Source: Merlin To Flip WRXP To News/Talk

[TheBigA]

Somebody's been there and done that in NYC!  Remember Blink 102.7?  If you blinked, you missed it!

I think Blink was a great idea, done badly, and was hurt by the fact that it replaced WNEW-FM. 

Had it replaced WFME, it might have had a better chance. 

If Randy Michaels does a Blink-like format, replacing a format that doesn't engender a lot of passion, using well known female hosts, like the letters I mentioned, he could do well.

[Kent]

Didn't the FCC force stations to have separate programming on their AM and FM stations years ago?  I wonder if the stations plan on leaving these simulcasts that way until policy changes again.  I'm surprised it's happening on TV particularly, with so many duplicate broadcasts.

The FCC had such a policy in effect in the 70's.  It went away at least 25 years ago after AM ceased to be viable on its own for the vast majority of stations.

[DToTheJ]

It's a failed format. It's failed everywhere... 4 stations that were at one time doing a "Talk Radio for Women" format. I'm sure there were others.

All low power AMs.  It didn't matter what format they did.  They were going to fail.  Period...

Meanwhile, not for nothing, but that FM station geared at women in Minneapolis is doing pretty good.

[FightingIrish]

It's a failed format. It's failed everywhere... 4 stations that were at one time doing a "Talk Radio for Women" format. I'm sure there were others.

All low power AMs.  It didn't matter what format they did.  They were going to fail.  Period...

Meanwhile, not for nothing, but that FM station geared at women in Minneapolis is doing pretty good.

I was going to bring that one up. KTMY has been doing the format for about a decade or so, with lots of local talkers, including Ian Punnett, the guy who does Coast To Coast on the weekends. Gets so-so ratings (2.0 share overall average -- us peons don't have access to the breakdowns). I assume they're making some money, though. Either that, or Hubbard is obsessed with the format.

[ansky212]

I tuned in to NJ 101.5 for a minute yesterday.  The topic of discussion was whether or not the state of NJ should sell advertising on state vehicles.  Now there's some riveting talk radio 

[OhioMediaWatch]

Not saying that 101.9 will end up a clone of NJ 101.5, but...Walter Sabo is one of Randy's first hires for Merlin.

My gut tells me that a straight-ahead local news/talk station with a 24/7 (yes) schedule is Randy's move in August. The local talk hole in NYC is big enough to drive a truck through.

[disney fanatic]

I hope that this station will be another WKIP-FM at 99.3 in Ellenville and WGY-FM at 103.1 in Albany. I hope they should compete with the two well known AM stations like WABC and WOR. We shall see!

[MusicRadioUSA]

your suggesting for a station like WABC-FM or WOR-FM ?

I hope that this station will be another WKIP-FM at 99.3 in Ellenville and WGY-FM at 103.1 in Albany. I hope they should compete with the two well known AM stations like WABC and WOR. We shall see!

[disney fanatic]

your suggesting for a station like WABC-FM or WOR-FM ?

That's a good idea, why not put WABC-FM on 95.5 and drop the WPLJ calls. WABC used to be an FM station in New York City back in the 60's before it became WPLJ as "New York's Best Rock" in the 70's.

[Nathan Obral]

These are 4 station that were at one time doing a "Talk Radio for Women" format. I'm sure there were others.

All low power AMs.  It didn't matter what format they did.  They were going to fail.  Period.  Especially if they ran the ill-fated, short-lived syndicated talk network aimed at women.

Don't use those stations as an indication of anything, expect low power AMs running weak syndicated talk are destined to fail.

The station in Baltimore, WVIE/1370, is hardly low-power. 50,000 watts day and 24,000 watts night...

WVIE's problem has always been running as the red-headed step child to news/talk WCBM/680 - to wit, the station is flipping from sports talk to the TRN-supplied "America's Radio News" conservanews format next week.