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June numbers are here

What's the matter with Mix? Seems like it isn't out of the ordinary for a mass appeal station like KHMX to be out of the Top 15 in the "beauty contest" Houston ratings, and they haven't had robust 18-34 or 25-54 ratings either. Granted, currents aren't as attractive compared to 10 years ago, but there are several markets where CHR and Hot AC are doing well.

It may be a knee-jerk thing to say that there is a non-zero chance that Mix will flip to Classic Hip-Hop or, if they are desperate to go head-to-head with the all-but-unchallenged Sunny, Soft AC (or at least a Mainstream AC that plays even less hard stuff, like 94.1 the Sound in Seattle). But, Audacy likes to keep radio stations that are performing much less than stellar. Just ask KITS, WSFS, or WTDY.
 
victorres43 said:
What's the matter with Mix? Seems like it isn't out of the ordinary for a mass appeal station like KHMX to be out of the Top 15 in the "beauty contest" Houston ratings, and they haven't had robust 18-34 or 25-54 ratings either. Granted, currents aren't as attractive compared to 10 years ago, but there are several markets where CHR and Hot AC are doing well.

It may be a knee-jerk thing to say that there is a non-zero chance that Mix will flip to Classic Hip-Hop or, if they are desperate to go head-to-head with the all-but-unchallenged Sunny, Soft AC (or at least a Mainstream AC that plays even less hard stuff, like 94.1 the Sound in Seattle). But, Audacy likes to keep radio stations that are performing much less than stellar. Just ask KITS, WSFS, or WTDY.
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KHMX has been a station with an identity crisis for quite some time, they seem closer to Adult CHR to me than true Hot AC. With their 2000s gold selections being more Rhythmic oriented songs that you wouldn't expect to hear on Hot AC and not as much pop/rock, it seems like they're trying to protect sister KKHH, which is odd since they're not the typical Adult Hits station and are instead programmed closer to a Classic Hits station, as they don't play very much music from the 2000s and none from the 2010s.

I don't know how well they billed in 2021, but they were a strong biller in 2019, so I wouldn't expect a flip anytime soon (even though you never know with Audacy...). If they do flip, I expect a format similar to co-owned WSTR in Atlanta (ironically enough, another Hot AC station that reportedly had good billing despite underperforming in ratings), not a Mainstream or Soft AC. If they wanted to be more competitive with KODA, all they have to do is shift KKHH back to a more balanced blend of pop and rock, which had put them in more competition with KODA in the past, but it seems they don't care about KODA as much as they used to, as Audacy is letting KODA run laps around KKHH...
 
jt99 said:
KHMX has been a station with an identity crisis for quite some time, they seem closer to Adult CHR to me than true Hot AC. With their 2000s gold selections being more Rhythmic oriented songs that you wouldn't expect to hear on Hot AC and not as much pop/rock, it seems like they're trying to protect sister KKHH, which is odd since they're not the typical Adult Hits station and are instead programmed closer to a Classic Hits station, as they don't play very much music from the 2000s and none from the 2010s.

I don't know how well they billed in 2021, but they were a strong biller in 2019, so I wouldn't expect a flip anytime soon (even though you never know with Audacy...). If they do flip, I expect a format similar to co-owned WSTR in Atlanta (ironically enough, another Hot AC station that reportedly had good billing despite underperforming in ratings), not a Mainstream or Soft AC. If they wanted to be more competitive with KODA, all they have to do is shift KKHH back to a more balanced blend of pop and rock, which had put them in more competition with KODA in the past, but it seems they don't care about KODA as much as they used to, as Audacy is letting KODA run laps around KKHH...
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The thing is, rhythmic material from the 00s has more staying power than pop/rock from that time period, generally speaking. And KHMX may be flirting with more rhythmic songs, but they are a bit more current laden than WKTU. In fact, WKTU rarely plays Olivia Rodrigo, and they are more *NSYNC and less Avril Lavigne. So perhaps KHMX isn't a truly rhythmic-leaning Hot AC like WKTU yet. Another thing I must mention is that the imaging is dry and less energetic, and how many times did Mix change morning drive programming?

And Classic Hits and AC could be co-owned. WLYF and WMXJ in Miami, for instance, are in the same cluster.
 
jt99 said:
KHMX has been a station with an identity crisis for quite some time, they seem closer to Adult CHR to me than true Hot AC. With their 2000s gold selections being more Rhythmic oriented songs that you wouldn't expect to hear on Hot AC and not as much pop/rock, it seems like they're trying to protect sister KKHH, which is odd since they're not the typical Adult Hits station and are instead programmed closer to a Classic Hits station, as they don't play very much music from the 2000s and none from the 2010s.

