent and I do enjoy their music.

The imaging sounds good. It's awesome to hear it sound like a "normal" radio station as opposed to random songs streaming. Some internet stations sounds no different than my ipod. In fact some are so much worse than my ipod.

Internet streaming is the future of radio and I know that at some point that's also how we will listen to radio in the car. Depending on the cell networks where we live, some already are able to do that.

I think it's great that you are spending the time and effort to get this thing rolling. I'll look forward to the official launch.
 
Hi Mock3 –

Thanks for taking the time to listen. You are correct it not like 99% of the internet based radio stations and sounds as well as any terrestrial top 40 station streaming live.

I spent a considerable amount of time into research to make sure this approach would be a viable marketing option for businesses before creating the concept, investing the money, detail and programming it required to make it a reality.

My plan is to gain listeners 1 person at a time. Listeners will find it’s more diverse, has good music rotations with less repetitiveness and solid creative imaging elements.

I have complete confidence that the goals I’ve established will be reached with the marketing & promotions I’ve designed for the Power108jams when it's launched.

That's 1 down stay tuned for more to follow;D
 
And if you can't remember 4 call letters, you have a serious memory problem.
[/quote]

Not saying I have a memory problem but you have to consider the listener. If you are relying on the listeners memory to get ratings then you are DOOMED. You have to STAND OUT and make it memorable. Radio is a passive habit. The average listener is using it as backdrop and is only listening passivley. Yes, they will tune in a little more attentively if they hear something they like... as in a great song .... but to expect them to remember the call letters in a jingle while listening passivly is futile. They dont even remember the lyrics let alone some of the artists of the music you are playing. I agree that GREAT imaging is a plus as in a catchy jingle. But to dismiss a "ribbit" or a "howl" as in a wolf or ANYTHING ELSE that can be squeezed into the flow of music to identify the station is wrong. If it works then by all means USE IT. If corny is memorable and generates numbers and more importantly REVENUE... then go for it. If you want to be Blah.... and reluctant to creativity and change....then you reap what you sow. Creativity is the key here... the more creative you are the more likely the listener will remember what they are listening to. If you want to sound like everyone else then you will get lost in the shuffle. It's not the good looking guy that stands out in a crowd....it's the freaks!.
 
You just have to mention the calls continuously--just like you would any other name.

There are many top station that use only the calls. Here are 3:
KDWB - Top 40 in Minneapolis
WTOP - News in DC
WPLJ - Hot AC in NYC
 
mock3 said:
You just have to mention the calls continuously--just like you would any other name.

There are many top station that use only the calls. Here are 3:
KDWB - Top 40 in Minneapolis
WTOP - News in DC
WPLJ - Hot AC in NYC
Click to expand...
WPLJ is a POWERHOUSE in NYC with Scott Shannon being their main man if I am correct. With a presence like that you should only need the call letters because it has PRESENCE. The obvious key is to be visible and present that image as much as possible as these stations do. I am amazed at how many stations there are (in MANY markets) that STILL fail to mention, or in some way identify the station every time the mic is open. With satellite feeds this can be a huge problem if the imaging isn't top notch. This is basic radio 101 and some still fail the basics. Mock is ON SPOT because the key is CONTINUOUS MENTIONS. Anything else that helps to identify the station is just icing on the cake.
 
Take it from me, an older broadcaster. This "internet thing" is going to blow over. Same thing for FM and DH radio. AM will eventually reign again! Everything old is new again.
 
three towers said:
Take it from me, an older broadcaster. This "internet thing" is going to blow over. Same thing for FM and DH radio. AM will eventually reign again! Everything old is new again.
Click to expand...

ummmm yeaaaaa. whatever you say.
 
I feel the need to jump in here:
"Just like "Mix" or "HOT" helps to identify the format."

Only to radio people. In Washington DC, "Hot 995" is CHR. In NYC, "Hot 97" is Urban. Same with some Mix stations being AC, some being Hot AC, others Urban AC.....


"With so many call letters out there it's hard to get them recognized and better yet remembered when it matters."

I agree slightly, "HOT" might be easier to remember than "WIHT", but if you launch a brand new format, brand new radio station, NO ONE knows who you are or what you do. When HOT 995 launched in early 2001, no one knew what it was. They could have 'branded' themselves as "995 W-I-H-T", and 8 years later, everyone in DC would know that "WIHT" is where you went for hit music!
If you use simply the freq/calls, you'd need to pound them into people's heads just like you would if you called the station "Star" or "Hot".
Let's take the examples listed:
KDWB - Top 40 in Minneapolis

OK, those stations use only call letters (or frequency as well), but it's just like the poster said:
"You just have to mention the calls continuously--just like you would any other name."

In the Twin Cities, people turn on KDWB and KNOW they are gonna hear the big songs of the moment, because KDWB IS their brand. They could be "Hot 101.3", but they'd have had to an establish an identity using that name, just as they had to establish one as KDWB.

If a station launches tomorrow and calls themselves "Star", Jane Doe average listener has NO idea what they are or what they do. But after she listens for awhile, she knows what she'll get when she turns there. It wouldn't matter if they called it "Star" or WSTR (I know thats in Atlanta, I'm just using a set of calls as an example)

My point (which I probably took way more sentences than I needed to make, but everyone is still asleep in the house and I'm bored) is, you have to establish an identity for yourself, no matter if you chose to name it, or simply use call letters.
 
rubberchicken said:
I feel the need to jump in here:
"Just like "Mix" or "HOT" helps to identify the format."

Only to radio people. In Washington DC, "Hot 995" is CHR. In NYC, "Hot 97" is Urban. Same with some Mix stations being AC, some being Hot AC, others Urban AC.....


"With so many call letters out there it's hard to get them recognized and better yet remembered when it matters."

I agree slightly, "HOT" might be easier to remember than "WIHT", but if you launch a brand new format, brand new radio station, NO ONE knows who you are or what you do. When HOT 995 launched in early 2001, no one knew what it was. They could have 'branded' themselves as "995 W-I-H-T", and 8 years later, everyone in DC would know that "WIHT" is where you went for hit music!
If you use simply the freq/calls, you'd need to pound them into people's heads just like you would if you called the station "Star" or "Hot".
Let's take the examples listed:
KDWB - Top 40 in Minneapolis

OK, those stations use only call letters (or frequency as well), but it's just like the poster said:
"You just have to mention the calls continuously--just like you would any other name."

In the Twin Cities, people turn on KDWB and KNOW they are gonna hear the big songs of the moment, because KDWB IS their brand. They could be "Hot 101.3", but they'd have had to an establish an identity using that name, just as they had to establish one as KDWB.

If a station launches tomorrow and calls themselves "Star", Jane Doe average listener has NO idea what they are or what they do. But after she listens for awhile, she knows what she'll get when she turns there. It wouldn't matter if they called it "Star" or WSTR (I know thats in Atlanta, I'm just using a set of calls as an example)

My point (which I probably took way more sentences than I needed to make, but everyone is still asleep in the house and I'm bored) is, you have to establish an identity for yourself, no matter if you chose to name it, or simply use call letters.
Click to expand...
I Agree ...No argument here....Lots of good points. YES you HAVE to establish an identity.
 
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