WRSV 92 has fired all its airstaff

[EncSpy]

thats the word as of this afternoon that WRSV 92.1 rocky mount has let everybody go

 

[ZAX Double J]

Where'd you hear that? I haven't heard anything, but then again I don't listen to them. I feel for the staff if that is true, but we (Power 95.5) beat them in the last ratings book so it doesn't surprise me.

 

[tothedj]

I checked their web site and noticed "HAL" was on the air, which i assume confirms
the firings have taken place, if that is the case, it would be the end of a era, WRSV
has had live jocks on the air since they signed on back in the mid 1970's when
the late Charles O. Johnson took what was WEED-FM at 92.1 and overnight
became "The Soul Of Rocky Mount" with people like Roger Wiggins, Uncle Sam
(who later went to WCPS in Tarboro) and many others, which brings into question
what will happen to them?, will Northstar Broadcasting take them back to their
roots with "Urban AC" and go with "The Touch" format from ABC Radio Networks?,
or will they sell WRSV and WEED?, which someone could take and rejuvinate them
into two stations that have a storied history in the Rocky Mount Community.

 

[firecop947]

If this is true, that would be very sad! WRSV was one of the original soul stations broadcasting on FM in Eastern NC. The other was WQDW 97.7 "Q-97" in Kinston. The end of an era in radio.

Kris

 

[EncSpy]

Where'd you hear that? I haven't heard anything, but then again I don't listen to them. I feel for the staff if that is true, but we (Power 95.5) beat them in the last ratings book so it doesn't surprise me.

I heard last night from a very credible source..I had been hearing that their sales has been down, mainly because of power and the new 107.3, but right now..its too early to tell anything, it is truly a sad day if that station goes away.

 

[Radio_Listener]

Losing WRSV and WEED would be a tremendous LOSS to the Edgecombe/Nash Community to say the least. To see the deminse of a station with so much history is nothing more than a reflection and obvious sign that our economy is in trouble, in addition to the radio industry. Perhaps, a more definite cause to the demise the station is the oversaturation of Urban radio within the area. In the past, Soul 92 catered to many audiences, Gospel, Oldies, Hip-Hop, R&B, and even community affairs (I forget the name of the community affairs program that air monday nights). 92 was truely a community station. With the addition of Power and 107.3, the listeners who would have turned to 92 for its niche programming found the aforementioned stations (although I personally believe WPWZ's programming inferior to 92) more predictable and focused. I am confident that Chuck can find a way to overcome this minor setback; the station has too much legacy to go out without a fight.

Does anyone happen to have any airchecks of 92.1? I began listening to the station in the mid 90's but never really had the chance to record its programming. Anyone have anymore history on the frequency and format? Please share.

Thanks

 

[tothedj]

All of your points are correct, WEED has been on the air since 1933, except for a
brief period in the early 90's when they went silent(for what reason, someone
may post here) as for WRSV, it signed on the air in late 1974, which i remember
caught me by surprise on a Sunday afternoon when i turned on my radio, thinking
i would hear WEED-FM, but when they mentioned who they were, i knew a new
Rocky Mount station was born and they filled a niche here at that time, but with
competition now from WPWZ and WBOB, the future of what was "Soul 92" is up
in the air, especially as they get close to turning 35 next year.

 

[ZAX Double J]

All of your points are correct, WEED has been on the air since 1933, except for a
brief period in the early 90's when they went silent(for what reason, someone
may post here)

If I'm not mistaken it was a ploy tp get rid of the staff. I remember (and still have somewhere) the newspaper article with them "signing off" WEED. I htink it was sometime after 1992 since I was sorking there as of July of that year and I seem to think it was the next year that they went dark for a brief period. Naturally after hurricane Floyd came through both stations went dark as the studios were completely flooded. I hated to see that old building go. I worked for WEED from 1986 until 1992 off and on over that period of time and remember when Billy Wynn sold the station to the late Charles Johnson. Both were very nice to work for and I enjoyed my time there. WEED turns 75 this December. As to RSV, when Paul Andre was there I think they were at their peak and now Mr. Andre is with us at Power. He is a nice guy to work with and for. He has said that I run a tight board for his remotes. He also does our play-by-play on the High School Football Game of the week on Jammin' 99 and si a sports afficiado<sp>.

It would be a loss to Rocky Mount to loose both of these heritage stations. But I do have to agree that the urban landscape here is quite oversaturated as you have stations from both Raleigh and Greenville in this area too to take some of the urban listeners. Also radio in general is suffering in this downturn economy in addition to the already unstable broadcast landscape from other sources and it's own lack of focus on the things that made it worthwhile for people to turn to.

 

[allenv]

Well said John...You take years of stale, same old stuff programming and lack of willingness to be different,add the fact radio got cocky and began to feel untouchable and thought it could get by just by getting by, and now throw in our economic situation and walla sis boom ba stations are in TROUBLE..For years radio had control of its own destiny and did nothing and now it doesn't have that control anymore and now its singing the blues..I can only hope and pray that the industry that I love and have given my blood,sweat, & tears(not in that order) can recover..

Allen

 

[quadraphonic]

Just an outside, kind-of-related question:

Does Foxy99 have much impact around Rocky Mount?
I remember reading in a book by/about Tom Joyner (the owner from NC) (got the book at Edward McKay a couple years ago) that the station in Kinston and it seems like he mentioned the station in Rocky Mount too as the only urban competition in eastern NC when he started up WZFX.

