The Point to a Lite

[truthsayer]

Cox bigshots should realize that changing The Point to a lite rock format has some really big $$$$$ implications.
Let me POINT them out. Sunny is there for the taking, and that taking would be easy as as easy lite rock!
I will layout the format for your enjoyment. rotation 700 songs you will keep a fresh 300 on hand and rotate every 3 to 4 weeks to keep in sounding fresh. Your music will be lite rock with some great lite songs from yesterday and today. 2 Currents a hour 1 re-current 2 70's classic lites 2 80's lites 2 90's lites and 1 ot lite every hour.
All music would be a true lite sound don't push the envelope. Your morning show has a newscaster that can write news with a traffic person standing by for 4 reports an hour. Mid days is office time use a simple liner into and out of each break. Pm drive music and traffic lite on talk otherwise. all music sweeps have back to back then a liner and the third in the series is a spot break! Except am Drive! The rest of the day and night should be true to that idea. The top and bottom hours should promote the lite rock sound and a promotion with a produced voice 30 seconds or less. Your nites a produced liner voice same format.
Jocks are to read liners and weather 2 times an hour in drive times. The key to this format is the format itself. Simple and very profitable. How about a name like Sweet 1069 lite rock for every office!

Now change the format!

 

[purplejay]

I'm not going to agree or disagree. I think we all know the Point is 6 years old and hasn't changed at all. the same 300 songs everyday, same, same, same.

my comment:
I caught Pam Kelly on the air today. She was reading the same liner cards that Heather Walters read. no ad-lib, no comments.
oh well, another long music set of the best of the 80s and more!

 

[Mike O]

Sunny 99 is no longer a lite rock station and hasn't been for a while now. They have been slowly morphing into a Rhythmic/Modern/Hot AC since December 26th. The station still plays some of the old soft rock songs, but they are becoming rarer by the day. The jingles are much more rock orientated and the music is becoming the same. It's not your Sunny 99 of 2006 that is for sure.

106.9 would have the Soft Rock market to themselves, but [EDIT], I think you will still be hearing the same 50 songs that they have played forever. Cox made some very positive changes to K-Hits 107.5 and that will probably be all Cox can handle in changes for the next decade. There must be money still being made from KHPT, because unless Country Legends rebounds from tanking last ratings, that station is toast. It is a shame about Country Legends because that could have been a cash cow for Cox if they staffed the station and did the format properly.

Sunny 99 is now "The Best Variety of Yesterday and Today.

Mike O

 

[stan]

Sunny 99 is no longer a lite rock station and hasn't been for a while now. They have been slowly morphing into a Rhythmic/Modern/Hot AC since December 26th. The station still plays some of the old soft rock songs, but they are becoming rarer by the day. The jingles are much more rock orientated and the music is becoming the same. It's not your Sunny 99 of 2006 that is for sure.

106.9 would have the Soft Rock market to themselves, but [EDIT], I think you will still be hearing the same 50 songs that they have played forever. Cox made some very positive changes to K-Hits 107.5 and that will probably be all Cox can handle in changes for the next decade. There must be money still being made from KHPT, because unless Country Legends rebounds from tanking last ratings, that station is toast. It is a shame about Country Legends because that could have been a cash cow for Cox if they staffed the station and did the format properly.

Sunny 99 is now "The Best Variety of Yesterday and Today.

Mike O

And sadly 97.1 and 106.9 don't have bad signals into Houston or the surrounding area, for that matter. I can get both quite easily in Beaumont as well.

 

[truthsayer]

You are correct Mike...but sooner or later Cox must see the Lite! Maybe just maybe they will read this post and maybe they will switch...Please because The point is nothing except a sufficating radio station ...I sorry but it's pleading to be put down!

I do not belive the Point plays more than 150 songs not 300. I would not be surprised if that number isnt arount 125 songs. I counted about 6 hours before a repeat not to long ago. That was a day in which i REALLY had no life.

It is so bad I just wish they would flip. Hell even if they keep the same talent they can read we have heard them all read a card. The lite format is made for a card reader.

Pam Kelly a great female voice she can stay along with the rest of the crew. Just flip the format.

 

[Mike O]

You are correct Mike...but sooner or later Cox must see the Lite! Maybe just maybe they will read this post and maybe they will switch...Please because The point is nothing except a sufficating radio station ...I sorry but it's pleading to be put down!

