B98.5 gets "Fresh", adds AC currents

[jal41]

Pigs are flying over the Atlanta area. B98.5 is playing a couple of AC currents Not researched "currents", but actual currents on the AC Chart...Pink's "Perfect" and "Raise Your Glass", as well as Adele's "Rolling In The Deep". In the past, it took B98.5 6 months to a year to add a song. Additionally..B98.5 has readded Kelly Clarkson's "My Life Would Suck Without You" (which they played last summer), and added Colbie Cailliat's "Fallin' For You", The Script's "Breakeven" to name a few. The clock pattern has also been altered to make the station sound like it is focused on the 2000s rather than the 1980s.

I wonder if Star 94 is causing B98.5 to throw away (or more likely tweak) their research philosophy. Nevertheless...this is major earth shattering news. Along with the new 50-minute commercial free blocks, the abandoning of the jingles, and everything else, the station sounds entirely different than it did two months ago. The only thing the same (other than the DJs) is the "Atlanta's Best Variety of Soft Rock" tagline. I just wonder why they aren't calling it "The New B98.5FM"?

 

[carolinaradio]

They have also dropped the 70s, it appears. Most AC stations still play a couple an hour, but I would assume this is because of 97.1. They also are playing Lady Gaga.

I see some really weird 80s songs for an AC station in the playlist..."99 Red Balloons", "Tom's Diner", etc.

 

[gregg75]

Looks like they are trying this to jack their ratings back up to where they used to be.

 

[Wildstyle K]

Wow! I'm loving how things start changing (and sounding better) as my Atl arrival date continues to get closer!

 

[the golden boy]

B loves to play a lot of Prince too! Not that I'm complaining since he's my favorite artist. Anyhow, for an AC station, they're playing their power rotation at a lot higher rate than other standard AC stations. Didn't they have a no-repeat workday policy like many other AC stations have? Looks like they've abandoned that with songs from Bruno Mars, Adele and Pink showing more than once during the midday.

 

[caller10]

is the "Atlanta's Best Variety of Soft Rock" tagline. I just wonder why they aren't calling it "The New B98.5FM"?

How about Today's B98.5 FM?

 

[jabba17]

is the "Atlanta's Best Variety of Soft Rock" tagline. I just wonder why they aren't calling it "The New B98.5FM"?

How about Today's B98.5 FM?

Or B98.5 FM AND NOW...

 

[jabba17]

They have also dropped the 70s, it appears. Most AC stations still play a couple an hour, but I would assume this is because of 97.1. They also are playing Lady Gaga.

I see some really weird 80s songs for an AC station in the playlist..."99 Red Balloons", "Tom's Diner", etc.

B98.5 has always styled themselves as an "80s specialist"; as I have said before, they often seem like Cox's attempt to sneak their "Point" 80s format into ATL, at least on a part-time basis and during throwaway time on the weekends (when there's not much of a LWYW audience and "adult" listenership naturally drops off).

They may also be trying to divvy up their audience with WYAY; throw away the 70s fans to WYAY while hanging on to the younger 80s fans, at least for now, to become more attractive to Star listeners. They may be trying to compete more with Star while holding on to their (older) core audience, but discarding their oldest demos.

 

[Who wants to know]

Looks like they are trying this to jack their ratings back up to where they used to be.

Yes that's definitely how it works Gregg. When stations make changes it's usually to increase ratings.

 

[gregg75]

No s#!t.

They have also dropped the 70s, it appears. Most AC stations still play a couple an hour, but I would assume this is because of 97.1. They also are playing Lady Gaga.

I see some really weird 80s songs for an AC station in the playlist..."99 Red Balloons", "Tom's Diner", etc.

Those songs were big hits here in Atlanta, many stations played them.