Channel104.3 has flipped format to "Charm104.3 Baltimore's Best RnB". Rather than dig deeper into a truly vast format CC insisted on skimming the surface of Modern/Alternative and compounded the problem by simulcasting Elliot in the Morning instead of offering what Baltimores Alternative fans want.....music. CC's Radio104.5 is getting good ratings in a market with several Rock formats. Note that they play music in the AM drivetime. Amazing. Thank You Clear Channel!!! You have proven yourselves as incompetent as CBS and that takes some major stupidity. BALTIMORE YOU HAVE NO ALTERNATIVE!!!!!!!
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Baltimore: The City That Alternative Forgot
- Thread starter evolve991
- Start date
Z-104.3 is here and it sounds great!
It's beyond long overdue that Baltimore finally got back a true blue CHR/Pop station
http://www.z1043.com/mediaplayer/?station=WCHH-FM&action=listenlive&channel_title=
It's beyond long overdue that Baltimore finally got back a true blue CHR/Pop station
http://www.z1043.com/mediaplayer/?station=WCHH-FM&action=listenlive&channel_title=
evolve991 said:
It's not a viable format period. That's why WHFS, WBCN, and K-ROCK (NYC) no longer exist. Ratings were slipping for years on those stations.
CC (and its predecessor) programmed Modern/Alternative Rock on 104.1 in Hartford from 1994-2003 and during much of those 9 years the station's ratings were in the basement. CC flipped it to Urban Contemporary in September 2003 and ratings remained in the basement. Yes they went up slightly but they were still the #9 FM Radio Station in a 9 FM Station market. In October 2007 CC flipped it to Classic Alternative. Ratings remained in the basement. In May 2009 under new ownership of Red Wolf Broadcasting they were flipped back to Modern/Alternative Rock and they still remain in the ratings basement - #9.
M
MarcR
Guest
It's not a viable format period.
[/quote]
What nonsense! When WHTG switched from Alt-Rock to CHR/Pop, its ratings nose-dived! The switch to CHR/Pop in New York by CBS Radio hasn't exactly made a ratings impact either. Meanwhile, in the realm of music sales, the Modern Rock genre has shown solid growth, while the rhythmic leaning genres (hip hop, R&B, Latin) have all shown substantial drops. And incidentally, 'BCN and K-Rock leaned more Active Rock than Alternative.
[/quote]
What nonsense! When WHTG switched from Alt-Rock to CHR/Pop, its ratings nose-dived! The switch to CHR/Pop in New York by CBS Radio hasn't exactly made a ratings impact either. Meanwhile, in the realm of music sales, the Modern Rock genre has shown solid growth, while the rhythmic leaning genres (hip hop, R&B, Latin) have all shown substantial drops. And incidentally, 'BCN and K-Rock leaned more Active Rock than Alternative.
M
MarcR
Guest
And I should've added that the Alt-Rock format alreadyperforms strongly in Los Angeles, Seattle, Philadelphia, Portland, Oregon, San Diego, Houston, Detroit etc..
So sad to see another Alternative casualty. If only they followed the format that makes it successful in other markets...The format isn't like smooth jazz. The format is a viable player in the PPMs, the format makes MONEY but when not programmed correctly, it can turn out into a big mess.
The radio stations in the Baltimore region lack variety already. Taking away the only alternative rock station is simply a bad move. The reason the ratings are low for this station has nothing to do with the type of music, it's the fact that they play the same songs over and over. I heard the same songs on this station over and over every single day. There are decades of great alternative rock songs to choose from but they failed to mix it up. I loved the music but longed for variety. There was no need to change to another horrible R&B crap pop station, all they needed was a more diverse playlist. I hope this station flops miserably. I'll miss Elliot in the morning too....sad day all around. I think clear channel made a horrible mistake. Maybe satellite radio is in my future.
radiojomo said:
Clear Channel not programming something correctly? What a shocker? ;D I agree, guys. I am a native Baltimorean, and the radio is this town STINKS to high heaven and lacks true variety. I have to say I am not a huge fan of Adult Alternative/Modern Rock music, and really have never been. Just not my style. That said, I do very much appreciate the value of diversity on the radio dial, and Baltimore radio has gotten so vanilla and predictable it is disgusting. For the record, I AM a Smooth Jazz guy, and the death of the format is directly attributable to poor and unimaginative programming, and shrinking playlists, something Clear Channel excels at unfortunately at the expense of the listeners. Sure, I concede the format was never a huge moneymaker, but before Clear Channel and corporate radio got it hands on it, it was profitable and had a loyal and passionate base of listeners. But as you guys know, radio really could care less about listeners these days, and play whatever ad execs and consultants tell them they should play. The Internet is your haven for well-programmed music. Seek it out like myself and my listeners have and tell corporate radio to take a hike.
Chris
MarcR said:
That's great and all but it was NOT performing well in Baltimore. In fact, Hot 99.5 Washington managed to outcume Baltimore's Modern Rocker. It was a no-brainer for Clear Channel to flip one of its properties to CHR/Pop in Baltimore, and with Channel 104.3's lackluster ratings it was a rather obvious choice.
M
MarcR
Guest
CHRles said:
The poster who claimed that Alt-Rock is "not a viable format" meant it wasn't viable nationally, not just in Baltimore. Perhaps it isn't a viable format in Baltimore, but it's ridiculous to broadly generalize from one city's experience.
