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Boston Radio Ratings April 2024
- Thread starter Jimmy128
- Start date
Not a lot of movement….but it does look like Magic is on a gradual, steady decline trend. Not a collapse by any means , but a clear slow drop. Any thoughts? Is it possible that it may be a more listenable product yet one that’s also lost an identity? Im not saying the Magic format could never be caffeinated—but when I listen to the music mix and Blake, for example in afternoons it feels pretty far from the cool, relaxed format I always associated with “Magic”.
I know that nights do not attract many listeners anymore, but the station lost a part of itself when David Allan Boucher retired. While I doubt many listeners make that connection, his was a name that most adults in Boston knew.
100% agree. He was the halo over that station. In many ways it’s identity. Sure, his shift was the unique bedtime magic thing, but the station had a more gentle, soft rock sound. It evolved and changed over Boucher’s long tenure—but today it seems to have no unique identity. I’d be curious if others agree and can tell me what Magic 106 is other than just another station that gets a massive boost at Christmas time. I don’t get it.
To define what Magic seems to be nowadays, look at how the radio landscape changed in the nearly 45 years it has been on the air.
When Magic debuted, the FM dial was full of rocking AOR stations (that skewed somewhat male), and uptempo current hit Top 40/CHR (that skewed teenage/young adult).
There were also still several mostly instrumental “beautiful music” easy listening stations (that skewed either older, or as workplace background music).
Magic debuted as “soft rock”, a place where adults could hear a mix of softer hits from the ‘60s/‘70s and current hits that fit that “soft” sound. The only major station that had been doing something similar here was the old WEEI-FM, but it didn’t have the personalities.
Fast forward to today, the current AOR’s are gone (though there are plenty of somewhat male skewing classic rock/hits stations), “Kiss” is still CHR for teens and young adults, “beautiful music” phased out, and over the decades it became left to stations like “Magic” and “Mix” to become more upbeat and timely with a blend of new adult hits and classic adult contemporary hits (no longer all “soft”) that serves a (still somewhat female skewing) adult audience. Today’s AC.
When Magic debuted, the FM dial was full of rocking AOR stations (that skewed somewhat male), and uptempo current hit Top 40/CHR (that skewed teenage/young adult).
There were also still several mostly instrumental “beautiful music” easy listening stations (that skewed either older, or as workplace background music).
Magic debuted as “soft rock”, a place where adults could hear a mix of softer hits from the ‘60s/‘70s and current hits that fit that “soft” sound. The only major station that had been doing something similar here was the old WEEI-FM, but it didn’t have the personalities.
Fast forward to today, the current AOR’s are gone (though there are plenty of somewhat male skewing classic rock/hits stations), “Kiss” is still CHR for teens and young adults, “beautiful music” phased out, and over the decades it became left to stations like “Magic” and “Mix” to become more upbeat and timely with a blend of new adult hits and classic adult contemporary hits (no longer all “soft”) that serves a (still somewhat female skewing) adult audience. Today’s AC.
Country is also slumping in Boston at a time that it's getting stronger elsewhere. Any ideas why? WKLB used to get 5s and 6s. Now it languishes in the 3s. Without the age-group-specific numbers, there's no way of knowing whether the decline is due to older listeners leaving, but the 55+ crowd largely left country radio in the 2010s while the 18-34 share has been increasing. So what's happening now?
Don't know but there's talk of Red Sox taking broadcast rights in house and while they could do stream only, they could also deal w iHR to put games on 101.7, say, to have some terrestrial coverage--IF sponsorship would justify. Though country-plus-Sox might be odd fit demographically (younger vs older) and any station running play by play would be eating up a large block of time with each game--162 reg season plus pre and possibly post season.
BTW was a bit surprised the other night to hear SportsUSA's coverage of Stanley Cup playoffs on 850 WEEI..some kind of money to be made, or "at least ads got run".
BTW was a bit surprised the other night to hear SportsUSA's coverage of Stanley Cup playoffs on 850 WEEI..some kind of money to be made, or "at least ads got run".
MassMusicMan
Banned
Kiss is CHR for a dwindling audience of 40+ Bostonians who've been here for generations who still hang on to the Matty station out of pure habit. Mix has been beating them at their own game recently.
