BOSTON GETS AN EDM STATION, WILL LA BE IN THE NEXT WAVE?

[justpassingthough]

Clear Channel blew up 101.7 the Harbor today and debuted Evolution 101.7, which is based on the Evolution EDM format from iHeartRadio. Its CC's first EDM station and they claim they based their decision around listenership in the Boston area to the radio app and concert sales, among other things. Certainly EDM has a large presence here in LA too.

Will CC move this to other cities if its successful? Will it ever come to Los Angeles? If so, which station is the most likely candidate (KYSR or KHHT)?

 

[jasonharper2013]

i think its a stunt who knows

 

[Thomps2525]

DailyFinance.com has a detailed story of the format change at http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/12/20/clear-channel-media-and-entertainment-brings-edm-t/ and listeners living outside of the Boston area---pardon me, I mean Bahs-tahn---can hear Evolution 101.7 at www.iheart.com/live/5772.

 

[davideduardo]

Will CC move this to other cities if its successful? Will it ever come to Los Angeles? If so, which station is the most likely candidate (KYSR or KHHT)?

Caveat: the facility in "Boston" is a Class A FM, and only has useful coverage over about 40% of the population of the Boston MSA.

 

[only1moore]

i think its a stunt who knows

Doesn't look like a stunt. Name a station that plays the latest tracks from Morgan Page, Kaskade, Nervo, Nero, deadmau5 and Cassette. Chances are that they won't appear anywhere on any of the Top 40 or Rhythmic outlets in Los Angeles or Boston for that matter.

 

[justpassingthough]

Will CC move this to other cities if its successful? Will it ever come to Los Angeles? If so, which station is the most likely candidate (KYSR or KHHT)?

Caveat: the facility in "Boston" is a Class A FM, and only has useful coverage over about 40% of the population of the Boston MSA.

That sounds similar to KDAY's coverage area- maybe its something to think about for a class A here in Los Angeles that is struggling to find an audience with their current programming. I don't know the ethnic composition of a typical EDM audience, but having been to plenty of EDM shows throughout the years, it seems to be a fairly representative cross section of the youth population- so even a class A that didn't reach into the far suburbs would probably work here in LA.

 

[TonySantiago]

We have to get the first numbers before we can start including other cities. But no doubt LA would be able to support a station like Evolution.

 

[Dj Woody]

LA should have no problem, specially if they get LA-based Insomniac involved. Insomniac is the biggest EDM promoters in North America. Their shows draw hundreds of thousands of people and they pretty much have then entire EDM scene in lockdown. Truth be told, without Insomniac, EDM in NA would still be underground.

 

[karldotcom]

What do you call Club KIIS on 1027HD2? Or are HD channels not real stations?

I get it perfect at home, on the freeways, not so much.

 

[reelyreal]

You know, over the past couple of weeks of reading these boards, I think it's clear that many don't understand what a "stunt" format is.

A Stunt Format is something that is so truly comical, overblown, or outrageous that there's no way it could be real... it's a STUNT.

Playing one song over and over for two weeks... that's a stunt. Christmas music in April, that's a stunt. Playing only soundbites, that's a stunt. EDM? Not a stunt.

Now, if you wanted to call it a place-holder format, maybe that'd be more acceptable, however there aren't many examples of that happening, and there's little purpose for it. Placeholder formats usually appeared while stations were waiting for transfer of control to go through, like when WZMX in Hartford ran the NOAA weather radio feed for the better part of a year.

 

[chime]

Actually in 1 case, I was certainly fooled in thinking
our new KSWD was all Bruce Springstine, but that only
lasted from 12midnight-til 10-AM when they began the
format they are still basicly running today.

 

[SuperRadioFan]

I beg to differ and I have proof on a CD from their first hour. Do you not remember or maybe you weren't tuned in then.

 

[pjc1961]

You're both correct to some degree - depending on what specific time you place the station's debut.
KRBV (soon to be KSWD) stunted with Springsteen music from Midnight-10am on Tue. 4/8/2008,
then began the current format at 10am with U2's "Beautiful Day".

The tie-in to Bruce was that he was in concert at Anaheim's Honda Center on Mon. 4/7/2008 and Tue. 4/8/2008.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KSWD_(FM)#KSWD_.22100.3_The_Sound.22

 

[SuperRadioFan]

Come on pic, you must remember that the first 16 months of The Sound was AAA albeit a watered down version then gradually in the spring/summer of 2009 morphed into a classic rock-leaning format. Today's KSWD playlist bears little resemblance to the AAA version.

 

[RockTheGlobe]

We have to get the first numbers before we can start including other cities. But no doubt LA would be able to support a station like Evolution.

Here we go again. Dance has been tried in L.A. *three times* on a Class A signal, just like WHBA in Boston is... actually, that was a pair of Class As that were simulcasting. And it failed all three times.

 

[chime]

In addition to those 3 attempts on 103.1, we also would
include 100.3 KIBB in 1997. They had `hot
jingles-and-a good mainstream dance format.
How much more dance would 96.3 have to play before we
would consider them? I would say, next to KIIS 96.3 is
our danciest station

 

[david]

What do you call Club KIIS on 1027HD2? Or are HD channels not real stations?
I get it perfect at home, on the freeways, not so much.

Karl....I just got HD radio in my new car this week and have been enjoying KIIS HD2 - Heard Robbie Rivera's Back to Zero today - what a wonderful EDM track. For anyone without HD radio, try syncing your smart phone and listen to KIIS HD2 via the IHeartRadio app.

 

[Dj Woody]

We have to get the first numbers before we can start including other cities. But no doubt LA would be able to support a station like Evolution.

Here we go again. Dance has been tried in L.A. *three times* on a Class A signal, just like WHBA in Boston is... actually, that was a pair of Class As that were simulcasting. And it failed all three times.

Dance wasn't as big as it is today. I've been lucky enough to have been involved in the EDM movement since 1992 and if one thing has changed drastically is the reception "edm" has now. It's EVERYWHERE! Before when those formats were tried, they were niche, now they're not. They're mainstream. Which is why EDM festivals like EDC are pulling over 200K people A DAY! And that's cause it sells out, otherwise, they'd probably pull more.

 

[RockTheGlobe]

Dance wasn't as big as it is today. I've been lucky enough to have been involved in the EDM movement since 1992 and if one thing has changed drastically is the reception "edm" has now. It's EVERYWHERE! Before when those formats were tried, they were niche, now they're not. They're mainstream. Which is why EDM festivals like EDC are pulling over 200K people A DAY! And that's cause it sells out, otherwise, they'd probably pull more.

You act like Dance has never been heard before on radio or performed live before. Back in the '90s, artists like The Chemical Brothers, BT, The Orb, Underworld and The Crystal Method were getting regular airplay on mainstream formats. In the early 2000s, Dance shows were going mainstream, with artists like Paul Oakenfold breaking through here in America and getting airplay on radio, as well as participating in festivals like Coachella (where they've had a rave tent for several years).

I don't get why you think Dance is no longer a niche format, especially when there's only a small handful of stations doing it across the U.S. right now and Dance artists were getting airplay on other formats in decades past -- just like now, where Top 40 is dipping into that pool. What's so different about Dance airplay now vs. 10-20 years ago?