Not a lot of people are upset with the change in format. Channel 1043 was indeed a mistake, and here is why; WWDC-FM and WCHH-FM are only 30 miles apart from each other. WWDC-FM have a really strong frequency in Baltimore for majority part while WCHH covers the same area with the same format. Top 40 was a format that was avoid since 2001 when WXYV-FM left the air for WQSR-FM (2 days before 09/11/2001) Mix 1065 came very close to a full Top 40 station but avoid it because the fact that do not want make the same mistake again. What CC did in Washington DC is indeed a success weather we like it or not. This a great move for Clear Channel because WIHT Hot 99.5 is really spotty in the Baltimore area eg Towson, Hunt Valley, White Marsh etc etc, this is where Z 104.3 comes in and give it all its got!. When Channel 104.3 was on, listeners in the areas I just mention could still hear DC 101 loud and clear. Again, Clear Channel made a very wise move and we are just looking for the programs.
It's not that alternative can't work in Baltimore - it's that it has to be done correctly. Cloning DC101 which itself it more of a pop-rock station than alternative, was a horrible idea. The DC based morning show would never fly in Baltimore and the music was too tame. The rest of the DJs were piped in from out of market stations and they sounded it. Basically the station was just plain boring and half-assed.
limin said:
Are you from Baltimore? If so, I'd really like to know where you pick up DC 101 because for the past several years neither I nor anyone I know has been able to pick up their signal "loud and clear". Their signal is spotty at best including some of those areas you mentioned. It doesn't come through in Towson or White Marsh on a anywhere near consistent basis. I know this because I lived in White Marsh up until this past June and I work in Towson.
The reason 104.3 was a mistake was simply due to the lack of variety in what they played, not the format itself. Maybe if they didn't play "Tonight, Tonight" by The Smashing Pumpkins about 30 times a day they would have done decent in the ratings. It appears that Z104.3 will also fail for the same reason. I have been listening to it over the past day and they only play what seems to be the same 20 songs over and over. Also, where I now live in Bel Air 104.3 is very hard to pick up with any consistency so for me it's about equal to HOT 99.5. Not to mention, Mix 106.5 is pretty much the same thing just with a little more talking by their worthless dj's. Until Clear Channel offers any type of variety in their catalog of music, this channel will continue to flip-flop around formats as it has been doing for years now. It's a shame that their is no longer an alternative to Metallica Radio aka 98 Rock.
WWDC is NOT an Alternative station any more than 98Rock is. The fact that they happen to play a song or 2 that is Modern/Alternative does nothing but show that they are both "Bandwagon" stations. Channel104.3 was not the mistake but playing the same 37 songs WAS. It is not the format that is not viable it is the lack of insight and talent of management thats not viable. If Modern/Alternative is not a popular format then why does Y-Rock on XPN not only survive but THRIVE on commercial free,listener supported radio on an HD2 and online broadcast?!? If no one listened no one would donate!!!! WHFS was destroyed by upper echelon CBS/Infinity and thier total lack of musical knowledge and interest. They may as well be selling Kirbys for all they care about the music. Y100 and WDRE Philadelphia were flipped to Urban NOT because they had bad ratings but because it was Radio One's agenda to create an Urban radio empire. WRNR continues to broadcast despite an iffy signal for those not close to Annapolis which is,incidentally, the same broadcast area of 99.1 WHFS Grasonville before they moved the stick.Radio104.5 Philly has good ratings despite competition from WMMR,WYSP,WMGK and Y Rock on XPN. Y101 Richmond got good enough ratings to move the signal to 100.9 for its listeners. Do not attempt to prove that Modern/Alternative/Indie/Underground is a failed format because it is not. It is simply incompetetence of the same nature as the failure of management of ALL business these days. Most people think they know what Alternative is but its a misconception CAUSED by the attempt of musically ignorant big business to 'box in' a wide variety of music that is not easily classified. HENCE the brand Alternative!!! The true music fans and musicians did not even USE the term until it was shoved down our throats by the unimaginative men in sterile,silent and stifling offices. Free Form preceded Alternative but small minded number crunchers could not wrap thier minds around that or put it in nice little rows on thier profit reports so they manipulated the vocabulary of those they cannot hope to understand. Alternative is Rock for higher thinking music fans...its an alternative to repetitious power chords and catch verses that cater to the fans who can't appreciate well written lyrics or songs that make you THINK. The fans of alternative are individuals who do not blindly follow the swill infested paths laid out by those who simply want thier money. Let people who know and love music run the stations and they will prosper.Leave the number cruncher on Wall Street where pork bellies and drugs for impotence have little difference in the minds of the dollar worshipping yuppies aside from a profit margin.They know less about music than they do about the poolboys and construction workers thier wives are doing while they are busy kneeling for thier bosses.Oblivious Idiots.
DC101 often beat 104.3 in the ratings in Baltimore! The ratings for WCHH were so shockingly bad for most of it's life that I'm surprised it wasn't mentioned more often on this board. Tweaking and tinkering with it wouldn't have helped that much. In fact expanding their playlist and playing more music that appeals to the core alternative fan could have done more harm than good. Because the PPM is such a cume based system the more familiar the music the better. They made the right choice to flip formats, CHR is hot right now!
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