105.9 The Edge Flipping To WMAL-AM Simulcast Monday

[DToTheJ]

And I'm sure Brick's not the only one...

Here's a YouTube video of WMAL signing on FM:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktiA6epxmkM

[raccoonradio]

>>So you're reporting 105.9 went to a WMAL simulcast at 5 AM?
>>According to Yes.com, The Edge is still playing music

At 5 am the day of the flip maybe but not at noon...
105.9 ended with Hello Goodbye on their stream )and yes you'll see that on the YouTube vid linked above) and went into news, then Rush. Maybe this is monitoring a computer that is still firing up music, or maybe this is what's on HD 2 etc but note:
when you click the link and see Chat (a list of songs) it currently says

Beatles--Across the Universe 2:06 am
The Cure--Love Song 2:36 am
Allman Bros--Jessica 2:57 am
MxPx--Chick Magnet 3:39 am

4 songs in the space of an hour and a half or so? Talk about Your Less Music Station...

[observer2]

to raccoonradio (cool name) re. Spirit of Radio: begin the day with a friendly voice (good radio)
next line: a companion unobtrusive (not necessarily good radio, and the point of the song, perhaps)

[Old PD]

The final nail in "The Edge"s coffin came over the weekend.  105.9 now officialy has the WMAL-FM call letters.

[nocomradio]

 I've been listening off and on for the last few days, and I must say, while WMAL-FM sounds like a great idea, they still have a long way to go to get up to speed on the FM dial. They still sound like the AM station that nobody in DC listened to much anymore. I wonder what they plan to offer that will help them compete that wasn't working for them on AM?

 I wish them all the best, but it sounds like it may take a while.

[DToTheJ]

Again, if they put in more of a local effort, especially after Rush, it might not take as long as you may think...

So, which lucky radio station will be the recipient of the vaunted WVRX calls? 

[nocomradio]

Again, if they put in more of a local effort, especially after Rush, it might not take as long as you may think...

So, which lucky radio station will be the recipient of the vaunted WVRX calls? 

 Local will be the key for sure. Sadly, WMAL hasn't grasped that concept for many years in their AM perch. That's why I have the question, what are they going to do to improve things. Simulcasting doesn't sound like it will be the fix. I'm sure someone there knows this and may even be working on it, but I've seen lots of businesses go down this same road: Buy a failing business, (in this case a Classic Rocker that wasn't doing well) try to run it the same, (placing an old brand with old values that weren't doing well on the frequency) and then not understand why it tanked in the end, blaming the economy, customers, etc. (expecting different results from the same methods)


  As far as the VRX call? It'll probably be shipped to the highest bidder.

[Old PD]

I think that there are economic forces at work here.  WMAL  has been a cash cow for all of its owners since the old Evening Star days. 

In the past decade WMAL has suffered from having the best AM signal in an FM market.   

It’s owners tweaked the programming to right leaning political talk, since that was what was doing well for AM stations riding the Limbaugh conservative talk wave.  It still brought in money.

 Now, however, the combination of aging demographics, younger listeners’ aversion to AM, plus increasing noise on the AM band from IBOC, CFL light bulbs and computers have hurt AM listening to the point of being untenable.   So beginning the switch to FM was probably overdue.

“The Edge” never found any programming traction, and was not producing much income, so the decision to salvage the WMAL brand was a no brainer.   

I would expect the switch to FM to have an effect on programming.   I would look for the sound to get softer and more natural, away from the acerbic jack up the mid-range AM sound (if you have listened… they have already started to adjust the processing).  My best guess is that the talk programming will continue, but may be tweaked back a little more to center.  I would also expect PM Drive to go live eventually and hopefully to be followed by more local programming. 

In a year or so I would look for WMAL follow WTOP and walk away from the AM band entirely.    As for 630, it is my opinion that its fate will be determined by the fact that its tower field might be the most valuable piece of residential real estate in the Washington metro.

[DToTheJ]

Looks like the simulcast isn't working based on early results. DCRTV posted the numbers for the first week of the WMAL AM/FM simulcast, and both of them finished in 20th place. Even more shocking is that the finish for Rush's show was well outside the top 10; usually, it's the morning show finishing at around 10th, then Rush in 3rd place or so, then Hannity promptly pisses away Rush's audience and plummets to about 18th place on average.

I thought that an FM simulcast would help WMAL - what is going on? 

[TheBigA]

I thought that an FM simulcast would help WMAL - what is going on? 

If you build it, sometimes they don't come. 

And sometimes the programming on the AM sucks.  So just moving it from AM to FM doesn't mean anything.