Friday, February 26, 2010

Format Change Antagonizes Advertiser

After FM station WWMM—now WAPI-FM—100.5 in Helena, AL, announced a format change from alternative music to all talk, Jeff Tenner, owner of Soca Clothing in Homewood, AL, launched a Facebook group called "Save Live 100.5." Tenner said, "I'm an upset advertiser, and I'm also just an upset music listener." Tenner is clearly not the only upset listener; his Facebook group has grown to more than 20,000 members.

A casualty of the format change is Scott Register, whose specialty show "Reg's Coffee House" was broadcast on Live 100.5 on Sundays. He said, "I don't know if I'll be back. I do know that I'll probably be the last human voice you'll hear on Live 100.5." "Reg's Coffee House" had just celebrated its 13th anniversary in January, and its Facebook fan page credits the program with spawning Live 100.5.

Citadel said that Live 100.5, which came on the air in August 2008, had not generated the ratings or the revenue that owners needed to keep it going.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

NFCB Conference

The National Federation of Community Broadcasters will hold its 35th annual Community Radio Conference in St. Paul, MN, June 9-12, 2010. This is an opportunity to meet the NFCB's new president, Maxie Jackson, who will give an opening address and will drop in on workshops and sessions and talk to NFCB members. Jackson succeeded retired president Carol Pierson in Jan. 2010. The conference's host station is KFAI *90.3 Minneapolis.