L.a. Outlet's Launch Boosted By Name That Station Contest

What's in a name? Just ask local Chancellor outlet KCMG--formerly KIBB-which hadn't figured out what to call its new station as it neared Nov. 19, 1997, the day it switched formats from top 40/rhythm to AC.
Instead of panicking, however, station PD Harold Austin, along with other members of the programming and promotions staff, decided to take advantage of the situation by basing the launch promotion around finding a new name.
The resulting promotion, which offered listeners a chance to win $25,000 for suggesting a new station name, not only generated strong word-of-mouth and press interest but also tied in perfectly to the holiday season with its Christmas Eve award date.
'It definitely created a buzz and gave the station instant life,' says Austin. 'We had people talking about us on the street, not only about the contest but what kind of music we were playing.'
Austin says that the first two days of the contest yielded more than 1,000 fax responses. When the station installed its 800 number, entries quickly multiplied, ultimately resulting in 60,000 submissions during a one-month time frame.
While sorting through entries, the station operated under the bland, albeit temporary, name the New 100.3 FM.
All the attention was likely a welcome change from the difficult going KIBB had experienced when struggling for market share against such entrenched stations as top 40 KIIS-FM or Chancellor's R&B KKBT.
Now, the station is showing signs of turning the tables on its competition.
In addition to popular entries like Memory 100 and Cruisin' 100, the station received a large number of recommendations suggesting that it call itself the Bomb.
This, says Austin, reflects the curiously strong appeal the station holds for younger listeners.
After eliminating those names that had been claimed by other stations, it was Mega that rose to the top. The station added the tag line 'oldies with attitude' to complement its new moniker.
'Mega means grand, vast, all those good things, and it's a name that has never been used in the L.A. market before,' says Austin. 'It felt like it just fit the station, and it's also a bilingual word, which helps in this market.'
Ironically, contest winner Margaret Aleman says she came up with the idea for Mega after hearing syndicated personality Greg Laurie discuss the use of the word in the Bible on Christian talk station KKLA L.A.
'(Laurie) was talking about 'mega,' and what it meant when it was used in the Bible, and I changed to (KCMG), and they were talking about how they were still looking for a name,' Aleman says. 'I thought to myself, 'This just might work.' '

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