WIZ Eats The Competition

Big news in the radio world today: Instead of starting up a new R&B adult contemporary station from scratch next week to compete with MOJO, the WIZF-FM (WIZ 101.1) has bought the rival-to-be.
Radio One, operators of THE WIZ and WDBZ-AM (BUZZ 1230), paid $5 million cash today for the intellectual property – the call letters and format, basically everything but the frequency – to use on the new 100.3 FM station launching next Thursday.
Earlier this year, Radio One – the largest radio company primarily targeting African-Americans -- paid $18 million for WIFE-FM (100.3) in Connersville, Ind., and move it to Cincinnati. Talks began two weeks ago with Susquehanna Radio, owners of WMOJ-FM, WRRM-FM (WARM98) and WYGY-FM (STAR 96.5), about buying the MOJO branding.
"Jammin’ oldies" listeners for the past 7-1/2 years are in for some big changes next week, as the station appeals to African-American women. The "rhythm and blues and classic soul" station will play lots of Luther Vandross, Lionel Richie, Mariah Carey, Toni Braxton and Alicia Keys, and a lot less Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and Bee Gees.
The deal allows Radio One to interview MOJO’s current full-time and part-time DJs. But the Keith Mitchell-Laura Powell morning show won’t continue. The new MOJO has plans for another morning show, says Lisa Thal, VP and GM. Don’t be surprised if they move syndicated Tom Joyner from the BUZZ to MOJO. Radio One’s similar urban adult contemporary in Dayton, WRNB-FM (92.1), has Joyner in the morning.
And here's an odd, historic twist to this story: The station at 94.9 was involved in an intellectual property sale once before. In 1995, it sold rights to "WOFX-FM, The Fox" to Jacor/Clear Channel, which moved it to 92.5 to replace "WPPT-FM, The Point." Then 94.9 went Smooth Jazz as "WVAE-FM, The Wave" until switching to MOJO in 1999.

What's next?
So what will be heard on 94.9 next Thursday? My guess is they’ll move the country STAR 96.5 to 94.9, which has a stronger signal in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.

Then what will they put on 96.5? What formats could they try? (Just guessing again, but it probably won't be Smooth Jazz.)

Another question: Did folks at oldies WGRR-FM (103.5) celebrate this news Thursday? It could be a big winner in the move. The current MOJO audience is about 36% African-American. When the new MOJO targets the African-American audience, will some of the old MOJO audience switch to GRR oldies? Will GRR music get a little bit more jammin’? Other markets have dumped the oldies format, but with part of the old MOJO audience up for grabs, this might sustain GRR for a good while.

Calls of the Wild

Last question: Remember when 94.9 was Lite95 in Fairfield, and 96.5 in Hamilton was named WYGY-FM for Young Country in 1992? Before that 96.5 was also known as the River (WZRZ), the country Beaver (WBVE) and disco WSKS-FM -- known by some in the radio biz as Radio Sucks -- or Hamilton's old WQMS-FM.