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Something is up at KQ
- Thread starter aspric
- Start date
Saw this on their homepage:
It's good. Their ratings have been middling. They want to get back towards the top. We will see what is next.
They’ve been playing more and more alternative and grunge from the 90s/2000s as of late. I wonder if they’re in the process of merging the formats of KQ and 93X. That would mean we might see something new at 93.7 as well. I heard KQ play Seven Nation Army by White Stripes this morning, which seemed out of character for that station.
I know Seven Nation Army is from 2003. Almost all other songs on Classic Rock stations are from the last century. But I think that is widely aired on Classic Rock because it has an earlier vibe to it. I hear it on Q104.3 in NYC.
KQ usually plays 1 such song about every 45 minutes. Most classic rock stations play 1 or 2 such tracks hourly these days.
Merging KQ and 93X would be a terrible idea sure to infuriate longtime listeners of both stations.
Seeing this too and its intriguing. I wonder if they are shifting more of their playlist to a 90's/early 2000's heavy mix and unveiling some new lineups and imaging. Essentially shifting the Classic Rock which is what alot of Classic Rock stations need to be doing more. They've got to get away from the older sound (late 70's-80's) to adjust to the more current 40 and 50 year olds and what they grew up with. I'm 44 and most of what I relate to rock wise spans from '95-'10.
Yeah, I don't see them as much "merging" 93X and KQ, but there is a bigger problem brewing. I suspect it will be more of the "updating" KQ to appeal to the next generation of dads like you said, playing the occasional 80's rock song they remember from listening with their own dad combined with a playlist heavy in the 90's and early-mid 2000's.
The bigger problem I see with KQ/93X is that this will make the stations sound even MORE similar as 93X is firmly planted in the 90s-2000s since younger people don't listen to radio for rock anymore. And, at least 12+, 93X is doing worse than KQ. They could take a route similar to Lone Star/The Eagle in Dallas, but that's not working out great for iHeartMedia.
One thing is certain. The audience for either station isn't getting younger, and advertisers don't like older listeners.
I don't see that happening. A 90s / early 00s heavy playlist would cannibalize 93X badly.
80s rock still has significant appeal to the 25 to 54 age group. It is the backbone of the classic rock and the classic hits formats nationwide.
I think KQ is going to try to make its sound more adaptable to at-work listening and try for a 60/40 male-female audience balance. Wouldn't surprise me if we were to hear a smattering of classic alt or AAA artists tossed into the playlist.
I mean, that was kinda my point in the second half of my post. 93X hasn't really shifted, because new rock on FM doesn't do well (since rock music is so fragmented now). At some point either now or in the future they'll have to address that by either merging the stations, or taking one of the two stations in a "softer" direction as you stated and having basically a "hard" classic rock and a "softer" classic rock station. Hell, 93X is basically classic rock today, but people my age don't want to hear that (like we don't want to hear Eminem on Kool 108 but yet here we are).
I do tend to agree with you that 80's rock still does well, I'm in my mid 40's and am old enough to remember most of the 80's rock since the first 93X was mostly 80's hairbands. Looking at the playlist as it exists today, KQ actually already sits in the mostly 80's rock with a sprinkle of 70s and a sprinkle of 90s thrown in (similar to the first 93X).
Morning show specifically, as that's the daypart they have never recovered from.
There are 3 sports stations in Minneapolis, KFAN, KFAN+ and ESPN 1500. KFAN+ and ESPN are national formats that don't do well in the TC (remember Cumulus had 105 The Ticket, also mostly national hosts). I don't see Cumulus investing in local personalities, and like I said national ones don't do well. Any "gap" for local sport shows is really already being filled by WCCO.
This comes after they moved Lisa Miller from the afternoon shift off-air after something like 20 years on Friday. The personalities on KQRS are all this station has left. What I think KQRS really needs is more than 40 songs in rotation. The programming right now is pretty much unlistenable and has been since ~2021 or so. I listened to this station for hours a day throughout highschool a few years ago and I am beyond burnt out on the hair rock songs being played. I can't take a single more Queen or Bon Jovi song. I listen to mostly 102.9 and occasionally 93X now when I'm in town because at least there's some variety there.
I live in Fargo now and listen to a classic rock station out of Fergus Falls. Even at age 21 I love the huge library of songs from the late 1960s to early 2000s they play. And not the Metallica crap, I mean songs that still sound like 70s-80s classic rock. This is what major market radio should be doing instead of running the station into the ground and getting rid of all the air staff. It's sad that the rip-off of KQRS in Duluth, KQDS, even has better programming than KQ at this point. Ray Erick leaving really was the beginning of the end...
I live in Fargo now and listen to a classic rock station out of Fergus Falls. Even at age 21 I love the huge library of songs from the late 1960s to early 2000s they play. And not the Metallica crap, I mean songs that still sound like 70s-80s classic rock. This is what major market radio should be doing instead of running the station into the ground and getting rid of all the air staff. It's sad that the rip-off of KQRS in Duluth, KQDS, even has better programming than KQ at this point. Ray Erick leaving really was the beginning of the end...
They are airing liners stating that Steve Gorman will be back.
I'm guessing they're giving the old beast a bit of a makeover. They've been classic rock for almost 40 years, and rock for almost two decades prior. I don't see them dumping the format. Certainly not when Audacy is there sitting on an underperforming country station.
I remember throughout the 90s, when ABC built the Wall of Rock with their cluster to chase off competition. KQ was the undisputed #1 station in town with Tom Barnard. 93.7 was the flanker (as the Edge, then 93X when 100.3 flipped to rock and brought in Howard Stern). Years later, Cumulus took over, and both KQ and Barnard got stale. I doubt they'll ever reclaim their glory years again. IMO, most Cumulus stations I've heard just sound like crap.
If you can believe, that station (KZCR) used to be even deeper and played currents. It was a classic AOR that was always surprising. While it's tightened up considerably, it's still an excellent station.
KQ was always successful BECAUSE of Tom. They were number 1 because of Tom. Slowly that shifted, and eventually KFAN took over as the #1 morning show (and 100.3 was able to de-throne KQ through a different format).
What remains of the "wall of rock" is now #10 (KQ) and #13 (93X). Cumulus isn't in the "innovation" stage, they are in the "survival" stage, selling heritage stations and shutting off signals. What I'm about to say makes NO rational sense, but Cumulus itself has made no rational sense for a long time. There is a rumor going around that EMF is close to a major market deal in several markets. Could Cumulus be merging KQ and 93X because one of the signals is about to be sold? Why is KQ being relaunched when 93X is doing worse?
It's all I listen to in Fargo...and I work for a bunch of other stations here! Haha. Love that station to death
Personally it's hard for me to believe they'd be selling KQRS. It doesn't perform badly enough for that. If I were Cumulus and wanted to dump a station for EMF I'd sell one of the 105s!
Yeah. 105s will most likely be first to go if Cumulus is looking to get rid of stations here in the Twin Cities. Wouldn’t be surprised if any day now they decided to shut them down or sell them to EMF.
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