Friday, July 5, 2013

Real New Format? -- Or Just Another Stunt? Former Birmingham 'Zone' Becomes Variety Hits 'Y'All FM'? The Birmingham News (at AL.com) believes this is the new format for former Sports Talk "97.3 The Zone" WZNN-FM, Birmingham, Alabama. But some think Adult Variety Hits (with a Southern flavor) "97.3 Y'all FM" is just another stunt. For a number of reasons, we are very skeptical. The Hawaiian music as "97.3 Hula FM" was replaced for July 4th with patriotic music, before the "new format" (?) launched today. "We play everything, and our listeners are going to tell us what they want to hear," Summit Media EVP/COO David DuBose tells AL.com. "It can be everything from Sinatra to Michael Jackson to Foo Fighters. We play what you say." Supposedly similar to the "Jack FM" format, "97.3 Y'all FM" will offer a wide variety of unhosted music. "It's not available in the Birmingham market right now," DuBose said. "It provides an option that people don't currently have." The station will not have any on-air personalities. "That’s the beauty of it - no disc jockeys, just the music," DuBose said. But is this just another stunt? Ears in Birmingham report they are hearing a limited number of songs being repeated. "I've listened to this station this morning since about 7am. I've heard the same songs in order twice already. If the suits are reading this, you may want to get some more music before you lose your listeners after the first day. Also, lose the redneck lady doing the promos," says a comment below the AL.com report. Also making us skeptical is the fact that the "new format" was launched without a logo or website. Honestly, it sounds to us like a new stunt. However, Bob Carlton of the Birmingham News writes, "At 97.3 Y’all FM, listeners may make song requests on the station's website, DuBose said. For now, that Web address is www.973thezone.com, the site for Summit’s former sports-talk station. A 97.3 Y'all FM Facebook page should be coming soon." The cited listener comment suggests there's only a two-hour loop of music airing, which screams "stunt" to us. And a domain for the "new format" -- at yall973.com" remains dormant. Nevertheless, Carlton believing DuBose, writes, "It is the second station launch this week for Summit Media, which on Tuesday began airing adult album alternative station Birmingham Mountain Radio on its 107.3 FM signal. BMR had previously been available on the internet only." If, by some chance this is the "real new format," it may be one of the worst station launches in recent memory. Cleveland Radio Morning Host 'Rover' Arrested Cleveland morning radio host Shane "Rover" French is facing charges of disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, possession of fireworks and assault after an early Friday morning arrest. www.newsnet5.com reports that Rover from the "Rover’s Morning Glory" show at Clear Channel Rock WMMS-FM, Cleveland, was arrested at Whiskey Island in Cleveland. They write that an off-duty Cleveland police officer asked Rover, whose real name is Shane French, and another man to stop shooting off illegal fireworks at about 3:40am, according to the police report. "The officer stepped on the lighter the men were using for the fireworks and that’s when French grabbed him by the shirt, according to the report. The officer identified himself as a police officer while both French and his friend starting pushing him, police said. The officer fell to the ground then showed the men his badge, while their friends agreed to take them home. According to police, French started to walk away, then turned around and pushed the cop in the back." French reportedly said, "I don’t believe you’re a police officer.” The officer, we're told, asked a nearby security guard to call police, then told French he was under arrest. The police report said French got free and ran with the other man back to their boat. More Cleveland police arrived and took both men into custody. So far there's no word from WMMS-FM on how or if the arrest will affect French's employment. Nevada's '106.9 The Q' Flips to Hot AC 'Q106.9' Adult Hits (Classic Rock/Classic Hits hybrid) "106.9 The Q" KVGQ-FM, Overton, Nevada, which serves the Las Vegas market, flips to Hot AC as "Q106.9" -- featuring "Today's Hit Music" -- and simulcasting on KMZQ-FM, Payson, Arizona, to the Phoenix market on 99.3 FM. A