Baltimore: The City That Alternative Forgot

[Slinky]

Perhaps Town University's WTMD 89.7 The Breeze can fill the Modern Rock hole? They only posted a 0.5 share in the ratings, and their non-commercial. There little doubt that if they go Modern Rock their numbers will climb.
WZBA 100.7 would certainly make for a good candidate - they have a 1.9 in the ratings with their Classic Rock format. They're already doing some type of Rock, why not try Modern Rock?
Sports outlet WJZ 105.7 is down 3.1-2.6, and their cume is less than 250,000.
What about WFSI 107.9 Family Radio? Maybe they should make the move to Alternative?

That's 5 choices that we now know of where a station can go Modern Rock - WLZL, WTMD, WZBA, WJZ, and WFSI

WLZL, for all intents and purposes, is now a DC station.  Even though the signal hits both Baltimore and DC, and actually covers Baltimore better, CBS has decided to target DC with it because that's where the money is.  I don't think they would try to take on DC101 in DC, so this station is probably out.

WTMD, while not scoring big ratings, is trying to follow in the footsteps of successful non-comm AAA stations like WXPN.  I don't think an all out flip would be appropriate, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to do a specialty show at night and an HD2 channel like XPN does.

WZBA- maybe.  It's not the best signal to the south, which is why I think they're having problems with Classic Rock.  If you're a Classic Rocker in, say, Columbia, you're just as likely to listen to WBIG.  There's also some competition between WZBA and the 80's Rock-flavored WQSR and of course, WQSR has the better signal.  Alternative would have similar problems vs. DC101 and 98 Rock, but it might work a little better than what they're doing now.

WJZ is low-rated but Sports is a huge moneymaker.  They're not flipping anytime soon.

WFSI obviously isn't doing anything under its current ownership, but if they were sold, you never know.  The negative is that the signal is similar to WLZL's, so whoever bought it would want to target DC more than Baltimore, and may not want to take on DC101.

[Nick]

It's time to flip a format if your station is being beaten by your sister station 40 miles away with a signal in only half the market.
Perhaps they should have just simulcasted Hot 99.5 on 104.3

[shadough]

Baltimoreans dont really want to be associated w/ DCer's so a simulcast is not a good idea.  WFSI has been they way they are for decades, it will never change.  El-zol has done better in the ratings than their predecesor, HFS (at least towards the end).  WZBA, on the other hand, would be a good choice for a flip.  Classic rock just hasnt done well in b'more.  If any station flips, I think that would be the most likely candidate.

Meanwhile, what will Z104 become?  Yet another Z104 in the baltimore/washington area.  We've had one off an on since the 1970's!!!  I think ELvis Duran is a likely choice for mornings but how can Seacrest be integrated on this station??   Seacrest is already on Mix-106.5!  At least the AT40 (HotAC) show.  Do you think they would be able to air AT40 CHR in the same town??  Perhaps Rick Dees could finally return, after all, he was on each of the previous incarnations of Z104.  ANd will they hire dj's or just voice-track like Q94 in Richmond??  Knowing CC, probably the latter.

[Slinky]

Baltimoreans dont really want to be associated w/ DCer's so a simulcast is not a good idea.

I'll echo this.  It could work with a format that's more generic, like AC or Classic Rock, but it can't work with a format like CHR where the music has to be customized for the market.

I think ELvis Duran is a likely choice for mornings but how can Seacrest be integrated on this station??   Seacrest is already on Mix-106.5!  At least the AT40 (HotAC) show.  Do you think they would be able to air AT40 CHR in the same town??

If a station agrees to carry the Seacrest weekday show, they get first rights to AT40 by default.  What will probably happen is that Z104.3 will put Seacrest in weekday middays and also steal AT40 away from Mix.

ANd will they hire dj's or just voice-track like Q94 in Richmond??  Knowing CC, probably the latter.

Probably a mix.  My guess is they'll start out with Elvis mornings, Seacrest middays, local afternoons, voicetracked nights.  Maybe they'll expand live and local to nights depending on the ratings.

[Silkie]

Baltimore is pretty rapidly becoming the city that just about everyone everywhere has forgotten ever since William Donald Schaeffer was no longer the Mayor...and that has been a very long time.

[jackandcoke]

WTMD is the obvious place for modern/alternative, and with a little common-sense dayparting, they could maintain their AAA position during daytime hours and shift into higher gear as the day wears on.

They're shopping for a new PD, so this would give him/her a worthwhile project... instead of spending 8 hours a day sorting through Sarah McLachlan tunes...

[limin]

Yeah it is going to be Elvis Duran in the morning. 

[Radaioman]

Yeah it is going to be Elvis Duran in the morning. 

You speak like this is a foregone conclusion. What are you basing it on?

[Radaioman]

WTMD is the obvious place for modern/alternative, and with a little common-sense dayparting, they could maintain their AAA position during daytime hours and shift into higher gear as the day wears on.

They're shopping for a new PD, so this would give him/her a worthwhile project... instead of spending 8 hours a day sorting through Sarah McLachlan tunes...

You are about 10 years late on the Sarah McLachlan reference for CHR

[jackandcoke]

WTMD is the obvious place for modern/alternative, and with a little common-sense dayparting, they could maintain their AAA position during daytime hours and shift into higher gear as the day wears on.

They're shopping for a new PD, so this would give him/her a worthwhile project... instead of spending 8 hours a day sorting through Sarah McLachlan tunes...

You are about 10 years late on the Sarah McLachlan reference for CHR

AAA, not CHR. And, no, not the American Automobile Association.