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Future of AC Music

E

e-dawg

First it was KBEZ 92.9 in Tulsa, OK, then LITE 96 in Calgary shifted to HOT-AC, and last 104.9 EZ ROCK in Edmonton flipped to HOT AC Virgin 104.9 FM. Is Adult Contemporary music format dying?
 
Given the success of stations like Lite FM (NY) and B 101 Philly (to cite just two examples), no.
 
I wouldn't say the format is dying; it's just evolving. The adults of 2011 have different tastes in music than they did, say, in the 1980s or 1990s. The AC format in the '80s and '90s (even into the early '00s) was dominated by sappy love songs (ballads). Adults nowadays don't want to hear that stuff. Instead, they want music that's more upbeat. That's why AC is starting to sound more and more like Hot AC these days. The lines are definitely blurring.

If anything, it seems like Hot AC is a dying format because Hot ACs are sounding way too much like CHRs that they might as well be CHRs. Not many stations that bill themselves as Hot AC truly play a good mix of music from the '90s, '00s, and now.
 
new_friends_gr said:
I wouldn't say the format is dying; it's just evolving. The adults of 2011 have different tastes in music than they did, say, in the 1980s or 1990s. The AC format in the '80s and '90s (even into the early '00s) was dominated by sappy love songs (ballads). Adults nowadays don't want to hear that stuff. Instead, they want music that's more upbeat. That's why AC is starting to sound more and more like Hot AC these days. The lines are definitely blurring.

If anything, it seems like Hot AC is a dying format because Hot ACs are sounding way too much like CHRs that they might as well be CHRs. Not many stations that bill themselves as Hot AC truly play a good mix of music from the '90s, '00s, and now.
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Agreed. Hot AC is the one that is dying. Those stations seem to be evolving in to "Adult Top 40" (otherwise known as 'today's hits without the rap') or just CHR. The 80s are getting too old for the format (80s, 90s, and now doesn't really sound right anymore) and 90s just didn't have much decent music with staying power.

I still don't know why WNIC in Detroit dropped the AC format. Baffling.
 
Hot ACs are evolving into Top 40 to take advantage of the "hole in the market" left by CHRs moving towards Rhythmic - I definitely don't think it's the format "dying", it's more like PDs becoming opportunistic (and succeeding)

I also think it's pretty rare for AC stations to be flipping to Hot AC- I know of a couple that just went the other direction (Hot AC to mainstream AC)
 
Hot ACs used to use that tagline about 10 years ago. Now, they incorporate Hip-Hop into the mixture. They also used to say, "no hard rock". I don't think they even say that on the Soft Rock stations anymore!
 
carolinaradio said:
I still don't know why WNIC in Detroit dropped the AC format. Baffling.
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I wonder if WMGC will do better in the ratings now? But some songs on their playlist shouldn't be their like Lady Gaga and some others.
 
atlantaboy said:
Hot ACs are evolving into Top 40 to take advantage of the "hole in the market" left by CHRs moving towards Rhythmic - I definitely don't think it's the format "dying", it's more like PDs becoming opportunistic (and succeeding)
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But... Top 40 and CHR are the same thing. Hot ACs are evolving into more of a CHR sound. CHR generally comprises three genres of music: pop (bubble-gum or otherwise), rock, and rhythmic. Because rhythmic/dance music seems to be quite popular these days, it makes perfect sense that CHR (and Hot AC by default) would be leaning a bit heavier on rhythmic product. It also stands to reason that, if the lines are blurring between AC and Hot AC that it makes sense that AC would have a few rhythmic tracks thrown in once in a while.

atlantaboy said:
I also think it's pretty rare for AC stations to be flipping to Hot AC- I know of a couple that just went the other direction (Hot AC to mainstream AC)
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In Michigan, I know of at least two stations that have recently flipped from Mainstream AC to Hot AC: WLHT in Grand Rapids and WNIC in Detroit.
 
Ken said:
carolinaradio said:
I still don't know why WNIC in Detroit dropped the AC format. Baffling.
Click to expand...

I wonder if WMGC will do better in the ratings now? But some songs on their playlist shouldn't be their like Lady Gaga and some others.
Click to expand...

Well Ken. I can tell you 40 year old women are into Gaga very much so. So, I disagree. Gaga has her place.
 
I was just making that statement as her music isn't really for the AC format, more for the Hot AC format. I don't see many AC stations playing Gaga.
 
I'm surprised GaGa hasn't had at least a top-8 AC hit yet. Her most AC-friendly songs, "Paparazzi" and "Alejandro" did not peak very high and no one plays those anymore.
 
I think it depends on the song - a lot of GaGa stuff sounds like Madonna (including Born This Way), so to me it's fine for mainstream AC

Telephone and Bad Romance probably not as much though
 
93.3 WLZT in Columbus, OH dropped the AC format for classic hits today as Oldies 93.3.

WLZT had been a softer sounding AC, but I think it was a smart switch. WSNY rules the AC roost in that market.
 
Why don't any stations try to do what WMMO in Orlando has been doing for a LONG time? Basically a musically hipper (at least sometimes) version of AC.
 
In York, PA Cumulus has abandoned a nearly 30 year old AC WARM for a Hot AC WINK station. It's about evolving the age of the station younger. Mainstream success stories like B 101 in Philly, Lite 1067 in NYC continue to be successful because they evolve their music as a new audience grows into the station.

It's fair to say that what was once Mainstream AC music can be found:
1. On Greatest Hits stations like WOGL, CBS-FM
2. The Dial Global service that Chit Watkins programs
3. The very soft WDUV type station. But a Dove will only work in areas with a whole bunch of retirees.
 
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