WHLK's Success

[Capulet]

yawn......

 

[VODood]

No, 107.3's problems are:
1) Being programmed by a PD with NO successful track record programming a station. err...no track record, period.
2) Being consulted by a PD who hasn't had a successful programming stint in nearly 15 years. (bring it on VoDood, defend G-man like you always do)
3) Music scheduled by someone who was last a music director when index cards were standard in the control room.
4) They sound like a poorly programmed station in 1983.
5) Live tracks. (Hey you know what worked at WMMS in 1978? Let's do it again!)
6) Their name. If you are attempting to reach an audience of intelligent, affluent listeners who have become bored with radio and grown tired of the cliches, great job picking out the name V107.3. That doesn’t sound like corporate radio at all.

@ "John"... I'm with you on most counts, save for #2. John met resistance left and right from the "PD" and upper mgmt. No marketing given. To build cume you need marketing. Ridiculous. JG hasn't been affiliated with the station in almost a year. Only numbers are from Ravenna. AM and PM drive are dead zones.

 

[1sttimecaller]

Who does morning drive?

 

[VODood]

Hold over from The Wave, Mike Gallagher.

 

[Capulet]

No, 107.3's problems are:
1) Being programmed by a PD with NO successful track record programming a station. err...no track record, period.
2) Being consulted by a PD who hasn't had a successful programming stint in nearly 15 years. (bring it on VoDood, defend G-man like you always do)
3) Music scheduled by someone who was last a music director when index cards were standard in the control room.
4) They sound like a poorly programmed station in 1983.
5) Live tracks. (Hey you know what worked at WMMS in 1978? Let's do it again!)
6) Their name. If you are attempting to reach an audience of intelligent, affluent listeners who have become bored with radio and grown tired of the cliches, great job picking out the name V107.3. That doesn’t sound like corporate radio at all.

@ "John"... I'm with you on most counts, save for #2. John met resistance left and right from the "PD" and upper mgmt. No marketing given. To build cume you need marketing. Ridiculous. JG hasn't been affiliated with the station in almost a year. Only numbers are from Ravenna. AM and PM drive are dead zones.

snore....snore....

 

[SonoSational18]

Unlike some "play anything" (aka "Jack") stations, The Lake has got the music right. Problem is that in many markets, this format tends to burn out. Only time will tell if WHLK will stay at its lofty heights.

 

[Rusty Muck]

GKB buying the ELB portfolio makes some sense, but Craig has stated they don't have the ability to buy a Cleveland market FM, let alone a whole portfolio of less desirable radio properties that will come along with it.

IMO- its just as likely that Salem will buy out the ELB portfolio (as in not at all likely).

My best guess as to how Salem would program ELB would be:

107.3 becomes another simulcast of brokered bible-thumper WHKW 1220.
WEOL becomes Spanish language brokered bible-thumping.
The Norwalk AM becomes a simulcast of the Hugh Hewitt network & Cleveland WHK. (Conservatalk).
Norwalk FMs become FISH & brokered bible thumping (which goes on which signal doesn't really matter, does it?)

What fun that would be!

If ELB is willing to sell at a price that Poppa Mel and Daddy Goldhammer like, they'd pop on it. (ELB may be at the point where they might wanna get out while the getting is semi-sorta good).

Salem is in sell-sell-sell (tm Jim Cramer) mode.

ELB will likely be sold either to Rubber City or GKB.

107.3 would have to be tempting to Rubber City because it could be co-marketed to both Cleveland and Akron. Perhaps as a Hot AC to flank WONE, WQMX and WAKR? (Plus RCRG would get the Sandusky cluster as a booby prize.) And of course GKB has to be coveting 107.3 as the future home for WKNR-FM.

No other logical options exist. And Salem has sold multiple stations... to GKB itself!

 

[Rusty Muck]

Unlike some "play anything" (aka "Jack") stations, The Lake has got the music right. Problem is that in many markets, this format tends to burn out. Only time will tell if WHLK will stay at its lofty heights.

Indeed. To be fair, the adult hits format (i.e., Jack, Bob, Frank) still has traction in places like Los Angeles and Balitmore. For the most part, The Lake has been hitting the right notes. I'd say it's been a better launch for them than Mix 106.5's launch under Randy James in late 1997.

The next few months, however, will be critical. The music and imaging will need to be kept as fresh and lively as possible.

 

[Capulet]

Unlike some "play anything" (aka "Jack") stations, The Lake has got the music right. Problem is that in many markets, this format tends to burn out. Only time will tell if WHLK will stay at its lofty heights.

+1............

 

[vjm]

Unlike some "play anything" (aka "Jack") stations, The Lake has got the music right. Problem is that in many markets, this format tends to burn out. Only time will tell if WHLK will stay at its lofty heights.

Indeed. To be fair, the adult hits format (i.e., Jack, Bob, Frank) still has traction in places like Los Angeles and Balitmore. For the most part, The Lake has been hitting the right notes. I'd say it's been a better launch for them than Mix 106.5's launch under Randy James in late 1997.

The next few months, however, will be critical. The music and imaging will need to be kept as fresh and lively as possible.

That's the thing.

Does "The Lake" have what it takes to be a long standing format, or is it a "flavor of the month"?

If you look at all of CC's Cleveland cluster, everything has their lot in life:

WTAM - Clevelands's 50kw news/talk blowtorch, and flagship station of Tribe/Browns/Cavs
WAKS - always kept fresh due to it's Top 40 format
WGAR - heritage country station
WMMS - gradually morphed from a heritage rock station into today's radio "man-cave"
WMJI - heritage oldies/classic hits station with an iconic morning show

WLTF/WMVX/WHLK has always been under a state of flux, and nver really had a foothold.

