103.5 Kiss FM Chicago

[jradiod]

Here is why Kiss 103.5 is cookie cutter: it’s what works for their audience and their competition. If you don’t like it, don’t listen. Listeners in Chicago don’t care what Z100 or any other station is playing. They only care about what music they like.

 

[Beejus]

Re: AMEN!

THIS POST SHOULD BE REQUIRED READING OF EVERYONE IN RADIO. Stellar.

I'm just waiting to hear an arguement that doesn't have anything to do with charts, formats, or "what other people are doing". Listeners don't know or give a damn about what a Rhythmic CHR is, or whether that might make it weird to play "Love Song"...ONLY RADIO NERDS DO!

You say "have it my way," but I'd rather have it my listener's way. Thank you for proving my point. You think I'm trying to make this about me, or you. Couldn't be further from the truth. I still maintain that it's a perfect example of why we should be embarassed to do what we do (until we fix it). Guys who are stuck making references to the "hey day" and the "way it should be."

Our listeners are TELLING US the way it should be. Try listening to THEM for once.

I second that!

Thirded! From a PD of a Hot AC playing Seether's "Fake It" during middays. Why? Because the listeners tell me to!

 

[lovejamminoldies]

I agree with all commenting on KISS FM's poor rotation. B96 is the top 40 in Chicago. Truthfully, there isn't a real CHR in Chicago. You don't hear Lifehouse or Colbie Caillat or Buckcherry. But you hear Mariah Carey, and Ne-Yo, and Lil' Wayne. HOWEVER, if I had to choose one... B96.

 

[Mid West Clubber]

Our CHR here in Indianapolis, WNOU 100.9 is pretty cool, and its not even a really big market compared to Chi-town, NYC, or L.A..... Indianapolis isnt a small town by any means, but im just saying it isnt huge. WNOU does have a slight rhythmic lean, but they really do still play all the hits. We couldnt ask for a better CHR in this town, back when WZPL was the only CHR in Indy they were conservative as heck, not much different from how they sound now as a Hot AC, But Radio Now 100.9 takes alot of chances on breaking new music, especially for a midwestern market. The only thing I would change about WNOU is put it on a better signal. It would be nice if Chicago had a station like Indy's WNOU,,, and they used to have one back when Z-95-later Hot 947 were on the air.

Also, I always liked THE BUS 99.9 as a chr in Chicago, very well balanced,,, and even the later reincarnated 100.7 THE BUS was pretty good, but only had a weak suburban signal, so I didnt count them as a Chicago station.

Also, back in the early 90s I can recall 102.3 being a CHR, I think 102.3 was either Dance Leaning or kinda Adult Leaning,,, Q-101 was a CHR back then as well, and for a short time we had a CHR on 95.1 from Kenosha Wisconsin that simply called themselves Lakeshore's Hit Music Station.... Also, the west suburbs had an Adult leaning CHR called 107.9 THE BIRD. So from someone who has lived in Chicago back in the day when the airwaves were full of CHRs, (some of which were out of market or low power rimshots I know) but still its sad that they dont have at least one true chr today that plays all the hits...

 

[PDPete]

Oh look, 103.5 Kiss FM started playing One Republic's "Stop And stare" yesterday, hmmmm I wonder what happened : ;D

I agree with you 100% that Kiss FM is not that great of a station despite their ratings. I don't believe they are cookie cutter though because they are playing what the listeners want. However, I don't think they should be passing themselves off as a mainstream CHR. They are a rhythmic CHR, and as such should be reporting to the rhythmic CHR panel, not the mainstream CHR panel as they are now.

As far as our limited CHR choices here in Chicago CHRles, have you listened to the Mix lately? I know they are a Hot AC station, but they are more CHR leaning than most rhythmic CHR's, and have been more CHR sounding over the last couple of years since they started playing more pop-crossover songs. It's great to have a station that plays Timbaland, Justin Timberlake and Rihanna without playing bad rap music. And the Mix plays Sara Bareilles and Daughtry way before most mainstream CHR's play them. So despite being a Hot AC station, I think the Mix serves the mainstream CHR audience more adequately than Kiss-FM or even B-96 does.

 

[Mid West Clubber]

Yeah, there was also a time in the late 90s when Mix was leaning on Chr quite a bit, this was before Kiss 103.5 or Kiss 92.7 were ever thought of, and 99.9 The Bus had already driven away to make room for Spanish, and B-96 was heavy on Hip Hop, with just a few select Dance and Pop hits sporadically thrown in. I used to try to DX U-93 South Bend for chr when I would go up there, usually without much luck.

 

[rayne931wnou]

Our CHR here in Indianapolis, WNOU 100.9 is pretty cool, and its not even a really big market compared to Chi-town, NYC, or L.A..... Indianapolis isnt a small town by any means, but im just saying it isnt huge. WNOU does have a slight rhythmic lean, but they really do still play all the hits. We couldnt ask for a better CHR in this town, back when WZPL was the only CHR in Indy they were conservative as heck, not much different from how they sound now as a Hot AC, But Radio Now 100.9 takes alot of chances on breaking new music, especially for a midwestern market. The only thing I would change about WNOU is put it on a better signal. It would be nice if Chicago had a station like Indy's WNOU,,, and they used to have one back when Z-95-later Hot 947 were on the air.

Thank you. Still not quite where I want it to be, but it's on it's way. Rhythmic, rock, pop... it leans whatever way our listeners tell us to lean.


We just do what we do... for them, not us.


Rayne

 

[Mid West Clubber]

Hey Rayne man, how's it going up in Nap Town.... Just wanted to tell ya that all of us young people down here in Martinsville love you guys, even though the signal isnt top notch since the move to 100.9, everyone still listens anyway. Most kids still chose Radio Now over Bloomington's B-97, even though B-97 has a better signal here in town..... Your Jocks and imaging and New Music Intensive format makes you guys more exciting to listen to... By the way Rayne, Thanks for bringing back the Dance Music Mixshow on Saturday Nights.

 

[Human Numan]

This station is supposed to be Chicago's hit music station. Now it's fine that they have a Rhythmic lean, but still as the market's CHR/Pop station they should be on Pop/Rock titles first, before B-96. In practice, B-96 was the first to play "Love Song" by Sara Bareilles. Now B is first to play One Republic's "Stop And Stare". WBBM B-96 played that song a good 4-5 times today between the hours of 9-5 PM. Kiss FM hasn't played it even once.

Kiss FM has some great DJs, and some pretty good ratings, but musically they need to step it up a notch.

We have had this same problem here in the Metropolitan Detroit, Michigan area with the suppose to be CHR/POP station named Channel 955 (95.5 FM WKQI) which is also owned by Clear Channel Communications.

It started back in the Fall of 2004 when the same thing that happened to 103.5 KISS FM in Chicago happened here in Detroit.

Clear Channel now has the crapiest radio stations in America.

96.3 FM WDVD (96-3 WDVD) here in Detroit was the first to play Love Song by Sara Bareiles before Channel 955 played them.

96.3 WDVD is a HOT AC radio station here in Detroit. (96-3 WDVD Today's Best Hits Without The Rap)

Channel 955 has never played Whatever It Takes by Lifehouse,but 96.3 WDVD always play Whatever It Takes by Lifehouse.

 

[Roger That]

:

Did you even read the rest of the thread?

 

[jradiod]

WDVD reports as a Hot AC, not a CHR.