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TJ 98.7
- Thread starter Always interested
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Sorry if this has been asked. If emmis doesn’t find a buyer by February, can TJ re-sign another LMA or do they have to stop in February and let another LMA’er take over?
It's up to Emmis
why the phonetic spelling of words ?
and why is this board so quick to be condescending to other posts.
I don't know how long this pop-up station will be around in NY but their processing, at least their stream that I'm listening to right now (didn't know there was a stream) sounds really good. It sounds much better than the iHeart and Audacy streams in my humble opinion. Any idea what processing they use?
Format sounds a bit like PLJ from back in the day.
Format sounds a bit like PLJ from back in the day.
Well, if it’s working well, I suppose TJ and friends could pony up the $50 million to stick around.
My guess is they won’t.
Totally off the wall here.. But would an older classic hits work? Like the Wow Factor that plays 60's, 70's and no newer than say 82.. That music is untapped now in NYC and I know people say there is no money in that Demo but if it got great ratings wouldn't be an easier sell? The one in AZ is neck and neck with the newer leaning classic hits that plays 80's and 90's and there is an Adult Hits in that Market too... Maybe get a few ex-WCBS jocks on there too... Random I know but would that give WCBS some competition?
Such a station will attract mostly older listeners, but not a lot of advertisers would have any interest in them. The newest of the music you propose is over 40 years old, the oldest at least 60. People who remember that music firsthand are in their 50's, 60's, 70's, possibly 80's. And the music's available from a bunch of other sources. If someone wanted to gift me 98.7, I could do a respectable job programming that kind of music on it. (As could a whole bunch of other contributors to this board.) But I'd still go broke within six months, because the revenue just wouldn't be there. Unless it became a non-profit, like WNYC or WFUV, and lived on handouts. Maybe then it might have a chance. But the audience is still going to die off, or move to Florida, and the inevitable will still be inevitable.
It would be a colossal failure both from a ratings and from a billing standpoint. There is no sustainable market for this on commercial radio.
WOW factor barely bills despite the good ratings on paper, and that's because there are a lot retirement homes around Phoenix. And given it's a rimshot translator combo, it's not like that signal had high hopes to begin with. In a full-market signal in New York City, no way.
In other threads that's what some people think Cats would do if he bought another signal. That's what it would take. Someone who has loads of money who is looking for a hobby to keep him occupied. Because there's no ad money for it. Call Elon. He's looking for a hobby.
He could call it DOGE-style Rock & Roll, powered by X.
Because this is a format that has been tried in several places (NYC included), and has had very little traction.
Seattle is arguably the only place where the format has had any staying power…on a non-commercial station owned by the city schools. They gotta put something on the air…Beats repeats of school board meetings!
Vegas has a EDM station, doesn’t appear in the ratings dog and pony show. Most of it’s commercials and website ads are for valet doctors, MJ dispensaries and the like.
I’d challenge any EDM format defender to find one station in the past 30 or so years (since the genre has developed in its current form) that has been commercially viable. I can only think of one: Party 93.1 in South Florida (over 20 years ago) which was quickly jettisoned when the heritage active rocker flipped formats due to low ratings. They figured having those abysmal ratings were better than what they were getting as a dance station.
No. NYC is a mostly agency town for buys, and they don’t buy radio for 55 and older.
Agencies don’t even look at 6+ or 12+ so if a station did well in 55 and over, they would never even notice it.
The one in AZ is not even top 20 in billing. It only makes money because you can run such a station cheaply in AZ but not in NY.
I have always wondered, though, if the "there is no ad demand for 55 plus" is not a bit overblown.
I have to admit I love crime tv. Mysteries. Shows like Law and Order. Etc.
They seem to attract an older crowd simply based on the ads I am seeing on the channels.
Why can't radio get those too?
Medicare Supplement ads. My gawd they are on non-stop right now on the tv, why not get them on the radio?
The "put your feet on our thing and we will move it back and forth for you and you will feel better" thingamajig. Sure TV is better, but could do radio.
Pills, Vitamins, Lotions, etc. All loaded up on tv.
Retirement communities. Don't say they cannot afford to advertise, they are on tv!
Cars. I see a lot of new and used car ads when I watch these shows.
Lots of ads for vacation get-aways.
"Help around the house" stuff for older people like ramps and electronic chairs that zip you up to the second floor.
"Things we can do for you so you don't have to do it yourself" - perfect example - Christmas light installations.
Comfortable shoes.
I dunno man. I have done programming for many years and sales too and too often sales people just look for the easy sell. Selling a retirement community where the marketing manager says "but we are already on tv" and telling him that "radio is better" requires more than an order taker approach but true creativity and I am just not seeing that in the people who are applying for sales positions (and this is about a 15 year tendency). Too many order takers, not enough hustlers in radio. Back in the day the laziest worked for the newspapers, somehow got the Sears account and every month ka-ching took the order.
I have to admit I love crime tv. Mysteries. Shows like Law and Order. Etc.
They seem to attract an older crowd simply based on the ads I am seeing on the channels.
Why can't radio get those too?
Medicare Supplement ads. My gawd they are on non-stop right now on the tv, why not get them on the radio?
The "put your feet on our thing and we will move it back and forth for you and you will feel better" thingamajig. Sure TV is better, but could do radio.
Pills, Vitamins, Lotions, etc. All loaded up on tv.
Retirement communities. Don't say they cannot afford to advertise, they are on tv!
