Amp Radio Music

[justdroppingby]

Maybe I've just missed it, but I don't think I've heard AMP play any pop-rock (The Fray, 3 Doors Down, Daughtry). This seems especially odd since KIIS has mostly (thought not totally) avoided this stuff since they shifted to a more Rhythmic approach a few years back.

Overall, This station definitely seems to have a bit of a dance lean. I have yet to hear ANY ballads / slow tempo stuff. Some of the new currents are dance songs that KIIS isn't playing.

 

[radioresearcher]

Maybe I've just missed it, but I don't think I've heard AMP play any pop-rock (The Fray, 3 Doors Down, Daughtry). This seems especially odd since KIIS has mostly (thought not totally) avoided this stuff since they shifted to a more Rhythmic approach a few years back.

Overall, This station definitely seems to have a bit of a dance lean. I have yet to hear ANY ballads / slow tempo stuff. Some of the new currents are dance songs that KIIS isn't playing.

You haven't and they haven't. It's got a rhythmic lean and why does that seem odd? It's Los Angeles.

 

[Neel]

Yea, I was kind of hoping for a Top-40 format similar to Sirius Hits 1 where they actually include John Mayer, Nickelback, Theory of A Deadman, Thriving Ivory, Offspring along with Rhianna, Pussycat Dolls, etc... but like they said, this is LA and I guess they really wanna go head on with KIIS by sounding very close to them.

 

[justdroppingby]

I said it's odd, because Amp would have the pop/rock end of the Top 40 Spectrum all to themselves as KIIS barely touches that stuff, plus it could potentially pull some listening from KBIG and KYSR. If Amp played that stuff, KIIS would likely react at SOME point (be it now or down the line, forcing KIIS to either:
play more pop/rock alienating their rhythmic-loving core (and encroaching on their own KYSR which is musically more office-friendly than KROQ, and KBIG),
OR to play more rhythmic (which alienates the part of the audience that perceives them as a pop station).

 

[4UH8SIMBKAGN]

I said it's odd, because Amp would have the pop/rock end of the Top 40 Spectrum all to themselves as KIIS barely touches that stuff, plus it could potentially pull some listening from KBIG and KYSR. If Amp played that stuff, KIIS would likely react at SOME point (be it now or down the line, forcing KIIS to either:
play more pop/rock alienating their rhythmic-loving core (and encroaching on their own KYSR which is musically more office-friendly than KROQ, and KBIG),
OR to play more rhythmic (which alienates the part of the audience that perceives them as a pop station).

You're in the wrong city for pop/rock to work on CHR. KIIS already went down that road years back and their ratings tanked.

 

[Wildstyle K]

A new station always seems exciting at first, but lets see what it REALLY turned into in the next few months - years. Well, I guess the term "exciting" has different meaning for different folks, but exciting to me is something new and different, playing more variety, with more interesting specialty shows and mixshows that other stations cannot offer... bringing something different to the table at certain times, while still managing to fit it's format on a regular basis. I wonder if any club / dance hits will be played? I wonder if Cascada will be given attention if she makes "hits"? I wonder what the mix shows will sound like? Will it be something unique, or just the same exact stuff that's played in the regular playlist? I don't live there, but hopefully when I do come back I have something to look forward to when it comes to mix shows. Power 106 should not be playing more actual dance hits in any of their mix shows than Amp Radio - in my opinion, if Amp Radio is top 40 or top 40 related in some way. WiLD 94.9 and WiLD 106.1 are stations I'd like to have at home, if I had to choose California stations. They've always had at least some level of interesting mix or specialty shows, although the amount of those shows have rather declined over the years.

I'm listening and so far they sound just like our top 40 station here in Az. Very rhythmic leaning and no trace of any alternative yet, but I know Miley Cyrus and other things are somewhere on that playlist. Probably another one of those that will play a lot of r&b, pop, some hip hop, then you'll hear this one alternative song every now and then. I wonder how Atlanta survives with those two top 40 stations playing an incredible amount of alternative? ...but then again Atlanta was always a bit "awkward" when it comes to top 40 and rhythmic.

 

[Wildstyle K]

Ha - wow! There's no longer a need for me to keep listening because they just did a promo of an example of the type of hits they're going to play, so I pretty much already know now. KIIS will probably play more alternative than them it seems. OUR top 40 station (NOW) seems like they'll play more alternative than them. Amp is leaning heavily rhythmic. Rhythmic and rhythmic top 40 are pretty much some of my favorites when it comes to current music, but I say I don't have to listen mostly because now I already know pretty much what I'll hear. Oh well.... good luck to you people in Cali with your new station. There's probably some potential for dance hits in a mix show for dance fans out there. I'm thinking down the road, one of these rhythmic top 40 stations may become a bit more dance leaning over a longer period of time... only time will tell.

