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Music is not everything at 107.1?

A few years ago 107.1 had decent ratings as a gold based A/C with personality. I guess the age demos were too old and "research" suggested programing to a younger audience. So what you have now is one of the worse sounding A/C or Hot A/C or CHR stations on the dial. I'm not sure what their format is but I do know their is way too much music repetition, the processing is distorted and the DJs sound like amateurs. There are at least 5 other stations offering similar music and sounding better then 107.1. Who are they targeting with the product they offer?
 
107.1... it's a mess

I will admit, I DO like the music mix played on 107.1... a slightly different take on Hot AC than the rest. But that being said, that isn't enough to differentiate it from the competition of 94.3 the Point, Fresh 102.7, 95.5 PLJ etc. that creeps into the Monmouth/Ocean Market. The talent firesale they had also didn't help matters, as EVERYONE on air there (from Pork Roll & Eggs through the entire day) just either sound like they don't fit the format, or that they need to go to an unrated market and build their skills.

I can see what press is trying to do... corner the women as best as they can. (Think Clear Channel in Philadelphia with CHR Q102 and Hot AC Mix 106). But with B98.5's limited signal, and 107.1's floundering ratings, I doubt it's working. But what next for the cluster?
 
So I'm tuning around the dial today and 107.1 has a new slogan/positioner "Fun 107.1 More Music. More Fun." Waiting to see if there are any significant changes in presentation and music mix. So I guess "Music isn't everything" anymore
 
There is no playlist on the website. If you have Tunein app it shows about 10 recent played. Fun 107.1 in Fla is a ktu clone. I don't think the music on Fun1071 Long Branch has changed much since the positioning/slogan change.
 
I still say its a clone of their own (B98.5) and I know I keep pushing this and it will never happen but B98.5 should have their Saturday night playlist 24/7. Again, not asking for a full blown EDM Party732.com level but the playlist they have on Saturday nights is perfect for commercial radio and can be a solid format 24/7.
 
Are they actually making money off this station? I find that hard to believe. It is basically a B98.5 clone, with maybe a little bit less rap. But that can be blamed on the similarities between the CHR and the Hot AC formats nowadays. When I heard the term "Hot AC", I normally thought of "Mix"-type stations that played current music along with songs from the previous two decades. On 107.1 FM (or whatever it's called now), it's extremely rare to hear anything over 10 years old on the station, and the emphasis is clearly on current titles along with music from the last few years. And it's all the same stuff that can be heard on B98.5 and numerous other stations in the market. The ratings clearly indicate that they're beating a dead horse with this kind of format. It has been promoted heavily, but the ratings were far better back when they were "The Breeze" and had "No Repeat Work Weeks". Also, for the supposed "lack of mass appeal" that it had according to Press ownership, the poorly-promoted G Rock got better ratings as well. One can only imagine how well such a station would do today if they programmed it right as they did in its final couple of years and gave it the proper publicity that they do with all of their current stations. Alas, ownership/management has made it clear that they have a genuine disdain for the format (which was pretty obvious in the inept way they handled it upon acquiring it in the year 2000 - it took them years to finally right the ship, which happened when they finally decided to micromanage just a little bit less), so that's almost certainly not happening. Whatever you call the current format or station that is on 107.1 FM & 99.7 FM in Monmouth/Ocean right now, it is the biggest waste of a signal on the FM dial right now, and just about anything else would be an improvement.
 
I don't understand this. Why not put on an upbeat station that plays female favorites from the 80s till now sans hip hop, techno dance, and loud rock?

Cherry pick the best from the past 30 years, be sure to play the hot currents like rude, nico, etc not too fast on the hits, like you would still wait another month or so on the clean bandit and have clean upbeat fast paced imaging along with jocks who do local and topical breaks under 15 seconds 5 or 6 times an hour.
 
There is no good reason for a highly promoted station that could be heard everywhere in the market to be performing as poorly as 107.1/99.7 is. Try as they might, Press will not be able to polish this turd. They just need to face the facts: with WJLK, WOBM and their own WBBO in the market (in general, there is little difference between CHR and what passes for Hot AC these days), there's no need for a station like Fun 107.1/99.7 to exist. I think of all the things they could be broadcasting instead, and haven't a clue why they would continue with this absolute joke of a station. Why not go News/Talk, with a mix of local and national discussion? Or an '80s/'90s oriented Variety Hits station? Or even still, if not for their inexplicable hatred for the format, bringing back the Alternative Rock station that had a very dedicated following? Better yet, maybe they should just sell the stations. What purpose does it serve: to protect B 98.5 in some way? If that's what they're trying to do, it's not working. The music mix is tired, and I've heard more polished personalities on small-time college radio. Fun 107.1/99.7 needs to be put out of its misery.
 