Cars. I see a lot of new and used car ads when I watch these shows.
Lots of ads for vacation get-aways.
"Help around the house" stuff for older people like ramps and electronic chairs that zip you up to the second floor.
"Things we can do for you so you don't have to do it yourself" - perfect example - Christmas light installations.
Comfortable shoes.
I dunno man. I have done programming for many years and sales too and too often sales people just look for the easy sell. Selling a retirement community where the marketing manager says "but we are already on tv" and telling him that "radio is better" requires more than an order taker approach but true creativity and I am just not seeing that in the people who are applying for sales positions (and this is about a 15 year tendency). Too many order takers, not enough hustlers in radio. Back in the day the laziest worked for the newspapers, somehow got the Sears account and every month ka-ching took the order.
There's no demand for 55plus for music formats. Instead that money goes to news/talk radio and cable TV.
One supporter of oldies on the radio is MeTV-FM, which promotes the MeTV cable channel.
The kinds of products you list mainly require longer spots due to all the legal disclaimers. They work better on TV or infomercials.
I agree that a lot of sales people prefer the "easy sell," and that approach won't improve with all the budget cuts in radio.
Lots of the ads you see over and over on TV are Per Inquiry, not paid commercials. Radio could likely load up on PI spots and aim at the 55+ audience but in my experience PI ads only pay a few cents to a dollar or two per airing. When you're a TV network and X number of minutes to fill in each TV show, you have to play something. At least a PI spot pays something whereas a promo or PSA pays zero.
So, you have a radio station. Do you target 55+, the riskiest, most difficult to monetize and a track record of losing money or do you opt for something considered a relatively safe option with ample dollars available from advertisers where you can cover the operation even if you're not a top 5 station? Look at this from a purely business point of view because radio is purely a business.
So, you have a radio station. Do you target 55+, the riskiest, most difficult to monetize and a track record of losing money or do you opt for something considered a relatively safe option with ample dollars available from advertisers where you can cover the operation even if you're not a top 5 station? Look at this from a purely business point of view because radio is purely a business.
@Identnut
@phildavis .
In 1994 my Folks moved to a spot in Florida called The Villages. The place originally was a retirement community called Orange Blossom Hills that spread across Highway 441, was renamed, and expanded greatly. It now has over 80,000 people.
The place got its own TV station (closed-circuit community events on a wheel) and its own newspaper -- making them ineligible to own an LPFM -- I know, lol, they tried -- so they went and bought a 1000-watt AM station from just outside of the place.
The station had been -- get this -- unlistenable bluegrass Country during the day, and equally unlistenable Black gospel at night. I don't know what the purchase price was.
Covering a new place that, at the time positioning itself -- emphasizing itself -- as a '55 and older' place (that's residents AND visitors) the radio station, renamed WVLG, played The Standards. It was just one of only three stations within range of a good radio doing so in north-central Florida.
Younger 55+ people kept moving in. WVLG took on a more 'WNEW' approach for while to keep that moving window of audience focused ..... no more big bands, for example; that genre got replaced by a lot of late 50's style and newer pop (think Brenda Lee, Andy Williams, Glen Campbell) and by the Reprise-label era of Frank, Sammy & Dean, plus other 1975-ish EZ listening.
Well, last time I was down there, ten yearsago, WVLG had gone Solid Gold. Nothing special; the usual 300 song Consultants of Your Life collection.
No idea what they are now. They're in Holiday mode.
All of those formats were heard on the same station. Point is: if that target area window -- that moving sales portal which always keeps the under-55 demo folks in focus -- is vital for commercial sales revenue in 'God's Waiting Room' .......
.... and NYC certainly is no retirement community .....
@phildavis .
In 1994 my Folks moved to a spot in Florida called The Villages. The place originally was a retirement community called Orange Blossom Hills that spread across Highway 441, was renamed, and expanded greatly. It now has over 80,000 people.
The place got its own TV station (closed-circuit community events on a wheel) and its own newspaper -- making them ineligible to own an LPFM -- I know, lol, they tried -- so they went and bought a 1000-watt AM station from just outside of the place.
The station had been -- get this -- unlistenable bluegrass Country during the day, and equally unlistenable Black gospel at night. I don't know what the purchase price was.
Covering a new place that, at the time positioning itself -- emphasizing itself -- as a '55 and older' place (that's residents AND visitors) the radio station, renamed WVLG, played The Standards. It was just one of only three stations within range of a good radio doing so in north-central Florida.
Younger 55+ people kept moving in. WVLG took on a more 'WNEW' approach for while to keep that moving window of audience focused ..... no more big bands, for example; that genre got replaced by a lot of late 50's style and newer pop (think Brenda Lee, Andy Williams, Glen Campbell) and by the Reprise-label era of Frank, Sammy & Dean, plus other 1975-ish EZ listening.
Well, last time I was down there, ten yearsago, WVLG had gone Solid Gold. Nothing special; the usual 300 song Consultants of Your Life collection.
No idea what they are now. They're in Holiday mode.
All of those formats were heard on the same station. Point is: if that target area window -- that moving sales portal which always keeps the under-55 demo folks in focus -- is vital for commercial sales revenue in 'God's Waiting Room' .......
.... and NYC certainly is no retirement community .....
They're playing old songs, but most of them sound more like classic hits or what is still on mainstream AC than oldies. It certainly doesn't sound like it belongs in a retirement community.
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