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Christmas Music Pays Off Big for Star 94

R

RoddyFreeman

Star 94 jumped to #3 with a 6.3 share in the Holiday PPM (albeit in P6+). The station's non-Christmas shares had been hovering around 3.5.

Several years ago, B98.5 was going All-Christmas and was enjoying soaring ratings. But the station saw that people who left when the Christmas music started were not returning in January. So B98.5 decided to go partially Christmas, interspersing Christmas songs with its regular playlist. Ratings during the holidays increased though not to the extent that they had gone up when the station was playing only Christmas music. But the ratings early in the new year were higher than they had been.

I always felt that B98.5 could never have gotten away with that if another station had gone All-Christmas. Yes, The Fish went All-Christmas but with a religious tint, and didn't hurt B98.5 that much. This year, however, another secular station, Star 94, did go All-Christmas, and B98.5 held steadfast with its partial Christmas format. B98.5 fell from a 6.8 share in November to a 4.8 share in the Holiday PPM.

The big question is what Star's numbers will look like going forward; how many listeners attracted by the Christmas music will stick around. The music on Star has been greatly improved, and the station now has high-profile talent in both drivetimes. I still think they need to get a voice--live or voice-tracked--in middays, something that had been promised months ago by PD Emily Boldon but has not materialized.
 
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radioinsight.com

Atlanta

Nielsen Audio PPM Monthly Ratings Atlanta (Market #7) Population: 5,317,500 Black: 1,956,500 - Hispanic: 664,700 Average Quarter Hour Share for
radioinsight.com radioinsight.com

Hate when people dont share the link lol

Whew - B98.5 took a HIT
101.5 had a big jump - any explanation?
 
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formerlyinATLradio said:
101.5 had a big jump - any explanation?
Click to expand...
I had the same question: Why did 101.5 have a 5.1 while 94.9 The Bull had a 2.4? Also, was Q99-7's drop because of the loss of the Bert Show or because of the fluctuations that the Holiday PPM always has?

And an observation: 92-9 The Game earned what looks to me like its highest share ever at 4.6 during the losing Falcons season.
 
RoddyFreeman said:
Star 94 jumped to #3 with a 6.3 share in the Holiday PPM (albeit in P6+). The station's non-Christmas shares had been hovering around 3.5.

Several years ago, B98.5 was going All-Christmas and was enjoying soaring ratings. But the station saw that people who left when the Christmas music started were not returning in January. So B98.5 decided to go partially Christmas, interspersing Christmas songs with its regular playlist. Ratings during the holidays increased though not to the extent that they had gone up when the station was playing only Christmas music. But the ratings early in the new year were higher than they had been.

I always felt that B98.5 could never have gotten away with that if another station had gone All-Christmas. Yes, The Fish went All-Christmas but with a religious tint, and didn't hurt B98.5 that much. This year, however, another secular station, Star 94, did go All-Christmas, and B98.5 held steadfast with its partial Christmas format. B98.5 fell from a 6.8 share in November to a 4.8 share in the Holiday PPM.

The big question is what Star's numbers will look like going forward; how many listeners attracted by the Christmas music will stick around. The music on Star has been greatly improved, and the station now has high-profile talent in both drivetimes. I still think they need to get a voice--live or voice-tracked--in middays, something that had been promised months ago by PD Emily Boldon but has not materialized.
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Good for Star and hopefully they continue to do this on a yearly basis. Maybe B98.5 will start to may more Christmas music before Thanksgiving? Idk.
 
I see the Christmas move as a FREE way to show B98.5 listeners what Star has to offer. GREAT marketing for their new musical/personality tweaks. Let's see if they stick around. I think Star sounds better than it has in recent history. I am streaming it now in Miami.

I do wish Star would pick a clear moniker. Are they "feel-good throwbacks"? Are they "upbeat variety"? I personally liked "The Rhythm of Atlanta". But upbeat variety might be the best option to go after B. The word "throwbacks" evokes an "urban" feel to me...
 
