Georgia Radio Update

Matthew · #1 Posted: **Jan 30, 2004, 6:36 AM**

Since we did a popular radio thread on Carolina, why not Georgia too!

Changes are expeced as soon as tomorrow, so keep your radios on!

105.3 WMAX
is expected to change formats from All 80's to talk radio (Real Radio), if you believe the rumors. The change is expected tomorrow at 6pm.

106.7 WYAY
is waiting approval to move their primary site to Walton County. They will share a new construction tower with 104.7 The Fish. Their tower is currently in Hall County. I would also expect this to have an impact on 106.1. If 95.5 WBTS moves closer, as some say they are trying to, 106.1 WNGC may finally get the chance they've waited for to become an Atlanta radio station? We'll see what happens. Both 95.5 and 106.1 will have to move west before anything can happen at 106.1 and I don't know if 95.5 can get any closer?

103.7 WPUP
is moving to a new tower and a new city of license. Their new tower will be located near the Tanger Factory Outlet Center, giving them better coverage of Gainesville and keeping about the same coverage of Athens.

There's also news of a station trying to enter Savannah and another trying to enter Valdosta. There are still some issues in SC to be worked out to move WBAW into Savannah at 99.3. This will hold up WDMG's move into Valdosta as well. There's been a lot of radio news out of Savannah lately. Getting another FM is great news.

Lexy · #2 Posted: **Jan 30, 2004, 7:00 AM**

Also a close friend, and fellow colleague is taking a position at Atlanta talker WGST as the Afternoon Newsanchor. Jennifer Perry will be assuming the role with Nashville WLAC's very own former Program Director Bruce Collins at the helm at WGST-AM. She starts at the end of February. I along with the rest of the news staff will miss her greatly, but she will do great in the market!!!

Jennifer was a part of the morning news team here in Nashville on WLAC for over 4 years.

zigzag · #3 Posted: **Jan 30, 2004, 11:30 AM**

Interesting Savannah news, thx for the info!

ThrashATL · #4 Posted: **Jan 30, 2004, 11:31 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matthew

Since we did a popular radio thread on Carolina, why not Georgia too!

Changes are expeced as soon as tomorrow, so keep your radios on!

105.3 WMAX
is expected to change formats from All 80's to talk radio (Real Radio), if you believe the rumors. The change is expected tomorrow at 6pm.

Wow, hope you're right on this one. The all 80's format is good for about oh.... 3 days. Once you've heard Flock of Seagulls or Gary Neuman twice, it's over johnny.

Lexy · #5 Posted: **Jan 30, 2004, 11:58 AM**

How does WSB and the above mentioned talk station do in Atlanta fellas. I want YOUR opinion not Arbitron's.

ThrashATL · #6 Posted: **Jan 30, 2004, 1:11 PM**

WSB is number 1 in the market most of the time for ALL stations in Atlanta for a good reason. Neal Boortz. Sean Hannity in the afternoons. Clark Howard has been cut back by Sean's show but he's still really popular (pinch a penny until it screams). WGST has Rush in between Neal and Sean so their midday numbers are pretty good. Other than that, WGST is pretty much dead in the water and they're REALLY dead at night as they shut down their power at sunset. Outside the perimeter, you might as well be listening to a station in Chattanooga, it'll probably come in better. On the other side, you can hear WSB in 30-35 states at night. Atlanta's 50,000 watt blowtorch.

Lexy · #7 Posted: **Jan 30, 2004, 1:14 PM**

That is what I have thought all along. I worked with someone from WSB in Lexington, KY.

ThrashATL · #8 Posted: **Jan 30, 2004, 1:21 PM**

Well, WGST used to have it pretty good in the mid/late 90's with Tom Hughes in the morning and simulcast on their FM 105.7 freq which is now some god awful oldies crap of 60's/70's music. I really hope the 105.3Max thing happens, Real Radio 104.1 is great down in FLA.

How substantial is the 105.3 rumor?

