Wind Out of Your Sails!

[Ziggy1987]

Do you think that Cumulus knew about this signal move awhile ago but decided to stall the change until Star launched it's new morning show? It seems to have at least worked on these boards. The first week of the new year we all talked about the MM and how the new show sounded. Now, everyone is talking (and listening) to the Bert Show and it's big move. Whether it was accidental or on purpose, it really has taken some momentum from their competition.

I think it was Minnesota Fats who said "I'd rather be lucky, than good." Of course, that's easy to say when you're one of the best pool players in the world.

 

[Mr_Place]

I think it was Minnesota Fats who said "I'd rather be lucky, than good." Of course, that's easy to say when you're one of the best pool players in the world.

It's also been said that you make your own luck.

 

[RTibbs]

I think they actually just took the anti-CC approach. Compare the events of November '06 to this.

Heritage stations 96 Rock and 99x lose their morning shows. Regular Guys get fired, Sean "I leave when the going get rough" Demery leaves the morning show and basically they need to rebuild the morning show that should have been blown up anyway.

Own weaker signaled stations that could real go for the kill against their competitor each touting new morning shows(The new morning x was only 2 months old and the morning mess just about 3 weeks old.) if moved to a better signal. Buzz re-badged Project to go for the kill against 99x. Q100 intact to the stronger signal to go against it's weakened Star 94 rival. CC waits 10 months to roll out a not very good so far morning show Cumulus kicks it off with the very strong Bert Show. Never understood why they didn;t at least start off Whip in the morning. It couldn't be worse than the Giant Show?

CC ticks off loyal 96 Rock listeners buying killing the station but tries to appease by offering up an Aerosmith song between Korn and Tool. Cumulus vows to keep 99x signature events in place, moves the station to an HD2 station and pormises the first ok it's kind visual radio station available over the net.

CC replaces the Project with another spanish language station cannibalizing some of the audience from it's other spanish language station. Don't believe it check the ratings from the fall to winter books last year. Compare the 12+ ratings for all three signals and you will see that cumlatively this fall book is down a half point compared to last falls. Granted they are not selling these demos but indicative of the move not overwhelming anyone. Cumulus if rumors are true will roll-out a Rock station with a Morning Show in place. No waiting a year to figure out what the morning show will be this station will hit the ground running. Bert Show appeals to women, Regular Guys to men not much cannibalization of the Bert Show or Q100 audience. They roll out AC with Steve and Vikki I don't believe Q100 gets as big of a bump and impedes to a degree Bert's potential growth in a market without Steve and Vikki.

Clear Channel fires everyone before xmas, Cumulus waits until after xmas

IMHO, I think they handled the situation very well. For CC they should continue to rot and hopefully Rock 100 kicks their butts.

BTW, CBS good way to let your new morning show get buried before it even gets on the air. Much more hype around all these other morning shows.

 

[deadman]

Definitely a good call on pulling the plug on X to sink the morning mess.
I want to see Rock 100.5 blow away Project.

I am glad to be an XM subscriber, so at least I can pick and choose what I want to listen to.

 

[taylorengineer]

It *may* be a good strategy on the part of CBS to wait for the dust to settle before putting the Zackster & company before the angry mob.
From what I have heard:
1. CC has rolled out a GOOD (hard to believe) morning show on WUBL. Lots of good buzz on the streets about Cledus T.
2. Morning Mess is just that. Maybe they get better??
3. Regular Guys on a well programmed rock format will work. Sounds like the Cloud folks are doing this right and are going to hit the ground running.(Remember Q100 started the same way - they had it ready to go when it hit the air)
4. B98 mornings are up for grabs?? Steve and Vicky return from the grave??

So maybe the thing to do is let things settle a bit. Let the new people get in place and warm/fuzzy with all of their new implements of destruction. Take them to the Big Chicken in May-ret-ter and make them walk up Stone Mountain(real men/women don't take the cable car.)Show them the 89 different Peachtree Streets,Drives,Avenues, Places, etc. Take them to Kennesaw mountain and let them see where Sherman smoked reefer with the Indians.....let 'um see the Fox.....make them watch "Gone With the Wind" no fewer than 10 times. Give them time to memorize the Varsity menu and the 3AM cures for rock gut you get from eating there.
Teach them all the words to "FreeBird."
Teach them all of our charming colloquialisms and quaint expressions..... and for Gawd's sake....teach them the correct Atlanta mutilation of Ponce de Leon
Let them spend a month reading the Radio-Info board so all of us board ops can tell them how to be #1.