These are related questions because they're both referring to currents-based stations. From what I can see, comparing playlists at those stations with what I'm seeing with P1 streaming, is that they are still playing (in some cases) two year old songs as currents. The music is moving faster than radio playlists. MUCH faster. Artists are releasing songs faster than radio can absorb them. These stations have to find ways to keep up with the music while at the same time working with labels and charts. How stations handle this new music will determine the future of formats like CHR. Musically, listeners aren't as interested in genre and format as the stations are. I don't know why Kiss hasn't jumped on this Post Malone duet with Morgan Wallen. Currently it's #2 on the streaming chart, #1 on the Hot 100. It's at #32 on Kiss. If you build your brand on new music, you must play new music.
These are all excellent observations on how the market has evolved and the present reality…but again my question: what is Magic 106 today? Lukewarm AC? Not quite as old WROR? Spiked Soft Rock? Big City Crossover Country? It feels to me there are a batch of music stations here whose playlists are basically 3-5 present superstars’ top songs mixed with the top research songs of the 80s through 2000s. Some lean more to the 80s others lean more to the 2000s. Thats your “differentiation”. They could all switch talent with each other tomorrow and it would all work just fine. Talent, with all due respect, is interchangeable. Magic’s talent WAS truly unique: smooth, understated, relaxed but very effective. You knew you were listening to Magic whether it was a talent ad-lib or the music itself. Maybe I’m just an out of touch oldie myself 
but just my thoughts…
but just my thoughts…MassMusicMan
Banned
The streaming chart includes people from outside of Boston, and the Hot 100 has been tits on a bull for the last three decades.
Down in Hartford, WKSS has both Malone/Wallen and Shaboozey in its Top 20.These are all excellent observations on how the market has evolved and the present reality…but again my question: what is Magic 106 today? Lukewarm AC? Not quite as old WROR? Spiked Soft Rock? Big City Crossover Country? It feels to me there are a batch of music stations here whose playlists are basically 3-5 present superstars’ top songs mixed with the top research songs of the 80s through 2000s. Some lean more to the 80s others lean more to the 2000s. Thats your “differentiation”. They could all switch talent with each other tomorrow and it would all work just fine. Talent, with all due respect, is interchangeable. Magic’s talent WAS truly unique: smooth, understated, relaxed but very effective. You knew you were listening to Magic whether it was a talent ad-lib or the music itself. Maybe I’m just an out of touch oldie myself
KISS 95-7 - Top Songs of the Week | KISS 95-7
Find the top songs of the week being played on KISS 95-7, All The Hits: Hartford
If you want to know what people under 40 listen to, take a look at the streaming chart. It doesn't matter where they live because they all talk to each other on the world wide web. Their culture isn't limited to where they live.
MassMusicMan
Banned
Maybe not, but the influence and reach of Kiss 108 is.
Also, congratulations on being the first person in 25 years to say "World Wide Web."
Aren't you the same guy who said this?
So which is it?
My point is the internet isn't restricted to Boston.
MassMusicMan
Banned
It's both, because they're the same point.
Just because a Bostonian engages on the Internet with someone not from Boston doesn't mean that you use the person engaging with the Bostonian in your research.
Just because a Bostonian engages on the Internet with someone not from Boston doesn't mean that you use the person engaging with the Bostonian in your research.
Music is music. Hit music in Boston is hit music everywhere. Ask today's touring artists. They don't do a completely different show when they come to Boston.
CHR is changing. I think Sean Ross will support me on this. Music is becoming a lot less provincial.
Especially country music. Used to be that country stations in the Northeast stuck to crossover acts like Crystal Gayle, Eddie Rabbitt and Alabama. WHN New York was pretty much a total no-twang zone. Even when WWYZ in the Hartford market flipped in 1988, there were still several very rural-sounding songs on the national charts that 'YZ wouldn't play. By the end of the '90s, though, pretty much every station everywhere was playing the same hits, no matter how rural the song themes, how twangy the vocals, or how heavily soaked in fiddle and steel the arrangements. Still true today.
That's how songs become #1. When every reporting station is playing the song in heavy rotation, the song goes #1.
The regional activity takes place early in the life of a song. But once it's in the Top 10, it's just a question of spins.
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