GROOVE FM Winnipeg wants to dump specialty format

[Dan Sys]

Corus' CJGV 99.1 (GROOVE FM) has applied to remove it's specialty format status. The station proposes to drop its Jazz-Blues-R&B mix and replace it with a Hot AC-80's & 90's Classic Hit format.

http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2011/2011-469.htm

[CKNF]

AC...how original.
Well, here's a chicken vs. egg question for all of you. One of the biggest gripes with corporate radio is the cookie-cutter format syndrome. However, when a station is licensed as a specialty format and does not have a 'cookie-cutter' format, this seems to happen:

The licensee states that while it has operated CJGV-FM as a Smooth Jazz Specialty station over its licence term, it has suffered significant financial losses. The licensee states that the Smooth Jazz format is no longer viable in Winnipeg and proposes to provide a Mix Adult Contemporary format instead. The new format would feature a wide variety of today’s pop and rock hits, mixed with songs from the 80’s and 90’s.

So, who is to blame in situations like this?
Is it:
1 - The Broadcaster for applying for a specialty format in order to increase the chances of the application getting approved and thus 'beg for forgiveness later' as opposed to 'asking for permission first'
2 - The CRTC with its content restrictions and requirements for Canadian talent development and Canadian content development contributions
3 - Mr. Joe Public that doesn't want to listen to a specialty format and is happy with hearing 'Money for Nothing' five times a day
4- Insert other reasons here_____________________________________________________________

Who or what do you blame?

Just some thoughts...

[jon]

But what about those stations that have changed ownership since the original specialty license was granted? How should the CRTC deal with those "please drop the specialty format clause" requests? Or, as you say, who is to blame?

[Destro]

I would, "Sorry to hear about your challenges. Please hand back in your license."

and let the next broadcaster that wants a kick at the can a try to create a profitable specialty station.

[skyvalleyradio]

...what Destro said!

[PMC]

Same should be done with CFUN

[Anotherwpgguy]

I really enjoy listening to Groove FM, and my wife is especially a heavy "hours tuned" time builder for Groove FM and likely logs 10 hours a day of active listening ... and I mean listening, not incipid low level background.

Strange as it may seem to some of you, not everyone in every single radio market is in search of the heaviest rock that can possibly be programmed 24 hours a day.

I can sympthathize though with the severe lack of enough revenue to pay the bills despite the best efforts by the sales dept .... and make no mistake, that is the issue ... to pay the bills ... not that they are already making lots of money, but just not enough to satisfy the folks that count beans in head office of the corps while rolling around in the company vault like Scrooge McDuck crying "More, more, more."

So why shouldn't a company that has spent all that money time and effort have the opportunity to recoup some of it by a format modification?

They gave it a sincere legitimate shot .... there isn't some great untapped reveunue source out there in "radioland" like an undiscovered oil field which depends upon somebody just "doing a specialty format the right way."

Even with a 5.5 share in Winnipeg, CHNR and The Beeze 100.7 couldn't sell that large market share to sponsors to keep the hydro and natural gas bill paid with a specialty format based upon category 3 music that was enthusiastically supported by its listener base.

One lesson that comes from this experience is that radio executives, jocks, PDs, music directors, etc don't program radio stations ... ultimately the sponsors do. If you can sell time, then you are a successful programmer by being able to deliver a sufficiently large block of listeners with money or credit in their jeans and an urge to buy, to the door of a sponsor with goods to sell.

Anotherwpgguy

[pave]

I think I kinda get what Anotherwpgguy is telling here in that if an advertiser doesn't buy into the viability of the format - they will be reluctant to purchase the time. That is, right up to and until extraordinarily huge, boxcar numbers can be presented. I mean, how many times have ad-sales staff heard, "I don't listen to or like your station so I'm not buying it."...? Yet, when presented with the obligatory: "But your potential customers do." they stare back as if they were watching someone try to speak with an overflowing mouthful of shaving cream.

Meanwhile, I do wonder about the cynical dance between prospective new owners and the CRTC when specialty licenses are up for grabs as even the janitors know the agenda ... and can do the close order drill.

Still, I'm going to hold on to the idea that even a specialty station can be programmed so well that not only will target audience be reached, but other, valuable additions to the base could be generated. (But then, what else would a programming-guy say?)

Now, excuse me whilst I go sputter and rinse out the foam.