Flips to CHR and From CHR

[XCountry285]

How come so many CHR's are flipping to other formats? And How come no stations are flipping to CHR?

 

[CHRles]

Care to elaborate on that? Like which stations have recently left the format?

 

[the golden boy]

WKXJ Chattanooga recently left CHR, leaving the city with no CHR stations.

 

[XCountry285]

Actually I would yes, Which stations have recently left the format? And Which stations have recently joined the format? As of the past 2 years. 2006 & 2007.

 

[DaytonRadio]

WBVD in Melbourne, FL recently flipped to CHR from CHR/Rythmic

 

[CHRles]

And in Chattanooga there's talk of bringing CHR back on a much bigger signal

 

[RonRoberts]

Who's gonna do it, Les? I kinda thought Citadel's under-performing country (WOGT, is it?) might be a prime candidate.

 

[XCountry285]

I know that we gained:
WSJQ-Q 107-in Cape May,NJ
WHIB-B 92 Charleston
WHTS-Grand Rapids,MI
WHHD-Augusta,GA

We lost:
KLRS-California
CKZZ-Vancouver
WHTS- (All Hit 98.9)-Quad Cities,IA
KFMD-Kiss 95.7 Denver
106.7 I don't know the calls in San Antonio, TX
98 YCR-PA
WBBO-Ocean Acres,NJ

 

[CHRles]

Ummm no offense but most of those losses and gains didn't exactly occur in the past year. Furthermore, Z-95.3 is a Canadian CHR and the Vancouver market is well served by 94.5 The Beat.

 

[XCountry285]

The point I'm getting across is why are CHR's always flipping to other formats? I feel that it's unfair. There are too many stations that have been flipping to Jack FM type stations. Not just this format but Rock Stations, Some Hip Hop stations and country and oldies stations have been flipping. We need help on keeping and gaining CHRs.

 

[CHRles]

I finally get what you're saying and I completely agree with you!
Too many stations jumped on the Jack FM bandwagon, or worst the Free FM bandwagon. Also, a bunch of stations jumped on the Movin/Rhythmic AC bandwagon last year without doing their homework. The previous year too many stations jumped on the Reggaton/Latin Urban bandwagon.
It's sad that no one has the balls to bring a true CHR back to San Francisco, Baltimore, Denver, Vegas, and Norfolk. I mean the CHRs that were there were definitely not struggling as much in the ratings as many of these format of the day formats do. Z-95.7 and its Top 40 format gave the 95.7 FM frequency some of its best numbers. 95.7 Kiss FM Denver performed way better as a CHR then it did after it flilpped to Reggaton, or its current Rhythmic AC format. I don't remember B-102.7 doing too bad in Baltimore, or 101.9 Kiss in Vegas. These stations just needed to make some ADJUSTMENTS to their stations, or be given more time to succeed. Look at 103.5 Kiss FM Chicago - it's doing pretty well b/c it was given enough time, was finally given a local morning show, and was given the right PD (the legendary Rick Gilette who used to prgram Power 96 WHYT in Detroit back in the 80s).
San Francisco's CHR was owned by Bonneville, which perhaps is too conservative of a company to do CHR. They also had Z-104 in Washington. When Z-104 left the DC airwaves you had Hot 99.5 come in, and look how well its doing. Again, they have the right people in place Hot 99.5 and Hot 99.5 is a very balanced musically for a major market, in a market where people thought only a Rhythmic CHR would work.
In Norfolk Z-104.5 did well both as a CHR/Pop and a Rhythmic CHR in the 90s (it constantly flipped back & forth throughout much of the decade), but since it's settled on its Rhythmic sound the only CHRs to come and challenge it were on weak signals.

The good news is that Rhythmic outlets like Wild 94.9 San Francisco and 98.5 KLUC Vegas have been moving a bit more towards CHR/Pop lately. Rhythmic CHR fans have other stations in that market outperforming these stations.
http://www.mediabase.com/mmrweb/AllAccess/Stations.asp?c_let=KYLD-FM
http://www.mediabase.com/mmrweb/AllAccess/stations.asp?c_let=KLUC-FM

The most Pop leaning of the Rhythmic stations though is Jamz 96.3 in Albany, despite the fact that there are already TWO other CHR/Pop stations in the market:
http://www.mediabase.com/mmrweb/AllAccess/Stations.asp?c_let=WAJZ-FM
http://www.mediabase.com/mmrweb/AllAccess/Stations.asp?c_let=WFLY-FM
http://www.mediabase.com/mmrweb/AllAccess/Stations.asp?c_let=WKKF-FM

There's also some Hot ACs moving towards CHR. Q-102 Cincinnati has been straddling the line between Hot AC and CHR for years (same way B-100 San Diego used to do in the 80s). Now there are other stations with a similar sound. In California's Oxnard-Ventura market KFYV Live 105 could be classified as Adult Leaning CHR/Pop. It's the closest thing to a pure CHR that this market has seen in decades:
http://www.mediabase.com/mmrweb/AllAccess/stations.asp?c_let=KFYV-FM

Compare that with Cincy's Q-102
http://www.mediabase.com/mmrweb/AllAccess/stations.asp?c_let=WKRQ-FM

95.1 WAYV Atlantic City, which was a CHR in the 90s, is a Hot AC that has been shedding off its 80s library, and adding more Rhythmic hits instead. The few 80s titles it still plays are usually Hard rock hits like Guns N Roses "Sweet Child O Mine", Bon Jovi's "You Give Love A Bad Name", and Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar On Me", records that still have some youth appeal.
http://www.mediabase.com/mmrweb/AllAccess/stations.asp?c_let=WAYV-FM

Some Hot A/Cs seem to be experimenting with CHR at night, like Q-98 in Fayetteville, North Carolina
http://www.mediabase.com/mmrweb/AllAccess/stations.asp?c_let=WQSM-FM

I think it's getting a little easier to evolve towards CHR/Pop right now with recent hits from Maroon 5, Fergie, or the new one from Rhianna (Shut Up And Drive) having a very pure pop sound that fuses Rhythm, Pop, and Rock.

 

[spongebag7890]

The point I'm getting across is why are CHR's always flipping to other formats? I feel that it's unfair. There are too many stations that have been flipping to Jack FM type stations. Not just this format but Rock Stations, Some Hip Hop stations and country and oldies stations have been flipping. We need help on keeping and gaining CHRs.

They get poor ratings, or they don't make money. Usually something on that line.

 

[spongebag7890]

I finally get what you're saying and I completely agree with you!
Too many stations jumped on the Jack FM bandwagon, or worst the Free FM bandwagon. Also, a bunch of stations jumped on the Movin/Rhythmic AC bandwagon last year without doing their homework.

And all of those Free FM stations exploded and did plain terrible.

 

[spongebag7890]

The good news is that Rhythmic outlets like Wild 94.9 San Francisco and 98.5 KLUC Vegas have been moving a bit more towards CHR/Pop lately. Rhythmic CHR fans have other stations in that market outperforming these stations.
http://www.mediabase.com/mmrweb/AllAccess/Stations.asp?c_let=KYLD-FM
http://www.mediabase.com/mmrweb/AllAccess/stations.asp?c_let=KLUC-FM

KLUC lists as a Top 40--though its sound is almost straight Rhythmic. They have added a few Top 40 tracks in rotation though.

 

[the golden boy]

You may also need to factor the amount of revenue the CHRs were pulling in. If they're not selling, then there isn't much you can do to justify keeping it on.