I do not belive the Point plays more than 150 songs not 300. I would not be surprised if that number isnt arount 125 songs. I counted about 6 hours before a repeat not to long ago. That was a day in which i REALLY had no life.

It is so bad I just wish they would flip. Hell even if they keep the same talent they can read we have heard them all read a card. The lite format is made for a card reader.

Pam Kelly a great female voice she can stay along with the rest of the crew. Just flip the format.

truthsayer I would love to tell you that Cox will be changing formats on 106.9 and The Point was history and a new format was about emerge come Monday, but the sad truth is they have limped along on shitt ratings on their stations, with the exception of 93Q for years and seem to be doing just fine. Cox did put some real effort into the reimaging/rebranding of 107.5 K-Hits and while it is too early to tell, it doesn't reem to have made one bit of difference in the last ratings. I'm really pulling for K-Hits to come up at least a point in the ratings come March.

Cox had the first station anywhere in the region with a Classic Country format with Legends, but blew that by never having more than a morning air talent, Tubby, who is great, but one person can not carry a whole radio station 24/7. If Cox had staffed a personality format with good people round the clock Legends would be riding high in the ratings and Cox would have made a bundle of money from a signal that is fantastic and covers a hell of a chunk of Texas. They did zilch and very soon when Legends shot up in the ratings there were numerous Clsc Cntry stns on the air that were staffed with a real live voice and Legends has been downhill ever since then.. I can't believe that the people of Houston are still interested in hearing The Point and the 100 song playlist or have for some years now. The ratings, at least those meaningless that tell you nothing totally useless and without merit 12+ ratings have KHPT in the toilet of ratings. May the 300 or so new people that move to the Houston metro area everyday, day after day like the The Point as it is a new station to them and this is enough for the station to remain profitable. Cox has not been a company to care much about the Houston cluster of stations for some strange reason. They were the biggest [EDIT] ups in the radio world in Houston until Cumulus came along to claim that title, one that I'm sure Cumulus shall proudly wear for some time and they are another company that should have the know how and people to program a station intelligently, but the best they have done with 97.5 was turn the station over to ESPN and 103.7 is a waste of 100kW polluting the airwaves of Texas. They had a talented line up but still managed to turn KIOL into a cluster [EDIT]. There still are some very talented people on a station with a one rating [12+ and I know meaningless for you that have the books to break out every last detail] but switched to Clsc Rck when there already was a Clsc Rck stn in Houston that has less than stelar ratings as it was. Dumb, and I don't think that come Monday this week or come next month KHPT 106.9 will be doing anything different than spitting the same tired 80's songs from a computer. What I don't understand is why hire a talented air person like Pam Kelly to read the same frickin liner cards that Heather read. She hardly needs liner cards and the station would a little more tolerable if she could just wing it. I have noticed that now Sunny 99 is "The Best Variety of Yesterday and Today" that the on air person is stuck to reading the same few liner cards over and over with no variation. Don't any of these companies get it that Houston would like hell love some real personality radio?

Sorry truthsayer, but Cox will probably do nothing with 106.9 for some time to come and that time period could be mesured in years, not months.

I do have question for you. Why just have the on air people read liner cards and not show some talent that God gave them and keep the station so sterile? Wouldn't the station be a lot more entertaining if you didn't know what the jock was going to say before they hit the air? Your idea for an easy listening station is good musically, but I have to question the reading of liner cards only.

Mike

 

[stevenNOLA]

Here's another intersting item...KPHT-HD2 is "The best of the 90s and more" but I'm hearing more 80s crap than before...Clash-Should I Say or Should I Go, The Vapors-Turning Japanese, Currently playing U2-With or Without You....these are NOT 90s songs. They are the same tired shiite playing on the main station. Yes, It's cool to hear some of the harder 90s rock such as Korn, Godsmack, Rage, etc the buzz does not play but I don't want to wade through the other crap I'm tired of and doesn't belong there. I had forgotten how much good rock came from the 90s when I listened to Sirius' 2 weekends of 90s rock--one on Alt Nation and the other on Octane. There are literally thousands of songs these stations could play. I'm not in the business but someone can correct me if I'm wrong but I don't believe it costs any more in royalties or anything else (except maybe for time) for these stations to have a 1000+ song playlist.

