Cumulus CHR's are the worst I've ever heard

[bchristi]

Nelly Furtado? She has been irrelevant for quite some time now unless I am mistaking. She tried to come back with a hit last year but it didn't go very far. I'm sure they will probably play her popular stuff like "I'm Like A Bird" and "Turn Off The Lights." I'm convinced Jan Jeffries has no concept of CHR as being different from Hot AC. CHR stations are not meant to be "at work" radio stations.

Doesn't surprise me at all though with Cumulus. They are the one radio corporation that I don't think has a single redeeming quality. I wish it had been Citadel that absorbed Cumulus instead.

 

[carolinaradio]

I just love that Cumulus's flagship CHR, Q100 in Atlanta, finally has REAL competition - I hope they beat them to a pulp and show how stupid their CHR approach is...

 

[bchristi]

I just love that Cumulus's flagship CHR, Q100 in Atlanta, finally has REAL competition - I hope they beat them to a pulp and show how stupid their CHR approach is...

Cumulus CHRs are able to keep their ratings because a) either they are the only game in town or b) even though they bill as a CHR they fill the Hot AC niche and get those listeners. If all Cumulus CHR's would start reporting as Hot AC, many markets would probably see other stations flip to CHR to fill what is now seen as a void in the market.

 

[bobdavcav]

I just love that Cumulus's flagship CHR, Q100 in Atlanta, finally has REAL competition - I hope they beat them to a pulp and show how stupid their CHR approach is...

Cumulus CHRs are able to keep their ratings because a) either they are the only game in town or b) even though they bill as a CHR they fill the Hot AC niche and get those listeners. If all Cumulus CHR's would start reporting as Hot AC, many markets would probably see other stations flip to CHR to fill what is now seen as a void in the market.

That's not the case with many Cumulus stations. I'm not sure what the Hot AC is or if they have one in the Quad Cities, but I was just listening to KBEA last week and it sounded pretty decent, not a rhythmic-leaning Hot AC as you seem to think all Cumulus stations are. I do agree with Carolinaradio though, hopefully Cumulus will finally get their act together when WWPW is killing Q100 a few months from now. In Atlanta, they have a Hot AC, WSTR, so until recently, your interpretation held up, Bchristi. They had competition, but it was on two rimshot signals. That's not to say that there aren't some stations that sound like rhythmic-leaning Hot ACs, WBZN when it was owned by Cumulus was that way and I think still is. WZYP is no question a Hot AC, you do not have a no-rap policy on CHR! If a Hot AC station is playing a song that has gotten bigger on CHR than Hot AC and WZYP isn't playing it but certain Hot ACs are, then that station should really be reclassified as a Hot AC. However, to say that all Cumulus CHRs are rhythmic-leaning Hot ACs is simply not true what Hot AC plays Swimming Pools?

 

[bchristi]

I just love that Cumulus's flagship CHR, Q100 in Atlanta, finally has REAL competition - I hope they beat them to a pulp and show how stupid their CHR approach is...

Cumulus CHRs are able to keep their ratings because a) either they are the only game in town or b) even though they bill as a CHR they fill the Hot AC niche and get those listeners. If all Cumulus CHR's would start reporting as Hot AC, many markets would probably see other stations flip to CHR to fill what is now seen as a void in the market.

That's not the case with many Cumulus stations. I'm not sure what the Hot AC is or if they have one in the Quad Cities, but I was just listening to KBEA last week and it sounded pretty decent, not a rhythmic-leaning Hot AC as you seem to think all Cumulus stations are. I do agree with Carolinaradio though, hopefully Cumulus will finally get their act together when WWPW is killing Q100 a few months from now. In Atlanta, they have a Hot AC, WSTR, so until recently, your interpretation held up, Bchristi. They had competition, but it was on two rimshot signals. That's not to say that there aren't some stations that sound like rhythmic-leaning Hot ACs, WBZN when it was owned by Cumulus was that way and I think still is. WZYP is no question a Hot AC, you do not have a no-rap policy on CHR! If a Hot AC station is playing a song that has gotten bigger on CHR than Hot AC and WZYP isn't playing it but certain Hot ACs are, then that station should really be reclassified as a Hot AC. However, to say that all Cumulus CHRs are rhythmic-leaning Hot ACs is simply not true what Hot AC plays Swimming Pools?

My question is does Cumulus have ANY CHR station that doesn't place the focus on recurrents/gold and that also keeps up with new music when it drops? I realize some Cumulus stations are worse than others, but if Q100, which is arguably their best CHR, can't hold a candle to your run-of-the-mill ClearChannel or CBS CHR, that is pretty bad. If Jan Jeffries is forced to tweak Q100, does that mean he will tweak in other markets? It seems the root of the problem is Jeffries is just too afraid to take any risks whatsoever. When you play it that safe, it makes for very boring radio, something CHR if done right should not be. I don't think he understands what the format should be and how its different than Hot AC.

