Goodbye "Atlanta's Best Variety of Soft Rock"

[jal41]

Pigs are flying once again over the Atlanta area. B98.5 has made another change in their change-fest of changes. They have finally abandoned their longtime tagline of "Atlanta's Best Variety of Soft Rock", and are now using the tagline "Your favorites from the 80's, 90's, and now". I guess they finally recognized that a lot of what they have been playing the past few years is not "Soft Rock".

What else is left for B98.5 to change...their logo? Will it help them overtake Star 94 and Q100?

 

[rho01]

The station until very recently had been playing a few cuts from the 1970s (about 2%) but has now cut out anything from before 1980. Yesterday, the station played only one song pre-1980 and that was during Delilah. On April 25, 2011, according to Mediabase 24/7, 6.4% of B98.5's songs were pre-1980. By yesterday, it was effectively 0.4%.

On April 25, the % of songs played from 2008-2010 was 15.5%. Yesterday, it was up to 25%.

 

[thefirstgenesis]

Soft rock music left the airwaves in Atlanta when 94.9 Lite FM flipped in 2006. The stuff that 98.5 played from 2006 until recently isn't really what you call "pure" soft rock nor was it variety. Although there were very good songs from the 70's that were played in AC stations even today, times are changing where even now, some 80's music is considered an "oldie." Ten years from now, 70's music will be approaching 50 years old while 80's music will be defined as "oldies music." To be "in line with the times," B98.5 is a reflection in a way that they eliminate all the 70's songs from their playlist and started playing more currents.

 

[gregg75]

What they were doing was fine and made good sense back in 1992, but now almost
20 YEARS LATER........ change is overdue.

Now, how about changing VOTED THE #1 STATION TO LISTEN TO WHILE AT WORK.
Polls are closed.

 

[jabba17]

I guess B98.5 is trying to define their niche among AGH, Dave, and Star. B98.5 may be trying to divvy up musical territory with AGH (leaving them the 70s and keeping the 80s), keep Star at bay by freshening the playlist, maybe pick up some Dave listeners, all while hanging onto their 80s core.

 

[Jay F]

Soft rock music left the airwaves in Atlanta when 94.9 Lite FM flipped in 2006. The stuff that 98.5 played from 2006 until recently isn't really what you call "pure" soft rock nor was it variety. Although there were very good songs from the 70's that were played in AC stations even today, times are changing where even now, some 80's music is considered an "oldie." Ten years from now, 70's music will be approaching 50 years old while 80's music will be defined as "oldies music." To be "in line with the times," B98.5 is a reflection in a way that they eliminate all the 70's songs from their playlist and started playing more currents.

It seems many of the nations most successful ACs still do play 70s. I was looking at #1 rated KODA/Houston. They play around 3 70s songs per hour.

 

[buddysomeday]

Pigs are flying once again over the Atlanta area. B98.5 has made another change in their change-fest of changes. They have finally abandoned their longtime tagline of "Atlanta's Best Variety of Soft Rock", and are now using the tagline "Your favorites from the 80's, 90's, and now". I guess they finally recognized that a lot of what they have been playing the past few years is not "Soft Rock".

What else is left for B98.5 to change...their logo? Will it help them overtake Star 94 and Q100?

What format hole are they trying to fill or they just creating one?

 

[gregg75]

Looks like they have Star and Q-100 pulling on one arm and 106.7 pulling on the
other..........somethings gotta give. At least WSB now sees what is happening.

 

[thefirstgenesis]

Soft rock music left the airwaves in Atlanta when 94.9 Lite FM flipped in 2006. The stuff that 98.5 played from 2006 until recently isn't really what you call "pure" soft rock nor was it variety. Although there were very good songs from the 70's that were played in AC stations even today, times are changing where even now, some 80's music is considered an "oldie." Ten years from now, 70's music will be approaching 50 years old while 80's music will be defined as "oldies music." To be "in line with the times," B98.5 is a reflection in a way that they eliminate all the 70's songs from their playlist and started playing more currents.

It seems many of the nations most successful ACs still do play 70s. I was looking at #1 rated KODA/Houston. They play around 3 70s songs per hour.

Surprisingly enough, the #1 rated KODA in Houston is owned by Clear Channel. And I did look at their playlist, which was a pretty good mix of currents, 80's music and like you said some 70's hits. The problem is that we don't something like that here in the ATL.

 

[Jay F]

Soft rock music left the airwaves in Atlanta when 94.9 Lite FM flipped in 2006. The stuff that 98.5 played from 2006 until recently isn't really what you call "pure" soft rock nor was it variety. Although there were very good songs from the 70's that were played in AC stations even today, times are changing where even now, some 80's music is considered an "oldie." Ten years from now, 70's music will be approaching 50 years old while 80's music will be defined as "oldies music." To be "in line with the times," B98.5 is a reflection in a way that they eliminate all the 70's songs from their playlist and started playing more currents.

It seems many of the nations most successful ACs still do play 70s. I was looking at #1 rated KODA/Houston. They play around 3 70s songs per hour.

Surprisingly enough, the #1 rated KODA in Houston is owned by Clear Channel. And I did look at their playlist, which was a pretty good mix of currents, 80's music and like you said some 70's hits. The problem is that we don't something like that here in the ATL.

