103.9 the groove. Was it a smart move blowin country up?

[hotpatrick2004]

Now that they have been that format for awhile was it a smart move to blow a country station up for that? The ratings are less then stellar and there competition is 101.3 which does very well. In my opinion not a smart move.

Opinions?

 

[toddalcorn]

Need a rock station in the worst way. Never seen a large market like Louisville without one. Something like Z103.3 or 96.5 near Cincinnati are excellent.

 

[TheBigA]

Now that they have been that format for awhile was it a smart move to blow a country station up for that?

It wasn't country, it was classic country. They left their country station WQNU alone, and it's still getting killed by WAMZ.

Classic country is a hard format to sell. Rhythmic AC with smaller numbers is easier to sell.

 

[Kent]

It wasn't country, it was classic country. They left their country station WQNU alone, and it's still getting killed by WAMZ.

Classic country is a hard format to sell. Rhythmic AC with smaller numbers is easier to sell.

Fair enough that classic country was probably getting too difficult to sell, and a change was probably necessary. I'm hard-pressed, however, to think of a single market where rhythmic AC has fared well. CBS hedged on it about 15 years ago and really regretted it. Emmis blew up country in LA for it and somehow managed to do even worse. Seattle was the format's success story, but KQMV is pretty much a mainstream CHR today. Maybe it still does okay on a couple of lousy signals in Syracuse, but that wouldn't seem to constitute a ringing endorsement. I'm not an owner and haven't been in radio for a dozen years now, but rhythmic AC screams "TURKEY!" to me.

I understand, also, that there have been several format change rumors for 103.9. Without having listened recently, I couldn't tell you if any changes have happened. If, however, it's truly running rhythmic AC while airing Smiley and Hughley, it's overperforming at its current 1.8 share. Rhythmic AC has historically gotten an audience almost entirely of white and Hispanic females. It has never historically had any African American appeal whatsoever. The drivetime shows, however, are aimed exclusively at the African American audience. Almost nobody who likes the Smiley and Hughley will sit through that music, and almost nobody who likes the music will sit through those shows.

 

[TheBigA]

Almost nobody who likes the Smiley and Hughley will sit through that music, and almost nobody who likes the music will sit through those shows.

That's why more and more of the personality morning shows are playing less and less music.

 

[spozate900]

Fair enough that classic country was probably getting too difficult to sell, and a change was probably necessary. I'm hard-pressed, however, to think of a single market where rhythmic AC has fared well. CBS hedged on it about 15 years ago and really regretted it. Emmis blew up country in LA for it and somehow managed to do even worse. Seattle was the format's success story, but KQMV is pretty much a mainstream CHR today. Maybe it still does okay on a couple of lousy signals in Syracuse, but that wouldn't seem to constitute a ringing endorsement. I'm not an owner and haven't been in radio for a dozen years now, but rhythmic AC screams "TURKEY!" to me.

I understand, also, that there have been several format change rumors for 103.9. Without having listened recently, I couldn't tell you if any changes have happened. If, however, it's truly running rhythmic AC while airing Smiley and Hughley, it's overperforming at its current 1.8 share. Rhythmic AC has historically gotten an audience almost entirely of white and Hispanic females. It has never historically had any African American appeal whatsoever. The drivetime shows, however, are aimed exclusively at the African American audience. Almost nobody who likes the Smiley and Hughley will sit through that music, and almost nobody who likes the music will sit through those shows.

The station hasn't been Rhythmic AC in a while. They are now a Urban AC Kinda like WBLS in NY.

 

[hotpatrick2004]

Rhythmic AC SEEMS to work well in la with over a four share. It use to be a well known rock station kmet. But Los Angeles is not louisville.

 

[Kent]

Rhythmic AC SEEMS to work well in la with over a four share. It use to be a well known rock station kmet. But Los Angeles is not louisville.

KTWV isn’t rhythmic AC. It's urban AC, and it's a very well programmed one at that.

If the Groove is urban AC now (as another poster says), it would make better sense given the rest of its lineup. It doesn’t seem to be working, but it seems like a smarter move.

Rhythmic AC and urban AC go after opposite segments of the market. Both appeal to an audience that's at least 80% female, but rhythmic AC is a white format. Urban AC targets African American women, and that's 80-90% of its audience. With the possible exception of sports, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more efficient format at delivering its target audience.