BIG 101.3 FM — Fun Hits You Know

[originalzzmfmjock]

After listening for several hours Saturday Night, Sunday Morning/afternoon. My observations, (FWIW).

They seem to cover the years 1964-1979. I only heard one song pre 64. Twist and Shout by the Isley Brothers (1962) and one song post 1979, Working My Way Back To You by the Spinners (1980). I heard several songs on Saturday Night that repeated by Sunday late morning into early afternoon. I wouldn't be surprised to see this station maybe pulling a 3-4 share initially, but if they keep repeating songs in 15 to 18 hours, it could burn out quickly.

[BayCityJohn2337]

I'm with ya a hip hop r and b format would of been better. The breakfast Club started out on Sirius XM shade 45 years ago, then moved to terrestrial radio in NYC.

I'm just waiting for the day WNWZ/GR 104.9 fm beats WSNX in the ratings. I actually think it could happen in 2021.

[zackeast]

I listened intently (in HD, might I add) on the way from GR home to St. Joe and had the station locked in for quite a bit. HD stuck around to about Zeeland and then began dropping, but the analog stayed solid well through South Haven tonight.

The playlist is filled with "oh, wow" moments that felt like a noticeable difference from WFGR's 70s/80s focus. If I had to pinpoint a median era, it seems about 1974ish.

Familiarity and comfort in personalities and music has taken a hold of most of the surveys and (online) focus groups I've done for my own stations, so I am not surprised by this move at all. Good on them for landing on the right side of the format wheel spin this time around.

[48125er]

Sounds a lot like how 98.7 sounded in the late 2000s after they got rid of abc radio oldies

[Reese K Rickards]

A couple more observations.

Big Drew is leaving sports in the rear view. https://barrettsportsmedia.com/2020/10/ ... nd-rapids/ He's been with the company for some time. Maybe he's earned PD stripes? He has paid a fair amount of dues.

The station positioning statement is "Fun Hits You Know". Looking at the playlist.. they are fun hits I do know. But again, I am 66 years old, and not in a very desirable demo.

An incomplete website has gone up at https://1013big.iheart.com/ It is cookie cutter iheart crap. I can't get listen live to work. That further suggests a rush job to get the station on the air.

Pet PEEVE, The website is pushing Podcasts. Like the audience needs to be fragmented even further.

A website banner says Your Home for MSU (Tim Feagan alum) Sports.

The tragedy is, this is a 50 kw signal never intended to be great.. just make a few bucks. I would love to own the signal and take on B-93. zzzzzz oh I must be dreaming again.

[Trophyhead]

LT was "on," in drive time this morning, I heard Sweepers between every song for about 20 minutes, then he came on, either side of a song about 8:20 a.m.

It is certainly a more desirable choice than what The Brew had become in recent years, nothing that will take the listening market by storm, though.

Can't say exactly who is arranging this station's deck chairs, from the outside. Did speak about the change yesterday with Steve Labenz, who is a most able radio resource without an outlet and a veteran of that frequency in the past.

[zackeast]

An incomplete website has gone up at https://1013big.iheart.com/ It is cookie cutter iheart crap. I can't get listen live to work. That further suggests a rush job to get the station on the air.

My pet peeve is logos that are designed incorrectly around the actual name of the station. The graphic says 101.3 BIG FM, but they are identifying as Big 101.3.

[jesusjenny]

Let me guess...

there will be:

No Marketing, No promotion, No Budget, No "Live" jocks to speak of, corporate playlist being programmed out of market, a poor cookie cutter website and a format aimed at 60+?

Please tell me how and why this station would ever get anything above a 2 share 12+? I guess with the 50K signal people will bump into it, but really. This signal has been a WASTE for a good 10 years now or more. Last time it got good Ratings and any significant marketing: Bob and Tom, Aris, Alison, and Matt (Big Richard). When was that 2003?

I'd love to hear anyone's take on why this station would succeed beyond what it's done in the last 10 years.

Cheers!

[Doktor No]

Lee Michaels? Stormy Monday? Do they even know that tune...Do You Know What I Mean?

[stopnswop2]

This is essentially what oldies stations were in the 2000s.
I definitely hope this does well.
They're going to need jocks and jingles though

[stopnswop2]

Wait, there was a jock on this afternoon.
He just sounded automated lol.

That's not good either

[thatonedude]

Glad you guys touched on the jocks -- they sound way too out-of-place. That's why I'm thinking this isn't their final format; if it is, they have a LOT of work to do on it.

I honestly think we'll see 101.3 the Lake (or 101.3 JACK FM) before the end of the year. There's no way in hell iHeart keeps this as oldies.

[Reese K Rickards]

I am addressing this post to the four previous writers.

Stopnswop notes "Big" will need jocks N' jingles.
MW notes the airstaff sucks with the exception of LT. The others are utility workers and out of town voicetrackers.
Stopnswop says the pm jock sounded automated,
Thatonedude says the jocks sound so out of place he thinks another format is in the works, predicting a Lake or Jack format before New Years.

1) Needing jocks and jingles. I Heart does not hire jair staff. Period. It makes due with what it has. The Oldies format is so obscure, they have no decent jocks in "the stable". They never will either. IHeart also owns all the stations in what used to be single A and double A radio. Those stations voice track triple a jocks and the jocks in the majors. There are no training grounds anymore. Jingles? Doubtful.

MW is dead on. Pulling six hour voice tracked shifts the airstaff is LT, Big Drew and B-side. They don't voice track overnights. Back in the day we talked about the Grand Rapids Radio Club. The members bounced from station to station never leaving the market, to lazy to even use a different on air name. . These three are "gold star" members.
Stopnswop says afternoon drive sounded automated. That's a perfect word for this format. 45 years ago this station would have been "automated" That technology is dead today. More correctly, it is voice tracked, and he's correct. Of course it is. I Heart will not pay a jock to actually sit there six hours a day seven days a week.
Thatonedude predicts another format change. Sorry my friend, this is as good as it gets. And it is lameass. This morning I clicked on this link.......

It's the New Big 101.3 the Fun Hits You Know!

It took me to.....

Uh oh, this page is unavailable!We really tried our best, but we couldn't find the page you were looking for.
How about checking out one of these articles below?

And those stories appear on all the lame ass IHeart webpages this morning.

Big is half Ass, Lame Ass, Lazy Ass, Cheap Ass, No one care about "doing it right" ass radio.

Someone noted earlier in this thread "Big will never get more than a 2 share. Correctomundo! The tragedy is IHeart will continue to waste this signal because, " at least it doesn't lose money". It's a shame, but it is IHeart, going broke as fast as it can.