What woud happen to B98.5 if a well programmed mainstream AC like KODA did come on in Atlanta? I realize B has heritage which would protect them to some degree. But what would they stand for? They would be vulnerable. If they are currently only #10 25-54 being the only AC they would obviously fall out of the top 10 with competition. Since weekends are their best daypart they might be forced to shift to some type of 80s format fulltime.

 

[Nyte Ryder]

Six months ago B98.5 was considered bulletproof inside and outside Cox. Star came along doing a good solid Hot AC presentation and while they certainly haven't upended B, they have caused it significant damage.

The Adult 25-54 demo is a little misleading because it involves Men. Star, Q, B, Wild, Fish and others are all about Women 25-54.

Star has judo flipped B and made it a mid-pack station. Star has also impacted Fish. They haven't destroyed it and B is still the #1 cume in Atlanta. Which means B could come back if it starts

B is doing some significant moves to see if it can change the dynamic. B has lost most of it's audience in AM and PM Drive. Delilah has turned ugly for them. Middays continue to look okay.

2011 is going to be fun battle to watch. An AC war in Atlanta!

 

[DToTheJ]

Soft rock music left the airwaves in Atlanta when 94.9 Lite FM flipped in 2006. The stuff that 98.5 played from 2006 until recently isn't really what you call "pure" soft rock nor was it variety. Although there were very good songs from the 70's that were played in AC stations even today, times are changing where even now, some 80's music is considered an "oldie..."

Remember when the "Mix" name was mundane on music radio stations? Not much of that in most places, either...

That said, with this move, I believe there's only one "soft rock" station left, and it's in New London, CT - a sub-200 market. As it should be.

 

[atlantaboy]

I think it's a good move (the soft rock thing clearly wasn't working), but now they've got "Soft Rock" D. J.'s with an 80s/90s/today tagline, and IMO it sounds strange - if they're gonna be more upbeat/current, they've gotta make some personnel changes IMO

 

[danikayser84]

Wonder if "soft rock" is another one of those taglines that'll be disappearing in the near future, along with "oldies" (for 60s/70s stations) and "smooth jazz" (format disappearing almost completely to boot), actually...

 

[Jay F]

Wonder if "soft rock" is another one of those taglines that'll be disappearing in the near future, along with "oldies" (for 60s/70s stations) and "smooth jazz" (format disappearing almost completely to boot), actually...

"Oldies" has made a comeback recently. Clear Channel in particular has re-branded several of their classic hits stations as "Oldies". It's a clear position, simple to understand.

 

[DToTheJ]

The "Oldies" station in Portland, OR just surged to No. 1 in the latest PPM.

Of course, that's just Portland, OR.

 

[jabba17]

Wonder if "soft rock" is another one of those taglines that'll be disappearing in the near future, along with "oldies" (for 60s/70s stations) and "smooth jazz" (format disappearing almost completely to boot), actually...

As has been discussed many times on this board, and much to the chagrin of GoodTimesAndGreatOldies, the definition of "oldies" has moved forward in time. 60s tunes are being removed from the playlist, 70s are core, and increasingly 80s are being added. The same thing has happened with classic rock stations, with psychedelia giving way to hair.

In ATL, when True Oldies changed to Atlanta's Greatest Hits, most of the 60s went away and 80s got added. They then backtracked a little, not so much to please the "good time oldies" baby-boomer fans but to differentiate themselves from B98.5, which has had a stranglehold on the 80s.

As I have said before, while a lot of people are put off by 80s music being called (and played as) "oldies", but we're talking about 20-30 year old music--the same age as 60s tunes were in the 90s. Time marches on.

 

[Jay F]

Wonder if "soft rock" is another one of those taglines that'll be disappearing in the near future, along with "oldies" (for 60s/70s stations) and "smooth jazz" (format disappearing almost completely to boot), actually...

As has been discussed many times on this board, and much to the chagrin of GoodTimesAndGreatOldies, the definition of "oldies" has moved forward in time. 60s tunes are being removed from the playlist, 70s are core, and increasingly 80s are being added. The same thing has happened with classic rock stations, with psychedelia giving way to hair.

In ATL, when True Oldies changed to Atlanta's Greatest Hits, most of the 60s went away and 80s got added. They then backtracked a little, not so much to please the "good time oldies" baby-boomer fans but to differentiate themselves from B98.5, which has had a stranglehold on the 80s.

As I have said before, while a lot of people are put off by 80s music being called (and played as) "oldies", but we're talking about 20-30 year old music--the same age as 60s tunes were in the 90s. Time marches on.

I generally agree. But one difference is that 20-30 years ago 60s music was pretty much exclusive to oldies stations. Plus the music was well rested at the time and sounded fresh. Today 80s music can be heard on several stations in each market, plus many of the songs have never stopped being played from the time they were currents.

 

[gamefreak]

Soft rock music left the airwaves in Atlanta when 94.9 Lite FM flipped in 2006. The stuff that 98.5 played from 2006 until recently isn't really what you call "pure" soft rock nor was it variety. Although there were very good songs from the 70's that were played in AC stations even today, times are changing where even now, some 80's music is considered an "oldie..."

Remember when the "Mix" name was mundane on music radio stations? Not much of that in most places, either...

That said, with this move, I believe there's only one "soft rock" station left, and it's in New London, CT - a sub-200 market. As it should be.

What about 98-9 WMMO in Orlando, Fl The tagline is "Soft Rock N Roll of yesterday and Today." Like B 98-5 is owned by Cox. MMO however is more of a Rock AC.