Brain Trust: What else do they need to know?

 

[RoddyFreeman]

Am I the only one who thinks The Morning Mess has the potential to develop into a really good show? Apparently I am. But for that to happen, management is going to have to be patient through what could be a down book.

 

[RTibbs]

I think Star will be patient. You do not go from a 17 year morning show and expect the same results immediately.

One other related questions, what is going on with Cindy and Ray. I don;t always listen but since they got rid of their mother figure Wendy the show seems like the afternoon mess with all these extra voices. One guy name spoon the othyer day get interupting with al the obnoxious comments. I assume he is their producer. And the new girl is the Traffic girl I assume?

It sounded like a free-for-all. Reminded of the Brady Bunch adding cousin Oliver. Let's just add some random characters to the show.

 

[bclark71.]

I think Star will be patient. You do not go from a 17 year morning show and expect the same results immediately.

One other related questions, what is going on with Cindy and Ray. I don;t always listen but since they got rid of their mother figure Wendy the show seems like the afternoon mess with all these extra voices. One guy name spoon the othyer day get interupting with al the obnoxious comments. I assume he is their producer. And the new girl is the Traffic girl I assume?

It sounded like a free-for-all. Reminded of the Brady Bunch adding cousin Oliver. Let's just add some random characters to the show.

Star, overall, is a complete disaster. Steve and Vikki were the anchor and people listened to Star just because of them. S&V's audience was sent searching for a new morning show for 60 days before The Morning Mess started, and now that they are on, roughly half of the people that have offered an opinion to me don't like them. (To be fair, from the clips I've seen from their days in Philly, their show was quite funny and somewhat juvenile. I believe that Star's management is telling them to tone it down. So why did they hire them??)

Then Star changed their imaging sound (younger, hotter, better) but didn't bother updating the music (edited, borderline-Hot AC, soccer-mom friendly) into a real Top 40 sound.

Add in that Tripp West sounds like he would be better suited subbing for Kelly McCoy on B98.5 and that Cindy and Ray's show is out of place and just...sucks...

Then a young, hip dude takes over at 7.

Star 94 has no consistant, identifiable sound. It's like hitting a brick wall 4 times a day.

 

[RoddyFreeman]

You're right that Star had too long a hiatus between morning shows although they made it through the fall book staying flat. I'm guessing they breathed a sigh of relief.

From what I was told by someone at the station, The Morning Mess will eventually push the envelope more once the audience gets used to them. Their biggest problem right now is that the morning show is so different and not necessarily that it's better or worse.

I do agree with you that Cindy & Ray are out of place on a CHR station, but they get numbers. But I'm wondering if they've driven people away from the station totally.

I love the new imaging...think it sounds great. But yes, it's younger and the music skews older. Star walks a fine line because they want their demo to be women 25-44, not 18-34. So they're in a strange situation where they want to challenge Q100 directly but can't quite because they have to keep the music a little older. And now, with Q100 coming after them, it's more difficult for them to be younger and older at the same time than it used to be.

Personally, since they have a young-sounding personality on at night, 7-midnight radio listening levels are much lower than in the day, and nighttime attracts a younger audience, I'd like to see them mix in some younger music during Nudge's shift.

I don't agree with you about Tripp. I think he's one of those jocks who appeals to both young people and older people, which makes him perfect for Star, especially in middays. And yes, he could work at an AC and some other formats.

 

[ClarkKent]

I just love the armchair PD'ing around here...

I agree with the opinion that Star's lineup seems a little bit disjointed, but I can't say as I don't hear the same disjointedness on several other stations in the Atlanta listening area. I also can't say that any of the shows on Star are bad. I happen to like what I've heard from the Morning Mess so far, and I've listened to Cindy and Ray off and on for a couple of years and have always enjoyed them.

