Thoughts on How to fix the radio dial....

[Dan_Evans]

First up the side note, note to Mainline and WWLB: Your stick is NOT 100,000 watts strong. Get into a signal that is that strong, then promote it as such.

Now, how would I FIX the radio dial down here in Richmond. Looks like we could use a few things here in the city of monuments. Here are my ideas:

WWLB: Get some jocks to go with the music. Yes, it's okay that we have a "Jack" format station here in town now with a different name, but you guys have been on the air now for five months. The time has arrived to give this station some personality and get rid of the automation. Then we will see if the "Jack" format will survive here or be another flash in the pan.

WRVA: Identity crisis alert on Basie Road. You pick up VaTech sports and NASCAR to go along with UVA sports. One question, what room did they have to go on a station that is supposedly Richmond's Place for Talk. I am willing to bet that deep down in the camps of Hannity and Savage, they are wondering now, why am I on this station after all. RVA has been the home for UVA for years, we all know this. Add in Tech and NASCAR and all I have to tell these people is pray that you are not killing yourselves in the quest to get back on top. Also, for a station that is the 50,000 watt voice of Richmond, the news on Sunday nights is LACKING of local news, NOT A GOOD MOVE!

WBBT-WARV: Time to make this station a 50-60's oldies station now, the 70's are all covered up the dial on 98.9(and then some to say the least). It might bring you back into the top 10, if you promote it as well.

Most of Cox Radio(except K95): What a mess we have here. WKLR is reeling as they are taking a hit now from two sides because of WWLB and also WJZV. WDYL is getting hammered by the X. WMXB is dead on arrival. About 3 years ago, Cox was a heavy hitter in this neck of the woods, now it's on life support. Time to get rid of JB&B, Mix103.7 and Y101. I would change WKLR into a Classic Rocker that won't be scared to play some of the 80's alt re-currents(Joy Division is MIA in this town, unless Bopst is playing it on his show). I would make Y101 our version of 96X out of Norfolk with a hot talk/modern rock format. Mancow in the Mornings, Don and Mike afternoons and Modern Rock the rest of the time. I would dump Mix103 and bring in our version of WTOP, to give WRVA a serious run for it's money with the focus on sports year round now at night. Local news and AP news at the top and bottom of the hour. Since Cox won't do any of this though, I would guess that it would stay status quo.

WBTJ-WCDX: I don't think either station is going to budge in this war of the two Hip-Hop stations, although WBTJ does dabble into R&B on occasion. I still think that the beat will win, but Power won't go anywhere, it's been a mainstay here for almost 20 years now. Both would have a major fight on their hands if WRVQ goes Rythmic, other than that, expect this fight to go on for years. The only change I would make is make one of them get a morning show locally that doesn't have to stoop to ghetto humor in the mornings.

WRVQ: Remember back when Q94 wasn't a f*****g joke? Back when the Q zoo was not a corporate driven morning show of drivel. Back when Q was a power hitter in the ratings for every book. That was before the dawn of CC rearing it's head and screwing up everything. I have one cure for it, go to Rythmic/CHR. Go into what is making Hit99.5 out of DC a ok top 40 station. Also, dump a LOT of the staff, especially the (Yawnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnssssssssssssssssss) Q Zoo which has turned into a sleep aid! The thought of you guys going "Jack" was gone with the arrival of WWLB, so go to rythmic and get out of this nasty slide you guys are in now.

WRXL: Just a few small tweaks. Get D&M if Cox won't put them on Y101. Also get Loveline off the air and make the nightshift 7-midnight. Waking up with Elliot and the addition of Don and Mike should pound Y101 further into the grave.

<P ID="signature">______________
Quoth the raven.....Nevermore</P>

 

[pbf1]

>>Your stick is NOT 100,000 watts strong. Get into a signal that is that strong, then promote it as such.

Like it's that easy??

 

[Radio-X]

> >>Your stick is NOT 100,000 watts strong. Get into a signal
> that is that strong, then promote it as such.
>
> Like it's that easy??
>
Well, the only problem is this:

1) The metro Richmond area is part of the Northeast zone with the FCC. The biggest class a station could apply for after 1962 is a class B putting out no more than 50,000 watts. This is why 104.7's tower (a class C1) is in Nottoway Co. It could probably move a little closer to Richmond, but would bave to downgrade to a class B and would have a smaller coverage area around the 804. Had 104.7 put a tower in the Northeast zone, say, in the 50's and were pumping out 100,000 watts, they could have *conceivably* had the strongest metro Richmond signal as a grandfathered class B, similar to WTVR-FM. Instead, mostly because radio was LOCAL back then, WSVS-FM applied for 100,000 watts on their tower near Burkeville in the 60's, then moved close to Richmond in '89.

