WIST's new format

[boboradio]

WIST 98.3 FM changed to a classic country format yesterday (Sunday) and as of 5 pm today (Mon 10/17) it hasn't been mentioned on this board. I'm surprised, not at the format change, but that nobody noticed the change in format. Perhaps we have been too busy making up rumors about their AM "790 the Ball" to notice.<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by boboradio on 10/17/05 09:24 PM.</FONT></P>

 

[Mr_Winston-Salem]

Sad loss...

That is sad. I will miss 98.3 WIST on my visits to Winston-Salem. I no longer have any reason to listen to WIST. Their signal always had problems. Standards made the signal problems tolerable, but if they are the same as WBRF, it's not worth the effort to tune them in. 98.1 WBRF, with their classic country format, is too close and causes problems not just in Winston-Salem, but in Kernersville, Greensboro and most of Davidson County too. I guess it makes sense to flip to the same thing as WBRF. So what is on 980 WAAA? Are they still Standards or did they flip to Classic Country or Sports Talk? 790 has good signal in Winston-Salem. They should keep Standards at 980. Anyone in Winston-Salem looking for Classic Country will tune into WBRF, which sounds like a local station across the city. It's too bad WIST can't change frequencies to 97.7. WIST and WBRF have a bad shortspacing problem. I don't think anything will bring in big ratings and dollars at that frequency. It will always be a Thomasville-High Point only station.<P ID="signature">______________
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[Talker]

> WIST 98.3 FM changed to a classic country format yesterday
> (Sunday) and as of 5 pm today (Mon 10/17) it hasn't been
> mentioned on this board. I'm surprised, not at the format
> change, but that nobody noticed the change in format.
> Perhaps we have been too busy making up rumors about their
> AM "790 the Ball" to notice.
>


Maybe it's because nobody was listening! Nobody!

 

[eacalhoun]

Re: Sad loss...

> That is sad. I will miss 98.3 WIST on my visits to
> Winston-Salem.

Ditto...is GHB looking at dropping "Standards" on its other stations, I wonder?
There's still Mix 106-WNMX(Charlotte), WEGO(Concord), WAME(Statesville), and WSVM(Valdese) doing standards.

I like Classic Country, but I don't think it's a profitable move for WIST, either. Indeeed, there's the WBRF blowtorch with lots of Bluegrass, and Classic Country. Then, there was "Country 94.5" a few years back that didn't last very long in the Triad.

Is WIST running Classic Country off satellite? If so, what service?

I think the WIST calls should return to their original home...Charlotte.

 

[eacalhoun]

New and Old Websites

Here's the NEW WIST website:

http://www.countrylegends983.com/

And "remnants" of the old are still up, for now:

http://www.wist983.com/Featured.htm

 

[xlrplug]

Re: Sad loss...

The vast majority of Standards listners are older and aren't a great demo for advertising dollars. The change makes sense based on that idea.

 

[Matt]

Re: Sad loss...

> The vast majority of Standards listners are older and aren't
> a great demo for advertising dollars. The change makes
> sense based on that idea.
<font size=+4>BUT...</font>

Country music has always been a format that appeals to an older demographic. If we suppose the median age of a country listener in 1975 (the mid-point of their stated music age range) was a "young 35", that listener is now about 65...which is exactly where the listeners to the adult-standards format were.

Bottom line...the listeners to this format aren't any younger than the ones they had, so where have they gained by doing this???

Later...
Matt Smith, Station Manager
WGSR-TV "Star-39"
Reidsville, NC

...in 1975 I was a country DJ...WRKB-AM/FM, Kannapolis, NC

 

[xlrplug]

Re: Sad loss...

I would say the meat of the format is the music played in the 80's, with a heavy dose of Alabama, Randy Travis, and the like. Music that 30 year olds like me remember growing up. I would say that will translate to more dollars than a heavy rotation of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.

 

[Mr_Winston-Salem]

Re: Sad loss...

I still think Standards can work. Instead of having a 70 year old telling you about the time he interviewed Frank at whatever station in Upstate NY while spinning his personal collection of 78s, how about using 25-34 year olds behind the microphone telling you about a future performance at Rubber Soul or inverviewing Matt Kendrick live about a performance on Trade Street. Instead of adding classic country from the 70's and early 80's to the mix of standards, why not add current smooth jazz and some soft R&B with those standards. Instead of "Station of the Stars" or "Your Memory Station", for the older crowd; how about something that screams to that young crowd at 4th Street Jazz and Blues or Thea's House of Blues or the crowd at Speakeasy Jazz to listen. You can repackage something old and make it new again with some new extras. I know jazz is extremely popular around Winston-Salem. Jazz and Standards work so well together and I also think instead of just the usual Soft AC, you could try Soft R&B in addition to the Soft AC. The listener would likely be in the upper income bracket and the format would likely attract both black and white listeners in the 35-54. Of course WIST's signal issues will come into play also. It's strongest over the urban areas and weakest into the country, where that classic country audience is. It's perfect to try something new for the audience in the big three cities. Black gospel at 98.3 would likely have the best ratings and could be worth a try, but I don't think anything else would do well at WIST, due to the signal issues? Whatever they do, they need to be different and good enough to bring in those listeners willing to deal with the signal issues to hear the music they love. Right now there is another more powerful outlet for Classic Country at 98.1 and that is where that crowd will go.<P ID="signature">______________
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[Timothy]

Re: Sad loss...

Rhode Island had "Swing 99" and my wife and I listened to it on our honeymoon way back in aught '1 when we were both 32. I thought it was great that a station could pursue the format and not present itself as radio with a walker.

Unfortunately, it was bought out by a big chain and re-formatted to present MOR the "right" way.


> I still think Standards can work. Instead of having a 70
> year old telling you about the time he interviewed Frank at
> whatever station in Upstate NY while spinning his personal
> collection of 78s, how about using 25-34 year olds behind
> the microphone telling you about a future performance at
> Rubber Soul or inverviewing Matt Kendrick live about a
> performance on Trade Street. Instead of adding classic
> country from the 70's and early 80's to the mix of
> standards, why not add current smooth jazz and some soft R&B
> with those standards. Instead of "Station of the Stars" or
> "Your Memory Station", for the older crowd; how about
> something that screams to that young crowd at 4th Street
> Jazz and Blues or Thea's House of Blues or the crowd at
> Speakeasy Jazz to listen. You can repackage something old
> and make it new again with some new extras. I know jazz is
> extremely popular around Winston-Salem. Jazz and Standards
> work so well together and I also think instead of just the
> usual Soft AC, you could try Soft R&B in addition to the
> Soft AC. The listener would likely be in the upper income
> bracket and the format would likely attract both black and
> white listeners in the 35-54. Of course WIST's signal issues
> will come into play also. It's strongest over the urban
> areas and weakest into the country, where that classic
> country audience is. It's perfect to try something new for
> the audience in the big three cities. Black gospel at 98.3
> would likely have the best ratings and could be worth a try,
> but I don't think anything else would do well at WIST, due
> to the signal issues? Whatever they do, they need to be
> different and good enough to bring in those listeners
> willing to deal with the signal issues to hear the music
> they love. Right now there is another more powerful outlet
> for Classic Country at 98.1 and that is where that crowd
> will go.
>

 

[xlrplug]

Re: Sad loss...

98.1 sounds like exactly what it is...a bad station in Galax, Va. Their slogan should be "100,000 Watts of that Hissy Consumer-Electronics Sound." Buy a processor, please. Joe Listener would say he doesn't notice, but he does. WIST used to have the same problem but they have noticably improved in the past year, sonically speaking.