WKQX

[radioaircheck]

After looking at the ratings.......ENERGY 101.1!!!!!

 

[sfradio]

or how about energy 100?

 

[EnbyCee]

After looking at the ratings.......ENERGY 101.1!!!!!

Five and a half years later, and the dancing fools are still delusional.

Now all we need is one of the Blue Island mullet morons to say "QUEER 101 NEEDZ 2 PALY MORE PANTERA DOOD" and we'll know the universe is in order.

 

[clone]

After looking at the ratings.......ENERGY 101.1!!!!!

Five and a half years later, and the dancing fools are still delusional.

Now all we need is one of the Blue Island mullet morons to say "QUEER 101 NEEDZ 2 PALY MORE PANTERA DOOD" and we'll know the universe is in order.

I just cant resist.....

Z101!!!

 

[amfmhdst]

I like Z101 ... you get my vote ... will they flip formats ...

 

[radioaircheck]

They should change to 101.1 "The X", and should be a combo of Active Rock and Alternative. Just a thought. I was kidding about Energy 101.1, but I think the rock Alternative combo would work.

 

[wikhradio]

Umm.. why would they drop the alt format? They are trending UP, not down. They have been steadily rising. That would be stupid to drop the format when their ratings are going UP (yes slow but surely, developing the audience)

 

[amfmhdst]

I am curious as to how well they will do in the PPM rating system. Let's wait and see.

 

[DToTheJ]

Maybe they'll model WKQX after their sister station in New York, WRXP "The Rock Experience", and go head-to-head with WXRT.

 

[wikhradio]

Umm again... why would they do that? WRXP gets HORRIBLE ratings. WKQX is slowly rebounding. Don't mess with something that is slowly re-catching on....

 

[quitnow]

Don't mess with something that is slowly re-catching on....

And, with the same sounding music song after song after song, which is part of what brought them down to the level they've been at, is the reason they will not continue to trend up. Alt is a formula format for radio. When a band finds something that works the rest try to squeeze something into that sound before the trend runs ground. Then radio relies on labels to bring them the "next sound" but they (labels) are usually 2-3 songs slow in delivering the new sound, which calculates to 6-8 months, and over that book ratings go down, and you spend the next 2-4 books trying to get listeners back. It's a vicious cycle that Q needs to stay ahead of. Screw the labels, judging by their lack of vision over the last 5 years, they've put themselves on the brink of going out of business. Play what YOU think is a hit and tell them why you're not playing that crap they're pushing and maybe they will catch on a bit quicker.

 

[shark sandwich]

Don't mess with something that is slowly re-catching on....

And, with the same sounding music song after song after song, which is part of what brought them down to the level they've been at, is the reason they will not continue to trend up. Alt is a formula format for radio. When a band finds something that works the rest try to squeeze something into that sound before the trend runs ground. Then radio relies on labels to bring them the "next sound" but they (labels) are usually 2-3 songs slow in delivering the new sound, which calculates to 6-8 months, and over that book ratings go down, and you spend the next 2-4 books trying to get listeners back. It's a vicious cycle that Q needs to stay ahead of. Screw the labels, judging by their lack of vision over the last 5 years, they've put themselves on the brink of going out of business. Play what YOU think is a hit and tell them why you're not playing that crap they're pushing and maybe they will catch on a bit quicker.

I think that you are 100% right about too many Alternative Rock stations following the "chart". Most sane people know that the chart is, for the most part, bogus. You are also right in pointing out that many Alt PDs all too willingly play stiffs from "sound alike" bands because they are too shortsighted or too bone-headed to play anything that doesn't sound like corporate neo-grunge. Certain Alternative stations will play 3 songs from a band like Breaking Benjamin or Crossfade, but not Muse, Coldplay, or Radiohead?? Come on!!

That said, I know Marc Young pretty well. I know him well enough to know that he's all about songs with true hit potential, whether they are on a chart, whether they are being worked by a label, or whether a part-timer/street teamer brings them to his attention. I also know that Marc is known as a "tough add" by record promotion people. He's fair, but he's also going to do what is right for Q. So, as far as I can tell from your post regarding the chart and finding new music, it looks like you and he are probably on the same page.

I do have to disagree with you on one of your points. I think that what hurt Q101 (outside of the Mancow/Alt Rock music 'fit' issue) was not repetition or a tight playlist (although it was probably too tight back in the Q vs WZZN days). I think that things went downhill when Q got roped into the whole "on shuffle" gimmick. Q101 got away from the musical images that they were/are known for and bought into this whole "shuffle/neo-alt" nonsense that has ruined more than a few large market Alternative stations. I think that Marc was brought in to fix that mess.

