Timeless classics coming to The Lake

You read it here first in my previous blog 102.7 FM goes Christmas, and then...

Looks like The Radio Group is getting ready to pull the trigger on the new format for 102.7 FM the first week of January. Email sources tell us that 102.7 FM (currently playing a lame Christmas format) will switch to Timeless Classics The Lake 102.7 in a new blend of the oldies format. You have to wonder how The Radio Group thinks they can make this format work in the Kingston market when both CORUS and CTVglobemedia dropped their oldies and all-time favourite formats with their switch to FM frequencies earlier this fall.

Time will tell...keep your radio tuned!

102.7 FM goes Christmas, and then...

With the transformation of KIX to their new Canadian frequency at 93.5 FM, the powers-that-be at The Radio Group have tuned 102.7 FM into Kingston's only Christmas station. It's nothing new, Oldies 960 did it a couple of times, but with both AMs having gone to FMs with new formats and needing to establish their audiences, it was highly unlikely CORUS or CTVglobemedia would go to a Christmas format. One rumour circulating is that John Wright is going to offer a "present" in the form of a new format on 102.7 FM after Christmas.

Watch for John Wright to come to the rescue of a demo that got screwed by the big media companies, with an all times favourites format. As one observer pointed out, it's a demo that is completely open in the new Kingston radio landscape (please, enough rock formats already!).

John Wright is the guy who brought rock back to the Kingston airwaves after rock listeners got screwed by CHUM when they yanked The River and switched to The Point (opps!). Imagine, free of can-con rules with 102.7 FM being an American station, listeners could tune into All Elvis Weekends or All Beatles Weekends.

Time will tell...keep your radio tuned!

Dear "Mr. H"

Dear Mr. H, please stick your hand down your pants and grab the hard thing you feel. That hard thing is the knot your panties are obviously tied in! After reading your comments from my "The Drive 98.9 FM launches with Immodium" blog, I'm worried you're getting a little too worked up over my take on Kingston's radio market.

The first thing I need to clarify is that while I'm amused that Kingston radio jocks and sales reps have spent their time (and your money) reading my rants, you're not the target audience. This site was created for, and the majority of it's readers come from, Kingston advertisers. The more I worked with businesses in Kingston, the more I found that each was very confused by what the different sales reps from the mighty 3 Kingston radio properties were telling them. Here's rule #1 for this blog: I'm here to help them make sense of things, and to vent my opinion on the good or bad job I see Kingston radio stations doing. If I got your goat, great!

1. I'm going to call it CTVglobemedia. You can call it whatever you want. Since CTVglobemedia owns it, and CHUM as we all knew it is now part of the ingredients that make up CTVglobemedia, you can have all the heritage you want. We don't refer to the owners of CFMK and CFFX as Frontenac Broadcasting or Power Broadcasting. Please refer to rule #1.
2. The AMC Pacer was a great car. Don't diss it! As far as changing your format, you can do whatever you want for whatever reason you want. It's kinda like hair colour... go ahead and die your hair pink. It's your hair, but it doesn't mean I can't laugh at you. Please refer to rule #1.
3. You're a little too quick to dismiss the BBM book. Why bother spending the thousands of dollars to be part of the survey if you only "take it with a grain of salt, blend it with 2 or three other books, spin it, toss it, and it'll be over by the time Christmas comes?" The last time I checked, it's what the advertising agencies use to book spots in a market, and if big budget spenders like Tim Hortons, McDonalds, Coors Light, and East Side Mario's use those numbers, they must usually mean something. I was dismissing this single book, since it's the survey of stations that doesn't take into account your station switch, Lite 104.3's switch, KIX Country's split, ect. Maybe if you had the number 1 station in most demos you would take the book more seriously than just with a grain of salt. But that's just my opinion. Please refer to rule #1.
4. The DRIVE 98.9 FM or 98.9 The DRIVE... whatever! It's a name, and in my opinion, lacks edge. But I'm just one person with an opinion. The fact that you believe in it is great! It's your brand, you spent the money developing it. Please refer to rule #1.
5. See previous point.
6. Before telling me to look something up, do your research. Oh forget it, I'll do it for you: http://songfacts.com/detail.php?id=2709

Sincerly,

The Radio Guy

The Drive 98.9 FM launches with Immodium!

Take that old people! Nothing like telling the blue-hair seniors who were loyal to 1380 to go screw themselves by launching with Nirvana's Immodium! In case you missed it (or your radio doesn't get the frequency) 98.9 FM official launched at 3 p.m. today. Naming a station after a day-part? We'll see. While the fall book isn't really going to tell us much (except if FM96 made any dent into K-ROCK's audiences), the Spring book will tell us if CTVglobemedia can put an old Kingston jock to grab the young male audience.

