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Monday, November 20, 2006
11/21: Do you like the new name?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
96rock is now Project 9-6-1. Do you like the name Project? Chris Williams said it’s to indicate the station is always evolving. But isn’t the point of a brand to be concrete, to create a firm image, a distinct personality, as opposed to a chameleon? And as he noted, 96.1 is still going after a 25 to 44 year old male demo, a demo it has targeted for many years (though recently, it skewed older.) It’s still a rock station even without the word rock in its name.
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11/20: (UPDATE) Project 9-6-1 brass speak!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I just spoke with Mike Boyle, an editor at trade publication Radio & Records. I forgot to credit him for a Saturday blog item in which I linked to the audio transition between 96rock and Project 9-6-1, which I’ve fixed. Boyle wrote a brief story on Friday about Project 9-6-1 in which he got a hold of Chris Williams. So if there is a media blackout, it seemed to be targeted to me, not to the media in general.
Here’s a link to the story from Friday on Radio & Records.
Williams and Wheeler finally got clearance on Monday afternoon to talk to me or something like that. They weren’t pleased that I just showed up unannounced Friday morning in their waiting area. Maybe that’s why they didn’t want to talk to me. I said all they had to do if they were truly busy was to pass a message along to Linda at the front desk saying, hey, can we talk at another time, we’re busy, rather than just ignore me. That’s just basic courtesy. But alas, we moved on.
Wheeler said the reason they spoke to the trade pub and not to me was because Radio & Records spoke to the radio industry and what I write is to the fans and they wanted the fans to listen to Project 9-6-1, not read about it. “We wanted people to hear our launch,” Wheeler said. “We did that. We focused on the launch. Now we’re talking.”
The rationale for dropping 96rock as a brand name from Wheeler: “We saw the strength of the Buzz. We had some research information that told us that 96rock was approaching the end of its life cycle as a product. We thought we could take the best of 96rock and the best of the Buzz and create a strong third product.”
What will become of 105.3?: The simulcast will end on Thanksgiving. Wheeler declined to say what the new format will be or when it will officially start. It’s quite possible they’ll do some silly stunt for a few days before November 27 rolls around.
Why the name Project, which can connote a temporary situation, not a permanent name? Williams: “It doesn’t denote somethng temporary. It’s not static. It’s not ever finished. It allows us to be flexible… That speaks more to a long-term plan than a short-term plan.” (I’m going to make this a blog question later in the week. Is the name Project a good one?) It was Wiliams’ idea for a name, by the way.
* Would Project 9-6-1 even exist if they hadn’t fired the Regular Guys?* No comment because of the lawsuit by Larry Wachs. Wheeler said he’ll answer that down the road once legal issues are cleared.
* Texturally, how did you know which songs to keep from 96rock’s heritage?* Williams: 96.1 has been historically a radio station that is Atlanta’s rock station. It has swagger. It represented the rock format regardless of era. It’s dabbled in different genres. We’ve kept the call letters WKLS intentionally. There’s heritage in those call letters. We found those rock anthems that work alongside Rage Against the Machine, Buckcherry and NIrvana. There’s a lot of legs in AC/DC, Led Zeppelin and Ozzy Osborne.”
* Since a bulk of the music is from the Buzz, why not keep the Buzz name? * Wheeler: “We did discuss it. We rejected it pretty quickly. It’s not the Buzz. It’s a different radio station with a different musical vibe. It retains a lot of the sensibility of the Buzz. We were able to keep enough of that so people who are fans of the Buzz will feel it. But we didn’t want to represent it as something it’s not anymore.”
Status of Jennifer Reed, afternoon jock for just a few months at 96rock: She’s out.
Status of Fin, midday jock at 96rock: He’s in. But Williams said he can’t say what Fin’s future role will be.
Why drop Whip? Williams simply said, “We wanted a new morning show and it’s something that unfortunately didn’t involve Whip.”
Do you have a timetable for a morning show? No. They will get a show when they find the right people. “We haev a strong short list,” Williams said.
He noted that nobody on the short list is one of the current notable local unemployed jocks. We didn’t delve into names but that would include Tim Rhodes, Southside Steve, Jimmy Baron and Steve Barnes, to name a few. Texturally, those aren’t likely good fits anwyay.
Wheeler said they are looking for a local morning show though how much would it be personality vs. music, he wouldn’t say.
What about Lite 94.9? No comment, of course.