I think what Marc is doing right now is properly re-aligning the playlist to match the strongest music images that Q owns. I also know Marc well enough to know that, since both Rock and Alternative are currently in a new-music funk right now, he is smart enough to hang on to proven records longer than usual and weather the storm a bit. That's not to say that there isn't ANY good new stuff out right now--there is. But, let's face it, it's a proven fact that Rock & Alt rock radio listeners' appetite for new music is nowhere near as strong as it was in the 90's or even early 2000's. That said, I think Marc definitely needs to keep a tight playlist until, quite frankly, this changes. And it will.

Hopefully the consultants will stay out of his way and give him some time to earn the listeners' trust again.

 

[joqitch]

I am curious as to how well they will do in the PPM rating system. Let's wait and see.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[Gale Tulare]

Emmis has their problems but is one of the better run companies around...AND...Marc Young is one of the most intuitive programmers anywhere. The business needs more people like him. We're predicting a bright future for Q and Marc's brand for the format. He's only been there for 6 months and the station is so much better connected to the market now.

 

[MarkW]

They should change to 101.1 "The X", and should be a combo of Active Rock and Alternative.

They ARE playing a combo of Active Rock and Alternative. Check the playlist sometime.

Emmis has their problems but is one of the better run companies around...AND...Marc Young is one of the most intuitive programmers anywhere. The business needs more people like him. We're predicting a bright future for Q and Marc's brand for the format. He's only been there for 6 months and the station is so much better connected to the market now.

No offense, but certain imaging elements sound rotten, the DJ line-up leaves a LOT to be desired, and the morning show is a non-starter.

Hell, the station doesn't even stream 24/7, and it's 2008!

One place where I do give the station props is its music. It has improved.

I think that things went downhill when Q got roped into the whole "on shuffle" gimmick. Q101 got away from the musical images that they were/are known for and bought into this whole "shuffle/neo-alt" nonsense that has ruined more than a few large market Alternative stations. I think that Marc was brought in to fix that mess.

I agree with most everything stated here. It bears nothing, though, that the "on shuffle" concept was dumped several months prior to Young's arrival.

I agree that the "on shuffle" and "everything alternative" concepts have generally been disasters. Thank Jacobs Media for starting that ill-advised epidemic. 99X, WHFS, and WAQZ in Cincy are now gone, Live 105 despite pleasing the record store snobs racked up anemic ratings, 107-7 The End in Seattle is now an also-ran, and KWOD's ratings took an immediate nosedive (and have never recovered).

Although KPNT in St. Louis still positions as "Everything Alternative," that station is actually very hard-edged. It has far more in common with KXTE than an electic-sounding modern rock station.

 

[radioaircheck]

I think you re-brand the station and get rid of Q101.. It is old an tired. It was Q101 when it was an AC station. Give a new image and a face lift, and keep going the way they are with the music.

 

[wikhradio]

I do agree. There isn't a lot of new music in alternative/modern rock right now. There are a lot of sound-alikes. However, there are the quirky alt songs out now such as Flobots - Handlebars, MGMT - Time To Pretend, and Ludo - Love Me Dead. And I will say, the alternative station I work for plays the 2 new Coldplay songs, Violet Hill and Viva La Vida, and they have gone over well. I have looked at Q101, and to me it looks modern rock enough, with some specialties thrown in. Has some active rock flavor with Apocalyptica, Disturbed's new song, etc., to throw a bit of a bone to the active rock fans.

In radio in this day of age, you have to program to the masses in your demo. You can't program to the music fan. You have to program to the "general" listener, who may listen for their drive home or drive to work, or on short trips around town. Our alt is going up against a Top 40 station, not the local active rock, so we have a little more poppy flavor than WKQX. If you go north a little bit to WLUM in Milwaukee, that is a prime example of what I think alt should be.

Don't rebrand Q101. That isn't smart to rebrand a station that has been the same, with the same format, for some years. Listeners who have been listening to Q101 for some time put "Q101" and "alternative" together.

 

[crguy]

HEY Shark Sandwich great insights....Any chance you're the Shark that used to work at Q101 in the 90's and then The Zone early 00's??

 

[vlav]

Q is better now, but still not modern rock enough. Who plays new rock music in town??? It's hard to even know about new music. I think that is why satellite radio is taking off. Give us NEW Rock music!!! (and q, quit the dumb dj stuff! please)

 

[InTIMadate]

Emmis has their problems but is one of the better run companies around...AND...Marc Young is one of the most intuitive programmers anywhere. The business needs more people like him. We're predicting a bright future for Q and Marc's brand for the format. He's only been there for 6 months and the station is so much better connected to the market now.

Isn't that about 50% of the tenure of the average Q101 PD over the last five years?
Are you saying that the last four PDs weren't intuitive before they were replaced by a "Brand Manager?"
Doesn't matter who's the PD. The problem is Rick Cummings' fat fingers stirring the pot.
I'm predicting major frustration and a continue decline in billing until a format switch.