Steven

 

[stan]

I'm not in the business but someone can correct me if I'm wrong but I don't believe it costs any more in royalties or anything else (except maybe for time) for these stations to have a 1000+ song playlist.

Steven

All it takes is more space on the server to house all these songs. Aren't all the major players in the Houston market using music off of servers anyway? And usually some corporate server that houses all the music in any format should be available.

 

[snoman]

Sadly, Sunny 99.1 sounds like every AC station in the country now. And, it's not just the Clear Channel cookie cutter stations like WLIT/Chicago, KOST/Los Angeles, and WLTW/New York, but KVIL (CBS Radio)/Dallas-Fort Worth, WSHH (Renda)/Pittsburgh, and KOOI (Access-1)/Tyler-Longview ALL sound horrible. They are all trying to cater to the 18-49 demos and for the most part, it is not working. Some brilliant consultant along the way told some GM's/PD's/Corporate people that AC needs to sound fresher. That they need to attract more younger listeners. Hence we have the "new and not-improved" Sunny 99.1. When I first moved to Houston in 1998, and even when I came to visit before, Sunny was one of the best AC stations I had ever heard. The music was great. The jocks were good. Where is Weaver Morrow these days? Did Clear Channel make PD Marc Sherman take an airshift, or was it his idea?! If that's the case, bring Weaver back to do mornings and Marc needs to move to Afternoons replacing the VT'd DJ they have in Afternoon Drive right now.

Truthsayer, we've all been trying to persuade Cox to change that miserable 80's format for years, and for some reason they are attached to it. I'd like to hear an explanation from a GM or PD over there, as to why they keep thinking that it is either working, or the more 70's or 90's that they add to it, is also going to generate more numbers for it?! IT'S NOT!!! There are many directions they can take with the station that will improve their ratings. For some reason, they seem to be content with this format.

And, I don't mean 80's music is miserable. It is my favorite decade, it's just the way they run the format at KHPT. They need to listen to XM 80's. I did a post a couple of years back on ideas for the 80's format, and since they're not paying me to program it or be a consultant (perish that thought), I will not restate my ideas. But, there are ways to make this format work. Unfortunately, they have not pursued any of those avenues.

 

[Mike O]

Here's another intersting item...KPHT-HD2 is "The best of the 90s and more" but I'm hearing more 80s crap than before...Clash-Should I Say or Should I Go, The Vapors-Turning Japanese, Currently playing U2-With or Without You....these are NOT 90s songs. They are the same tired shiite playing on the main station. Yes, It's cool to hear some of the harder 90s rock such as Korn, Godsmack, Rage, etc the buzz does not play but I don't want to wade through the other crap I'm tired of and doesn't belong there. I had forgotten how much good rock came from the 90s when I listened to Sirius' 2 weekends of 90s rock--one on Alt Nation and the other on Octane. There are literally thousands of songs these stations could play. I'm not in the business but someone can correct me if I'm wrong but I don't believe it costs any more in royalties or anything else (except maybe for time) for these stations to have a 1000+ song playlist.

Steven

Steven why is a "Best of the 90's and More" station even playing 80's music? Guess I'm mistaken but I thought that format was music from the 90's and up and they left the 80's crap out. I was going to say since KHPT had "Best of the 90's and More" on the HD2 channel they could swap and put that programming on the HD1 channel and the 80's on HD2. It doesn't sound like it would be much of a trade off at this point.

I may be mistaken, but from what I have read HD Radio is a near total bust so far. Their radio campaign is going no where except confusing most people with the "hiddle stations between the stations" jibberish. The cost is too artificially high $200 at the Shack and $300 elsewhere and after listening to HD radio I'm not all that interested in spending the money for a receiver until the price drops to $50 with a $50 rebate. I just was not impressed. We are fortunate living in a major market like Houston where many stations are in HD, but get outside of Houston and you will find few if any stations until the next big city that has any HD stations. I wnder how many AM stations are still using HD radio? It seems that more have dropped it after a month or two than still broadcast in HD. It is not usable at night and likely never will be. I noticed that KMIC only stayed with HD for about a month before shutting it off. I will admit that the sideband interference that has been discussed at length did not seem that bad. I live eight miles from KMIC's antenna and they only slopped up 1580 and 1600 on any of my radios. I was able to easily hear a weak TIS on 1610 without any problem when the IBOC was on. KTSA never did affect KLVI in Houston when KTSA as using IBOC. I haven't noticed anything from KLIF bothering KLVI's signal either.

