Mainline stations officially in the hands of Alpha Broadcasting

The Main Line stations were officially transferred to Alpha as of July 1st (last Tuesday). Now, to begin speculating what they'll do... I'd imagine the first order of business for them is to figure out what to do with Easy Rock.

The countdown is on till the end of easy rock.

The latest Arbitron updates are in, and the Alpha Media stations are finally included this time (maybe they'll be paying for them on a regular basis instead of just "once in a while"). It should come as no surprise that WESI is not only low, but at THE very bottom, with a 1.2 rating. Worse than ever before, in fact, as both WKJK (I forgot they even existed) and WKRD have stronger numbers, which I guess is obvious since WESI is at the bottom. Hopefully Alpha will be well-prepared (as in having a clearly defined format, have solid branding, and having a plan to promote the format) before making any changes. I'm not convinced Main Line ever did any research or had any plans when they launched Easy Rock.

Here are the numbers...
http://ratings.radio-online.com/cgi-bin/rol.exe/arb055

I wonder if alpha will flip easy rock or just be content with the not so good numbers? Or just promote easy rock or flip it? I know they were once a rock station but when lrs was promoted and staffed it did well so I say make 105.1 into a rock station and promote it. Make it live and local and promote and it will do well. As life goes you get out of something what you put into it.

What sort of rock do you think would work there? I used to think that Louisville could use another modern rock station, but WTFX isn't doing all that well, and on top of that, their playlist seems to prove that there really isn't that much new rock in the sense that WTFX and WLRS was known in the earlier part of last decade. In fact, it seems like WTFX, despite being "Louisville's Only New Rock," is mostly airing the exact same playlist that WLRS and WTFX aired during the years they competed against each other (not to mention how many times I've switched from WQMF, "Louisville's Only Classic Rock" and WTFX, "Louisville's Only New Rock," and heard the same song playing at the same time, almost always Nirvana or Metallica).

Personally I wouldn't mind that "Everything that Rocks" format IF it were a little better executed (and maybe a better name than that), perhaps playing more than just the same few songs over and over again. Either that or a true alternative rock station (which WLRS sort of was very briefly when they relaunched in 97 or whenever it was, but before they made their quick morph into a WTFX clone). Alpha currently has stations with each of those formats that sound really good and have a great playlist. I'd like to see them try one here. I don't think mainstream rock music is dead (and like all formats, such as country which seemed to be completely dead in the late 80s, it'll come back), but another station doing what WTFX is doing right now is another recipe for disaster. Don't get me wrong, I do want 105.1 to return to rock in some way (and for sentimental reasons, I would love to even see the WLRS letters return), but I'm not sure doing the WLRS of roughly 2002-2007 is going to work right now.

Of course, there is always the option of trying to fix Easy Rock, but when you're that low, it is awfully hard to fix. I have to secretly admit that the music that they play isn't bad, and their playlist does consist of stuff you really won't hear elsewhere. But it seems like it would be a lot easier just to nuke what they have there, which isn't much, just the programming director doing a show in the afternoon and a computer programming everything the rest of the day, than to take a chance on investing into something that hasn't worked so far. I still think they will give it a chance through the end of the year or so, and I'm sure that when they flip to Christmas music in November, the rumors will immediately start (as usual any time a local station goes to Christmas music) that Easy Rock isn't coming back after Christmas... and that one might be true.

So much to comment on. I love the alt format. Lrs was never alt but briefly when they came alive at one o five. Then radio one effed it up just like they did when lrs was at 102.3. An active/alt format I never thought works very well but thats what they kept doing. Just my opinion s true alt wont seem to work in the ville. Listeners would rather here disturbed then say something from the neighborhood or coldplay or the killers. So I blame louisvillians for not wanting a true alt station. With that said no matter what they do they have to promote it!!! Just adding water wont work. Gotta work it.I hope alpha gets that!!! I do not have the avg person tastes so if it is a normal rock station I probably wont like it. I hate that premium choice thing clear channel uses on the fox.

Just like tv dont you just have hit your target demo? Like I use to love buffy the vampire slayer. It was consistently number 100 but it must hit its money demo for it lasted 7 years. Maybe easy rock hits its money demo for most people say the 12 plus numbers dont mean much. Or it could be bargaining tool saying you will also get easy rock thrown in with your ad buy on djx.

It's true that you do have to hit your target demo, but your target demo also needs to be a profitable one. To my understanding, that's why WXMA has managed to last for so many years (and probably won't be going away anytime soon) despite ratings that only look so-so... they're doing well with the demographics that make money. WESI targets a demographic that is really not so great for making money, and a great example of this is seen in the fact that they air Delilah. Her show has been getting canceled everywhere lately, and it isn't because nobody listens to her. In fact, she's very popular... just not with the age group that makes money. So while it is about target demographics, going after a target demographic that isn't profitable (and I know WESI's is not) doesn't mean a whole lot. WRKA proved this when they dumped County Legends a few months ago. The station had decent numbers and did well with a target demographic, but (by their own admission) the target demographic wasn't profitable.

And how were sales people suppose to sell when the peeps at mainline didnt even subscribe to arbitron? I remember watching a rerun of wkrp in cincinnati and the pd andy travis was sad because the book came out and he got krp up to number 3 but he was sad because that was the only station he worked at that he wasnt able to get it to number 1. You live by the numbers you die by the numbers. I bet fpk wouldnt do well in louisville if it was commercialized format. Indi has a commercial aaa format wonder how it does? We shall see what becomes of the ever changing format wheel on 105.1 That station when it went on the air in 1993 has never seemed to find a format that works.

