For the second time in as many months, iHeartMedia Variety Hits 107.3 WWJK Green Cove Springs/Jacksonville FL has a new name.
Originally “107.3 Jack-FM‘ and briefly just “107.3 Jacksonville“, the station relaunched again today as “107.3 The River“. Launching with a speciality “You Pick ‘Em” holiday weekend, the station is promoting “more variety and an even bigger smile”.
Original Report 4/18: iHeartMedia Variety Hits “107.3 Jack-FM” WWJK Green Cove Springs/Jacksonville FL has dropped the Jack moniker for just “107.3 Jacksonville“.
No other changes accompany the rebranding, which simply sees iHeart dropping the Sparknet licensed brand. The expected move, follows iHeart dropping the brand in Sacramento earlier this month for Classic Rock. This leaves 102.7 WQSR Baltimore as the only “Jack-FM” in iHeartMedia’s portfolio.
radiouser 
Eric Jon Magnuson 
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Is the licensing for the jack brand that expensive?
I’m not sure, but I do get the impression here that iHeart only did a technical rebranding; the new logo is very “Jack”-esque, and the city’s name just happens to include “Jack”. iHeart may be trying to have its metaphorical cake and eat it, too.
I predict that iHeartMedia will eventually flip 102.7 in Baltimore to Urban, which would bring back the Urban format to 102.7 for the first time in 20 years.
Jack is sitting at a 4 share 12+ and does extremely well for its target demo. A flip won’t be happening unless if Jack somehow tanks.
102.7 can be considered a player to other stations in the area, including 98 Rock, 100.7 The Bay, and Big 100 in D.C. I was thinking that iHeartMedia had plans to drop the Jack branding on their stations as part of their efforts to restructure their debt. If iHeartMedia eventually comes up with plans to change 102.7’s format to Urban, it would allow them to compete with Radio One’s top-rated 92Q and bring their syndicated The Breakfast Club show to the Baltimore/Washington DC area.
They may drop the Jack name, but probably not the format. Baltimore is kind of an older-skewing, rock-based market, and the format works.
I still think it would be nice for iHeartMedia to launch an Urban station in this area, even if they don’t revive the WXYV branding or call letters. Baltimore is also considered to be a urban-based market, so the Urban format may also work on 102.7.
Agreed. Also, this is probably the closest thing that the core Baltimore metro has to Classic Hits. Beyond that, there just aren’t enough good FM signals in Baltimore (or, on the flip side, D.C.) to really do a lot of head-to-head format battles.
If there was a translator available, I imagine they would’ve launched an Urban there by now.