Okay, so what about AAA?

[radiodx10]

Yes, the loathed or beloved AAA format- Adult Album Alternative.
Now, lest I sound like Jul ranting about 1210 or 1060, let me off the bat state that no station right now needs any format change. Where we stand with the most recent numbers will prove it so.

Nevertheless, it's fun to ponder what would or could be.. hence I throw this out there.

Working with the station that has the highest plausibility off pulling this format off, I would say Radio 104.5 or Ben-FM 95.7. Like an Alt 95.7 or something like that.
Featuring a wide library reminiscent of well-billing and long established AAA stations like WRNR 103.1 in Baltimore or WRLT 100.1 Lightning 100. For example, a sample AAA hour that could be on 104.5 or if Ben switched.

Counting Crows- Mr. Jones
Florence + The Machine- Ship to Wreck
Amy Winehouse- You Know I'm No Good
Weezer- Pink Triangle
Pyschedelic Furs- Until She Comes
Marian Hill- Down
Blink 182- Josie
Charly Bliss- Percolator
White Stripes- Fell In Love with a Girl
The Cure- Just Like Heaven
The Interrupters- She's Kerosene
Bob Marley- Could you be Loved?


It's, again, just a what if...scenario. AAA formatted stations are very hard to gauge, because by their nature they're all over the place. I'd say the easiest way to make them work is to have certain parts of the hour focus on certain decades or sub-genres. Basically :00 to :15 break would be, say, 90s pop-punk like Green Day or The Muffs. :18-:35 break would be new charting alternative like Imagine Dragons and AJR. :42-TOH would be 90s-00s classic alternative like Eve6 and Harvey Danger with maybe an older deep cut like ELP's Karn Evil #9.

AAA are so hard to monetize I'm sure. The target demos need to be well-researched and advertised very specifically. It's a format I love, but there's a reason they're not the most popular format- because they don't always pull in the big numbers needed to sustain a radio station, especially in this age of spotify.

But one can dream...

 

[Miguelito]

Yes, the loathed or beloved AAA format- Adult Album Alternative.
Now, lest I sound like Jul ranting about 1210 or 1060, let me off the bat state that no station right now needs any format change. Where we stand with the most recent numbers will prove it so.

Nevertheless, it's fun to ponder what would or could be.. hence I throw this out there.

Working with the station that has the highest plausibility off pulling this format off, I would say Radio 104.5 or Ben-FM 95.7. Like an Alt 95.7 or something like that.
Featuring a wide library reminiscent of well-billing and long established AAA stations like WRNR 103.1 in Baltimore or WRLT 100.1 Lightning 100. For example, a sample AAA hour that could be on 104.5 or if Ben switched.

Counting Crows- Mr. Jones
Florence + The Machine- Ship to Wreck
Amy Winehouse- You Know I'm No Good
Weezer- Pink Triangle
Pyschedelic Furs- Until She Comes
Marian Hill- Down
Blink 182- Josie
Charly Bliss- Percolator
White Stripes- Fell In Love with a Girl
The Cure- Just Like Heaven
The Interrupters- She's Kerosene
Bob Marley- Could you be Loved?


It's, again, just a what if...scenario. AAA formatted stations are very hard to gauge, because by their nature they're all over the place. I'd say the easiest way to make them work is to have certain parts of the hour focus on certain decades or sub-genres. Basically :00 to :15 break would be, say, 90s pop-punk like Green Day or The Muffs. :18-:35 break would be new charting alternative like Imagine Dragons and AJR. :42-TOH would be 90s-00s classic alternative like Eve6 and Harvey Danger with maybe an older deep cut like ELP's Karn Evil #9.

AAA are so hard to monetize I'm sure. The target demos need to be well-researched and advertised very specifically. It's a format I love, but there's a reason they're not the most popular format- because they don't always pull in the big numbers needed to sustain a radio station, especially in this age of spotify.

