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WHAT changes format

blueboy said:
Boy, this is a tough room. The notion which I put forward, a positive spin on a former jock buying a station has been beaten to a bloody pulp. Nobody has a kind word of encouragement for the new owner? Everyone here is a pessimist? I only thought we should at least wait till the ink dries on the papers before we declare Tom Kelly a fool. Let's see what he does with the station. He's not simply a former jock who wanted to play owner. From what I've read he has been a businessman for many years. He COULD crash and burn with this thing and if that happens you can all sit smugly at your computer and write an erudite paragraph or two saying "I told you so". I'm just saying, don't write the obituary on the day the thing is born. That's all.
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No offense, Blue. Sometimes it is a tough room.
People on this board have said Clear Channel greatly overpaid when they bought WILM for $4 million. Last night George Brusstar said on the Radio Racket that this is an even worse deal and he'd sooner $4 million for WILM in Wilmington than $5 million for WHAT. Unless the transmitter site is part of the deal and he strikes oil - black gold - Texas tea, this is a terrible deal.

Some people are very nostalgic about radio and don't care abhor the practical aspects of the business. They are moved by a guy who makes phone calls to India, or a little AM station in the boonies playing Oldies or Alternative. These stations can't make money and don't do anything except clutter up an already crowded AM band. I say shut down all the Class Ds. Prune the forest so the healthy trees can grow.
 
Wow, this is a negative group. The business must have dealt a few hard hands to many of these doom and gloom posters.How about an acknowledgement that a Broadcaster buys a station. A successful radio businessman with a nationwide research company. How about a chance to start in a 300 million dollar market? How about the brokered programming opportunity alone that a savvy radio entrepeneur can convert to dollars? How about this is the way a family does it? The Kelly brothers have been radio pros for decades...on-air, sales, research.
When a big company makes a move you tear it apart. When a family that love the business takes a shot you do the same.I'd love to sit and review your own radio history and take a look-see at why you are all so dark and full of poisen.
 
Fred: That is the only way we can even start to improve the AM band. Stations like WWDB which cannot operate before sunrise and others which are restricted legally to extremely low power before sunrise and after sunset need to be put out of their misery.

There is no longer a need for a town like West Chester to have a radio station. Down my way, we have 1550 with 1 watt during non-daylight hours. Philly no longer needs 1340, even though it has a proud history. It has a past, but certainly not a future. We need to get rid of the clutter and give potential players some room to breath.
 
WTUX said:
Fred: That is the only way we can even start to improve the AM band. Stations like WWDB which cannot operate before sunrise and others which are restricted legally to extremely low power before sunrise and after sunset need to be put out of their misery.

There is no longer a need for a town like West Chester to have a radio station. Down my way, we have 1550 with 1 watt during non-daylight hours. Philly no longer needs 1340, even though it has a proud history. It has a past, but certainly not a future. We need to get rid of the clutter and give potential players some room to breath.
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Given that 1340 is a local frequency, I would argue that it's the type of station that should stay on the air and not be purged in a band "cleanup". Perhaps WWDB should go there, so they can operate 24/7 without power reduction.

By design, local channels were set up to be "cluttered".

The question regarding daytime-only stations is a good one...and one we were discussing in another regional board. Consensus there, as well, is that daytime-only stations serve a very limited purpose nowadays.

Would one option be for daytime-only operations to exist as a simulcast for a viable FM operation? Sometimes, in the urban canyons, FM reception stinks.

Or, should daytime-only operations develop a 24/7 streaming presence, then consider their AM air time as "gravy" on top of a streaming service?

The logic remains that a daytime signal on 1550 kHz (or wherever) is of more service than no signal -- shoot, as we're saying here, stations like WPHT / 1210 and, elsewhere, WWKB / 1520 / Buffalo are wastes of 50 kW clear channel bandwidth. If those blowtorches are incapable of delivering a decent product, why worry about the 1 kW graveyard stations or the daytime regionals? Let 'em be, and let market forces run their course.

Perhaps the best value for 1550 is as a truly local channel - automated local news, perhaps... reading for the blind... it is the local-ness that would add value.

