The Great Davidson Media Group shuffle

[ATOMO]

Hi folks! Normally I'd be on here clarifying as we went along but I've been busy having panic attacks, altering peoples' lives and losing hair. So... here's how it's gonna shake out as of straight up midnight 2/28-3/1 am on the DMG outlets:

La Nueva 103.9 WOLI-FM - Spanish variety - unchanged

103.3 WOLT - becoming 103.3 EARTH FM with classic hits centered in the 70's with heavy doses of some 60's, a few 80's+ and perhaps a huge 50's hit here and there. Your LIVE, LOCAL airteam is: Mornings with LOVE and HUDSON, Mid-days with Lee Alexander and K.C. Carson for afternoon drive. The station will operate as a 'normal' 24/7 cohesive operation and be a legitmate player in the Arb. world.

105.7/910 WOLI-AM - becoming "THE SOURCE @ 105.7fm/910am." Bill Drake and Awake with Drake will air mornings 6am-9am, Monday through Friday, and 6am-Noon on Sundays. The station will be a brokered station and soon feature many different shows (interested - call me, 751-0113). Our background format glue will be Adult Standards, programmed locally and plugged in as needed. Also, 5p-6p, Monday through Friday, will be a LIBERAL talk show called "Occupy the Mic." Many of our religious programs from WOLT Sunday's will migrate as well and I hope to plug in some local sports talk shows.

As of this writing there is still MUCH to do including inventing imaging, music, playlist, etc. So feel free to tune in at midnight and see if I make it.

Beach Bob fans - please continue to follow Bob at www.beachboboldies.com or his facebook page for his latest venture whether streaming or another station.

And now let the raking over the coals begin.....

 

[GA/SCRadio]

What about the Furman Paladins?

 

[clemsonbloke]

I still don't think 80's sounds right on an oldies station. Even a lot of the 70's crap (disco) does not mix well with late 60's and eary 70's, very different styles. I think this is why many oldies stations don't do well. I distinctly remember when the oldies stations started adding in late 70s and some 80's, it seemed then that all of them just didn't do well. I can see mixing 80's with 90's successfully, that can and has worked in some areas but mixing late 70's, when things were all over the map musically, and then early 80's, ewww. I usually turn the dial whenever I hear those drastic segue's from 60's to 80's, that makes me run away. It's not that I don't love all those decades but mixing them together when I want to listen to oldies, no that doesn't work. I grew up in the 80's so that doesn't seem like oldies to me. The beloved music of my parent's generation (baby boomers) is what I think of as oldies and always will. Just sounds weird 60's, late 70's (because early 70's were still very similar to 60's), and 80's together.

 

[clemsonbloke]

I think an oldies station that sounds good is WNMB in myrtle beach, especially since they've tightened up their playlist and ditched some of that 80's stuff. It sounds more like a real oldies station. Was just listening to Earth 103 and it went from a 60's song to 1984 Tina Turner, see that kind of thing just doesn't work right. Plus if you wanna hear 80's Tina Turner Magic 98.9 is already playing that to death. I mean ya know guys?

 

[clemsonbloke]

Please don't get me wrong, I want EARTH to succeed, very much so. I just don't think you can do well if your music is all over the place decade wise. Sticking to 2 decades I think will work, three is pushing it. I just feel that when that happens they're trying to appeal to too many people and not focusing on a core audience that would listen to such a station. It would be about like B 93.7 trying to mix 80's, 90's, and 2000's together, imagine how that would go over. 80's to 2000's is too far a spread just like 60's to 80's is.

 

[carolinaradio]

Stations mix 70s and 80s music with some 60s titles that are well researched because it works. It brings in ratings and revenue. CBS-FM NYC, K-Earth Los Angeles, WOGL Philadelphia, Sunny Orlando, Q105 Tampa, Majic Miami, The Wave VA Beach, 3WS Pittsburgh, WGRR Cincinnati, KCMO Kansas City, WMJI Cleveland, WOMC Detroit, KOOL Phoenix, KLUV Dallas, KONO San Antonio, KXKL Denver, etc. are all VERY successful classic hits stations I can think of off the top of my head.

