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WJBQ 106.3

T

Talk-33040

Guest
I see they usually show up in the lower 20s position in the 12+ numbers (link below) and wonder if they are making any money out of Hillsborough and Pinellas? Or, are they focusing mostly on Pasco County? What's their story? Has the dust finally settled since the owner passed? Any information that can be shared about them is appreciated! Thank you!

http://www.radio-info.com/content/arbitron.php?market=019
 
[bTheir tower is in Hernando County (Spring Hill) and with thier low poer (less than 20,000 watts, if I'm not mistaken), they barely serve all of Hernando county.

My parents live in extreme Eastern Hernando county near Bushnell and Wesbster and the signal is barely adequate there.

The only parts of Pinellas that they probably have an adequate signal would be Palm Harbor to Tarpon Springs (extreme northern Pinellas) as for Hillsporogh county, with a good receiver (and they don't seem to be many of those any more with good sensitivity) or car radio, probably they would be listenable in Lutz, Carrolwood and the Citurs Park area.

In East Pasco county the signal is listenable.

Where I am in s.e. St. Petersburg, WJQB 106.3 doesn't come in all that well even on the car radio, but 106.5 WCTQ (tower in Palmetto) comes in strong.

So I doubt they are making any money off of listenership in Hillsborough or Pinellas. I think most of the local sponsers are in the Spring Hill, Brooksville, Hudson, Port Richey, New Port Richey and Holiday areas.][/b]
 
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that when WLVU-FM occupied the 106.3 frequency, it had a somewhat better signal in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. Of course, that 106.3 moved over to 97.1, upgraded the power, and is completely unrelated to the current WJQB. Since the WLVU-FM days, WCTQ had its major upgrade which makes any future 106.3 upgrades impossible.
 
RMarino said:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that when WLVU-FM occupied the 106.3 frequency, it had a somewhat better signal in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. Of course, that 106.3 moved over to 97.1, upgraded the power, and is completely unrelated to the current WJQB. Since the WLVU-FM days, WCTQ had its major upgrade which makes any future 106.3 upgrades impossible.
Click to expand...
When they were WLVU at 106.3, their tower was in New Port Richey, so even though even then they did not have a power house signal (I'm thinking3,000 watts with antenna height of 300 feet), they were about 20 miles further south, so I'm sure they did have a bigger presence in north Pinellas; although again, where I am (s.e. St Pete) at that time, Oldies 106 (Now Oldies 108 at 107,9) out of Sarasota came in over WLVU, but just two of three miles north of where I live WLVU would come in on top of 106.3 out of Sarasota. (this was before ClearChannel came into the Sarasota/Bradenton market and flipped frequencies and formats of almost every fm station in the area.

I missed the era of WLVU being on 97.1, I know later on as WGUL they bought out the 96.1 in Dade City, moved the tower closer to Brooksville and of course changed the format and the call letters were then WGUL; then they sold the 96.1 frequency and got
the 106.3 frequency back and had their tower in Citrus county near Inverness; then later decided to move further south to Spring Hill

They (WJQB) cover most of Hernando, Pasco and south Citrus county with a strong signal, but the part of extreme Hernado county that I'm familiar with, WRBQ out of Tampa comes in better, and 92.9 out of Ocala comes in as well as WJQB and both have "oldies" formats like WJQB. (and with CBS flipping 105.9 to Oldies, that is another option in east Hernando)
 
106.3 was WLVU, Holiday with studio and tower in Port Richey. Times Publishing of Erie, Pennsylvania purchased the station in the mid 80's and understood that an upgrade was possible and fairly easy to accomplish and would net a decent return on the investment. The station searched for a formula that would sustain the operation until the upgrade became a reality. The result was various formats were tried and the station operated in the red for a number of years while the upgrade project was in the works. In late 1986, my friend Carl Marcocci called me and said that his pal Art Arkellian (who was running Times' radio interests) was looking for someone to run Port Richey. Being "on the beach" at the time, this sounded REAl good to me. Art left the company and we hired Dave McNamee as a consultant. We put together an upper demo format that was slicker than MOYL. We targeted 45-65. Fortunately, Connick, Ronstadt, and others were putting out material that fit and we didn't have the Glenn Miller to Roger Miller train wrecks that were heard on MOYL.
Good things happened and with Sue Campbell as GSM and later on Johnny Williams as PD, the station did well. The whole upgrade project was like a "house of cards" and took ten years. 106.3 would leave Holiday and become Beverly Hills. 97.1 would leave Beverly Hills and become Holiday. Next was a tower location, which as anyone knows is very difficult. Scott Miller did some contract work for LVU and helped us get on the tower being built next to Channel 10's tower in Holiday Lake Estates, just on the Pasco-Pinellas line. When the project was completed, WLVU (The New WLVU 97.1, Tampa Bay's Good Music Station) hit the air and we had one book prior to the sale. The 12 plus number in that book was impressive.
 
