THE WRXP EXCUSE AND FINGER-POINTING FEST BEGINS

[WRXPinsider]

In statements to the press by former PD Leslie Fram as well as blurbs by other execs, the station's demise has been attributed to:

- the economy
- lack of funds to properly promote/market the station

Watch for more gems to emerge soon.

Also, fired OM and voice-tracked air "personality" Brian Drelio asserts that the station's format flip is "the end of an era":

http://twitter.com/#!/briandrelio

Any thoughts on which era he's referring to???

 

[p_herring]

Was the station a "failure"? My question is, we all know that a rock station is not going to come into this area and get a 4.0 rating. Can a station survive with a 2-2.5 rating supporting this type of music? Is that viable?

 

[TheBigA]

Was the station a "failure"? My question is, we all know that a rock station is not going to come into this area and get a 4.0 rating. Can a station survive with a 2-2.5 rating supporting this type of music? Is that viable?

Not when the ownership is under the gun meeting debt payments. Anyone who talks about this as strictly a format issue is ignoring the elephant in the room, which is that huge debt payments were coming due in the fall, and Emmis was not going to be able to meet them. This was not business as usual, so talking about this as the failure of a format is wrong, especially when the station got its best book ever as the sale was announced.

The fact of the matter is for rock to work in a big city, it can't be strictly one of the various smaller sub-genres like active rock. It has to be a hybrid, and listeners have to accept that. We see the same thing with The Sound in LA. People want to nitpick song selection there, and it's just a waste of time. So if the station was going to stay on the air, it was going to have to be more like what it was in its final months.

 

[CTListener]

Was the station a "failure"? My question is, we all know that a rock station is not going to come into this area and get a 4.0 rating. Can a station survive with a 2-2.5 rating supporting this type of music? Is that viable?

Not when the ownership is under the gun meeting debt payments. Anyone who talks about this as strictly a format issue is ignoring the elephant in the room, which is that huge debt payments were coming due in the fall, and Emmis was not going to be able to meet them. This was not business as usual, so talking about this as the failure of a format is wrong, especially when the station got its best book ever as the sale was announced.

The fact of the matter is for rock to work in a big city, it can't be strictly one of the various smaller sub-genres like active rock. It has to be a hybrid, and listeners have to accept that. We see the same thing with The Sound in LA. People want to nitpick song selection there, and it's just a waste of time. So if the station was going to stay on the air, it was going to have to be more like what it was in its final months.

But the 2011 rock fan, most likely, is only a fan of a small sliver of the rock genre. That's what's killed rock as a real presence on the Hot 100 and is going to kill it as a real presence on radio. Sirius XM has something like 18 or 19 channels in its "rock" neighborhood, and the fan boards are always clogged with listeners complaining that Band X really belongs on Channel 32, not Channel 34, and why isn't Channel 39 playing Band Y instead of that crappy Band Z, etc., etc. Fifty-somethings like me remember when it was all rock 'n' roll, and you'd hear all the varieties of it on one or two stations, but that's not in the life experience of listeners 30 to 40 years younger, alas.

 

[luperm]

The only reason the rock format lasted as long as it did was because the station was on the block.
If Emmis was not shopping the station, it would have been flipped many months ago.

 

[TheBigA]

But the 2011 rock fan, most likely, is only a fan of a small sliver of the rock genre. That's what's killed rock as a real presence on the Hot 100 and is going to kill it as a real presence on radio.

Exactly. My point is that the only way modern rock (as opposed to classic rock) is going to work on the radio is as a hybrid, and listeners have to get used to it. The RXP format in it's final weeks was a hybrid, and it brought the best numbers. That's how it is. Radio is not going to aim music selection to individuals.

 

[disney fanatic]

I guess that RXP went down the toilet during the last 4 years as a rock station in the Arbitron ratings. I guess fans of WRXP would end up somewhere on the dial at "Q-104.3" which is a dominant winner of the format. Fans of RXP would also ended up elsewhere on the dial outside of New York City. There's WXPK's "The Peak" at 107.1 up in Westchester County, WRKI's "I95" up in Connecticut, WPDH at 101.5 up in Poughkeepsie which has been a rock format for 35 years, and it continue to do so after the loss of RXP, there's 100.1 WDST up in Woodstock, a good rock station than WRXP and last but not least, there's WBPM at 92.9 under Randy Turner with a mixed bag of classic hits with rock rolled into one along with a morning show with Robinson & Shannon. There are so many rock stations out there in or around New York City which is also north of that to pick up some listeners from the loss of RXP.

Remember, WDRE was a rock station in Philadelphia back in around 1995 until the station was sold to Radio One in 1997 where they did a farewell concert at the Electric Factory celebrating the end of WDRE. And afterwards, the WDRE call letters returns to Long Island.