A commercial AAA format can't do what WFPK does for sure. One of my favorite ones, Portland Oregon's KINK-FM (which is owned by Alpha), plays a lot of same artists that you'd hear on other radio stations, like 102.3, 106.9, or maybe even 93.1 or 105.1 to an extent, but instead of just focusing one big hit that those artists produced on their albums, they'll play anything from the album, and yes, even the hits at times. And they do play the indie artists as well, but they don't focus on those. WFPK is more about the indie artists. You can go hours on WFPK and never hear an artist or song that you recognize, and while I actually love that, I think it would be a disaster for commercial radio.

Of course, would that even work here at all? I don't know. I'd mostly just like to see something that has never been attempted here, and that sort of format hasn't been attempted. As for the Indianapolis AAA station, which one are you talking about? The only one I was aware of was one in Bloomington, although from what I understand, it has a decent sized audience in Indianapolis. It would be interesting to see those numbers, but from looking at some outdated numbers online, they were around the middle of the pack in the Indianapolis ratings (which, if I understand correctly, do not include Bloomington, where I would imagine they get an even larger audience).

Your right bloomington. 92.3 No it wouldnt work the ville loves the tried and true. Thats the charm of louisville a backwards little hick town so to speak. It is what it is. Someone in radio told me that alt only makes money in major markets. I did read how the alt station in indi x 103 something went in moreof an alt direction less like lrs was. According to research the most popular formats in louisville are country and classic rock. Louisville tries q2 105 .9 was a good alt station but it went away. She 93.1 was good. They played ani deffranco and they were good but and they played old 97s and cherry poppin daddies but station didnt last but maybe a year. They went away around the same time lrs become love 102.3 which is basically what 105.1 is now. Louisville does try the peeps just dont like the new and different. We do but they dont. And I notice most triple a stations are non commercial like los angeles has two kcsn and kcrw but they are both non commercial. Kcrw is part time npr I like kcsn they air the weekly feed on it. I wish the ville would think outside thr box. Time will tell my friend time will tell. Only 4 months till my xmas

I don't see anything wrong with classic rock either. We could honestly use a good classic rock station. WQMF fills that role without a problem sometimes, then they go back to something awful for a while. It's a weird back and forth with them. Country is just over-saturated here now I think, particularly considering that Summit now has a station playing 90s country music and modern country music. I wonder how long it is going to take WRKA to start overlapping, much like how Gen-X slowly stretched their definition of 90s to mean early 2000s, then late 2000s, then suddenly boom, it is 2014 and you're hearing the hits of 2014 on Gen-X.

Or... maybe they could try a Gen-X format now that 100.5 is out of the picture... what wasn't good for 100.5 would be excellent numbers for 105.1. Crazier things have happened, I would have never expected Louie either to come back and it did just that...

I cant stand classic rock. And I doubt they would do a gen x type for they would be competing against the max. Qmf and sfr could go away I am fine with that. The problem with 105.1 noone wants to promote it but maybe alpha will drop some money into it.

Of course, the Gen-X that they were when they first started out really was something unique and different. I remember when they first came on the air, and it was the first radio station that I could ever remember here where something truly unique was being done. I'll always remember the first few artists I heard on there... Neneh Cherry, Nirvana, Counting Crows, Black Box... with the exception of Nirvana, it was mostly a mix of songs you never heard anywhere else anymore, even though maybe I'd prefer to NOT hear Black Box.

love me blackbox. everybody everybody lol. Wish they would have played sunscreen by buz lehrman or x girlfriend by no doubt but they didnt. Gen x could have been a really good station. I loved hereing the old rick dees countdowns commercials and all from the 90s. I heard on at 40 w ryan seacrest a tribute to casey and played sometjing from 1998. Casey said"here is newcomer brittney spears"

I'm not sure if you've noticed, but ClearChannel has been trying to roll out their "Alt" branding in many markets lately, with Nashville and Indianapolis being among the latest. Although it seems to have a slightly different sound in each market, it is another one of those instances in which ClearChannel has put together something that legitimately sounds good... it reminds me a lot of what WLRS would sound like today if they'd kept their format that ran on 102.3 in the late 90s running (but stayed modern with the music). Maybe something like this (probably not with the Alt branding, though, since that seems to be a ClearChannel thing) would be a good direction for 105.1... or honestly, it might be a good new direction for ClearChannel to rebrand WTFX. I'm not convinced too many people would miss The Fox if it disappeared now, as ClearChannel has beat it down so many times that I'm not convinced that anybody really listens anymore.

I think the problem is louisville listeners. They dont want a true alt station. They would rather here the latest offering from theory of a deadman instead of a band called bleachers which is a side project of one of the members of fun. Someone told me that lrs alive at one o five never made any money so I am sure that whatever alpha does money will be the bottom line. I was also told alternative radio only makes money in large markets. They may just keep it as is but dont think so. Kinda like buying a house you wanna do something new to it like a paint job or a new kitchen. Why would buying a radio staion or stations be any different

Easy Rock has been off the air for almost four hours tonight, both the online stream and over the air... and it doesn't seem that anybody has noticed or cared on their Facebook page. I wonder what the deal is with 105.1, are they just dealing with incredibly bad equipment? Outages seem to happen a lot there, no matter what the format is.

They have a Facebook page??? Huh.

They are back this morning...... Must have been maintenance.

sdskees said:

Easy Rock has been off the air for almost four hours tonight, both the online stream and over the air... and it doesn't seem that anybody has noticed or cared on their Facebook page. I wonder what the deal is with 105.1, are they just dealing with incredibly bad equipment? Outages seem to happen a lot there, no matter what the format is.

Click to expand...

Midnight till 6am on Monday morning is the traditional time for broadcast engineers to take a radio station down for maintenance issues. It's likely that's what it was.