Format Change. Hot 106 is stunting with Halloween music.
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Goodbye Hot 106
- Thread starter shutupandlisten
- Start date
Interesting. The station announces it is getting rid of its morning show a day before it flips to Halloween Music? That's a bit disjointed. Why not do both at the same time?
Will it then switch to Christmas music on Nov. 1 after Halloween is over? Then start playing Country music on the day after Christmas (if that will be the new format)?
Will it then switch to Christmas music on Nov. 1 after Halloween is over? Then start playing Country music on the day after Christmas (if that will be the new format)?
With a signal that is at its strongest in northern Providence County, Country is a good format demographically for that station. But then again, WCTK and WKLB both do well in that area.
The station didn't announce they were getting rid of their morning show or anything else. The hosts each announced they were fired. As were the remainder of the staff, which is what a station does before a format change.
Cumulus' "Lite 105" WWLI is the all-Christmas powerhouse in the Providence market. They're not going to mess with that to stunt on a Class A rimshot.
My take is that WKLB is vulnerable after replacing their local morning show with one from Philadelphia.
If they take a point or two away from Cat Country, they ensure Lite is #1.
That's a great point. But it's always been an uphill battle for WWKX. The signal is horrible most places south of Providence or east of Fall River.
Probably not a lot of audience for hip hop in those areas. Newport doesn't strike me as a big hip hop area.
Could Cumulus simulcast Worcester's Nash Icon on WWKX? There is a little bit of signal overlap there, but a simulcast would cut down on costs and bring the format into Providence itself. It's also a different format than WCTK and WKLB, being much more gold heavy.
Counting on Cumulus to do the smart thing with the format, isn't a winning bet. Flanking an existing format in PVD would do nothing for them.
Then what about Alternative, a current format hole but a struggling format nationally?
Well, because it's struggling nationally, Cumulus may actually do it. 
Alternative listeners are generally not FM radio listeners. I'm sure the Brown University crowd would love listening to a little static with their tunes while listening to the FM radio in their dorms.
Alternative listeners are generally not FM radio listeners. I'm sure the Brown University crowd would love listening to a little static with their tunes while listening to the FM radio in their dorms. Just because there is a perceived format "hole" does not necessarily mean that it is a viable business plan.
At one time, Brown University owned a commercial FM outlet, 95.5 WBRU. It was an Alternative Rock station. I suppose there may be an audience for this format. LA has two, San Diego has two. There are successful Alternative stations in a number of markets.
At one time, Providence had WBRU and Boston had two Alternative stations. Now WBRU is K-Love WLVO. And Boston lost both Alternative stations.
At one time, Providence had WBRU and Boston had two Alternative stations. Now WBRU is K-Love WLVO. And Boston lost both Alternative stations.
Why isn't there one now? That should tell the rest of the story.
We should all recognize the history of Kicks/Kix/Hot 106 as it fades away. A lot of big name jocks passed through there. Valentine, who now has a national morning show for iHeart, worked there. "Jammer," now a big wig at Audacy, made two stops there. Mark Allen, who has worked all over the country, also did mornings there. So did Tiffany Hill. I have no idea what happened to him, but the "Real Deal Mike Neal" had a nice run there in the mid-to-late '90s.
I might have the timeline wrong, but I believe Kicks started with a dance format in the late 1980s. In 1992, the station, as "Kix," went CHR and made a nice run at 92 PRO FM. By the beginning of 1993, they went CHR-Rhythmic, and that format lasted 31 years (it adopted the "Hot" branding in 1998).
I might have the timeline wrong, but I believe Kicks started with a dance format in the late 1980s. In 1992, the station, as "Kix," went CHR and made a nice run at 92 PRO FM. By the beginning of 1993, they went CHR-Rhythmic, and that format lasted 31 years (it adopted the "Hot" branding in 1998).
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Does WKLB even do business with Providence advertisers or agencies? I've always thought the Boston stations that show up in the Providence book are Boston-oriented first and foremost. Is Cat really losing Providence business to 'KLB?
I decided to stream it on my way home from work and they’re doing all Grateful Dead. Has this been part of their Halloween stunting?
I think that's right. I doubt they're losing business, but they're likely sharing some listeners.
The question is could Cumulus get some business from the Cat? Is there more money with country than with either hip hop or alternative?
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MassMusicMan
Banned
Depends on the hip hop. There's a center lane erawise that you can build a station around.
Snoop goes to the Olympics, and "Return of the Mack" is in a fabric softener commercial. Newport in 2024 isn't something out of a Robin Leach narration. The Newport set dances to Lil' Jon and LMFAO.
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