What Format is Lubbock Most in Need of?

[Garrett]

Hey you two!! Nobody cares. It's Lubbock.

Wrong, those of use who live(d) here do.
YOU don't care about Lubbock, so you don't have to read the thread. It's all about choices, man...

 

[rcreighton]

I'm not from Lubbock, but I would have liked to hear a little more about what format Lubbock needs, or doesn't need. Get more a lay of the land.

For those who slogged through the Chicago K-Hits / WLS-FM / Jack debate I have a few quick thoughts on that:

Oldies on WLS-FM was a low cost proposition for ABC and then Citadel. For the most part they ran Scott Shannon's True Oldies format. I believe mornings were local, and Chicago radio legend Dick Biondi did nights, but otherwise it was canned. Low cost and modest ratings for the owners. (They're making more of an effort now with competition!)

I think CBS saw they could come into the market, tap the market's CHR history by emulating the WLS Sound and presentation of the 70's, with WBBM-FM Jocks from the 80's and skewing the station 70's and 80's --as opposed to the broad based oldies WLS was doing. K-Hits competes not only with WLS-FM, but also the A/C "Rewind" station and has a heritage morning show with lots of appeal to folks who liked top 40 in the 80's. It's also somewhat unique in the market, that it's very pop oriented, where most of Chicago's stations that play music from the 70's and 80's tend to lean rock. Apologies to those who don't care! ;D

 

[EggsOverEasy87]

to the Original question...
Lubbock doesn't NEED any format. if you are creative and a good programmer or manager,YOU Create the need. IF you can do a format BETTER than someone else(who is not cutting it) GO For It! i will say those trying to knock off the #1 Country here, they keep trying, not sure its working for them-so we probably don't need another Country station... we're Maxed out with Hispanic stations, the ones out there are pulling 2 shares- so appearantly NO ONE is listening- 2 CHR's & an Rhythmic are battling for ANYONE 18-24 who hasn't discovered an I-Pod yet.. A/C is NOT catching on, 1 station bailed on it the other is pulling somewhere in the 2's.. news/talk is in its own realm and one is mid charting with males over 50 the other not doing as good, dispite having a weak FM simo. Rock, there is only one station getting audience, the other one is classic Rock and hasn't moved much from the mid-bottom for quite awhile. then there's Classic Hits 60's-70's one station here, by default they end up in the top 3 or 4. there's no one doing 70's 80's t-40 hits in the market. the stations doing their respective formats well with their Heritage are the ones that show well in book after book here, BECAUSE its been some time since there was ANYTHING N E W IN LUBBOCK if there was, it might shake up the market, whether it is something NEW or a better spin on something here already, it would have an impact for a short time, and may capture a large audience for the long run-IF done well.

Since we have a CHR battle going on already, I think it would be fun if a station started a battle with FMX. Who knows if it would work, or how long it would last....especially since FMX has been around for awhile.

I know something similar happen in Abilene when 98.1 was flipped to compete with Rock 108... 98.1 eventually lost the battle though

 

[greenbastard]

;D Ahhh, Lubbock; Where the wind blows as hard as the school!

Is there really a need for two sport stations? One of them has to bite the dust soon, and I am looking at The Fan. With Ramar owning the local rights to Texas Tceh (not a typo) Football + FM Sports Talk, I can't see how 1340 survives.

 

[cspotrun]

to the Original question...
Lubbock doesn't NEED any format. if you are creative and a good programmer or manager,YOU Create the need. IF you can do a format BETTER than someone else(who is not cutting it) GO For It! i will say those trying to knock off the #1 Country here, they keep trying, not sure its working for them-so we probably don't need another Country station... we're Maxed out with Hispanic stations, the ones out there are pulling 2 shares- so appearantly NO ONE is listening- 2 CHR's & an Rhythmic are battling for ANYONE 18-24 who hasn't discovered an I-Pod yet.. A/C is NOT catching on, 1 station bailed on it the other is pulling somewhere in the 2's.. news/talk is in its own realm and one is mid charting with males over 50 the other not doing as good, dispite having a weak FM simo. Rock, there is only one station getting audience, the other one is classic Rock and hasn't moved much from the mid-bottom for quite awhile. then there's Classic Hits 60's-70's one station here, by default they end up in the top 3 or 4. there's no one doing 70's 80's t-40 hits in the market. the stations doing their respective formats well with their Heritage are the ones that show well in book after book here, BECAUSE its been some time since there was ANYTHING N E W IN LUBBOCK if there was, it might shake up the market, whether it is something NEW or a better spin on something here already, it would have an impact for a short time, and may capture a large audience for the long run-IF done well.