I wonder did they "sell" Christmas like the Fish use to? I hope next year they might pick up some extra revenue from Atlanta based Decision Makers. Does anyone "guarantee" ratings? I believe at one time if a TV show "bombed" the advertisers got extra commercials to make up for bad ratings.
 
lanceventa said:
Kincaid and Dallas were able to inherit more of the Bert Show audience than anyone else.
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In a competitive multi cluster market, when a rating winning show ends permanently, how often does the same cluster pickup most of the audience? If I were betting, iHeart's CHR* or 98.5 would pick them up.


*I always thought iHeart could "cookie cutter" something similar to Z100 in NYC and be successful anywhere. I was wrong.
 
A really good book for Audacy, a decent book for Urban One, and a terrible book for everyone else--Cox, Cumulus, and especially iHeart.
 
secondchoice said:
In a competitive multi cluster market, when a rating winning show ends permanently, how often does the same cluster pickup most of the audience? If I were betting, iHeart's CHR* or 98.5 would pick them up.
Click to expand...
Power is a non-factor in the market on 105.3. B98.5's show is already known to most P1s and P2s.

The 101.5 morning show is doing a general entertainment morning show that leans Country as opposed to a Country morning show. Being hyperlocal against Bones doing local content separate from their national segments seems to be working for them as well such as their Instagram stories with Kincaid & Dallas spending this past weekend sleeping at the station Saturday and Sunday to ensure they would be on-air Monday morning.
secondchoice said:
*I always thought iHeart could "cookie cutter" something similar to Z100 in NYC and be successful anywhere. I was wrong.
Click to expand...
And Power 96.1 was working until they kept messing with it. Heritage usually wins and with Bert, Q99.7 had the heritage. Now they're attempting to build a new anchor for the station with Kristin and Ethan in afternoons.
 
101tm said:
The Beat’s “newness factor” on 96.1 seems to be wearing off…or to have already worn off.

105.3 reached The Beat’s core demographic just fine.
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I know 96.1's morning show is "number one" nationally according to posters on this board, but they couldn't make it on 105.3 compared to local stations. IMHO they got a boost from not being limited to the south and west side like V103's historic advantage. But Atlanta is a very competitive Urban, Urban AC market and I would like to know if this morning show does that well when there is as intense Urban competition in other markets.

I believe just like the former CC, iHeart might have made a major mistake. I wonder if the former Kimmer nickname "the build of career death" is valid again.
 
secondchoice said:
I know 96.1's morning show is "number one" nationally according to posters on this board, but they couldn't make it on 105.3 compared to local stations. IMHO they got a boost from not being limited to the south and west side like V103's historic advantage. But Atlanta is a very competitive Urban, Urban AC market and I would like to know if this morning show does that well when there is as intense Urban competition in other markets.

I believe just like the former CC, iHeart might have made a major mistake. I wonder if the former Kimmer nickname "the build of career death" is valid again.
Click to expand...
That’s a good question. Any ratings gain WRDG had after the move to 96.1 has evaporated and they’re right back where they were on 105.3.

I can’t imagine the morning show is suddenly doing better on 96.1 vs 105.3 when the whole station is. For crying out loud, 100kw 96.1 is being beaten by a translator (Streetz)!

105.3 has a signal very comparable to 104.1. We all see how well WALR does. It covers the areas an urban format needs to be successful in Atlanta.
 
formerlyinATLradio said:
I see the Christmas move as a FREE way to show B98.5 listeners what Star has to offer. GREAT marketing for their new musical/personality tweaks. Let's see if they stick around. I think Star sounds better than it has in recent history. I am streaming it now in Miami.

I do wish Star would pick a clear moniker. Are they "feel-good throwbacks"? Are they "upbeat variety"? I personally liked "The Rhythm of Atlanta". But upbeat variety might be the best option to go after B. The word "throwbacks" evokes an "urban" feel to me...
Click to expand...
I was thinking this just yesterday.

Maybe every time a DJ opens the mic, he/she says, "Atlanta's Upbeat Variety, Star 94." And that positioner has a lot of wiggle room. You can play old R&B and pop, 2000s rhythmic, or anything new and upbeat.
 