CBS-FM and WOGL did much better after switching to a mix of mostly 70s, a helping of 80s, and some 60s than they did for ages with just 60s and 70s. As did many other stations.

I, personally, prefer the three decades together, and it can be pulled off very well. Try to find a CBS classic hits station that doesn't sound good or isn't doing well (they all seem to play mostly music from ~1967-1986 with some very popular mid 60s tracks included). I still personally think Earth is digging too deeply in to the 60s (none of the stations I mentioned above that include 80s still devote that much time to 60s) which is what can make it somewhat jarring. Essentially, most of these stations are targeting a 35-54 audience, and what tests well with that demographic is what will be played. Obviously they like the 60s, 70s, and 80s all on one station.

 

[clemsonbloke]

Like I said, I don't care what researchers say. Late 70's and 1980's doesn't belong with 60's and early 70's, way too different sound. Everytime I find an oldies station and I think its going good they disapoiint me and play an 80's song and there goes the flip of the button. I refuse to listen to stations that do that, it's outright absurd. And besides who cares what researchers think, when do they ever listen to real people. Many of them makeup crap to satisfy their own selfish desires. Ultimately if they choose this route I don't think it'll last more than a few years at best. West Coast and K-Earth is a very different area than this one, you can't say what works in California will work here. This is the very reason radio is so screwed up in this area, the suits and the researchers making decisions or people following their path. I, and many others, want deeper 60's playlists, hell I'm not even a boomer, I'm 39 so I'm an X'er. I can get all the 80's I want from Magic 98.9, no need to duplicate it. As it stands now Earth sometimes sounds like My 102 of the late 80's era and we see where that went. I think Love and Hudson are stuck with the My 102 frame of mind, I mean aren't they making a lot of the decisions? I just don't know what is up with this rejection of true oldies stations, that music is history and how we got to where we are today. Can't forget the past. Again, all the areas you mention are not this market. I think this is another reason why radio keeps screwing the pooch around here, you cannot come in and say "this is what they do in California or NY" it's very different here. Like it or not there is a huge affection for the 60's and early 70's in this area and that is what these boomers, and even many of their kids (I'm one) want to hear on an oldies station. If you can't understand all the reasons why it's wrong to go from "Whats love got to do with it" 1984 to Buffalo Springfield 1967 or vice versa then you're just lost and have no ear or better yet do not understand what oldies are.

 

[carolinaradio]

^ Again, the 35-54 demographic is what and all they care about. If the audience wants to hear 60s, 70s, and 80s, that's what they'll play ad that's not going to change. Stations like WNMB are a rarity.

I like the CBS classic hits stations.

 

[clemsonbloke]

Yes and there has been a shift in the way that companies advertise. They're starting to realize that it's the boomers who have all the money and have had all the jobs. Heck us X'ers can't get the good positions because boomers won't retire! I've been saying it all along, it's the boomers they better cater too because they have all the money. This is something that people much younger than me don't understand. They're too willy nilly and wan't to follow the suits. WNMB shouldn't be a rarity, there should be more of that and that is what we're saying. The longest staying oldies station up here in Greenville that I can remember was Oldies 93.7 and they by far were the best. Oldies 103 and 106 weren't any good because they were both programmed that "mod" way with late 70's, disco, and some very early 80's and they flopped. Neither one of those hung around long. I used to email in and complain to them and it would fall on deaf ears. I kept telling them "this station won't last long mixing in all of that stuff". I was right, they didn't last long. This area and the Carolinas in general is very different. Many people have held on to the 60's so to speak, the oldies and "shaggin on Myrtle Beach 1965" kind of mantra. When I was an undergrad at Clemson , shag classes were one of the most popular electives to take. Do you think they played late 70's, disco, and early 80s? Nope, it was all golden oldies and the students loved it, it was our parents music so we identified because we had grown up hearing them play it. When Boomers or even Gen X'ers think of oldies, its the decade of the 60's up through the early 70's. Of course it may be a stretch that boomers think thats oldies because they still think its new! Ha! I hope they do well with that station but if they play 80's I won't be tuning in no matter who's on. I want a true oldies station. I can get 80's in as many flavors as I want on iTunes radio. I can also just tune to Magic 98.9 for 80's, they play enough of it. Nope leave all that 80's stuff to Magic, thats their territory, they're hung up on it. Even think about this. The Knack's 1979 My Sharona does not sound well on the same station and up against anything from the 60's or early 70's, its just too much different. Think about it, do you think the people listening to The Knack in 1979 were the same people listening to 60's music or disco even?

