Kara Ro is the midday host on the new CKOC too, she is a busy announcer.

How could they even think about going country with 94.7...?

Saul wrote:

How could they even think about going country with 94.7...?

Country can easily be done with more classics as a variety country station while 94.7 stays focused on the currents as a New Country station.

kevjo wrote:

Radiowiz wrote:

Saul wrote:

How could they even think about going country with 94.7...?

Country can easily be done with more classics as a variety country station while 94.7 stays focused on the currents as a New Country station.

It didn't work 15 years ago when they revived CHAM as a country station. 94.7 beat it to a pulp. Is there evidence to suggest that this time out conditions would be more favourable for 820?
The sudden demise of CHML allows for an opportunity to attempt to fill that void. Yes, it isn't cheap to run a news/talk format but they could start with at least a news presence during the daytime with perhaps a couple outsourced talk programs to start. It would be worth trying as there just aren't many viable options in that market for an AM station.

15 years ago, 94.7 was Wave 94.7. 
Even 13 years ago, (2011, when 94.7 signed on as New Country) that's still not anything to be concerned with. 
Country music will work just fine today on 820 CHAM. 
As I said, a Country Variety station (NOT an all classic country station) will work today just fine.  One station will be all the fresh new stuff while the other plays some new country, some New Country classics and some older classics, but maybe not too far back-throw in some Kenny Rogers Gambler and it's all good... 

 

paterson1 wrote:

Like CKWW, some of the CKOC ID's are not the best.  Also both stations are chopping the odd song, so let's hope this gets corrected soon.  

Anyway, regardless it is interesting to have three "new" AM stations all with music formats.  I wish Mr. Ray well, and all the best and success in his new venture. 

I would have liked the hear some of the older short CKOC jingles from its heydey, but I admit, that's just me being nostalgic.  That may not translate to success.  Given that they were Classic Hits on Labour Day 2015 when the format was dumped, I find this format choice a bit of a head scratcher.  Will most people listen to fairly modern-sounding classic hits on a very mushy sounding AM signal?  I dunno.

I'm really happy for Kent Chambers getting the morning gig, and if it can work; well great!  I have my doubts, but we'll see.

CKWW will need to go more in a News and Talk direction before it will work in Windsor. The only AM radio music format the worked in that market from the mid 1980's up until the 2000's was Adult Standards. CKWW remained Oldies for years because it was Windsor-Detroit rather than Windsor only like what both the current CKWW and 1960's to 1993 version of CKWW was. 
 

To restate what I just said, CKWW will just need more spoken word content than what they have right now. A certain amount of music is okay. They could also consider Ethnic programming from 9 pm to 6 am. I am familiar enough with the Motor City radio dial to know that playing old CKOC / CFTR / CHUM tunes full time will not give them the same results in Windsor as if it were done in Toronto, Hamilton, London, and most other Canadian cites. The 1980's CHR battles looked like this. 

Toronto : CFTR and CHUM AM
Hamilton : CKOC and Toronto Radio
London : CJBK and CKSL 
Windsor : Z 95.5, Power 96, and 99.5 The Fox from Detroit - All FM Stereo and no minimum Cancon requirement.

 

I was surprised that the moderator of the Detroit SE Michigan Radio & TV sight thought that CKWW should have tapped into the Fan/Sportsnet programming. 

I've been listening to both 820.. I think the audio processing on both need some work if they are doing music. I find 1150 to be muffled, and 820 has improved but still isn't clean.  I also have to question are they hitting cancon requirements especially on 820.   They told the crtc they would be doing English commerical which comes with 35% cancon.  820 has very little if at all music in English.  The ids may be English, but I'm not sure the crtc will find that acceptable. I have a feeling we will see a hearing at some point regarding 820.  If they want an Ethnic license then they should apply like everyone else. I think Hamilton is really needing a station with local news, talk and sports with chml no longer part of the mix.   It won't be free but can be done on a budget.

I wish them well but I really not sure music on am is going to work.   It's 2024.   No under 55's are going to listen on mass to AM for music unless it's culturally driven.  1220 sure hasn't blown up to huge numbers.

News talk can't really be done on the cheap, especially if your aim is local. Coming back from a walk with the dog on Sunday night I happened to tune into CKTB and was surprised to hear a Vassy Kapelos reroll. No, not her radio show but the audio from CTV's Question Period, which has been on hiatus for at least two months. 

Hearing her talk about the upcoming St. Paul's byelection and the pending Trump-Biden debate was painfully dated and I have no idea why they even aired it. (Although I'm assuming no one at the station actually listened to it before putting it on air.) 

It made them sound awful and out of touch, especially two big stories that had such an impact. I'm thinking there's no way Mr. Ray has the resources to do it well if a giant like Bell can't afford to, either. (Or even cares.) 

And by the way, most people have long forgotten that 820 did try talk for a time, mostly with syndicated shows. I liked their computer show with Leo Laporte well enough, but the rest didn't really interest me. But almost anything is better than the indefinable mess that's there now. I still can't tell exactly what that format is supposed to be