Classic Rock WLAV ties its all time record low AQH share in latest Nielsens

[Graham Wellington]

Right now they are playing Journey's "Any Way You Want it." Honestly, what kind of advertiser wants to reach the demographic of someone happy to have heard that song 10,950 times in the last 30 years, besides Mountain Dew?

AMEN! WLAV in particular plays the same rotted out butt rock shit that has been overplayed for 35+ years. The examples that people bring up of successful Classic Rock stations have moved heavily into the 80's with their music and partially 90's. WLAV plays Pink Floyd/Boston/Journey/Yes/Blue Oyster Cult.

As I have mentioned before - Oldies stations started being phased out 20 years ago because 60's music was determined to be too old to draw ratings and drew too old of a demographic to sell. Using that logic, 80% of the shit WLAV still plays in regular rotation should have been phased out or scaled way back 10+ years ago. Hell, even early 80's stuff should start getting scaled back.

[MWmetalhead]

The stations to which they've ceded share the most play 60s & 70s oldies (101.3) and heavily 80s classic hits (98.7).

I think LAV's issue isn't median song age inasmuch as loss of beloved air talent and song selection taking on a mellower tone. There needs to be more AC/DC, Ozzy, Van Halen and hair bands in rotation and less Fleetwood Mac, Eagles and Elton John.

The station should also be playing a blues track every hour to 90 minutes.

[MWmetalhead]

Here is one of the more interesting playlists among stations identifying as classic rock - 100.7 The Bay in Baltimore:

https://onlineradiobox.com/us/wzba/playlist/

WZBA is an outlier within the format and is clearly drawing upon the popularity of 99.1 WHFS from the late 80s and 90s.

[TC Talks]

Here is one of the more interesting playlists among stations identifying as classic rock - 100.7 The Bay in Baltimore:

https://onlineradiobox.com/us/wzba/playlist/

WZBA is an outlier within the format and is clearly drawing upon the popularity of 99.1 WHFS from the late 80s and 90s.

That could be best described as AOR

[MWmetalhead]

It is an updated version of classic rock that includes a large classic alternative component.

[Graham Wellington]

It is an updated version of classic rock that includes a large classic alternative component.

That is a pretty decent playlist, and is what mainstream Classic Rock should be moving to. Plays some of the burnt out 70's songs but not in heavy rotation, and favoring 80s/90s.

[MWmetalhead]

Fly By Night by Rush is another song LAV plays all the time that I wish would just disappear from the FM airwaves.

There are some Rush songs that I enjoy, but I hate "Fly By Night" with a passion.

[ftballfan]

Heck, 106.5 Jack FM plays more 90s alternative than LAV or even GRD!

[MWmetalhead]

Not a bad station - except when they are airing crappy MAC athletic contests.

Here is their playlist:
https://wvfm.tunegenie.com/

[Greg Buben]

As I said before I think that WLAV should make changes on their playlist. I think they should drop many of the songs
that were big top 40 hits in the late 60''s and 70's which were hits on the old top 40 WGRD AM & FM. Examples of these
are "Black Betty" by one hit wonder Ram Jam and "Taking Care Of Business" by Bachman Turner Overplay. These are
just two examples of bubble gum hits in the 70's that don't fit the times in 2024 not even for the older listeners who were
old enough to remember them as hits. Songs like that are better suited for WFGR and WBFX and not WLAV because the
formats on those stations play pop hits from the past. Another example of that is "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John which was
a good song in the 70's but you can hear on it on WFGR and WBFX. A song like that shouldn't be played on WLAV in the
year of 2024. WLAV should focus on the AOR hits from the late 60's through the 80's.

[MWmetalhead]

Black Betty is a great song. I agree with you regarding the very played out BTO song, though. I also agree Tiny Dancer by Elton John is too wimpy for classic rock in this day & age.

[wonderkid69]

not only that, the young kids aren't buying the hype that this older music is cool like they did in the 80's/90's and maybe early 2000's....

Amen...Hit the nail on the head.

[48125er]

Heck, 106.5 Jack FM plays more 90s alternative than LAV or even GRD!

Sometimes even 94.5 such as Peter Pumpkinhead by XTC, Crucify by Tori Amos, What would you say By Dave Matthews band, or Fall on me by REM

94.5, 100.5 & 106.5 are the only stations I listen to regularly, there is a bit of overlap between the 3 at times. 106.5 would probably get a 1.5 on the Nielsen

Before my radio in my Taurus had trouble getting WLAV, now LAV comes in well, But cannot get 104.5 at all, But oddly enough 106.5 makes it all the way to Greenville well with 106.3 coming in poorly west of Greenville.

[48125er]

The GR cluster as a whole is profitable, I believe.

They won't exit GR unless (a) they receive an attractive price and (b) they can unload the Muskegon stations concurrently.

A somewhat more realistic scenario would be sale of a single "dog" station to a not-for-profit broadcaster. 107.3 WTNR fits the bill.

Thatd be similar to what they did with 93.1 in detroit, Cant be any worse with ratings than what they got now, K LOVE 107.3 maybe?

[MWmetalhead]

Yup, the usual suspects would be the most likely candidates to buy the station if it were to be placed on the market - EMF, FLR (acquirer of 93.1 Detroit), VCY America and Relevant Radio.

Stick value of 107.3 is probably somewhere within a range of $1.5 million to $2 million in the current climate. If Thunder's cash flow is at least $400,000 annually (I have no idea what the actual figure is), it would not make sense to divest the station. The station is low budget - syndie morning show from within the company, middays are hosted by a 105.3 personality (and most or all of that shift is voicetracked), afternoons are voicetracked from Detroit, and nights & overnights air nationally syndicated shows from within the company. So, even if it bills, say, $750,000 a year, it is likely throwing off at least a few hundred grand of cash flow.