 

[4UH8SIMBKAGN]

A new station always seems exciting at first, but lets see what it REALLY turned into in the next few months - years. Well, I guess the term "exciting" has different meaning for different folks, but exciting to me is something new and different, playing more variety, with more interesting specialty shows and mixshows that other stations cannot offer... bringing something different to the table at certain times, while still managing to fit it's format on a regular basis. I wonder if any club / dance hits will be played? I wonder if Cascada will be given attention if she makes "hits"? I wonder what the mix shows will sound like? Will it be something unique, or just the same exact stuff that's played in the regular playlist? I don't live there, but hopefully when I do come back I have something to look forward to when it comes to mix shows. Power 106 should not be playing more actual dance hits in any of their mix shows than Amp Radio - in my opinion, if Amp Radio is top 40 or top 40 related in some way. WiLD 94.9 and WiLD 106.1 are stations I'd like to have at home, if I had to choose California stations. They've always had at least some level of interesting mix or specialty shows, although the amount of those shows have rather declined over the years.

I'm listening and so far they sound just like our top 40 station here in Az. Very rhythmic leaning and no trace of any alternative yet, but I know Miley Cyrus and other things are somewhere on that playlist. Probably another one of those that will play a lot of r&b, pop, some hip hop, then you'll hear this one alternative song every now and then. I wonder how Atlanta survives with those two top 40 stations playing an incredible amount of alternative? ...but then again Atlanta was always a bit "awkward" when it comes to top 40 and rhythmic.

This station has just hit the airwaves. It doesn't have an airstaff yet. Give it time. Out of the box, it's good. It's professional, it's major market sounding, it's playing the hits. It has more potential than any other new competitor to KIIS since Power 106, 23 years ago.

Look at large markets with large Hispanic populations. Rhythmic is always the key to success in a top 40 in thosse markets. Los Angeles is not Atlanta. Atlanta has had an increased Hispanic population due to an influx of illegal aliens in Georgia but the Hispanic population is not as large or established like that in Los Angeles. Plus you've got a huge black population in Atlanta that doesn't listen to top 40. Apples and oranges or mangos and watermelon.

 

[CHRles]

This station has just hit the airwaves. It doesn't have an airstaff yet. Give it time. Out of the box, it's good. It's professional, it's major market sounding, it's playing the hits. It has more potential than any other new competitor to KIIS since Power 106, 23 years ago.

Look at large markets with large Hispanic populations. Rhythmic is always the key to success in a top 40 in thosse markets. Los Angeles is not Atlanta. Atlanta has had an increased Hispanic population due to an influx of illegal aliens in Georgia but the Hispanic population is not as large or established like that in Los Angeles. Plus you've got a huge black population in Atlanta that doesn't listen to top 40. Apples and oranges or mangos and watermelon.

Perfect reply. I think that, with time, Amp Radio will open up a bit more to Pop/Rock, especially towards records like "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz.
Right now you'll mainly hear on Amp the occasional Pop/Rock record that's played on KIIS like Paramore's "Misery Business" or All American Rejects "Gives You Hell".

 

[Wildstyle K]

Well... getting a little off topic and stepping outside of a business sense, California is doing fine. Atlanta needs to change a bit when it comes to radio and music selection... I've lived in both and always enjoyed Cali music and radio much more, basically because I always got to hear more stuff.. I love Miami too, and I haven't even been there. I think here in Az has now pretty much reached the level of Atlanta radio with some of the things that have been done here recently. I do have to admit though, Atlanta has improved over the years, and the rhythmic they have now seems to be consistent with the rest of the U.S. Maybe I'm just a unique african american when it comes to music, but I love the west coast rhythmic and rhythmic top 40 sound much more than the Atlanta style of radio. And, not to mention, how can a city where Danity Kane and C-Side are from not even play their own? And no one can say that at least Danity Kane's "damaged" wasn't a huge record. I know Star*94 picked it up after a while, but they were the only ones to indicate they even played that record out in Atlanta, and they are the most rock leaning of all the top 40 stations. There are a few other things they also didn't play or seemed as if they tried to avoid (and I mean all the rhythmic and top 40 and urban stations as a whole), but... I wont get into those now....and it's been like that for years. I'm glad Cali has AMP now, but it's not as exciting as if I heard Atlanta getting something like that.

It would be interesting to see what would happen if certain things were forced up on certain cities, a little similar to how it used to be back in the day (when people were also a bit more open minded, ironically..). That should be the next reality show - "Radio Station Swap". People will only be as open minded as the things they are exposed to all the time, but I bet if it were possible to put the business and radio politics aspects aside for a moment and experiment for a year with a station of each format in each city, we'd probably discover how open minded people really are at a higher level than we all think or expect. If we keep placing a bowl of apples and feeding apples to people who basically only know apples, then they'll never learn to appreciate watermelons...

But getting back to the main subject at hand, AMP should be successful in the long run. Hopefully they are not afraid to try something interesting and different during specialty mix shows for a change, and maybe (wishful thinking) they could be the ones to do something to start up a new trend or style in radio.

 

[hotpatrick2004]

They need to be more chr/pop not rhythmic what a waste. There does not need to be 2 exact chr stations i hate kiss for what they did back in 2004 going more rhythmic do nto care if kiss does better then they ever have they ruined a good station now kiss just sucks!!!When i listen to chr i want a mix of pop and rhythmic not most ly one or the other so amp is already screwing up big time!!!

