Flinn has flipped Alternative “96X” WIVG Tunica, MS/Memphis to Classic Hip-Hop “Boomin 96“. The flip took place at 11pm on Sunday following an hour long loop of Run DMC’s “Christmas In Hollis”.
The new format gives Flinn a gold-based flanker for Rhythmic “Hot 107.1” KXHT Marion, AR. The former Alternative format goes out following a 0.7 share in the November Nielsen Audio PPM Ratings despite its rimshot signal.
96.3 W242CF is currently off-the-air, while another of Flinn’s rimshots, 96.5 WWWN Holly Springs, MS has flipped from Variety Hits “The Phantom” to a simulcast of EMF’s Christian AC “K-Love” 94.9 WKVF Bartlett, TN with new WKIF call letters.
Update 12/5: Another piece of the puzzle has fallen into place as Flinn’s Standards “Sunny 1210” WMPS is promoting that its FM simulcast will move from 96.3 W242CF Memphis to 103.1 on Saturday.
All three of the domains we reported on below are now all redirecting to Boomin96.com.
Original Report 12/4: Over the past few weeks Flinn Broadcasting Sports 560 WHBQ/87.7 WPGF-LP Memphis had begun emphasizing its recently launched translator 103.1 W276BH as its primary frequency.
Yesterday the station announced it was canceling its plans to drop the 87.7 signal from the Sports programming and will instead not go forward with the use of 103.1 as its primary signal due to weaker than expected coverage of the market.
103.1 W276BH was acquired by Flinn from Radio Power Inc. in May for $150,000. The translator operates with 250 watts at 230 meters from the WTWV-TV tower about 14 miles east of Memphis. The WPGF-LP television signal operates from the same tower with 3kW.
How will this change affect the remainder of Flinn’s Memphis cluster? Prior to the change in plans, Flinn had registered Boom96.com, Boomin96.com, and B96Memphis.com. The latter two domains are on Flinn’s servers in development mode.
Flinn has two potential signals that could be in play for what would seem to be a Classic Hip-Hop format based on the name proximity to Radio-One’s Boom brand. 96.1 WIVG Tunica MS, which rimshots the Memphis market from the south currently operates as Alternative “96X“. 96.3 W242CF Memphis operates from the same location as 103.1 and 87.7 rebroadcasting Standards “Sunny 1210” WMPS Bartlett.
Flinn’s Variety Hits 96.5 “the Phantom” (formerly WWWN, but now WKIF as of Monday) also puts a decent signal into the southern part of the market and could also be a possibility for “Boom 96.”
Announcements are being made on 96.3 that as of tomorrow Sunny 1210/96.3 will move to 103.1.
As of this morning 103.1 still has sports 56 on it.
I haven’t figured out how 96.3 could be fed the only open AM Flinn has is 1240 but I think 96.3 doesn’t meet the requirements to translate it.
Flinn does’t have IBOC on any of the FMs anywhere that I’m aware of.
Both 96.3 and 103.1 suffer interference from near market signals from Blytheville, Ar and Jackson, TN
Heard the same promo.
Flinn does have 1030 and 1430 in their portfolio as well. 1030 seems safe with its Spanish programming and 1430 is currently being utilized by Mighty Media to feed The Rebel’s 97.7 translator. Whether that deal is up or further shuffles could be made I have no idea, but just with the sheer amount of translators coming online in Memphis it might make sense for Flinn to turn on HD on 107.1 and/or 107.5.
Sunny 1210 moved to 103.1 as announced yesterday and 96.3 was off the air.
K-love is still on 96.5.
I am hearing K-Love on 96.5 but I am pretty far from WKIF. EMF leases several others from Flinn in other markets so I am wondering if that is the reason for the call change on 96,5. Maybe someone in the SE area of town can verify if the Phantom is gone from 96.5.
Bleed from EMF’s 96.7 W244BY Memphis?
The Phantom’s 5pm legal ID included all three signals still, but ID’d 96.5 using its now defunct WWWN calls.
96.7 is EMF’s Air One feed via KJMS HD
As you predicted 96.1 is now classic hip-hop as boomin 96
96.3 is still off the air.