The sales for HD receivers is flat at near zero from what I have read on the HD Board, although that board is highlly anti HD Radio from what I have read. The biggest thing is that HD Radio is being passed over for Internet Radio as an option in the 2008 models, now that a numbering system has been worked out for IR stations. IR has the biggest gain of listeners in all age groups, which doesn't bode well for HD.

The solution is to use a HD system that works on AM and iBiquity on FM and try and get the auto manufacturers to include HD Radio with Internet Radio on vehicles and bring the cost to a reasonable level. The same for tabletop radios and maybe HD radio will have a fighting chance otherwise I see it going down the way AM stereo failed. I don't understand why The FCC always has to use a system that is not the best, when there are better FM and AM HD radio systems available.

With exoribant fees that iBiquity charges to use their HD Radio, I have to wonder just how many stations will pay the fees again for a second or third year if HD radios are not selling and only a handfull of people, even in a major market like Houston have HD capable radios? The bean counters will cut that out of the budget.

Mike O

 

[Mike O]

I believe that KHPT should to change to a "Best of the 90's and More" and start with 1990, much like KROI stunted with before the "Mera Mera" format. The station would have to be fully staffed with live and local air talent 24/7 and not card readers, but air talent that were free to say what they wanted and made the station a personality driven station from the very start when the format hit the air, that Cox would have a top ten rated station in Houston. Fresh format and personality, a concept that has been lost and I believe grab a sizable number of listeners.

Mike O

 

[truthsayer]

This is my observation and only that! The PD has Lite Rock experience. He is probally ready and willing!

I believe it's a corpaorate hang up going outside a nitch format or something.

It is just a sign no radio pro's are running Cox. Bussinessmen can program radio stations. Program Directors can!

I hope the PD reads these post and may try to influence them.

There is NO DOUBT in my mind the PD would agree with our comments.

Note to ones self "dont speak for others!"

 

[edie golightly]

Mike O:
I couldn't have said it better myself.
Personality radio bringing in biggger market shares? wow...what a concept.
Wait...wait...I think I hear a domino effect!

edie

 

[stevenNOLA]

Here's another intersting item...KPHT-HD2 is "The best of the 90s and more" but I'm hearing more 80s crap than before...Clash-Should I Say or Should I Go, The Vapors-Turning Japanese, Currently playing U2-With or Without You....these are NOT 90s songs. They are the same tired shiite playing on the main station. Yes, It's cool to hear some of the harder 90s rock such as Korn, Godsmack, Rage, etc the buzz does not play but I don't want to wade through the other crap I'm tired of and doesn't belong there. I had forgotten how much good rock came from the 90s when I listened to Sirius' 2 weekends of 90s rock--one on Alt Nation and the other on Octane. There are literally thousands of songs these stations could play. I'm not in the business but someone can correct me if I'm wrong but I don't believe it costs any more in royalties or anything else (except maybe for time) for these stations to have a 1000+ song playlist.

Steven

Steven why is a "Best of the 90's and More" station even playing 80's music? Guess I'm mistaken but I thought that format was music from the 90's and up and they left the 80's crap out. I was going to say since KHPT had "Best of the 90's and More" on the HD2 channel they could swap and put that programming on the HD1 channel and the 80's on HD2. It doesn't sound like it would be much of a trade off at this point.

I may be mistaken, but from what I have read HD Radio is a near total bust so far. Their radio campaign is going no where except confusing most people with the "hiddle stations between the stations" jibberish. The cost is too artificially high $200 at the Shack and $300 elsewhere and after listening to HD radio I'm not all that interested in spending the money for a receiver until the price drops to $50 with a $50 rebate. I just was not impressed. We are fortunate living in a major market like Houston where many stations are in HD, but get outside of Houston and you will find few if any stations until the next big city that has any HD stations. I wnder how many AM stations are still using HD radio? It seems that more have dropped it after a month or two than still broadcast in HD. It is not usable at night and likely never will be. I noticed that KMIC only stayed with HD for about a month before shutting it off. I will admit that the sideband interference that has been discussed at length did not seem that bad. I live eight miles from KMIC's antenna and they only slopped up 1580 and 1600 on any of my radios. I was able to easily hear a weak TIS on 1610 without any problem when the IBOC was on. KTSA never did affect KLVI in Houston when KTSA as using IBOC. I haven't noticed anything from KLIF bothering KLVI's signal either.