 

[EncSpy]

WZFX does not put any signal into rocky mount, especially with WZAX on the first adjacent

 

[fortmill]

Of course, the 107.1/104.3 combo completely dominates the Arbitrons in Rocky Mount-Wilson, leaving all other stations in the dust. Not surprising, considering the 104.3 100kw stick is right outside of Rocky Mount. This makes it rather hard for 92.1 to compete with Urban AC. A shame in a way...

 

[quadraphonic]

I was thinking I never heard Foxy99 much north of Dunn, and I forgot they moved WZAX too.
Thanks ENCSpy.

 

[Radio_Listener]

Just an outside, kind-of-related question:

Does Foxy99 have much impact around Rocky Mount?
I remember reading in a book by/about Tom Joyner (the owner from NC) (got the book at Edward McKay a couple years ago) that the station in Kinston and it seems like he mentioned the station in Rocky Mount too as the only urban competition in eastern NC when he started up WZFX.

I will take a stab and say NO, WZFX does not have much of an impact on the Rocky Mount area. However, Raleigh based stations WFXK (Urban AC), WQOK (Urban), and even WNNL (Gospel) are listenable in the Rocky Mount area. WPZZ from Richmond (Gospel) is listenable in certain areas of the Rocky Mount. Then take stations like Jammin 99, 101.9 KISS-FM, 101.1 The Touch, KISS 93.9, 107.3 The Promise, Power 95.5, and Soul 92, and you have the ticket for saturation. Radio is on life support.

 

[allenv]

Would 92.1 consider a format change or is it strictly financial and no matter what
they can't afford staff??? Is is dead or maybe are they regrouping??? Good signal
and with the Urban saturation there are a few formats that may revitalize the station... I hope this is not the end.Damn guys..Radiois imploding..... This is sad to anyone who truly loves the business....

Allen

 

[allenv]

Foxy does well because it sounds so good...It has a identity and has stuck to it for a long time...I like Power but its problem to me is the station has too many faces..
One time I tune in and hear Old School R & B, the next time its hard core hip hop, and at other times it sounds like a Smooth R & B....Power has some talented people.
It could give Foxy a run if it adopted one kind of R & B identity and branded it into an audience...Now you never know exactly what you will hear at a given time...A live local morning show would not hurt them either. I really like Paul,Selena and the others as air talents....Foxy just has a more polished presentation overall and it stays away from the hardcore Hip-Hop & rap.As local talents go Power's staff is just as good if not better than Foxy's....Paul Andre is a sharp programmer....Management kinda leaves him alone and let's him do his thing and that's good. Its sort of has a feel like someone else is leasing Power from First Media and they are just in the building with the others.It seems to function almost like a seperate station from the others in my opinion...Power gets alot of attention Downeast..I hear alot of the kids talking about it...One of the smartest things Paul has done is to establish some presence in Greenville. Kiss is #1 but you know Power is here and that's not the easiest thing to do when the studios are in Rocky Mt....

Allen

 

[ZAX Double J]

Allen, you are right on all points and one you didn't touch on and that is the fact that Foxy streams their signal on their website something that Power doesn't and should do. Also it is something that WRSV itself doesn't do.

Yes radio is imploding and I really hate to see the industry that I love and have put a lot into (as you have Allen) go down the toilet.

 

[Marathon Don]

There are just too many freakin' stations on the dial. If you overplant your garden, nothing thrives. The daytimer AM's need to be terminated, and the FM translator thing has gotten out of hand. Also, some of the LPFM's are merely a waste of bandwidth.

Scorched earth, babeee.

I'm through venting now.

 

[EncSpy]

power has a lotta potential but I feel its poorly programmed......sometimes its a urban..other times a Urban AC...the station has no direction and paul sounds out of touch with the younger crowd in his airchecks..although him and D-train are roughly the same age...D-train is just way more in touch with the younger listeners. does anybody remember when WCPS (a 500 watt daytime only AM) was beating power in numbers???? when paul was programming WYTT (99.5 Emporia) it sounded bad, it was hard to tell WYTT from power musically, minus some of the urban AC songs...especially since he was doing the imaging/voice overs as well. I'm glad to see WYTT programmed in house and not from a guy that cannot even receive the station.

Soul 92 was a great station, in its day, when there was no other competition or choice in rocky mount...but now with power, foxy, WIKS more urban leaning, WCPS, WBOB, people have a choice, and their not-so-great audio....the gospel/urban AC/urban was just not cutting it anymore. they can come back, but they will have to change their way of doing things...just the whole urban based morning show then rolling gospel from 10am-1 was not a good idea.

 

[allenv]

ENCSPY I think Paul is a good programmer..He is simply trying to serve too wide of an audience....You can't serve a 15 years old hip-hop fan and a 55 year old old school fan on the same station...Being in Eastern NC you don't benefit from a syndicated morning show either........Or you localize the hell out of that syndicated morning show taking every available second to give local info that's given to you in local avails......I believe Foxy has Tom Joyner..Power should go the opposite way and be live and local in the morning and at every turn tell your audience that you are live and local...But...I do understand it could be a budget issue as well....

Allen