WLSQ changes again....

[knoxbob]

Do the people at Southern Media have a clue to what makes a station a success? They are now on their 3rd format with 105.7 in a little over or less than a year. Not a good way to build a loyal audience. I tuned in this morning and they now call themselves "the Hog", and The Rock of the Cumberlands.
I thought they had a pretty slick format and sound with the Music Radio format and the music from the 60's to the 80's was pretty good. You have to give a format time to grow and gain an audience and they don't seem to have the patience to do that.

If they want it to remain losing money they should have kept it in Rockwood doing whatever it was doing before.

 

[jetfli]

What a disappointment! They had a good thing going with the format they just dumped.

 

[RMarino]

Disappointment is an understatement! WLSQ was given what, like 4 months? "The Hog" which was at 92.7 actually is pretty good too, but it's a same to lose "MusicRadio 105.7" because of it.

I've wanted to roll tape on WLSQ but never could get a clear signal, even near their translator on Sharp's Ridge. Did anyone record any of WLSQ? And would you be willing to share? ;D

 

[AlbumOldies]

Yep, I am also highly disappointed with this latest development - in fact downright po'd.

Just what we needed in the Knoxville area - another station to hear "Sharp Dressed Man" on. Oh boy !!!!

So long WLSQ. You have now been deleted from both vehicles' pushbuttons.

Another convincing argument to switch to XM.

 

[BRH]

Didn't they recently sell the 92.7 frequency to some religious group? I noticed 92.7 was off the air completely as of yesterday. My guess is the new owners took over 92.7 and Southern Media had to choose which of the two formats (92.7's classic rock or 105.7's classic hits) was most popular. My guess is that they think the classic rock format is the most viable and therefore they chose to keep that one and move it to the 105.7 stick. My only question though, is that if this was there thought, why didn't they just put "the Hog" on the 105.7 signal a few months ago to start with. Seems like a big waste of cash to buy the jingle packages and everything for WLSQ to use for only 3 or 4 months.

 

[knoxbob]

Another case of the owners having more money than cents...lol

 

[RMarino]

Didn't they recently sell the 92.7 frequency to some religious group? I noticed 92.7 was off the air completely as of yesterday. My guess is the new owners took over 92.7 and Southern Media had to choose which of the two formats (92.7's classic rock or 105.7's classic hits) was most popular. My guess is that they think the classic rock format is the most viable and therefore they chose to keep that one and move it to the 105.7 stick. My only question though, is that if this was there thought, why didn't they just put "the Hog" on the 105.7 signal a few months ago to start with. Seems like a big waste of cash to buy the jingle packages and everything for WLSQ to use for only 3 or 4 months.

What probably happened was Southern Media decided to throw those two formats against the wall just to see what sticks. In the end, "The Hog" probably slightly outbilled WLSQ so they went with that.

By the way, I heard a very WLSQ-ish segue on "The Hog" today... Hall & Oates "She's Gone" into Fleetwood Mac "Say You Love Me." Maybe they are trying to appeal to fans of both formats.

 

[Wilbie]

When 105.7 was still country, I was a 92.7 "The Breeze" fan. It was decent music and I kinda liked not hearing a DJ. Then, things changed..Music Radio- I thought was great! It was exactly what we needed! Great music from "our good old days"! And the best part, I thought, was unlike other stations, WLSQ actually had variety! I wasn't hearing the same stuff all the time!
I like classic rock & also listened to "The Hog" from time to time. But, I did a double take this AM in the car when I turned on the radio and heard - classic rock station, 1057 the hog! RIP WLSQ- you will be missed!
Well the bright side for me is...at least it's NOT another country station!

 

[ARDONAVINDA]

I've wanted to roll tape on WLSQ but never could get a clear signal, even near their translator on Sharp's Ridge. Did anyone record any of WLSQ? And would you be willing to share? ;D

I did roll some straight Mini Disc on the afternoon show back a couple months ago. You are welcome to have a copy. Also have some mid day matterial. Another friend rolled 90 minutes straight on cassette at a different time.

I thought they had very good prossessing on their air chain.

 

[knoxbob]

The processing was very "hot" to say the least. I would listen to the 107.3 translater while driving in Knoxville and it had a better sound than most of the local stations. The translater has been off as of late and the Corbin, Ky station has been coming in. I stopped listening to it after the HOG came in to being. I miss MusicRadio.

 

[RMarino]

And yet part of WLSQ has changed again!

I just noticed today that the Knoxville 107.3 translator is no longer "The Hog" and is now simulcasting 92.7 with the religious format.

 

[ARDONAVINDA]

The processing was very "hot" to say the least. I would listen to the 107.3 translater while driving in Knoxville and it had a better sound than most of the local stations. The translater has been off as of late and the Corbin, Ky station has been coming in. I stopped listening to it after the HOG came in to being. I miss MusicRadio.

I never got to hear the 107.3 translater. I only heard the 105.7 frequency, and I thought it sounded great! I was told the 105.7 signal weakened as you left west Knox. curious as to what they may have been using?

Interesting that the new owners are using the translater 107.3 as their main broadcast, because the 92.7 freq is still off. I wonder if they are doing that to kill off any remnants of the rock audience. Being that they are religious now, I mean the last thing they would want is to have any affiliation with the Hog listeners.

I too miss the MusicRadio format. I don't think Knoxville would bother trying it. What I would like to see is another independent owner in a smaller neighboring town try and reduplicate it, because a single owner has more power to do more with it because one of the three biggies in Knoxville would complain more about budget to buy the JAM/PAMS jingle package, reverb unit, getting T-shirts, bumper stickers, frisbees, much less want to pay the jocks what they would deserve, maybe not so much what they want, but what they at least deserve! And the 3 biggies don't care about any daypart other than mornings, if other dayparts do happen to do well that's just a bonus. A true MusicRadio format would have jocks in other dayparts shine too. Just like they did 30 years ago. A single owner is more likely to risk the chance at buying all the proper toys to make it fly than a major company, major companies don't take risks, Wall Street won't let them.

So I say to all small market independent owners who are failing with their current format and scratching their heads and wondering what other format is possible. Why not try reduplicating the MusicRadio style format. It would be FUN for you and your listeners! There is a station in Cookeville, TN on FM that I will leave nameless, but for the last 3 or 4 years have been beat by a Classic Country AM station in the ratings. They continue to be beat by their direct competitors. They are independently owned and are so in need of a format change, the Music Radio format would be perfect for them seeing as Nashville has no oldies stations anymore. They are a good example of what I'm talking about. Radio NEEDS to be fun again!