The Point and the Renda Factor

[JohnRadioFan]

Earlier this year when the Point's numbers dropped like a rock as a result of Eagle's debut, many on this board began talking of a Point flip. One of the contributors here actually laughed at the idea since the Point has done very well with advertisers and revenue - Top 5 in the market I believe for year end '04.
With that, why would Cox Broadcasting jeopardize that standing by introducing a good number of songs regularly heard on the Point and add them to Eagle's playlist? And the Eagle sweeper that constantly reminds the listener to "make the switch." Make the switch from what? My first thought was the Arrow but why make such an effort to take from a 1 share? It didn't make sense. Like it or not and the ratings would seem to justify this - the switch came at the expense of the Point.
I'm curious to hear how the Point is currently doing in the revenue department as a result of the ratings drop. If revenue is down and it appears it will not rebound then it would seem logical Cox would look for a change in format down the road. A shame though - I think the Point has never sounded better.

Let's go one step further and assume Point flips to the Dove (soft adult hits). The most impacted station with that move would be obviously Renda's WEJZ. And I'm sure Cox Broadcasting would market the Dove in the same aggressive manner as it did with Eagle. What would Renda do? I doubt they would do much. As we have seen time and time again - they are not proactive. Limited finances hurt Renda and it's something the big boys use to their advantage. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

I'll save comments about WEJZ for a future post. One thing is for sure - most AC stations across the country are either #1 or very close to it. WEJZ should be doing much better - they remain very vulnerable.

 

[OldiesCat]

The Point

Doubt the point will switch. Cox has this funny habit of flipping successful stations (96.9) while hanging with struggling stations like The Point. They have other FL stations in Tampa, Orlando and Miami that are total dogs but continue in their current formats. Renda has nothing to do with it- Cox has their road map and they stick with it no matter what (96.9 being a rare exception).

 

[greatscott1960]

From what I’ve been told there was a time Lite WEJZ was # 1 12+ and maybe someone else knows but I’m positive WEJZ is # 1 # 2 or #3 with women 25-54 and 35+ 6A-7P.


Stations depend on relationships to drive revenue from local advertisers, but having ratings also helps too. Revenue from national and ad agencies is all about numbers and very important! There is only so much ad revenue available in any market and stations in the top 5 tend to get a bigger share because of their numbers. If the point took a dive in ratings well so goes revenue.



Earlier this year when the Point's numbers dropped like a
> rock as a result of Eagle's debut, many on this board began
> talking of a Point flip. One of the contributors here
> actually laughed at the idea since the Point has done very
> well with advertisers and revenue - Top 5 in the market I
> believe for year end '04.
> With that, why would Cox Broadcasting jeopardize that
> standing by introducing a good number of songs regularly
> heard on the Point and add them to Eagle's playlist? And the
> Eagle sweeper that constantly reminds the listener to "make
> the switch." Make the switch from what? My first thought
> was the Arrow but why make such an effort to take from a 1
> share? It didn't make sense. Like it or not and the ratings
> would seem to justify this - the switch came at the expense
> of the Point.
> I'm curious to hear how the Point is currently doing in the
> revenue department as a result of the ratings drop. If
> revenue is down and it appears it will not rebound then it
> would seem logical Cox would look for a change in format
> down the road. A shame though - I think the Point has never
> sounded better.
>
> Let's go one step further and assume Point flips to the Dove
> (soft adult hits). The most impacted station with that move
> would be obviously Renda's WEJZ. And I'm sure Cox
> Broadcasting would market the Dove in the same aggressive
> manner as it did with Eagle. What would Renda do? I doubt
> they would do much. As we have seen time and time again -
> they are not proactive. Limited finances hurt Renda and it's
> something the big boys use to their advantage. It will be
> interesting to see how this plays out.
>
> I'll save comments about WEJZ for a future post. One thing
> is for sure - most AC stations across the country are either
> #1 or very close to it. WEJZ should be doing much better -
> they remain very vulnerable.
>

 

[IWantCandy]

Re: The Point

I couldn't see an A/C format that is as lite and as Bread/John Denver/Air Supply/Carpenters 50s/early 60s driven as Dove going over in Jacksonville, where the average age is 34. It's perfect for the Tampa/St. Pete area where the average age is something like 90 but sandwiched between Lite and Jones College radio is not the place to be in a younger skewing market. Cox bailed on oldies in Jax due a lot to the aging audience, couldn't see them putting on a format that targeted an even older audience.

