WJGH - Magic 107.3 and Sad Reality

[John FL]

PD Neal Sharpe, "J.T." and Tony Mann were dismissed today. Folks, you would think I would be used to these radio "RIFs' but I'm not. I suspected something was wrong while I was heading home. One of the joys of ending a long hard day at work was tuning into Tony Mann and that Five O'Clock Shout and all that great upbeat music. That is no more. J.T delivered a Top 20 market program in little old market 50. Personally, I though he did one helluva job especially with no sidekick. And as far as Neal goes, I am proud to have met him at least a half dozen times. There are people in radio who are full of themselves. As far as Neal goes and you can throw J.T and Tony Mann in as well - they were very real and very approachable. I can say...three of my friends have lost their livelihood today. Men aren't supposed to be emotional. I write this teary eyed. It's best I don't say anymore so I'll just say thank you Neal, J.T. and Tony for all you did in what I know was a very tough situation.......

 

[nfladxer]

PD Neal Sharpe, "J.T." and Tony Mann were dismissed today. Folks, you would think I would be used to these radio "RIFs' but I'm not. I suspected something was wrong while I was heading home. One of the joys of ending a long hard day at work was tuning into Tony Mann and that Five O'Clock Shout and all that great upbeat music. That is no more. J.T delivered a Top 20 market program in little old market 50. Personally, I though he did one helluva job especially with no sidekick. And as far as Neal goes, I am proud to have met him at least a half dozen times. There are people in radio who are full of themselves. As far as Neal goes and you can throw J.T and Tony Mann in as well - they were very real and very approachable. I can say...three of my friends have lost their livelihood today. Men aren't supposed to be emotional. I write this teary eyed. It's best I don't say anymore so I'll just say thank you Neal, J.T. and Tony for all you did in what I know was a very tough situation.......

JohnJax, when I heard the news earlier today, I knew this would hit you especially hard. In many ways, Magic 107-3 hasn't even had a chance to develop fully in this market, so this all seems somewhat unbelievable! My condolences, thoughts, and prayers, to Neal, J.T., and Tony, they were all consumate professionals, whose hard work, both on and off the air, should not have resulted in this outcome. It's no fun being "On the Beach" these days, especially in radio. I know all about it! This is especially concerning for those of us who have developed careers in the Art of radio, an artform, that, sadly, seems to be fading away.

 

[carolinaradio]

That's literally getting rid of all of the local staff....could WJGH be due for a flip?

 

[nfladxer]

That's literally getting rid of all of the local staff....could WJGH be due for a flip?

Unless they're going to be completely "voice-tracked", that would certainly seem to loom as a large option!

 

[JAWilson]

This is just totally sad....doing alright in the PPM with the latest being a 4.7. Basically you have to guess that a flip is coming and what can we expect if so? A simulcast of Sports Radio 930 to counteract against 1010XL/92.5FM or do we get a new FM News-Talker that could push WOKV to play musical chairs with their stations? I guess its a good thing having a custom Oldies/Classic Hits playlist on iTunes.

Also Jodi Stewart (who use to work for Lex & Terry and The Eagle) got let go at WOLL Kool 105.5 in West Palm Beach.

Not a fan of this at all, but oh well what can I do about it except show support, right?

Thanks for trying Clear Channel with the Oldies format and if a flip does indeed happen (which if it does I wouldn't be surprised if it was today) I do not think we have any options left of a station doing the format unless we see Renda try again but not the way they tried to revive the old "Cool 96.9".

Oh, speaking of Renda does anyone thing that the station sell of they did in Tulsa could be a sign of things to come for the company or was it just a move to bolster their other markets? Just curious to thoughts on that one while we start talking of things that could happen in Jax.

 

[nfladxer]

This is just totally sad....doing alright in the PPM with the latest being a 4.7. Basically you have to guess that a flip is coming and what can we expect if so? A simulcast of Sports Radio 930 to counteract against 1010XL/92.5FM or do we get a new FM News-Talker that could push WOKV to play musical chairs with their stations?

Since Clear Channel is determined to cut costs, launching an FM News/Talk station would seem an unlikely choice, especially in a market this size.

Also Jodi Stewart (who use to work for Lex & Terry and The Eagle) got let go at WOLL Kool 105.5 in West Palm Beach.

