BECOME AN AFFILIATE OF T-SHIRT HELL AND MAKE SOME MONEY!
Name: Entercom Communications
Age: 50
Occupation: media giant
Last Seen: Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania
Bee-otched For: unplugging Amp for sleepytime music
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Once upon a time, there was a little rock station in Detroit called WLLZ, aka "Detroit's Wheels".
From 1980 to 1995, 98.7 was one of Detroit's most-popular rock stations, even helping to force 106.7 W4 to change formats to country in 1981. By the early 90s, WLLZ was alternative and sinking in the ratings fast. Detroit had a plethora of rock stations by the mid-90s playing everything from classics to metal. WLLZ was a has-been, and in 1995, it flipped to smooth jazz as WVMV/V98.7.
WVMV did well in the ratings for many years. But by 2009, the smooth jazz format nationally had been seeing poor ratings, so once again, it flipped to a new format: CHR as WDZH Amp 98.7. CBS had been flipping many of its stations to the Amp format; but in its eight years in existence, 98.7 failed to overtake iHeartMedia's WKQI/Channel 955.
Now, Amp has been unplugged.
Last weekend, 98.7 flipped to Christmas music. But, on Monday morning, it officially became 98.7 The Breeze, playing soft AC music.
A typical hour of The Breeze has tunes like Atlantic Starr's "Always", Steve Perry's "Foolish Heart", "We've Got Tonight" by Bob Seger, Tina Turner's "What's Love Got To Do With It" and other tunes that are typical AC fare that nobody under the age of 50 gives two shits about. One of the station's slogans is "Relaxing Favorites At Work". Usually, a station like that has an audience that's around my mother's age, and she's 63. Not really the type of demographic advertisers would want (and in my mom's case, since she moved here to Grand Rapids a few weeks ago, she's only shopped at Meijer, Walmart and Michael's). I would imagine that if one would listen to The Breeze at work, they could turn their office keyboard into a pillow. They might as well put Brahm's Lullaby into the playlist.
Ya know, my uncle once was an ad sales rep for WDZH's rival station, iHeart's 100.3 WNIC 15 years ago. He was canned after six months. Why? It's because he only sold two spots. TWO. Over the years, advertisers have been turning their backs to terrestrial radio because more and more people are listening to satellite and digital radio. People simply are tired of hearing the same 200 songs over and over.
Musically, The Breeze is somewhat similar to the old Magic 105.1, which flipped to sports and is now classic hip-hop as 105.1 The Bounce. IIRC, they were getting creamed by WNIC in the ratings towards the end.
So, why soft AC for 98.7? Good question. Detroit's already got two active rock stations, so that's a no-go. 93.9 and 106.7 are both alternative and neither have good ratings. Classic hits or a Jack-like format's out of the question since WOMC's their sister station. Detroit's already got a shit ton of urban stations. Since Detroit's two ACs - WNIC and Cumulus hot AC WDVD 96.3 - both go after those slightly too old for Channel 955, soft AC it is.
IMHO, I don't think 98.7 will see a drastic ratings improvement over Amp. 100.5 The River here in GR has been soft AC FOREVER and has no ratings. Soft AC was tried and failed miserably on three different stations up north (and ironically, one of the stations was called "The Breeze").
Radio: it's out of ideas, folks.
Age: 50
Occupation: media giant
Last Seen: Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania
Bee-otched For: unplugging Amp for sleepytime music
--
Once upon a time, there was a little rock station in Detroit called WLLZ, aka "Detroit's Wheels".
From 1980 to 1995, 98.7 was one of Detroit's most-popular rock stations, even helping to force 106.7 W4 to change formats to country in 1981. By the early 90s, WLLZ was alternative and sinking in the ratings fast. Detroit had a plethora of rock stations by the mid-90s playing everything from classics to metal. WLLZ was a has-been, and in 1995, it flipped to smooth jazz as WVMV/V98.7.
WVMV did well in the ratings for many years. But by 2009, the smooth jazz format nationally had been seeing poor ratings, so once again, it flipped to a new format: CHR as WDZH Amp 98.7. CBS had been flipping many of its stations to the Amp format; but in its eight years in existence, 98.7 failed to overtake iHeartMedia's WKQI/Channel 955.
Now, Amp has been unplugged.
Last weekend, 98.7 flipped to Christmas music. But, on Monday morning, it officially became 98.7 The Breeze, playing soft AC music.
A typical hour of The Breeze has tunes like Atlantic Starr's "Always", Steve Perry's "Foolish Heart", "We've Got Tonight" by Bob Seger, Tina Turner's "What's Love Got To Do With It" and other tunes that are typical AC fare that nobody under the age of 50 gives two shits about. One of the station's slogans is "Relaxing Favorites At Work". Usually, a station like that has an audience that's around my mother's age, and she's 63. Not really the type of demographic advertisers would want (and in my mom's case, since she moved here to Grand Rapids a few weeks ago, she's only shopped at Meijer, Walmart and Michael's). I would imagine that if one would listen to The Breeze at work, they could turn their office keyboard into a pillow. They might as well put Brahm's Lullaby into the playlist.
Ya know, my uncle once was an ad sales rep for WDZH's rival station, iHeart's 100.3 WNIC 15 years ago. He was canned after six months. Why? It's because he only sold two spots. TWO. Over the years, advertisers have been turning their backs to terrestrial radio because more and more people are listening to satellite and digital radio. People simply are tired of hearing the same 200 songs over and over.
Musically, The Breeze is somewhat similar to the old Magic 105.1, which flipped to sports and is now classic hip-hop as 105.1 The Bounce. IIRC, they were getting creamed by WNIC in the ratings towards the end.
So, why soft AC for 98.7? Good question. Detroit's already got two active rock stations, so that's a no-go. 93.9 and 106.7 are both alternative and neither have good ratings. Classic hits or a Jack-like format's out of the question since WOMC's their sister station. Detroit's already got a shit ton of urban stations. Since Detroit's two ACs - WNIC and Cumulus hot AC WDVD 96.3 - both go after those slightly too old for Channel 955, soft AC it is.
IMHO, I don't think 98.7 will see a drastic ratings improvement over Amp. 100.5 The River here in GR has been soft AC FOREVER and has no ratings. Soft AC was tried and failed miserably on three different stations up north (and ironically, one of the stations was called "The Breeze").
Radio: it's out of ideas, folks.
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Bee-otch of the Day is a production of Chuck69.com, Grand Rapids' site for Stern, politics and more!
Bee-otch of the Day Archives can be seen on http://beeotchoftheday.blogspot.com
Bee-otch of the Day is a production of Chuck69.com, Grand Rapids' site for Stern, politics and more!
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