In this week’s issue… JVC flips “Max” to country – Kerr celebrates 50 – Cormier out at Radio VT – Sound of Life donates network – Remembering NY’s Jorgensen, New England’s Knight – Big tower down in Hamilton
By SCOTT FYBUSH
Programming note: we were doing some much-needed traveling over the last few weeks, and now we’re deep in preparation for the big total solar eclipse coming this way April 8 and then the NAB Show right afterward. So once again, we’re grateful for your patience if our publishing schedule remains a little irregular for the next month or so – we will catch up on everything you need to know!
*Roll over Dierks Bentley, and tell Beyonce the news – while country music remains a tough sell in the heart of the NEW YORK City market, the format has a new toehold in the suburbs.
As our colleague Lance Venta first sussed out a few days ago on RadioInsight, Connoisseur Media pulled the plug on its classic hits “Max” WBZO (103.1 Bay Shore) at 10:31 on Wednesday morning (March 20), changing calls to WWWF and relaunching as “The Wolf.”
Like Max, the new Wolf is jockless so far, but it at least brings country back to most of Long Island, where the only other option in the format until now has been JVC’s WJVC (My Country 96.1), with a limited signal reach over only the eastern end of the island.
Connoisseur tells advertisers that it saw an opportunity to fill a void with the country format in the rest of Long Island, promising to “aggressively promote The Wolf in a multimedia campaign. We’ll run a blended video campaign using CTV and pre-roll, display advertising, paid social advertising, guerilla marketing, and more. We’ll be at every significant country concert on Long Island, hosting amazing tailgate parties and handing out goodies.”
The move to country takes 103.1 out of what had been a fairly robust competition for a rock-based audience; the rock-leaning classic hits on WBZO steered a narrow lane between Cox’s heritage classic rock WBAB (102.3), Connoisseur’s oldies clustermate WHLI (1100/104.7) and its harder rock WWSK (94.3 the Shark), not to mention competition from New York’s WAXQ and WCBS-FM.
The landmark 24th edition of the world-famous Tower Site Calendar is in production, and your support will determine whether it will be the final edition.
It’s been a complicated few years here, and as we finish up production of the new edition (including a cover reveal, coming later this week!), we’re considering the future of this staple of radio walls everywhere as we evaluate our workload going forward.
The proceeds from the calendar help sustain the reporting that we do on the broadcast industry here at Fybush Media, so your purchases matter a lot to us here – and if that matters to you, now’s the time to show that support with an order of the new Tower Site Calendar. (And we have the new Broadcast Historian’s Calendar for 2025 ready to ship, too. Why not order both?)
Visit the Fybush Media Store and place your order now for the next calendar, get a great discount on previous calendars, and check out our selection of books and videos, too!
In this week’s issue… iHeart axes Boston, NYC morning shows and more - Cumulus cuts in central PA - Southern Tier combo saved from silence - Ottawa FM relaunches - K-Love buys in the Burgh - Scranton gets "Loud" -...
In this week’s issue… "Hot" cools down in Providence, CT studios closed - GBH to sell Cape studios - A HEBA in Hamden? - New HDs in New York - Another Canadian AM to close
In this week’s issue… GBH shuffles mornings, prepares new show launches - NYSBA inducts Hall of Famers - More news-talk in the Hudson Valley - Remembering Dan Sys
In this week’s issue… Beasley cuts claim veteran jock - FCC releases LPFM decisions - AM towers coming down - New voices at Indie 88
