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Zwhaler

macrumors 604
Original poster
Jun 10, 2006
7,085
1,558
Ok, for any of you living in the Bay Area you have probably listened to 95.7 Max FM. But if you have been listening recently (up to 24 hours ago) they had a strange computer voice that was counting down to zero. It went "T-Minus 15 hours, 23 minutes, 49 seconds and counting." That is just an example, but it did this counting down all the way from 24 hours (I think) down to zero, and it ended just 15 minutes ago at 7:50 Am Pst.

If any of you have watched Seinfeld then you know who Peterman is, the guy who gets Elaine a job at that designer fasion place... that guy kind of works for the station and says little funny lines every once in awhile, such as - "Walnut Creek... I've always wanted to pretend that I live there", and other stuff like that.

But when the countdown ended at 7:50 this morning, they announced that the station was changing to 95.7 - The Wolf, Country Hits. And they also said that they would be playing 10,000 songs (I know, it's a lot) completely commercial free. I thought this was a little fishy, and I did the math. If they play 10,000 songs and each song averages 3:30 minutes, then it would take about 24 days. But think about it, many songs will be longer than 3:30 and the radio station guy chips in every once in awhile after songs and re-announces that they are playing 10,000 songs in a row and such.

Me and many other people loved that station, and I believe that the whole thing is merely an elaborate April Fools prank - here's how. Ok, so taking it that 10,000 songs (if they drag it out long enough) can total just about one month, than their little 10,000 song streak will end in about one month. And guess what day it is in one month? You guessed it - April Fools day. I think that they will come out and tell everyone it was a big joke, but I really don't think they would just change the station all of a sudden. And the guys on the station are funny, so it sounds like something they would do. Ok if you read through all of that, post your thoughts. I gotta get to school.
 

MacNut

macrumors Core
Jan 4, 2002
22,995
9,971
CT
The jokes on them tho as everyone will tune out of the station and the ratings will plummet.
 

TheAnswer

macrumors 68030
Jan 25, 2002
2,519
1
Orange County, CA
I'm pretty sure it's a real format change, cuz I've had this same thing happen with some of my favorite stations...that countdown thing seems to be industry standard. Plus, I don't think they'd mess with their ratings for a whole month. I'd check the net for news about your station having a new owner or something. :(
 

shecky

Guest
May 24, 2003
2,580
5
Obviously you're not a golfer.
country music make me want to
hobased_1917_69190519


no good can come of that :(
 

iMeowbot

macrumors G3
Aug 30, 2003
8,634
0
It's likely for real. Radio stations like to do strange things like that with format changes, so that people will notice something different while scanning the dial. in the 1980s, a local station played nothing but "Free Bird" for at least a few days so that people would notice their experiment with country music earlier in the year was over.
 

tobefirst ⚽️

macrumors 601
Jan 24, 2005
4,612
2,335
St. Louis, MO
Nope, it's probably real. We had a station here in St. Louis that played 10,000 songs with no commercials when they first started, too, although it's been awhile, so I don't even remember the station. Furthermore, we very recently had a station switch basically everything about them, with no warning or promotion. Just one day, everyone was fired and the station was changed. It was...interesting.
 

Zwhaler

macrumors 604
Original poster
Jun 10, 2006
7,085
1,558
Ah, time will tell. I bet 20 dollars that it is fake... but it does seem quite legit. But at the same time, I have seen some pretty elaborate pranks pulled... even on radio (Alice 97.3 pulled one a few years ago). I'm interested now
 

balamw

Moderator emeritus
Aug 16, 2005
19,366
979
New England
Ah, time will tell. I bet 20 dollars that it is fake... but it does seem quite legit. But at the same time, I have seen some pretty elaborate pranks pulled... even on radio (Alice 97.3 pulled one a few years ago). I'm interested now

An industry site is reporting it as real.

KMAX, the Entercom-San Francisco LMA'd Adult Hits station, flips to Country as 95.7 The Wolf. Handling PD duties is Matt Mahalick, formerly of KKWF (100.7 The Wolf)/Seattle.

EDIT: As is the San Jose Mercury News. http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/the_valley/16805440.htm

Pretty involved for a prank.

B
 

Raid

macrumors 68020
Feb 18, 2003
2,155
4,588
Toronto
Nope, it's probably real. We had a station here in St. Louis that played 10,000 songs with no commercials when they first started, too, although it's been awhile, so I don't even remember the station. Furthermore, we very recently had a station switch basically everything about them, with no warning or promotion. Just one day, everyone was fired and the station was changed. It was...interesting.
I was just going to say a month is about right for severance and training of new staff. ;)

The real tragedy though is that it's going to play country!
 

