Sunday, August 28, 2005

Mansfield CC Cluster Moves

On the far-southwest end of OMW's Sphere of Influence:

OMW hears that two "KISS FM Mid-Ohio" air talents are moving to Mansfield Clear Channel sister WYHT/105.3 ("Y105"), which is currently a Hot AC station. Making the move will be Nathan Tyler and Marty Scott, both voicetracking in from CC's Columbus cluster. Tyler does overnights and weekends for there for WNCI/97.9, and Scott is also based there, doing weekend shifts.

The move is revitalizing the Mansfield/Ashland Radio Rumor Mill. Speculation has focused on a shift from Hot AC to CHR for Y105, and a subsequent format change (or changes?) to the KISS FM combo, a dual-signal station at 98.3/Fredericktown and 107.7/Loudonville. We're not able to get a good bead on what might replace CHR on the 98.3/107.7 combo, or if the stations will even continue to simulcast. If OMW were at the Radio Betting Window, we'd put a $20 down on 98.3 and 107.7 becoming classic rock "The Fox", perhaps becoming stations two and three simulcast with WGLN/102.3 Galion...already in the format.

With the move of the "KISS" air talent to Y105, a format change towards CHR, or at least some music tweaking, seems possible for that station.

At one time, long ago, WBZW/107.7 in Loudonville was a locally-owned smooth jazz station, and actually targetted nearby Wooster...as a competitor to Dix's country WQKT/104.5, which now only competes locally with WKLM/95.3 Millersburg (not counting large Cleveland, Akron and Canton signals heard well in Wooster).

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I've heard that 98.3 & 107.7 will merge with 102.3 WFXN Galion and become The Fox -Clasic Rock 3X's the power 3X's the towers on Sept 1st.