Richard in Allentown
 
truly...this is proof..too many format changes reduces credibilty................in the a.m. world , it can reduce the station to a mere nothingness .... some on here might argue with me , but , if WHAT , 1340 , still , and i mean S T I L L played r & b and soul , the station would be listened to , in a larger percentage than it is , now , in : philadelphia proper , as well as the part of upper darby near 69th street ... and probably in camden ....
 
I've heard from a very credible source that WHAT will make it's official flip around Noon today.

The new format will be - Modern rock/hip-hop/reggae

From what I understand there will be a write up about it in today's Inquirer...
 
Kyle D said:
I've heard from a very credible source that WHAT will make it's official flip around Noon today.

The new format will be - Modern rock/hip-hop/reggae

From what I understand there will be a write up about it in today's Inquirer...
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Did someone say write-up?

"WHAT-AM to program 'alternative' playlist"

"Artists would include the Roots, the Killers, Stone Temple Pilots, Kanye West and local bands..."

Alternative. On the AM band. Now THAT would sound pretty interesting.

(For those that will miss the way eclectic stunting on WHAT - there's always The Cockroach...
 
Kyle D said:
I've heard from a very credible source that WHAT will make it's official flip around Noon today.

The new format will be - Modern rock/hip-hop/reggae

From what I understand there will be a write up about it in today's Inquirer...
Click to expand...
Posters, please aircheck this and post a link of the audio here later on today. Thanks
 
This is a stroke of genius.....You take a station with less than a rating point and give it a format that had a 3 share. Ok...you say it's AM....but it's HD...and the format is geared to a youth market...that is listening to it on the internet now. If they can spend 100-200 to buy a radio to listen to something they can't listen to now THEY WILL DO IT.

And with Kelly's research you know it's going to be programmed to a razor's edge.

I think this is a major winner...and the best innovative idea to come to Philadelphia radio in a long time!

Think about the elements before trashing this post.....I know people aren't going to believe it...but how many have called for an alternative station since y-100 left? Here it is...costs you the same buy-in as satellite without the monthly fees!
 
When is the last time WHAT-AM reached the top 10 in the ratings in Philadelphia radio?
 
As of posting time, I can't tell if they launched the new format or not on 1340 AM. Does anyone know what time the new format starts?
 
POSTERS: If anyone can nail down the time today for the format flip, please post that info here. Thanks
 
WOW. This is something really experimental. So unfortunate that its gonna be buried on the AM dial. i think a city like Philadelphia could support an "alternative" station like this on FM but NO, 42 rap stations and the latest fad-format (movin, jack [though ben is okay])
 
PhillyWatch said:
WOW. This is something really experimental. So unfortunate that its gonna be buried on the AM dial. i think a city like Philadelphia could support an "alternative" station like this on FM but NO, 42 rap stations and the latest fad-format (movin, jack [though ben is okay])
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If the owners promote the station a lot on TV and newspaper ads, they will get listeners. ATTENTION POSTERS: If anyone can nail down the time today for the format flip, please post that info here. Thanks
 
Julius May said:
If the owners promote the station a lot on TV and newspaper ads, they will get listeners. ATTENTION POSTERS: If anyone can nail down the time today for the format flip, please post that info here. Thanks
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It was 1 PM. The first song was Everclear "AM Radio".
 
I don't see how an AM station would succeed with 18 year olds with it's NRSC Crap Fidelity. Sorry, not even c-quam stereo. It would probably be more successful with cume on the net stream than cume over the air. And it's a wee early to depend on In Band Adjacent Channel digital. There's not enough receivers.

The real youngin's tune into Disney 640Kc, but they don't hang there after they hit 13 or so.
 
Foe Paw said:
Julius May said:
If the owners promote the station a lot on TV and newspaper ads, they will get listeners. ATTENTION POSTERS: If anyone can nail down the time today for the format flip, please post that info here. Thanks
Click to expand...

It was 1 PM. The first song was Everclear "AM Radio".
Click to expand...
:D :D :D yery funny.
 
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