107.1 continues to be a complete train wreck, I agree with souls analysis especially concerning the over abundance of CHR & Hot ACs competing against each other. In the area of Monmouth County where 107.1s signal is the strongest I still hear it being played as back ground music in various stores and restaurants where the NYC signals don't penetrate as well by default. I also agree with soul that a 80s/90s variety format might work. I feel strongly that true AC format similar to wobm-fm and wmgq with an emphasis on local news and info would work because neither of the 2 mentioned stations can be clearly received in the Long Branch, Red Bank, Eatontown area. Lite FM is too similar to all the other Hot ACs, has the Delila show which is a station changing program for most of us and completely changes music format at the end of November. 107.1 could gain listeners from Lite FM if programed as an alternative and because of dial position. Other possibilities would be alternative music similar to WRFF in Philly or even simulcasting the WHTG oldies format although these 2 would not be the best move demographic wise.
In any event its time to blow up "Fun" 107.1 and sell off 99.7 with its infective signal
 
It's been a few months since anyone has commented on this thread. Press Communications has had plenty of months to promote this station and hammer it into the public consciousness, and they have. Advertising is everywhere: buses, billboards, malls, and everywhere else you can think of. You know - what they DIDN'T do with G-Rock back in the day. I actually knew a lot of people that wanted to know what happened to the station in Ocean County, which tells you how badly they botched spreading the word about the frequency change from 98.5 to 106.5. But I digress

Back to Fun 107.1. Anyway, the station has been highly promoted in the entire market. The ratings they're getting, in spite of all this, are absolutely pathetic: http://ratings.radio-online.com/cgi-bin/rol.exe/arb516

Why is the station struggling in spite of all the money spent in promoting it and having a signal that can be heard anywhere and everywhere in the market? It could be because pretty much their entire staff sounds like they belong on a college radio station instead of a strong commercial FM. But most likely, it has to do with the fact that you can hear everything they play on half of the other stations on the dial, including sister station B 98.5 (which, it bears mentioning, is easily topping it in the ratings despite having a very limited presence in the northern half of the market). The differences between B 98.5 & Fun 107.1 are only apparent after you've listened to them for a substantial period of time: the former leans slightly more toward urban and rhythmic titles, while the latter plays some sleepy soft rock artists (i.e. Colbie Caillat, Phillip Phillips). Take that away, and you're left with two safe-as-milk Top 40 stations whose Top Ten titles are almost all the same and receive as many as 70+ spins on both stations.

While this doesn't show up in their branding, Fun 107.1 is supposed to be an "adult" station. This is how it reports, and it does play a number of decidedly soft rock acts. But it has one of the most juvenile morning shows I have ever heard. In addition, you can also hear plenty of the most youth-oriented Disney pop songs out there: this includes One Direction, Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, Meghan Trainor, and one song that was so childish and sugary that you would expect to hear it on repeat at Chuck E. Cheese (I looked it up - it was Demi Lovato & Cher Lloyd).

It's disappointing to see what has become of Press, which just six years ago ran two of the most interesting commercial FMs in the state with G-Rock and The Breeze. In their places are two stations doing pretty much the same thing, and that's playing a format with extremely limited adult appeal and plenty of shallow, synthetic fluff. They would be smart to take Fun 107.1 all Christmas at this point and launch a new format after that, preferably something that has some appeal to people over the age of 25.
 
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SoulCrusher said:
It's been a few months since anyone has commented on this thread. Press Communications has had plenty of months to promote this station and hammer it into the public consciousness, and they have. Advertising is everywhere: buses, billboards, malls, and everywhere else you can think of. You know - what they DIDN'T do with G-Rock back in the day. I actually knew a lot of people that wanted to know what happened to the station in Ocean County, which tells you how badly they botched spreading the word about the frequency change from 98.5 to 106.5. But I digress

Back to Fun 107.1. Anyway, the station has been highly promoted in the entire market. The ratings they're getting, in spite of all this, are absolutely pathetic: http://ratings.radio-online.com/cgi-bin/rol.exe/arb516

Why is the station struggling in spite of all the money spent in promoting it and having a signal that can be heard anywhere and everywhere in the market? It could be because pretty much their entire staff sounds like they belong on a college radio station instead of a strong commercial FM. But most likely, it has to do with the fact that you can hear everything they play on half of the other stations on the dial, including sister station B 98.5 (which, it bears mentioning, is easily topping it in the ratings despite having a very limited presence in the northern half of the market). The differences between B 98.5 & Fun 107.1 are only apparent after you've listened to them for a substantial period of time: the former leans slightly more toward urban and rhythmic titles, while the latter plays some sleepy soft rock artists (i.e. Colbie Caillat, Phillip Phillips). Take that away, and you're left with two safe-as-milk Top 40 stations whose Top Ten titles are almost all the same and receive as many as 70+ spins on both stations.

