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Changes to B98.5's playlist?

T

thefirstgenesis

I've long stopped listening to 98.5 but from time to time, I check up on them on yes.com to see what they are playing and to see if they deviated from the norm. From the looks of it, they changed their playlist once again. Here was some of the stuff they were playing this morning.

U2 - Beautiful Day
Spin Doctors - Little Miss Can't Be Wrong
Jesus Jones - Right Here Right Now
Sinead O Connor - Nothing Compares With U
Kelly Clarkson - My Life Would Suck Without You
The Fray - You Found Me
Eagle Eyed Cherry - Save Tonight
Creed - Higher


From the looks of things, they are more closely targeting the audiences of STAR 94 and possibly a few other stations as well and mostly abandoning the "soft AC" route. B98.5 is considered HOT AC now, not soft AC. There is potential for a soft AC station to open up shop here right now. If it happens, it remains to be seen.
 
During middays today, they've played Michael Jackson's "Thriller, ""Fly Away" by Lenny Kravitz and "Hanging By A Moment" from Lifehouse. Wait, it gets better.

During the overnight daypart, some of the more interesting songs they played were "She Talks To Angels" by The Black Crowes, "The Middle" by Jimmy Eat World, and..."When I Come Around" by Green Day.

Wow.
 
"Trying" to listen to it this morning (between 6-6:30a) was kind of rough in my opinion. I don't know if it was my mood, or if they actually did change the playlist, but it really stunk this morning. It didn't hold my interest at all. As long as they don't get rid of the "80's Weekend" I will continue to listen.

On a side note, mentioned in other forums about B98.5: They got rid of the wrong show in my opinion, they should have canned Delilah, listening to her show is like listening to nails on a blackboard in Dolby Digital Surround Sound (or from the 70s: Sensurround.)
 
B98.5 could be transitioning to what Cox calls a Hot AC...which is not a hot AC because there are no currents. KSMG/San Antonio, KRAV/Tulsa, WFLC/Miami, WMXB/Richmond, and WGMG/Athens are classified as such.

Kelly McCoy only mentioned "Soft Rock" once during the 3 PM hour. He said "Atlanta's B98.5FM" rather than "Atlanta's Only Soft Rock Station" during the TOH. All the jingles still have "Soft Rock" in them. I suspect the imaging is going to be changing, and all references to "Soft Rock" will be dropped.

As for the playlist...I suspect the 80's weekends are #1 or close to it in Atlanta (thus the #2 12+ position)...and they want to spread the love to the workday...without flipping to an all-80's format. I also think they see 105.7 The Groove as a threat (that doesn't explain the alt-rock songs B98.5 added though).

And we will know tonight at 7 PM if Delilah is gone or not. Today is the 1st of the month. I think both Steve and Vikki and Delilah were holding the station down.
 
jal41 said:
And we will know tonight at 7 PM if Delilah is gone or not. Today is the 1st of the month. I think both Steve and Vikki and Delilah were holding the station down.
Click to expand...

I'm streaming B98.5 right now; dunno about Delilah yet. Is Rebecca Stevens available?
 
jal41 said:
As for the playlist...I suspect the 80's weekends are #1 or close to it in Atlanta (thus the #2 12+ position)...and they want to spread the love to the workday...without flipping to an all-80's format. I also think they see 105.7 The Groove as a threat (that doesn't explain the alt-rock songs B98.5 added though).
Click to expand...
I like the 80s weekends...pretty good if you don't want to devote an entire station's format to it (and you don't)...plus I am sure weekend listenership on an AC is otherwise poor.

I mentioned the thing about B98.5 trying to head off Groove on another thread.
 
jal41 said:
B98.5 could be transitioning to what Cox calls a Hot AC...which is not a hot AC because there are no currents...
Click to expand...

So would they qualify as a "cold AC"? ???
 
caller10 said:
I'm streaming B98.5 right now; dunno about Delilah yet. Is Rebecca Stevens available?
Click to expand...

Delilah is still on. I hoped dumping Delilah on weekends for the 80s was a sign of things to come.
 
As it turns out, dumping Steve & Vikki is - and, in the big picture, I guess that's better than nothing, right?
 
I was surprised to hear The Black Crows on there today too. The play list looked a little like Star and Dave-FM combined.
Definitely more rock oriented than usual. Is this type of format going to fly as a generic station to listen to at work for all races and cultures ?

I don't understand the slight music format change. If it's not broke, don't fix it.

