When top 40 stations started loading up on rhythmic music in the very late eighties, they started blowing off millions of adults, and especially the 'soccer moms' out there, who could easily listen to the local top 40 station with their kids, resulting in routine double-digit ratings from coast to coast.
KIIS/Los Angeles started that disastrous trend of overreacting after Emmis launched KPWR (Power 106) in 1986, and it soared to #1 in less than a year, thereby creating the playbook on 'How to demolish a heritage top 40 powerhouse'.
That episode was repeated in dozens of markets, with San Antonio & Indianapolis among the most noteworthy instances, which is why the top 40 reporting panels at R&R lost over 60 reporters between 1988 and 1998, and has lost over 100 reporters since 'We Are The World' was #1 24 years ago this week when the CHR/Pop panel had 235 reporters.
Hot AC should be the best sounding format out there right now, certainly as mass-appeal friendly as top 40 was during its glory days throughout most of the eighties before it started playing vulgarity loaded rap music and adults and kids deserted the format in droves.
But that dreaded disease known as 'clusterization' has prevented tons of Hot ACs from having beefier ratings, since a properly programmed station would definitely take a chunk of listeners from top 40, country, rock, alternative, AC and other formats, and today's corporate behemoths can't tolerate that; there's simply too much 'defensive' programming out there as opposed to really going after another station in your market, and particularly one in your cluster.
The country battle between WSOC and WKKT will get lots more interesting starting this Monday (April 13th), as former KKGO/Los Angeles PM drive star and recent 93.3 The Wolf (WWFF/Huntsville) morning drive personality Todd Baker takes over afternoon drive on 'The Kat'; he's hilarious, and you're going to enjoy him a lot if country is your thing.
