First Thoughts On 1033 Amp Radio

[Uncle Kaimbridge]

Why “Amp”?
Given that it is 101% throwaway electro-pop dance——none of which will ever be remembered in the anals ;D of “rock & roll history”, nevermind even remotely qualify for any “hall of fame” (LOL!)——why not label it more directly descriptive, like “Nightclub 103.3” or “Dancefloor 103.3”?

 

[Lightning]

Electronic music is more popular than you think. Each to its own... Every major college campus around the area has hosted either Avicii, David Guetta, Rusko and all the other EDM acts at least once this spring. It may be throwaway.... but that can be said for any of the pop music that was out in the last 20 years.

Europe has been listening to "dance pop" since the disco era. It is still very popular today. With YouTube and the wide availability of the Internet, most of this europop/dance finally made it across the pond.

I think that AMP will need to veer itself away form Kiss by not playing non-dance acts and be a little more "exploratory" with the playlist. At the moment they are playing the same crap that WXKS/WJMN plays. What's the point? I can hear Rihanna's Where Have You Been every hour and 15 mins on 3 stations now. Having mixshows and guest DJs will sure make AMP much more listenable.

 

[HHH]

Why “Amp”?
Given that it is 101% throwaway electro-pop dance——none of which will ever be remembered in the anals ;D of “rock & roll history”, nevermind even remotely qualify for any “hall of fame” (LOL!)——why not label it more directly descriptive, like “Nightclub 103.3” or “Dancefloor 103.3”?

With all due respect, you sound like my dad.

How old are you? If you are over 35, you are just saying what most generations tend to say about the next generation's music.

 

[Marckd]

This station is definately rhythmic and not mainstream. But the logic in rhythmic? WBMX is LIKE a mainstream CHR leaning rock...yes they are actually Hot AC but they lean pop alternative. So a mainsteram CHR would harm WBMX. the stations still need to protect each other. Still why does boston need a Rhythmic CHR? WJMN is close enough to one though they are more of a Young R & B format.

 

[Uncle Kaimbridge]

Why “Amp”?
Given that it is 101% throwaway electro-pop dance——none of which will ever be remembered in the anals ;D of “rock & roll history”, nevermind even remotely qualify for any “hall of fame” (LOL!)——why not label it more directly descriptive, like “Nightclub 103.3” or “Dancefloor 103.3”?

With all due respect, you sound like my dad.

How old are you? If you are over 35, you are just saying what most generations tend to say about the next generation's music.

Absolutely (46)!

How much of the 30-40 yr. old “pop” (I’m avoiding the term “rock” since it didn’t really get going 'til 55-56ish) was on MOR (the then mainstream AC) radio in 1980?
Little to nil! It was mostly British Invasion+.
Now fast forward to 2012 and you still hear a lot of 70s and even some 60s stuff on the mainstream MOR/ACs that is not specifically oldies/“Jack”/variety (e.g., WMJX, WPLM, WHOM), as well as on non-strictly new/alternative AOR (e.g., WHJY, WGIR, WAAF), not to mention as background music in commercials(!).
Do you think any of the pap (yes, pap) being put out today will be in such a position in even 2032 (heh, even 2022?)?

...Whoops, I just remembered, I got to go take my One-A-Day vitamin!

...Hey! Get off my lawn!! Go play on your own damn grass!

Now excuse me, while I go take my Phillip’s M-O and go lay down... ;D

 

[raccoonradio]

Why as an oldtimer I object to the absence of good old electronic music like Kraftwerk...
Devo...Heaven 17...Depeche Mode...Gary Numan...those...were...the...days!!!!

 

[chrocket87]

If the 60s pop music was so memorable, how come Classic Hits stations are dropping these tunes like flies?

 

[nd2023]

If you want a preview of what Amp will sound like in a few months, listen to 92.3 Now from New York

 

[pqgeorge]

Well, to each his (or her) own. It's not my cup of tea, And I'll leave it at that. For the brief time that I sampled it, "AMP/103.3" has some issues with their processing. The heavy bass notes in the program material causes the AGC to pull everything else on the spectrum down several dB. It's too crunched for the material they are playing. It's pumping too much. I'm familiar with Electronic Dance Music (techno, RPM...... whatever). Provide a little "breathing room" so that the rest of the spectrum is not ramped down so much. It sounds like they're using a few EXTRA "boxes". Oh well. Bon chance! Back to my regularly scheduled program.......

