WAMO Is Coming Back

[DToTheJ]

No, it's not what you think: the WAMO call letters are being reinstated in the market, as WPYT ditches its calls in favor of WAMO. They will also be rebranding as "WAMO-100," based on their FM translator frequency.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11154/1151127-100.stm

 

[corporateradiosucks]

Yay! I'm glad this worked out for them.

 

[FreddyE1977]

now maybe the folks over at the Cathedral of Learning should put in a claim on WPYT...

 

[KeyTimes950]

Except for the announcement that the callsign will flip from WPYT to WAMO, it's not particularly surprising. From Monday's McKeesport Daily News:

Martz group programmer Drew Scott said the WAMO callsign was bought from a Northeastern Pennsylvania religious broadcaster and will be utilized soon.
"Everyone loves it," he said of 10,000 songs in a row that began May 21.
The station is operating from a studio not far from WPYT`s Forest Hills tower.
"The staff has been hired and will be on the air soon," Scott said.
"We will be running a news package in the morning and (be) involved in the community, but our main focus is giving Pittsburgh a hit music urban radio station."

However, it's admirable that Martz was able to pull off the deal and get FCC approval so quickly. According to the FCC website, the change in callsigns was approved today (June 3).

By the way, check out the new www.fcc.gov website. And good luck.

 

[Parttimer]

now maybe the folks over at the Cathedral of Learning should put in a claim on WPYT...

Why?

 

[FreddyE1977]

I have noticed that 100.7 seemed to really up the urban content over the weekend,
trying to catch people who were tuning for 100.1. Not a bad strategy.

 

[Parttimer]

I have noticed that 100.7 seemed to really up the urban content over the weekend,
trying to catch people who were tuning for 100.1. Not a bad strategy.

Aside from pushing people who don't want urban content over to BOB-FM and WSHH....

 

[corporateradiosucks]

I have noticed that 100.7 seemed to really up the urban content over the weekend,
trying to catch people who were tuning for 100.1. Not a bad strategy.

Aside from pushing people who don't want urban content over to BOB-FM and WSHH....

Yep. That strategy will totally backfire.

 

[rubberchicken]

That's nothing new. Star has been evolving to more of a CHR for the last several months. WKST is at levels never seen before. They're clearly a big target right now between WAMO and WBZZ.

 

[cingram]

When there is no other CHR station in town of any variety, and no Urban station, the lone CHR will do
well. This is equally true of the lone AOR when there is no other Rock station in town, of any variety,
except for a flanker which is co-owned by the same company. It doesn't surprise me that WDVE and
WKST do well. Name their last serious challengers.

C.

 

[jackandcoke]

No, actually, WAMO is not "coming back."

This is sort of like buying 1550 and slapping Top 40 tunes and the WIXZ call-letters on the thing and claiming that the erstwhile McKeesport hit music station has been resurrected.

Don't get me wrong. The whole ploy is fairly clever. And until one of the full-market FM signals flips to Urban and blows them out of the water (a few months?) it makes for a good story. Or, at least, a story.

But, no, the FM peashooter attached to a worthless AM ain't WAMO. If they grab a share or two it will make headlines for a few days. And then, before you can say "Wham-O," it will be gone...

 

[Parttimer]

They went live locally today and it's a different radio station. Most of the Kiss-type pop stuff is gone, it's more straight-up street urban.

Also heard two local voices, a female middays, only heard one break from her. Afternoon guy isn't bad, has some energy.

They announced a "Welcome Back WAMO" concert at "Niagara Pavilion" (uhh..it's First Niagara.... obviously out-of-towners..)featuring Lil Wayne and others....

The air studio sounds bad. There's no processing on the mic and it sounds like they're in a closet... which they might be...

But the thing is, nobody with a full-market signal wants to do this format, if they did this opportunity for Martz wouldn't have been there in the first place. If you want realistic expectations, in Atlanta Cox took alternative 99X off of a full-market FM and operate it now from an HD-2 and a translator, and it pulls a 2-share. Given the fact that the FM here only reaches 20-25% of the market, I think they'd be ecstatic with numbers like that. And probably profitable.

Too bad the Pens don't have a translator for their all-Pens HD-2 on 105.9.....

