• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Thunder 106: Successful Because They're the Only Game in Town?

L

LenoxAve

There's no denying that Thunder 106 is quite a success in Monmouth-Ocean and in Middlesex-Somerset-Union, and Press must be happy with their decision to move the country format to signals with a wider reach. But, since they are the only country game in town, I often wonder how much they can get away with solely because there are no alternatives for most of its listening area (at least in the northern end, with WPUR being a more mainstream alternative for listeners on its southern stick).

While the station has become a bit more focused in recent months, they still have music sweeps that sound quite inconsistent - some that sound extremely rock-heavy and others that are a bit more mainstream and pop-friendly. At night, they seem to rotate some more pop country titles than they do during the day, which I surmise is for a more mellow texture during the evening.

They do a great job promoting themselves with their "Rockin' Country Happy Hours" and their numerous appearances around town and seem to have built themselves a loyal fan base. But their music mix can be awfully bizarre and off the wall at times.

But, I am curious to see what people here think: Are they successful because they are a good station? Or because they're the only game in town? Would taking the station a bit more mainstream help them grow even more? I don't see any other country stations coming into the area to challenge them, but I thought I would just spark some discussion.
 
WPUR / 107.3 has a lot of listeners (and quite a few advertisers) in Southern Ocean County despite Thunder 106.5 coming off the old WWSI-TV tower in Tuckerton.
 
WWSI is licensed, and has a Construction Permit and an Application all on the same tower
in Tuckerton. The tower isn't that "old" ???

39-37-53.4 N 074-21-10.1 W
3.3 KM NORTH OF TUCKERTON , NJ 08087
 
Tom McNally said:
WWSI is licensed, and has a Construction Permit and an Application all on the same tower
in Tuckerton. The tower isn't that "old" ???

39-37-53.4 N 074-21-10.1 W
3.3 KM NORTH OF TUCKERTON , NJ 08087
Click to expand...


Tom, see File No.: BPCDT-20100607AHA


WWSI NJ ATLANTIC CITY USA (Digital)

Licensee: ZGS PHILADELPHIA, INC.
Service Designation: DT Digital television station
Transmit Channel: 49 680 - 686 MHz Construction Permit
Virtual Channel: 62 (viewer sees this channel number)

Network affiliation: TELEMUNDO

File No.: BPCDT-20100607AHA Facility ID number: 23142
CDBS Application ID No.: 1371750

39° 43' 41.00" N Latitude
74° 50' 39.00" W Longitude (NAD 27)
 
LenoxAve said:
There's no denying that Thunder 106 is quite a success in Monmouth-Ocean and in Middlesex-Somerset-Union, and Press must be happy with their decision to move the country format to signals with a wider reach. But, since they are the only country game in town, I often wonder how much they can get away with solely because there are no alternatives for most of its listening area (at least in the northern end, with WPUR being a more mainstream alternative for listeners on its southern stick).

While the station has become a bit more focused in recent months, they still have music sweeps that sound quite inconsistent - some that sound extremely rock-heavy and others that are a bit more mainstream and pop-friendly. At night, they seem to rotate some more pop country titles than they do during the day, which I surmise is for a more mellow texture during the evening.

They do a great job promoting themselves with their "Rockin' Country Happy Hours" and their numerous appearances around town and seem to have built themselves a loyal fan base. But their music mix can be awfully bizarre and off the wall at times.

But, I am curious to see what people here think: Are they successful because they are a good station? Or because they're the only game in town? Would taking the station a bit more mainstream help them grow even more? I don't see any other country stations coming into the area to challenge them, but I thought I would just spark some discussion.
Click to expand...

Y107 was THE country station back in the days. When they went dark, it was a good 8 years Country was a format hole for Northern and Central NJ. Once Thunder landed on 106.3 and people found out about it, they flocked to the frequency. It's not because they're the only game in town, it was long overdue that Country just returned to the area. The similar feeling when KTU dropped current dance and when Pulse 87 launched a year and a half after.
 
d21ofnj said:
Y107 was THE country station back in the days. When they went dark, it was a good 8 years Country was a format hole for Northern and Central NJ. Once Thunder landed on 106.3 and people found out about it, they flocked to the frequency. It's not because they're the only game in town, it was long overdue that Country just returned to the area. The similar feeling when KTU dropped current dance and when Pulse 87 launched a year and a half after.
Click to expand...

So there was no country for 8 years and now there is one country station and it is doing well. Seems like you are confirming the point that they are doing well precisely because they are the only game in town.
 
mets18 said:
d21ofnj said:
Y107 was THE country station back in the days.  When they went dark, it was a good 8 years Country was a format hole for Northern and Central NJ.  Once Thunder landed on 106.3 and people found out about it, they flocked to the frequency.  It's not because they're the only game in town, it was long overdue that Country just returned to the area.  The similar feeling when KTU dropped current dance and when Pulse 87 launched a year and a half after. 
Click to expand...

So there was no country for 8 years and now there is one country station and it is doing well.  Seems like you are confirming the point that they are doing well precisely because they are the only game in town.
Click to expand...

Let me clarify here.  The only game in town is different than somebody filling a format hole.  Remember that Press started Country on 98.5 first, where there was other option to hear Country in OC (92.5, 107.3). If 98.5 didn't pull the numbers it did with the Country format, it wouldn't land on 106.3 and people will still have Sirius/XM or stream online and no one else would try the format.  So my call on their success is it's a format hole and they filled it.  If another station wanted the piece of the Country pie, 94.7, 98.3, or 99.1 would do it.  Now if we're talking about WRAT, then you can say they're the only game because they stuck with their rock format after G-Rock was demised.
 
d21ofnj said:
Y107 was THE country station back in the days. When they went dark, it was a good 8 years Country was a format hole for Northern and Central NJ.
Click to expand...
Actually from May 2002 (when Y107 ended) to January 2003, the last remaining Country music station in Northern/Central NJ was little AM daytimer "Stirling Country" 1070 WKMB. :)
 
I often wonder, though, if they would be even MORE successful with a mainstream country format that's not so all over the place. Maybe with a few rockin' tunes here and there, but closer to XTU or WPUR.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom