Got the opportunity to go to Gulf Shores earlier this week, and I mainly listened to 97.5 WABB and 100.7 WJLQ the whole time. You can tell, if nothing else, that these two stations are in a loudness and positioning war. But is it working?
WJLQ - Last time I was at the beach in '07, this station was more of an AC than it is today. They have retooled the playlist to be a straight-up Hot AC. The music selection is tight, with the exception of a few titles, and their clock (of which they are clearly only using one during the day) is set up with a good balance of currents and gold. I liked their processing too -- kinda sounded like one of those newer Vorsis units. All that being said, there were a couple of things that surprised me. Mornings on Q100 seem a little weak. To do a Hot AC right, you've gotta have some better content than just music and a little prep here and there from some guy you plugged into morning drive. The second thing is their plethora of positioners! I counted at least three, of course the standard Cumulus "10 songs in a row", but then the absolute worst being "the best mix of everything". How disgusting. Otherwise I thought they were pretty good.
WABB - Last time I was at the beach in '07, they had this station on lock. Great music, awesome sound, it was terrific. So...what happened? I have always tried to take up for WABB's music when others have complained on here, based on what Mediabase was showing, but somebody is clearly asleep at the wheel in that department. The music lacks the super-tight focus that a CHR needs...there are a lot of secondary titles getting worked into the mix, and that may hurt them if another CHR (or even a tight Hot AC) decides to really go after them. Their sound was great in '07, but somebody has put their fingers on the processor and torn up the sound of that station. There is so much clipping going on that it makes all voice (and a good bit of their music) very abrasive to listen to. The bass that they used to pump is almost completely gone. If anybody at WABB sees this and you still have your old settings saved, you need to dial them back up STAT. Last thing is morning drive. I thought they used to have a really good morning team but now it is anchored by kids. Listening on the way out of town this morning, it had every appeal of a college radio program, and the lead guy (I think he goes by Q-Tip) sounds like he's about 18 and doesn't know how to steer their breaks effectively. That being said, WABB is a heritage CHR and has been around forever, and heritage stations tend to be good at turning things around when the chips are down.
What do you think? This was based on just 3 days of listening, so am I off-base?
WJLQ - Last time I was at the beach in '07, this station was more of an AC than it is today. They have retooled the playlist to be a straight-up Hot AC. The music selection is tight, with the exception of a few titles, and their clock (of which they are clearly only using one during the day) is set up with a good balance of currents and gold. I liked their processing too -- kinda sounded like one of those newer Vorsis units. All that being said, there were a couple of things that surprised me. Mornings on Q100 seem a little weak. To do a Hot AC right, you've gotta have some better content than just music and a little prep here and there from some guy you plugged into morning drive. The second thing is their plethora of positioners! I counted at least three, of course the standard Cumulus "10 songs in a row", but then the absolute worst being "the best mix of everything". How disgusting. Otherwise I thought they were pretty good.
WABB - Last time I was at the beach in '07, they had this station on lock. Great music, awesome sound, it was terrific. So...what happened? I have always tried to take up for WABB's music when others have complained on here, based on what Mediabase was showing, but somebody is clearly asleep at the wheel in that department. The music lacks the super-tight focus that a CHR needs...there are a lot of secondary titles getting worked into the mix, and that may hurt them if another CHR (or even a tight Hot AC) decides to really go after them. Their sound was great in '07, but somebody has put their fingers on the processor and torn up the sound of that station. There is so much clipping going on that it makes all voice (and a good bit of their music) very abrasive to listen to. The bass that they used to pump is almost completely gone. If anybody at WABB sees this and you still have your old settings saved, you need to dial them back up STAT. Last thing is morning drive. I thought they used to have a really good morning team but now it is anchored by kids. Listening on the way out of town this morning, it had every appeal of a college radio program, and the lead guy (I think he goes by Q-Tip) sounds like he's about 18 and doesn't know how to steer their breaks effectively. That being said, WABB is a heritage CHR and has been around forever, and heritage stations tend to be good at turning things around when the chips are down.
What do you think? This was based on just 3 days of listening, so am I off-base?