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Are There ANY Successful Hot AC Stations?

R

radiolover78

It seems like most Hot AC stations have low ratings. Many bill very well, but do horrible ratings wise. Are there ANY successful Hot AC stations in this country? Where these type of stations popular when they first came out?<P ID="signature">______________
The Place for the Latest Happenings in Radio
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</P>
 
> It seems like most Hot AC stations have low ratings. Many
> bill very well, but do horrible ratings wise. Are there ANY
> successful Hot AC stations in this country?

#1 25-54 women and 18-34 women our last book, and up this trend
Akron, OH (market 73)
with Canton, OH as a second market
 
KMXB is second in Las Vegas.
WPLJ from New York City is second in Morristown, NJ.
WRMF is fifth in West Palm Beach-Boca Raton.
 
> Check out WBQB- B101.5 in Fredericksburg, VA.

WBQB is a great local voice for Fredericksburg, and they do sound good musically, but they've got one of only two good signals in the market, so it's hard to say whether it's the format that's making them successful. I think they'd do well with pretty much any format on that signal.

Hot AC does well on WAYV in Atlantic City, but they have no full-signaled CHR competitor. Same for Las Vegas's Mix, which has no CHR competitor whatsoever.

In the top 50 markets, Boston's Mix is doing pretty well, so is Orlando's. Memphis's WMC has always been a winner too, but that about covers it.

Hot AC stations have never done well 12+, but with all the competition from Variety Hits stations, they seem to be hitting new lows. Then again, one could say that Variety Hits is a form of Hot AC, just without the currents.
 
> It seems like most Hot AC stations have low ratings. Many
> bill very well, but do horrible ratings wise. Are there ANY
> successful Hot AC stations in this country? Where these type
> of stations popular when they first came out?
>

WNNK Harrisburg
 
> KMXB is second in Las Vegas.

It's not even in the top 5 in the latest trends. And it's a horrible example of Hot AC - they play far too much "alternative" music. They do have the best morning show in the market - that's what keeps them afloat. The rest of the "talent" is terrible.

LF
 
WMMX/Mix 107.7 Dayton, OH. is usually #2 or so in the ratings. Good variety and talent keep this station's ratings high. Their website is wmmx.com if you want to listen online.
 
WTMX Chicago. This is their 14th year in the format, and they generally finish in the top 10 to 12 each book (out of over 30 stations). Their ratings aren't as good as they were during the Lilith Fair days, but they hold their own, especially against a very weak Jack-FM station, and a very ratings challanged suburban Jack clone.
 
There are many successful Hot ACs, but those are generally the ones that a) don't automate the station b) spend money on marketing it, and c) stay involved in the community. WMMX is a good example, as previously mentioned, but so is WMYX in Milwaukee, which always tops the Women 25-54 demo, and is presently #4 12+. Buffalo's WTSS is also a Top 5 cumer (and biller) Top 5. But you have to spend money to make money.
 
Kevin said:
It seems like most Hot AC stations have low ratings. Many bill very well, but do horrible ratings wise. Are there ANY successful Hot AC stations in this country? Where these type of stations popular when they first came out?<P ID="signature">______________
The Place for the Latest Happenings in Radio
www.freewebs.com/radiostuffandnews
</P>
Click to expand...

Lot of successful Hot ACs in smaller Mid-Atlantic markets: WKSB(FM), Williamsport, PA... WINC(FM), Winchester, VA (co-owned with Fredericksburg's WBQB, mentioned above)... WHAJ(FM), Bluefield, WV... WZWW(FM), State College, PA... WIKZ(FM), Hagerstown-Chambersburg. All of these are usually Top 3 in 12-plus. But 12+ doesn't mean anything, anyway. In major markets, stations like WBMX/Boston, WPLJ/NYC & WRQX/DC rule the W18-49 demo & do well in W18-34 & 25-54, book after book after book. These stations also kill in the suburbs & skew upscale.

Here's a quiz: Who does most of the shopping? You know the answer.

Most formats have built-in objections (whether legit or not). Country? Too downscale. Urban? Too ethnic. News-Talk: Too male. Mainstream & Soft AC? Too old. Oldies? Way too old. CHR? Too young. Hot AC? Perfect.
 
Mix 94.1 Vegas is a forward thinking, modern leaning hot AC. Personally, i think they sound great and not as predictable as some other stations. They're one of my favorites.
 
IA

WBQB is a great local voice for Fredericksburg, and they do sound good musically, but they've got one of only two good signals in the market, so it's hard to say whether it's the format that's making them successful. I think they'd do well with pretty much any format on that signal.
 
Let's add in the last ratings book...

KCIX- Boise.

#1 12+... up 2 points from their last book.

Not too shabby!
 
JimmyJames said:
Mix 94.1 Vegas is a forward thinking, modern leaning hot AC. Personally, i think they sound great and not as predictable as some other stations. They're one of my favorites.
Click to expand...

Not predictable? If you listen for more than two hours, I predict you'll hear the same songs over and over again. And I predict that the morning chick will say "we have more Mix variety coming up..." at least ten times on the morning show. And I predict you'll hear several on-air people who aren't good enough for market #132, much less market #32.

LF
 
Our ratings at WGLM in Lafayette, IN are nothing to write home about in 12+. It's in the mid-3s. However, the station is #2 and #3 in our primary demos particularly W 25-49. The station is normally second only to the 50,000 watt country station, which is something you kind of have to get used to in a small midwestern market.
 
Rowdy1234 said:
Our ratings at WGLM in Lafayette, IN are nothing to write home about in 12+. It's in the mid-3s. However, the station is #2 and #3 in our primary demos particularly W 25-49. The station is normally second only to the 50,000 watt country station, which is something you kind of have to get used to in a small midwestern market.
Click to expand...

Kind of the same for my station. In the Fall book, we had a bad looking 12+, but were #1 with Women 25-34 (tied our 100,000 watt country sister station and 100,000 watt CHR Competitor... and we have a 25,000 watt signal), and #3 Women 35-44.

Score :)
 
I think you hit the nail on the head, Hot AC may not always have a really bit 12+ share, but they dominate in there key demos of W 25-54, or 18-49 (if you lean a little Hotter.) For the most part the numbers we get to see online via Allaccess.com or radioandrecords.com are only the 12+, and that doesn't always gauge the success of a radio station, especially a Hot Ac that is really targeting adult woman.

I Program at a Station that last book was 4th 12+, but we killed across the board in woman. (18-49, 25-54, etc.)

Along with our CHR sister station we owned woman with a 50 share between the both of us.
As previous posters have stated WMMX, KHMX, and several others do well with Hot AC under the Mix logo.
 
fredburg97 said:
There are many successful Hot ACs, but those are generally the ones that a) don't automate the station b) spend money on marketing it, and c) stay involved in the community. WMMX is a good example, as previously mentioned, but so is WMYX in Milwaukee, which always tops the Women 25-54 demo, and is presently #4 12+. Buffalo's WTSS is also a Top 5 cumer (and biller) Top 5. But you have to spend money to make money.
Click to expand...

WMYX's music is generic - same stuff over and over again. "Where the Mix means variety." - don't think so! WMYX take lessons from WXER in Sheboygan and WGXL in Lebanon!
 
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