Since we have a CHR battle going on already, I think it would be fun if a station started a battle with FMX. Who knows if it would work, or how long it would last....especially since FMX has been around for awhile.

I know something similar happen in Abilene when 98.1 was flipped to compete with Rock 108... 98.1 eventually lost the battle though

i think YOU answered your own question ....

 

[cspotrun]

but for whatever reason they're happy with #5

They're happy because they're not one of the 53 stations in DFW rated less than #5

so, they suck a little less than the ones below it, break out the champagne!.FYI, i just read Jack had slipped to #7 in last month.

 

[DMcCloy]

but for whatever reason they're happy with #5

They're happy because they're not one of the 53 stations in DFW rated less than #5

so, they suck a little less than the ones below it, break out the champagne!.FYI, i just read Jack had slipped to #7 in last month.

Back at this again, are you? I'll take #7 in the Dallas market any day. Still means millions of dollars.

 

[cspotrun]

but for whatever reason they're happy with #5

They're happy because they're not one of the 53 stations in DFW rated less than #5

so, they suck a little less than the ones below it, break out the champagne!.FYI, i just read Jack had slipped to #7 in last month.
[/
Back at this again, are you? I'll take #7 in the Dallas market any day. Still means millions of dollars.

"Millions of Dollars? i guess you work there...so, how much are they making? be specific...i'll get back to you next time when they're #8-9-10-11....

 

[DMcCloy]

"Millions of Dollars? i guess you work there...so, how much are they making? be specific...i'll get back to you next time when they're #8-9-10-11....

I don't work there, nor do I work in radio anymore. Too much BS for me to handle on a daily basis. I feel it's a safe enough assumption to say a top 10 station in the #5 market would pull in millions a year. "Millions" is only $2 per person cume in a single month.

How'd your Saints do last night?

 

[cspotrun]

"Millions of Dollars? i guess you work there...so, how much are they making? be specific...i'll get back to you next time when they're #8-9-10-11....
[/quote]

I don't work there, nor do I work in radio anymore. Too much BS for me to handle on a daily basis. I feel it's a safe enough assumption to say a top 10 station in the #5 market would pull in millions a year. "Millions" is only $2 per person cume in a single month.

How'd your Saints do last night?
[/quote]
you ASSUME TOO MUCH, 1st-that my team is the Saints(they're not) and you also assume that the #5(no make that #7) station in the dallas mkt is pulling in millions(in THIS economy?) and you know what happens to people who ASSume....

 

[DMcCloy]

you ASSUME TOO MUCH, 1st-that my team is the Saints(they're not) and you also assume that the #5(no make that #7) station in the dallas mkt is pulling in millions(in THIS economy?) and you know what happens to people who ASSume....

There is a difference between assuming and drawing a logical conclusion. Your handle is "WhoDat!" That phrase is associated with the Saints. Logical conclusion= You're a Saints fan.

I know enough about radio sales from my old days selling/on-air etc and my friends still in the business to know that stations like KLLL here in Lubbock sell right around or more than a million dollars a year. Logical conclusion= if a station in market 179 can sell $1mill than a top 5 or 7 station (depending on the month) in the #4 market in the country can sell $2 million (millions) or more in a year.

Logical conclusion.

If anyone else is still reading this thread, which I had long forgotten about until our Non-Saints fan friend here reopened it, please back up some logic. Thanks.

 

[fakescreenname]

Simple math might work: 12 units an hour x 18 hours a day - 6a-midnight (make an assumption of limited overnight billing), would be 216 units x 7 days a week = 1512 units a week. On the low end, assume the station had an average rate of $100, but only sold half its inventory - which would be 1512x100/2 or 75,600 every week. Multiply by 52 weeks and that's 3.931 million in billing.... Adjust rate and sell out percentage to figure average annual billing

 

[cspotrun]

Simple math might work: 12 units an hour x 18 hours a day - 6a-midnight (make an assumption of limited overnight billing), would be 216 units x 7 days a week = 1512 units a week. On the low end, assume the station had an average rate of $100, but only sold half its inventory - which would be 1512x100/2 or 75,600 every week. Multiply by 52 weeks and that's 3.931 million in billing.... Adjust rate and sell out percentage to figure average annual billing

in a perfect world that may be right, there's nothing Perfect anymore. since you are a genious, what is their overhead? they are down to #7, at what point do they pull the plug?