While this doesn't show up in their branding, Fun 107.1 is supposed to be an "adult" station. This is how it reports, and it does play a number of decidedly soft rock acts. But it has one of the most juvenile morning shows I have ever heard. In addition, you can also hear plenty of the most youth-oriented Disney pop songs out there: this includes One Direction, Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, Meghan Trainor, and one song that was so childish and sugary that you would expect to hear it on repeat at Chuck E. Cheese (I looked it up - it was Demi Lovato & Cher Lloyd).

It's disappointing to see what has become of Press, which just six years ago ran two of the most interesting commercial FMs in the state with G-Rock and The Breeze. In their places are two stations doing pretty much the same thing, and that's playing a format with extremely limited adult appeal and plenty of shallow, synthetic fluff. They would be smart to take Fun 107.1 all Christmas at this point and launch a new format after that, preferably something that has some appeal to people over the age of 25.
Click to expand...
 
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SoulCrusher said:
It's been a few months since anyone has commented on this thread. Press Communications has had plenty of months to promote this station and hammer it into the public consciousness, and they have. Advertising is everywhere: buses, billboards, malls, and everywhere else you can think of. You know - what they DIDN'T do with G-Rock back in the day. I actually knew a lot of people that wanted to know what happened to the station in Ocean County, which tells you how badly they botched spreading the word about the frequency change from 98.5 to 106.5. But I digress

Back to Fun 107.1. Anyway, the station has been highly promoted in the entire market. The ratings they're getting, in spite of all this, are absolutely pathetic: http://ratings.radio-online.com/cgi-bin/rol.exe/arb516

Why is the station struggling in spite of all the money spent in promoting it and having a signal that can be heard anywhere and everywhere in the market? It could be because pretty much their entire staff sounds like they belong on a college radio station instead of a strong commercial FM. But most likely, it has to do with the fact that you can hear everything they play on half of the other stations on the dial, including sister station B 98.5 (which, it bears mentioning, is easily topping it in the ratings despite having a very limited presence in the northern half of the market). The differences between B 98.5 & Fun 107.1 are only apparent after you've listened to them for a substantial period of time: the former leans slightly more toward urban and rhythmic titles, while the latter plays some sleepy soft rock artists (i.e. Colbie Caillat, Phillip Phillips). Take that away, and you're left with two safe-as-milk Top 40 stations whose Top Ten titles are almost all the same and receive as many as 70+ spins on both stations.

While this doesn't show up in their branding, Fun 107.1 is supposed to be an "adult" station. This is how it reports, and it does play a number of decidedly soft rock acts. But it has one of the most juvenile morning shows I have ever heard. In addition, you can also hear plenty of the most youth-oriented Disney pop songs out there: this includes One Direction, Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, Meghan Trainor, and one song that was so childish and sugary that you would expect to hear it on repeat at Chuck E. Cheese (I looked it up - it was Demi Lovato & Cher Lloyd).

It's disappointing to see what has become of Press, which just six years ago ran two of the most interesting commercial FMs in the state with G-Rock and The Breeze. In their places are two stations doing pretty much the same thing, and that's playing a format with extremely limited adult appeal and plenty of shallow, synthetic fluff. They would be smart to take Fun 107.1 all Christmas at this point and launch a new format after that, preferably something that has some appeal to people over the age of 25.
Click to expand...
 