Also, I don't think all Cumulus CHRs are rhythmic-leaning Hot ACs. Most are too poorly programmed to be that. My point was is Jeffries' philosophy concerning "playing it safe" is more fit for Hot AC than CHR. Cumulus does the Hot AC format very well in my opinion. My city has KYIS, which I think sounds as good now as it ever has

 

[The Outsider]

I just love that Cumulus's flagship CHR, Q100 in Atlanta, finally has REAL competition - I hope they beat them to a pulp and show how stupid their CHR approach is...

Cumulus CHRs are able to keep their ratings because a) either they are the only game in town or b) even though they bill as a CHR they fill the Hot AC niche and get those listeners. If all Cumulus CHR's would start reporting as Hot AC, many markets would probably see other stations flip to CHR to fill what is now seen as a void in the market.

That's not the case with many Cumulus stations. I'm not sure what the Hot AC is or if they have one in the Quad Cities, but I was just listening to KBEA last week and it sounded pretty decent, not a rhythmic-leaning Hot AC as you seem to think all Cumulus stations are. I do agree with Carolinaradio though, hopefully Cumulus will finally get their act together when WWPW is killing Q100 a few months from now. In Atlanta, they have a Hot AC, WSTR, so until recently, your interpretation held up, Bchristi. They had competition, but it was on two rimshot signals. That's not to say that there aren't some stations that sound like rhythmic-leaning Hot ACs, WBZN when it was owned by Cumulus was that way and I think still is. WZYP is no question a Hot AC, you do not have a no-rap policy on CHR! If a Hot AC station is playing a song that has gotten bigger on CHR than Hot AC and WZYP isn't playing it but certain Hot ACs are, then that station should really be reclassified as a Hot AC. However, to say that all Cumulus CHRs are rhythmic-leaning Hot ACs is simply not true what Hot AC plays Swimming Pools?

Cumulus does have a Hot AC in the Quad Cities, KQCS, Star 93.5. That station has been at the bottom of the market ratings for years, but that is mainly due to having a weak signal. The music is fine, but the signal is poor. But, the presence of that station allows KBEA to more like a mainstream CHR as the Hot AC niche is already filled. It seems like many of the Cumulus CHRs that get the most complaints on this board are the ones in southern markets.

 

[atlantaboy]

I just love that Cumulus's flagship CHR, Q100 in Atlanta, finally has REAL competition - I hope they beat them to a pulp and show how stupid their CHR approach is...

KRBE has a much bigger audience than Q100 - and it's definitively beat out CBS's more Rhythmic competition, as well as beat out the Hot AC in its market - I feel like that's the main reason Cumulus is sticking to its conservative approach

The real failure right now is CBS CHRs - their ratings range from moderate to flat-out dismal, they skip more hits than Cumulus does, and they're losing in every single market in which they have full-signal competition

 

[bobdavcav]

Atlantaboy, that's another very good point. What Jan needs to realize though is that what works in Houston does not work in Atlanta or even Dallas. Look at KHKS, they're rhythmic-leaning, and at the top of their market. Q100 sounds sort of medium-market, while KRBE sounds major-market, no wonder they are beating the competition. KHMX sounds like a station you'd have on in the background as you are going about your day, while KRBE actually draws the listener in. I haven't been able to ever get into any of the CBS CHRs.

 

[atlantaboy]

^Completely agree - only thing is...Q100 is Hot AC, no matter how you look at it - most rap doesn't get out of light-medium rotation, and neither does Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj, etc. - so I'm not sure it matters so much how Q100 is doing against Power 96.1, but more how it's doing against Star 94 - if Q100 drops significantly lower than Star, then I think they'll have to reconsider their game plan, and probably move to more of a KRBE model

I think it's ridiculous, though, how CBS is letting every single one of their CHRs lose to the competition (except for San Fran, where the competition is on a rimshot signal), and they just won't budge from their rhythmic-leaning approach

Cumulus may have a boring approach to CHR, but at least a majority of their stations are winning

 

[chrocket87]

Outside of KRBE, I can't think of a single Cumulus CHR that is winning. Q100 is doing well, but Power is already beating them and while I think Jan considers Star to be A rival, there's no way he's happy about CC removing them from the pop throne in Atlanta. Outside of Q and KRBE, the Cloud is really struggling in the CHR ratings. Just look at Dallas, Nashville, and Indy. Then again, I think another part of the problem for Cumulus is the same as CBS for CHR: For the most part, they're up against very well-established and almost legendary CC stations.

 

[atlantaboy]

Outside of KRBE, I can't think of a single Cumulus CHR that is winning.

KKOB/Albuquerque, KWYL/Reno, WHOT/Youngstown, KMCK/Fayetteville, KQHN/Shrevport

You're right though - a lot less than I thought...

 

[jason1589]

All I have to say is WOW! atlanta is finally lucky to have a great top40! I hope they destroy Q100!

WWPW-FM Atlanta (96.1 FM)
Top 40
Owner: Clear Channel CommunicationsPD: Rick Vaughn
lw: Feb 2 - Feb 8 TW: Feb 9 - Feb 15
lw TW Artist Title TW lw Move
1 1 SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA Don't You Worry Child 137 122 +15
3 2 CALVIN HARRIS Sweet Nothing f/Florence Welch 136 106 +30

 

[bluestar4]

Outside of KRBE, I can't think of a single Cumulus CHR that is winning.