 

[OldiesCat]

Point

You're probably right. They might actually get some good ratings but the sell would be as challenging (if not moreso) than Oldies.

Formats like these, Oldies, etc. (50+) CAN be successful but it would take patience, commitment and dedication, something few ownership groups have these days, considering the pressure to dazzle Wall Street every 20 minutes.

> I couldn't see an A/C format that is as lite and as
> Bread/John Denver/Air Supply/Carpenters 50s/early 60s driven
> as Dove going over in Jacksonville, where the average age is
> 34. It's perfect for the Tampa/St. Pete area where the
> average age is something like 90 but sandwiched between Lite
> and Jones College radio is not the place to be in a younger
> skewing market.

 

[JohnRadioFan]

Re: Point

Good comments. However, I think there is opportunity in Jax to go after the "at the office" crowd. Also the Dove format would not have to be replicated song-for-song. Yeah, the big boys prefer cookie cutter approaches to format but I'm always up for surprises.

I think for Cox Radio to go after more female listeners would be a good strategy for them. And what is wrong with the Carpenters, Bread etc? If the station is marketed wisely, programed correctly and offers listeners a unique sound, there is potential to make inroads into target demos.

> You're probably right. They might actually get some good
> ratings but the sell would be as challenging (if not moreso)
> than Oldies.
>
> Formats like these, Oldies, etc. (50+) CAN be successful but
> it would take patience, commitment and dedication, something
> few ownership groups have these days, considering the
> pressure to dazzle Wall Street every 20 minutes.
>
> > I couldn't see an A/C format that is as lite and as
> > Bread/John Denver/Air Supply/Carpenters 50s/early 60s
> driven
> > as Dove going over in Jacksonville, where the average age
> is
> > 34. It's perfect for the Tampa/St. Pete area where the
> > average age is something like 90 but sandwiched between
> Lite
> > and Jones College radio is not the place to be in a
> younger
> > skewing market.
>

 

[JohnRadioFan]

And Finally...

Forgot to add that I think the Point should stay just as it is. I listen to the Point more than any other Cox music station. I'm just speculating that somewhere down the road someone will introduce another form of AC in the Jax market. Again, time will tell.

> Good comments. However, I think there is opportunity in Jax
> to go after the "at the office" crowd. Also the Dove format
> would not have to be replicated song-for-song. Yeah, the big
> boys prefer cookie cutter approaches to format but I'm
> always up for surprises.
>
> I think for Cox Radio to go after more female listeners
> would be a good strategy for them. And what is wrong with
> the Carpenters, Bread etc? If the station is marketed
> wisely, programed correctly and offers listeners a unique
> sound, there is potential to make inroads into target demos.
>
>
> > You're probably right. They might actually get some good
> > ratings but the sell would be as challenging (if not
> moreso)
> > than Oldies.
> >
> > Formats like these, Oldies, etc. (50+) CAN be successful
> but
> > it would take patience, commitment and dedication,
> something
> > few ownership groups have these days, considering the
> > pressure to dazzle Wall Street every 20 minutes.
> >
> > > I couldn't see an A/C format that is as lite and as
> > > Bread/John Denver/Air Supply/Carpenters 50s/early 60s
> > driven
> > > as Dove going over in Jacksonville, where the average
> age
> > is
> > > 34. It's perfect for the Tampa/St. Pete area where the
> > > average age is something like 90 but sandwiched between
> > Lite
> > > and Jones College radio is not the place to be in a
> > younger
> > > skewing market.
> >
>

 

[greatscott1960]

Re: Finally why not 2 AC stations.