SoulCrusher said:
It's been a few months since anyone has commented on this thread. Press Communications has had plenty of months to promote this station and hammer it into the public consciousness, and they have. Advertising is everywhere: buses, billboards, malls, and everywhere else you can think of. You know - what they DIDN'T do with G-Rock back in the day. I actually knew a lot of people that wanted to know what happened to the station in Ocean County, which tells you how badly they botched spreading the word about the frequency change from 98.5 to 106.5. But I digress

Back to Fun 107.1. Anyway, the station has been highly promoted in the entire market. The ratings they're getting, in spite of all this, are absolutely pathetic: http://ratings.radio-online.com/cgi-bin/rol.exe/arb516

Why is the station struggling in spite of all the money spent in promoting it and having a signal that can be heard anywhere and everywhere in the market? It could be because pretty much their entire staff sounds like they belong on a college radio station instead of a strong commercial FM. But most likely, it has to do with the fact that you can hear everything they play on half of the other stations on the dial, including sister station B 98.5 (which, it bears mentioning, is easily topping it in the ratings despite having a very limited presence in the northern half of the market). The differences between B 98.5 & Fun 107.1 are only apparent after you've listened to them for a substantial period of time: the former leans slightly more toward urban and rhythmic titles, while the latter plays some sleepy soft rock artists (i.e. Colbie Caillat, Phillip Phillips). Take that away, and you're left with two safe-as-milk Top 40 stations whose Top Ten titles are almost all the same and receive as many as 70+ spins on both stations.

While this doesn't show up in their branding, Fun 107.1 is supposed to be an "adult" station. This is how it reports, and it does play a number of decidedly soft rock acts. But it has one of the most juvenile morning shows I have ever heard. In addition, you can also hear plenty of the most youth-oriented Disney pop songs out there: this includes One Direction, Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, Meghan Trainor, and one song that was so childish and sugary that you would expect to hear it on repeat at Chuck E. Cheese (I looked it up - it was Demi Lovato & Cher Lloyd).

It's disappointing to see what has become of Press, which just six years ago ran two of the most interesting commercial FMs in the state with G-Rock and The Breeze. In their places are two stations doing pretty much the same thing, and that's playing a format with extremely limited adult appeal and plenty of shallow, synthetic fluff. They would be smart to take Fun 107.1 all Christmas at this point and launch a new format after that, preferably something that has some appeal to people over the age of 25.
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1.) I don't know the financial situation between when G-Rock was on the air and now. If the company had a reason for promoting G-Rock less, that's their business decision.

2.) The airstaff IS disappointing. But that's only part of the problem. The other part is that when someone tunes into 107.1 or 99.7 anymore, they don't know what they're going to get. There was a stretch where the station went from Gold-Based AC to Mainstream AC to Gold-Based AC to Mainstream AC to Modern AC to Hot AC to Recurrent/Current Leaning Hot AC with higher spin totals. All while under the Breeze name, the 107.1FM name and now the Fun 107.1 name. Add in some lackluster imaging (while keeping the same voice guy all the way through), and you've pushed off people who tuned in for the Gold-Based lean, while haven't pulled in new listeners to the Hot AC format.

3.) In reality, who cares if B98.5 and Fun 107.1 share some of their playlists? Press having a CHR and Hot AC in the same building is no different than iHeartMedia having a CHR and Hot AC in Philly (Q102 and Mix 106), or having an AC, a Hot AC, and a CHR in LA (KOST, KIIS, and My), or even Greater Media having a Classic Rock, a Mainstream rock, and a sports station in Philly (WMMR, WMGK, The Fanatic). Having the two stations together and using them as a selling point is smart. "Want to reach woman in Monmouth/Ocean? Have we got the stations for you."

4.) One Direction, Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, Meghan Trainor, etc. have all charted on Hot AC. They're playing the hits their target demographic states they want to hear.

5.) Just because you don't like the music doesn't mean everyone else hates it too. You're obviously not the demographic they're targeting, so no, you won't like it. I'm not the demographic that Power 99 in Philadelphia is targeting, but that doesn't mean I'm going to complain that I think they should. I go listen to something else.

All of that aside, do I think Press could/should do something different with their stations? Maybe. Giving B98.5 a full market signal would be an OK idea, but with competition from Z, AMP, PLJ, Fresh, The Point, etc. from the north end, I don't know if the added Monmouth signal would help them at all. As much as you pine for the days of G-Rock, honestly, taking 107.1 and 99.7 and running a Radio 104.5-esque format could do a little better ratings wise, but DavidEduardo points out... Radio 104.5 doesn't bill insanely well, and it's sister station, Mix 106, while getting lower ratings, routinely outbills them.

So is Press better off with Fun 107.1? We don't know unless we see ALL the numbers.
 
That's something I'm finding a little frustrating about this new page. A lot of times, I've posted something, and then it disappears. So I have to recollect my thoughts and put them up in sort of a truncated form. I hope this is something that can eventually get fixed.
 
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