IMHO if they are committed to 96.1 + Urban, they are going to have to take it live and local from 6AM till at least midnight with high dollar talent that makes appearances at local night clubs, parades, festivals etc and knows how to work social media in the station's favor. In other words love the Urban Life in Atlanta.
101tm said:
That’s a good question. Any ratings gain WRDG had after the move to 96.1 has evaporated and they’re right back where they were on 105.3.

I can’t imagine the morning show is suddenly doing better on 96.1 vs 105.3 when the whole station is. For crying out loud, 100kw 96.1 is being beaten by a translator (Streetz)!

105.3 has a signal very comparable to 104.1. We all see how well WALR does. It covers the areas an urban format needs to be successful in Atlanta.
Click to expand...
IMHO If iHeart is committed to Urban on 96.1 they are going to have to $pend some $erious money for a local air staff between at least 6AM and Midnight. The staff should have appearances at local night clubs, festivals, sporting events, and parades in their contract. Someone should be responsible for an unique play list totally aimed at Atlanta.

Because there still are several active recording studios in Atlanta here's a free slogan (or branding), just give me credit:

Atlanta's Hip Hop* for Atlanta on Ninety Six One Atlanta's Hip Hop* Station for every locally recorded track they play.

*If it a rap or R&B song use Rap or R&B instead.
 
RoddyFreeman said:
Star 94 jumped to #3 with a 6.3 share in the Holiday PPM (albeit in P6+). The station's non-Christmas shares had been hovering around 3.5.

Several years ago, B98.5 was going All-Christmas and was enjoying soaring ratings. But the station saw that people who left when the Christmas music started were not returning in January. So B98.5 decided to go partially Christmas, interspersing Christmas songs with its regular playlist. Ratings during the holidays increased though not to the extent that they had gone up when the station was playing only Christmas music. But the ratings early in the new year were higher than they had been.

I always felt that B98.5 could never have gotten away with that if another station had gone All-Christmas. Yes, The Fish went All-Christmas but with a religious tint, and didn't hurt B98.5 that much. This year, however, another secular station, Star 94, did go All-Christmas, and B98.5 held steadfast with its partial Christmas format. B98.5 fell from a 6.8 share in November to a 4.8 share in the Holiday PPM.

The big question is what Star's numbers will look like going forward; how many listeners attracted by the Christmas music will stick around. The music on Star has been greatly improved, and the station now has high-profile talent in both drivetimes. I still think they need to get a voice--live or voice-tracked--in middays, something that had been promised months ago by PD Emily Boldon but has not materialized.
Click to expand...
I'm confident with Emily in charge this is just the beginning of a great year for Star. B better watch out.
 
101tm said:
That’s a good question. Any ratings gain WRDG had after the move to 96.1 has evaporated and they’re right back where they were on 105.3.

I can’t imagine the morning show is suddenly doing better on 96.1 vs 105.3 when the whole station is. For crying out loud, 100kw 96.1 is being beaten by a translator (Streetz)!

105.3 has a signal very comparable to 104.1. We all see how well WALR does. It covers the areas an urban format needs to be successful in Atlanta.
Click to expand...
96.1 should go a/c. Move The Beat back to 105.3 make it local.
 
101tm said:
That’s a good question. Any ratings gain WRDG had after the move to 96.1 has evaporated and they’re right back where they were on 105.3.

I can’t imagine the morning show is suddenly doing better on 96.1 vs 105.3 when the whole station is. For crying out loud, 100kw 96.1 is being beaten by a translator (Streetz)!

105.3 has a signal very comparable to 104.1. We all see how well WALR does. It covers the areas an urban format needs to be successful in Atlanta.
Click to expand...

(Coughs) I said this before that people were listening to STREETZ 94.5 more than what Neilsen shows respectfully. Of course, many of those listeners don’t have a PPM device. Someone said it was no way that translator could beat any other urban station. If i could only find that post 💀💀💀.
 


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