E
EJ204
Guest
I find it interesting that Classic Rock and Classic Hits are such popular formats in Northern New England. In Portland, WBLM is Classic Rock and WFNK is Classic Hits, although both stations share most of the same songs and I assume the same audience. And both always get great ratings.
Even places where I would expect to hear a Top 40 or AC station, I often hear one of these stations. I was in a Subway sandwich shop. Two college students were behind the counter, one male, one female, and WFNK was on the radio. They were listening to music made before they were born. A 50-something guy was running the bottle return at a Hanaford Supermarket and he had a small radio with WFNK on. I went into a Cumberland Farms and the 30-something guy behind the counter had WBLM on. I can't think of another market where two Classic Hits/Classic Rock stations are so strong, both in signal and in ratings.
And when I was recently in the Manchester area, I was surprised at how similar WMLL has gotten to WFNQ. WMLL started out as a true Classic Rock station, but now they only play those Classic Rock songs that also scored as Top 40 hits, almost identical to WFNQ. They now use the phrase "Classic Hits" instead of "Classic Rock." I'm sure listeners who prefer a harder-edged, deeper tracks Classic Rock station are disappointed. But for me, I thought both stations sounded great.
It's also funny if you're in an area of NH where you can hear both WFNK and WFNQ. Both stations have the exact same playlist. So if one is playing Jump by Van Halen, the other is as well, maybe a minute or two off. When 104.9 Wolfeboro was also a Frank station, they'd also be playing the same song, although that's not true anymore.
Even places where I would expect to hear a Top 40 or AC station, I often hear one of these stations. I was in a Subway sandwich shop. Two college students were behind the counter, one male, one female, and WFNK was on the radio. They were listening to music made before they were born. A 50-something guy was running the bottle return at a Hanaford Supermarket and he had a small radio with WFNK on. I went into a Cumberland Farms and the 30-something guy behind the counter had WBLM on. I can't think of another market where two Classic Hits/Classic Rock stations are so strong, both in signal and in ratings.
And when I was recently in the Manchester area, I was surprised at how similar WMLL has gotten to WFNQ. WMLL started out as a true Classic Rock station, but now they only play those Classic Rock songs that also scored as Top 40 hits, almost identical to WFNQ. They now use the phrase "Classic Hits" instead of "Classic Rock." I'm sure listeners who prefer a harder-edged, deeper tracks Classic Rock station are disappointed. But for me, I thought both stations sounded great.
It's also funny if you're in an area of NH where you can hear both WFNK and WFNQ. Both stations have the exact same playlist. So if one is playing Jump by Van Halen, the other is as well, maybe a minute or two off. When 104.9 Wolfeboro was also a Frank station, they'd also be playing the same song, although that's not true anymore.