But one can dream...

Kinda feels like this is what BEN would be if they added some Indie, Alt, and Blues and deleted Pop and Rhythmic. That having been said, if I'm Beasley, knowing that the 95.7 frequency was cursed from 1998 to 2005 with three ridiculous formats until something finally worked, I'd tip toe through the BEN-FM studios with my fingers crossed while throwing salt over my shoulder. I'd treat that station like a souffle in the oven. LOL.

 

[radiodx10]

Oh yeah like I said in the post- I am by no means at all saying Ben or 104.5 should flip. That would be absurd. Thank god Ben is doing this well as it is right now.

 

[Miguelito]

Oh yeah like I said in the post- I am by no means at all saying Ben or 104.5 should flip. That would be absurd. Thank god Ben is doing this well as it is right now.

104.5 probably should flip, unfortunately. There's just not really anything to flip it to. I'm sure as soon as they find something that makes $en$e (or that they think makes sense), it will be gone.

 

[TheBigA]

Yes, the loathed or beloved AAA format- Adult Album Alternative.

Already being done at WXPN. How often do YOU listen? Probably not at all.

Average age for AAA is 55.

They don't play songs from your list because those aren't really AAA. More like classic alt.

The real AAA plays some currents, such as currents by Chris Thiele or people like that.

Maybe throw in Hurray For The Riff Raff for spice.

 

[CTListener]

Already being done at WXPN. How often do YOU listen? Probably not at all.

Average age for AAA is 55.

They don't play songs from your list because those aren't really AAA. More like classic alt.

The real AAA plays some currents, such as currents by Chris Thiele or people like that.

Maybe throw in Hurray For The Riff Raff for spice.

Marley would certainly fit at many AAAs, ditto Florence + the Machine. Agree on the others.

 

[atthestars]

104.5 probably should flip, unfortunately. There's just not really anything to flip it to. I'm sure as soon as they find something that makes $en$e (or that they think makes sense), it will be gone.

They flipped Mix 106 to Real 106.1 despite 106.1 billing better than 104.5.

It seems like iHeart is content with 104.5 billing as it is, and it can be propped up by the $$ from the rest of the cluster.

 

[TheBigA]

Featuring a wide library reminiscent of well-billing and long established AAA stations like WRNR 103.1 in Baltimore or WRLT 100.1 Lightning 100.

Well billing? Really? What they have in common is they're not owned by major radio companies. That counts out a lot of Philly stations.

I really can't imagine anyone at iHeart, Entercom, or Beasley greenlighting anything like that. Unless someone pays them to do it.

As I've said elsewhere, quite often these discussions aren't about radio, but music. Radio companies aren't in the music business.

When you build a station around a music list instead of a target demo, you're talking about someone's hobby internet station, not a major market signal.

 

[mjb1124]

Some AAA stations skew younger/more Alternative than others. And non-commercial AAAs tend to be deeper and more obscure than commercial ones. WXRT Chicago is probably closer to what a hypothetical commercial AAA in Philadelphia might be like (especially if it was an Entercom station).

It was mentioned that the average listening age for AAA is 55, which makes me ask - what is the average age for Alternative? Might there be a potential format hole for rock/alternative fans who fall in between the two formats' respective target audiences? I myself feel like I am at a crossroads where AAA still sounds a bit too "adult" for my tastes, but current Alternative is increasingly making me want to shout "get off my lawn!".

 

[atthestars]

It was mentioned that the average listening age for AAA is 55, which makes me ask - what is the average age for Alternative? Might there be a potential format hole for rock/alternative fans who fall in between the two formats' respective target audiences? I myself feel like I am at a crossroads where AAA still sounds a bit too "adult" for my tastes, but current Alternative is increasingly making me want to shout "get off my lawn!".

