The Lou Pickney Homepage
The Lou Pickney
Homepage


Online since
August 1995

2024 NFL Draft
Draft King

NFL Mock Draft
2024 Prospects

MORE
NashvilleLou Live
NashvilleLou.com
AcePurple.com
TigerDriver.com


Lou Pickney's Online Commentary

Nashville Radio

Sunday
August 22, 2004

I originally posted this on radio-info.com, but I figured I'd put it here as well. Also, I put up a new page concerning the tease that's running on WSM-FM concerning their widely-rumored new name change. Tomorrow I'll have more on my trip, but for tonight this is what I have to offer...

I visited my parents in Nashville this weekend, which allowed me to hear radio in the market for the first time since Christmas. Some thoughts...

-I rolled an aircheck on WSM-FM. Since I got back to Tampa literally within the hour, I haven't listened to it yet. Hopefully I'll get to hear that teaser promo that some of you have referenced on other threads on here. Something tells me that the next time I visit Nashville, WSM-FM will be something else entirely.

-Amazingly, I saw a billboard for WSM-FM in the downtown Nashville area today. When a station is being ready to be flipped (or rebranded), you never see it being advertised like that. The only example I can think of in Nashville of that happening is when WZPC changed from Power Country to The Buzz in April 1999 and they still had those old Power Country billboards up for awhile after. Though, in that case, with 103 KDF going country in April 1999, it was a reactionary move and thus it was too late apparently to change the billboards to match (at first).

-My Dad was on as a guest on the ReMax Realty show on 1510 WLAC this morning (to discuss his business, Tennessee Wastewater Systems, Inc.), and I came along with him. Clear Channel Nashville has a pretty nice building on Music Row, at least from what I saw. I'd never switch any of the call letters of those stations, if for nothing else because of the monumental pain it'd be to change those huge letters hanging on the front of the building. It's a nice place though, but it reminded me of Clear Channel Tampa in that it was a maze (is there some rule that all radio station cluster buildings must be designed to be excessively disorienting?) WLAC's studio is nice, with capabilities to have five people on-air with no problem (I only listened via headphones, but had I wished to participate it wouldn't have been a problem as there was an extra mic not in use). The computer system looked pretty up-to-date; I presume they use Prophet NextGen like most all Clear Channel stations do.

-Being able to listen to Lightning 100 was a real treat. Here in Tampa we have no AAA stations. Neither my Mom (who's lived in Nashville since WRLT was "Rebel 100") nor my 15-year-old sister were familiar with the station, but they both enjoyed the music when I insisted that we listen to it in the car. Note to Tuned In Broadcasting: budget some money for billboards if at all possible. I was pleased to hear that Lightning 100 was programmed as strong as it was before. Even the live performance we heard tonight on the way to the airport sounded great.

-For what it's worth, the city of license change for 102-5 Party didn't do anything to improve reception strength of the station at my parents' home on the southside of Nashville (obviously it takes more than a COL change to modify anything, but it appears that if any antenna/signal moves took place, it didn't improve things for southside signal strength). To roll an aircheck of the station, I had to put the radio outside on the screened-in porch area, as even with an antenna the radio was unable to pick up 102.5 through the walls of the house. This is not a good thing.

-What I heard of the Retro Buzz on 102.9 sounded cool. I love Classic Alternative.

Overall, it was nice to hear Nashville radio again, if for but a weekend...


August 2004 Commentary Page

Commentary Archive

Return to the Lou Pickney Homepage


Except where otherwise noted, all content on this website is copyright © 1995-2024 Lou Pickney, all rights reserved.
The views expressed here are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect those of any media company.