jsol (07/22/82)
YES!! It's true !! It's True. I was out in the NYC area for a week listening to it, and it is indeed totally commercial free music. My guess as to how they can afford it is that they are borrowing money from someone to try and get a reasonable portion of the radio market so that in the fall they can begin selling commercial airtime. Historically it has been nearly impossible to break the WNEW/WPLJ/WPIX hold on NYC's listener audience (the one that counts - the Rock and Roll audience - the ones you can count on to spend alot of money on Blue Jeans, Beer, etc. etc.), and this may be an attempt to replace WPIX (which just went mellow rock?). Now, I wish someone would do something like that in LA.
death (07/24/82)
How can they afford to be commercial free? They can't afford
NOT to be commercial free!
One of the "principles" of radio (if radio could be said
to have principles) is that a listener by and large will
just turn on his radio to whatever station it is he is
most familiar with BY REFLEX -- and leave it there, unless
something really offensive comes on. He then tunes out, goes
to another station -- which stays on until something offensive...etc.
APP wants to get listeners to develop the reflex to turn to 130.5.
Since commercial-free is a great format (for the listeners, at least)
people will tune them in and leave them on. All the time.
Besides, who would have cared if a new radio station playing
bogus 20-year-old rock&roll appeared on the airwaves? No one
would have heard of it and no one would have cared -- there
are already too many stations playing bogus 20-year-old rock&roll.
Would everyone be saying, "wow, let's tune in to that new station,
WAPP, and listen to the same Jethro Tull and Led Zepplin albums all day"?
NO! BUT they are saying "wow, tune in...no commercials all summer!"
and no one seems to notice that they're playing the same
Jethro Tull and Led Zepplin albums all day.
Marketing. Radio is SALES. That's it.
(that's why I got out of it. uch. bleh.)
==DDtsd (07/30/82)
For those interested, WAPP is owned by Doubleday Broadcasting Company
(Doubleday of publishing and bookselling, now also owner of the New York
Mets). This company also owns WLLZ (Detroit), WAVA (Wash. D.C.), KWK
(St. Louis), KDWB (Twin Cities), and KPKE (Denver). The point is that
while the commercial free summer sounds unbelievable, the bucks to support
the thing should not be a major concern. From a marketing standpoint its
a great gimmick, and time will tell if it was the ticket to break into
the tough New York market.
The kicker is, I've never heard the station. This info comes from a
friend who sent me a full page WAPP ad out of the New York Times.
Their announcement was "WAPP(FM) IS New York's "Apple"". I'd be real
curious to receive mail from those who have listened to the station
commenting on their format, playlist, personal impressions, etc.
Tim Davidheiser
nscs!tsdnotes@zeppo.UUCP (10/24/83)
#R:yale-com:-71500:zeppo:9500001:000:648
zeppo!mes Jul 26 09:28:00 1982
Actually, they don't always play the same stuff et al at the same time
on WAPP 103.5 NYC. If you listen long enough, you'll notice that they play
the same artist each day at the same time, but not the same song!
Net effect is a quasi-programmed station that is pleasing to listen to
for about 3 days, and then you start to sense the presence of monsters...
Bring back WTFM!! the NYC market needs (desperately) a soft rock station that
is not mid60's happy (not that I don't like mid60s - no flames please - but
enough is enough (WYNY)) ...
Mike
BTL Whippany NJ
...harpo!zeppo!mes