107.9 THE LINK'S HYBRID FORMAT PAYS OFF

[atlantaboy]

As crazy as people thought The Link was for shifting their format to some kind of AC/Hot AC hybrid, apparently it was the right move, since 107.9 The Link is now beating both other ACs AND both CHRs in the April ratings

 

[carolinaradio]

They certainly do have a unique mix of older stuff - some of it AC or Hot AC won't play ("Eyes Without A Face?"), but if it works, it works...

They seem to be playing newer stuff more quickly than they were last year, as well.

 

[tylerSC]

When I get tired of CHR, which sometimes becomes repetitive, then 107.9 is one of the stations I will turn to. Although I mainly listen to them for the talk segments, such as Bob and Sherri and Matt and Ramona. But I do wish they would give Pam Stone her own show again. I always enjoyed it.

 

[carolinaradio]

I listened to The Link some today for the first time lately - they sound pretty good, but it's kinda conservative to me musically, lots of 80s...I wish they had a sound like MY 102.5 more. They have a more modern/fresh sound, especially lately.

 

[atlantaboy]

I listened to The Link some today for the first time lately - they sound pretty good, but it's kinda conservative to me musically, lots of 80s...I wish they had a sound like MY 102.5 more. They have a more modern/fresh sound, especially lately.

My 102.5/Greenville is now officially Hot AC, BTW - I feel like it's strange how Greenville SC can support a Hot AC but Charlotte apparently can't... ??? Back in the 90s and 00s, it was the opposite - Hot AC in Charlotte but not Greenville...

Compare My 102.5/Greenville...
3 1 FUN. We Are Young f/Janelle Monae 51 50 1 0.2119
6 2 THE WANTED Glad You Came 51 42 9 0.2165
1 3 ADELE Rumour Has It 50 52 -2 0.2157
4 4 GOTYE Somebody That I Used To Know 49 50 -1 0.2189
35 5 TRAIN Drive By 47 13 34 0.1829
2 6 KELLY CLARKSON Stronger (What Doesn't Kill .. 46 50 -4 0.2125
5 7 GAVIN DEGRAW Not Over You 45 46 -1 0.2117
11 8 MAROON 5 Payphone f/Wiz Khalifa 28 23 5 0.0821
8 9 JASON MRAZ I Won't Give Up 26 27 -1 0.0849
19 10 ONE DIRECTION What Makes You Beautiful 25 19 6 0.0863
18 11 ANDY GRAMMER Fine By Me 22 19 3 0.0639
46 12 KATY PERRY Firework 22 8 14 0.0855
47 13 TAYLOR SWIFT Eyes Open 22 8 14 0.075
24 14 COLBIE CAILLAT Brighter Than The Sun 21 17 4 0.0864
29 15 TAIO CRUZ Dynamite 21 16 5 0.0888
17 16 DAUGHTRY Crawling Back To You 21 20 1 0.0756
16 17 BRUNO MARS Just The Way You Are 21 21 0 0.0868
13 18 THE BAND PERRY If I Die Young 21 22 -1 0.078
25 19 KELLY CLARKSON Mr. Know It All 20 17 3 0.0773
12 20 PINK Raise Your Glass 19 23 -4 0.0829
37 21 BRUNO MARS Grenade 18 12 6 0.065
22 22 CHRISTINA PERRI A Thousand Years 18 18 0 0.0674
31 23 ADELE Someone Like You 17 15 2 0.0833
15 24 GYM CLASS HEROES Stereo Hearts f/Adam Levine 17 21 -4 0.0791
30 25 MAROON 5 F/CHRISTINA AGUILERA Moves Like Jagger 17 16 1 0.0832
23 26 ADELE Rolling In The Deep 16 17 -1 0.0693
14 27 ADELE Set Fire To The Rain 16 21 -5 0.0673
10 28 PINK F**kin' Perfect (Perfect) 16 24 -8 0.0759
26 29 HOT CHELLE RAE Tonight Tonight 15 17 -2 0.0556
21 30 LADY ANTEBELLUM Just A Kiss 15 18 -3 0.0749
9 31 ONEREPUBLIC Good Life 15 24 -9 0.0703
36 32 ANDY GRAMMER Keep Your Head Up 14 12 2 0.0568
7 33 JESSIE J Domino 13 37 -24 0.037
34 34 BRUNO MARS It Will Rain 13 13 0 0.0543
33 35 PLAIN WHITE T'S Rhythm Of Love 13 14 -1 0.0539
38 36 USHER F/PITBULL DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love 12 12 0 0.0507
39 37 LMFAO Party Rock Anthem 11 11 0 0.061
42 38 KATY PERRY Teenage Dream 11 10 1 0.0484
48 39 THE SCRIPT For The First Time 11 8 3 0.0563
40 40 MAROON 5 Misery 10 11 -1 0.0386
60 41 JOHN MAYER Shadow Days 10 4 6 0.009
27 42 KATY PERRY Part Of Me 10 17 -7 0.009
28 43 KATY PERRY The One That Got Away 10 17 -7 0.0519
44 44 KATY PERRY California Gurls f/Snoop Dogg 9 9 0 0.0395
20 45 COLDPLAY Paradise 8 18 -10 0.0203
51 46 NICKELBACK Lullaby 8 7 1 0.0072
41 47 CHRISTINA PERRI Jar Of Hearts 8 10 -2 0.039
32 48 JASON ALDEAN/KELLY CLARKSON Don't You Wanna Stay 7 15 -8 0.0335
68 49 THE SCRIPT Nothing 7 2 5 0.0063
58 50 BLACK EYED PEAS Just Can't Get Enough 6 4 2 0.0054