If "The Lake" sticks, more power to them.

But don't be surprised if another switch happens within 24 months.

 

[Lehos]

The thing with The Lake, is that it's not that much different than what Mix was.

For the most part, Mix lived its life as a very gold based Hot AC station. Sure, they played the currents, but they were always much later on them than Q104 and WKDD. And they really never touched any of the CHR crossover stuff. It was primarily a gold based Hot AC with a very heavy focus on the 80s.

I look at The Lake. The differences? They have dropped the Hot AC currents, added more of a well rounded mix (no pun intended) of 70s-90s hits and some Hot AC recurrents from the 00's. And they dropped their airstaff and syndicated shows. I still wonder if they had kept the Mix branding and lineup, but shifted the music to the current Lake playlist, would you have the success we are having now? Or would it still be the same mediocre Mix with another music tweak. My guess is the latter. The Lake is really nothing more than a tweaked and relaunched Mix with new branding. And it worked.

 

[CleveFan]

The thing with The Lake, is that it's not that much different than what Mix was.

For the most part, Mix lived its life as a very gold based Hot AC station. Sure, they played the currents, but they were always much later on them than Q104 and WKDD. And they really never touched any of the CHR crossover stuff. It was primarily a gold based Hot AC with a very heavy focus on the 80s.

I look at The Lake. The differences? They have dropped the Hot AC currents, added more of a well rounded mix (no pun intended) of 70s-90s hits and some Hot AC recurrents from the 00's. And they dropped their airstaff and syndicated shows. I still wonder if they had kept the Mix branding and lineup, but shifted the music to the current Lake playlist, would you have the success we are having now? Or would it still be the same mediocre Mix with another music tweak. My guess is the latter. The Lake is really nothing more than a tweaked and relaunched Mix with new branding. And it worked.

You are right about Mix. The station when it was WMVX never really stayed away from the 80's. From the moment they launched the old "Totally 80's" program on Saturday night to when they did the "80's Lunch" the day befor the New Year's stunting, they were always into the 80's.

They were successful around 1998 and were the station people all over Cleveland talked about. A year later, it lost its flavor, though it did come back for a while in 2001, then fell off, then came back in 2005 or '06, then fell again, floundered, and started coming back when they did all-Christmas last year. Of course, that was before The Lake took effect.

WHLK is succeeding because of a few things:

1. They're playing the songs listeners are familiar with and still enjoy listening to.

2. They're sticking only to the 70's though the 2000's. That shows not everyone likes a lot of the newer stuff playing elsewhere. Also with the those decades, they're sticking with the ones that their listeners seem to like the most.

3. They have no personalities. Face it, there are those who don't want to hear anyone talk for a short or a long amount of time, especially in AM and PM drive. They want to hear nothing but music.

4. The stunting back around New Year's. It drew attention and had EVERYONE in the world talking, more so than when WMVX went on the air in 1997. It kept people listening well after the arrival of The Lake.

5. Having listeners give their opinion of the music and letting pick the songs. They seem to be interactive and having listeners involve helped the station a lot.

6. Not sounding like the other stations. Cleveland still seems to be an 80's heavy readio town. Playing a lot of the decade, along with the 90's, is helping to set them apart from the other stations. With Q104 as the newer music station competing with KISS, The Lake decided to go face to face with WDOK and WNCX instead.

This attempt is much better than the short lived "No Rules, Just Music" period that lasted only a year around 2005 to '06. I think The Lake will be around for a while, but they need to keep the music and imaging sounding fresh if they want a long shelf life.

 

[HHH]

"Letting the listeners pick the songs"?

If you believe that, I have some beachfront property in Kansas I would like to sell you.

The Lake benefited by using an extremely high cume Christmas music period to run right into the new format. Most people don't pay all that much attention to what radio station they listen to, so the dials stayed put. The music is nothing but established million billion sellers. No mystery.

 

[1sttimecaller]

I'll buy that beachfront property.

The Lake is an LDR Station: www.ldrradio.com/

Listeners can request songs and they are AUTOMATICALLY placed into the automation system to play.

 

[HHH]

I'll buy that beachfront property.

The Lake is an LDR Station: www.ldrradio.com/

Listeners can request songs and they are AUTOMATICALLY placed into the automation system to play.

Right. Try picking something not on the pre-chosen playlist.

 

[Capulet]

The music is nothing but established million billion sellers.

That sounds like "play the hits" to me! What concept!

 

[vjm]

Let's take a little non-scientific poll here:

Will we still be swimming in "The Lake" 24 months from now, or will 106.5 have a different format by then?

And if 106.5 is something different, than what will it be?

 

[HHH]

Let's take a little non-scientific poll here:

Will we still be swimming in "The Lake" 24 months from now, or will 106.5 have a different format by then?

And if 106.5 is something different, than what will it be?

I believe the format will be the same. It is cheap (no talent, completely automated). The station acts as a bit of a flanker for WMJI and WMMS against the CBS stations (WQAL, WDOK, WNCX). They will probably retain a pretty good cume, but their quarter hours will no doubt slip. When you play Lynyrd Skynyrd "Sweet Home Alabama" right into Prince doing "Kiss"--or vice versa--I can imagine a lot of button pushing! But it will be a button (cume) to a lot of people, and I think that's what they are after.

 

[Capulet]

Let's take a little non-scientific poll here:

Will we still be swimming in "The Lake" 24 months from now...............

Yes. They know what time it is.

 

[VODood]

You can "request" songs that are in the library. I inputted a few into the website, no go.

I think it'll be around in 18-24 months. Will it have the same cume? No. Doesn't mean it's not doing it's job, that of flanker.