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"Soft AC is Booming" -- is it time for WSB to do someting different with 98.5HD2

DavidEduardo said:


The Fish reportedly bills just under $9 million, with WYAY at around $4.

Why do you focus on power bills? In a market like Atlanta, running a 20 kw FM transmitter (as an example) is going to be less than $3,000 a month. Liability insurance, rent, ASCAP, BMI, and a lot of other line items are going to be much, much more.
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In the past I always use "billing" as sales, and then there is the power bill. I should never have had references to power and sales in the same paragraph. Sometimes my fingers are faster than my brain. But the fact is The fish still has twice the revenue with and inferior facility than 106.7.
 
TheBigA said:
Give an example of who you would consider for this.
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That "person"* would be someone who has actually has radio / agency sales experience or major market programming experience. There are several private funds that actually invest in companies for the long term, nor quarter to quarter. Berkshire invests in established industries sometimes. The firms they invest in have good cash flow and balance sheets. They have done quite well with the BNSF railway. When you think about it railroads are facing driver-less trucks in the future like radio is facing "internet" listening. I doubt there are any publicly held radio companies with a strong enough balance sheet to attract Warren Buffet and friends.

IMHO The days of publicly held broadcasters with huge debt loads and quarter profit mentality are about over.

* I would never post the name of a private person without their permission unless it is a quote from a reputable source or a famous person already in the news.
 
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secondchoice said:
I doubt there are any publicly held radio companies with a strong enough balance sheet to attract Warren Buffet and friends.
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The problem with investing in companies that call themselves "radio companies" is they aren't diversified. Prior to 1988, you had diversified companies, such as electronics or insurance companies that owned radio stations. Afterwards, radio stations were owned by companies that just owned radio stations. That's not good. What we're seeing now, with Liberty buying a stake in Sirius and looking at buying a stake in iHeart is a return to more diversified ownership that was more stable for radio.
 
TheBigA said:
It might make a good Christian format. Combining soft Christian music with appropriate gold (You Light Up My Life)
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That's where SOF (Sounds Of Faith) Radio comes in. Of course, they don't play Debby Boone's "You Light Up My Life". However, they are continuing the traditional hymns, gospel favorites, & today's faith heritage that has been on SOF for years from the days at Peach 94.9 WPCH to 94.9 Lite FM WLTM to 94.9 THE BULL WUBL to 88.9 WMSL to Internet only radio. Website for SOF is at http://www.soundsoffaith.net/. Anyway, that is all.
 
AMFMRadFan said:
That's where SOF (Sounds Of Faith) Radio comes in. Of course, they don't play Debby Boone's "You Light Up My Life". However, they are continuing the traditional hymns, gospel favorites, & today's faith heritage that has been on SOF for years from the days at Peach 94.9 WPCH to 94.9 Lite FM WLTM to 94.9 THE BULL WUBL to 88.9 WMSL to Internet only radio. Website for SOF is at http://www.soundsoffaith.net/. Anyway, that is all.
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Star 94.1 used to play Sonrise (contemporary Christian music) on Sunday mornings around 15+ years ago. I remember it was on during the same time as Organic X on 99X. The good ol’ days.
 
AMFMRadFan said:
That's where SOF (Sounds Of Faith) Radio comes in. Of course, they don't play Debby Boone's "You Light Up My Life". However, they are continuing the traditional hymns, gospel favorites, & today's faith heritage that has been on SOF for years from the days at Peach 94.9 WPCH to 94.9 Lite FM WLTM to 94.9 THE BULL WUBL to 88.9 WMSL to Internet only radio. Website for SOF is at http://www.soundsoffaith.net/. Anyway, that is all.
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CORRECTION ON URL: http://soundsoffaith.net/.
 
Should someone bring this format to Atlanta? YES - Absolutely!!!

Should it be on a flimsy translator signal? NOPE.

My candidate for a flip: Fault 105.7. That station is a disaster. They've become the new Rock 100.5 from a futility standpoint.

Really, many of iHeart's "Alt"-branded stations are ratings calamities. I see several of Entercom's alternative stations have also lost considerable ratings ground in the past 90 days, longtime successful alternative WLUM in Milwaukee has been slipping, and 96.5 The Buzz in KC is seeing some of its worst ratings in years.
 
MarkW said:
I see several of Entercom's alternative stations have also lost considerable ratings ground in the past 90 days, longtime successful alternative WLUM in Milwaukee has been slipping, and 96.5 The Buzz in KC is seeing some of its worst ratings in years.
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Not necessarily a radio problem. The music has been less than inventive or creative for quite a while.

People who were once alt fans are so bored that they're trying other formats.
 
If anyone is going to challenge the "Big B" they better bring their "A" game. I for one would like the format to return to the ATL just as much as anyone. But any such station better be prepared to advertise like hell upon launch, as in every other billboard. It will be tough to take away the "Listen While You Work" mantle away from B. 105.7 might be a good testing ground for the format but not a good permanent home as the signal is more NE oriented and would not get into downtown office buildings.

