July Ratings

[Greg Buben]

I just saw that the new ratings came out for July and the top four are the same as in June. The top four remain WNIC,
The Ticket WXYT-FM, WYCD, and WCSX.

[Greg Buben]

With WYCD at number three and as the best music station for Audacy in the market perhaps I-Heart should consider
flipping WLLZ to the modern country hits. They could make it the B-93 of Detroit. That would make interesting compe-
tition between I-Heart and Audacy for that audience. Also with I-Heart's WNIC number one in the market then maybe
Audacy could flip WDZH to Adult Contemporary and go up against WNIC. Those are possible ideas for FM commercial
radio in Detroit considering WDZH and WLLZ never make the top ten.

[MrTaterSalad]

iHateLocalRadio, then known as Cheap Channel, missed the opportunity to take on WYCD when they flipped 106.7 to The Fox. Remember "listeners got to choose" what the new station format would be, "choose" the name, "choose" the logo, etc. That was all a BS gimmick though as no multi-billion dollar media corporation is going to allow listeners to actually choose a radio format, branding, imaging, etc.

Back in 2006 when they flipped 106.7 from The Drive to The Fox, that was there opportunity to take on WYCD by bringing back W4 Country as W4 had only been gone for a few years at that point. Had they done that and invested in a good Program Director, a good live and local morning show, good air talent throughout the day, and had better imaging and marketing of the station they could have possibly made a dent in WYCD's numbers.

Instead they branded the station as The Fox. I guess no one at Cheap Channel thought to realize that ironically 99.5 was The Fox just a decade and a half earlier. As if people didn't remember 99.5 The Fox. 106.7 The Fox had terrible imaging and used a voiceover guy who spoke with a lisp on a country radio station. Then they brought in out of market talent (for a while). Scott Gaines was probably the only decent out of market air talent they brought in. The rest, Rick Miller, Erika Lynn, etc weren't worth a damn. They then fired most that out of market talent and replaced it with voicetracked talent from out of market. The one live and local Detroit DJ they did bring in was Robb Gramm, who previously was Robb the Web Guy on Mojo in the Morning at Channel 955. Then he was let go too and replaced with more voicetracking. 106.7 The Fox predictably failed as it was poorly programmed, poorly imaged, and poorly marketed. I'm not saying or guaranteeing that bring back W4 would have worked, but it couldn't have done worse.

If iHateLocalRadio chooses to flip 106.7 to country it will flop once again unless they do things differently, which we all know they won't. Doing things differently means bringing in a real Program Director and not allowing someone like Casey the current PD to program it. It means having good branding and imaging with a good station name. Not copying WYCD's CHR branding, but actually sounding like a country station. It means having a music mix that isn't just a carbon copy of WYCD's bro and pop country. It means having a live and local morning show for the first time in decades on the 106.7 dial. It means investing in live and local DJs the rest of the day too. If they were willing to invest in people like a Chuck Edwards, Madison White, Rene Vitale, that would be fantastic, but they won't. It means being interactive with your listening audience, taking calls/requests, being out at events/concerts in the community, giving away prizes, etc. It means marketing the station so people actually know it exists. iHate will do none of that.

If they flip 106.7 from Fake Wheelz to country or any format it will be done as cheaply and haphazardly and sloppily as possible. The branding and imaging will likely suck and not be well thought out. The name will likely be something lame or outright dumb. The DJs on the station will almost assuredly be voicetracked or syndicated from outside of the Detroit area. They'll have something awful and uninspired like The Bobby Bones Show on in the morning, which will predictably get poor ratings. They might bring in one local DJ to do one shift, but that will be it. They'll put no investment in marketing the station locally and likely not be on TV to advertise the station. They likely won't be out in the community at events, attending concerts at Pine Knob, Freedom Hill, LCA, Royal Oak Music Theater, etc.

Just keep Fake Wheelz limping along if you're not willing to invest in doing real radio. What's the point of dumping Fake Wheelz for a country format that will get a 2.5 in the ratings and bill poorly?

[Matt]

iHateLocalRadio, then known as Cheap Channel, missed the opportunity to take on WYCD when they flipped 106.7 to The Fox. Remember "listeners got to choose" what the new station format would be, "choose" the name, "choose" the logo, etc. That was all a BS gimmick though as no multi-billion dollar media corporation is going to allow listeners to actually choose a radio format, branding, imaging, etc.

Back in 2006 when they flipped 106.7 from The Drive to The Fox, that was there opportunity to take on WYCD by bringing back W4 Country as W4 had only been gone for a few years at that point. Had they done that and invested in a good Program Director, a good live and local morning show, good air talent throughout the day, and had better imaging and marketing of the station they could have possibly made a dent in WYCD's numbers.

Instead they branded the station as The Fox. I guess no one at Cheap Channel thought to realize that ironically 99.5 was The Fox just a decade and a half earlier. As if people didn't remember 99.5 The Fox. 106.7 The Fox had terrible imaging and used a voiceover guy who spoke with a lisp on a country radio station. Then they brought in out of market talent (for a while). Scott Gaines was probably the only decent out of market air talent they brought in. The rest, Rick Miller, Erika Lynn, etc weren't worth a damn. They then fired most that out of market talent and replaced it with voicetracked talent from out of market. The one live and local Detroit DJ they did bring in was Robb Gramm, who previously was Robb the Web Guy on Mojo in the Morning at Channel 955. Then he was let go too and replaced with more voicetracking. 106.7 The Fox predictably failed as it was poorly programmed, poorly imaged, and poorly marketed. I'm not saying or guaranteeing that bring back W4 would have worked, but it couldn't have done worse.

