Jacksonville Radio 2009

[Radio_Jax]

Figured this needed some updating...The Point is now X 102.9, From WMXQ to WXXJ: http://jacksonville.com/business/2010-02-17/story/x1029_planet_radio_in_heated_battle_for_alt_rock_listeners

[JohnJax]

Radio Jax, Interesting that out of all the subjects of the past year, you chose to go through the effort to specifically seek and resurface this one to make it your first post. My friend, idiots we are not but slap us on the backside and call us suspicious.

Yeah, I saw that piece of garbage in the news and I didn’t believe it was post-worthy.  But my goodness, even a year ago I cited all the reasons the old Point was heading for failure. That’s now old news but it doesn’t change how “you guys” couldn’t sustain a format that could have evolved into something really good for our market.

Now you are engaged in juvenile name calling and a pissing contest while tearing down a heritage station that you are not nor will you ever be if you continue doing this. IMHO, your methods of operations disgust me. I’ll go on the record now to say Planet at least takes the high road. To me, that means even more than the ratings. So continue with your revenue dares and if a few people wind up loosing their livelihood as a result, pat yourselves on the back for a job well done.

While at it, we have a country format battle. If there is a bright spot here, let’s be grateful the same thinking that exists over at Cox doesn’t exist between QIK and Gator. If Robbie and Boomer were instructed to constantly put down Steve and company and vice-versa at every turn, that would perhaps start out cute but it would get old fast. In the end, listeners will get turned off by it. Sure, there is competition but if winners are to be determined, let it be from content and innovative programming and not from name calling.

There’s a lot of good spirit of competition in our town and we have a lot of broadcasters who truly are professional and who work hard to keep and grow their audience. You guys at Cox have an empty building and put your efforts into insipid sweepers. Enjoy your success while it lasts, but personally I’m routing for Planet to win in the long-run!   

[upstate29651]

John, I wouldn't call Planet "heritage".  For starters, they're no longer alternative as they once were, but active.  Signal moves, studio moves & fewer warm bodies in studio have made Planet vulnerable.  X is engaged in guerilla marketing, which in youth oriented radio, is perfectly acceptable.

I fail to see your issue here.

G

[JohnJax]

The fact that you fail to see an issue is one of the major problems of radio today.  Nonetheless I respect your opinion to say and think as you feel.  But let's not split hairs over format variance.  For marketing reasons both stations are listed as alternative. If Planet was so different, the assult would lessen or not exist at all. In end it's new rock. They are both targeting the same listeners pure and simple.

Planet is an established brand for what over 10 years- listeners who hear of it - know what to expect. I believe this is part of being heritage and I don't believe heritage necessary equates to tenure. So, for sake of compromise let's attempt to agree that X is the baby sibling and Planet is the older brother. 

The reality is Cox Radio failed in numerous formats in that great 102.9 signal many would cut their arm off to have. So we are where we are.  Guerilla marketing as you call it is an option.  They could have chosen another course to launch their station - they didn't.  It's an area I will disagree with others who believe in this method.  I believe we can do better and I believe those at Planet deserve credit for not jumping into the gutter. I give the listeners regardless of age more credit for intelligence and making station choice than those who run stations do. I still say if there is room for a competitor - fine but being so vindictive in a market our size is almost laughable.  And that's just my opinion.

Listeners in our town are jumping to anything new and exciting because there is so little of it. Business makes choices everyday. While there will always be points in which there will be disagreement, I remind you all of history. It's this same outfit (Cox Radio) who made a choice to fire a lot of loyal, talented people on Christmas Day many moons ago. Some call it a business decision.  They certainly had other options but it should prove what their core values really are. I'm sorry, I just believe we can do so much better and that's why I can't support how they arrive at success. 

[ThatGuyOnTheRadio]

The fact that you fail to see an issue is one of the major problems of radio today.

JohnJax, are you saying that Guerilla marketing and "sand kicking" NEVER ONCE happened in the past? Because, it has. Some of the most successful stations that came in and took on a "heritage stations" are still around-- the "heritage" is not. I'm not speaking of Jacksonville specifically, but around the country over the last 60 years.