To 107.9 The Link/Charlotte...

1 1 FUN. We Are Young f/Janelle Monae 33 32 1 0.1983
2 2 TRAIN Drive By 28 30 -2 0.1516
6 3 JESSIE J Domino 26 27 -1 0.1415
3 4 ADELE Rumour Has It 25 27 -2 0.1506
5 5 HOT CHELLE RAE I Like It Like That f/New Boyz 25 27 -2 0.139
12 6 THE WANTED Glad You Came 24 15 9 0.1557
4 7 KELLY CLARKSON Stronger (What Doesn't Kill .. 23 27 -4 0.1356
7 8 LMFAO Party Rock Anthem 21 22 -1 0.1012
8 9 BRUNO MARS It Will Rain 21 22 -1 0.1311
11 10 KATY PERRY Part Of Me 20 21 -1 0.1037
10 11 GYM CLASS HEROES Stereo Hearts f/Adam Levine 18 21 -3 0.0933
9 12 RIHANNA We Found Love f/Calvin Harris 18 22 -4 0.0955
36 13 GOTYE Somebody That I Used To Know 16 1 15 0.1015
13 14 ONEREPUBLIC Good Life 13 12 1 0.0609
27 15 FOSTER THE PEOPLE Pumped Up Kicks 12 7 5 0.053
21 16 CEE LO GREEN F**k You (Forget You) 12 9 3 0.0657
15 17 THE SCRIPT Breakeven 11 11 0 0.0597
16 18 TAIO CRUZ Dynamite 10 10 0 0.0562
22 19 ADELE Set Fire To The Rain 9 8 1 0.057
17 20 LADY GAGA The Edge Of Glory 9 10 -1 0.0525
14 21 PINK Raise Your Glass 9 12 -3 0.0456
20 22 ADELE Rolling In The Deep 8 9 -1 0.0395
26 23 ADELE Someone Like You 8 7 1 0.0596
32 24 BRUNO MARS Grenade 8 6 2 0.0394
24 25 KATY PERRY California Gurls f/Snoop Dogg 8 8 0 0.0502
28 26 KATY PERRY E.T. 8 7 1 0.0469
33 27 RIHANNA Only Girl (In The World) 8 6 2 0.0511
31 28 USHER F/PITBULL DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love 8 7 1 0.0458
18 29 BRUNO MARS Just The Way You Are 7 10 -3 0.0497
29 30 KATY PERRY Firework 7 7 0 0.0348
30 31 KATY PERRY The One That Got Away 7 7 0 0.051
19 32 PINK F**kin' Perfect (Perfect) 7 10 -3 0.037
23 33 MAROON 5 F/CHRISTINA AGUILERA Moves Like Jagger 6 8 -2 0.0482
25 34 KATY PERRY Teenage Dream 6 8 -2 0.0554
40 35 BRUNO MARS Lazy Song 4 1 3 0.0233
0 36 LANA DEL REY Video Games 1 0 1 0.003
37 37 ANDY GRAMMER Fine By Me 1 1 0 0.003
0 38 CARLY RAE JEPSEN Call Me Maybe 1 0 1 0.003
39 39 MAROON 5 Payphone f/Wiz Khalifa 1 1 0 0.003
41 40 JOHN MAYER Shadow Days 1 1 0 0.003
42 41 JASON MRAZ I Won't Give Up 1 1 0 0.003
43 42 MATT NATHANSON Run f/Sugarland 1 1 0 0.003
44 43 NEON TREES Everybody Talks 1 1 0 0.003
45 44 NICKELBACK Lullaby 1 1 0 0.003
46 45 ONE DIRECTION What Makes You Beautiful 1 1 0 0.003
0 46 CHRISTINA PERRI A Thousand Years 1 0 1 0.003
47 47 TAYLOR SWIFT Eyes Open 1 1 0 0.003
48 48 THE SCRIPT If You Ever Come Back 1 1 0 0.003