Matthew · #9 Posted: **Jan 30, 2004, 2:24 PM**

We will find out at 6pm today. The Kimmer will be on 105.3, if the rumor is true, at 6pm. I'm surprised by this decision, if it's true. It could be a stunt? It's a very good source. According to this source, the station will have Bob and Tom in the morning, Todd Schmidt ("MJ") in the afternoon to keep his contract and they will simulcast the Kimmer from WGST. The station will keep it's 80's dance mix show and it's 80's music on the weekends and late nights. I don't know if Monsters will be on 105.3? You know you want to talk to "MOM" while your at work!

CC has tried this Real Radio format many times outside Orlando with bad results. I'm surprised at this decision! Real Radio 96.5 in Macon only lasted a year or less. It's now 96.5 The Buzz. It just doesn't seem to work outside Orlando. WMAX was #15 in the 18-34 ratings, if I'm not mistaken. Can real radio beat that? WGST is very weak. WGST was a force before the Planet Radio disaster of the 90's. I think 750 is hard to beat though. All the personalities in the market worth listening to are on WSB. Also WSB reaches 150+ miles from their tower site in eastern Dekalb County. WGST does simulcast it's programing on 105.1 WHEL in Helen, GA and Coast to Coast AM is on 105.7 late at night.

ThrashATL · #10 Posted: **Jan 30, 2004, 2:39 PM**

KIMMER!??? Bob & Tom???? Egads. If that's the lineup, Real Radio is already dead in ATL.

Kimmer is about as fun as root canal. Bob & Tom may work well in Davenport or Peoria, they're not that funny here. They tried Bob & Tom on 96Rock when they were looking for a new morning show. It was about 5th out of all morning shows they tried. We ended up with the Regular Guys who moved here from LA. Want RR to work? Spend some real money and put Opie & Anthony on the air in the morning.... ;-) Like CC wants some huge FCC fines.... right. Hell they could play the last 10 years of O&A reruns and it would do better than Kimmer. Geezus, I'd even rather have Mancow than Bob & Tom.

ctwickman · #11 Posted: **Jan 30, 2004, 5:44 PM**

They need to try Dance on a stick there. At least SOMETHING different than the meat and potatoes that this big companies always try. America is ready to hear something different.

ThrashATL · #12 Posted: **Jan 30, 2004, 6:18 PM**

Isn't that really what 95.5 the Beat is about? People used to complain about the lack of stations in Atlanta... now it's almost to the point where it's becoming saturated. Just a few years ago there was no smooth jazz, no edgy alternative, no urban rap, no urban beat, no 80's or gospel formats in Atlanta. Now there is. Even some long standing stations gained competition like Star94 and their tussle with Q100. It's amazing how tuned down the formats are and how narrow they're getting. You really would have to like dance music to stomach a station that plays it for five minutes or more.

ctwickman · #13 Posted: **Jan 30, 2004, 6:55 PM**

I don't know, the Dance station up here in Chicago was a top ten biller. WKTU in New York is Clear Channel's #3 station.

I think you are confusing Dance with Hip-Hop. The Beat is Hip-Hop/RnB, not Dance.

BTW relative to other markets it's size, Atlanta has very little variety on the dial and just raw quantity of stations. Check out Radioandrecords.com and look at how many stations in Atlanta there are compared to other places it's size. Atlanta *does* lack stations relatively speaking. Dallas, for instance, has 43 stations. Atlanta has 29. And yes Dallas has a full time Dance station. Denver, a market half the size as Atlanta, has the same number of stations. I check out Arbitron ratings every few months and when I look at Atlanta I am always surprised by 1) The lack of stations on the dial considering ATL is market #11, and 2) The incredible amount of "Urban" (Hip-Hop/RnB) formats on the dial compared to other places.

You won't get any support from me saying ATL has much variety on the dial, but that's becoming increasingly difficult to say about any market these days with how consolidation keeps companies from trying new formats that would compete with their very own cluster. Check out radio-info.com if you are interested in discussing terrestial radio BTW. It's a lot of fun IMO.