Zwhaler

macrumors 604
Original poster
Jun 10, 2006
7,085
1,558
sooooooooooooooo when do we get our $20? :D
Haha, not for you. ;)

I was just going to say a month is about right for severance and training of new staff. ;)

The real tragedy though is that it's going to play country!

Yeah, I thought about that too... shouldn't have rushed into the bet. Pretty much everything made sense to me after i placed down my money. Oh well, I owe on April 1st.
 

WildCowboy

Administrator/Editor
Staff member
Jan 20, 2005
18,375
2,801
You have GOT to be kidding me. I go away for a few days (to Austin, TX no less...plenty of country here), and they get rid of my favorite station. Ugh.
 

MacNut

macrumors Core
Jan 4, 2002
22,995
9,971
CT
Does San francisco have a big country following? I don't see how a station can survive on that format there.
 

Elisann

macrumors newbie
Mar 2, 2007
1
0
Format change

I hate to break it to you, but the change is for real. But don't give up hope...just wait about 2 years and it will change formats again. This station used to play rock music in the 70's and early 80's and was KSAN. It was one of the most popular rock stations in the Bay Area. It suddenly went country around 1981, give or take a year. KSAN country lasted about 12 to 15 years before being switched to a rock station. It then switched back to country after a mere 2-3 years of rock and became The Bear. The Bear died after about 2 years or so and 95.7 morphed into The Max. The Max has maxxed out now after about 2-3 years and has been chomped by The Wolf. If the pattern continues, The Wolf should be extinct in about the year 2009 or 2010 and become a rock format again. As for me, contrary to popular opinion, I like country and am glad to have it back. It is the only country station around that us East Bay hicks can receive. I just won't get too attached.
 

WildCowboy

Administrator/Editor
Staff member
Jan 20, 2005
18,375
2,801
Does San francisco have a big country following? I don't see how a station can survive on that format there.

No, not much that I'm aware of. But it is the only country station that's really available in SF, so they should be able to get all of that small audience. Max 95.7 did have competitors, as I'd sometimes listen to Alice 97.3, 101.3, KFOG or 105.3, but Max and KFOG were my favorites.

Un-freaking-believable. Max was around for less than a year.
 

RBMaraman

macrumors 65816
Jul 25, 2002
1,228
39
New Albany, IN
Does San francisco have a big country following? I don't see how a station can survive on that format there.

About a month ago, there was an article in the LA Times talking about how LA's last country music station was switching formats to become a top 40 station.

The had some really interesting information about the popularity of country music in California. I can't find the article, but they said that every country music star that tours in California sells out their shows, and country music records are the second most popular genre sold in the state.
 

MacNut

macrumors Core
Jan 4, 2002
22,995
9,971
CT
Un-freaking-believable. Max was around for less than a year.
Thats the world of corporate radio for you, once they get a format going they change it. It is amazing how they make money when they keep angering there listeners.
 

country girl

macrumors newbie
Mar 3, 2007
1
0
95.7 the wolf

Hey I am glad that Country has come back
There is only 1 other station that is country in this whole Bay and surrounding area. There are tons of other stations like Max.
Remember the station that was there before was country and we all complained when Max took over. Thats just the way raido is.

The Wolf is a great station for country lovers. Its like a chain so I think it will stay around. But thats just my own opinion.
Thanks for reading this. Have a great day!!
:)
 

Teh Don Ditty

macrumors G4
Jan 15, 2007
11,306
8
Maryland
Not to hijack or anything. Imagine what 92.3 K-ROCK (now 92.3 FREE FM) is like now without Howard Stern.

The station turned into an absolute joke. I feel your pain. I've given up on radio, nothing good on anymore. Classic rock station on the other hand, I can listen to that all day. Yea Q104.3!!!!
 

me_94501

macrumors 65816
Jan 6, 2003
1,009
0
Meanwhile, after only about a year as a spanish station, 104.9 (KCNL: San Jose) switched back to alternative.
 

MissCaliCowgirl

macrumors newbie
Mar 4, 2007
1
0
Before the that station was 95.7 the BEAR which was a country station. To be honest, I think the BEAR went out of business, and enough people complained and they finally got a new country station. I think it's great! The reason I bought an XM radio was because we didn't have country. Woohoo!!
 
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