94.7 is changing formats today

[MVB13]

Considering they flipped their alternative station KITS in San Francisco just last week, this look more like they're fixing individual stations that are underperforming as opposed to going after particular formats company-wide.

94.7 was a mess. It was poorly done. Maybe if IHM did it maybe they could do better.

 

[Kent]

not true. This isn't KTU. It is most certainly an urban format. Are you listening?

I keep going back and forth on this. I haven't heard much, if anything, that wouldn't be familiar to anyone who listened to top-40 radio 20 years ago. I recognize every song I've heard, and I have never been an urban listener. Pop/Top-40, however, encompasses a broad variety of songs, and The Block only plays one small subset of the songs that were popular at the time.

The presentation doesn't sound like what we aired on top-40 radio at the time, and it doesn't sound like what I've heard during recent times I've had the nieces in the car and had CHR on for them either. It definitely seems to have an urban presentation, but the music was popular among pretty much everybody when it was new.

I'm guessing the station will have a short playlist, which isn't a bad thing in and of itself, but it's going to have to find some way to guard against the burn. Those songs burned quickly when they were new, and I can't imagine them being popular longer today. I remember a lady who called to complain that my station was playing "Superman" by Eminem and asked how she could get us to remove it from our playlist. I told her that, at that moment, it probably wasn't going anywhere since it was our most requested song by far, but, if she'd just give it a few weeks, it would lose its popularity and drop off our playlist shortly afterward. She was disappointed to hear so many people were asking for it, but, a month later, it rarely got any airplay and was put in the "rest" category within six weeks.

 

[d21ofnj]

This station is geared toward people who grew up watching rhythm crossover videos on MTV and who grew up listening to Hot 97 primarily.

Isn't Ed Lover going to be featured as a personality on the new station?

Will KTU take a hit? Sure, but it wouldn't surprise me if other stations take a larger hit.

Second Friday in a row where AUD has flipped a major market station. I wonder if another flip will occur next week Friday? I'd keep my eyes on KMNB in Minneapolis and KVIL in Dallas, but there are several other possibilities that come to mind, too.

I honestly would love for KTU to touch back on the current EDM tracks, at least a little mix of a Hits 97.3 and Revolution 93.5. But their main focus seems to be keeping listeners away from 102.7

 

[Barry]

Speaking of IHeart in New York, when they had country on HD2, there were personalities, such as Bobby Bones, piped in from their national programming. Couldn't Audacy add that to the new 94.7 Country HD2? It sounds so dry with virtually nothing but uninterrupted music.

 

[Miguelito]

Why start classic hip hop with NKOB they aren't even R&B or Hip Hop.

It was a clunky decision but they seem to have just chosen two older songs that reference "Block" to play before they officially announced their new format. It was one of the odder flips I've heard.

 

[davideduardo]

Someone please come back in 6 months to a year and tell us how many white people are listening to this station. I'm sure there will be a few -- there are always outliers in every format -- but I want to see the results of this grand coalition and the incredible ratings success of this format once the novelty wears off.

The blend includes a lot of rhythmic songs that got CHR and Churban play, so they will very likely get a coalition of Hispanics, Blacks and non-Hispanic white folks cuming them.

 

[TheMusicMan]

This ship sailed years ago, but 94.7 really shouldn't belong to any of the national owners, two of which have failed to resist the fallacy that this signal can somehow compete in the country's #1 media market. It can't. Poor performance in Manhattan (overrun with static in my apartment on the West Side, presumably struggles with building interference in cars - I wouldn't know, I've literally never been driven by someone who was playing this station) ensures that.

Where it can compete is in New Jersey. Yes, the local spend pool is significantly smaller than the one accessed by targeting the city. But it's the only pool to which they have access, and there is a track record of stations successfully hyper-targeting shadow markets (see: WKXW, WALK, WBLI, KOLA). I don't think any of the conglomerates are willing or able to deploy a local sales operation west of the Hudson to maximize the opportunity.

With all of that said, country was particularly well-suited for this signal. WNSH regularly showed up in the Top 6-7 in the Middlesex-Somerset-Union market; I suspect it cracked the Top 5 in the money demos there. Classic hip-hop will not match that showing, and as others have stated, 94.7 is disadvantaged where the format's core audience does live. Same goes for a WINS simulcast, which needs to be reliable in the boroughs.

Adult hits would be a good match for the signal's geography, and would pair well with Audacy's existing holdings from a sales perspective. However, Audacy would be ill-advised to even slightly erode a CBS-FM that is struggling to maintain a Top 5 A25-54 ranking (I have my theories as to why that's so), to say nothing of a barely-viable WNYL.

In a nutshell, Audacy didn't have many options. I don't think this moves the revenue needle, but if they run it cheaply (and they will), Audacy may come out slightly ahead of WNSH.

 

[Marcos_C]

Those who are interested in seeing what 94.7 The Block is playing can click on the link below.

Among the artists who were played during the last hour are Beyoncé, Sean Paul, Ice Cube, T.I., Salt-N-Pepa, Lauryn Hill, 2Pac, Dr. Dre, and LL Cool J.

94.7 The Block On Air Playlist

 

[Miguelito]

I mean, they seem to be consciously choosing Black music that was (yes, popular with Black listeners but also) popular with White listeners. I am finding it hard to argue that with folks who are saying that this isn't exactly in the mold of typical Hip Hop formats.

