Merlin Media, Failed to Launch FM News 101.1?

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Merlin Media’s FM News 101.1, formerly Q101, has overtaken WBBM’s FM simulcast on 105.9.

But the Sunday launch despite the buzz it created, was soft, which according to a radio expert, is not good for a radio station.

CEO Randy Michaels said:

“”My favorite format has always been spoken radio. I’ve long had a nostalgic love affair with the big AM stations known for the format, and today – as music moves to the iPod– it’s time for spoken word to move to FM.”

On its opening, the station also ran http://www.fmnewschicago.com, which, along with the station’s pilot broadcast constituted a “soft” launch.

A soft launch is:

a partial grand opening that is typically not as highly advertised. The goal of a soft opening is to utilize a small test set of customers in order to create a buzz and to test your product or process

The website is asking listeners contribution to their programming.

About.com radio journalist Corey Deitz says:

“Before the Internet, we lived in a world where radio stations stood by themselves as iconic pillars of media. Not so today. A successful radio station is now required to integrate tools for a multimedia presentation. Radio is now a package deal: website, streaming, podcasting, video, and more…and IMHO soft openings are best left to the fast food restaurants.”