Jodi's a professional, with a well-developed network of friends, she, most likely will land on her feet in short order!

Thanks for trying Clear Channel with the Oldies format and if a flip does indeed happen (which if it does I wouldn't be surprised if it was today) I do not think we have any options left of a station doing the format unless we see Renda try again but not the way they tried to revive the old "Cool 96.9".

Oh, speaking of Renda does anyone thing that the station sell of they did in Tulsa could be a sign of things to come for the company or was it just a move to bolster their other markets? Just curious to thoughts on that one while we start talking of things that could happen in Jax.

IMHO, even before there was a WJGH-FM, Renda's 94.1 always seemed to be a logical choice for a Classic hits format. While not the best signal in town, a properly programmed station could attract enough listeners and advertisers to be profitable, plus be a good flanker for Lite 96.1, since they seem to be skewing younger.

Also, regarding the Tulsa station sale, I think Renda was, most likely, raising cash for the rest of the company. Up until now, Tony Renda hasn't been known for selling his properties.

 

[carolinaradio]

I agree that Magic's performance doesn't seem that bad. Going by their Facebook page, quite a few listeners are pissed about JT and Tony being let go.

Letting the PD go is the handwriting on the wall for a flip IMO. I could see 107.3 staying classic hits and running Premium Choice, but that signal just seems to good to run out of a closet.

 

[charlestondxman]

When I was going through Jacksonville a few weeks ago, Magic sounded REALLY good. They sounded like a great station. They had lots of locality in afternoon drive, and the personalities were a good fit.

Another dumb move like the one at 95.9 in Charleston. But CC probably forced it on them with their flash drives.

 

[carolinaradio]

When I was going through Jacksonville a few weeks ago, Magic sounded REALLY good. They sounded like a great station. They had lots of locality in afternoon drive, and the personalities were a good fit.

Another dumb move like the one at 95.9 in Charleston. But CC probably forced it on them with their flash drives.

I was through Florida a couple of weeks ago and listened to Magic, as well. Certainly better than WEJZ (how that station could be #1 is beyond me). I was listening on a weekend, so it was probably voicetracked, but it was very impressive. I've had the opportunity to listen to them several times. When I go through Jax, besides the Ape, they're the only station I listen to for any length of time.

Maybe CC is planning on keeping Magic, who knows. Part of me thinks this signals a flip but part of me wonders if they'll just keep it and voicetrack most, if not all. Friday would've been a good day to kill it if they had planned. CC's KOSF/San Francisco is doing very well with only AM drive live...in a top 5 market!

 

[John FL]

WEJZ is a heritage station. Arthur and Jim of the morning show are family to many in Jax given their longevity. A solid and stable morning show is a must and “The Crofton” delivers. For the professional office crowd, restaurants etc., WEJZ is virtually THE game in town. Unless directly challenged, they will continue to perform very well.

And speaking of performance (ratings) Magic 107-3 fell below expectations. When corporate management makes a “correction” the usual victims/scapegoats are the folks in place. IMHO, Magic was held back in large part due to corporate edicts and a management structure that prevents the execution of timely decisions.

A while back I mentioned iHeart Radio and the constant assault on the listeners promoting it. I tried to make the point that the average Magic listener could care less about the artists featured during the national iHeart concert contest. While that was going on the other classic hits station in town was promoting a Bob Seger show. Which station proved more relevant to its’ listeners? Clearly, Magic’s PD had no choice.

This year CC decided to feature so called commercial free hours a number of times during the day. While that probably sounded effective to corporate, I doubt any of these folks actually listened to the monster they created.

Commercial free did not mean the spots were dropped. It meant they were practically doubled up in another hour. In Tony Mann’s case I often found myself cringing and shaking my head. If they went music intensive @6PM, it meant 3 stop sets ran @ 5PM. With traffic updates, iHeart promotion crap and the kitchen sink thrown in as well, it was common that hour featured 18 minutes of non-music programming. The competition and rightfully so took full advantage of this and was pounding away with the music. To attract listeners one hour only to lose them in another hour made no sense.