 

[MarcR]

. I guess fans of WRXP would end up somewhere on the dial at "Q-104.3" which is a dominant winner of the format.

'RXP listeners aren't going to settle for a station that (seemingly) plays Supertramp's "The Logical Song" 300 times a week. I would surmise that many of them, including myself, will gravitate to internet radio or simply listen to our I-Pods.

 

[uncamark]

. I guess fans of WRXP would end up somewhere on the dial at "Q-104.3" which is a dominant winner of the format.

'RXP listeners aren't going to settle for a station that (seemingly) plays Supertramp's "The Logical Song" 300 times a week. I would surmise that many of them, including myself, will gravitate to internet radio or simply listen to our I-Pods.

Documented proof that Q104.3 does that. That number of spins is totally unrealistic, even for a CHR.

 

[MarcR]

. I guess fans of WRXP would end up somewhere on the dial at "Q-104.3" which is a dominant winner of the format.

'RXP listeners aren't going to settle for a station that (seemingly) plays Supertramp's "The Logical Song" 300 times a week. I would surmise that many of them, including myself, will gravitate to internet radio or simply listen to our I-Pods.

Documented proof that Q104.3 does that. That number of spins is totally unrealistic, even for a CHR.

I was using hyperbole, obviously. But it does seem that everytime I tune in to the Q that they are playing that song.

 

[lalumia]

that's what they get for not playing Iggy & the Stooges and The New York Dolls!!

 

[radiojomo]

WRXP would have been in better shape if it had just gone the routes of more traditional Alt. Rockers based in major markets, especially if it had been marketed that way since its inception. K-Rock had already shunned the format in favor for classic rock/active rock and there was a hole to do a straightforward WRFF or KYSR style format, basing itself heavily on 90's Gold and leaving any signs of the 70's and 80's out (except for the occasional song by Depeche Mode and The Cure). Instead, RXP focused on traditional classic rock staples and indie rock. While I may love listening to this type of music and it sucks to see another Alt Rocker go, it would have been better to see some form of the format instead of seeing nothing at all. It seems to be that all music formats have to tighten up their playlists if they want to be successful on terrestrial radio. That's why I sway towards SiriusXM and internet radio now.

 

[Dick Skinner]

that's what they get for not playing Iggy & the Stooges and The New York Dolls!!

I totally agree, mulamia.

 

[hubcity]

While I agree with radiojomo in general, I'd actually (and in fact, I do actually) keep those legacy 80's tracks in, because you can draw a straight line between them and what's happening in Indie/Alt now, and with much less effort than making AC/DC, Aerosmith and Van Halen "work" with new acts.

It got the name "alternative" because it was intended to break with the tradition represented by mainstream rock and metal. Why would you ever consider those together as "just rock"?

There are exceptions, of course, but once you get past "Walk This Way" and the top Bowie and T. Rex tracks, what then?

Honestly, they actually should have played more Iggy and New York Dolls.

 

[DToTheJ]

And Wayne County - don't forget them!

 

[lalumia]

Wayne County is not a 'them" unless you count Wayne County as one person and the current "Jayne" County as another...
and cranking out the Wayne County version of "NightTime" or "Rock& Roll Resurrection"(how timely!)
certainly wouldn't have hurt!!

 

[fmradio1]

Ironically, many rock stations that have historically played the widest variety of music are the ones that are thriving nationally...stations like WDVE/Pittsburgh, WHJY/Providence, WEBN/Cincinnati, KSHE/St. Louis & WAQY/Springfield, MA. However, all these outlets have heritage that goes back to the 70's or earlier. WRXP was starting from scratch. Heck, Q104.3 has been in the classic rock format for years, and only now is really hitting it's stride. Emmis wasn't in it for the long haul for a variety of reasons, and you have to be if you are going to switch to a rock format.

CBS had the best chance at it if they could have revived WNEW-FM on 102.7 several years back. While the iconic jocks wouldn't have been there, they could have gotten away with a variety based rock format like WRXP was trying toward the end simply due to built in heritage. It may not have worked, but I don't see a New York station (which wants instant results after a format change) taking the time to build an audience with a rock format. It's a long term commitment in a short term city.

 

[CTListener]

Ironically, many rock stations that have historically played the widest variety of music are the ones that are thriving nationally...stations like WDVE/Pittsburgh, WHJY/Providence, WEBN/Cincinnati, KSHE/St. Louis & WAQY/Springfield, MA.

Don't know about the others, but WAQY's playlist couldn't contain more than 500 songs.

 

[SoulCrusher]

And why did you leave out Cherry Vanilla? I'm sure they can't be happy with you after you forgot to throw in their name!

 

[lalumia]

Miss Vanilla is ALWAYS happy, dear heart..