Jacksonville

[charlestondxman]

It's like that with AM radio too. 96.9 was a great oldies station. I remember it from the brief time it was simulcasted on 600 which bled into Charleston. It was almost as good as our local oldies station, which was really good.

One of the best in the Southeast but Cox took it off. We hear Tom Murphy more now in Charleston and other markets. He is the VO guy for a couple high-profile car dealers in Charleston and Columbia.

You have WOKV's morning news, and except for a couple shows on 600, those are the only local talk shows you can get.

I remember when 600 and 930 were both very good mostly local sports stations, and now thankfully 600 is a decent format (news/talk) for the signal it has.

[upstate29651]

When I got to Flagler in 1997, I thought of things differently.  Rock 105 got stale & boring after about 2 months; Arrow 100.7 was my choice for classic rock after Big 106.5 went off the air.  But 105 was boring as hell (played only the same 7 bands) & the "personalities" weren't anything to write home about, especially the morning morons.  My roommate worked @ Planet but I can remember not being impressed by the music & hated the cutesy names the D.J.s had (Flounder, Crissy "no h, no t", etc.).  I was glad we could receive Orlando-area stations as well as Daytona in St. Aug..  Otherwise, I might as well not have a radio!  WHTQ was good, WJRR sucked, WTKS was OK, WHOG-FM wasn't bad & WKRO-FM was decent as The Krow.

Musically & personality-wise, Planet, JRR & KRO were the same (and weekends on TKS to an extent).

G

[nfladxer]

Hey, guess what?  Due to some juicy Tropo ducting, Jacksonville had an Oldies station loud and clear (until about 11:30am)!  Actually 105-9 Sunny FM from Orlando was coming in quite strongly this morning.  Great to hear a real radio station with real on air personalities while driving down Roosevelt Blvd!  Too bad Jax doesn't have a real Classic Hits/Oldies powerhouse anymore!     Makes too much sense, which in turn could make some saavy company some dollars and cents!  Just sayin'!  Note to powers that be:  A properly programmed Oldies format has a much wider appeal than your overpaid consultant may advise.  Clear Channel had a healthy adult oriented idea with Magic 107-3, and then killed it off for no apparent reason!  I guess they thought they were going to knock off 96-9 The Eagle, when it didn't happen right away, Magic got Jacked!  Not Good!     Have a safe and Happy 4th of July!   

[carolinaradio]

^ I don't see what listeners "hear" in The Eagle, but they seem untouchable.  I don't think Jack will impact it any more than Magic did.  94.1 hasn't really succeeded at it.

Will be interesting to see after Jack has been around a while if its numbers are as good as Magic's were.  I doubt it.  Magic's performance actually wasn't that bad.

[JohnJax]

Here's a few thoughts to respond to the previous posts. As far as Sunny 105.9 goes, the station/format was not always a ratings success. Almost similar to Jax, the format was started/stopped a number of times among a number of stations. Not only is this disruptive to listeners but it makes success even more elusive in the competitive world of radio. However, what Sunny had going for it was they had a company behind them vested in their success. A new PD was brought in and he was given latitude and certainly ample time to turn things around. Yes, there was trial and error and some things didn't work. Today, time and patience has created a win/win for both listeners and for the parent company. This doesn't happen too often in radio nowadays but how sweet it is when it does!

Magic 107.3 had a lot going for her. There was a very capable PD and a talent who knew this market and music inside and out. There was another who was a part of the CBS Radio culture and let's face it, they do the format very well. Their expertise and knowledge meant very little. Instead, decisions were made by someone who clearly was over his head. When I visit S. Fla I usually hook up with a number of radio friends there.Even they knew, the former PD brought in a year or so ago simply did not like the format. Still, I believed that given the former OM's brother was a brand coordinator for oldies/classic hits, I was really hopeful an effective level of support and attention would follow. Obviously, none of that happened. RIFs are a fact of life and still it's a shame the pain couldn't be spread around.

As far as the positioning of Magic goes, in no way was the intent to knock off Eagle. Magic was designed to be a more female friendly version of Eagle while also attracting some WEJZ listeners who weren't exactly turned on by contemporary music. Overall, Magic's ratings weren't the best but they were far better than many others doing the format. Magic actually beat Eagle in certain targets/demos. I can't help but think of Miami/South Florida. The hybrid oldies station there has been drifting and struggling for years. Yet, they are given another lifeline with the hiring of a new PD. We aren't so fortunate in Jax and there is a track record of not supporting the format in all 3 major radio groups.

