WVEE is still top 5 in the money demos, so they're not going anywhere anytime soon. I still think WSTR would be the better choice for an Adult Hits or Classic Hits station in Atlanta, but they are tied for 4th in 18-34 (with WVEE, ironically enough), so the current format is clearly resonating with someone even if that's probably not the demo Audacy is looking for with the Rhythmic AC format. I'm still quite baffled by the fact that Audacy didn't flip WSTR to Adult Hits or Classic Hits, given that they flipped a station in demographically similar Washington D.C. to Classic Hits and they are not doing too bad with WIAD over there.
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Atlanta April PPM
- Thread starter weilr668
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Audacy wanted to do Adult Hits on Star because of the savings from having no jocks. But they did a perceptual, and Rhythmic AC turned out to be the better-performing format. Not sure a perceptual is necessarily an exact predictor.
I'm guessing where Star is now in the ratings is where they'll continue to be.
If Cox took River in more of a hits direction, that would be a boon for Rock100.5 and where a lot of River's audience would take some of their TSL. They would win some and lose some. It might keep someone away from doing a true classic/variety hits station, but I think their (River's) cume and share would wash.
To put it another way, River already has some competition on the AOR side that they still need to defend against.
Plus statistically their median age would go up, which is not what they want to do.
Definitely agree with your point about WSTR continuing to be where they are in the ratings with the Rhythmic AC format, but that only leaves posters on this site (including myself) wondering if Adult Hits or Classic Hits have potential to do better than what WSTR is doing now, regardless of a perceptual.
Like Atlanta, Houston was another market where it was said that Classic Hits wouldn't work because the market was too young, and while it's musically more of an Adult Hits/Classic Hits hybrid than true Classic Hits, KKHH in that market has done splendidly since they flipped to the current format, which is likely another factor in why many are so curious if a similar station could do the same in Atlanta. With KKHH being an Audacy station, they were probably hoping to achieve similar in Atlanta based off what you said about them wanting to Adult Hits before they did the perceptual.
Agreed. When The River launched in (I think) 2006, it was a rock-oriented version of Classic Hits. The station used the Classic Hits positioner not long before it became the positioner for updated Oldies stations around the country. The River's original playlist was similar to the one now used by 102.1 Fox FM (a translator), which is in between a pop Classic Hits station and The River.
Over the years, The River has evolved to more of a Classic Rock station. But because they own the Classic Hits position in the market, they still identify as Classic Hits. But they run a sweeper that says something like, "Atlanta's biggest library of Classic Rock," which they never would have said in their early years.
Cox has a number of stations just like 97.1, generally they’re called “The Eagle”. I’m guessing it wasn’t used in Atlanta because of, obviously, 106.7. It’s in Tampa, Jacksonville, Tulsa, San Antonio, and Houston, and another name in Orlando. There was one in Birmingham that was sold and did turn in to a true classic rock station.
Most of these that I mentioned are more conservative and lean older than even The River - there is no edge, they don’t venture in to very much new wave or glam rock stuff - just a very dry, non energetic format. It’s classic rock that’s non aggressive enough to be background music. I’m not sure where the formula came from. Very, very thoroughly played and tested playlists. I won’t argue with the strategy because it’s generally successful in all of these markets. It’s classic rock, but not classic rock in the sense you would get from a typical classic rock station. Classic hits is a more all encompassing name that is probably more fitting to use on air, but these are definitely not classic hits stations in the overall typical sense.
Ironically, many of the now “Eagle” stations were all 80s branded as “The Point” before they went to this format in the mid 2000s.
There is no way Audacy will flip V103 to another format. It will never happen. Rick Caffey has been there for a long time and has deep ties to the African American community. The station still bills ok even with rough numbers as the station is a lifestyle station in Atlanta.
Zero chance of classic hits going on there. You can dream it however lol..
Zero chance of classic hits going on there. You can dream it however lol..
This is why, in my personal view, Adult Hits would be a better option than Classic Hits. More separation vis-à-vis WSRV.
I still cannot figure what the heck Cumulus is trying to accomplish with Rock 100.5. It must earn OK numbers in Men 25-54 / 25-44 / etc. to justify its continued existence.
You forgot CLASSIX 102.9. None of the UrbanAC stations here play southern soul music which is very popular in the South. Very few UrbanAC stations tap into it but WXST-FM in Charleston does and its been a success.
This may or may not be true: I have been told that the fact that such a huge part of Atlanta's population is not from the area or even the region makes this genre of Urban AC less attractive as a large portion of the audience is not familiar with it.
Probably a reason why MAJIC and KISS play plenty of hip-hop throwbacks, in contrast to many Urban ACs in the South, which still lean towards softer soul.
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