Then there were signal issues as a result of a lightning strike. Why that took so long to correct I haven’t a clue. I keep very unusual hours and I can’t begin to tell you how many times Magic was off the air in the 5AM hour – the start of morning drive. JT, the absolute consummate professional sounded cool, calm and collected as if nothing happened. But I’m sure his stress level was very high.

The radio community will probably add what happened here as just another injustice on top of so many others. The clock was ticking to get results. I saw extraordinary efforts to get there but time ran out.

I heard from Neal and he still exudes a positive attitude about everything. JT left CBS Radio under very good terms. Besides his on-air talent, I always thought his knowledge of what made the format work @WOCL Detroit could have been invaluable at Magic. I wouldn’t be surprised if he finds a home at CBS somewhere. Tony Mann’s long roots in the Jax market, his extensive knowledge of music and knowing what makes this market tick could have made a huge difference. But, today talent, especially those with mature sounding voices are considered a liability and not an asset.
The bean counters are probably having orgasms thinking of savings. I'm looking at this as a loss that can't be measured in dollars. This should not have happened at this time. I've gotten this off my chest and I suppose I need to move on.

 

[John FL]

Pardon the double post but I'd like to correct something. I meant to say WOMC/Detroit and not WOCL/Orlando. I was actually listening to Sunny 105.9 at the time so there you go.

I might as well take this time to add a few things. Some subtle programming changes have already taken place. The 70's @7 is gone. A good number of rock-oriented 80's hits were featured in that hour. As mentioned prior the 5O'Clock Shout is gone too. Loo Katz from DC/AC (sounds weird) WASH-FM sounds a little Eagle-ish to me has replaced JT in Am drive. Lisa Berigan from DC Rocker WBIG=FM - DC again is doing afternoon drive. You can probably connect the dots. As far as Lisa goes, she was one of the "voices" I heard on weekends while CC was trying to decide on a midday host. Perhaps there was more to those on-air auditions after all.

Perhaps a coincidence, perhaps not, Lisa as well as others could be found via using a keyword on the station website. Months ago she was listed as being on air 3-7PM. Maybe she VT's that time everywhere else. Still..it makes you go hmmmm. Personally, I think all these moves are meaningless and just interim for something else down the road. From all indications, I believe RadioNow 97.9 is the new darling of the cluster. A better signal @107-3 could make them a strong competitor against WAPE or perhaps even WEJZ as a modern AC with that listen at work appeal. But then I was always had an active imagination. Chio!

 

[nfladxer]

JohnJax, it's too bad there aren't more observers and listeners like you! Most of your observations are spot on! You, obviously care, and are a true friend of radio. While the latest Clear Channel "Reduction in Force" has certainly been hurtful to the personnel involved, the real damage is to the product. The personality on the radio is the "glue" that bonds the station to the listener. Every time you change it, it weakens the glue. It's not just the music that attracts listeners to a radio station, and even though this is somewhat subjective, it's the "personality" that gives radio an extra connection and human warmth, and makes radio different from an mp3 player, iPod, etc. A well known NYC radio personality, and former station owner, "Cousin" Brucie, once stated that the "radio business" has become the "business of radio"! I can only conclude that a flawed business model is hastening the destruction of terrestrial radio. Businessmen know business, but not necessarily the radio business.

 

[bclark71.]

"Cousin" Brucie, once stated that the "radio business" has become the "business of radio"! I can only conclude that a flawed business model is hastening the destruction of terrestrial radio. Businessmen know business, but not necessarily the radio business.

Business is facts and figures. Businessmen get that. Creativity is not their forte. There are thousands of radio heads like us that would take less money to put on a better product. Businessmen absolutely don't get that. And it's a shame.

And now the businessmen are removing the personalities that differentiate their stations from my mp3 player, and are killing what used to be the Golden Goose (Bronze Goose?)...Then we are left with nothing more than a broadcast jukebox of music and ad dollars will continue to dwindle as a result.

What's next? Making iPods and mp3 players that are programmed with advertisements that are not removable and that are automatically inserted every 7 or 8 tracks and updated when you plug in to add music or charge? Is that a scary thought or what??

