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Iheart Disloctation

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rugratsonline
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Re: Iheart Disloctation

Post by rugratsonline » Wed Jan 15, 2020 7:18 pm

AMFMTV wrote:
Tue Jan 14, 2020 1:44 pm
"dislocation"... who's the "proud" PR asshat that came up with that???
It looked more like a mass "amputation" to me.



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MWmetalhead
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Re: Iheart Disloctation

Post by MWmetalhead » Wed Jan 15, 2020 8:15 pm

WAKS has had weak ratings and a seemingly skimpy budget forever; they have long been the red-headed step child of iFart's Cleveland cluster.



Deleted User 15062

Re: Iheart Disloctation

Post by Deleted User 15062 » Wed Jan 15, 2020 10:16 pm

rugratsonline wrote:
Wed Jan 15, 2020 7:12 pm
TeddyBear wrote:
Wed Jan 15, 2020 2:04 pm
AMFMTV wrote:
Wed Jan 15, 2020 12:10 pm
In Cleveland word is all but one gone from CHR WAKS/CLE.
Chuck.... did something happen that the WAKS COL is no longer Akron?
As far as I know, they're still licensed to Akron, but they don't act like an Akron station (they're "Cleveland's #1 Hit Music Station").
Thought so. That's like saying an Ann Arbor station is "Detroit's #1 radio station," even both are separate markets. I was under the impression Akron and Canton were in their own market together, separate from Cleveland. And to be fair, Q104 is the only "hit music station" that is even in the Cleveland metro... albeit, adult.



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Re: Iheart Disloctation

Post by Deleted User 15062 » Wed Jan 15, 2020 10:27 pm

MWmetalhead wrote:
Wed Jan 15, 2020 8:15 pm
WAKS has had weak ratings and a seemingly skimpy budget forever; they have long been the red-headed step child of iFart's Cleveland cluster.
My ex, who still lives in Lakewood says that he hears that 96.5 and 98.5 (Munroe Falls) both have way too many spots. I talked with a friend in Valley View, a Southeastern town, and she told me she prefers Q104 over 96.5 Kiss FM, for this same reason.



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AMFMTV
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Re: Iheart Disloctation

Post by AMFMTV » Thu Jan 16, 2020 8:33 am

TeddyBear wrote:
Wed Jan 15, 2020 2:04 pm
AMFMTV wrote:
Wed Jan 15, 2020 12:10 pm
iheart paving the way for Libery Media buy and to roll into SXM/Pandora?


In Cleveland word is all but one gone from CHR WAKS/CLE. Longtime WMJI PM driver (18 years) Don "Action" Jackson is out, as well as two part timers.
Chuck.... did something happen that the WAKS COL is no longer Akron?
WAKS is considered a CLE station. The Freq Swap of 2001 moved WKDD from 96.5, where WAKS is now, to 98.1 and WKDD now technically a Canton station but serves Akron, too.

https://www.radioworld.com/tech-and-gea ... uency-swap



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AMFMTV
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Re: Iheart Disloctation

Post by AMFMTV » Thu Jan 16, 2020 8:36 am

TeddyBear wrote:
Wed Jan 15, 2020 3:17 am
Colonel Flagg wrote:
Tue Jan 14, 2020 8:44 pm
fuzzpower wrote:
Tue Jan 14, 2020 8:10 pm
WNDE Indy dumped their afternoon show, meaning no local programming left. 1430 canned their only local show last year. Three sports stations in that town, with only 1070 having any sort of Indy sports talk.
The afternoon team in Indy should have offered to buy that time slot, and continued with their show. Going forward, that AM signal will be little more than "bonus land" for buys on other stations in the cluster.

I've been gone from Toledo 30+ years, so I am not familiar with any of the folks who got sacked, but I still think it stinks. How long before IHM decides they don't need anyone in places like Toledo?

Hey WOHO, I can see it now... if the telecom act of '96 hadn't happened, the Dickey Bros would probably still be living at their childhood home on Deepwood Lane in south Toledo. I'd take that bet. :rollin
Hate to say this, but iHM is using more technology. Such technology can VT without a human voice. This means no personalization. No emotional connection. Yes, an afternoon show can easily fool anyone nowadays without anyone in any studio. Here's how:

1) News, WX, sports, bits and traffic hits can all be non-local mp3's (or MP2's) recorded earlier in the day. See Q105 as this example, airing the same traffic mp3 all morning, not reworded.