 

[carmen]

complaining about compression-pumping in dance music, lol. it's driven to a limit on purpose. i'm all for dynamic range myself. but you're not going to find it there

 

[pqgeorge]

complaining about compression-pumping in dance music, lol. it's driven to a limit on purpose. i'm all for dynamic range myself. but you're not going to find it there

Hey, I'm all for putting "excitement" into the music. That's what they are trying to do, no doubt with this format. But on some of the tunes, some of the bass notes really ramped down the rest of the spectrum, too much to where the rest if it sounded like it was "in the mud". I'm not expecting this to be an audiophile station. Hardly. Listener fatigue, definite possibility. Like I said, it's just my opinion.... take it or leave it. In terms of AMP 103.3...... I'll leave it. I wish them luck. But in a market which already has 2 well established CHR's, I don't think this will take a big chunk out of 'JAMN or KISS.

 

[nd2023]

I predict it'll do worse than the oldies format.

 

[raccoonradio]

The new, or the old, 103.3 gets product placement in the new movie Ted. They show a Norah Jones concert at the Hatch Shell and signs say "Budweiser Concert Series-- 103.3 WODS-FM". Of course Bud def. had a product placement deal, shows up in entire movie

 

[Smoke]

I predict it'll do worse than the oldies format.

Are you talking 6+ ratings, or bookings? One is vanity, the other goes in the bank.

 

[HHH]

I predict it'll do worse than the oldies format.

Are you talking 6+ ratings, or bookings? One is vanity, the other goes in the bank.

You can be #1 6+ and if your audience is primarily over 50 years of age, you are changing format.

Period.

 

[raccoonradio]

"They said that they liked 'the Young Sound', when they let me go..."--Harry Chapin, WOLD
[If you can remember that song, you're no spring chicken...]

Yes there are many middle aged and older folks (am 50 myself) out there but when it comes to
advertisers, etc... well...
>>You can be #1 6+ and if your audience is primarily over 50 years of age, you are changing format.

Sad. True. As I pointed out one of the songs WODS played the day before the flip was a Beatles song that came out 48 years ago. While some of their stuff was a bit more recent, what does that tell you. It's all a matter of opinion how the Minajes, LMFAOs, and Katy Perrys rack up against Beatles, Stones, Elton, or Springsteen, but they're going for a bit of a younger crowd here.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah... (OK so that's She Loves You not I Wanna Hold Your Hand
but ya get the idea!)

 

[JustinT]

You can be #1 6+ and if your audience is primarily over 50 years of age, you are changing format.

Period.

And it happened just a few years ago… adult standards 104.3 KJUL, in Las Vegas.

 

[necrat123]

well on my hd radio instead of call letters all i see is amp 103.3 might be a way of telling me its called amp but i thought call letters were supposed to be in there???

There's no requirement for call letters to be displayed. Slogans and other positioners are perfectly legal.

This should be a requirement for the station id field, however. The FCC should start requiring it.
As much as I hate more regulation.

 

[Signpost]

When you see a young person blasting music out of their car, chances are they're not blasting the radio.

20 years ago, it was almost always the radio.

Abandoning loyal older listeners to go after younger ones: younger ones didn't grow up listening to radio. They had iPods instead. 45 year old soccer Moms are way more lucrative advertising targets than 20 year olds who still have to borrow money from their parents. And this is where AMP can't touch Kiss 108/Jam'n: they have older listeners AND younger listeners.

 

[reelyreal]

When you see a young person blasting music out of their car, chances are they're not blasting the radio.

20 years ago, it was almost always the radio.

Abandoning loyal older listeners to go after younger ones: younger ones didn't grow up listening to radio. They had iPods instead. 45 year old soccer Moms are way more lucrative advertising targets than 20 year olds who still have to borrow money from their parents. And this is where AMP can't touch Kiss 108/Jam'n: they have older listeners AND younger listeners.

Every time I hear the "young people don't listen to the radio" statement, I want to invite all of you into the studio of my CHR here in New England, and work my phones for a shift.

Trust me, young people still listen to CHR. I'm talking 12-18 and beyond.