I've been doing my homework, folks, plus a lot of thinking about formats, selling them, and making a profit. Oldies in its current form of 60s/70s/few 50s has survived in Miami, aas well as a bumped up version in WPB.
Think about this: James Crystal is selling WJNA, even the pseudo-oldies with the older crowd, and before with the Nostalgia; I notice a lot of their advertisers are arts-related, culture-related, and human life interest-related; more so since the demise of WTMI and now WKAT, which had no pull in the Palm Beaches if at all.
Now, with the demise of localized 850AM as LIVE85, and currently mostly syndicated talk, on a new 50kw stick that booms into ALL THREE METRO areas of South FL (Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, and West Palm, and probably beyond all 3) day and night, and with fully equipped studios. I know 850 is a boomer because I drove from Broward to South Dade all the way to WPB one night with WFTL on my car radio, and it sounded like it was on FM.
If Crystal can pull off the Nostalgia/Standards/Pseudo-Oldies on WJNA and can SELL IT, put Classical on 850 and go with it.
Pull people from within who know the format and maybe even grab some old TMI and KAT jocks who KNOW the format, play whole movements and not edit them to death, and DO NOT BY ANY MEANS MAKE IT SOUND LIKE A MUSIC APPRECIATION CLASS, which will turn people off. My Music and Theatre Apprec. classes in college were kinder to me than WTMI and WKAT was when they called it quits. Model it after WGMS in DC; format it as a Soft AC with the 'ultimate oldies' and let it ride. Just play the music and make it enjoyable; people will listen, and if they don't know what they're hearing, those interested in knowing who it is, and there are a lot of people who do and will, will learn. Plus the studio line always comes in handy to ask 'what's that song?' a million times to drive the DJ nuts!
Plus, a good reason to restore the calls WDJA, & put FTL back on 1400 where it belongs. And if you shove billboards in the right areas saying Classical on 850, cross advertise on all other Crystal stations, you'll get a buzz going. When the theatre and music seasons really get fired up and they go year round, you can promote it to death and do a ton of remotes. Especially since that new stick sounds almost like FM if you jump the EQ highs up just a tad.....
Even with everything going on, there's still an arts community down here, and smart people who listen to radio who are older and buy things they hear on the radio. To tell you the truth, I'm multifaceted. I'm a theatre junkie, a film junkie, a writer, a video director, blah blah blah, and a broadcasting geek all rolled into one who believes that whatever one area of the spectrum does, the others are affected. I grew up on WCBS-FM (OLDIES) and WQXR-FM (CLASSICAL) in NYC and everything from the 1750s on down here on FM, AM sounds pretty kickass, especially if processed correctly. And people WILL listen to it for music, if presented in an alluring way and offers something not offered anywhere else on the dial, AM or FM.
After all this, I don't want to hear that Classical on 850 can't be sold; come up with ways on HOW it can be done. South FL's a unique radio market; Miami AND WPB. Some markets can handle a good Oldies station, others a Classical, others both, like DC. South Florida did it once; I'm sure she can do it again. 850's got minimal signal problems, is heard everywhere, and might be looking for another format soon. Crystal's taken a lot of risks; maybe this one would be a good one. Would be an interesting experiment.
WJNA's pulling off making money with the old to older crowd; why can't it be done as a package deal with Classical music? You get the smart, educated, old, older, AND the young who listen. AND buy.
Hey Steve Lapa and George Johns, you hearing this?? If you want workhorses, say the word and I'll sign up.
Here's your positioner: Classical 85, WDJA....got a pretty nice ring to it.
Think about this: James Crystal is selling WJNA, even the pseudo-oldies with the older crowd, and before with the Nostalgia; I notice a lot of their advertisers are arts-related, culture-related, and human life interest-related; more so since the demise of WTMI and now WKAT, which had no pull in the Palm Beaches if at all.
Now, with the demise of localized 850AM as LIVE85, and currently mostly syndicated talk, on a new 50kw stick that booms into ALL THREE METRO areas of South FL (Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, and West Palm, and probably beyond all 3) day and night, and with fully equipped studios. I know 850 is a boomer because I drove from Broward to South Dade all the way to WPB one night with WFTL on my car radio, and it sounded like it was on FM.
If Crystal can pull off the Nostalgia/Standards/Pseudo-Oldies on WJNA and can SELL IT, put Classical on 850 and go with it.
Pull people from within who know the format and maybe even grab some old TMI and KAT jocks who KNOW the format, play whole movements and not edit them to death, and DO NOT BY ANY MEANS MAKE IT SOUND LIKE A MUSIC APPRECIATION CLASS, which will turn people off. My Music and Theatre Apprec. classes in college were kinder to me than WTMI and WKAT was when they called it quits. Model it after WGMS in DC; format it as a Soft AC with the 'ultimate oldies' and let it ride. Just play the music and make it enjoyable; people will listen, and if they don't know what they're hearing, those interested in knowing who it is, and there are a lot of people who do and will, will learn. Plus the studio line always comes in handy to ask 'what's that song?' a million times to drive the DJ nuts!
Plus, a good reason to restore the calls WDJA, & put FTL back on 1400 where it belongs. And if you shove billboards in the right areas saying Classical on 850, cross advertise on all other Crystal stations, you'll get a buzz going. When the theatre and music seasons really get fired up and they go year round, you can promote it to death and do a ton of remotes. Especially since that new stick sounds almost like FM if you jump the EQ highs up just a tad.....
Even with everything going on, there's still an arts community down here, and smart people who listen to radio who are older and buy things they hear on the radio. To tell you the truth, I'm multifaceted. I'm a theatre junkie, a film junkie, a writer, a video director, blah blah blah, and a broadcasting geek all rolled into one who believes that whatever one area of the spectrum does, the others are affected. I grew up on WCBS-FM (OLDIES) and WQXR-FM (CLASSICAL) in NYC and everything from the 1750s on down here on FM, AM sounds pretty kickass, especially if processed correctly. And people WILL listen to it for music, if presented in an alluring way and offers something not offered anywhere else on the dial, AM or FM.
After all this, I don't want to hear that Classical on 850 can't be sold; come up with ways on HOW it can be done. South FL's a unique radio market; Miami AND WPB. Some markets can handle a good Oldies station, others a Classical, others both, like DC. South Florida did it once; I'm sure she can do it again. 850's got minimal signal problems, is heard everywhere, and might be looking for another format soon. Crystal's taken a lot of risks; maybe this one would be a good one. Would be an interesting experiment.
WJNA's pulling off making money with the old to older crowd; why can't it be done as a package deal with Classical music? You get the smart, educated, old, older, AND the young who listen. AND buy.
Hey Steve Lapa and George Johns, you hearing this?? If you want workhorses, say the word and I'll sign up.
Here's your positioner: Classical 85, WDJA....got a pretty nice ring to it.
