[Other Topic] Can't get listeners? Apply to change your frequency

[Tank]

i stumbled upon this and honestly its funny. there is a radio station in Canada (winnipeg) that applied to change their frequency because "the station is a loser"

cfjl applied to change from 100.7 to 100.5 to "start fresh". Some notes from their application

Dufferin operates CFJL-FM (Winnipeg) on 100.7 MHz. Before Dufferin acquired the station in 2011, both Radiolink System Inc. and Newcap operated the frequency but were not able to make it financially viable. This reality was due in part to the fact the station was limited by a condition of licence that it offer only a specialty format. Since 2002 these operators have tried to give the station life through many specialty programming efforts such as Café 100.7, Hank FM 100.7, 100.7 k-Rock and The Breeze 100.7 among others. When Dufferin acquired the station, we also tried to operate it in the specialty format, but despite our best efforts we were unable to increase the station’s audience share.
With Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2013-550, dated October 11, 2013, the Commission approved CFJL-FM’s request to no longer operate within the specialty format. Dufferin quickly began to rebrand and re-launch the station with a Modern Easy Listening/Adult Contemporary format. The new format premiered December 26, 2013. While The Jewel format is fresh and new in the Winnipeg market, is enjoyed by those who tune it in, and is successful in other markets where it is played, it can not escape the stigma that comes with the frequency after so much time at the bottom of the ratings. Listeners have told our marketing department the station is a “loser”, and consequently, potential advertisers see the station as perpetually “last in the market” to our financial detriment. It is our belief that a change in frequency to 100.5 MHz will help Dufferin overcome and shed some of the negative baggage associated with the 100.7 frequency.

 

[Tank]

I meant to say "cant" not "camt"

 

[Mr Tony]

If you're going to change your frequency (to get rid of the "loser" moniker) dropping down one notch probably isn't going to work. You need to change to a different spot on the dial

 

[KE4EST]

I meant to say "cant" not "camt"

Fixed.

 

[radio]

Interesting.
Frequency changes don't bring an audience of wash away years of bad public relations and bad programming.
I know.

When I bought our station, I had NO idea it was known as the, "my parents made me listen" station. It had lost dogs, obituaries,
and "all over the road" music, unpredictable and un-wanted. It was off the air for two weeks short of a year (the permanent death of any license happens
at one year off-air)....and it had no clients, listeners, accounts, or ANYTHING except a license and a broken-down studio building with old equipment.

We had to re-brand, add a visual logo, a website (none was ever here before), add consistency in hour-to-hour programming,
kick the "old format" to the curb, and be a bit daring on the AM band with our music. We dared to say "no" to bringing back an awful long-form
talk show called "Viewpoint" which was an hour of local controversy most of the time (I was told)...and, we did not rehire anyone that was from
the old station except one man who was EXCITED about the new format....having worked for every owner that came before. We had to get new (to us) used
(better) equipment, and we had to continually EDUCATE listeners to the improvements we made, so they felt like THEIR town's station was finally moving forward
and finally something they could be proud-of. Continual on-air education to our hard work and goals.

We had to beat the "office pools" of how long before we'd fail. We had to go ASK businesses for THEIR business as advertising clients, and we took time
to find a GREAT salesman to be our major backbone in the sales department.

Luckily, as you know, in the U.S., the FCC has no role in format changes or assignments of format. We're still free to do very well, or fail based on our own decisions
as programmers, and we're charged with literally KNOWING OUR AUDIENCE.

My take on the article here is that the operators lacked the "stick-to it" enough to BUILD an audience. It took us years. Now celebrating 10 years, I'm looking back
and saying that it took FIVE of those to get firmly rooted in the business community and with our audience. It took NOT giving up, and sticking to our guns with
format, logo, programming goals, and sales methods.

If I had to go back and do it again, I could say as an expert that "frequency changes" make little or no difference....It makes MORE difference to today's audience if you market under NEW CALL LETTERS..which are identified in the USA with the particular branding of a radio station, or...with some type of phrase. I chose to keep the call letters we had, as they were original to the station, they stand for our town and our county, and I'm a believer in keeping (radio) heritage. If, however another station came my way tomorrow, and I found it had the same issues, I'd still give it a new identity (logo, web, etc)...but, I'd change the call letters and throw heritage to the wind, thus building a "new" station...regardless of it being on the old frequency.

We've overcome all obstacles on a formerly "hated" frequency. It's not the dial position people learn to dislike, it's the programming or LACK OF.
A "consistency of variety" seems to work best for us in music, feature shows, and co-hosts. None of this would change if tomorrow our frequency was to change.
It's all about programming, and knowing your audience.

Those submitting that interesting piece above sound like they they did neither, very well.

 

[Mr Tony]

well put radio

 

[Mr Tony]

on 8/19 it was approved

Canadian regulators have approved a Winnipeg station's plan to get away from what's commonly referred to as a "cursed frequency" in the radio business. Dufferin Commications will move CFJL-FM/100.7 to 100.5 and upgrade from 80kW to 100kW in the process. Dufferin said in its application that the change is needed because CFJL has been through a half-dozen formats since 2002 and "the frequency itself has become stigmatized as 'a station no one listens to.'" CFJL relaunched its Adult Contemporary format as "The Jewel" last December but said listeners continue call the station a "loser" and advertisers call it "last in the market." The CRTC received no opposition to the proposal and approved the application this week.

 

[navychop]

Lotsa luck. I presume such a small change required no antenna change and minimal transmitter change.


Posted Via The FREE SatelliteGuys Reader App using an iPhone.

 

[eurosport]

Wow. Looking at the wikipedia page for that station, and those "format" choices (except maybe AAA or Hank, we have 101.7 Hank FM here that does well) ...they're lucky to still be around to MAKE a frequency change!

 

[Mr Tony]

plenty of stations make multiple format changes. Its Canada of all places so maybe they're just confused

 

[Mr Tony]

great example of "musical formats" in Minneapolis is the "105's"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WGVX

Rev105 still was one of the best stations out there

 

[Mr Tony]

they did the change this past Monday

Winnipeg's CFJL-FM moved from 100.7 to 100.5 on Monday, upgrading from 80kW to 100kW in the process. In its application last year, owner Dufferin Communications told the CRTC it wanted the change because 100.7 had become "stigmatized as 'a station no one listens to'" after a half-dozen format changes. CFJL retained its Adult Contemporary format and tweaked its slogan from "Jewel 101" to "Jewel 100.5."

 

[radio]

(we have 101.7 Hank FM here that does well) ...

It's probably popular as a jukebox, but....

When I tune in via the web to that station....(corporate delivered to your market....) it doesn't have the feel of being attached to a community except for it's commercials, and on weekends when it simulcasts it's sister station for a live swap shop. Very little local event information, the mid-day requests are horribly executed with caller's audio levels all over the road in an attempt to "sound" local. As an automated station, it's not being run to the best of technology's ability.

I had to give up listening to their stream because their processing is so bad that low levels of songs are LOST (like they're broadcasting silence) by a badly adjusted AGC, compressor, or something in their chain. Too bad, too. The (corporate) selection of music is not bad if one like's older country.....however, radio is DETAIL oriented, and the most basic of details are being lost to this one. They're even using a domain for mail which, if you punch it in is "parked!" (they have a site, but not at the corporate domain they publicly advertise as the host for e-mail.)

Again, SAD...because the potential of this FM station is quite good, even with it's offsite program sourcing.