2) Never give any "current" information. Time, date, temp, gas prices or even current lost pets.

3) Send all school and event closings, contests, song requests, etc. to social media or websites.

4) Current event interviews easily pre-recorded.

5) All calls are generic, non-market specific... even non-identifying. If identified, a generic city like Springfield, which Ohio has at least 3 of. Washington TWP is another, with at least 2 as well.

6) Music title and artist(s) intro'd by sweepers or AI voice. This is what iHM is leaning towards. Q105 is already doing this slightly.

Now that I point this out... you see the wheels were already in motion for this... for a long while now.

Also note- Fred Lafebvre reran the PSA show Sunday morning, of one of his broadcasts. This could have also been a clue.

All of this is setting up the impending Liberty Media (SXM/Pandora) buy of iheart. Then, more cuts. Pure play (internet stations) will rise even moreso. Still an issue monetizing them. But as terrestrial radio continues to eat itself, the digital dollars (digital advertising now exceeds all others) will focus less on terrestrial radio and more to other outlets.



Deleted User 15062

Re: Iheart Disloctation

Post by Deleted User 15062 » Thu Jan 16, 2020 9:06 am

AMFMTV wrote:
Thu Jan 16, 2020 8:33 am
TeddyBear wrote:
Wed Jan 15, 2020 2:04 pm
AMFMTV wrote:
Wed Jan 15, 2020 12:10 pm
iheart paving the way for Libery Media buy and to roll into SXM/Pandora?


In Cleveland word is all but one gone from CHR WAKS/CLE. Longtime WMJI PM driver (18 years) Don "Action" Jackson is out, as well as two part timers.
Chuck.... did something happen that the WAKS COL is no longer Akron?
WAKS is considered a CLE station. The Freq Swap of 2001 moved WKDD from 96.5, where WAKS is now, to 98.1 and WKDD now technically a Canton station but serves Akron, too.

https://www.radioworld.com/tech-and-gea ... uency-swap
That makes no sense. Why would another market station be "considered" another market's station? WAKS Akron, is not WAKS Cleveland. They must think people are dumb. And yes, I remember the switch from 104.9 to 96.5 well. And 96.5 to 98.5. And I remember a few others too.



Chrocket87
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Re: Iheart Disloctation

Post by Chrocket87 » Fri Jan 17, 2020 4:31 pm

Simple. WAKS puts a great signal over virtually the entire Cleveland market. There is WAY more money to be made in Cleveland than Akron, so if they can market it as a Cleveland station, that is what they’ll do. By Cleveland’s hit music station, they mean for the people of (Greater) Cleveland, not the COL. The ratings aren’t great, but they’re probably billing more than any Akron station, save for maybe WNIR.

I live in the market. I, like most over the age of 25, greatly prefer Q104. Far more local and the music is much less annoying.



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MWmetalhead
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Re: Iheart Disloctation

Post by MWmetalhead » Fri Jan 17, 2020 8:44 pm

For a number of years in the 90's and I believe very early 2000's, Cleveland did not have a full market CHR. Remember, "Kiss" began its life on 104.9 FM in the late 90's as a way of partially filling the CHR void.

The station known as WKDD was previously located at 96.5, whose tower at the time was 8 to 10 miles farther SE. WKDD was a damn good Hot AC with an Akron focus and a generally "hotter" playlist than what was presented on Q104 at the time. Back then, WKDD reminded me of Fort Wayne's WMEE.

Clear Channel purchased 98.1 MHz (from Salem, I think) in order to relocate WKDD's programming there, move 96.5 closer to Cleveland, and move the CHR/Pop format from 104.9 to 96.5. The Classical format that had been housed at 95.5 FM moved to 104.9 FM. 95.5 FM became "The Fish," a brand that remains to this day on that frequency. I believe all of those moves happened in 2001 or 2002.

Lots of musical chairs, to say the least!

The initial move of WKDD from 96.5 to 98.1 was rocky, as numerous listeners in the Akron area complained of reception issues at WKDD's new home. Remember, 98.1 was licensed to Canton at the time. I want to say the TX site has changed twice subsequent to WKDD's relocation to 98.1. The most recent move occurred around 2010, resulted in a COL change to Munroe Falls, and resulted in a return of good reception to much of the Cleveland metro.

WKDD and WNCX are spaced surprisingly close to one another; I want to say their respective tower sites are maybe 16 or 17 miles apart?



