It's interesting that I'm seeing a lot of comments from people who are trying to make sense of this stations format using musical genres and traditional radio format descriptions. I think none of that matters. For many years I've been saying that traditional radio formats and musical genres are disappearing. I think we're seeing that in the music they're playing at 102.7.
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Changes at Fresh 102.7?
- Thread starter Barry
- Start date
A perfect example of a station that does not follow genres but, instead, texture, is LA's KTWV. It has been very, very successful and stays consistently between 4th and 9th in 25-54 (the fragmentation in LA is such that a 4.2 to a 4.5 can make the difference of those 5 rank positions).
The only way this station is going to get any legs out of this publicity stunt is if they really PROMOTE it. TV ads, billboards, sponsoring and showing up at BIG events. And I doubt Entercom will do that. Like most big companies, they change the format and hope people listen to it. Instant gratification, too.
Personally, I think they should have done a "Chuck" style format. "We play everything." It would have been totally different for the New York market and I think it would have gotten some good publicity and some water cooler talk. I've heard Chuck style stations play everything from Whitney Houston to Johnny Cash --but only the big hits that everyone recognizes. The attitude on the air would have been the way to sell it, too. It wouldn't compete directly with CBS-FM either -- at least I don't think so if they programmed it right. They would also play currents.
Then, as time marched on, they could tweak the format to lean a certain direction.
Cox was exceptional with doing something like this with their AC stations. They would come into a market (think Tampa and Miami) and be a light AC stations. The Commodores, Lionel Ritchie, Kenny G, Fleetwood Mac, Billy Joel, mixed in with newer, soft stuff. They promoted the crap out of the station. TV, billboards. And over time, the moved into a heavier AC playlist - dropping the token Sinatra and older stuff. Now they're #1 in Tampa with WDUV and in Miami with Easy 93. The company had patience for the format to develop.
Personally, I think they should have done a "Chuck" style format. "We play everything." It would have been totally different for the New York market and I think it would have gotten some good publicity and some water cooler talk. I've heard Chuck style stations play everything from Whitney Houston to Johnny Cash --but only the big hits that everyone recognizes. The attitude on the air would have been the way to sell it, too. It wouldn't compete directly with CBS-FM either -- at least I don't think so if they programmed it right. They would also play currents.
Then, as time marched on, they could tweak the format to lean a certain direction.
Cox was exceptional with doing something like this with their AC stations. They would come into a market (think Tampa and Miami) and be a light AC stations. The Commodores, Lionel Ritchie, Kenny G, Fleetwood Mac, Billy Joel, mixed in with newer, soft stuff. They promoted the crap out of the station. TV, billboards. And over time, the moved into a heavier AC playlist - dropping the token Sinatra and older stuff. Now they're #1 in Tampa with WDUV and in Miami with Easy 93. The company had patience for the format to develop.
We already had that over a decade ago, with "Jack FM" on 101.1 WCBS-FM. It bombed.
When Alt 92.3 first launched, they actually did play some Johnny Cash, Bob Marley, etc. -- stuff that you'd expect to hear from a non-comm AAA station like WFUV, not a commercial Alternative Rock station. But that got dropped from the playlist pretty quickly.
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I found this one. Thanks to Ellis Feaster for finding this one. This is not a format flip, but it's under a new name, and the format remains the same, as well as a new moniker.
Remember back many years ago when "Fresh" was 105.9 in Chicago? That happened when it flipped to an all-news format where it was simulcasting WBBM-AM. This happened many years later in New York.
https://youtu.be/fak62RbqTP0
Remember back many years ago when "Fresh" was 105.9 in Chicago? That happened when it flipped to an all-news format where it was simulcasting WBBM-AM. This happened many years later in New York.
https://youtu.be/fak62RbqTP0
Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey.
Bob Marley still gets played on some Alternative stations, like WRFF Philadelphia.
And the Johnny Cash song they played was his cover of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt", which really isn't so surprising for the format.
Yea that hit #1 on the billboard mainstream top 40 airplay chart too.