 

[davideduardo]

Although there are some exceptions, urban stations, in general, usually draw an audience between 30 and 60% white. That may or may not amount to a "sizable segment of the white population," but it's usually a sizable percentage of an urban station's audience. The more segmented urban-based formats, like urban AC, typically don't see the same diversity in audience.

The Urban stations that get high non-ethnic listening generally are in markets where there is a low Black population percentage, like LA. In those cases, the Urban station may either depend on Hispanics or lean towards Churban to broaden appeal.

If it gets enough of the audience within its main signal contour and they listen long enough, I suppose it could happen, but a 4 share out of the gate on signal like that would be TSL driven. I don't follow urban formats much, but I seem to remember your typical urban station is more cume driven than TSL driven. I tend to think it will probably debut in the higher 2-share range and burn into the upper 1's or lower 2's.

Ethnic core stations are almost always TSL driven. We see that the most with Hispanic stations that get no listening from anyone but the core, but it is also the case in any market where the target ethnic group is not a majority. In Memphis or Jackson or New Orleans, for example, an Urban station can go for cume... but elsewhere TSL is critical.

If you look at Urban AC's, the ones in markets with smaller Black population percentages, those stations have to target beyond the base such as The Wave in LA. But in markets with larger Black populations, we see some in that format with over 90% Black cume and very good TSL.

In the case of WCCC, no one had any incentive NOT to rip EMF. EMF wasn't going to hire the WCCC jocks, and there were no other positions within the company. That might make other companies not want to hire those people, but, depending on the manner in which they do it, it's not going to matter as much.

I went through months of such on-air racism and insults when the group I was with bought an active rock station to convert it to Regional Mexican. I spent much of my day listening so that the buyer could add a little bit more to the "penalty clause" that reduced the price.

 

[Mikey Radio]

So now the question is raised - With NYC without a country station, who'll fill that void, and how quickly will someone jump on it?

The format change at 94.7 takes away the only Country music station covering the Big Apple and the majority of the New York Tri-State area.

 

[davideduardo]

Newark and suburbs have a massive African American population and while the signal has challenges in some of Manhattan it is very strong in the Bronx, Brooklyn and really no issue in Queens either. Only in the canyons of Manhattan did I ever hear the signal fade a bit. Of course inside some of the steel and concrete building will pose a problem although not as much work place listening nowadays anyway.

Remember, indoor listening is key to the format. Inner city residents and particularly Blacks and Hispanics use public transportation and don't have anywhere near the amount of in-car listening that more suburban folks do.

Back when the diary showed home, work and car breaks, the average US for in-car was around 31% to 33%. In NYC, it was more like 22% to 24% depending on the demo. When we looked at Hispanic and Black in NYC, it was more in the 12% to 15% range, depending on age. And when one looked at the inner-market areas (Manhattan and the Boroughs and the close-in Jersey areas, it was even less!

This was an issue I suffered through with WCAA when it was a 600 watter on the ESB: no car listening, and very tough signal penetration in workplaces and apartments and also in areas shadowed by buildings.

The Block has higher power, but is coming sideways at Manhattan and the Boroughs so there will be signal issues. They will have parity in the NJ Hispanic and Black high density areas, though.

 

[davideduardo]

So now the question is raised - With NYC without a country station, who'll fill that void, and how quickly will someone jump on it?

The country format was billing at the same level as AM stations like WADO and WLIB. Why would anyone find that attractive?

It was 23rd in market billing last year, and the lowest billing of any core area FM. Even WMCA and WABC outbilled them.

 

[Mikey Radio]

The country format was billing at the same level as AM stations like WADO and WLIB. Why would anyone find that attractive?

It was 23rd in market billing last year, and the lowest billing of any core area FM. Even WMCA and WABC outbilled them.

But is that because NYC and the NY Tri-State area just isn't the right market for a country station, or is it due to this particular station's coverage?

 

[davideduardo]

Jammin' Oldies was largely "black music for white people"

This one looks a lot like it is targeting primarily second generation and beyond Hispanics, followed by general market rhythmic partisans followed by Blacks.

 

[davideduardo]

But is that because NYC and the NY Tri-State area just isn't for a the right market for a country station, or is it due to this particular station's coverage?

Mostly the market, and nearly equally the signal that missed the parts of LI where there would be listening.

 

[dcowboy7]

Would guess Z100 especially the morning show which is #1 already will get some.

 

[TheBigA]

So now the question is raised - With NYC without a country station, who'll fill that void, and how quickly will someone jump on it?

Keep in mind that it took 15 years for the previous void to be filled. So no one is in a rush to go country.

 

[Jeffrey]

Keep in mind that it took 15 years for the previous void to be filled. So no one is in a rush to go country.

Can't imagine anyone trying again for at least another 15. We've been talking about how country radio doesn't work in this market for like 20 years! It still doesn't.

 

[Jeffrey]

But is that because NYC and the NY Tri-State area just isn't the right market for a country station, or is it due to this particular station's coverage?

Country radio has always had trouble billing in New York. It's not a popular format here. Before WNSH New York lacked a country station for over 15 years. Cumulus took a chance the Entercom/Audacy. It was a good run 9 year run but ultimately it doesn't make money in NYC. Don't expect anyone to pick up the slack