Frustrated? You bet I am and it's because the powers that be in this market don't recognize the real demand that does exist. In my travels, besides S. Fla, I know some radio folks in the Northeast. Almost always the subject of radio in Jacksonville comes up in conversation. It's rare for them to bring up rock or country. But rather they talk about the mighty WAPE of the past when they would travel through Jax between NYC and Miami. A Top 40 popular music town - indeed we are- there is lots of history there and a big format bucket. For a number of years, when I would review ratings almost always the hit music stations to include retro formats such as Magic combined out-performed rock, country and urban at least in audience shares. To me, that says a lot.

Here we are in the July 4th holiday and summer is such a great time to listen to the radio. Locally, my radio is turned off. I do have 105.9 on my car presets and sometimes I'm treated to good radio, most times I am not. One of the biggest complaints I read on the boards are stations/brands like Eagle that play the same 300 songs over and over. I get why that happens because from a programming perspective it works. Indeed, Eagle is a successful brand. However, that format is limited and restricted as it generally presents one genre of music and it's the same old same old every single day.

We live in a wonderful age. I've been listening to CBS Radio's Oldies/Classic Hits WOGL over the past several days. They are presenting a Top 1000 countdown and it's great. There are so many wow songs, some I haven't heard on the radio since Cool 96.9 went away. In some ways, CBS Radio has almost taken a "Jack" approach with all the variety and genres of music presented. In a sea of sameness, I always saw so much opportunity in differentiating yourself more especially in weekend and holiday programming. CC just didn't have the same philosophy as CBS and I believe it could have made a difference here.  So now there is Jack. Jack is cheap. Cheap trumps real listener demand. Happy 4th!

[JohnJax]

Sorry for the double post but I'd like to correct a typo. I meant to say "the former GM (not the PD) brought in a year or so ago simply did not like the format. 

[nfladxer]

JohnJax, Even though you claim not to be in radio, your "head" is obviously in the business, due to your passion.  And it's clear to this poster you've talked to some of the people involved with the former "Magic", so have I.  Yes, Magic 107-3 started out more female friendly when launched, and seemed to be originally aimed somewhere between Lite 96.1 and 96-9 The Eagle.  And, yes, many involved have indicated the GM brought in a year or so ago to the local CC Media and Entertainment cluster did not like the "Oldies" format.  It surprises me that that was a factor, since CC seems to dictate the orders from a higher level.  But, in well over 30 years of experience and observation, in most cases, a radio station can never be better than the GM - period.  Too bad they didn't give Magic the time to really succeed, they WERE on the right track.  And, while 105-9 Sunny FM in Orlando is very good, the Oldies station that preceded it, programmed by my former boss, Scott Sherwood, Cool 105.9, was much better to my ears.  The jocks were smoother, the music mix was excellent, and despite the jocks being slicker, and the station was still fun to listen to.  But, for some mysterious reason, CBS (who IMHO runs THE best Oldies stations) pulled the switch on Cool in April 1999 - a very pre-mature death!  Of course, the same company made the same mistake a few years later with WCBS-FM in New York, and ultimately corrected that mistake!   While the current Sunny FM is well programmed, and I still really like the music mix, the jocks seem to sound intentionally more sophomoric and inrritating - not sure why, I guess the current PD's style.  Since it seems to be working, this old jock better shut up!  Ouch!  There must be a PPM close by!    

[carolinaradio]

All very good points.  When I go through Jacksonville soon, I'm going to miss Magic.  It's really sad that even markets like Savannah, GA have the format but Jacksonville can't.  The market has too many rock stations for my tastes. 

I'm wondering how Classic Rock 94.1 is doing with 96.9 and 107.3 sort of breathing down their throat on much better signals.  I don't see how 94.1 can compete with a performer like 96.9 with their limited signal.  We can't see their numbers anymore.  If classic rock doesn't work out for them, perhaps Renda should re-consider classic hits after seeing how it did on Magic with PPM.

[nuffsaid]

What's the news talk situation in that market?

[CapeFish]

All very good points.  When I go through Jacksonville soon, I'm going to miss Magic.  It's really sad that even markets like Savannah, GA have the format but Jacksonville can't.  The market has too many rock stations for my tastes. 

I'm wondering how Classic Rock 94.1 is doing with 96.9 and 107.3 sort of breathing down their throat on much better signals.  I don't see how 94.1 can compete with a performer like 96.9 with their limited signal.  We can't see their numbers anymore.  If classic rock doesn't work out for them, perhaps Renda should re-consider classic hits after seeing how it did on Magic with PPM.

Interesting 94.1 news today as they add FSU football, men's basketball, and coaches' shows: http://www.seminoles.com/blog/2012/07/fsu-and-img-college-announce-new-jacksonville-radio-affiliate.html

WBOB was the former home of these broadcasts.