I think it's a lot to expect, maybe too much, to think that a new morning show is going to instantly be a winner, or that an afternoon show is going to be the same after what amounts to the loss of a partner. It takes time, people. Breathe. Wouldn't you want the same if you were in their shoes?

And no, I don't work for Star94, nor do I know anybody there.

 

[bclark71.]

You're right that Star had too long a hiatus between morning shows although they made it through the fall book staying flat. I'm guessing they breathed a sigh of relief.

From what I was told by someone at the station, The Morning Mess will eventually push the envelope more once the audience gets used to them. Their biggest problem right now is that the morning show is so different and not necessarily that it's better or worse.

I do agree with you that Cindy & Ray are out of place on a CHR station, but they get numbers. But I'm wondering if they've driven people away from the station totally.

I love the new imaging...think it sounds great. But yes, it's younger and the music skews older. Star walks a fine line because they want their demo to be women 25-44, not 18-34. So they're in a strange situation where they want to challenge Q100 directly but can't quite because they have to keep the music a little older. And now, with Q100 coming after them, it's more difficult for them to be younger and older at the same time than it used to be.

Personally, since they have a young-sounding personality on at night, 7-midnight radio listening levels are much lower than in the day, and nighttime attracts a younger audience, I'd like to see them mix in some younger music during Nudge's shift.

I don't agree with you about Tripp. I think he's one of those jocks who appeals to both young people and older people, which makes him perfect for Star, especially in middays. And yes, he could work at an AC and some other formats.

I don't mean to bag on Tripp. That Kelly McCoy crack was a bit much, and I take it back. Maybe he was just having an off day the last time I tuned over, or maybe it's all the Q100 I've been listening to lately. I'll give him another go soon.

Yeah, Star has some real challenges in the next year. I think that the winter book might be a disaster for them, although they should expect some kind of hit between the new show starting and all the exposure for Q100.

And I do agree with you that The Morning Mess does have real potential and I hope Star lets them loosen up soon so we can see a real CHR battle. Honestly, on the outside chance that 100.5 goes AC with Steve & Vikki, it would only pull more of Star's core away, forcing them to go hipper and take Q100 on without having to think about those 35-54s ('cause they'd all be at 100.5).

 

[Tibbs4]

Am I the only person that believes a new morning show should be on their game and ready to rock the second
they turn on the mic and that waiting for them to get in the groove is a kiss of death? When a new hyped morning
show like MM begins, they either start building or end up ruining their audience. I have not heard them, but to
skew toward a younger demo and away from a prized demo is risky and could be financial suicide. After all,
with S & V, wasn't Star a top biller regardless of their ranking? Regardless, S & V may have been impossible
to follow after, but to be less than 100% optimum is dead wrong and if management is really that concerned
that they hold back and not be as funny or provocative, etc., means lost revenues, lost respect and almost
assures the MM will wash up by not being allowed to give it all they could.

Again, Crumulus, which is about as reactionary and lame as a radio company can be, really stepped up and
made the optimum move. Perhaps they should have flipped this during the Project flip, but really by waiting until
S & V were gone Crum is going to mint. I wish them well.

 

[al_atl]

I moved to the Atlanta area around 20 years ago. At that time 94.1 was WQXI-FM "94Q" and was, more or less, a CHR. More on the "more or less" in a moment. 92.9 was still "Z93" and was a more rhythmic CHR. 99.7 was, of course, WAPW "Power 99." I liked Power 99 but had a slight preferrence for 94Q...when 94Q was really doing CHR. The problem was, 94Q didn't do CHR all the time. At night, I think starting at 7 or 8pm and running for a few hours, 94Q became a jazz station! The program, I was told, was huge in the ratings. But they were playing to a different audience. They were running off the people who tuned in for CHR. Most of those people went to Power-99. I always thought it was a bit like switching WSB-AM to hip-hop at night. Or taking a 3 or 4 hour block of 96 Rock and making it "beautiful music." It just didn't fit. Sounds like they have the same issues today.