The only plausible answer I can come up with is that people in Charlotte are "burned out" on Hot AC, since they've had it for so long (especially since Kiss 95.1 leaned way Hot AC in the early 2000s), and that for people in Greenville Hot AC is a novelty, since many have never heard it before ???

 

[JOHNNY on the RADIO]

I think Charlotte does have a Hot AC and it's pretty good, 97.3 WKBC-FM.

 

[atlantaboy]

I think Charlotte does have a Hot AC and it's pretty good, 97.3 WKBC-FM.

That's the station I used to listen to when I lived in Cornelius - I think you can only get it clearly in the I-77 corridor north of Charlotte, though, cause it broadcasts from North Wilkesboro

I'm also pretty sure it's a Dial Global satellite station, cause I've heard the exact same station in different states

 

[wncc]

I think Charlotte does have a Hot AC and it's pretty good, 97.3 WKBC-FM.

That's the station I used to listen to when I lived in Cornelius - I think you can only get it clearly in the I-77 corridor north of Charlotte, though, cause it broadcasts from North Wilkesboro

I'm also pretty sure it's a Dial Global satellite station, cause I've heard the exact same station in different states

It is Dial Global.

 

[wpb1999]

Back to AtlantaBoy, how did you get all those titles to be C/RC songs? Link plays 80s, 90s and sometimes even 70s music. There is no way that was a sample playlist.

 

[atlantaboy]

Back to AtlantaBoy, how did you get all those titles to be C/RC songs? Link plays 80s, 90s and sometimes even 70s music. There is no way that was a sample playlist.

Are you serious? AllAccess/Mediabase playlists only include currents and recurrents - it's been that way for 20 years

It's not a sample hour - it's a 7-day C/RC playlist - Mediabase doesn't publish 7-day playlists that include Gold records

 

[carolinaradio]

Unfortunately, WMYI has only had one good book since they adjusted their format last summer and it might have been a fluke. And, according to the SC board, in a recent trend they were just pulling a 3.6 (all well below their former mainstream AC numbers). Personally, I'm loving it....I really hope they stick around, because I've wanted a Hot AC station for ages. :-/ They started reporting as Hot AC last month, but have really been true Hot AC since the first of the year. They kind of took a while to transition fully to Hot AC after their changes last summer, for whatever reason.

I don't know why a Hot AC format like WMYI wouldn't be able to succeed in Charlotte, without all of the talk programming. The market is probably much more H/AC friendly than it was when they tried it in the 90s. I wonder if some of The Link's improvement could be attributed to them moving away from so much talk programming...at one point, wasn't the whole station almost talk except for overnights? I'm just surprised that their odd music mix is doing as well as it is.