Calgary PPM Feb 25, 2013 - May 26, 2013

[radiofan]

[45 RPM]

Another interesting no-growth book for XL 103.. Now that Stevens is no longer PD, I am sure the powers at NewCap are seriously looking at ditching the five year deal with
Don & Joanne. The influx of new listeners from CHFM never happened. The numbers have never exceeded what theyw ere before the over hyped arriver of D & J.

As is the case with most changes at NewCap, I will not be surprised if Don & Joanne opt for "early retirement" or simply "step down" before the year is done. There is just
too much money being spent for too little a return. This plus the fact that Stevens is really sounding old on the air, ever notice how much he wheezes and sputters? If he
stays, he'll be wearing an oxygen mask and all you'll hear on the air is the sound of oxygen, like in an E-R.

[isthisthingon]

Another interesting no-growth book for XL 103.. Now that Stevens is no longer PD, I am sure the powers at NewCap are seriously looking at ditching the five year deal with
Don & Joanne. The influx of new listeners from CHFM never happened. The numbers have never exceeded what theyw ere before the over hyped arriver of D & J.

As is the case with most changes at NewCap, I will not be surprised if Don & Joanne opt for "early retirement" or simply "step down" before the year is done. There is just
too much money being spent for too little a return. This plus the fact that Stevens is really sounding old on the air, ever notice how much he wheezes and sputters? If he
stays, he'll be wearing an oxygen mask and all you'll hear on the air is the sound of oxygen, like in an E-R.

Agreed! Time to wrap it up while they're still, sort of, on top. Otherwise the next comparisons will be to Grampa Simpson and Nurse Ratched.

[pave]

It may be reasonable to presume that Don & Joann are, intuitively or as a force of habit, still attempting to appeal to the 18-34 female demo. Bad idea - given the tunes.
As to the rest of the market: Same players. Same approaches. Same philosophies. Same dogma. Same restrictions. Same results.
Radio has been - and still is, essentially, an incestuous circle-jerk.
(And for me anyway, that's a very troubling visual.)

[Rocky]

Looks like QR is down a full share from a year ago.

Where will they be a year from now when their marquee talent (Dave Rutherford) is gone?

What will the person they advertised for in that utterly ridiculous ad a few months ago bring to the table?

Me thinks the glory days are now history.

[pave]

While a single share point - given the vagaries of the ratings systems - is hardly worth a raised eyebrow, poo-bahs and frommages will be losing their freakin' minds. (It's part of the job description.)

However, I suspect the loss of Rutherford may have some impact. That is, unless some homeless guy can be brought in, thrown on the air and generate broadcasting miracles.

I think, Rocky, it is important to realise that, no matter how much the Calgary market has changed and grown over the decades, "QR has always been around the 10-share mark - give or take a point here and there. Like everybody else in town, they have had every opportunity to dominate. And, like everybody else in the market, they have failed - utterly.

[isthisthingon]

CHQR has a lot of problems to fix and hours to fill. Bruce Kenyon's Morning News wheel is best defined as 'meh'. Rutherford leaves in late July, and Charles never use one word/name/example/city/shill when you can use 100 Adler will be gone from the 12:30-3:00 slot in September. The 3:00 to 6:30 slot is a traffic & weather extravaganza interspersed with trying-to-be-important whiffleball talk. They have been trying a few talk show hosts from inside and outside Corus. To my ear, a couple of their own news guys have sounded best - even though they only had 90 minutes each. To date, no one has sounded knowledgeable, younger, hip, cool, funny or most important - relevant to a new audience. All combined with an astonishing number of technical glitches. There's a lot of work to be done.

[pave]

I preferred 'QR when they were a combination of tunes & talk. Me and radiofan were serving up morning hash & some hits, and I got to ramble, gamble and duck out for a smoke during the music. Mid-days were still Rutherford and such. Afternoon drive was back to tunes. Although, I think my mom made the music choices. They figured they still had a shot as a mid-'60's - early-'70's MOR-type outfit. Still....
(I remember getting railed and reamed out for introducing "All Along The Watchtower" in a cynical, syrup-laden, super-affected tonality as "Jimi Hendrix.... and his orchestra.")

[radiofan]

While a single share point - given the vagaries of the ratings systems - is hardly worth a raised eyebrow, poo-bahs and frommages will be losing their freakin' minds. (It's part of the job description.)

However, I suspect the loss of Rutherford may have some impact. That is, unless some homeless guy can be brought in, thrown on the air and generate broadcasting miracles.

I think, Rocky, it is important to realise that, no matter how much the Calgary market has changed and grown over the decades, "QR has always been around the 10-share mark - give or take a point here and there. Like everybody else in town, they have had every opportunity to dominate. And, like everybody else in the market, they have failed - utterly.

Until QR went talk in 1992, it spent most of it's life being radio's version of Charlie Brown. No matter what they did, it never quite paid off or became a market leader. It's it's first twenty years (1964-84)
they had something like 13 or 14 PDs (Mel would know the exact number). There's no real way of counting the number of Morning Shows over the years ... (let's see if I can remember what was there from
83-92 .. Jim Brady, Ray Collins, John Fox, Murray & Dave, Norm and Dave, Jim and Dave, Greg and Dave, Dave & Danusia, Jim and Dave (again), Johnnie Walker, Dan Wilmott, Ronald T. Robinson,
Johnnie Walker, Gerry Forbes ... did I forget anyone??).

The two biggest mistakes made by QR in the 80's was letting Norm Edwards get away just as the station was getting it's real first taste of success (thanks to a huge promo after the move to 770). The other
was a boneheaded move on the part of a sales manager who was tired of having people tell him QR only had cume because of The Flames. He wanted to prove the station has listeners without The Flames.
had it not been for that move, The Flames would likely still be on QR today.

Even the talk format got off to a rocky start ... They kind of jumped the gun announcing Daryl Janz as the 9 - Noon Talk host [he backed out before he signed] so they had to open up the back doors of the
Brinks truck to woo Terry Moore away from his perch at CKNW. How many show hosts lasted more than 6 months? (Dan Wilmott, Sharon Edwards, Susan Booker to name a few didn't). The PD (Rick Lewis)
barely lasted a year, his replacement (Frank Callaghan) wasn't there long enough for the ink on his business cards to dry!).

In the last few years, QR's 10 share has made them a market leader. For many years, their 10 share (in a then 7 station market) was nothing to brag about.

[radiofan]

There was quite likely a Jim and Greg (Jeffries and Haraldson) morning show in there somewhere too!