KKOB/Albuquerque, KWYL/Reno, WHOT/Youngstown, KMCK/Fayetteville, KQHN/Shrevport

You're right though - a lot less than I thought...

Also, WNTQ/Syracuse, WJBQ/Portland, WPRO/Providence. All former Citadel stations in the Northeast. These are all a bit more unique than some Cumulus stations, but still suffer Jan Jeffries' block on new music.

 

[atlantaboy]

Outside of KRBE, I can't think of a single Cumulus CHR that is winning.

KKOB/Albuquerque, KWYL/Reno, WHOT/Youngstown, KMCK/Fayetteville, KQHN/Shrevport

You're right though - a lot less than I thought...

Also, WNTQ/Syracuse, WJBQ/Portland, WPRO/Providence. All former Citadel stations in the Northeast. These are all a bit more unique than some Cumulus stations, but still suffer Jan Jeffries' block on new music.

So that's 9 clearly successful stations - plus KQXY/Beaumont, KBEA/Quad Cities, WHHY/Montgomery, WWCK/Flint, WMGB/Macon, WZYP/Huntsville, WJIM/Lansing, WIOG/Saginaw, KHOP/Modesto, KSMB/Lafayette, KKMG/Colorado Springs...

If their "formula" is working in this many markets, I can see why they're sticking to it - it's clearly a formula based on their majority of small market stations, many of which don't have a Hot AC in that market

 

[bobdavcav]

If you're going to count KQXY you might as well count WQSM/Fayetteville. As for KKMG they are not under Jan's playlist restrictions, they are actually one of the most odd CHRs I've ever heard, playing some gold titles that other CHRs have long forgotten. I can't tell whether they're rhythmic-leaning or mainstream, but they sound quite edgy.

 

[marconis gallbladder]

Outside of KRBE, I can't think of a single Cumulus CHR that is winning.

KKOB/Albuquerque, KWYL/Reno, WHOT/Youngstown, KMCK/Fayetteville, KQHN/Shrevport

You're right though - a lot less than I thought...

Also, WNTQ/Syracuse, WJBQ/Portland, WPRO/Providence. All former Citadel stations in the Northeast. These are all a bit more unique than some Cumulus stations, but still suffer Jan Jeffries' block on new music.

So that's 9 clearly successful stations - plus KQXY/Beaumont, KBEA/Quad Cities, WHHY/Montgomery, WWCK/Flint, WMGB/Macon, WZYP/Huntsville, WJIM/Lansing, WIOG/Saginaw, KHOP/Modesto, KSMB/Lafayette, KKMG/Colorado Springs

KBEA got smoked by KUUL in it's first book.

Go ahead and add WBNQ/Bloomington, WZPW/Peoria, WZOK/Rockford, WSSX/Charleston, KLAL/Little Rock, WZNS/Fort Walton. There are probably others.

I'm not a fan of the Cumulus format either, but as long as the station is heritage or has even worse competition, the template seems to work.

 

[bobdavcav]

So how many CHRs does Cumulus have? I count 26 that are winning, though if you exclude KQXY and WQSM, which are both Hot ACs with a very CHR lean that I think should be moved to the CHR pannel, that's down to 24. How do WNUQ and KCDD do up against the competition? So far we have 26 stations winning including WQSM and KQXY, 5 stations losing (WZRR, KLIF-FM, WNFN, KKWD, and WWWQ), and 3 unknowns KCDD, KCHZ, and WNUQ. Are we missing any?

 

[atlantaboy]

^KCHZ/Kansas City, KSZR/Tucson, WHTS/Grand Rapids, WWKL/Harrisburg, WWWM/Toledo, WAOA/Melbourne, and WBHT/Wilkes-Barre are all definitely losing - the first three are losing badly

I still wouldn't count WWWQ as losing until the post-holiday ratings come out

I'm only counting 7 Cumulus CHRs that are winning against competing CHR/Pop stations in their market (KRBE, WNTQ, WHOT, KKOB, KWYL, KMCK, KQHN) - there are a lot of others that are near the top of their market, but have no direct competition

 

[bluestar4]

Yeah, WBHT/Wilkes Barre is also losing badly to Entercom competitor WKRZ.
The only other Cumulus top 40 station left in the northeast since the sale of WWYL/Binghamton, WMME/Augusta and WFHN/New Bedford to Townsquare Media is WQGN/Groton in Connecticut, which doesn't have any competition.

 

[only1moore]

Go ahead and add WBNQ/Bloomington, WZPW/Peoria, WZOK/Rockford, WSSX/Charleston, KLAL/Little Rock, WZNS/Fort Walton. There are probably others.

Actually, WZPW/Peoria is straight-up Rhythmic and does well ratings wise, but I have noticed Power 92.3 adding more Rhythmic Pop tracks after Cumulus took over the Peoria cluster from Townsquare, so something must be up.