Theory regarding Cumulus' next format move

[Freqman]

Heard that the night show on WHTS may soon be reverting back to a local one and that some familiar talents might be back in the market.

[handbanana]

So Hot FM is getting a flanker? Why not, the market is full of 'em. WLHT has always had the River and the Fox (now Brew) was put on the air because B93 couldn't beat LAV.

What a waste of signals in this market. Although it will be interesting to see how an Ubrban format might do in GR.

[option1]

Straight up Urban in GR...I don’t think it will work. Too niche. Tough sell. And would take a lot of patience to get traction.

BUT a throwback Hip-Hop station that plays 25% currents and 75% old school would have the potential to do some damage. The music would be familiar thanks to WSNX’s 20+ year history as a rhythmic and it shouldn’t be too tough to sell. I think the market is ready for a station like this. It most likely won’t debut #1 like Bounce in Detroit, but I think the mid 4’s to a 5 share wouldn’t be out of the question.

[48125er]

I could see that,

[Arthur Mometer]

Years ago, back around 1985, I asked one of the WCHB founders or managers why they didn't just apply for one of the new Class A frequencies in Grand Rapids, 98.7 or 100.5. He said that it was difficult to sell an R & B format in Grand Rapids. He said you could be #1 in the ratings and still flounder financially. They have to do what used to be called a "Salt and Pepper" type format, either a mix of "White Hot Hits" and R & B and high profile African American or Blue Eyed DJs like John R at WLAC who sounded ambiguously Black. They did this in one form or another at WDRQ in the 1970s and at WAMM in Flint in the late 1960s, with Jim Hampton, Pete Flanders, etc., and Dick Kemp, etc. at WYNR Chicago. Ernie Durham had that appeal at WJLB, something to cross over to widen the appeal, and later, the Saturday Night Blues program at WDET. But you need a Class A FM to make it work best. I doubt if a 250 watt translator could do it well, but a centrally located Class A could. Not a rimshot though. Bill Bailey would have been great, but the Classic High Profile Local DJs have unfortunately passed away. You can't just use Syndication or a hard drive based format.

[CJ]

I noticed this morning that 94.5’s RDS reads “West Michigan’s Polka Station”. I didn’t have a strong enough signal with 107.3 to see if it said the same thing.

[Ben Zonia]

I wonder if the WBBL call sign will be kept and moved to 94.5?

Maybe the new station can be called The Bubble. Or Babble.

The WOBBLE. All Australian Outback Music.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wobble_board

[CJ]

94.5 has a RDS message currently set as “The Yibe - Jazz, Rhythm, and Blues”. Still Country through the speakers.

[Deleted User 12201]

"The Yibe"? That's a little weird. Unless someone transcribed something wrong (A Y for a V) off a written piece of paper.

But, these all seem like potentially very positive moves for Cumulus if it all comes to fruition like MW thinks it might...