WJQB is licensed for 25KW. Their coverage map is here:

http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WJQB&service=FM&status=L&hours=U

Below is a link to some of their history (more on WGUL) that may be of interest:

http://www.fivay.org/wgul.html

If the question at the start of this thread is being asked because of a potential sales position...I would say watch out for that "magic carrot" being dangled in front of your face...ie the story of how Tampa/Hillsborough is a gold mine and all you need is a pick axe to mine it. If you are dancing with them...I suggest you read the below link which goes into detail about them and this includes someone who is operating out of Palm Harbor you would have to deal with.

http://www.topix.net/forum/city/crystal-river-fl/TK6R2PP57IMTPBJB6
 
I have a feeling the dyslexic person who started this thread was asking for other reasons besides sales...although I could be wrong. I have heard that they are going to downsize some more (not many to eliminate as it is)...but they would be getting rid of two on-air/production related positions and having one person take over for that. Also, they are thinking about dumping the True Oldies...because they don't like the "older" demos it skews towards and probably because they want to open up the inventory...being able to have more avails without satellite.

Dun and Bradstreet (SIC #Code:4832) shows the 2007 Est. Annual Sales:$440000. Est. Employees:15

In my opinion things have slid down hill since the passing of Carl.

If you want an idea of their signal strength use the below link and type in the zip code for the area you are interested in. If you use the Zip for Palm Harbor (34684) where their studios are located you will see how they show up there...same goes for Tampa and any other city/town you wish to try.

http://www.v-soft.com/ZipSignal/zip_answer.asp

Here is the FCC coverage map for 106.3

http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=FM711472.html
 
Are you sure about 'dropping True Oldies' and seeking a non oldies audience? Last night the Doo Wop Stop announced they are expanding to three hours, Scott Shannon called in to say hello, and somebody who seemed to be an owner was hanging out in the studio for a time to cheer the show on.

True Oldies has to be decently inexpensive programming, and that is apparently a watchword in the radio biz these days. I can pick them up in Clearwater and decently reliably as far south as Apollo Beach.
 
I think dyslexic Talk and I have encountered some of the same job openings recently :)

Over the past year I have had some dealing with management of the company owning WJQB and something quite recent.

In a recent discussion with a GM of the company, dumping the True Oldies was not mentioned...actually nothing about True Oldies was mentioned. He was pleasant and upbeat and did not disclose any reductions in staff. Also, he did not try and "sell" WJQB as a Tampa station...he was truthful in saying they "show up" in the ratings of Tampa...but, at no time presented them as a Tampa station. He made it clear they are a small market locally owned radio group.

If the one starting this post needs some info...feel free to email me and provide a telephone number/good time to call and I will share what I know.

Whatever opening or openings they might have...it might be something of interest and a good opportunity for someone living in Palm Harbor or near by.
 
SCMcKinney said:
Are you sure about 'dropping True Oldies' and seeking a non oldies audience? Last night the Doo ------ Stop announced they are expanding to three hours,
Click to expand...

I have heard they are going to adjust and a few things are being considered. Dumping True Oldies and possibly doing a live assist/automated Classic Hits/Oldies. Specialty shows like Doo could remain unaffected by being weekend slated.

Regardless of the True Oldies fees...just by being satellite it restricts the amount of spots that can be played. With satellite completely gone and they do their own thing using the digital system frees them so they can sell more local spots (even if they still have to play the network till contract is done). Doing a CH/Oldies blend could be perceived as an easier sell.
 
I wouldn't be surprised if WJQB makes some changes on a local level, but I see them as possibly good changes.

If you listen to the station with some regularity, you've noticed a big shift in the music-- A LOT of 70s music. And not just your typical early decade Doobie Brothers or Eagles... I've heard the theme from Grease, some Bee Gees, and quite a bit of pre-disco pop. This isn't just the throwaway end of the hour fill song either, this 70s stuff is hitting the air three or four times an hour. Shannon's picked up a lot of stations the past few months and maybe that shift from 50s and 60s to 60s and 70s works for other markets, but I just don't think we need another 70s-intensive station here. Call it classic hits, classic rock, or super 70s weekends, but it stil has the same 200 core songs that have been pounded into our heads over the past few years here.