Time will tell...keep your radio tuned!

98.9 launching at 3 p.m.

We were wrong on the date, and in a few minutes we'll see if we were wrong about the format. CTVglobemedia is going to launch 98.9 at 3 p.m. CTVglobemedia staff were told to keep a lid on the launch, but we expect to hear Jim Elyot greet listeners and take his spot full-time again, back on the airwaves of Kingston.

Was the delay from the original start date format related, was it because of the on-air talent? Who cares! At 3 p.m. we'll get to hear launch that will likely be better than the JOE-FM to FM96 switch (copying The Sepranos with 30-seconds of dead air...WTF?). The last time CTVglobemedia (then CHUM) launched a station here in Kingston, the relaunch was memorable. From The Team 1380 to All Time Favourites 1380 CKLC by playing Elvis Prestley's "A Little Less Conversation" was classic! A pretty close second was K-Rock's launch in 2001 with The Tragically Hip's "New Orlean's Is Sinking." What's a good, Canadian, classic alternative song... hmm... "Blow at High Dough" by The Hip or "Unsound" by the Headstones would be two good bets.

Time will tell...keep your radio tuned!

Kingston airwaves ready to get "Bounced" with classic alternative

With two of the three new stations now on-air (Lite 104.3 and KIX Country 93.5) CTVglobemedia is set to launch The Bounce 98.9 FM according to sources. Having spent the past few weeks testing their signal with a loop of classic alternative, listen for the new station to go live with Jim Elyot as the morning show host on Monday, November 19, 2007. This format is a bit surprising since CHUM/CTVglobemedia has historically shied away from direct format competition (i.e. reformatting The River to The Point leading up to K-Rock's launch, creating a Hot A/C format on FLY-FM leading up to CORUS's launch of Lite 104.3). But it shows that the market is now cluttered for music formats in Kingston, leaving only one hole to fill: Contemporary Hit Radio (CHR).

If CTVglobemedia indeed launches a Classic Alternative format on 98.9 FM, watch for for a CHR format on 102.7 FM, although likely a lot better formatted in the hands of John Wright.

Time will tell...keep your radio tuned!

Corus launches new easy listening station for Kingston

Corus Entertainment was the first out of the box in launching their new FM station at 12noon today, the reformatted, rebranded Lite 104.3 FM. It proves that our inside info was close when we predicted a Magic 104.3 FM. With CTVglobemedia having gone to a more Hot AC format with FLY-FM, the door was left open for someone to come in and go after the Women 35+ who don't want to hear Britney or Beyoncé.

Here is the official release from Corus:

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On Monday, October 15th, 2007, a brand new radio station hit the Kingston airwaves, reflecting the tastes of adults who enjoy an Adult Contemporary style of music and programming. This station will be appealing to adults 35 to 64, in particular - women.

Lite 104.3 - Kingston’s Lite Rock plays music that includes artists such as: Elton John, Phil Collins, Celine Dion, Rod Stewart, Billy Joel and other fabulous artists from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s!

With a blend of everyone’s favourite “Lite Rock” songs, and a commitment to “no repeat workdays”, Lite 104.3 is soon to be a hit with the Kingston work force! Whether its at one of the areas five largest employers: CFB Kingston (5,277 employees), Queen’s University (4,200), The Limestone District School Board (2,720), Correctional Services (2,670), Kingston General Hospital, or anywhere else Kingstonians are working - Lite 104.3 will provide listeners with their favourite music throughout the work day - without repeats! And when the station breaks we promise to be back in two minutes - Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm!

With a mix of your favourite songs from the past, and some of your newer favourites, Lite 104.3 will be a station you can share with everyone. You’ll never hear “on air content” that is offensive, never again will you be embarrassed by your choice of stations.

Lite 104.3 will also feature “The Classic Café”, weekdays from 12pm to 1pm. Then Saturday mornings from 7am to 12pm, tune in for “The Saturday Morning Oldies Show”! When it comes to local information, Lite 104.3 has got you covered! With local news every 30 minutes, weekdays from 6am to 9am and every 60 minutes from 9am to 6pm, Lite 104.3 will keep you informed about your community.

Lite 104.3 and “no repeat work days” can be heard on air in the Kingston area at 104.3 on the FM dial, or world wide at www.lite1043.ca

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Who will be next to launch their new FM stations? Word inside is that K-ROCK will hold true to their intention and launch 93.5 FM as KIX, giving them 102.7 FM available from Cape Vincent, NY to add a third format, but they are in no hurry. My bet is with CTVglobemedia, but with firm competition to the Female AC part of the market, will they branch their Top 40 on 98.9 FM when they have Hot AC on FLY-FM?

Time will tell...keep your radio tuned!