 

[Kent]

100.3 Jack FM in Dallas has almost no overhead. Unless it's added staff in the last couple years (which I find highly unlikely), it has only one full-time employee. It easily has the lowest overhead in the entire CBS Dallas/Ft. Worth cluster and has among the lowest overhead in the entire company.

 

[DMcCloy]

in a perfect world that may be right, there's nothing Perfect anymore. since you are a genious, what is their overhead? they are down to #7, at what point do they pull the plug?

Most geniuses

genious

know how to spell.

 

[bucwhyl]

100.3 Jack FM in Dallas has almost no overhead. Unless it's added staff in the last couple years (which I find highly unlikely), it has only one full-time employee. It easily has the lowest overhead in the entire CBS Dallas/Ft. Worth cluster and has among the lowest overhead in the entire company.

Still no staff

 

[ncountysurf]

To shift gears completely... I suppose Hot AC was the correct answer (at least Ramar thought so). Yes! or no?

So now... what format does Lubbock need most? (this is a completely objective question... I think everyone realizes that...

Is it now alternative or modern rock? or is it AC or soft AC? I don't think AC has ever really performed that well in Lubbock. It could be adult hits, but I doubt it (I'm not sure why anyone would try a recently failed format unless an owner just loves it and thinks he can do it better.) AAA? Doubt it...

I don't think alternative/modern rock has ever been given the opportunity to perform in Lubbock (unless you count a brief period in the 90s that KFMX shifted to mostly alternative... since it was so brief, I don't.) I also don't count KTXT or KFMP (college alternative and an iPod on shuffle do not cut it.) However, even in markets like Los Angeles, KROQ seems to be slowly losing ratings (and they're not necessarily being picked up by 98*7). In SD, 91X has strengthened lately, but not to stellar #s (and its competitor, FM 94/9, has really been sinking.) Anyhow, my point is that perhaps alternative rock formats really are falling away. Maybe not. I hope not. I think that if you put KDGE or KROQ in Lubbock, it would perform well (and would bill well). So my vote is alternative/modern rock...

 

[cspotrun]

in a perfect world that may be right, there's nothing Perfect anymore. since you are a genious, what is their overhead? they are down to #7, at what point do they pull the plug?

Most geniuses

genious

know how to spell.

Spelling??? you are taking a Cheap Shot at my typo? c'mon is that all you got? have you ever had to produce a "Radio Station Budget"?? jack may not have a staff, but they still have overhead, i'm sure they pay for equipment,maintaining a tower & transmitter, the power & light company gets paid, fcc lawyers, administration, promotion and so on..nothing is free, even with no staff. you still didn't answer my question... "they slid to #7 at what point do they pull the plug??

 

[Kent]

jack may not have a staff, but they still have overhead, i'm sure they pay for equipment,maintaining a tower & transmitter, the power & light company gets paid, fcc lawyers, administration, promotion and so on..nothing is free, even with no staff.

Of course, they do, and Jack FM Dallas still has the lowest overhead on 4131 N Central Expressway and among the lowest in all of CBS Radio. After all, the overhead you're describing is, for accounting purposes, largely fixed costs as they'd have that overhead regardless of what they were programming, and it varies little from month-to-month. Also, those costs aren't much different across the entire building, and CBS has contracts with some equipment providers that help lower the costs even further and keep those fixed costs closer across the whole company.

you still didn't answer my question... "they slid to #7 at what point do they pull the plug??

My purpose wasn't to answer that question. It was to tell you what the overhead there was because I had specific knowledge that might have helped you determine it. There really is no sensible answer to your other question because no one here has the power to answer it. That's a Dan Mason decision, and that's the person you'd have to ask. Now, if you want my opinion, I don't think it would be smart to pull the plug on Jack. It's still doing reasonably well in the market and better than most of the rest of the cluster. Of course, I'm not CBS, and I thought they were stupid to pull the plug on WCBS-FM for Jack in '05 when that station billed $33 million the year before!

 

[DMcCloy]

"they slid to #7 at what point do they pull the plug??

Obviously the answer is we don't know. IMO you don't. Not in a top 10 station in such a huge market. Don't forget the #7 rated (This month, #5 last) Jack FM is only # in the 6+ birds eye view we have. If they're pulling such big numbers overall, we can logically conclude that they're doing better than that in certain demos. Advertisers aren't generally looking for 6+ numbers to determine their buy.