I think it's still an issue of demographics in Philly. AAA is generally a 60/40 Male/Female listenership. Not overwhelmingly male, but leaning that way. In Philly, you have absolutely dominant male targeting stations with WIP, WMGK, and WMMR (and throw in WPEN as well.) Anything left over advertising $$-wise is scraps, which is why WRFF bills so poorly. I think something like a more "commercial" AAA sonicly could work in Philly... but it would never be able to get the $$ away from the big guns.

 

[radiodx10]

Well like I tried to make it very clear- I am not saying this would work on any station in Philly. It was just a what if scenario. No need for anyone to get mad at me for talking about this.

And TheBigA- I listen to XPN daily.

 

[TheBigA]

And TheBigA- I listen to XPN daily.

You're helping to lower their demos.

 

[rags516]

Yes, the loathed or beloved AAA format- Adult Album Alternative.
Now, lest I sound like Jul ranting about 1210 or 1060, let me off the bat state that no station right now needs any format change. Where we stand with the most recent numbers will prove it so.

Nevertheless, it's fun to ponder what would or could be.. hence I throw this out there.

Working with the station that has the highest plausibility off pulling this format off, I would say Radio 104.5 or Ben-FM 95.7. Like an Alt 95.7 or something like that.
Featuring a wide library reminiscent of well-billing and long established AAA stations like WRNR 103.1 in Baltimore or WRLT 100.1 Lightning 100. For example, a sample AAA hour that could be on 104.5 or if Ben switched.

Counting Crows- Mr. Jones
Florence + The Machine- Ship to Wreck
Amy Winehouse- You Know I'm No Good
Weezer- Pink Triangle
Pyschedelic Furs- Until She Comes
Marian Hill- Down
Blink 182- Josie
Charly Bliss- Percolator
White Stripes- Fell In Love with a Girl
The Cure- Just Like Heaven
The Interrupters- She's Kerosene
Bob Marley- Could you be Loved?


It's, again, just a what if...scenario. AAA formatted stations are very hard to gauge, because by their nature they're all over the place. I'd say the easiest way to make them work is to have certain parts of the hour focus on certain decades or sub-genres. Basically :00 to :15 break would be, say, 90s pop-punk like Green Day or The Muffs. :18-:35 break would be new charting alternative like Imagine Dragons and AJR. :42-TOH would be 90s-00s classic alternative like Eve6 and Harvey Danger with maybe an older deep cut like ELP's Karn Evil #9.

AAA are so hard to monetize I'm sure. The target demos need to be well-researched and advertised very specifically. It's a format I love, but there's a reason they're not the most popular format- because they don't always pull in the big numbers needed to sustain a radio station, especially in this age of spotify.

But one can dream...

I personally would enjoy a "Classic Alt" style format, I believe it would do better than the current alt in this market. Philly (to me) seems to be a city of nostalgia, most the top rated stations in this town play "old" music, with alt being at its strongest and most mainstream in the 90s, it's the period most associated with the genre and stations like 1045, WMMR, BEN and even now WMGK (to an extent) all touching classic alt in one way or another, I think a station with that as its core format would do ok here, once again I am no "radio man" just have always been interested in it, but I still believe there is an audience out there floating around in radio land left behind by WDRE/Y100 that still bounces around the dial without a real home, 1045 has more recently (in the past year or so) turned their playlist very pop/alt friendly, whether or not that has to do with the genre or not, it may have even pushed some of the older listeners out, which may explain the dip from mid 4's to mid 3's

 

[davideduardo]

I personally would enjoy a "Classic Alt" style format, I believe it would do better than the current alt in this market. Philly (to me) seems to be a city of nostalgia, most the top rated stations in this town play "old" music, with alt being at its strongest and most mainstream in the 90s, it's the period most associated with the genre and stations like 1045, WMMR, BEN and even now WMGK (to an extent) all touching classic alt in one way or another, I think a station with that as its core format would do ok here, once again I am no "radio man" just have always been interested in it, but I still believe there is an audience out there floating around in radio land left behind by WDRE/Y100 that still bounces around the dial without a real home, 1045 has more recently (in the past year or so) turned their playlist very pop/alt friendly, whether or not that has to do with the genre or not, it may have even pushed some of the older listeners out, which may explain the dip from mid 4's to mid 3's

Allthestars hit on the key point perfectly: there is not enough revenue for this "kind" of station as the high rated male-driven facilities already sweep most of the money off the table.

