The River returns to Knoxville

[boogiecheck]

Is anyone listening? I don't think so.

But they're promoting it with corrugated signs along major roads in Knox County. Nothing like mixing your radio station's promotion with mattress for sale signs and lawn care signs.

[SchlitzBeer]

Thought this signal might have had a chance...  But it has been all over the place from the beginning and run in the ground too soon.  Wish they had the resources and the brains to kick WWST down a point or two.

[GTC]

Small signal and private owner...Probably waiting until the product is tuned right and get some advertisers (revenue) before spending more on marketing.  Who else in town is doing any real marketing these days?  That, and if you don't subscribe to Arbitron, they don't do much to recognize a new station in the market.  WJZO never showed up in Arbs, and the WBIR news story did them no favors either.  That all said, it's not a bad sounding station, but real close to STAR musically, maybe too close.  I noticed a new guy on in the morning that used to be on the Point...be nice if they went more 80s!       

[BRH]

106.1 could be a viable signal.  They actually have much better coverage than I had expected.  I think their tall tower location helps with that (although that means they probably don't have great building penetration with the lower power trade off).  But for in car listening,  they have a good signal.  I wonder if the owner isn't trying to shop it around and maybe sell to one of the big guys down the road.  Journal is probably under their limit and could buy another FM.   Also, someone could come in and buy a couple of these private owner station and cobble together a new group (maybe 106.1, 96.7, and 105.3).  All are halfway decent signals that might be worth the attention of a larger company trying to form a cluster and enter the market.  Just a possibility.

[boogiecheck]

106.1 could be a viable signal.  They actually have much better coverage than I had expected.  I think their tall tower location helps with that (although that means they probably don't have great building penetration with the lower power trade off).  But for in car listening,  they have a good signal.  I wonder if the owner isn't trying to shop it around and maybe sell to one of the big guys down the road.  Journal is probably under their limit and could buy another FM.   Also, someone could come in and buy a couple of these private owner station and cobble together a new group (maybe 106.1, 96.7, and 105.3).  All are halfway decent signals that might be worth the attention of a larger company trying to form a cluster and enter the market.  Just a possibility.

They do have better coverage that was expected, but it really fades once you pass Kingston Pike and vanishes past Walker Springs Road. I think that someone could cobble together a good little cluster with the three stations you mentioned, but they would have to be dedicated to the cities they serve since none of them really get in to the "meat" of Knoxville proper. They are all basically rim-shot signals that can't be upgraded without a miracle.

Journal might be a player, but the word on the street has been that they're keeping their stables lean for the chance of jumping on either WNOX or WNFZ (possibly both?) when and if their situations change.

[Mid West Clubber]

Its just like the old mix 95.7,,, too close to star.. Why put up with static when 102.1 is a flame thrower,,, not nearly as powerful as WOKI 100.3 was,,, but it gets out there..  If mix couldnt dent star with two much more better signals than 106.1,, then what makes 106 think they can... they should go 80s, AAA, or Dance......etc  any other ideas.....

[southerncomfort]

IMO, until the situation with Citadel is resolved, no one with any real money would cobble together a group like that trying to sell to a bigger operator. In all likelyhood, Citadel will be sold in the near future for about 25 cents on the dollar and no one interested in any Citadel market with any real money would waste time on a small rimshot when they may be able to buy part of the Big Dog at a huge discount. 

There are a few operators/former operators with money who know, sooner or later, some of these small "rim shot" operators will simply get tired of pumping the few thousand a month into the station and do what Doug Horne did with WATO, set a low ball price and hope to sell it. But even that deal took a year to materialize.

For several years those rimshot FM's seemed to have a "stick value" of between 1.5 and 2.5 million.  In todays world, I truly believe there are about 3 to 4 Knoxville FM rimshots that could be sold within the year for well below 1 million dollars, either voluntarily, or by their bankers!

[boogiecheck]

IMO, until the situation with Citadel is resolved, no one with any real money would cobble together a group like that trying to sell to a bigger operator. In all likelyhood, Citadel will be sold in the near future for about 25 cents on the dollar and no one interested in any Citadel market with any real money would waste time on a small rimshot when they may be able to buy part of the Big Dog at a huge discount. 

There are a few operators/former operators with money who know, sooner or later, some of these small "rim shot" operators will simply get tired of pumping the few thousand a month into the station and do what Doug Horne did with WATO, set a low ball price and hope to sell it. But even that deal took a year to materialize.

For several years those rimshot FM's seemed to have a "stick value" of between 1.5 and 2.5 million.  In todays world, I truly believe there are about 3 to 4 Knoxville FM rimshots that could be sold within the year for well below 1 million dollars, either voluntarily, or by their bankers!

While it may be true that the majority of the Citadel portfolio would be of little interest to an outside group, WIVK is still pulling in the majority of ad dollars in the market and that alone would make their Knoxville cluster singularly attractive to a prospective buyer.

And remember, it was Pirkle and not Horne that got the WATO deal done. He also brokered the Maryville station for Horne and I would suspect that he is behind the scenes on many of the deals and changes going on in the market which will ultimately benefit his concerns in the long run.

 

[RMarino]

Its just like the old mix 95.7,,, too close to star.. Why put up with static when 102.1 is a flame thrower,,, not nearly as powerful as WOKI 100.3 was,,, but it gets out there..  If mix couldnt dent star with two much more better signals than 106.1,, then what makes 106 think they can... they should go 80s, AAA, or Dance......etc  any other ideas.....

I agree it wasn't a good choice.  Sure Hot AC worked for awhile on 93.1 because Journal used it to protect Star.  Even if the format was on 95.7 again, it might make a decent younger/older combo sell with B-97.5.  But for a stand-alone FM with a small signal?  Horrible choice.

So what should 106.1 have done instead?  There is a huge hole for a '70s-'80s classic hits similiar to 97.1 The River in Atlanta or Big 100 in Washington.  WOKI still plays mainly '60s and you're out of luck with WIMZ if you don't like Skynyrd, AC/DC or Black Crowes.  Why is there nothing in between these two?   

Can it succeed here?  Take a look at what WVEK is doing in the Tri-Cities. They are 5th place 12+ already doing classic hits, and it's not even live/local.

[knoxbob]

I was listening on the way home from work tonight and I heard a promo for Bruce Patrick for the morning show. wasn't he at 93.1 before it went country?