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New CHR Launches in Kalamazoo

Discussion pertaining to Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Muskegon, Battle Creek, Big Rapids, and Michiana
Freqman
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New CHR Launches in Kalamazoo

Post by Freqman » Wed Mar 03, 2021 1:35 pm

From RadioInsight: After moving Variety Hits “96.5 Jack-FM” to 106.5 WVFM last week, Midwest Communications launched CHR “Hits 96.5” on WZOX Portage/Kalamazoo at noon today.

Positioning as “Always More Music”, the station is taking direct aim at Townsquare Media’s market leading CHR 103.3 WKFR.

The station will utilize on-air talent from other Midwest stations. WIFC Wausau WI afternoon host Belkey will host mornings from 5-9am. WNFN Nashville weekend host Amanda ‘Nova’ Terranova will host middays from 9am-1pm. Miggy Santos, Brand Manager/morning host at clustermate Country “Win 98.5” WNWN Battle Creek will host 1-3pm. WNWN APD/evening host Jordan Lass will host afternoons from 3-7pm, while WIFC evening host Mike Mathers will host the same daypart in Kalamazoo.

The new format launched with Jason DeRulo & Jawsh 365 “Savage Love”, Taylor Swift “Willow”, Tate McRae “You Broke Me First” and Fall Out Boy “Centuries”.

Image



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MWmetalhead
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Re: New CHR Launches in Kalamazoo

Post by MWmetalhead » Wed Mar 03, 2021 3:57 pm

This might just work!

No Kidd Crapdick or Evil Bert Show in mornings.

No Zach Lame at night.

All dayparts, albeit with some voicetacking from out of market, are tailor made for the station.

Perhaps MWC learned its lesson from the Lansing debacle?

I'll have to give the stream a listen in a bit.



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MWmetalhead
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Re: New CHR Launches in Kalamazoo

Post by MWmetalhead » Wed Mar 03, 2021 4:14 pm

So I tune into the stream, and the second song I hear is a total stiff from the (misnamed) group, "Fun!". "Some Nights." What a crappy song.

Will give it a listen for another 20 to 30 minutes.

The male imaging voice sounds like a 16 year old.

If this station is geared toward to 12 to 24 year olds, it will fail spectacularly. That age group has fled FM radio and is not coming back. Even if they were still patrons of FM radio, there is not enough advertiser interest in a small market like K'zoo.

A rhythm leaning CHR not afraid to play several crossover gold tracks an hour is the formula that would work here.

This new station so far reminds me too much of the new 93.9 in Windsor. Bleeeeech!

:barf



ChrisWL1980
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Re: New CHR Launches in Kalamazoo

Post by ChrisWL1980 » Wed Mar 03, 2021 8:39 pm

Sounds exactly like i92.9 in its last few months - basically Hot AC masquerading as CHR. Without offering a true alternative to KFR, there's no reason for listeners to switch. A rhythmic lean would have been better.



uncleducky
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Re: New CHR Launches in Kalamazoo

Post by uncleducky » Wed Mar 03, 2021 9:23 pm

So is 106.5fm same as it was on 96.5fm with no commercials and with same song format?



option1
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Re: New CHR Launches in Kalamazoo

Post by option1 » Thu Mar 04, 2021 1:30 am

If they would have done this in 2002 instead of 2021 it might be a story.

Other than the brand manager at MWC having a CHR background that could help, my guess is that it’ll be two watered down top 40’s with mediocre content playing the same songs in power over and over. In a two book market against a heritage like KFR this could go south quick.

I agree with MW 100%. A simple rhythmic CHR mixing in some 90’s-2000 gold that W. Michigan grew up with was the way to go. Even though MWC has WTOU, (which tanked in the fall), a young end version would have been more appealing to advertisers as a combo sell, and to the market as something they’ve wanted forever but never received.

Let’s call it what it is and will be. Two lackluster companies with stations on auto-pilot that will have AE’s chasing ad dollars by undercutting each other for pennies on the dollar. Welcome to small market radio 2021.



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MWmetalhead
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Re: New CHR Launches in Kalamazoo

Post by MWmetalhead » Thu Mar 04, 2021 6:15 am

Sounds exactly like i92.9 in its last few months - basically Hot AC masquerading as CHR. Without offering a true alternative to KFR, there's no reason for listeners to switch. A rhythmic lean would have been better.
Could not have said it better myself.

This new station is very underwhelming. It's basically WKFR without the slick imaging and without KFR's older songs. The song choices are bland and scream "this is a station designed with young kids in mind." Anything the least bit risqué is avoided.

The WMU crowd won't have much use for this station (they likely have little use for FM radio in the first place). Millennials and Gen Z will have little use for this station unless they have young kids in the car who might prefer this to 103.3.

I also question if MWC did a good enough job informing its incumbent Jack FM listeners of the move to 106.5! Did these morons not learn from Cumulus' country debacle in Grand Rapids? Simply switching the frequency mentions from "96.5" to "106.5" in the laid back Howard Kogan voiceovers and mentioning twice an hour that the station has moved to 106.5 isn't enough. Those voiceovers are "background" and 90% of the audience pays no attention to them on a station like Jack.

A louder voice telling listeners to "reset their presets" should've been used repeatedly last week. The radio station should've also been reaching out to area TV stations - especially WWMT - as well as MLive to publicize the changes. I saw ZERO coverage.

I'm worried Jack's ratings at 106.5 will be no greater than they were at 96.5, and that Hits 96.5 will earn only about a 3 share in ages 12+ (and less than that in A25-54).

The two mitigants preventing further damage are the fact a decent percentage - perhaps half - of Jack FM 96.5 listeners probably already had 106.5 as a preset (especially female listeners of Jack FM), and some prior listeners of FM 106.5 might find enough material they like on the new Jack 106.5 to warrant keeping the station as a preset.

Some radio companies do such a MISERABLE job marketing their own brands that I'm not sure why any third party business would ever want to rely on these same radio stations to develop a marketing campaign for their own business!

For those who have a decent receiver or live on the west side of Kalamazoo, Live 99.9 from South Bend is a superior station for top 40 hits.

The new 96.5 sounds like a station developed by white guys in their 50s who know nothing about the audience they are trying to target.



uncleducky
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Re: New CHR Launches in Kalamazoo

Post by uncleducky » Thu Mar 04, 2021 7:24 pm

I listen to 96.5 all day on Monday and Tuesday was nothing mention of the switch. If i was not on this site would not known that they went to 106.5fm.



Qs23
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Re: New CHR Launches in Kalamazoo

Post by Qs23 » Mon Mar 08, 2021 9:50 am

uncleducky wrote:
Thu Mar 04, 2021 7:24 pm
I listen to 96.5 all day on Monday and Tuesday was nothing mention of the switch. If i was not on this site would not known that they went to 106.5fm.
During the week long simulcast of Jack on both 96.5 and 106.5 from the 24th to the 3rd, there were promos every break about it moving to 106.5.

Heck, the RDS even just said "Jack has moved to 106.5"



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MWmetalhead
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Re: New CHR Launches in Kalamazoo

Post by MWmetalhead » Tue Mar 09, 2021 7:28 am

I was listening online multiple times during that period. The voiceovers between songs simply replaced 96.5 with 106.5, and yes, from time to time a sweeper would run referencing a move to 106.5. Hardly attention getting.

The fact the RDS mentioned it is a good thing, though.

106.5's audio processing sounded absolutely atrocious when I listened to the station on Saturday. They better fix that quickly if they want listeners to stick around. Treble sounded like slush, sound stage ambience was non-existent, and audio levels were too low.



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