Honestly, why can't ATL have a station like this in Savannah??

[BRENT]

Listen to  WSEG  - 1400 AM Savannah, GA
http://radio.securenetsystems.net//v4/index.cfm?stationCallSign=WSEG

[wpb1999]

It won't work in the "target demo" nonsense:

Star 1400 & FM104.3 has one if the largest music libraries around. If you love  Neil Diamond, Simon & Garfunkel, Michael Buble, Diana Krall, Barry Manilow, Barbra Streisand, Norah Jones, America, Tom Jones,Nat King Cole, Anne Murray, Johnny Mathis, The Carpenters, Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, James Taylor, Dean Martin, Rod Stewart, Elton John, David Gates & Bread, The Platters, Linda Ronstadt, Billy Joel, Carol King, Peter, Paul & Mary, Kenny Rogers, Bette Midler, Paul Anka, Andy Williams, Carly Simon, The Lettermen, Dionne Warwick and much more.

They use Dial Global/WW1/Tanstar's "America's Best Music" Adult Standards format: http://www.dial-global.com/index.php/standards/adult-standards

[BRENT]

It won't work in the "target demo" nonsense:

Star 1400 & FM104.3 has one if the largest music libraries around. If you love  Neil Diamond, Simon & Garfunkel, Michael Buble, Diana Krall, Barry Manilow, Barbra Streisand, Norah Jones, America, Tom Jones,Nat King Cole, Anne Murray, Johnny Mathis, The Carpenters, Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, James Taylor, Dean Martin, Rod Stewart, Elton John, David Gates & Bread, The Platters, Linda Ronstadt, Billy Joel, Carol King, Peter, Paul & Mary, Kenny Rogers, Bette Midler, Paul Anka, Andy Williams, Carly Simon, The Lettermen, Dionne Warwick and much more.

They use Dial Global/WW1/Tanstar's "America's Best Music" Adult Standards format: http://www.dial-global.com/index.php/standards/adult-standards

Well I like it, and I know tens of thousands Atlantan's probably would too.

[jabba17]

Is there some kind of professional stigma about using a canned format in a large market?  Or is the conventional wisdom that it's worth the money in larger markets to conduct ballroom tests and do their own research to "fine-tune" a format?

[BRENT]

Is there some kind of professional stigma about using a canned format in a large market?  Or is the conventional wisdom that it's worth the money in larger markets to conduct ballroom tests and do their own research to "fine-tune" a format?

Those guys are local and make it sound local....

[wpb1999]

Is there some kind of professional stigma about using a canned format in a large market?  Or is the conventional wisdom that it's worth the money in larger markets to conduct ballroom tests and do their own research to "fine-tune" a format?

Those guys are local and make it sound local....

They aren't local...... they are nationally employed by DG/Transtar to produce this 24-hour adult-standards network.

[BarryATL]

I have not heard the station, but the description sounds a lot like WMLB 1690AM.

[secondchoice]

Is there some kind of professional stigma about using a canned format in a large market?  Or is the conventional wisdom that it's worth the money in larger markets to conduct ballroom tests and do their own research to "fine-tune" a format?

A "canned" format can be more expensive than live announcers. One or two 30 sec commercials on any viable top twenty market radio station should more than enough to cover the announcer's salary, unless the announcer is a drive "personality".  With voice tracking, the announcer's salary is negligible (already covered by his / hers "main" station).  Most syndication deals require the local station to "clear" 2 minutes (or more) of commercial per hour.  This is not a problem on a talk / news station that has by nature of the format many available commercial opportunities.  Most Satellite formats have fixed commercial breaks lengths of 3 or 3 and half minutes.  When you "open" one, you must fill the entire break or switch back to the middle or last half of a song.  So you are playing PSA's, stations promos, or giving "free" commercials to fill any extra time required to fill the whole break.  If the format gets you ratings, then somebody will pick up the format, schedule their commercial breaks so they end before you start your commercial breaks, (simple counter programming) and your station will seem to be seem as "always playing commercials".

The True Oldies Channel was used on 106.7 during the Citadel Bankruptcy.  IIRC It still is used part of the time on WLS FM (former Citadel) but they "cut" some "special" hours for that station.