When they launched they were branding themselves as Calgary 97.7. They are now branding themselves as just "The New 97.7"...anyone out there know what that is all about?

They seem to have toned down the twangy country a lot.

WHAT?! Are you kidding me…Rawlco not confident in their brand…Weird, that has never happened before...(sigh)

I just don't get it! They haven't even sunk money into a full on air line up and they're already wanting to rebrand? Wow...that to seems a wee bit Whack to me!

As Lewis Black sez: "I have to remind myself to.... breath!"

Didn't someone try that here in Calgary about, oh, 15 years ago?

People who like anything but country...don't like any country.

Didn't then and don't now.

there's always bound to be some tweaks to a new station, no?

And now....time for another exciting round of "RAWLCO BASHING"....
predictable, yet always entertaining.

Quoted from radionewb2

And now....time for another exciting round of "RAWLCO BASHING"....
predictable, yet always entertaining.

Yep... someone spun the wheel and that's where it landed.  But it was close... the flipper nearly stopped on "Dave & Simi's BT Glory Days", "The Evils of Canwest Global and Greenscreen TV News" - and jussssst ticked past "How I Would Fix CFUN - Part XXIV : How Red Robinson Factors In".

But seriously... new stations tweak all the time... no?  Uh... actually, yes.

Back to more pressing matters...

Quoted from canuckkid

Back to more pressing matters...

...660 news sucks....so does inews 880...

oooooh, stop tempting me...

Quoted from canuckkid

Yep... someone spun the wheel and that's where it landed.  But it was close... the flipper nearly stopped on "Dave & Simi's BT Glory Days", "The Evils of Canwest Global and Greenscreen TV News" - and jussssst ticked past "How I Would Fix CFUN - Part XXIV : How Red Robinson Factors In".

haha, funny cuz its true.

I heard one of the on-air people only got their job because their neighbor is a 2nd cousin of a friend of the Rawlinsons

LOL...Actually the On Air Staff they have are all fantastic in my opinion. Lots of experienced Jocks. Just wierd that they don't have anyone for Mid-days?

Dang. I lost a $2 bet that my impossible rumour would get a few of the whiners going. I agree with oldpro - and think that putting Jenna in pm drive with Phoenix was a good move. Now, about the bi-polar music mix. . .

Quoted from paddyboyy

Didn't someone try that here in Calgary about, oh, 15 years ago?

At the risk of being obvious, yeah someone did and it WAS Rawclo butchering the license that they then sold to Rogers (now Jack).

They are repeating the exact same model:
1. Apply for license
2. Air a dumb ass innovative format experiment
3. Spend a whack 'mugging' the city
4. Inform staff chain wide how Rawlco are geniuses with a 'never been done before' format
5. Lose tons of money and start cutting operational costs (ie: firing oblivious staff drunk on Kool-Aid)
6. Recoup those losses and make tons more by selling to a bigger company
7. After handing out pink slips, inform staff remaining chain wide how Rawlco are geniuses for making millions on the transaction

They did it in Calgary before.  Did it in Toronto with the infamous "lets go to lunch" only to return to a locked door.  And now if you believe the rather strong rumors, 97.7 is Energy's new sister station.

If that IS the case, don't you think that CRTC heads should roll. The heads that approved Rawlco as the winner of 97.7? As you say, they (Rawlco) have a history of doing this. Was someone paid off?

Quoted from DirkSteele

At the risk of being obvious, yeah someone did and it WAS Rawclo butchering the license that they then sold to Rogers (now Jack).

They are repeating the exact same model:
1. Apply for license
2. Air a dumb ass innovative format experiment
3. Spend a whack 'mugging' the city
4. Inform staff chain wide how Rawlco are geniuses with a 'never been done before' format
5. Lose tons of money and start cutting operational costs (ie: firing oblivious staff drunk on Kool-Aid)
6. Recoup those losses and make tons more by selling to a bigger company
7. After handing out pink slips, inform staff remaining chain wide how Rawlco are geniuses for making millions on the transaction

They did it in Calgary before.  Did it in Toronto with the infamous "lets go to lunch" only to return to a locked door.  And now if you believe the rather strong rumors, 97.7 is Energy's new sister station.

there've been similar rumors about a rawlco sale to ctv in edmonton too... is this an alberta only rumor or are there other rawlco stations "rumored"?

