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B101 Drops Delilah again.

I don't know (I suppose I don't care to know) the economics that make stations want to carry such a sickly-sweet-bordering-on-saccharine-overdose show in the first place, but B101's on-again, off-again affair with her seems to make even less sense. I suppose the numbers are good and it allows the station to cut an airshift (or a VT shift)? But if that were the case here, why would B101 change direction yet again? At any rate, in case you couldn't tell, I find the show so egregiously pandering that it borders on disgusting.
 
I find the show so egregiously pandering that it borders on disgusting.

Because you're a guy. The show does well with women.

But if that were the case here, why would B101 change direction yet again?

This way they don't have to share revenue with iHeart. Apparently they're replacing her with nobody. Just non-stop music and imaging until dawn. Nothing cheaper than nobody.
 
Because you're a guy. The show does well with women.

PPM was outright brutal to Delilah. That was why major market stations dropped her left and right about 15 years ago. I understand major market stations can pick up a different version of her show that doesn’t have as many breaks and dedications. Prior to PPM, her show did okay with women. Delilah rode your ratings. She was successful on successful stations, but she was an also ran if she was on a lower rated station. For most AC's, that was enough.

This way they don't have to share revenue with iHeart. Apparently they're replacing her with nobody. Just non-stop music and imaging until dawn. Nothing cheaper than nobody.

This could’ve changed, but Delilah was free when I worked at a station that carried her roughly 20 years ago. iHeart may have a different arrangement for carrying her show than BP/Jones did. We just had to give the syndicator three minutes an hour during her show. I believe we had to give them a few spots during the 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM hours, but I don’t remember it being much. Carrying her was much cheaper than paying a full-time local talent. Cumulus acquired the station near the end of my run there, and it has since signed a group deal with Tesh's syndicator. Not all Cumulus AC's carry Tesh, but I don’t believe any air Delilah any longer.
 
This could’ve changed, but Delilah was free when I worked at a station that carried her roughly 20 years ago.

By sharing revenue, I meant it's barter. Here's a link to the show clock. The net gets 3 minutes, and the station gets 9.

Giving up 3 minutes is 25%. But giving up spots during the day might be a deal breaker.


As I said, they're not replacing her. They're just running music & imaging all night.

My take is her routine skews towards the older end of the AC bracket. That's not where they want B-101 to be.
 
I don't understand the concept of either Delilah or nothing. B101 is owned by Audacy, one of the biggest radio companies.

If B101 management decides Delilah is not right for today's AC audience, can't they pay a DJ at another Audacy AC station to voice-track evenings? Three times an hour they tell you something interesting about Harry Styles or Adele, read a station promo, hope that we're enjoying our Tuesday evening? Maybe if they're doing afternoons on an Audacy AC station in St. Louis, they could simply say the same things they already said that day for the Philadelphia voice-track? It may only take another 60 to 90 minutes to voice-track a five hour shift on B101. Just give us 15 breaks for an entire evening. Or make it 12 breaks and end at 11 p.m.

Many stations, even in large markets, want to cut the cost of staff. It's a morning show, midday person, afternoon person and nobody else these days. But I don't get how a major market station like B101 can't get someone to voice-track evenings. It's like I either drive a new Mercedes or I walk. Isn't there something between those two options?
 
Looking at the B playlist over the past few hours, it feels like there may be an age gap coming into play. Admittedly, I am also not a woman over the age of 35, but the "softer, older" music that comes to mind when I think of Delilah doesn't seem to be where B is anymore. I see Lady Gaga, Mariah Carey, Bruno Mars, Backstreet Boys, Pink, Ed Sheeran... Lee Ann Womack's "I Hope You Dance" sticks out like a sore thumb on this playlist, and I think that's the type of sound most associated with Delilah, and it's a sound B has been trending away from for a while.
 
If B101 management decides Delilah is not right for today's AC audience, can't they pay a DJ at another Audacy AC station to voice-track evenings? Three times an hour they tell you something interesting about Harry Styles or Adele, read a station promo, hope that we're enjoying our Tuesday evening?
But I don't get how a major market station like B101 can't get someone to voice-track evenings. It's like I either drive a new Mercedes or I walk. Isn't there something between those two options?

While it might well come down to cheapness, also possible is that research could show the nighttime audience doesn't want anything other than music. On other boards, we have discussed that people, especially younger listeners, prefer services like Spotify and Apple Music to radio at least partly because they have no jocks.
 
It's like I either drive a new Mercedes or I walk. Isn't there something between those two options?

You're saying Delilah is like a new Mercedes? Really? Have you listened to her lately? More like a used Rambler.

VT isn't free. The people who VT get paid as well.

I think that's the type of sound most associated with Delilah, and it's a sound B has been trending away from for a while.

Keep in mind that stations can program their own music with Delilah show parts if they want. But you're right that B101 is aiming younger than traditional ACs.
 
If B101 management decides Delilah is not right for today's AC audience, can't they pay a DJ at another Audacy AC station to voice-track evenings? Three times an hour they tell you something interesting about Harry Styles or Adele, read a station promo, hope that we're enjoying our Tuesday evening? Maybe if they're doing afternoons on an Audacy AC station in St. Louis, they could simply say the same things they already said that day for the Philadelphia voice-track? It may only take another 60 to 90 minutes to voice-track a five hour shift on B101. Just give us 15 breaks for an entire evening. Or make it 12 breaks and end at 11 p.m.

Not even half that long

I can do a 5 break 4hour show in 20 minutes (using starlink and playout one pro).. a pro, light years better than me could do a 5 to 6 hour 4 to 5 break show in 30 minutes
 
You're saying Delilah is like a new Mercedes? Really? Have you listened to her lately? More like a used Rambler.
Heh, that's a great description actually. I was in an Uber last week and the driver had a station running Delilah on this radio. I hadn't heard her show in years and was kind of shocked how much older she sounded. If I didn't know better, I'd swear I could hear her dentures clicking. And I'm not saying that to be mean. If you're in a market with the show, listen closely when theres no music bed under her.
Keep in mind that stations can program their own music with Delilah show parts if they want. But you're right that B101 is aiming younger than traditional ACs.
And her schtick just isn't relatable to Millenials or Gen-Z. Someone in their 60's just can't.
 
If i was programming a station where her audience was, i might put her on overnights.

But i also swear, her show is alot more.. work parts .. liek the digital weatherman (pre assmbled words.segments).. you never hear her refer to a call by name, etc etc ... it seems not quite as smooth... its clips of her saying hello... or talking about a situaiton generically that they can just plug into someones recorded message call they left when dialing whatever that toll free number is
 
If i was programming a station where her audience was, i might put her on overnights.
So would you pay someone to build the show with her various voicetracks for overnights which happens to bring in no money?
When you cut an expense, you don't do it half way.
 
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