With the Baby Boomer generation turning 60, THE GREATEST POPULATION SWELL IN THE HISTORY OF OUR NATION (a group of people with some extra disposable income to throw around too... and unwilling to "retire" like their parents did), I can't understand why so many stations/companies are shying away from true "oldies". The Beatles, Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley are still cherished by the Baby Boomers and still have a following (albeit a smaller one) to younger audiences. I would hope the JQB management would consider keeping the format oldies, but without the satellite programming. Besides, at the very least, it would end the all Scott Shannon stuff once and for all. Listen to his breaks and I think you'll see he's mailing it in too. There's only so many celebrity birthday announcements or updates on the Chicago Bulls I can listen to.
 
I keep making this same point over and over. My generation is not just nostalgic for the music of the era, but the sound. I think a station like WMNF should do a 50's- 60's show with PAMS jingles and reverb. It would be really great if WJQB went in that direction. Somebody must be listening to all the airchecks online of stations like WLS and CKLW. The closest thing I've found in the market to radio of the earlier era is of course WRBQ, especially Marvelous Marv who almost captures the sound of a Sixties jock ( the type that would be middays at KHJ). The overnight jazz show on WUSF (which may be live----don't know) almost sounds like MOR (WNEW) programing from the Sixties complete with the type of DJ that kept you company ay night instead of the robojocks or like WDUV-------nobody at all. I guess you can't argue with 12+, but WDUV could be great with live and "warm" voices. But nobody does anything at COX except to ramp up WHPT.
 
OldSchoolWoman said:
Somebody must be listening to all the airchecks online of stations like WLS and CKLW.
Click to expand...

Old School you are a true radio geek (a good thing) :)

I understand your WLS comment...a year ago on Memorial Day WLS did a rewind...they brought back Lujack/Tommy Edwards, Fred Winston, John Landecker to name a few and the jingles of the 70s...from 6a-12 mid...excellent day...being the geek that I am I recorded the entire thing. Below is a link to the WLS rewind page...they have audio highlights and pics.

http://www.wlshistory.com/whatsnew/rewind-af.htm

Growing up in the Midwest...WLS was a major influence on me and when I programmed my first oldies station...long after WLS had left Top 40, one of the coolest things for me was to read a diary comment that stated they loved the station because it made them feel the WLS they grew up with was back on their radio.

The key is passion. To be entrenched in the community, be fun and vibrant in packaging/presentation and just so happen to be a station playing "oldies"...memories for many and new ones for those who discover this music for the very first time :)
 
FLORIDA XMITTER said:
SCMcKinney said:
Are you sure about 'dropping True Oldies' and seeking a non oldies audience? Last night the Doo ------ Stop announced they are expanding to three hours,
Click to expand...

I have heard they are going to adjust and a few things are being considered. Dumping True Oldies and possibly doing a live assist/automated Classic Hits/Oldies. Specialty shows like Doo could remain unaffected by being weekend slated.

Regardless of the True Oldies fees...just by being satellite it restricts the amount of spots that can be played. With satellite completely gone and they do their own thing using the digital system frees them so they can sell more local spots (even if they still have to play the network till contract is done). Doing a CH/Oldies blend could be perceived as an easier sell.
Click to expand...

Hmm. Wouldn't the same thing apply to a NT station? I'm thinking of a particularly smug, fat and lazy station, the one that claims to take listeners calls (when in fact, it airs zero local call-in daily shows).

This is also the one that claims it keeps up with weather warnings (when it most recently fell on its face in midst of a tornado warning. The station prefers to run reruns of some dolt when severe weather is breaking out.

Oh, I forget. It's too easy just to take programming off the satellite and let listeners endure a pipsqueak in the p.m.
 
WJQB is running an ad (4/2/08) in All Access for their production/remote/on-air position. Interestingly the materials are being sent to the Crystal River email address and not Palm Harbor.
 
Just like the personality is gone mostly from music radio-----there is no news nor talk in middle to larger market news /talk stations. I think calling the crap on talk radio anything but that is like calling Pravda objective. W--A is , to me , a propaganda outlet for one particular viewpoint.
 
OldSchoolWoman said:
Just like the personality is gone mostly from music radio-----there is no news nor talk in middle to larger market news /talk stations. I think calling the crap on talk radio anything but that is like calling Pravda objective. W--A is , to me , a propaganda outlet for one particular viewpoint.
Click to expand...
What galls me is that 'FLA's owners - or previous owners who sold out - own most of the powerful AM sticks. From what I have read online, Jacor and/or Clear Ch. sold off stations to Hispanic and religious interests, thus guaranteeing they wouldn't have to work a minute ever again...

Must be nice being a radio monopolist.

And look what that greedy and self-serving action did. Sure made talk radio as interesting as reading from a phone book.
 
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