The Wolf

[yourmom]

I was in the bay area yesterday and i got to flip around the stations. I think I know why the wolf isn't taking off. They sound bad. I heard a sweeper that may have been 20+seconds long, with an old man howling and making all sorts of strange noises. Then some guy named Dough Boy? came on, and had some barry bonds tirade going on a saturday night. I don't think the approach of making a country station sound like a top 40 station will work. I love country radio, and that was appauling to me. Maybe it's true......country doesn't work in SF. The Bear and the Wolf are polar opposites, and ratings haven't changed much

 

[jimmythebassett]

The premise was to make the station sound CHR in presentation and play
Country music. Problem: That was an idea that worked in the 90's. The
Country lifegroup that is avialable doesn't understand the over-top presentation
and high-energy approach. The music is Pop-Country and very power current
and recurrent based. Everyone says KSAN worked because it was high-energy
and presented well. Difference: It sounded like a Country station. Even though
it was fast-paced and produced. KBWF is making too much of "wolf howl" in
trying to appeal to all segments of the available audience in the Bay Area. Musically,
they aren't going to play Travist Tritt, Randy Travis, older Strait, early-90's music
very much and focus on the Top 20 Rascal Flatts and Keith Urban songs. Keep
the music approach, shorten the imaging, make it more adult, shut up the jocks
from hitting every post and talking over all those beds and bring down the noise
level so a 25-54 Woman could listen to the station at work. Stop trying to proof
something and program the station to the available Country life group in The Bay
Area and they could turn it around.

 

[HenryOchs]

The premise was to make the station sound CHR in presentation and play
Country music. Problem: That was an idea that worked in the 90's. The
Country lifegroup that is avialable doesn't understand the over-top presentation
and high-energy approach. The music is Pop-Country and very power current
and recurrent based. Everyone says KSAN worked because it was high-energy
and presented well. Difference: It sounded like a Country station. Even though
it was fast-paced and produced. KBWF is making too much of "wolf howl" in
trying to appeal to all segments of the available audience in the Bay Area. Musically,
they aren't going to play Travist Tritt, Randy Travis, older Strait, early-90's music
very much and focus on the Top 20 Rascal Flatts and Keith Urban songs. Keep
the music approach, shorten the imaging, make it more adult, shut up the jocks
from hitting every post and talking over all those beds and bring down the noise
level so a 25-54 Woman could listen to the station at work. Stop trying to proof
something and program the station to the available Country life group in The Bay
Area and they could turn it around.

You have a good point there Jimmy. I think The Wolf needs some fine tuning. I think they should bring in JD to do mornings and also play older country tunes dating as far back as the 1950's.
You gotta mix it up a little.

 

[VelvetMcIntyre]

The Wolf plays classic country every Friday morning.

 

[Friscop1]

Country doesn't make it in the Bay Area, that's why we got rid of the last station in the Early 90's wasn't it The BEAR?

 

[LKellerIII]

"Country doesn't make it in the Bay Area, that's why we got rid of the last station in the Early 90's wasn't it The BEAR?"

The Bear was Bonneville's attempt at Country, and it was also on 95.7...but the Wolf is an entirely different mammal. Sorry.

The ratings for The Bear weren't all that awful (about a 2.0 if I remember correctly), but Bonneville decided they could do better with The Drive, which got lower ratings. The "Drive" format had done well for them in Chicago, but was a big flop here. I always thought it was odd that "the Mormon Money Machine" could do no wrong with KOIT, and kept KDFC running steady as one of the nation's most popular Classical stations, but kept doing successively worse with whatever format they tried on 95.7.

Somebody will correct me if I'm wrong, I'm sure - but I think Bonneville's first format on that frequency - Top 40 "Z95.7 " was their most successful.

 

[anotherlistener50]

The premise was to make the station sound CHR in presentation and play
Country music. Problem: That was an idea that worked in the 90's. The
Country lifegroup that is avialable doesn't understand the over-top presentation
and high-energy approach. The music is Pop-Country and very power current
and recurrent based. Everyone says KSAN worked because it was high-energy
and presented well. Difference: It sounded like a Country station. Even though
it was fast-paced and produced. KBWF is making too much of "wolf howl" in
trying to appeal to all segments of the available audience in the Bay Area. Musically,
they aren't going to play Travist Tritt, Randy Travis, older Strait, early-90's music
very much and focus on the Top 20 Rascal Flatts and Keith Urban songs. Keep
the music approach, shorten the imaging, make it more adult, shut up the jocks
from hitting every post and talking over all those beds and bring down the noise
level so a 25-54 Woman could listen to the station at work. Stop trying to proof
something and program the station to the available Country life group in The Bay
Area and they could turn it around.

You have a good point there Jimmy. I think The Wolf needs some fine tuning. I think they should bring in JD to do mornings and also play older country tunes dating as far back as the 1950's.
You gotta mix it up a little.

for those who don't know, ....j d ....is doing the morning show on....ktom....in salinas

 

[DavidSC]

A fun lively approach to country is working well on KATM Modesto-Stockton (and the East Bay), KISS Country Fresno, and KUZZ Bakersfield. Isn't a Country station in San Jose doing well with an energetic presentation?

From the posts I've read in this thread (haven't been able to listen), I wonder if the problem isn't energy but clutter.

 

[ricoontheradio]

The Bear was Bonneville's attempt at Country, and it was also on 95.7...but the Wolf is an entirely different mammal. Sorry.

The ratings for The Bear weren't all that awful (about a 2.0 if I remember correctly), but Bonneville decided they could do better with The Drive, which got lower ratings.

If I remember correctly, it was The Drive first, then The Bear, then Max FM.

 

[LKellerIII]

"If I remember correctly, it was The Drive first, then The Bear, then Max FM."

Uh...come to think of it, you're right. When Max first came on, they ran some funny pre-recorded phone-calls from angry country music fans.

 

[Joey Riggs]

The premise was to make the station sound CHR in presentation and play
Country music. Problem: That was an idea that worked in the 90's. The
Country lifegroup that is avialable doesn't understand the over-top presentation
and high-energy approach. The music is Pop-Country and very power current
and recurrent based. Everyone says KSAN worked because it was high-energy
and presented well. Difference: It sounded like a Country station. Even though
it was fast-paced and produced. KBWF is making too much of "wolf howl" in
trying to appeal to all segments of the available audience in the Bay Area. Musically,
they aren't going to play Travist Tritt, Randy Travis, older Strait, early-90's music
very much and focus on the Top 20 Rascal Flatts and Keith Urban songs. Keep
the music approach, shorten the imaging, make it more adult, shut up the jocks
from hitting every post and talking over all those beds and bring down the noise
level so a 25-54 Woman could listen to the station at work. Stop trying to proof
something and program the station to the available Country life group in The Bay
Area and they could turn it around.

I agree with 100% of that.