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Star 94 Goes All Christmas

RoddyFreeman said:
It took me a bit by surprise but a gutsy move.

What I’m most curious about is whether this will force B98.5 to change what has been only a partially Christmas strategy.
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It could. Interesting move by Star. At least they waited until this week when Christmas music becomes a little more palatable for most listeners. I'll have to check them out.
 
The other thing I’m wondering—and this might be far fetched—is whether Star will tweak the music after the holiday.

Based on what I’ve seen around the country, Rhythmic AC has somewhat limited ratings potential. Star made a significant music adjustment earlier this year, moving in a more pop direction. But outside of Kevin & Taylor’s morning show, the clock includes some decidedly Hip-Hop songs. I wonder whether the station will edge closer to Hot AC in the other dayparts.

The product that PD Emily Boldon has put on, the music and formatics, reflects expertise and creativity, especially in light of budget restrictions. Afternoon drive was finally filled, but middays, evenings and weekends remain jukeboxes. She seemed to indicate in her interview with Rodney Ho a few months ago that middays will be at least voice tracked in the near future.

So we will see.
 
RoddyFreeman said:
The other thing I’m wondering—and this might be far fetched—is whether Star will tweak the music after the holiday.

Based on what I’ve seen around the country, Rhythmic AC has somewhat limited ratings potential. Star made a significant music adjustment earlier this year, moving in a more pop direction. But outside of Kevin & Taylor’s morning show, the clock includes some decidedly Hip-Hop songs. I wonder whether the station will edge closer to Hot AC in the other dayparts.

The product that PD Emily Boldon has put on, the music and formatics, reflects expertise and creativity, especially in light of budget restrictions. Afternoon drive was finally filled, but middays, evenings and weekends remain jukeboxes. She seemed to indicate in her interview with Rodney Ho a few months ago that middays will be at least voice tracked in the near future.

So we will see.
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Rhythmic AC has a bit of a ceiling as a format, especially in a market with a lot of Urban choices. Something with broader interest would make more sense for a full-market, full-power signal.
 
jabba17 said:
Rhythmic AC has a bit of a ceiling as a format, especially in a market with a lot of Urban choices. Something with broader interest would make more sense for a full-market, full-power signal.
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I don't think they would completely drop Rhythmic AC, just maybe tweak it, perhaps a similar playlist to what's on the morning show.
 
RoddyFreeman said:
I don't think they would completely drop Rhythmic AC, just maybe tweak it, perhaps a similar playlist to what's on the morning show.
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Yes. Hard to stomach both “Celebration” by Kool & the Gang and “Baby Got Back” on the same signal, with two morning show hosts most closely associated with Christian pop. An upbeat rhythmic mix—more pop and R&B hits than rap and hip hop—from 1985-2020 or so would do well.
 
Actually, didn't this same station switch to Christmas music a few years ago? During one of its many format adjustments?

It really is odd that Atlanta has no reliable secular Christmas station, the only large market other than Miami that doesn't have a least one Christmas station.
 
So Kevin & Taylor launch all Christmas music after doing it for years on the late Fish. I am trying to remember how many years in a row they have launched an all Christmas format. Hate Christmas music luckily dont have one in my new home market. Kevin and Taylor are Atlanta's longest running Christmas music duo.
 
Jim1987 said:
Yes. Hard to stomach both “Celebration” by Kool & the Gang and “Baby Got Back” on the same signal, with two morning show hosts most closely associated with Christian pop. An upbeat rhythmic mix—more pop and R&B hits than rap and hip hop—from 1985-2020 or so would do well.
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They could still separate them by dayparts...back in the day 96 Rock played tamer music during AM drive than they did afterwards and especially in PM drive and into the evening.
 
RoddyFreeman said:
It took me a bit by surprise but a gutsy move.

What I’m most curious about is whether this will force B98.5 to change what has been only a partially Christmas strategy.
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Probably not. In the majority of U.S. markets, only one station goes all-Christmas early with some others joining on Christmas Eve and thereabouts. Salt Lake City has three this year, but I believe that at least one of those three (KTOJ) may be changing formats come January. I know that a new format is definitely coming to KPKL in Spokane in January (along with a new owner) which most likely means that it won't be challenging KISC next year for the Christmas audience.

In Los Angeles, KKGO-FM might jump in this Friday (as it has in years past) as a second option to KOST but then again, since it's the only country outlet in the area, it might not.

In Phoenix where I live, there was only one year (2007 if memory serves) when another commercial over-the-air station challenged KESZ for playing Christmas music pre-Christmas Eve. That was KOOL-FM. My understanding is that the Phoenix oldies/classic hits station got a lot of flak from its listeners and didn't beat KESZ in the ratings war so it didn't do it again (though then-owner CBS tried going all-Christmas on KMLE's HD2 channel the following year to even less success).

No. Cox will watch to see how well WSTR does this year with the Christmas format and then make a focused decision about what WSB-FM will do next year.
 
ted chittenden said:
Cox will watch to see how well WSTR does this year with the Christmas format and then make a focused decision about what WSB-FM will do next year.
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As I said above, WSTR 94.1 went all-Christmas another time in the recent past. It had no influence on WSB-FM. WSTR did boost its ratings for the Holiday book but it didn't carry over into January. For whatever reason, WSB-FM just doesn't think it should flip, one of the few large market AC stations that doesn't.

Knoxville was also a sizable market where the AC station didn't switch to all-Christmas music. But I see WJXB is doing it this year. Interesting to note, WJXB calls itself B97.5, similar to WSB-FM calling itself B98.5. So I think Miami and Dayton are the only top 100 markets with no secular Christmas music station this year.
 
Gregg. said:
As I said above, WSTR 94.1 went all-Christmas another time in the recent past. It had no influence on WSB-FM. WSTR did boost its ratings for the Holiday book but it didn't carry over into January.
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i do remember that and was waiting for someone to mention it. I think it maybe was two years ago?
Gregg. said:
Knoxville was also a sizable market where the AC station didn't switch to all-Christmas music. But I see WJXB is doing it this year.
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I’m in Knoxville and WJXB definitely DID switch last year to all Christmas. But in previous recent years they did not.
 


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