At a mid-4's or at a mid-3's, 104.5 is just not going to compete with WMGK, WIP or WMMR for revenue. And an additional alt station would likey do even worse.

 

[rags516]

Allthestars hit on the key point perfectly: there is not enough revenue for this "kind" of station as the high rated male-driven facilities already sweep most of the money off the table.

At a mid-4's or at a mid-3's, 104.5 is just not going to compete with WMGK, WIP or WMMR for revenue. And an additional alt station would likey do even worse.

This is true, I was referring more to the OP's more fantasy version than actual reality, I realize from reading the posts on the site that there aren't many dollars left after the big Male driven stations are done, and 2 alt stations could never work, I meant more so one over the other as far as alt "success" in this town, but that is just fantasy talk lol

 

[atthestars]

I personally would enjoy a "Classic Alt" style format, I believe it would do better than the current alt in this market. Philly (to me) seems to be a city of nostalgia, most the top rated stations in this town play "old" music, with alt being at its strongest and most mainstream in the 90s, it's the period most associated with the genre and stations like 1045, WMMR, BEN and even now WMGK (to an extent) all touching classic alt in one way or another, I think a station with that as its core format would do ok here, once again I am no "radio man" just have always been interested in it, but I still believe there is an audience out there floating around in radio land left behind by WDRE/Y100 that still bounces around the dial without a real home, 1045 has more recently (in the past year or so) turned their playlist very pop/alt friendly, whether or not that has to do with the genre or not, it may have even pushed some of the older listeners out, which may explain the dip from mid 4's to mid 3's

I too would LOVE it if say, iHeart put their "Smells Like the 90s" channel or "Alternative Rewind" channel on WRFF-HD3 to compliment Radio 104.5. Hell, even just automate a locally produced Classic Alt and like you said, tap into the old Y100/WDRE... even Max 95.7 playlists to get a local flavor. And yes... this is purely fantasy... I know it won't happen

 

[mjb1124]

I mean, putting an existing iHeartRadio feed on an HD subchannel doesn't seem like *that* unrealistic of a proposal...

 

[CTListener]

I mean, putting an existing iHeartRadio feed on an HD subchannel doesn't seem like *that* unrealistic of a proposal...

iHeart does that with their classic country feed in several markets, something for the listeners who miss '70s-'90s country to listen to. That's an audience with still enough folks in the demo advertisers care about (at least from, say, 40 to 54 years old) that iHeart could actually monetize by selling advertising on the HD channel, if only enough people had HD-capable radios.

Of course, the '80s and '90s were booming years for country music, so there are far more potential listeners out there for that than there are for the splintered remnants of rock from the last couple of decades.

 

[atthestars]

I mean, putting an existing iHeartRadio feed on an HD subchannel doesn't seem like *that* unrealistic of a proposal...

And aren't all of iHeart's online feeds basically HD2 stations somewhere? They only way you'd know is when you hear the Top of Hour. I'm pretty sure they do this to tiptoe around higher royalty payments or something.

 

[TheBigA]

And aren't all of iHeart's online feeds basically HD2 stations somewhere? They only way you'd know is when you hear the Top of Hour. I'm pretty sure they do this to tiptoe around higher royalty payments or something.

Actually all broadcasters that stream get a slight discount for online royalties. That's why Pandora bought an FM station in South Dakota.

No need to tiptoe. It's in the law.

https://www.ascap.com/playback/2013...station-in-a-bid-to-undercut-songwriters.aspx