It looks like iheart has pink-slipped WRNW’s Top 40/CHR format for Sports Tuesday morning (November 27, 2018).
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Milwaukee “Now” has a Sports “Fan!”
- Thread starter only1moore
- Start date
I don't understand why they're running two different sports lineups (one on WOKY 920 AM, one on WRNW 97.3). If they already have the sports lineup on AM 920 in place, why not just simulcast it on 97.3 FM if they want to put a sports format on that place on the dial?
Also, apparently Steve Czaban will be joining the 97.3 lineup with a local show which explains why he abruptly quit doing his segment on 102.9 FM's Bob And Brian morning show.
https://www.bizjournals.com/milwauk...b-and-brian-ringer-czaban-to-join-new-fm.html
Also, apparently Steve Czaban will be joining the 97.3 lineup with a local show which explains why he abruptly quit doing his segment on 102.9 FM's Bob And Brian morning show.
https://www.bizjournals.com/milwauk...b-and-brian-ringer-czaban-to-join-new-fm.html
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It's odd that iHeart made this leap. Doesn't WTMJ/WKTI have all the big league franchises in their pocket? It's hard to be a successful Sports station if you don't have major league teams to offer.
In Detroit, CBS/Entercom had all the teams on WXYT-FM except for the Detroit Pistons. Beasley built a sports station on FM around the Pistons but the station never got above a one rating, even though it was on a full power FM. They gave up and went Classic Hip Hop, and now they're usually in the top 10 every month.
In Detroit, CBS/Entercom had all the teams on WXYT-FM except for the Detroit Pistons. Beasley built a sports station on FM around the Pistons but the station never got above a one rating, even though it was on a full power FM. They gave up and went Classic Hip Hop, and now they're usually in the top 10 every month.
Yup, yup and yup to everything you've said. Maybe a "breeze" would have been a better choice.
Yeah, that would have made more sense and given them a way to compete with WTMJ on the FM dial
I just can't believe we have yet another sports station in this market....
I’m guessing they feel WTMJ is more vulnerable under Good Karma. They’ll probably try to take a team. Otherwise there is really no reason I can see for this. Sports stations bill well, but this particular format costs more to operate.
Who has rights to University of Wisconsin football and basketball in Milwaukee? I assume the big State U has a big following there, certainly more than the local branch campus. Maybe those games will go to the new station? The other possibility that crossed my mind is what happened in Boston when Entercom decided to put its WEEI 850 programming on 93.7 FM, killing variety hits WMKK. The AM was left as a autopilot station in a closet running ESPN programming just so ESPN could boast to its advertisers that was cleared in Boston. Hardly anyone listens, but the generic birdfeed, including some national play-by-play, keeps the transmitter warm and makes enough money to justify its existence.
Badgers are not as big in Milwaukee as they are elsewhere, but WTMJ dropped them and iHeart made the offer with WOKY and FM with WRIT a few years back. The FM side of those games will move to WRNW. Since WRIT is a top rated music station, it will allow them to not have to stop the music for hours.
Good Karma plans to move 540 WAUK to the 24/7 national ESPN satellite feed and put the local programming on WKTI. They do this in Cleveland with the AMs there.
Good Karma plans to move 540 WAUK to the 24/7 national ESPN satellite feed and put the local programming on WKTI. They do this in Cleveland with the AMs there.
This is so stupid. Why would iHeart wait to go All Sports until *after* someone else picked up the format? I mean, if the format is SO great, why didn't iHeart flip 97.3 a year ago?
Soft AC, Urban AC, an 80's & 90's centered Variety Hits station, or even a second Country station to book-end with FM106 all would've been better options. I think Soft AC is the best of those four options.
If WLUM's ratings continue to sag, one must wonder if they'll be a candidate for a potential future flip to Country?
I suspect 97.3 in Milwaukee will be nearly as big of a disaster as iHeart's 105.7 in Columbus, OH (a station whose Facebook page has a whopping 800 likes!).
Soft AC, Urban AC, an 80's & 90's centered Variety Hits station, or even a second Country station to book-end with FM106 all would've been better options. I think Soft AC is the best of those four options.
If WLUM's ratings continue to sag, one must wonder if they'll be a candidate for a potential future flip to Country?
I suspect 97.3 in Milwaukee will be nearly as big of a disaster as iHeart's 105.7 in Columbus, OH (a station whose Facebook page has a whopping 800 likes!).
I wouldn't be surprised to see 97.3 flip to The Breeze (Soft AC) in 2019. They wouldn't flip it to 80's/90's variety hits because that's what 95.7 is basically becoming.
This market can't possibly support this many Sports Talk stations. I have to imagine the two FM ones (97.3 and 94.5) will flip to some kind of music format at some point.
Not so sure if WLUM will go Country anytime soon. More like back to Rhythmic Top 40 if WNRG goes away. Either way whatever happens someone is bound to pick up the Alternative void should WLUM drop it.
is there talk of WNRG flipping that I've missed? It's such a weak signal does it really matter what they put on there?
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