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DougSki
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Posted: Thu Aug 30th, 2007 03:59 am |
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For the 3rd time in it's short history, KWKJ has flipped formats. It happened today, and went from 98.5 The J to Mike FM and now has gone to "The Bar" According the website kwkj.com it is a combination "Country" with "Classic Rock".
I seem to remember another station doing this in Indiana if I recall and called itself "The Crock"
No word on the website about Mancow though, although there is not a mention of him anymore that I could find.
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Jamie Turner
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Posted: Thu Aug 30th, 2007 02:44 pm |
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| I really liked J98-5 as an Adult CHR. Great imaging, good mix, a nice overall sound from a small-market station. Will Sterett was pretty awesome too. He still is. I never heard their Mike phase. Alhough when I listened to Mike I prefer 93.5 in Osage Beach.
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DougSki
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Posted: Thu Aug 30th, 2007 06:33 pm |
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I listened this morning and Mancow is still there.
The Mike Format was a 80s, 90s, and Today. Pretty Similiar to the WRN Active AC format, although not like a Bob or JACK.
I'll second the motion on Will Sterritt, I never worked with him, but have listened and talked with him on several occasions. He is a good guy, I'm sure he'll sound off on this sometime soon
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Will Sterrett
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Posted: Fri Aug 31st, 2007 02:14 am |
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Jamie, Doug - You two are far too kind. Both of you are incredible individuals and the business is better for having both of you in it.
"The Bar" is a Joel Folger concoction (as is Bob FM). Both are licensed for syndication through Waitt Radio Networks, but I'm not sure if that's the road KWKJ went for it. I'll have to check with management and ask.
It'll be interesting to see what it does. To me it's smarter than Mike was (not a bad format, but Jack is on in KC & Columbia, Bob is on in Sedalia - no room man) but I still think the frequency would be better served by doing a Soft AC. It's an easy combo sell with KOKO, (not that The Bar isn't), fills a format hole, particularly in the eastern and southern parts of the coverage area, and could really make inroads in Warrensburg itself considering the number of desk jobs over at UCM. Oh, and there are women on the base too.
The main concern with The Bar is the same issue with Mike - neither format plays nicely with Oldies, which remain on KOKO. If you look at Jack/Jim/Mike/Bob, the markets where it succeeds comes in large part at the expense of Oldies. The Bar doesn't have a track record behind it yet, but it's a hybrid of Classic Rock and Country - two formats known to move upward as Oldies pushes down (and vice versa.)
Again, I wish them all the luck in the world with The Bar, and while it's a boutique hybrid format, on paper it should be able to carve out an audience. Especially considering how many mullets I've seen in Warrensburg and Knob Noster. 
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DougSki
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Posted: Fri Aug 31st, 2007 04:10 am |
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As far as I can tell, it is a WRN job. It has the same icons as WRN and some of the voices sounded familiar to me, as does the imaging, of course WRN trades voices all the time for some of the networks and commercials.
I'm not for sure how many times WRN got a station to commit that was within 30 miles of each other that were competiting stations. Bob being in Sedalia, which seems to be doing well and sometime hopefully we'll get to see the official ratings and now of course there is "The Bar".
I've always said this area needs a Soft AC station, there is really only Star 102 in KC and then KPLA in Columbia. Star 102 penetrates the Burg, but doesn't make it to Sedalia and KPLA hits Sedalia, but not the Burg too well.
Anyrate, give it another year, and it will probably change again.
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Will Sterrett
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Posted: Fri Aug 31st, 2007 06:19 am |
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Yep, just tuned in to the stream for a minute and heard John Glenn. It's a WRN job.
The answer to the WRN/competing stations question is - lots of times. In all actuality KPOW/KDRO could sign up with WRN right there in Sedalia as long as they didn't take the same format. They could run anything BUT Bob or The Bar in Sedalia because of the signal contours. Market exclusivity is by format, not by company. Plus the O&O stations waive exclusivity left and right (Dodge City KS & Pratt KS both run Oldies Plus, even though the Pratt signal city-grades Dodge City, and vice versa.
An AC station would get an audience and billing out there in Warrensburg/Sedalia/Clinton. You're correct about being able to get both KUDL & Star 102 in Warrensburg, as well as KPLA in Sedalia, but get into an office with flourescent lights and computers and the signals are toast. I'd do Soft AC, but I'm just on the sidelines anymore.
Last edited on Fri Aug 31st, 2007 08:59 am by
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Jamie Turner
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Posted: Fri Aug 31st, 2007 03:50 pm |
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Another example KFLW used WRN's AC Active format, then KJPW across town used WRN's Mainstream AC format. We had local jocks 6a-2pm and KJ only used WRN's jocks Midnight to 5am. During the day, they used their imaging and music.
WRN is the most affiliate-friendly company out there. I am hearing good things about Dial Global, which is now managed by John Krogstead, a former WRN boss.
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artmorris
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Posted: Fri Aug 31st, 2007 06:08 pm |
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I remember about 10 years ago, George Hochman had a station in the Fayetteville, AR market he called "The Rebel". Same idea. Lots of Hank,Jr. and Marshall Tucker.
I loved their positioning statements, like "4 out of 5 prisoners at the Carroll county lockup are listening to The Rebel!".
Art
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Will Sterrett
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Posted: Fri Aug 31st, 2007 07:13 pm |
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| Dial Global is the old Transtar/Westwood One format division, and they really haven't changed the formats much at all since taking them over (the only exception being blowing up the AC format to launch a Movin' clone). I'm hearing good things from affiliates about D-G's customer service as well.
