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93.3 The Joy FM goes HD

R

Rick Rose 2.0

Guest
I got into my car, plugged my phone in to use apple car play and I noticed that the HD came one for WVFJ fm. I listened on the way home and I mostly kept the HD signal. On their sister Joy FM in Tampa they have their hits/hip hop channel and worship channel on the sub channels. I assume Lifeforce and Joy Praise will soon pop up on hd 2 and 3. I also wonder if KLove will re activate the HD on 106.7 when they take over for their Air 1 and K love classics. They said they are evaluating all options in response to my email so I guess I will have to wait to see.
 
Just out of curiosity Rick, can you explain the appeal of listening to a Christian Contemporary station? Do you feel the music is as good as a conventional Hot AC, which I suppose they are supposed to sound like, but with religious lyrics? Is it sort of a way to pray, or is it for entertainment?

You have several choices for Christian Contemporary stations in Atlanta. You mention hearing 93.3 WVFJ The Joy FM. I suppose that is satellite delivered from Tampa? Then you have 104.7 WFSH The Fish, owned by Salem and locally programmed. And soon the Atlanta market will have a third CCM station, when 106.7 WYAY starts running K-Love, delivered by satellite from Indianapolis. Does it matter to you if you listen to a local station with local DJs, or a national network?

The Fish runs commercials while The Joy FM and K-Love have fundraising appeals. Does that matter to you?

The Atlanta market is so spread out, and none of these stations has its tower in the center of the market. WVFJ is licensed to Greenville, formerly Manchester, WFSH to Athens and WYAY to Gainesville. Do you get a good signal on all three?
 
The Joy FM has non-commercial status with the FCC, but they definitely run commercials, i.e. messages that conform to the underwriting guidelines.
 
It surprises me that it has taken so long for WVFJ to add HD. They used to have (I assume they still have) multiple translators around south Atlanta and each of these HD channels could parent a translator.
 
Speaking of commercials on the non commercial band listen to 88.9 out of The Rock. Commercials...call to action, prices, etc. I can't believe the lack of fear among broadcasters today!
 
The Joy FM is running 3 HD channels now. The main station on HD 1, a praise & worship format on HD 2 and hits and hip hop format on HD 3. I've been praying that one day a hits and hip hop Christian format would exist on Atlanta radio. The Joy FM is partially ran out of Tampa but somewhat local as well, middays and evenings are done in Peachtree City while AM & PM drive are from the main studios in Sarasota.
About the time I finished high school several big Christian artists started having songs played on mainstream radio. As I bought their CD's I discovered the more obvious Christian message songs helped make me feel better and as I found radio stations that were well programmed and could actually compete with a mainstream stations I got sold that this format and music is better because of the message but not second best. It took the Fish coming to Atlanta to prove that and in the process The Joy FM improved their presentation because before the Fish 93.3 was not a well programmed station. They tried to be all local and compete as a commercial station but that did not work well enough (like most stand alone stations in major markets)so they went non commercial almost 10 years ago and shared resources with their sister station in Sarasota. The Joy FM is owned by Radio Training network and RTN owns signals all over the southeast in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina. I find that hearing songs about Jesus and the Christian life has more meaning to them than most songs played on mainstream radio. The uplifting and encouraging nature of contemporary Christian music and options to hear it on well programmed radio stations that can draw an audience.
 
Gregg. said:
The Atlanta market is so spread out, and none of these stations has its tower in the center of the market. WVFJ is licensed to Greenville, formerly Manchester, WFSH to Athens and WYAY to Gainesville. Do you get a good signal on all three?
Click to expand...

104.7 The Fish has a good enough signal to be #1 (6+):

https://ratings.radio-online.com/cgi-bin/rol.exe/arb047

106.7 uses the same antenna (with more power) so I have never understood why Cumulus allowed it to fail. WVFJ works better in the southern end of the market

Only 1 the top 5 (6+) stations has a tower “downtown” V103. If you go “downtown” and there is not an sporting event or convention there are not a lot of folks out at night except the homeless. I go downtown to Lucky street condo to meet with a client at 4 or 5 times a year. It is kind of spooky seeing some of the places used in the early seasons of The Walking Dead with no people when you drive out, but I never fear for my safety because the knuckleheads don’t have enough folks to rob so they go to Midtown and Buckhead if there is no sporting event or large convention downtown.
 
Rick Rose 2.0 said:
I got into my car, plugged my phone in to use apple car play and I noticed that the HD came one for WVFJ fm. I listened on the way home and I mostly kept the HD signal. On their sister Joy FM in Tampa they have their hits/hip hop channel and worship channel on the sub channels. I assume Lifeforce and Joy Praise will soon pop up on hd 2 and 3. I also wonder if KLove will re activate the HD on 106.7 when they take over for their Air 1 and K love classics. They said they are evaluating all options in response to my email so I guess I will have to wait to see.
Click to expand...

