WQSR

[Phil S]

DCRTV reports that WQSR might be flipping back to Oldies sometime soon. Anyone hear any more news on that subject?

If it were me calling the shots:

I'd flip WQSR back to something like CBS-FM in NY. There's definitely a hole for that. Bring Rouse back for AM Drive, slide Kathy Whitside over from 101.9 for middays, and Big Don O'Brien or the Merson Person in PM Drive. Practically a guaranteed instant 4 share 12+, lots of goodwill points (like what happened in NY), and 1980s music can be phased in to lower the demos.

I'd make Lite a much more uptempo AC, like WLTW-NY has done. Focus on post-1980 music and add some titles that are currently on the softer end of Mix's playlist. That would keep it out of the way of 102.7 and make Lite a focused 25-54F station.

Mix would then be free to be an Adult CHR. I'm thinking a 60/30/10 mix of Currents, Recurrents, and Gold(90s). Mostly Pop-Rock (I wouldn't play more than 2-3 Rhythmics per hour to avoid alienating thier core 25-34F demo). That would fill the (large) CHR Hole in Baltimore while still keeping the majority of Mix's Audience (and any that wouldn't like the new 106.5 would more than likely be shifted to 101.9 anyway).

For 105.7, I would keep KMS in the Morning and Ed Norris (either in Middays, or in PM Drive and give D&M the boot). The Rest of the day, I would put on Jack's format (albeit with more current rock so the demos line up better). That could turn 2 failing stations into 1 successful one.

So, CBS would have Mix for 18-34F, Lite for 25-54F, QSR for 40+ M&F, and HFS for 18-40M. CBS wouldn't be stepping on its own toes, and the cluster would almost certainly be better than the current one, where 2 stations are bottom-feeders in the ratings.

 

[CHRles]

Phil, I like your train of thought here. One thing about Mix 106.5, I think they should play a bit more then just 2-3 Rhythmic hits per hour. If you want to be a CHR in 2008, especially in such a big market like Baltimore, and especially if you're the only CHR in town, you need to be playing at leat 5-6 Rhythmic hits per hour in the daytime, and even moreso at night. I think a balanced CHR can work in this town, and the CHR/Pop charts have also gotten a bit more balanced lately.

 

[jimwalsh2001]

This is very feasible, given the direction CBS is taking with Dan Mason at the helm...

 

[XCountry285]

Baltimore has Hot 99.5 out of DC. They're fine, they've got Top 40.

 

[CHRles]

Oh really? Why don't you ask some of the people who live in the Baltimore area how good the reception is on Hot 99.5 in downtown Baltimore where the offices are? Or in many of the suburbs north and northeast of the city? Hot has a hard time cracking the 2 share in Baltimore - that wouldnt be the case if their signal was heard loud and clear metro wide.

 

[MarcB]

Never mind trying to get any DC station in Baltimore. When I was on vacation in Baltimore back in 2002, I had a devil of a time picking up 105.7, which is a Baltimore market station in my hotel room at The Lord Baltimore Raddison Hotel on West Baltimore Street in the Inner Harbor area.

 

[nd2023]

You can hear 102.7 in DC but can't hear 105.9 in Baltimore. They would get the oldies listeners who struggle to pick up 105.9. 102.7 also has the heritage of being an oldies station many years ago, when the oldies moved down there from 105.7. JACK-FM is soon going the way of Jammin' Oldies.
I hear WJBR in Baltimore sometimes on 99.5, that's how weak Hot 99.5 is. WIHT is about 55 dBu in Baltimore, which is hard to get in the middle of a city near other FM stations. And Hot is gone just 5-10 miles northeast of Baltimore.

 

[WTUX]

I would certainly bring oldies back to WQSR. And, has been pointed out, I would follow the example of WCBS-FM and phase in the 20-year old "oldies" from the 80's. In the early years of oldies radio, the pioneer stations were playing songs from 1954 (Earth Angel). That was 15 YEARS OLD! Oldies radio cannot continue to pretend that music died in 1972. If you blend it right (which CBS-FM sometimes does not) it can work. Many of us oldies fans were still listening to Top 40 radio in the 80's and can identify with a good music mix that includes those songs.

 

[8638]

DCRTV reports that WQSR might be flipping back to Oldies sometime soon. Anyone hear any more news on that subject?