 

[jackandcoke]

Necessity has always been the mother of invention in radio, so as long as all of the big FM sticks are rolling in money I tend to agree that none will make the move. But when one of them hits a rough spot--and, sooner or later, one of them will hit a rough spot.

 

[Parttimer]

Necessity has always been the mother of invention in radio, so as long as all of the big FM sticks are rolling in money I tend to agree that none will make the move. But when one of them hits a rough spot--and, sooner or later, one of them will hit a rough spot.

Nope. There isn't enough money in this format, here in Pittsburgh, for one of the big companies to want to do it. You have to remember, 70% of what Clear Channel bills every year goes for debt service, so they have to have high ad rates and heavy spot loads at those high rates.

Martz, on the other hand, probably paid cash for this property, has a cheap studio and a couple of employees. You can find plenty of small businesses that will pay $25/spot, and he can make money at those rates. Martz' business plan is a lot closer to Bob Stevens' than it is to Clear Channel's.

 

[MsMusicRadio]

IN the Sixties, big city R&B was usually on an upper dial frequencies. like WJMO 1490 in Cleveland and KGFJ at 1230 in LA. They had to compete with big Top 40 stations like KHJ and WKYC.

 

[rubberchicken]

It doesn't surprise me that WDVE and WKST do well.

Neither does it myself. I'm just pointing out that is why Star is moving in that direction as well. Position themselves to superserve a female age range of, say, 24-38.

Back to the topic, it may be a piss-ant signal on an FM translator, but Martz still invested in the market and brought some staff members to town. They could have easily voicetracked it in from somewhere else. By bringing in local jocks to work here, it shows a little more that they really care about the city in which they are doing business. I give them lots of credit and wish them as much success as possible.

 

[clangham]

It doesn't surprise me that WDVE and
WKST do well.

I can understand DVE being they have heritage DJs who have been like the clap, around for ages. LOL!

But Kiss I cannot. The DJs plain out stink in my opinion. First Mikey and Big Blob, then Tall Cathy. I can't tell you the rest, but between those three, they are sure to ruin your morning unless you are a teener. I NEVER listen to Kiss and none of my friends do either.

 

[Parttimer]

It doesn't surprise me that WDVE and WKST do well.

Neither does it myself. I'm just pointing out that is why Star is moving in that direction as well. Position themselves to superserve a female age range of, say, 24-38.

.

They already do. They are the most focused station in the market, with numbers that are almost entirely in their target demo. More urban isn't going to improve that. In fact, for years a lot of the urban fans on this board went on and on about how Star needed to flip to urban (only because the posters didn't like the music Star played and liked urban).. but only seeing 12+ numbers it always looked like Star was a low performer. In reality, they bill very well because there is no waste in their demos, everything is on target.

Urban as a format generates the least dollars per rating point of any format (sports generates the most). So urban is fine for a little signal with a few 20-something kids as an airstaff. For CBS, not so much.

 

[MsMusicRadio]

It doesn't surprise me that WDVE and
WKST do well.

I can understand DVE being they have heritage DJs who have been like the clap, around for ages. LOL!

But Kiss I cannot. The DJs plain out stink in my opinion. First Mikey and Big Blob, then Tall Cathy. I can't tell you the rest, but between those three, they are sure to ruin your morning unless you are a teener. I NEVER listen to Kiss and none of my friends do either.

My parents said the same stuff about KQV and Ravin Dave Scott

 

[corporateradiosucks]

It doesn't surprise me that WDVE and WKST do well.

Neither does it myself. I'm just pointing out that is why Star is moving in that direction as well. Position themselves to superserve a female age range of, say, 24-38.

They already do. They are the most focused station in the market, with numbers that are almost entirely in their target demo. More urban isn't going to improve that. In fact, for years a lot of the urban fans on this board went on and on about how Star needed to flip to urban (only because the posters didn't like the music Star played and liked urban).. but only seeing 12+ numbers it always looked like Star was a low performer. In reality, they bill very well because there is no waste in their demos, everything is on target.

Urban as a format generates the least dollars per rating point of any format (sports generates the most). So urban is fine for a little signal with a few 20-something kids as an airstaff. For CBS, not so much.

Yep. I think it's the most lameass station out there, but apparently it's one that lameass soccer moms love when they're driving to Bravo for a big "date night." Too many (shudder) black folk are going to have them deserting the station in droves.