Milwaukee Radio Alliance AC “B93.3” WLDB Milwaukee relaunched at 6:05pm today as “Trending Radio 93.3“.
Calling it a facelift as opposed to an all-out format change, the move completes WLDB’s evolution to Hot AC and brings it closer to Entercom’s “99.1 The Mix” WMYX and the market’s three CHR’s musically. WLDB ranked 11th in the Milwaukee market in the February 2015 Nielsen Audio PPM ratings with a 3.7 share, well behind WMYX’s 5.0. Out with the change is morning co-host Jane Matenaer.
The “Trending Radio” brand name comes from Riviera Broadcasting’s “Hot 97.5/103.9” KMVA/KEXX Phoenix, which uses it as a positioning statement and secondary branding.
Logo could use some work. Current one looks like a quick paint job.
Somehow I knew that WLDB wouldn’t last long with the AC format. It’s like 1984 all over again.
That new logo is HIDEOUS – looks like it was designed by someone who was dropped on his or her head as a child.
The format change isn’t much better. Isn’t most of this music already found on 99.1, 103.7, 97.3, and to some extent, 106.9? How many CHR and Hot AC/Adult CHR stations does Milwaukee need?!! 97.3 and 106.9 have gotten little ratings traction since their respective flips to CHR.
To succeed, this station is going to have to retain a good chunk of its existing audience *and* swipe some share from WMYX.
What 93.3 is doing will flop, just like 94 WKTI in the final couple years of that brand prior to its flip to Variety Hits.
What a DUMB move! I think the station should have stayed AC (especially with Racine’s 92.1 flipping in recent weeks).
Still surprised this market still only has one full-market country station.
Although, if someone were to ever target 106.1 with a full-market signal, I suspect CC would flip 97.3 to some sort of gold-based Country format to serve as a flanker in a heartbeat.
One last thought: the V/O guy 93.3 is using stinks. He sounds way too old next to the type of music 93.3 is playing.
Yup. Just what we need here in Milwaukee… yet ANOTHER channel to beat the $#!+ out of the new songs as well as re-beat the $#!+ out of the tired older songs that WKTI beat to death back in its day. I remember in 2006, if I had to hear Big Black Horse In A Cherry Tree ONE MORE TIME, I was gonna blow a gasket on Lips Labelle.
The kicker was, WKTI did an A-Z Memorial Day Weekend in 2006 and the amount of variety they HAD to play was truly shocking… and yet they only played a few certain songs over and over and over again. They had SO MUCH music that they could revisit in between the new hits… Who remembers any of this with me?