 

[gettinbyagain]

Patrick,
You are obviously in the minority, nor are you in the demo that either station is targeting. What KIIS did in 2004 was completely successful and brilliant. AMP is just trying to get in on the action.

 

[justdroppingby]

You're in the wrong city for pop/rock to work on CHR. KIIS already went down that road years back and their ratings tanked.
[/quote]

KIIS was playing a TON of pop/rock in the very late 90s, and they were doing VERY VERY well at that time under Dan Kieley and Michael Steele. Their ratings started to dip when the late 90's bubblegum boom ended, and they really took a nosedive when John Ivey took over (yes, the same guy that gets credit for saving the station damn-near sank the ship when he first got there... I'm not bashing, I'm just pointing out the timeline).

And, to be fair, KIIS was heavily rhythmic once before back in the mid-90's (before Kieley's arrival), and their ratings were in the toilet then. So, at least part of their success (and failure) can be attributed to simple cycle of music tastes that always occurs. We're in a healthy pop cycle now, which is why (I'm guessing) CBS made their move.

 

[hotpatrick2004]

I like chr i like the flo rida i like the 50 cent i like the fray but i like to here both together therefore i do like that kind of music but as you know from my posts here indie 1031 was my station of choice but i like chr i do.I like the dial global satellite chr format alot.

Amp will not do well if they are a clone of kiss that is a given why get the fake kiss if you can have the real thing!!!

 

[BeachBum]

Amp is not a clone of KIIS. It's playing lots of pop, just not the alterna-lite or "pop rock." It's clearly looking to swipe KIIS's P1 caucasian audience, along with a healthy slice of their P1 hispanics. They sound great, although I think the processing is fatiguing. It's really squashed (which I like, but I think will make even young listeners punch after a while).

 

[radiolives]

Just heard the song "I Love College" on 97.1 AMP Radio. I have the stream on as I don't live in LA but it is the same as the radio. Getting to the point aren't they surpose to beep out when the say weed in the song? I would think so.

 

[wxman76]

KIIS was playing a TON of pop/rock in the very late 90s, and they were doing VERY VERY well at that time under Dan Kieley and Michael Steele. Their ratings started to dip when the late 90's bubblegum boom ended, and they really took a nosedive when John Ivey took over (yes, the same guy that gets credit for saving the station damn-near sank the ship when he first got there... I'm not bashing, I'm just pointing out the timeline).

And, to be fair, KIIS was heavily rhythmic once before back in the mid-90's (before Kieley's arrival), and their ratings were in the toilet then. So, at least part of their success (and failure) can be attributed to simple cycle of music tastes that always occurs. We're in a healthy pop cycle now, which is why (I'm guessing) CBS made their move.

This is true. KIIS has had a few musical cycles over the last 15-20 years. They even leaned adult for brief time circa 1992-93 and their slogan was "Hits Of The 80s and 90s." At that time, many CHRs were going through an idenity crisis. They had a more rhythmic phase from about 1993-97, playing only pop/rock records that made the top 10 national CHR chart. I remember them having some Hootie, Alanis, No Doubt and Jewel in rotation, but not much more than that. Most eveything else was either pure pop, dance or hip-hop. Then they went to a more mainstream presentation from about 1998-2003, including more pop/rock tracks. I remember hearing lower charting hits such as Ben Folds Five "Brick", P.O.D. "Youth Of The Nation" and Matchbox 20 "Bright Lights". It was about the end of that period where they probably hit their lowest ratings. I think part of it had to do because pop/rock product was drying up and partly because Rick Dees was starting to sound stale for the KIIS target audience. There was a rise of new rhythmic artists such as Eminem, 50 Cent and Destiny's Child/Beyonce that became more popular and KIIS needed to follow that trend.

Like some, I also miss the more mass appeal sound that KIIS used to have. But there is little denying that since the changes in the mid 2000s, KIIS has been seeing some its highest ratings since the 80s.

 

[Wildstyle K]

Amp is not a clone of KIIS. It's playing lots of pop, just not the alterna-lite or "pop rock." It's clearly looking to swipe KIIS's P1 caucasian audience, along with a healthy slice of their P1 hispanics. They sound great, although I think the processing is fatiguing. It's really squashed (which I like, but I think will make even young listeners punch after a while).

Hmmm... sounds very much like our 101.5 JamZ (what it is NOW). Well, I guess then it would probably be in the top 2 of my favorite stations if I were there, depending on which way they decide to lean when it comes to playing club dance/house and bass remixes of hits in mix shows. The only difference between your AMP and our 101.5 JamZ really is we have a better sounding name for our station, and AMP did not start out as "hitz & hip hop" first. With the way things look, I doubt they'll add in any more deeper alternative outside of P!NK and anything similar because what they are doing now is actually a format of itself, that's different from what KIIS is doing. KIIS may be leaning rhythmic while being top 40, but AMP is more rhythmic, but not as urban heavy as Power 106. Power 106 themselves are... well, pretty open minded for a "where hip hop lives" slogan. They should consider "hits & hip hop" as a new slogan, but I guess with no one else around they need to carry the urban look and image of the city.