Quoted from binzer

If that IS the case, don't you think that CRTC heads should roll. The heads that approved Rawlco as the winner of 97.7? As you say, they (Rawlco) have a history of doing this. Was someone paid off?

it should be noted... Rawlco was approved for 100.3 FM - a lower power Class C i believe...
they then made a deal with CAB-K Broadcasting (Airdrie) to take their Full Power Class C frequency off their hands... rebuild their site and by golly... Rawlco has a 100kw frequency...

a quick CRTC approval for a signficantly bigger signal and you have a specialty 100kw station that will be/is worth a lot when it's put on the market...

Funny thing...

if you read hansard of the hearing from February of 2006... one commissioner asked Mr. Rawlinson why he was asking for the 100.3 signal - a greatly reduced signal over a 100kw signal. His answer (you can read if you like - go to the CRTC page) goes like this:

We're (rawlco) are a small company - we're in radio for the fun... we feel the big frequencies are for the big companies... we just need a small one to do what we do...

of course... not a commissioner asked of him why, if they are in it for the fun, did they divest of their previous Calgary station... cause the answer would have been... well, it was not fun losing so much money...

It's an amazing journey...

you know what realy sucks....qr107...irrelevant news at irrelevant times

Quoted from krazycanuck85

...660 news sucks....so does inews 880...

Quoted Text

it should be noted... Rawlco was approved for 100.3 FM - a lower power Class C i believe...
they then made a deal with CAB-K Broadcasting (Airdrie) to take their Full Power Class C frequency off their hands... rebuild their site and by golly... Rawlco has a 100kw frequency...

It was actually Olds not Airdrie.

Quoted from oldpro

It was actually Olds not Airdrie.

in the same general direction... you get the picture...

Quoted from DirkSteele

They are repeating the exact same model:
1. Apply for license
2. Air a dumb ass innovative format experiment
3. Spend a whack 'mugging' the city
4. Inform staff chain wide how Rawlco are geniuses with a 'never been done before' format
5. Lose tons of money and start cutting operational costs (ie: firing oblivious staff drunk on Kool-Aid)
6. Recoup those losses and make tons more by selling to a bigger company
7. After handing out pink slips, inform staff remaining chain wide how Rawlco are geniuses for making millions on the transaction

They have an ad for a street team.  Looks like they are on to step 3.  Select quotes:
RESPONSIBILITIES
• “Mugging” various professional offices (i.e. giving away free mugs)
QUALIFICATIONS
• Unafraid to do grunt work as required (lifting, carrying boxes of mugs, getting dirty, etc.)

What an amazing, creative, radio company!  How could they fail?

Quoted from oldpro

When they launched they were branding themselves as Calgary 97.7. They are now branding themselves as just "The New 97.7"...anyone out there know what that is all about?

I truly believe in life, there are no such things as coincidences. So looking at this situation, and realizing that the change from Calgary 97.7, to The New 97.7 happened roughly around the same time Rawlco threatened a action suit against Rob Christie/NewCap in Edmonton... coincidence? Maybe. But as I said, I don't believe in coincidences.

Do you think using the name "Calgary" as a station name would break any copyright laws? It MUST, why isn't there a Toronto FM, or Vancouver FM, or even Montreal FM? Branding your station as belonging to the entire city. I believe it was a Rawlco slip up, and NewCap called them on it, following the threats against them.

I have absolutely no inside knowlege; or know if this is actually the case, but this is what seems to add up in my head. Why would they launch a station under a certain brand name, then continue the brand under a different name? There have yes, been a few tweaks to the station, as expected to a new launch, but the brand is relatively similar.

Speaking of the Christie suit.... anyone hear of anything new on that front?

Quoted from SaskDude

Do you think using the name "Calgary" as a station name would break any copyright laws? It MUST, why isn't there a Toronto FM, or Vancouver FM, or even Montreal FM? Branding your station as belonging to the entire city. I believe it was a Rawlco slip up, and NewCap called them on it, following the threats against them.

if copyright was the case... would the same not be true for Newcaps "California 103" branded station in Calgary (if it's still there)...

just a thought

I thought there would have been issues with the phrase: 'Calgary's iPod'

Isn't the iPod name a trademark of Apple?  They printed it on several thousand coffee mugs, including the one I am enjoying a tasty beverage out of right now.

I don't think Apple would have issues with the continuing perception that an MP3 player is called an iPod or having their name mentioned incessantly.