Cox made a fantastic decision by putting X on 102.9, say what you will with Point-- they let a good format flounder, whatever. Fact is, Point was failing, they saw the writing on the wall and attacked Planet. We can only hope this success for Cox continues.

I'm sorry this Guerilla marketing has offended you John.

[JohnJax]

Guy, as a history buff and someone who has listened to a lot of radio, I have no other alternative than to agree with you. Attacking one station so its’ notoriety rubs off on the other station is a strategy as old as the hills. Others have used it and it will be used tomorrow. I didn’t care much for that strategy then and I don’t subscribe to it today. As one who has had an active life traveling all over the place, all I can say is I have never seen it or heard it taken to this degree. What’s next, a criticism of what toilet paper they use?  I just think it’s gotten to the ridiculous. 

There are subtle and I believe far more professional ways to position a station and set it apart from competition. I prefer to think of the success many stations have experienced over the ages who fend off competition by simply being better than everyone else. What a concept. Here's a success story worth mentioning.

A while back while driving around town, I came upon a lot of WQIK billboards. When I first saw them, my first thought was that they were just brilliant. They simply state “WQIK Jacksonville’s Country Station.” There are just a few words but I believe it to be subtle, extremely subliminal and it drives a loyalty/heritage station message home. Despite incredible competition, no one can deny that WQIK has been trending upwards and the station can’t be called anything but a success. Effective marketing can help but listeners have to like what they hear once they tune in.

Look, we all can’t march to the beat of the same drummer.  For those of you who love how X conducts itself and how they derived success, more power to you. I won’t change your mind and mine won’t be changed either. Life goes on. There are lots of avenues to success and I just prefer that high road.

[Kabrich]

ROFLMAO. Planet is a Heritage Station?

 

That's the funniest thing I've read in this thread in years - Next you'll be telling us how Lex and Terry on Planet are still Top Ranked in the ratings - and that X isn't killing Planet in the ratings. 

[JohnJax]

Look, I’ve put my foot in my mouth lots of time and I’m the first to laugh at myself, learn from mistakes and then I move on. I acknowledged my use of the term “heritage” was probably a stretch but I still made the comparison that one station is very new and the other has been around awhile.  Factually, that statement is accurate and I stand by it. 

If criticism helps generate response, I prefer that to the normal apathy around subjects Jacksonville. But really, the focus in this string should not concern itself with definitions but rather in how radio in our town conducts itself to achieve goals.

When I post, I attempt to bring a lot of thought and research into the discussion and this string was no exception. On the subject of X, if one bothers to look, I acknowledged a number of times that 102.9 must have recognized opportunity – a hole in the market. I indicated too that Planet may have even brought some of this on themselves. In addition, I also recognized X’s successful launch and retention of audience. But from day one, I also expressed distaste for slamming a competitor hour after hour.

There’s a lot of stuff that is subjective.  Personally, I find the sweepers that get preachy annoying because they take away from the music. It’s a major reason I can’t listen to Eagle for more than a few songs worth of time. For those of you who like what you hear on X, perhaps over time you too will begin to say – OK, enough already with Planet.  Just play the music and STFU. Is this marketing strategy to go on forever? I doubt Planet is going away any time soon as there is a lucritive demo involved.

What I tried to bring out in the discussion is there are fine examples in our town of competition that doesn’t get personal. Without sounding like a broken record, we have Gator and “QIK in a battle and really both work hard.  They co-exist and both can take credit for their market impacts and in revenue generation. Listeners are not held hostage in the battle. Both engage in things that promote themselves but there is no need to ridicule and put down the other. Gator hosts concerts every once in a while.  That helps market the station. IMHO, it would be a sad day if the next day Boomer or Robbie ripped the acts or those who attended the show. I see very little merit in that.

So, I’ve made my peace. I prefer to celebrate the positive and those who handle competition in a professional manner. I can only call it as I see it but I think it keeps some dignity in the business of radio and that should be worth something.