 

[carolinaradio]

Perhaps a coincidence, perhaps not, Lisa as well as others could be found via using a keyword on the station website. Months ago she was listed as being on air 3-7PM. Maybe she VT's that time everywhere else. Still..it makes you go hmmmm. Personally, I think all these moves are meaningless and just interim for something else down the road. From all indications, I believe RadioNow 97.9 is the new darling of the cluster. A better signal @107-3 could make them a strong competitor against WAPE or perhaps even WEJZ as a modern AC with that listen at work appeal. But then I was always had an active imagination. Chio!

RadioNow at 107.3 could be a possibility. They sound pretty good.
If that scenerio played out, what would go to 97.9? AC to compete with WEJZ (which seems logical, seeing how well that station does)? I'd say Hot AC, but that might hurt RadioNow with its adult lean and they might not want to risk that. Swap classic hits to that signal and run premium choice, or voicetrack it like they're currently doing at 107? It'd just be sad to see Jacksonville lose classic hits entirely, since that would leave the potential for someone else picking up the format very low, since all 3 of the major groups (Renda, Cox, CC) have done it. Renda didn't really stay with the format for long, though, and it was more like oldies.

Can't believe The Eagle outperforms Magic - talk about boring radio! I don't consider them classic hits, really, even though they say it - more like "lite" classic rock. WOCL was mentioned here - it, along with WRBQ/Tampa, are two of my favorite classic hits stations in the country. Top notch!

 

[JH_Radio]

what makes radio radio to me is not just the music, but the personality.
I truely believe that radio is an artform.
From the music to the processing, to the camersials, to the DJ, it all needs to fit together. if one of those elamints are missing (say a cake withotu egs), its not a radio station to me.

 

[John FL]

JohnJax, it's too bad there aren't more observers and listeners like you! Most of your observations are spot on! You, obviously care, and are a true friend of radio. While the latest Clear Channel "Reduction in Force" has certainly been hurtful to the personnel involved, the real damage is to the product. The personality on the radio is the "glue" that bonds the station to the listener. Every time you change it, it weakens the glue. It's not just the music that attracts listeners to a radio station, and even though this is somewhat subjective, it's the "personality" that gives radio an extra connection and human warmth, and makes radio different from an mp3 player, iPod, etc. A well known NYC radio personality, and former station owner, "Cousin" Brucie, once stated that the "radio business" has become the "business of radio"! I can only conclude that a flawed business model is hastening the destruction of terrestrial radio. Businessmen know business, but not necessarily the radio business.

Nfladxer, Thank you very much for your kind words.

When I was a kid, Cousin Brucie became a very early influence on me and my long love affair with radio. Until the internet became very big, I suppose you can say “I was in the closet” with something I did in more youthful days. It was tough turning off that radio, especially on school nights. So I sneaked a transistor radio into bed and sometimes listened into the wee hours. Personality radio and all that on-air excitement was like a drug to me, I couldn’t get enough. Years later I delighted in discovering there were many others who had the same “affliction” as I. If you want to call that glue – fine. In my case it was more like cement.

Fast forward to today. 92% (or thereabouts) of people hear radio or are exposed to it every week. Listening among young people has remained constant over the last several years. Glue I’m sure is at play. But what I believe has changed are the components that make up that glue to include the age of the “gluee.”

I mentioned RadioNow 97.9 earlier. Their Facebook page IMHO is a type of glue for their typical listeners. Bryan LaRoche does an absolutely incredible job engaging the listeners and making them a part of the station. I consider him a strong personality but his approach is very today. He helps pull listeners into the station but he doesn’t always need that mic to do so.

Magic 107-3 had other elements that made up that glue. Apparently the more mature set is not as active in social media as the station down the hall. RadioNow has more activity in one day than Magic has all week. Communication at Magic was strongest through the spoken word.

I always thought Magic reached a good balance with talent on-air participation. It was a different kind of radio in that personality was a co-star with the music. To a guy like me and to a generation who grew up hearing all those wonderful voices, the station became such a great contrast against automation and talent who sound distant, cold and all strictly business. Time is a moving target. Those who grew up in the 70's and 80's were exposed to radio that became more music intensive and even fragmented with the popularity of FM. It is said radio reflects society. Radio is not inclusive and if you don't fit the parameters of a target audience, you are basically SOL. What makes this pill hard to swallow for me is I believe Magic went to great lengths to be the kind of hybrid oldies station that reflects the tastes of today's listener while satisfying those who expected radio to be more than a jukebox. Kudos go out especially to the talent who in my opinion executed it flawlessly.