I don't know how well they billed in 2021, but they were a strong biller in 2019, so I wouldn't expect a flip anytime soon (even though you never know with Audacy...). If they do flip, I expect a format similar to co-owned WSTR in Atlanta (ironically enough, another Hot AC station that reportedly had good billing despite underperforming in ratings), not a Mainstream or Soft AC. If they wanted to be more competitive with KODA, all they have to do is shift KKHH back to a more balanced blend of pop and rock, which had put them in more competition with KODA in the past, but it seems they don't care about KODA as much as they used to, as Audacy is letting KODA run laps around KKHH...
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I have heard quite a few more gold pop/rock selections lately. For example, they seem to be obsessed with Matchbox 20 all of a sudden...
 
tb_ said:
I have heard quite a few more gold pop/rock selections lately. For example, they seem to be obsessed with Matchbox 20 all of a sudden...
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KRBE used to have a manic obsession with Matchbox Twenty and Rob Thomas. Little Wonders used to be in power rotation there. Ditto with Her Diamonds. She's So Mean also had some airplay, as well.
 
victorres43 said:
KRBE used to have a manic obsession with Matchbox Twenty and Rob Thomas. Little Wonders used to be in power rotation there. Ditto with Her Diamonds. She's So Mean also had some airplay, as well.
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KRBE and other Cumulus CHR stations still had “How Far We’ve Come” in almost medium rotation in 2011. The MB20 obsession used to be a big joke ok thr Atlanta board with Q100.
 
101tm said:
KRBE and other Cumulus CHR stations still had “How Far We’ve Come” in almost medium rotation in 2011. The MB20 obsession used to be a big joke ok thr Atlanta board with Q100.
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Out of all the artists he can choose to be obsessed with, Jan Jeffries chose Matchbox Twenty. Not Britney. Not Eminem. Not Mariah. Not Coldplay. Matchbox Twenty.

Also, in the late 2000s, KRBE played Soak Up the Sun and Tubthumping more than a few times. Certainly, they were more AC-sounding than Z100 or even 106.1 KISS FM in Dallas. I don't think even Z100 played Waiting on the World to Change that often.

(On another note, both Elvis Duran and Cubby have worked at KRBE.)
 
victorres43 said:
The thing is, rhythmic material from the 00s has more staying power than pop/rock from that time period, generally speaking. And KHMX may be flirting with more rhythmic songs, but they are a bit more current laden than WKTU. In fact, WKTU rarely plays Olivia Rodrigo, and they are more *NSYNC and less Avril Lavigne. So perhaps KHMX isn't a truly rhythmic-leaning Hot AC like WKTU yet. Another thing I must mention is that the imaging is dry and less energetic, and how many times did Mix change morning drive programming?

And Classic Hits and AC could be co-owned. WLYF and WMXJ in Miami, for instance, are in the same cluster.
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I can see why WKTU performs well after a quick scan of their recently played, as the mix of songs on that station seems to blend together very well, whereas some of the more Rhythmic songs on KHMX could be clashing heavily with the non Rhythmic current material that they play.

I also looked at KBIG in Los Angeles, and the 1990s/2000s gold selections aren't as Rhythmic as KHMX, but the Rhythmic songs they play seem to blend better with the 2010-present songs on the station. While they're not as gold heavy as WKTU, they are more gold heavy than KHMX, with a huge focus on 2010s gold (while still playing a healthy amount of 1990s/2000s). With Los Angeles and Houston being somewhat similar demographically, perhaps a direction like that could work for KHMX.
 
jt99 said:
I can see why WKTU performs well after a quick scan of their recently played, as the mix of songs on that station seems to blend together very well, whereas some of the more Rhythmic songs on KHMX could be clashing heavily with the non Rhythmic current material that they play.

I also looked at KBIG in Los Angeles, and the 1990s/2000s gold selections aren't as Rhythmic as KHMX, but the Rhythmic songs they play seem to blend better with the 2010-present songs on the station. While they're not as gold heavy as WKTU, they are more gold heavy than KHMX, with a huge focus on 2010s gold (while still playing a healthy amount of 1990s/2000s). With Los Angeles and Houston being somewhat similar demographically, perhaps a direction like that could work for KHMX.
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What's odd though is that KBIG, at times, leans more modern rock for a market that is heavily ethnic, or at least it used to. Songs like Ophelia and Dog Days Are Over were golds for a fairly long period in the 2010s.

Not a rock artist, but KBIG had a strong obsession with Katy Perry, well after her career peaked, even more than other pop stations; sometimes, in the late 2010s, two of her songs can be played about 2-3 hours apart.

KBIG's success, though, can be attributed to its 65 kW signal atop Mount Wilson.
 
victorres43 said:
What's odd though is that KBIG, at times, leans more modern rock for a market that is heavily ethnic, or at least it used to. Songs like Ophelia and Dog Days Are Over were golds for a fairly long period in the 2010s.

Not a rock artist, but KBIG had a strong obsession with Katy Perry, well after her career peaked, even more than other pop stations; sometimes, in the late 2010s, two of her songs can be played about 2-3 hours apart.

KBIG's success, though, can be attributed to its 65 kW signal atop Mount Wilson.
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With the history that Alternative/Modern Rock has in Los Angeles, it makes sense that songs like that could test well in the market.

KBIG does indeed have one of the best signals in Los Angeles, but the same could be said for KHMX and the Senior Road Tower in Houston, so there's clearly wasted potential here IMO.
 
victorres43 said:
KBIG's success, though, can be attributed to its 65 kW signal atop Mount Wilson.
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There are plenty of much lower power stations on Mt Wilson that do just as well or have done well at some point... with KIIS and KSCA being god examples.
 
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