B98.5 playing actual soft rock

[jal41]

B98.5 has dumped its normal soft rock format for...soft rock (until Sunday). It actually is a love songs weekend for Valentine's Day, but it is the first time in years the station has actually played soft rock.

This also marks the first time (outside of Christmas) that they have interrupted their normal format during office hours.

Sounds like a good idea for Valentine's Day. I wonder if they will be taking more risks in the future.

BTW, isn't this the WSB-FM HD2 format?

 

[RoddyFreeman]

The story is that B98.5 is still upset about no longer being the station voted #1 for the most music while you work. And they're working hard to win the crown again.

The delegate race for the upcoming election is so close, and B98.5 is going all out to be the nominee. The other candidate has been accusing B98.5 of just rhetoric with no real listen-while-you-work music. So B98.5 really had to do this.

 

[BIGSTICK]

If they would stick to this format like they are playing today, I would be happy. I called Jordan Grey this morning and had a great talk with her and she agrees that Atlanta needs a big variety from the 60's 70's and 80's. She is one on the most pleasant people I have ever talked to on radio. We talked for at least 10 minutes. You don't get that on big city radio anymore, if anybody answers at all.

 

[jabba17]

Since B98.5 is the only AC station left in ATL, they have a little room to be flexible to pick up listeners without losing others to a competing AC station. Why not a "Lite Jack" format consisting of pop and AC from the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and today? WZGA out of Helen (105.1) sort of does this.

This would pick up 60s oldies listeners, hopefully without bugging them with the new stuff by keeping it "Lite", as well as station surfers looking for the odd "lite 80s new wave" or "lite 90s alternative/AAA" (yes, all you grungers are getting old with the rest of us) tune. They might be able to pick up some set-it-and-forget-it listeners from Dave as well (they don't call it ADULT album alternative for nothing).

Remember, when Fox moved in to ATL they came in as an oldies-tinged AC station (best of the 60s, 70s, and today--this was in the 80s), before leaving the newer stuff to B98.5/Warm99.7/94Q/Peach and finding their niche with oldies.

I'm kind of surprised that they have as much overlap as they do with sister station River--since when are Boston and Nazareth AC?

Of course, there's a fine line between being "something for everybody" and "nothing for anybody", as CC found out when they programmed 96Rock into nothingness, or Susquehanna/Cumulus with 99X.

 

[RoddyFreeman]

You make good points, jabba, but I can tell you why B98.5 will stay the way it is. Simply put, it's Bob Neil's favorite station. Plus he invented the Cox AC format. I'm glad though that they're at least doing some different things with some weekends and the Valentines special playlist.

 

[jabba17]

You make good points, jabba, but I can tell you why B98.5 will stay the way it is. Simply put, it's Bob Neil's favorite station. Plus he invented the Cox AC format. I'm glad though that they're at least doing some different things with some weekends and the Valentines special playlist.

A 5.6 share doesn't hurt, either ;D

As far as AC goes, I've always liked B98.5. They tend to be harder than your average AC station, with a somewhat deeper playlist (at least it sounds that way).

I'd like for them to bring back the 70s/80s weekends, though. Those were fun.

My personal preference would be for Cox to bring their Point format to Atlanta, (see 101.5 in Tampa, http://1015thepoint.com/ , among others), but I don't know where they would put it and reasonably expect better ratings. Even the Beat gets a 3 share, and I doubt 80s would get that in ATL--CC didn't get that with WMAX, although it was on a poor signal.

Maybe an HD2 format somewhere?

Cox's Point format beats the crap out of CC's old Max format for 80s...although they are starting to sprinkle in some 90s alt hits (http://1015thepoint.com/common/lsp/ )