It would not hurt to launch with a Christmas stunt format ... I remember clearly when the 98.9 translator stunted the WARM format with all Christmas in 2015. That translator surged to a 1.0 - and did so with a pitiful signal that could not permeate a tent. Now I know some on this forum are NOT fans of Christmas music - I get that, but that 1.0 indicates there is demand for the holiday tunes in this market. Alas, the format ended up being a decoy for the 99X launch @98.9 on New Year's Day 2016.

There's always an ebb and flow with formats. If Soft AC is indeed on the upswing again, something has to give. B is not a bad station, but lately its existence has shut out three other things in this market due to its dominance: a Soft AC format, an all-Christmas station, and Delilah (or Tesh) type radio shows. But - this being commercial radio, it is doing what it is supposed to be doing - following the revenue. For fans of these three things, the market appears to be in a quagmire. Time will tell.
 
Not necessarily a radio problem. The music has been less than inventive or creative for quite a while.
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Agreed!
While
105.7 might be a good testing ground for the format but not a good permanent home as the signal is more NE oriented and would not get into downtown office buildings.
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How much does 105.3 bill? Maybe a couple million a year? If so, that station is disposable. Perhaps a 105.7 / 105.3 simulcast would make sense, but initially, I would only flip 105.7 to the format in order to evaluate its feasibility. While downtown building penetration is certainly an issue with 105.7, the station delivers a good signal to the northern & northeastern suburbs, where at home, medical office, and small retail business listening is most likely to occur.
 
MarkW said:
I would only flip 105.7 to the format in order to evaluate its feasibility.
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I don't recommend flipping formats to evaluate feasibility. There are easier and cheaper ways to do that.

It's like demolishing a building to determine what you'd like to put on the property. You should know the next step before destruction.
 
Admittedly, I worded my earlier post very poorly. Sorry about that.

What I meant was this - instead of flipping *both* 105.7 & 105.3 to Soft AC right off the bat, initially I would only flip 105.7 (assuming, of course, that research actually shows there an appetite for such a format in the ATL).

If 105.7's ratings track record as a Soft AC *confirms* that there is healthy demand for the format, then I would add 105.3 as a simulcast partner.
 
MarkW said:
I would only flip 105.7 (assuming, of course, that research actually shows there an appetite for such a format in the ATL).
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There are posters here who would love a real classic hits station in Atlanta too. The fact that no one's flipped to that gives me a sense that a soft AC also doesn't have much chance.
 
Or maybe with no true Classic Hits station, Soft AC stands a better chance. As for WSB-FM being unbeatable, I'm sure in San Francisco everyone thought KOIT was unbeatable. In Seattle, everyone thought KRWM was unbeatable. In Miami, everyone thought WLYF was unbeatable.

All those stations are still doing very well, just as WSB-FM will still do very well. But there is room in Atlanta for a Soft AC.
 
MarkW said:
Admittedly, I worded my earlier post very poorly. Sorry about that.

What I meant was this - instead of flipping *both* 105.7 & 105.3 to Soft AC right off the bat, initially I would only flip 105.7 (assuming, of course, that research actually shows there an appetite for such a format in the ATL).

If 105.7's ratings track record as a Soft AC *confirms* that there is healthy demand for the format, then I would add 105.3 as a simulcast partner.
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If they flip 105.7, I could see Cumulus flip 97.9 back to 99X.
 
Gregg. said:
Or maybe with no true Classic Hits station, Soft AC stands a better chance. As for WSB-FM being unbeatable, I'm sure in San Francisco everyone thought KOIT was unbeatable. In Seattle, everyone thought KRWM was unbeatable. In Miami, everyone thought WLYF was unbeatable.

All those stations are still doing very well, just as WSB-FM will still do very well. But there is room in Atlanta for a Soft AC.
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Yes, WSB-FM could be beaten, but that would require a top-notch signal, and lots and lots of money. We've been talking about small signals and translators. I can't see any of the big signals going Soft AC.
 
Flipping 105.7 would make the most sense because the Breeze is making waves across some major markets like Philadelphia and San Francisco. The ratings for Alt 105.7 are poor but maybe part of the reason it doesnt reach a large listening area due to its signal. The Breeze would be a good option, since folks are craving for a Soft AC. I'd say, go for it. Have an all-Christmas format before an official debut on December 26th. Atlanta lacks a real 100% Christmas music station other than WFSH. Folks have to wait for days before Christmas Day to be playing on a consistent basis. (Ahem* 98.5*).

As for.105.3 they just adjusted formats so I don't see iHeartRadio messing with them for a while.
 
105.7 could work in the interim as a classic hits / soft AC, covering the north and northeast. The west and southwest metro suburbs is covered by Magic 98.1, a station that is rarely discussed here but carries one of the formats many here have been talking about (classic hits). 98.1 has flipped to Christmas every year just like most soft AC's but barring that, they carry the classic hits format the ATL market has been missing. Being an Iheart station they could simulcast on 105.7 and see how it takes hold.
 
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