Meanwhile, formats like WBUF and The Wolf shamble on like the Ghost of Jacob Marley wearing the chains they forged in life. They both are far beyond all hope...
You get extra points for creative writing and referencing a literary holiday classic, 'bolt.
It could be that Mix-Breeze-Star-New-Now-What's-Next?-Ninety Six Point One "sustains and retains," and doesn't drop two or three shares when it reverts to it regular Hot AC format. That many (AC, Hot AC) formats come down to earth after All-Christmas has been documented in major and medium markets. It happened to OTA Star 102.5, and conventional thinking indicates it will happen to one degree or another to 96.1.
But given that there may be a tranche of listeners who "discovered" or "re-discovered" the 96.1 frequency, the post Christmas erosion may not be as severe. In large measure it depends on how those re-or-newly-attracted listeners like the product. It's a roll of the dice.
We can see the power and impact of All Christmas: WECK was down. WHTT was down. Kiss was off. All the while 96.1 gained two and a half shares Persons 12+, no small feat. Past practice would indicate that 96.1 had a monster month with Women 25-54, largely at the expense of its in-format and flanking-format competitors. The question now is, can 96.1 most of those listeners? I'm out of the gender and age demo, but I listened to All Christmas on 96.1 in the ten days prior to December 25th. I also listened afterwards, when the normal format returned. I punched out because the music, such as it is and such as my tastes are, is ... let me be kind ... not my bowl of soup.
As to the question regarding WBEN and its down trend. Yes, four monthlies, which are essentially "books," constitute a trend. However, the true and holding trend would be a year-to-year comparison, as was down in the old days in diary driven markets, when stations (particularly those that saw ratings slide) did a four book (one year) breakout to show that they still had strength. But in this day and age, four bad monthlies in a diary market don't look particularly good. Frankly, I thought WBEN would do better. I wouldn't quite put a fork in them, but let's say they're in need of some oxygen.
Readers and posters here should keep on eye on 97 Rock, which weathered the month remarkably well. That's a tribute to the format, the people on the air, and the programmers. Also, to the hordes of listeners, 18-65+, who like 40-50 year old rock classics.