In this string comparisons were made that one station is better than the other. Preferences are personal. But what I will say about Cox and Renda too is they have mastered the art of reducing clutter. PPM consistently says listeners respond to that and they did that here as well. Corporate management is very good at placing blame. Realistically, local decisions were not always correct either. But what is constant is talent usually always draws the short stick and a lot of listeners lose too.

 

[carolinaradio]

Somebody's still minding the store on Magic's Facebook page, updating it daily. Most classic hits stations, even the most successful ones, don't have nearly the amount of fans that a station targeted at younger listeners does. With all of the speculation of a flip there, any guesses on when, should one materialize?

 

[John FL]

Somebody's still minding the store on Magic's Facebook page, updating it daily. Most classic hits stations, even the most successful ones, don't have nearly the amount of fans that a station targeted at younger listeners does. With all of the speculation of a flip there, any guesses on when, should one materialize?

Magic's fans overall were more interested in phoning in their comments speaking directly to a live person. Now, a nameless person brings up topics on FB. Perhaps it is all to create an illusion that whoever is on the air is posting on FB. It's now obvious that Magic is in other hands. The AC elements that were an integral part of the station have been replaced by titles one could easily find on a classic rock station. I suppose if they don't get too carried away, it will be an effective trade-off, especially if all they want to do is draw cume from Eagle. Jax is on rock overload. But many who are doing hybrid oldies appear to be favoring British Invasion artists such as the Stones and The Kinks over Neil Diamond and The Monkees when a rare 60's tune plays.

My comments about flips were simply sarcasm to say virtually everything in radio is temporary anyway. I would suspect Magic will be around for awhile and in fact it would not surprise me if they begin to perform better in the months ahead. In all the years I have posted, I have never put down listeners and what they like in radio. But it has become increasingly obvious to me that there are more of them, especially in certain key demos, than there are of me and what really amounts to personal preferences.

Finally, for those of you who really know me have to understand my frustration in that no one ever listens. I don't consider myself a radio expert by any stretch but if there is one thing I do know is the format Magic is doing. I have studied it for the past 40 years. I think I know a thing or two. Countless times I have said the format can't pretend to be something it is not. "They" wanted to create a classic hits version of WOLL here in Jax to be a top 5 station and peel all those upper end females away from WEJZ. Well, in doing so what they created was something that was not unique enough. Remember too the old WSOS, and WJGL and WEJZ combined probably represented 3/4 of what would become the Magic playlist. IMO, the average listener was rather indifferent about all of it. After Christmas, they were heading in the right direction but it is where they should have positioned themselves in the first place. I realize I have anti-management bias but they screwed this up big time. Thanks for putting up with my rants. This will put an end to my participation on this string. I can't hide the fact that I'm very upset the 'ol gang at Magic weren't given just a little more time....

 

[ThatGuyOnTheRadio]

A little off topic, but Google Maps has an awesome satellite shot of the WAPE/WEJZ/WGNE antenna bays on their tower near Everbank Field.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=30.32278,+-81.64278+(WAPE-FM)&om=1

 

[carolinaradio]

Magic 107.3 is Premium Choice now. Meaning, they're drawing from CC's national classic hits music log/playlist but are inserting their own jocks (outside of overnights). That explains the change in musical focus that JohnJax is referencing. B101 in Providence is using the same playlist. PC pretty much eliminates the need for a PD, especially on a station that isn't new-music based. They likely have a PD from a sister station looking over it.

My prediction for Magic: it'll continue along. If CC can get a 4-5 share without having to pay any staff, on a format like classic hits which bills decently, they're probably fine with it. I think Magic is still a heck of a lot better than Eagle and still has much more personality. I could see a 97.9/107.3 frequency swap at some point, though. They're content with mostly tracking classic hits in SFO and it's doing well, so I don't know if Jax is any different.

I agree with your statement, JohnJax. Many times I've heard stations start to improve, and right when they're starting to sound better, it gets blown up or they clean house. As unfortunate as it is, some stations just aren't given enough time. I hate it also....they were really sounding tight several weeks ago.