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What is going on at New Country 101.5?

R

rohocop2121

They are teasing that something new is coming Monday. Go to the website and a video says "101.5 is saying goodbye. Tune in Monday to see what's next."
 
TheBigA said:
My bet is a change in branding. Perhaps a return to the old Kicks Country.
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One thing is for sure: They will still be Country. A format flip would make no sense for several reasons. That's in addition to the fact if the format were to change, they wouldn't be aggressively promoting this to their present audience.

My guess is you're correct that this involves new branding. Although they've been New Country 101-5, they have basically the same playlist as any other major market Country station that doesn't concentrate on Classic Country.
 
RoddyFreeman said:
Although they've been New Country 101-5, they have basically the same playlist as any other major market Country station that doesn't concentrate on Classic Country.
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That's what the format is. It's consensus music that the P1s all like. Early on, they were trying to focus on Georgia artists. But that meant ignoring Luke Combs, who's from North Carolina. KPLX had the same problem in the 90s when they tried playing all Texas artists.
 
TheBigA said:
That's what the format is. It's consensus music that the P1s all like. Early on, they were trying to focus on Georgia artists. But that meant ignoring Luke Combs, who's from North Carolina. KPLX had the same problem in the 90s when they tried playing all Texas artists.
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Let me guess: KPLX was ignoring an Oklahoman named Brooks?
 
RoddyFreeman said:
My guess is you're correct that this involves new branding. Although they've been New Country 101-5, they have basically the same playlist as any other major market Country station that doesn't concentrate on Classic Country.
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It's almost certainly not going to be dumping country. Cumulus isn't nearly as dumb as it used to be, and that would be too dumb for even the old Cumulus.

My guess is that it will be a promotion, like "101.5 is saying goodbye to your bills." Promotions like that are old and keep getting recycled. I remember KMXV in Kansas City did one where it kept saying, "Mix is dead," only to announce, "Mix is dead SERIOUS about giving you $1 million." Q102 in Cincinnati also did one where it kept saying, "Q102 is finished," which became "Q102 is finished loading the million dollar money machine." I worked at a station in '04-'05 that did a big promotion about taking over another station across town. When it was time to announce the station, we showed up at a gas station and offered $1.07 gas to anyone who showed up while we were broadcasting there.
 
I wonder if this is even a good idea for them, even if it’s a giveaway, considering how they’ve struggled in the ratings and just got to pass 94.9 6+? Seems like they’d want to be as careful as possible.
 
101tm said:
I wonder if this is even a good idea for them, even if it’s a giveaway, considering how they’ve struggled in the ratings and just got to pass 94.9 6+? Seems like they’d want to be as careful as possible.
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Promotions like this usually get more people to listen longer. So, it's probably a good idea.

Of course, the promotion itself still has to be good if it's going to capitalize on any momentum it gets from the stunt it's doing now.
 
Either a vacation giveaway, an air talent change, or (another) change in branding.

I'm guessing it's the first item from my list.
 
TheBigA said:
That's what the format is. It's consensus music that the P1s all like. Early on, they were trying to focus on Georgia artists. But that meant ignoring Luke Combs, who's from North Carolina. KPLX had the same problem in the 90s when they tried playing all Texas artists.
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I doubt they were ever not playing Luke Combs. It was more like they created the illusion of focusing on Georgia artists.
 
TheBigA said:
Yep, that's what KPLX did, with their Texas Ten In a Row. The guy who ran that station in the 90s is now head of content at Cumulus.
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I think Roddy was referring to the Georgia station, not the one in Texas. So KPLX was playing Combs and other non-Texas acts, just not during the Texas Ten? How many times a day did that feature air?
 
Here's the analysis from CountryAircheck:

Cumulus WKHX/Atlanta is currently stunting on-air and online with a “goodbye” campaign. The station is running jockless, and sweepers refer to the station only as “101.5,” with no mention of “New Country,” while also incorporating phrases and country lyrics referencing the word “goodbye.” On social media, profile pictures have been turned to black boxes with only a small white Cumulus logo at the bottom; video elements including television static announcing “101.5 is saying goodbye” pepper the feeds. PD Mike Moore tells Country Aircheck he can’t give away any details but advises everyone to “Listen at 7:35am [ET] Monday [2/14] for what’s next at 101.5!”

WKHX dropped its previous “Kicks 101.5” moniker – which it utilized beginning in 1981 – and rebranded to “Atlanta’s New Country 101.FIVE” in 2019 (CAT 11/14/19). At the time, Moore shared, “This station is borne of the most prolific time in history for Georgia musicians. New Country 101.FIVE reflects these artists’ views and the way they see the world.” None of the current imaging or online promotion mentions flipping format, and country music is still airing on the station. Signs point to another rebrand.
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Note the last sentence in the quoted story.
 
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