I don't have an article to back it, but I tuned into 106.3 Pigeon Forge earlier this week and noticed that WPFT has changed to news talk branded as Mountain Talk 106.3. When did this change occur? This is the 3rd format under the Mountain branding. I wonder what caused them to bail on the Classic Hits format. Surely not the unbranded 104.1 translator?
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WPFT Format Change
- Thread starter Ktownradioman
- Start date
Interesting. I didn’t know about the change either, but a quick trip to their website confirms it. I’m just outside of their signal range. The old classic hits format was pretty good when I checked it out on my occasional visits to Pigeon Forge, but for the last couple of years, the sound quality of their air signal had issues. Perhaps this is what caused listenership to decline. Of course it wasn’t quite as bad as 104.1 which has sounded like a low bit rate MP3 file for the last few years.
You would think that Bristol Broadcasting would take advantage of that translator and run a quality format. Maybe this is their chance to run a decent classic hits format.
Lack of revenue? Let's be honest, there aren't any actual advertising dollars in Sevier county, and what little there is gets spent in Knoxville. This is an age old problem.
I don't know the exact date, but they were carrying Dead Rush after News-Talk 98.7 dropped him in favor of Cumulus' own Bongino. WPFT carries Clay and Buck, but it's no Knoxville rimshot/move-in. ETRG has always struggled with that facility, and I guess WSEV-FM (different from WSEV (AM) does OK but there are only so many times locals are going to go to each attraction, and you can't really market and sell based on visitors.
Yes, WSEV (AM) and the 104.1 translator sound like they are being fed with a cheap cassette that sat in the hot sun on the front seat of a car all summer. Bristol seemed to have bought that AM, added a translator and promptly forgot about it
Yes, WSEV (AM) and the 104.1 translator sound like they are being fed with a cheap cassette that sat in the hot sun on the front seat of a car all summer. Bristol seemed to have bought that AM, added a translator and promptly forgot about it
Not sure how to quote both of you, but I can see where Megawatt is coming from about the advertising stand point. Also I do agree with gr8oldies about how they have seem to forgotten about it. If it can't be profitable as a stand along format, could it not at least be used to rebroadcast Electric 94.9? I believe that would be legal considering Sevier County is within their broadcast area.
As long as they also broadcast Electric 94.9 on the AM, there's no restriction on doing that with the translator. I was thinking maybe Thunder Country since it's also in the Newport cluster.
I believe that to be the case. I just don't know what kind of AOL dial-up they're feeding WSEV/xlator with
What would be the point of an Electric 94.9 simulcast? They aren't going to make any money with that nor will they steal any listeners from Star. Country doesn't make sense for 104.1 either. It's already been tried on Mountain Country 106.3 and before that on the old Dolly's Station 105.5. Neither could compete with WIVK. I think it's an unwritten rule that in Sevier County, you cannot compete with whatever is on 102.1 and 107.7. Those two Bluff Mountain signals are always going to be unbeatable there.
So what's left for 104.1/930? I don't know. Maybe they can resurrect "Smoky Mountain Radio" and give away Milton Crabapple CDs again.
So what's left for 104.1/930? I don't know. Maybe they can resurrect "Smoky Mountain Radio" and give away Milton Crabapple CDs again.
Classic Hits didn’t seem to work either, and 93.1 (which has flipped) wasn’t that strong. I don’t know if it t was a matter of “Dead Rush is available, let’s grab him” to only get the replacement show or what. 105.5 seems pretty successful, whatever they’ve fried on 106.3 has been a train wreck
Those stations can be brought back. It’s going to take more of a commitment than most people are willing to make.
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