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A 50,000 watt FM station shouldn't be a waist

Discussion pertaining to Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Muskegon, Battle Creek, Big Rapids, and Michiana
Greg Buben
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A 50,000 watt FM station shouldn't be a waist

Post by Greg Buben » Thu Sep 16, 2021 10:19 am

I.ve often heard it said that insanity is when you repeat the same action and expect different results. Well I believe
that "Thunder Country" at 107.3 fits that definition. I say that because all they do is play the same modern country hits
of the 2000's all by major label artists just like B-93, Most people around here know that B-93 is the strongest FM station
and it's always number one or near number one. Almost all people who like the modern major label country hits in our
part of Michigan listen to B-93. I think there are better formats that can be put on 107.3 FM including old country, After
all long before Cumulus radio came to MI 107,3 was "The Country Giant" WPLB-FM in Greenville before Bob Goodrich
bought it, moved it to Grand Rapids, flipped it to Oldies and then sold it to the chain that eventually was bought by
Cumulus. A one share bottom feeder should be addressed by the corporate people or perhaps they should consider
selling it to someone from Michigan who cares about radio.
Greg Buben



Barry Sanders
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Re: A 50,000 watt FM station shouldn't be a waist

Post by Barry Sanders » Thu Sep 16, 2021 11:39 am

“Waist”?? 🙄



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Robert Faygo
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Re: A 50,000 watt FM station shouldn't be a waist

Post by Robert Faygo » Thu Sep 16, 2021 12:24 pm

Well, Grand Rapids DOES have a beltline.


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MWmetalhead
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Re: A 50,000 watt FM station shouldn't be a waist

Post by MWmetalhead » Thu Sep 16, 2021 1:35 pm

I think it should be an elbow instead!



Kennelly Heaviside
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Re: A 50,000 watt FM station shouldn't be a waist

Post by Kennelly Heaviside » Thu Sep 16, 2021 2:12 pm

Robert Faygo wrote:
Thu Sep 16, 2021 12:24 pm
Well, Grand Rapids DOES have a beltline.
They hang over the belt line like a paunch now.

But seriously, Grand Rapids has more move ins than it knows what to do with. Like many other markets, it has too many stations for it's size. Having a multi county Metro means the Class B move ins don't serve the whole Metro, they are off to one side or another.

There's no way to support even 20 odd full market stations, like Detroit or Chicago, but like every Class A and outlying Class B, tries to be.


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Greg Buben
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Re: A 50,000 watt FM station shouldn't be a waist

Post by Greg Buben » Fri Sep 17, 2021 2:54 pm

I realized that I spelled waste wrong by spelling it "waist". I was going to correct my spelling but then I decided to let
it go because I wanted a wrong spelling to go along with how wrong it is for Cumulus of Grand Rapids to continue their
"Thunder Country" as a bottom feeder one share station when they can do so much with their 50,000 watt 107.3 FM.
Since the response so far was to my incorrect spelling and not to the issue at hand I was ineffective in my efforts to
start up this on line conversation. Once again if you like the modern country hits all on the major record labels from
the 2000's B-93 is your station. B-93 is the strongest FM station around and they're always either number one or atleast
in the top 3. Thunder is always a low rated and all they can do is offer the same modern major label country hits that
one can hear on B-93. I still say that Cumulus of Grand Rapids should either flip it to something else or perhaps should
sell 107.3 preferably to somebody from Michigan who cares about radio. Thunder will never be able to compete with the
big B-93 and that's a fact.
Greg Buben



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MWmetalhead
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Re: A 50,000 watt FM station shouldn't be a waist

Post by MWmetalhead » Fri Sep 17, 2021 4:01 pm

Why is the word wrap (line breaks) on all of your posts in the wrong spot when I read your posts on my smartphone? Are you pasting text from an Adobe PDF?

Among tens of thousands of posts, yours are the first to incur that issue! The funny thing is, they render perfectly fine when viewing the Buzzboard on my PC.

You raise valid points - I'm a proud WTNR hater.

Best way for Thunder to sorta compete with B93 is to switch to an 80's to 00's focused Country format, similar to the one found on WWDK in Jackson / Lansing / Battle Creek for the past several years (but without WWDK's outrageously hokey sounding voiceover guy please).

I still would love to see Urban AC on a full power signal in the Grand Rapids market.

Variety Hits on a truly local signal would be nice, too, but perhaps that format would infringe on WLAV's territory a little too much.

As much as I'd love to see a harder, better programmed rock station take on WGRD, I think in the year 2021 the numbers just aren't there for that audience to be split two ways. Moreover, some Cumulus rock stations aren't particularly well programmed (the half-assed Rock 100.5 in Atlanta immediately comes to mind).



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Big-D
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Re: A 50,000 watt FM station shouldn't be a waist

Post by Big-D » Thu Sep 23, 2021 6:46 pm

Greg Buben wrote:
Thu Sep 16, 2021 10:19 am
After all long before Cumulus radio came to MI 107,3 was "The Country Giant" WPLB-FM in Greenville before Bob Goodrich
bought it, moved it to Grand Rapids, flipped it to Oldies and then sold it to the chain that eventually was bought by Cumulus.
When I worked for Bob at WPRR, he told me that he made a mistake by changing format on WODJ. He said he could have made more money selling ODJ under a country format but he hated country music.


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Mega Hertz
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Re: A 50,000 watt FM station shouldn't be a waist

Post by Mega Hertz » Thu Sep 23, 2021 10:59 pm

Cumulus makes a stupid and wasteful decision?

Well I am just shocked.


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ftballfan
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Re: A 50,000 watt FM station shouldn't be a waist

Post by ftballfan » Fri Sep 24, 2021 7:45 pm

Hot FM should be on 107.3, with 105.3 either remaining Hot FM as a simulcast or moving to country.

Remember 105.3's very brief classic country format after Citadel took over when they were still transmitting from Hart? Hot debuted when 105.3 moved to Fremont a few months later



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