new website is under construction here with a splash screen displaying the new logo. Small print at the bottom tells visitors the new station airs on "FM 99.3 and FM 106.9". The station is owned by Kemp Broadcasting, based in Las Vegas, with the broadcast license held by Kemp Communications. Kemp Broadcasting also operates Rhythmic CHR "Hot 97.5" KVEG-FM ("K-VEGas") in the Las Vegas market -- "Blazin' Today's Hottest Music!" Both stations (as well as KMZQ-FM) are overseen by Kemp Broadcasting EVP and Market Manager Gary Cox. KVGQ-FM's immediate previous format was Adult Hits "specializing in some rather obscure pop and rock songs not heard on the radio in a long time, and for some songs, never before in America." Earlier, "106.9 The Q" had been a traditional Classic Rock station preceded by a stint as traditional Classic Hits ("The Best Hits Of The 70's And 80's") when the KVGQ call letters were obtained in November 2009. "Q106.9" is now positioned to compete with CBS Radio's Hot AC "Mix 94.1" KMXB-FM, Las Vegas. Pittsburgh Market Urban Oldies WZUM-AM Launches Urban Oldies WZUM-AM, licensed to Braddock, Pennsylvania, serving the Pittsburgh market, launches on 1550 with 1,000 watts daytime, 4 watts at night -- the former home of WLFP-AM. AM Guys LLC purchased WLFP-AM for $14,515 from a bankruptcy receiver appointed to operate it and other assets of the Business Talk Radio network. AM Guys, headed by Edward DeHart and Stephen Zalenko, had leased the studio and its equipment to Business Talk Radio and performed sales duties for the company on a contract basis. On July 5, the station relaunched with an Urban Oldies format with new call letters, WZUM-AM, calls formerly at 1590 in Carnegie. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports, "A new AM radio station hit the airwaves today with an old name and format. WZUM, 1550 AM, went on the air at midnight with a format of automated rhythm and blues music from the 1960-80s with artists such as Aretha Franklin and Sly & the Family Stone." DeHart says the station will remain automated while technicians work out problems over the next few weeks but it may add local hosts and national news later. "There's a whole lot of good music out there that we're going to play," he said. The majority of WLFP-AM's programming had been provided by the Lifestyle TalkRadio Network. The AM 1550 signal debuted in 1947 as WLOA -- call letters which remained on the frequency until 1982 when it became WHYW, followed by WJLY, WCXJ, and WURP before it became WLFP in 2007, which remained until it went silent earlier this year. The original WZUM (on 1590) lost its license in early 2011after being silent for a year following 50 years on the air. Its last successful format was similar to the one now on the new WZUM-AM. Salt Lake City's 'B98.7' Flips to Adult Top 40 Cumulus Media's "B98.7" KBEE-FM, Salt Lake City, "flips" from AC to Adult Top 40 as "Utah’s Hit Music Station." The station launches commercial free through the holiday weekend. With the flip, morning hosts (and real life husband and wife) "Todd and Erin" (Collard) are out, replaced by the syndicated Kidd Kraddick. Midday host Rachel (9am-3pm) and afternoon host Dain Craig (3-7pm) remain in place. Despite promotional announcements of a flip, some might argue, however, that "The All New B98.7" is more of a re-branding than a format flip. The former Citadel station, acquired by Cumulus when it took over Citadel Broadcasting, has moved increasingly toward a Hot AC format over the past two years -- and the music now being aired on KBEE-FM remains essentially a mix of Hot AC currents and recurrents with a limited number of Hot AC gold-based titles from the 2000s. Although Cumulus had previously insisted "B98.7" was an AC station, for the past two years Mediabase has listed KBEE-FM on its Hot AC panel, while BDS has included the station on its AC panel. KBEE-FM was "born" in 1995 after Citadel purchased Hot AC KVRI-FM, and changed the call letters. In 2002, the station became AC "B98.7" and continued airing Soft AC for most of the next nine years until moving more toward Hot AC. As for the difference between "Hot AC" and "Adult Top 40," some claim it's only a matter of designation. The Nielsen BDSRadio chart for the format is published by BDS as "Hot AC" while Billboard publishes the same airplay chart as "Adult Top 40."