Deleted User 15062

Re: Iheart Disloctation

Post by Deleted User 15062 » Sat Jan 18, 2020 12:07 am

Ok, can WNCI use the "Chillicothe's #1 hit music channel?" To me, there is no logic. And it's not number 1. Like I said too many prefer Adult CHR on Q104 instead.



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rugratsonline
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Re: Iheart Disloctation

Post by rugratsonline » Sat Jan 18, 2020 12:32 am

TeddyBear wrote:
Sat Jan 18, 2020 12:07 am
Ok, can WNCI use the "Chillicothe's #1 hit music channel?" To me, there is no logic. And it's not number 1.
The only thing is that Chillicothe is a small town south of Columbus that is part of the larger city's radio market, while Akron is a large city with its own radio market that happens to be in the shadow of another large city, Cleveland.



radiofan86
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Re: Iheart Disloctation

Post by radiofan86 » Sat Jan 18, 2020 12:40 am

MWmetalhead wrote:
Fri Jan 17, 2020 8:44 pm
For a number of years in the 90's and I believe very early 2000's, Cleveland did not have a full market CHR. Remember, "Kiss" began its life on 104.9 FM in the late 90's as a way of partially filling the CHR void.
WZJM, "Jammin 92.3" was CHR until being sold and flipped to the Jammin' Oldies fad format in March 1999. They leaned Rhythmic and were 6th in the market, the highest they had been rated, when the format was scrapped.
WZLE 104.9 in Lorain was purchased by Clear Channel and became Kiss in June of 1999. A bit over 2 years without a full market CHR. The music cycle was very good at the time also, so it is surprising that no one ever made the move to fill that hole.

The frequency change to 96.5 and tower move was July 2001.

WAKS 96.5 shares a tower with WZAK 93.1 and WTAM 1100, both of which have COL's of Cleveland. WAKS just happens to have Akron as theirs.
MWmetalhead wrote:
Fri Jan 17, 2020 8:44 pm
WKDD was a damn good Hot AC with an Akron focus and a generally "hotter" playlist than what was presented on Q104 at the time. Back then, WKDD reminded me of Fort Wayne's WMEE.
For most of the 1980's and 1990's, WKDD was at or near the top of the Akron ratings too. Then Clear Channel purchased them and moved them. The present WKDD 98.1 facilities are exactly as the old WKDD 96.5 facilities, directional antenna being the only difference. Ratings are nowhere close to what they once were, however.



Deleted User 15062

Re: Iheart Disloctation

Post by Deleted User 15062 » Sat Jan 18, 2020 4:12 am

rugratsonline wrote:
Sat Jan 18, 2020 12:32 am
TeddyBear wrote:
Sat Jan 18, 2020 12:07 am
Ok, can WNCI use the "Chillicothe's #1 hit music channel?" To me, there is no logic. And it's not number 1.
The only thing is that Chillicothe is a small town south of Columbus that is part of the larger city's radio market, while Akron is a large city with its own radio market that happens to be in the shadow of another large city, Cleveland.
I knew that. But the point is that the COL is not in the metro or the market for Kiss FM or 98.5 Munroe Falls. iHeart is playing games.



Chrocket87
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Re: Iheart Disloctation

Post by Chrocket87 » Sat Jan 18, 2020 8:27 am

The COL is little more than legalese, as far as anyone’s concerned. The vast majority of people in the market consider KISS FM a Cleveland station. If your station was located a little outside the market, but put a full signal over the larger metro, wouldn’t you want to claim that market and the increased revenue of Cleveland vs. Akron?

There is a reason why there’s no such thing as the “Santa Clara 49ers”. This is why.



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MWmetalhead
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Re: Iheart Disloctation

Post by MWmetalhead » Sat Jan 18, 2020 12:28 pm

For most of the 1980's and 1990's, WKDD was at or near the top of the Akron ratings too. Then Clear Channel purchased them and moved them. The present WKDD 98.1 facilities are exactly as the old WKDD 96.5 facilities, directional antenna being the only difference. Ratings are nowhere close to what they once were, however.
Even if WKDD didn't have reception issues on 98.1 MHz immediately following the big switch, I suspect ratings still would've sagged. I'm sure the new format on 96.5 (Kiss) appealed to a significant portion of WKDD's incumbent audience.

In any event - great info, radiofan86. Thanks for filling in some of the missing details. :)



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