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The Blitz

Neanderpaul said:
Terrestrial radio...18.5 Billion in profits last year.

As opposed to Satellite....hundred million dollar losses...ten years running.

Nice try though.

22.1 million IPods sold in 3rd quarter 2007, Radio looses more ground, wonder why?
 
The Columbus Dispatch(see below) has WBZX changing to a DIFFERENT format.
They STILL sounds like a Rock format to me.
They were considered a Active Rock station before this chance. Are they Still considered an Active
Rock format now? If not, what kind of Rock format is this? Just plain ROCK?

Also, any word on a new morning show anyone?

http://www.dispatch.com/live/conten...WBZX.ART_ART_04-04-08_D7_D29QUUR.html?sid=101

Columbus Dispatch
RADIO
'Blitz' to change format
Friday, April 4, 2008 3:04 AM
-- Tim Feran

"WBZX (99.7 FM) is gearing up to change formats at 5 p.m. today."

"Program Director Hal Fish would would confirm only that there will be a new format."
 
Allfirdup said:
Neanderpaul said:
Terrestrial radio...18.5 Billion in profits last year.

As opposed to Satellite....hundred million dollar losses...ten years running.

Nice try though.

22.1 million IPods sold in 3rd quarter 2007, Radio looses more ground, wonder why?

92% satisfaction rate. 304 million people in America.

Lowest attrition of any media.

Free. Reliable. Doesn't crash.

Did I mention over 1 billion a month in revenue?

Radio's doing fine. Thanks for asking.

People don't listen to radio for music. Someday people high up the corporate ladder will figure this out.
 
*snore* Hal Fish everyone. One trick pony.


Edit to add: I just don't get how this is a format change. A new moniker, new calls... I can't believe Hal's claim in the Dispatch that a lot of research went into it.
 
Playlist is very similar to a certain consultancy's canned formats on Lazer 103-3 in Des Moines, Lazer 99-3 in Springfield, Mass, 102-9 The Buzz in Nashville (I think this is one of their clients), and the defunct 92-5 The Hog in Fort Myers.
 
People keep talking about how the Blitz is loosing money, that's why the BIG change. I haven't heard anything about the morning show with Mo & Blazer. Are they now canned? The only reason I ask is because just a few weeks before Grego was canned, the morning crew were talking about their salaries and Mo said he was around $125,000 a year. For a station that's snowballing, that's quite a bit of money to be shelling out. By the way, not to bring up the past, but does anyone know the exact reason why Grego was shit canned by Fish? The only thing that I know for sure is that the 99.7 Crew went to a local bar on Friday, after the show, for an early 4th of July party, and Grego was fired then. WHY?? Thanks, PhotoMatt
 
I now have them as a friend on myspace and this is posted as a bulletin......

Subject: Welcome to the Rock

Thanks to everyone who requested The Rock as a friend! We know that many of you are upset of the loss of The Blitz as are we. Alot of you have also been asking about DJ's...

We are happy to announce that alot of your favorite DJ's will be back on the air soon (including the morning show)! so no worries kids, hang in there! Just stay tuned online at www. 997wrkz. com and on the radio, and keep rockin!


See ya guys soon!

99.

7 The Rock
 
WOW, I am totally underwhelmed with all that heavy lifting research they did.

As bad as their first quarter was in the dollars and cents area, they will never be hurting for money, one of the benefits of owning the station and having it paid for since Jesus was a baby...everything the station makes is profit above salaries.

What they need to do is get some new talent both on air and behind the scenes. Great people doing crappy radio is still crappy radio and polishing the same turd AGAIN doesn't do anything to shake the market up. ::)

Who was the guy that just left WBNS FM????? Could he be showing up on 99.7? ;D

WHO CARES!?!?!?! ;D
 
First of all people they just started this new format...

You guys have it all wrong. I think they are going after the Brew and Radio 106.7 and they have a better signal than both combined. Don't you think they'll chip away at them?

Trick_Magnet
 
Trick Magnet said:
First of all people they just started this new format...

You guys have it all wrong.  I think they are going after the Brew and Radio 106.7 and they have a better signal than both combined.  Don't you think they'll chip away at them?

Trick_Magnet

Something's VERY wrong if the far-dominant signal is a chipper instead of a chippee.  Speaking of "wrong," why does NABCO seem to feel that Hal just can't do any?  My theory is that when he started in the late eighties he slipped a zero next to the 3 years in his contract, and management failed to notice until after they signed.  I can't think of any other explanation...
 