I don't remember the timetable on all this, I'm sure someone else on here does. But I think sometime in 1999 Z93 switched to classic rock. Power-99 was huge, 94Q was losing that battle, so they became "Star 94" a year or so later and was AC. Not too long after that, Power-99 changed to 99X and went to alternative music (or, as I liked to call it "alternative TO music") and Atlanta had no CHR. So Star-94 started to move more toward a hot AC sound, bordering on CHR, but never really making the jump to CHR. Maybe someone in management is afraid of CHR or something...I don't know. But since I've been living in Atlanta, the CHR attempts on 94.1 have been pretty half-assed. They've had a bit of an identity problem for much of the past 20+ years. "Oh yeah we're CHR...but we're Jazz too." "We're AC, but we play hit music too." And now "We're a CHR...but more at night, less in the afternoon, and just sometimes during the day...but never anything that even sounds like hip-hop so we don't scare the soccer moms."

I think V-103 should consider a block of southern gospel music between 6pm and 10pm. I don't think anyone else in the market is playing that. It could be huge! LOL!

 

[taylorengineer]

Remember that the listening demo changes greatly at night. Adult listeners go away at night.....all that are left are kids.....and not that many of them. Look at night cumes. You will see far fewer listeners than any of the other dayparts.
I understand your argument....a station should be playin' what they play anytime you tune in. We are creatures of habit and want consistancy. But if your audience basically goes away at night and a whole new set of listeners appear then doesn't it make sense to program to the available listeners?

 

[bclark71.]

I'll be happy to firm up the dates, but you're right on the money regardless.

Z93 flipped to classic rock at the beginning of January 1989. Right after that, starting in February, 94Q went in a total CHR direction and dropped all but the Sunday night Jazz Flavours show. This version of 94Q lasted about 6 months, until the spring book came in and showed the station taking a huge dip. The PD? None other than Jan Jeffries.

I moved to the Atlanta area around 20 years ago. At that time 94.1 was WQXI-FM "94Q" and was, more or less, a CHR. More on the "more or less" in a moment. 92.9 was still "Z93" and was a more rhythmic CHR. 99.7 was, of course, WAPW "Power 99." I liked Power 99 but had a slight preferrence for 94Q...when 94Q was really doing CHR. The problem was, 94Q didn't do CHR all the time. At night, I think starting at 7 or 8pm and running for a few hours, 94Q became a jazz station! The program, I was told, was huge in the ratings. But they were playing to a different audience. They were running off the people who tuned in for CHR. Most of those people went to Power-99. I always thought it was a bit like switching WSB-AM to hip-hop at night. Or taking a 3 or 4 hour block of 96 Rock and making it "beautiful music." It just didn't fit. Sounds like they have the same issues today.

I don't remember the timetable on all this, I'm sure someone else on here does. But I think sometime in 1999 Z93 switched to classic rock. Power-99 was huge, 94Q was losing that battle, so they became "Star 94" a year or so later and was AC. Not too long after that, Power-99 changed to 99X and went to alternative music (or, as I liked to call it "alternative TO music") and Atlanta had no CHR. So Star-94 started to move more toward a hot AC sound, bordering on CHR, but never really making the jump to CHR. Maybe someone in management is afraid of CHR or something...I don't know. But since I've been living in Atlanta, the CHR attempts on 94.1 have been pretty half-assed. They've had a bit of an identity problem for much of the past 20+ years. "Oh yeah we're CHR...but we're Jazz too." "We're AC, but we play hit music too." And now "We're a CHR...but more at night, less in the afternoon, and just sometimes during the day...but never anything that even sounds like hip-hop so we don't scare the soccer moms."

I think V-103 should consider a block of southern gospel music between 6pm and 10pm. I don't think anyone else in the market is playing that. It could be huge! LOL!

 

[al_atl]

But if your audience basically goes away at night and a whole new set of listeners appear then doesn't it make sense to program to the available listeners?

Good point. It just seemed too out of place to me...for a CHR to run "Jazz Flavours" at night. I would think jazz would appeal to an older audience than CHR. I always thought the program would have been a better for 94.9 "Peach, FM95." I thought a better fit for 94Q at night would have been some kind of dance mix or something like that...if they felt they had to have something different at night. But what do I know... I never programmed a radio station.

TaylorEngineer, I hope we run into each other one day. I enjoy your posts and sense of humour.