I can pretty much agree with you on everything else except for the 107.3 and 103.7 stuff. I would agree that 107.3 needs to go in a different direction, but in what way? 50's and 60's oldies is not the way...with a few isolated cases, that format has been dead for about 5 years. Having Liberty as a clustermate pretty much rules out AC, Classic Rock, AAA, Hot AC, and other AC/rock varients. Why not simulcast the Wolf on 93.1 and 107.3, then leave the increasingly niche format oldies on 100.3? Those who really want oldies will put up with the frustration of a weak signal to listen. That situation gives MainLine a virtual lock on the older demos, while giving them a healthy piece of the younger ones with a near full-coverage rockin' country station and a full-coverage variety hits station.

Let's look at 103.7. News is a very expensive format to keep going, esp. in the way that WTOP does it. Plus, even if it did make it in the top three in billing as does WTOP, Richmond is market 58 and probably gets a fraction of the radio revenues that Washington (market number...like 8? Not too sure) does. I think we'll see 103.7 continue to be Soft and Contemporary until kingdom come.

As for what I see in the future:

- Cox will continue alt. rock on 101.1
- After another bad book or two, Main Line will swap around stations
- WCVE-FM will sell their construction permits to some religious group like EMF or Liberty University to make money to keep things afloat.
- WCVE-FM/TV/WCVW will still be arguably one of the worst public radio establishments in the mid-atlantic after using said money to keep things going...
- WSVS-AM will flip formats and move closer to Richmond after the next window of changes for AM's. It intrests me why Gee Communications wants to spend almost no money into the nearly destroyed Crewe studios and play a satellite country format when their former station was locally programmed country with automation...hmm...

Anyway, back to the salt mines!

Radio-X <P ID="signature">______________
To any Richmonders:

Please be my valentine this year and express mail me some of Ukrop's White House rolls!!!</P>

 

[Mark_Ericson]

> 1) The metro Richmond area is part of the Northeast zone
> with the FCC. The biggest class a station could apply for
> after 1962 is a class B putting out no more than 50,000
> watts. This is why 104.7's tower (a class C1) is in Nottoway
> Co. It could probably move a little closer to Richmond, but
> would bave to downgrade to a class B and would have a
> smaller coverage area around the 804. Had 104.7 put a tower
> in the Northeast zone, say, in the 50's and were pumping out
> 100,000 watts, they could have *conceivably* had the
> strongest metro Richmond signal as a grandfathered class B,
> similar to WTVR-FM. Instead, mostly because radio was LOCAL
> back then, WSVS-FM applied for 100,000 watts on their tower
> near Burkeville in the 60's, then moved close to Richmond in
> '89.

WWKB is an AM radio station. All AM radio stations in the US are limited to 50 kW, except for that station on Key West that broadcasts Radio Marti to Cuba, which does 100 kW.

- Trip<P ID="signature">______________
Visit my website, www.rabbitears.info! It's eventually going to be your one resource for television info! Digital television, histories, and technical information for the entire USA from one source!</P>

 

[pbf1]

We were talking about FMs, and nothing about WWKB


> > 1) The metro Richmond area is part of the Northeast zone
> > with the FCC. The biggest class a station could apply for
> > after 1962 is a class B putting out no more than 50,000
> > watts. This is why 104.7's tower (a class C1) is in
> Nottoway
> > Co. It could probably move a little closer to Richmond,
> but
> > would bave to downgrade to a class B and would have a
> > smaller coverage area around the 804. Had 104.7 put a
> tower
> > in the Northeast zone, say, in the 50's and were pumping
> out
> > 100,000 watts, they could have *conceivably* had the
> > strongest metro Richmond signal as a grandfathered class
> B,
> > similar to WTVR-FM. Instead, mostly because radio was
> LOCAL
> > back then, WSVS-FM applied for 100,000 watts on their
> tower
> > near Burkeville in the 60's, then moved close to Richmond
> in
> > '89.
>
> WWKB is an AM radio station. All AM radio stations in the
> US are limited to 50 kW, except for that station on Key West
> that broadcasts Radio Marti to Cuba, which does 100 kW.
>
> - Trip
>

 

[Mark_Ericson]

> We were talking about FMs, and nothing about WWKB

My mistake. I misread it WWKB (as that had been the big talk at the time, people were tuning in, etc) and not WWLB.

My apologies.

- Trip<P ID="signature">______________
Visit my website, www.rabbitears.info! It's eventually going to be your one resource for television info! Digital television, histories, and technical information for the entire USA from one source!</P>