I miss my Blitz. =(

I just hope our DJ's got to keep their jobs somewhere, or will be brought back soon. I have a feeling that either a) Hal will adjust the station, and bring em back due to listener demands or b) the station bombs. If it bombs, well...it was a good ride. =\
 
I've been listening to 99.7 since I moved here in 92, and from what they've played so far tonight they sound like 75% of what they were back then. They must've pulled that older stuff out of the back room and realized how much gold they had lying around. ;D

I miss the name, and the lack of DJ's is too much like the WAZU was. Really hoping they flesh this out.

(Of course, as this is being typed, they play Billy Idol. Someone smack Hal upside the head with a mic stand)
 
Wow....a bland radio market becomes even more bland....I really thought The Blitz would hang around forever--it qualified as a "heritage possibility" in my opinion...but I guess ever since Howard went to Sirius, 99.7 had been on a downward slide. I just have to chuckle when I think of out-of-towners passing through Columbus sliding up and down the FM dial---"Jeeez Louise, what a white bread, 3 Doors Down, Nickelback, Incubus loving town this is"...

PS--Anyone have an idea what happens to "Mark the Sharks" Saturday Sports Show on 99.7?
 
WOW! I couldn't believe it when I read The Blitz was history. I've been listening on and off since '93 and the new station sounds more like The Blitz did when I first started listening back then. They should've done this once Stern left terrestrial radio for Sirius.
Folks, get over yourself. No matter how much pissing and moaning you do on a radio board, you won't bring The Blitz back. Sorry. Yes, I completely understand the fact that a heritage station went away yesterday, but this isn't the first time that a heritage station has went away. Look at WGTZ/Z-93 in Dayton...Years of declining ratings and neglect(Good going Radio One!). With a new format and direction, the station, which has one of the best signals in the Dayton market, is on the upswing as Adult Hits Fly 92.9. 99.7 the Rock is in a similar position...Several years of declining/stagnant ratings and listeners losing interest in the product.
Oh, yeah, someone get Suzi Waud on the phone and hire her...QUICK!!!
 
It's just a shame really. I realize The Blitz had to do *something* and the move they made probably made the most short-term sense but they had such a unique brand in "The Blitz". Now they are "The Rock"?!?! I mean really... that's just about as bland as "Radio 106.7".

And sure they sound like they did when they first came on the air back in '93 as others have said... they dusted out off the music they had from '93 and are now practically an Eagle on a stronger stick.

I don't buy into attacking WBWR and WRXS to chip away at their ratings. Last I checked, The Blitz dismal ratings were still higher than both those stations. Why do you attempt to take on stations that you are already beating? The Brew and 106.7 may have chipped away at The Blitz which probably caused some of their ratings slide but the way I see it, they aren't going away and the listeners they lost to those signals are probably more interested in the niche they have created so the Blitz isn't going to get them back anyway.

Sadly Columbus is just diluted with Rock formats right now and I think it affects everyone.

The above opinions are based on HEAVY market research that I conducted... If Hal can claim it, so can I :D
 
Ehhh.... was there a need for another rock-oriented station here? Just sayin! I mean, this is just like The Brew with more currents and Radio 106-7 with more hard rock. I don't listen to either too often so I don't know too much about it. However, I think The Rock will hurt worse than The Blitz. Columbus needs a good active rock, not the best variety of rock crap. Hal says he hopes the advertisers are happy. And the advertisers will be happy with this? There was plenty that could have been done to this signal. I predict the ratings won't be horrible considering most of The Blitz listeners won't go anywhere, but overall, it will tank just like The Blitz did, actually worse! Why not a CHR? Probably because it can't beat WNCI? It would do better than this. An Urban or a Rhythmic to take on Power would also hurt. A Rhythmic AC to steal some of Magic's listeners? I mean, come on! Sorry, just my two cents.

Jason
15 Yr Old Prodigy
 
lovejamminoldies said:
Columbus needs a good active rock,


Jason
15 Yr Old Prodigy


Some of us who are a little older and have real-world experience have watched that format falter and become a hard sell.

It's all about getting the right demographics. "The Rock" may not be the reinvention of the wheel to get the radio critics salivating, but it's more properly placed, demographically, for success.
 
They just time-warped it back to Blitz, 1992. Metallica and Ozzy every hour on the hour and a few 80s pop-rock songs thrown in. This format was old before they even started it up again. Best of luck.

EDIT: Also, don't most "format changes" go commercial free at least for a short period? They dove right back into the 3-4 minute breaks.
 
They just did the same format here in louisville ky we had this very badly programmed alt/active rocker wlrs and they flipped it to active/classic rock but did not change the call letters and did no stunting wtf!!!Isn't the idea of stunting is to create buzz about something coming???It is better but i would Much rather have a station like cd 101 or radio 106.7 but wlrs is an improvement now if only they get the right pd. It was a former radio one station till mainline bought the five stations down here.
 
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