CORRECTION: It's LightForce Radio, not Lifeforce.
 
Gregg. said:
Just out of curiosity Rick, can you explain the appeal of listening to a Christian Contemporary station? Do you feel the music is as good as a conventional Hot AC, which I suppose they are supposed to sound like, but with religious lyrics? Is it sort of a way to pray, or is it for entertainment?

You have several choices for Christian Contemporary stations in Atlanta. You mention hearing 93.3 WVFJ The Joy FM. I suppose that is satellite delivered from Tampa? Then you have 104.7 WFSH The Fish, owned by Salem and locally programmed. And soon the Atlanta market will have a third CCM station, when 106.7 WYAY starts running K-Love, delivered by satellite from Indianapolis. Does it matter to you if you listen to a local station with local DJs, or a national network?

The Fish runs commercials while The Joy FM and K-Love have fundraising appeals. Does that matter to you?

The Atlanta market is so spread out, and none of these stations has its tower in the center of the market. WVFJ is licensed to Greenville, formerly Manchester, WFSH to Athens and WYAY to Gainesville. Do you get a good signal on all three?
Click to expand...

Once launched, K-LOVE Atlanta 106.7 WYAY will actually become the 4th CCM station in Atlanta. Victory 91.5 WWEV-FM in Cumming is the 3rd CCM station in Atlanta. Victory 91.5, like JOY FM GA & K-LOVE, is also non-commercial and runs sharathons every year.
 
wavo said:
Speaking of commercials on the non commercial band listen to 88.9 out of The Rock. Commercials...call to action, prices, etc. I can't believe the lack of fear among broadcasters today!
Click to expand...

If no one reports them to the FCC, why should there be fear? If you have a recording, send it to the FCC Media Bureau.
 
TheBigA said:
If no one reports them to the FCC, why should there be fear? If you have a recording, send it to the FCC Media Bureau.
Click to expand...

I have no interest in turning them...it only surprises me that none of the commercial south side stations have noticed and filed complaints.

If the world were foolish enough to put me in charge of all things radio I would let the non comm stations decide for themselves if running commercials is in their best interest. Underwriting is *almost* a commercial anyway, especially if when an ad campaign is to position a product or service.
 
wavo said:
I have no interest in turning them...it only surprises me that none of the commercial south side stations have noticed and filed complaints.
Click to expand...

Because they're not a threat. Lots of people exceed the speed limit on highways. Unless someone catches them, they keep doing it.
 
TheBigA said:
Because they're not a threat. Lots of people exceed the speed limit on highways. Unless someone catches them, they keep doing it.
Click to expand...

I dunno Big A....the pie slices are getting so thin I would think the competition would be hungry enough to stop them. As you well know, small market stations are already starved for potential advertisers. It seems to me they would see any form of competition as a threat and if they can eliminate a competitor they would do it.
 
TheBigA said:
Because they're not a threat. Lots of people exceed the speed limit on highways. Unless someone catches them, they keep doing it.
Click to expand...
and then there are super speeders who get popped and get nailed with a $300 surcharge on top of the violation, and their point count goes up, insurance goes up, etc.

The idea that broadcasters live in a consequence free environment is amusing. The FCC EB is indeed selective, but to quote a senior official I had opportunity to attend an interference mitigation class with a couple of years ago:

"We do not have a large budget to pursue every complaint, but when we do, we dedicate resources appropriately and seek the maximum from a violator"

Translated:

We let a lot go, but when we clamp down, we're like a pitbull and won't let go until we see blood.

Those who break the rules are gambling. So long as they can afford to lose....
 
MRFLASHPORT said:
"We do not have a large budget to pursue every complaint, but when we do, we dedicate resources appropriately and seek the maximum from a violator"
Click to expand...

Exactly, and the thing to know is that the FCC operates on the money it makes from fees, fines, and spectrum sales. The money they make from fines pays their salaries. The point of my post is the FCC (like the FBI) benefits from private citizens who alert them to broadcasters who break the law. If you see it, say it.
 
wavo said:
I have no interest in turning them...it only surprises me that none of the commercial south side stations have noticed and filed complaints.

If the world were foolish enough to put me in charge of all things radio I would let the non comm stations decide for themselves if running commercials is in their best interest. Underwriting is *almost* a commercial anyway, especially if when an ad campaign is to position a product or service.
Click to expand...

In the late 90's when the government reduced spending for NPR, the FCC relaxed the rules pertaining to what could be said to an extent but still required no call to action. But like you, Mr Wavo, I've heard some "underwriting mentions" even on WABE that could be interpreted as a call to action. And the WABE sales staff is manned, actually womanned, by former commercial radio people who are capable of being aggressive.
 
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