If iHateLocalRadio chooses to flip 106.7 to country it will flop once again unless they do things differently, which we all know they won't. Doing things differently means bringing in a real Program Director and not allowing someone like Casey the current PD to program it. It means having good branding and imaging with a good station name. Not copying WYCD's CHR branding, but actually sounding like a country sation. It means having a music mix that isn't just a carbon copy of WYCD's bro and pop country. It means having a live and local morning show for the first time in decades on the 106.7 dial. It means investing in live and local DJs the rest of the day too. If they were willing to invest in people like a Chuck Edwards, Madison White, Rene Vitale, that would be fantastic, but they won't. It means being interactive with your listening audience, taking calls/requests, being out at events/concerts in the community, giving away prizes, etc. It means marketing the station so people actually know it exists. iHate will do none of that.

If they flip 106.7 from Fake Wheelz to country or any format it will be done as cheaply and haphazardly and sloppily as possible. The branding and imaging will likely suck and not be well thought out. The name will likely be something lame or outright dumb. The DJs on the station will almost assuredly be voicetracked or syndicated from outside of the Detroit area. They'll have something awful and uninspired like The Bobby Bones Show on in the morning, which will predictably get poor ratings. They might bring in one local DJ to do one shift, but that will be it. They'll put no investment in marketing the station locally and likely not be on TV to advertise the station. They likely won't be out in the community at events, attending concerts at Pine Knob, Freedom Hill, LCA, Royal Oak Music Theater, etc.

Just keep Fake Wheelz limping along if you're not willing to invest in doing real radio. What's the point of dumping Fake Wheelz for a country format that will get a 2.5 in the ratings and bill poorly?

Stop it, dork. W4 is in Ann Arbor. Deal with it.

[MrTaterSalad]

It doesn't have to be W4, it just has to be good and we all know based on iHateLocalRadio and Cheap Channel's history of programming at 106.7 that it won't be good. 106.7 The Beat was probably the best thing they've programmed on that dial since W4 was flipped and that's been over a time span of 25 years. There is no point in flipping WLLZ to country or any format if you're not going to program it right. What's the point of flipping it if you're going to syndicate 80%+ of your programming? No one in this market is going to give a damn about Bobby Bones in the morning. Just like they don't/didn't give a damn about Spencer Graves or Josh Innes or Alan Cox or any other non-local morning show that 106.7 has aired. What's the point of flipping to country just to get a 2.3 rating and bill poorly?

[ChrisWL1980]

ALT isn't going anywhere, at least in the near future. It's not Top 10 but it's also not the bottom-feeder it was two or so years ago.

[BFSEsq]

Not a lot to discuss in the ratings, really. I agree that I'm always pleasantly surprised by Alt 98.7. Looks like it's sticking around.

Did something happen to WOMC? I haven't listened in a long time myself. Did it start sounding noticeably worse? Ratings have really fallen... maybe I'm remembering a few years ago but I can remember it being a powerhouse, and now they're kinda stumbling out there in comparison.

[CD 94.7]

Lets see....

It is good to see 98.7fm making a big climb in the ratings, not the best Alternative station I've ever heard but it beats listening to rap, pop, bro country and endless loops of GNR and Motley Crue. Ticket, CSX, and YCD no surprise's there.

As for 106.7fm, nothing seems to quite work on that signal, the thought has even crossed my mind about I-Heart selling the station to a religious broadcaster, hope it doesn't happen but that station, regardless of what the format has been the station that's on pre-set 6. For example, these days, when RIFF or CSX are playing a song, you don't like.

I am not certain this is true, and it may very well not be, but back in 1999 I had heard, then owner AM/FM was considering dumping W4 for Jammin oldies, which of course Greater Media beat everyone else to the punch with that. It sounded plausible as they did indeed dump country early in the fall of that year.

Now, Clear Channel I felt really blew an opportunity in 2006 by not moving The Fan to the FM, you had a low rated station with The Drive and many markets were beginning to move talk formats to the FM side of the dial. When The Fox signed on, I thought " They are doing this?". It was pretty apparent to me early on The Fox wasn't going to be a heritage station.

With WLLZ or " Fake Wheels", they had a big jump when they first signed on, but the novelty has clearly worn away. I mean, if you think about it, you have to be at least 40-45 years old to really even remember the original wheels on 98.7.

I'm not sure if flipping 106.7 back to country would yield a better result than they have now. Not sure what 106.7 is billing at but I imagine no place close to its competitors. The market lacks a Jack-FM style format, which would make more sense to me than country if they decided to send wheels back to the junk yard.

That's how I see the situation anyhow.

[CD 94.7]

Sounds right, I do recall it just after Labor Day or thereabouts.

WCSX was playing a couple of artists that didn't quite fit the classic rock format around that time. It was really classic rock in name only. 102.7 was AC for only a few months and then that summer switched to Urban AC, keeping The Kiss name. Hell, 106.7 could have brought back The Wheels name then, who knows.

Back in the very early days of the internet, were talking over 20 years ago, on a message board or group, I recall reading someone's post alluding to speculation about 106.7 flipping, only to be foiled by Greater Media. This i I suspect it's possible the same thing could have in Philidelphia with 95.7 flipping to a similar format, then 104.5 changing over to Alice.

Fun times.

[SBaxley]

Ummmm, dare I ask how the new 1270 AM is doin' ...or shouldn't I hold my breath

[CD 94.7]

My bad. You're right. It was 95.7 in Philly that went Jammin' Oldies, not 106.1.

Like with Detroit, GM did the format. Only for 95.7 to flip back to a similar format 2 years later. AM/FM got abosorbed into Clear Channel not too long after Alice in Philly and The D signed on.


1270, I don't listen to sports talk but I'll have to tune in soon.