Just PLEASE STOP PLAYING DAUGHTRY !!! Ugh !!!
5,000 spins is enough .
 
Just like when the facts were in Star 94 looked premature in dumping S&V, I think before year end we'll see B98 having to rethink this decision. I hope I'm wrong. In a world of lots of quick decisions by radio in general hoping for immediate results, Cox, which criticized for staying with something a long time ( ie slogans on River and focused efforts on WSB AM) this all seems quick and out of character. The market has burned through the names that matter, but what happens if this doesn't go so well? Rick and Bubba? Or will Scott Slade be asked to do two shifts instead of one. There's always Herman Cain. Could Chris Crock do mornings?
Imagine pulling this with Boortz. Wait. Aren't Boortz's numbers way down? Amazing who they choose to dump on.
 
midtownjohn said:
I was surprised to hear The Black Crows on there today too. The play list looked a little like Star and Dave-FM combined.
Definitely more rock oriented than usual.
Click to expand...

Yep! I heard "She Talks To Angels" around 2p yesterday and almost drove off 285.

According to yes.com, they played "Cryin'" by Aerosmith just after 7 this morning, and "When I Come Around" again at 9:30. I hope they didn't run a sweeper touting "soft rock" into either song... it would sound as incongruous as when The Beat brags about being "Atlanta's New #1 For Hip Hop" over Lady Gaga intros.
 
B98.5 playing The Black Crows was a first for that station. Tho they are an Atlanta based band, "She Talks to Angels " was never a Top 40 hit. So what's the deal ?

I hope they play Indigo Girls "Galileo" next week.
 
Other "out of place" songs I see on B98.5's playlist today:

Cranberries, "Dreams" (5:59)
U2, "Mysterious Ways" (5:34)
Night Ranger, "Sister Christian" (11:48a and 1:16a)
Matchbox 20, "Push" (6:03a)
Green Day, "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" (4:24a)
Third Eye Blind, "Semi-Charmed Life (3:54a) (I'm interested in knowing if they play the "rap" in the middle)

There were also a couple of plays of "Tom's Diner". And whoever said it earlier was right: enough with the Daughtry songs!
 
the golden boy said:
Third Eye Blind, "Semi-Charmed Life (3:54a) (I'm interested in knowing if they play the "rap" in the middle)
Click to expand...

Indeed they do. The crystal meth reference is also left intact.
 
They probably play the version of Nickelback's "Rockstar" with the four-letter "D" word unedited... and when I say four-letter "D" word, of course, I mean "drug". :eek:
 
Looking on mediabase 24/7, they added Kelly Clarkson's "My Life Would Suck Without You" as the most current song on the playlist. They also added Plain White T's "1,2,3,4" and Gwen Stefani's "Sweet Escape." That's it among recurrents. Check back in six months!
 
the golden boy said:
Other "out of place" songs I see on B98.5's playlist today:

Cranberries, "Dreams" (5:59)
U2, "Mysterious Ways" (5:34)
Night Ranger, "Sister Christian" (11:48a and 1:16a)
Matchbox 20, "Push" (6:03a)
Green Day, "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" (4:24a)
Third Eye Blind, "Semi-Charmed Life (3:54a) (I'm interested in knowing if they play the "rap" in the middle)

There were also a couple of plays of "Tom's Diner". And whoever said it earlier was right: enough with the Daughtry songs!
Click to expand...
I wouldn't call the Cranberries or Night Ranger out of place. B98.5 has been known to throw in Boston ("More Than A Feeling") and Nazareth ("Love Hurts", not "Hair of the Dog") into their playlist for a long while.
 
I have to agree with Jabba. B98.5 has been playing Hot AC/Adult Alternative for a long time. The new stuff is not that different from what's been on. It's been an unconventional AC.
 
Yes, there really is nothing on the current AC chart being played at B98.5. I remember 94.9 would play almost everything off of the current AC chart. I think another AC could easily come into the market and do quite well. I agree with the fact that B98.5 is displaying the signs of a Hot AC that does not play currents. In Memphis when I went to visit a couple of months ago, there are two Hot AC stations, 98.9 KIM FM and FM 100. Kim does not play currents and FM100 does. I feel that B98.5 is turning into a KIM FM. Why is B98.5 trying to go Hot AC when Star is trying to go there right now? I would think they would want to go more mainstream AC since there really is no one else in the market going that route right now.
 
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