If it were me calling the shots:

I'd flip WQSR back to something like CBS-FM in NY. There's definitely a hole for that. Bring Rouse back for AM Drive, slide Kathy Whitside over from 101.9 for middays, and Big Don O'Brien or the Merson Person in PM Drive. Practically a guaranteed instant 4 share 12+, lots of goodwill points (like what happened in NY), and 1980s music can be phased in to lower the demos.

I'd make Lite a much more uptempo AC, like WLTW-NY has done. Focus on post-1980 music and add some titles that are currently on the softer end of Mix's playlist. That would keep it out of the way of 102.7 and make Lite a focused 25-54F station.

Mix would then be free to be an Adult CHR. I'm thinking a 60/30/10 mix of Currents, Recurrents, and Gold(90s). Mostly Pop-Rock (I wouldn't play more than 2-3 Rhythmics per hour to avoid alienating thier core 25-34F demo). That would fill the (large) CHR Hole in Baltimore while still keeping the majority of Mix's Audience (and any that wouldn't like the new 106.5 would more than likely be shifted to 101.9 anyway).

For 105.7, I would keep KMS in the Morning and Ed Norris (either in Middays, or in PM Drive and give D&M the boot). The Rest of the day, I would put on Jack's format (albeit with more current rock so the demos line up better). That could turn 2 failing stations into 1 successful one.

So, CBS would have Mix for 18-34F, Lite for 25-54F, QSR for 40+ M&F, and HFS for 18-40M. CBS wouldn't be stepping on its own toes, and the cluster would almost certainly be better than the current one, where 2 stations are bottom-feeders in the ratings.

I never really understood why the CBS suits flipped WQSR to Jack. As Oldies, it had a real personality driven presentation, and, as I understood, a very high TSL. CBS-FM, on the other hand, was a really awful radio station when it was Jacked. Much better since its reincarnation!

I would not program WQSR like CBS-FM. Baltimore ain't New York. I would program it exactly as Phil S has outlined. Big question: would Rouse return?

Only negative I see: losing the great Class Reunion weekend programming on WLIF.

 

[Throwdown]

I have to say that I worked at WPGC for a time. I am out of Texas.

Let me quote Jerry Clifton here guys..."Jammin Oldies/Oldies is a weekend feature not a format".

Think about all the specialty formats like this and how short the lifespans are.

Oldies maybe, but the monikor Oldies is probably a dead one.

Who in our society wants to be called OLD?

love - peace - and chicken grease.

 

[jimwalsh2001]

I never really understood why the CBS suits flipped WQSR to Jack.

For the same reason Citadel hired the over-the-hill Don Imus for megabucks.

It's the same reason so many talented, dedicated personalities wallow in unemployment-land while hacks like Laura Ingraham and Glenn Beck are high on the hog, paid tons of money to generate underwhelming ratings.

The same reason why the suits continue to glad-hand each other while listenership continues to dwindle and our once-great medium sinks like a stone into the moribund muck of irrelevance.

What, me bitter? Naaaaaaaaaaaah...

 

[WTUX]

It should be noted that when the NYC radio station revenue picture for 2007 was released last week, WFAN was down $13M from the prior year. Losing Imus was a major blow to the FAN. Likewise, WCBS-FM went down mucho revenue $$ with Jack.

Imus brings in the money just as oldies can when done right.

 

[Danfm]

I never really understood why the CBS suits flipped WQSR to Jack. As Oldies, it had a real personality driven presentation, and, as I understood, a very high TSL.

Joel Holander and his brother Les Hollander felt Jack was the quick and cheap fix for all of CBS Radio/Infinity's problems getting youger listeners in the process.

 

[8638]

I never really understood why the CBS suits flipped WQSR to Jack. As Oldies, it had a real personality driven presentation, and, as I understood, a very high TSL.

Joel Holander and his brother Les Hollander felt Jack was the quick and cheap fix for all of CBS Radio/Infinity's problems getting youger listeners in the process.

Yeah, I know the general reason for Jacking. But, why use it on your successful stations? WQSR as oldies seemed to be doing just fine. One size fits all never works, in humans or in radio!

 

[shadough]

There was a follow-up on dcrtv from I think the PD@QSR saying its a total fabrication, jack is here to stay.

Personally, I actually like the station, its 1 of the only stations I actually listen to. Plus I'd be really disapointed if i wasn't able to hear AT40 The 80s w/ Kasem on sunday nights.