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Kent Clark
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Posted: Sun Sep 2nd, 2007 09:35 pm |
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You know, Art, I remember 99.5 The Rebel as well. I seem to remember it didn't last long. I did my one semester in Little Rock in Fall 1994, and 99.5 was contemporary Christian B-99 by the time I got back to Fayetteville.
Maybe the Bar will have more legs? Outside of KWKJ, I now there's an affiliate in Montana and one in Victoria, TX, but those are the only others I know.
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Will Sterrett
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Posted: Sun Sep 2nd, 2007 10:50 pm |
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The syndicated version of The Bar isn't very old, I think six months tops. The Folger concoction isn't much older - I don't think he's been pushing it two years yet.
The Bar is the kind of format that can work better in smaller, non-competitive situations for much the same reason Jack/Bob/Dave/Jim has succeeded in those types of markets - appeasement.
When you only have 4-5 FM signals in a market instead of 20-plus, putting on a hybrid format like that works not because you're playing what the audience wants, but because you're not playing what they don't want. It's a broad-base designed to appease a variety of tastes while not really playing a steady stream of anyone's favorites.
A lot of smaller markets are seeing success with Jack/Bob/Dave/Jim while most of their larger counterparts are watching their ratings/revenue gains evaporate, primarily because it's broad enough in scope to appease a bigger segment of audience. In the large markets Jack/Bob/Dave/Jim struggles to get much P1 recognition, but was originally able to butter the bread with a strong base of P2's, which is now beginning to erode.
Back on point; The Bar seems to rely on that same principle - we'll see if the Classic Rock and Country audiences buy into it.
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Kent Clark
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Posted: Mon Sep 3rd, 2007 02:41 am |
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I remember Folger from when he was PD at KEGL and later KDGE in Dallas. He seemed to really know his stuff during most of his stint as PD of those stations (the exception being the last part of the KEGL/Y-95 CHR battle that resulted in both stations getting toasted).
In other words, I would expect that Folger didn't take anything lightly or use poor research when launching The Bar. That's not usually the way he works. In fact, I seem to remember him saying much of what you're saying, which is that the Bar was intended for smaller market rather than the majors.
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DougSki
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Posted: Mon Sep 3rd, 2007 03:25 am |
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The question that you have to ask is at what point does the smaller market listeners grow tired of those formats. So Far KSDL has had Bob for over a year now and all is going well. I somewhat feel Bob's success was what made Mike switch formats as I heard more people talking about Bob then Mike in Sedalia, however in Warrensburg, it could have been the opposite with station locale and such; however, I think even Will will agree that KWKJ having Mancow in the morning really had them listening to 2 different formats, alternative/rock in the morning and then HOT AC/CHR/ 80's, 90s, Today in the Afternoon. There was nothing like listening to Mancow and then the first song out of the set after him being, Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera I heard that on more than a few occasions
Then again, now KWJK not only has Mancow in the morning, but Cardinals Baseball, UCM sports, and possibly some high school football, but that may be left for KOKO again this year. How will that all work with "The Bar" or for that matter any other format people use , leaves to be the question.
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Will Sterrett
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Posted: Mon Sep 3rd, 2007 12:20 pm |
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Kent - Folger is definitely not a dull knife, and I'm sure he put in the legwork on The Bar. My main point was more to say "this works on paper - let's see how it works in practice." No amount of research and testing can really prepare you for an experiment, which is what The Bar is. Any truly new format is. It takes the Jack FM principle of appeasement to the Pop audience and cross-applies it over to Country/Rock listenership. Country fans have proven themselves over time to be more particular about "their" music (and big fans take ownership of it) so it'll be interesting to see what it does. I hope for everyone's sake that it does take off, but it's fun to watch The Bar right now, just like any new format that's in the incubator.
Doug - ZERO argument about the format not matching the morning show. Musically it never fit, but the station's initial renegade attitude (right out of the gate) worked with Mancow. Once the J98-5 image softened it didn't fit, and Mancow never fit with Mike or The Bar. I doubt Bob drove Mike out - I think Mike just didn't have anywhere to go, particularly with KC's Jack FM having no signal problems in Warrensburg and having a 2-year head start. Plus in Warrensburg Bob FM's signal has some real trouble at times. I think Mike got very little buzz in Sedalia because 98.5 has largely been a Warrensburg station, despite tossing Sedalia in the ID (is it still there? I was the one that put it in during the J days). I don't know when the Jack/Bob/Jim/Dave format's small-market expiration is, but it's trucking along well in Sedalia-esque environments across the country. It works because it covers so many bases, and also stays fresher because of the wide library. (More proof that "tight is right" is not a universal rule.) The Bar is more condusive to sports interruptions than any of the previous formats, but I'd exercise caution - the mix of that format, Mancow, Cardinals, UCM, and high school sports can VERY quickly make that signal into a redneck's front yard, complete with the car on cinderblocks and a bathtub on the grass. Successful radio requires focus.
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DougSki
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Posted: Sun Sep 9th, 2007 09:46 pm |
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| I talked with Woody on Friday as I ran into him at a remote, he still loves his car races At any rate, he says initial reaction has been very good compared to when J switched to "Mike" and he also enjoys the automation better than what the Mike Network provided. That is one thing, I'll time and time agree with, if you're going to consider going to a syndicated program, WRN by far does the best job out there.
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