The station has a nice, upbeat sound to it.
The attacks on 106.7 Lite FM are interesting. Texture wise (I like that term), the playlist is certainly closer to that of WPLJ. I doubt the changes at 102.7 will pose a major impact on 106.7. If any gains are realized at 102.7, the impact will be spread across multiple stations and will likely be very minor for any single station.
The attacks on 106.7 Lite FM are interesting. Texture wise (I like that term), the playlist is certainly closer to that of WPLJ. I doubt the changes at 102.7 will pose a major impact on 106.7. If any gains are realized at 102.7, the impact will be spread across multiple stations and will likely be very minor for any single station.
Just heard a new sweeper/promo on WNEW...that New 102.7 played 74 more songs than Lite FM yesterday. 439 versus 365. And that is why you should switch, to listen to less commercials during the workday. Other developments include $500 commercial free giveaways four times a week starting next week, along with New 102.7 street team appearances starting July 31st.
Aside from the street team appearances, all the promotions are internal. They really need to aggressively start promoting New 102.7 to New Yorkers to even have a chance to dent Lite. Promoting they play more songs and less commercials only on their station won't reel in others from Lite who aren't aware of this.
Aside from the street team appearances, all the promotions are internal. They really need to aggressively start promoting New 102.7 to New Yorkers to even have a chance to dent Lite. Promoting they play more songs and less commercials only on their station won't reel in others from Lite who aren't aware of this.
The only people I know who count songs or commercials are either in the business, or whose hobby is the business. Regular radio listeners just have the radio on. I think this is an ineffective campaign because in point of fact, listeners have access to millions of songs. They should not be selling the size of their library, but the effectiveness of their playlist. That is what matters. Radio stations curate playlists. The songs they play are not randomly chosen. The criteria for their song choice is what makes them different. That is what should be the sales pitch.
You're late. It launched this past Monday.
The traditional promotion for stations has been TV and outdoor, but with new media and social networks, those two "old media" options are not as effective. Is New 102.7 doing anything in the new media area?
They are not promoting library size, but the fact that they play more songs an hour, more songs a day, than Lite. This is like the 70's and 80's technique of saying "the tired old Q played 11 songs in the last hour and the Power Pig Played 14! There's more music and less talk and commercials on the new Tampa Bay music leader...."
I understand that, but as I said, it doesn't matter, because listeners aren't counting the number of songs they play. The post I was responding to said the station is comparing library size:
They don't have to be that specific. All they have to say is "Your place for the best and most music." Getting into the minutia isn't going to achieve the desired results, because as I said, the listeners have access to every song ever recorded. That's the ultimate in one-upsmanship.
I also like the word "texture." You bring up some interesting concepts that indeed represent the evolution of radio in 2018. You are right - regular listeners "just have the radio on." Yet you think the listeners that are just listening, are aware of the effectiveness of the playlist. I agree that these two facts work together. My question is simply how do you relay this concept to listeners? I also wonder why radio still does use the run in the ground "we play more songs than any other station" or "we don't play the same songs over and over and over." When most stations really don't do either. I also think it actually creates listeners who question the honesty of the claims and tune out.
That's a great question, and I wrestle with it all the time. I don't think you can do it with words. I think you have to let the music do the talking. I think it was Gloria Estefan who said "The words get in the way." They also get you into trouble. Just let the music say whatever you want to say.
Fair enough. I can relate. The funny thing about letting the music talk, is (often) the larger the playlist, the more chances of missteps on the focus. You would that the "science" of radio would have more precise answers, but that, I guess is the local magic and the heartbeat of real radio. Do you think NEW stands a chance to rock the boat?
It depends on what you consider "rocking the boat." My view is that a station built around a song list won't last long. But certainly WLTW has gotten a bit lazy and unfocused, so they might be vulnerable. Going after the younger part of their demo should be easy pickings. To do that, you play newer music, more variety, and revise your playlist often. For example I think WLTW has brought back Delilah, and having her on in evenings won't attract younger listeners.
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