 

[Gatekeeper007]

The talk about format spread and mixing decades is a good one. We have done this at WLRE with country music for thirteen years and works really well. I have to agree to too much spread in formats and decades doesn't sound right to me either which is what Lee and I always have bouncing back and forth about. His way is 50's till today with Bluegrass mixed in which seem's to work money wise but to me it just doesn't sound as good going from Doyle Lawson bluegrass to Taylor Swift pop country. Now that's a spread but it seems to work with our backers and most of our listeners pretty well, still doesn't mean I like the sound of it. For many years we ran a narrower format 70's country till today with just the 60's hits which sounded great but so far his wider spread way has worked well, what can I say.

 

[awp69]

INo big corp, no consultants, music done differently that it has been done in the past, local and live, etc.

Nice to have you on the forum KC! I wish all radio stations, regardless of format, could be this way. Corporate radio has just gotten too stuck in their ways with short playlists and "consultant" driven radio that ignores a lot of good music out there.

Regardless of the questioning of the range of decades you play, I really want your station to succeed. I'm not personally in your target demo. But I still would like The Earth to prove to the big guys that local radio can be done with more flexibility, good talent and without the need to hone playlists down to repetative music on the airwaves in all formats.

 

[clemsonbloke]

Decisions are ultimately made by the PD, that is true. I think we all agree that we want Earth to succeed but we know how volatile this market is and also the unique differences of this area versus around the country. I would venture to say that this think tank online is way more on point than any of the suits, research, or numbers say. I think Scooter put it best by saying that the ears don't know Chart position, so you have to look deeper and get more of a "feeling" for the area when it comes to what works. I still say leave the 80's to Magic, no need to duplicate services, that is already the big problem in this market (can we say Magic and My 102.5 before the flip!). We all know that what My 102 is doing isn't working, we likewise know that Magic is stale as yesterdays old biscuits. Magic seems intent on sticking with a lot of that 80's stuff so let it go, let them have it. Focus on doing the 60's and 70's right, this area has been sorely lacking in that area. Oldies 103 and 106 both screwed up in this respect by letting too much of the disco and 80s slip in. We all know they didn't last long. I noticed today that it seems Earth tightened the list a little bit, I was only able to listen for about an hour today but will tune in this evening. Definitely heard more 60's which is a good direction I think, at least for Boomers and Gen X'ers that want to hear oldies. Everyone can flip over to Magic and hear plenty of 80's, Rock 101 even because I've heard a lot of 80s over there recently. I love how Earth is doing the right mix of news, traffic, and weather as well. My suggestion going forth would be to get that Website on ASAP. In todays world a website means a LOT, you don't have a lot till you have a website. People are so into that now that its a must and of course streaming online with at least a 128k stream. WNMB, while I love it, has a terrible stream. Their stream is a constant low bit rate with the MP3 swirling and whishing sound, that drives ears nuts. I can't say enough about having a working, interactive website, very important. If I knew enough about building websites, which I don't, I'd offer some free time just because I want the station to succeed. I do sincerely hope they can eventually get the 103.9 freq. I think I speak for the whole group when I say that we ALL want to see Earth 103 succeed and that we support the very top shelf talent on this station. Show those corporate hacks that it can be done and done right.