We now have 3 country stations, so why not 2 AC stations? The game is now about taking shares from competitors and another group could have a hit with a fresh approach.


> Forgot to add that I think the Point should stay just as it
> is. I listen to the Point more than any other Cox music
> station. I'm just speculating that somewhere down the road
> someone will introduce another form of AC in the Jax market.
> Again, time will tell.
>
> > Good comments. However, I think there is opportunity in
> Jax
> > to go after the "at the office" crowd. Also the Dove
> format
> > would not have to be replicated song-for-song. Yeah, the
> big
> > boys prefer cookie cutter approaches to format but I'm
> > always up for surprises.
> >
> > I think for Cox Radio to go after more female listeners
> > would be a good strategy for them. And what is wrong with
>
> > the Carpenters, Bread etc? If the station is marketed
> > wisely, programed correctly and offers listeners a unique
> > sound, there is potential to make inroads into target
> demos.
> >
> >
> > > You're probably right. They might actually get some
> good
> > > ratings but the sell would be as challenging (if not
> > moreso)
> > > than Oldies.
> > >
> > > Formats like these, Oldies, etc. (50+) CAN be successful
>
> > but
> > > it would take patience, commitment and dedication,
> > something
> > > few ownership groups have these days, considering the
> > > pressure to dazzle Wall Street every 20 minutes.
> > >
> > > > I couldn't see an A/C format that is as lite and as
> > > > Bread/John Denver/Air Supply/Carpenters 50s/early 60s
> > > driven
> > > > as Dove going over in Jacksonville, where the average
> > age
> > > is
> > > > 34. It's perfect for the Tampa/St. Pete area where the
>
> > > > average age is something like 90 but sandwiched
> between
> > > Lite
> > > > and Jones College radio is not the place to be in a
> > > younger
> > > > skewing market.
> > >
> >
>

 

[OldiesCat]

why not 2 AC stations.

Many markets have 2 AC stations; the HOT AC derivation, however, has been fading in many situations. The above thought about a "Dove" (Tampa) type AC again could make sense against a mainstream AC, if (and a big "if") you can sell the mostly 55+ demo you'll get with it.

Or- you can do an oldies-based AC as is being done in West Palm Beach with WOLL or WSNI in Philadelphia. Then you're screwing with two competitors.

> We now have 3 country stations, so why not 2 AC stations?
> The game is now about taking shares from competitors and
> another group could have a hit with a fresh approach.

 

[johndavis]

Re: why not 2 AC stations.

> Many markets have 2 AC stations; the HOT AC derivation,
> however, has been fading in many situations. The above
> thought about a "Dove" (Tampa) type AC again could make
> sense against a mainstream AC, if (and a big "if") you can
> sell the mostly 55+ demo you'll get with it.
>
> Or- you can do an oldies-based AC as is being done in West
> Palm Beach with WOLL or WSNI in Philadelphia. Then you're
> screwing with two competitors.

I was in a top 20 market with 5 AC stations in the 90's. All Steve Winwood, All The Time.

Then:

A - Soft AC "Lite"
B - Hot AC with market leading morning show "Easy"
C - Hot AC "Sunny"
D - Gold Based AC "Mix"
E - Hot AC "Variety"

Then everybody got sold a bunch of times. The result:

A - Variety Hits "Peak"
B - Soft AC with market leading morning show "Easy"
C - went oldies, 70's, then classic hits, and is now Hot AC "Mix"
D - went AAA, now Alternative with Stern "Zone"
E - went Adult CHR, then Urban CHR, now Mainstream CHR "Kiss"

End result: you can still hear Roll With It on at least 2 of the 5.

I'm for competition, but that was too much bad AC in one metro. The market is better off today.<P ID="signature">______________
...co-moderator of the Satellite Radio, Phoenix, and San Diego boards...</P>