Trip through Martinsburg

[knoxbob]

I passed through Martinsburg this past week and how the town has grown since my youth. It was around 30k population 40 years ago and now the total county is over 100k. Now to the radio side of this post, I listened to WLTF 97.5 and fell over when I heard them running John Tesh for their afternoon show. I know Prettyman owns several stations in that area but come on if they can't have a "live" afternoon show in a town of that size they have problems. At least I would run a VT show before something as generic as John Tesh. Where I live a station runs Tesh on the overnight slot and that is too good for that show.

 

[Seltzer]

If you look at the ratings where WLTF shows, Hagerstown and Winchester...they show pretty badly. And with really good programmed adult stations like Mix 95 and WINC to deal with, this station isn't going to get any better.

 

[knoxbob]

I did like the fact that they had someone there live during the mid day show. They came on and mentioned a wreck on I-81 south, which I was traveling on, that gave me a heads up and I made the decision to pull off the highway and wait until it was cleared.

 

[amfmxm]

If you look at the ratings where WLTF shows, Hagerstown and Winchester...they show pretty badly. And with really good programmed adult stations like Mix 95 and WINC to deal with, this station isn't going to get any better.

That station has had a few periods of success in the two neighboring Aribitron markets, Hagerstown and Winchester, back in the 80's as a Top 40, and then in this past decade as a softer AC, but the last few years have been pretty dicey. Their saving grace is that Martinsburg isn't actually in either of those markets, so as long as they can do business locally, they're okay. And with no disrespect at all, both Mix 95 and WINC are indeed good stations, but neither one is a world-beater. They're both perennially #2 or #3 in markets 150-plus. Nice, but nothing to strike fear in a programmer's heart. But, yeah, Tesh and Delilah eat up about half of WLTF's day. It could be anywhere. Or nowhere.

 

[nocomradio]

When I still lived in Northern VA, 97.5 was WKMZ and played some decent rock. They had a fairly strong signal into the Western DC suburbs then too. I could listen in Herndon, Reston, and Sterling very easily and sometimes as far as into Tysons Corner. I rarely recall hearing any ads directed at Martinsburg however. The seemed to cover Winchester a lot then and on up Route 11 to Clearbrook and some of Charles Town.

Once the WLTF switchover happened, I think they must have lowered their power. Heading South toward Charlottesville on US29, I used to be able to listen to WKMZ until around Culpeper, then 97.5 WWWV from Charlottesville would fight with it until just north of Madison where 3WV would take over. Now when I make a similar drive north, I can't pick up WLTF anymore at all this side of the Blue Ridge.

 

[amfmxm]

Nah, WLTF's Class B signal is exactly the same as it was during the 90's as a rocker. Same ERP, same transmitter location. Same old, same old.

The signal in Loudoun County always did get chopped up by the Blue Ridge, depending on where you were trying to listen from--mountains get in the way of FM--and Charlottesville's 3WV always did eat away at the southern edges.

One difference is that 97.5 has a couple of more signals on it from the east--a (fairly powerful) translator in Baltimore run by CBS as "HFS", and an LPFM somewhere toward Annapolis or the Eastern Shore. As more translators, LPFMs, and even more regular FM stations come onto the crowded FM dial, all FM signals are going to get trimmed.

Another difference might be that you liked the programming better, back then, and were a lot more willing to put up with a little interference to hear rock & roll than you are to hear John Tesh introduce a Michael Buble tune!

 

[nocomradio]

Funny, the programming was better, so maybe you're onto something there..... ;D

I haven't actually listened to WLTF in about a year or so, in the NoVa area. There was however one morning of tropo when I was supposed to be listening to 3WV and WLTF was walking all over them.

 

[Seltzer]

If you look at the ratings where WLTF shows, Hagerstown and Winchester...they show pretty badly. And with really good programmed adult stations like Mix 95 and WINC to deal with, this station isn't going to get any better.

That station has had a few periods of success in the two neighboring Aribitron markets, Hagerstown and Winchester, back in the 80's as a Top 40, and then in this past decade as a softer AC, but the last few years have been pretty dicey. Their saving grace is that Martinsburg isn't actually in either of those markets, so as long as they can do business locally, they're okay. And with no disrespect at all, both Mix 95 and WINC are indeed good stations, but neither one is a world-beater. They're both perennially #2 or #3 in markets 150-plus. Nice, but nothing to strike fear in a programmer's heart. But, yeah, Tesh and Delilah eat up about half of WLTF's day. It could be anywhere. Or nowhere.

Not many worldbeaters in markets 150 and lower. But these two are pretty good..losing to big rated country stations. But back to LTF..part of the problem is lots of turnover...4 different morning shows since 2011, changes in middays a couple of times, and a music mix these days that doesn't sound that "lite" at all. Perhaps a name change is needed to better reflect what they are actually doing.
And John Tesh should be shown the door.