 

[ATOMO]

Regarding stream quality, you are dead on with the swimmy irritation factor. You might as well not stream if you are going with craptacular as your setting. Especially in today's competitive world. Sure listeners don't know about processing and bitrate etc. but they do fatigue or think one sounds better than another. OR, as they may think, 'comes in better.' Either way, sound is all you got in broadcasting or streaming....sure the product must be right - but so must the sound. Please compare our streams to any of the other broadcasting outfits. We are running the new AAC format. AAC offers better quality than MP3 at the same bitrate so it loads quicker with less drop out and much better sound. Here are our links should you choose to take me up on my test:

103-3 Earth FM - http://www.davidsonmediagroup.com/player/wolt_player.html

The Source @ 105-7fm/910am - http://www.davidsonmediagroup.com/player/woli-am_player.html

LaNueva 103.9 - http://www.davidsonmediagroup.com/player/woli-fm_player.html (now here we do have some brokers who play mp3's offering a lower quality starting source.)

 

[clemsonbloke]

Craig, thanks for the input and you're right AAC is better. Today is the first day that the Earth 103 link has played for me, before today it was dead on my end. I have to ask though, why is sports being broadcast on a music station? Wouldn't AM be better suited to that? I had to turn the dial when that came on. No offense.

 

[Ssummers]

I am very happy to be on the air again..while there are numerous out of work air talent who would be a great fit for our station (including Jim Miller), I feel very blessed to be a part of what Earth FM is doing. No big corp, no consultants, music done differently that it has been done in the past, local and live, etc.. But I would like to clear up any misconceptions to our programming as stated in earlier posts...I am not the program director so whether I "should know better" or not is irrelavant.

Hey, what's up, man? Been a LONNNNGGGGGG time, bro. Glad to hear you're back on the air again. Since you brought up Jim's name, how is old Spanky?

 

[Scooter Lesley]

Well,...as I've said before, I am the EARTH's biggest cheerleader. GO EARTH! I just look funny in this little skirt, with a globe printed on the ass. Corp free, Consultant free, Radio. Sheeeeeeeeeesh!...that could catch on! SSummers,...good to hear from you. Spanky Jim, and I go back to '78 at WANS. Also WBFM in '94. The last time I saw him was two years ago at the Narvel Felts show at the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium. He must have some health issues, as he was walking with a cane, and didn't appear to feel very well, as we talked. We are both Photographers, and he owes me a Guess Who pic from their concert at the GMA. I would love to hear from him.

 

[freqdev]

hand picking a playlist must have been difficult for all those eras. they must have pulled out the whitburn books, put on some phoebe snow, cracked open some diet wine coolers, and started throwing darts at the playlist make it or not board. i listened sunday. songs into commercials with no announcers. not impressed jmo

 

[clemsonbloke]

lol LAWD! There we go with the diet wine coolers again. You guys have GOT to tell me the inside on that one, it just sounds hilarious. Phoebe Snow, LOL!

 

[Ssummers]

Well,...as I've said before, I am the EARTH's biggest cheerleader. GO EARTH! I just look funny in this little skirt, with a globe printed on the ass. Corp free, Consultant free, Radio. Sheeeeeeeeeesh!...that could catch on! SSummers,...good to hear from you. Spanky Jim, and I go back to '78 at WANS. Also WBFM in '94. The last time I saw him was two years ago at the Narvel Felts show at the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium. He must have some health issues, as he was walking with a cane, and didn't appear to feel very well, as we talked. We are both Photographers, and he owes me a Guess Who pic from their concert at the GMA. I would love to hear from him.

Damn shame to hear that. Back when I did afternoons at WCKN in 85-86, I went up to Kiss FM's big ski weekend during the holidays with John (Oliver)Rocke and John Stevens. Spanky was there and we got to be pretty good friends. I remember being at his crib once with Rocke and him(damned Ned Beatty looking SOB...lol) and he mentioned in conversation that he was related to John Cusack. I called BS on it and all he did was pull out home movies of him and Cusack when they were kids. As I recall, they were riding around on a minibike. Never doubted him about that again.

 

[carolinaradio]

i listened sunday. songs into commercials with no announcers. not impressed jmo

Pet peeve of mine also. I don't know why that's so hard to not do, sounds very amateurish.

Welcome to the boards, KC. Best of luck to you all.