The sales for HD receivers is flat at near zero from what I have read on the HD Board, although that board is highlly anti HD Radio from what I have read. The biggest thing is that HD Radio is being passed over for Internet Radio as an option in the 2008 models, now that a numbering system has been worked out for IR stations. IR has the biggest gain of listeners in all age groups, which doesn't bode well for HD.

The solution is to use a HD system that works on AM and iBiquity on FM and try and get the auto manufacturers to include HD Radio with Internet Radio on vehicles and bring the cost to a reasonable level. The same for tabletop radios and maybe HD radio will have a fighting chance otherwise I see it going down the way AM stereo failed. I don't understand why The FCC always has to use a system that is not the best, when there are better FM and AM HD radio systems available.

With exoribant fees that iBiquity charges to use their HD Radio, I have to wonder just how many stations will pay the fees again for a second or third year if HD radios are not selling and only a handfull of people, even in a major market like Houston have HD capable radios? The bean counters will cut that out of the budget.

Mike O

Mike, I have no idea why the 80s...and the same old tired crap at that. Currently playing is Wall of Voodoo--Mexican Radio... I could definitely do without hearing this song. Don't get me wrong, there are a number of good songs on HPT-HD2 but there is also alot of crap mixed in. With respect to HD radio, don't believe everything you read on the HD board. Most of it comes from people with an agenda that don't even own HD radios. I must admit that it sounds fantastic. My favorite thing is no multipath noise. It's very evident in the Galleria and downtown areas. I had a rental car last weekend and it was VERY obvious how different analog vs. digital can sound.

Steven

 

[Mike O]

Mike, I have no idea why the 80s...and the same old tired crap at that. Currently playing is Wall of Voodoo--Mexican Radio... I could definitely do without hearing this song. Don't get me wrong, there are a number of good songs on HPT-HD2 but there is also alot of crap mixed in. With respect to HD radio, don't believe everything you read on the HD board. Most of it comes from people with an agenda that don't even own HD radios. I must admit that it sounds fantastic. My favorite thing is no multipath noise. It's very evident in the Galleria and downtown areas. I had a rental car last weekend and it was VERY obvious how different analog vs. digital can sound.

Steven

Steven I agree with you 100% that for some reason the HD Board has an agenda against HD Radio, I don't understand it and they have run off any one that is pro HD. I would love to see HD Radio succeed and especially see the HD2 and even HD3 channels programed with live and local formats that are missing from the dial, which are many. I have not driven a vehivle with HD radio but from your reports it sounds like the signal is robust and has an excellent quality. I do believe though that for AM Digital Radio the US needs to go with Digital Radio Mondaile, which from what I can determine is backwards compatible and can be used 24/7 and does not go outside the 10kHz mask. It could (Big IF) open up the AM band to innovating programming and put some life back in AM. Plus stations like KCOH 1430 which plays Urban Gold/Blues nights would sound fantastic in Digital. Even the Sports stations would have a better quality to them as well as the Talk stations. Now if The FCC would get off their collective asses and make that happen and mandate all receivers made after January 2008 include iBiquity for FM and DRM for AM on all radios HD Radio would be a sure thing. The price would have to come down substanstanially from today, but if all radios manufactured were Digital ready, the price should drop to no more than $50 of what a radio costs today and the price could probably be much lower and still be a huge profit margin for everyone down the chain.

Mike O

 

[weavermorrow]

I agree with snoman.
Weaver

 

[snoman]

I agree with snoman.
Weaver

Where are you at these days, sir?! ???

 

[snoman]

Sunny's Voicetracked Afternoons

By the way, I found out that KODA's afternoon drive talent is indeed Voice Tracked from Birmingham, Alabama of all places. That is really sad.

Jeff "JT" Tyson does several markets, including owning his own Voice Talent company.

 

[aunti-terrestrial]

You have to ask yourself why anyone would choose to VT from Birmingham-Egypt over the choice of having Marc Sherman live on drive time.


Wow. Just...wow. Shaking my head, incredulously.