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Goodbye K-LUV, Hello The Spot (98.7)

rosecitymedia said:
The playlist is most definitely changing. Heard Collective Soul this morning, just before 10. I don't remember a time when KLUV ever played a title from them. Other eyebrow raising notes: The Verve -Bittersweet Symphony, Green Day - Good Riddance, Chumbawamba - Tubthumping, and 4 Non Blondes - What's Up?

This isn't the KLUV of old. Starting to sound rather similar to Houston's version. If I hear Enter Sandman on 98.7, you'll be reading an online news article out of Tyler about a one vehicle accident in which the driver veered sharply off of the road and into a ditch.
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Audacy has made it work in LA with KCBS and KRTH, although I would have to look in to the playlists of both to see how much overlap there is.

I’ve always thought KKHH in Houston was pretty overrated. It’s not a particularly good adult hits or classic hits station. It fills a void in the market so it does well, but not exactly what I consider good radio. KJKK’s presentation and music is much better IMO - it was among the first of the “Jack FM” stations in the country, launching almost 20 years ago!
 
TexasTom said:
That's probably true, since the K-Luv name is pretty established, since the station has identified as either K-L-U-V or K-Love since 1984.
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IIRC 98.7 went by “Love 99” following the flip from KNUS. That was when the call was KLVU.
TexasTom said:
Someone made a similar comment in the "Mix 102.9/Now FM" discussion thread, noting that they'd never quit calling the station "Mix".
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Anyone still calling a station a name that hasn’t been used in many, many years has probably aged out of that station’s target demographic.
 
101tm said:
I’ve always thought KKHH in Houston was pretty overrated. It’s not a particularly good adult hits or classic hits station. It fills a void in the market so it does well, but not exactly what I consider good radio.
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KKHH fills a big market void, as Houston lacks a Classic Hits station such as KLUV was. It is also a “de-soccermom-ized” version of Sunny 99.1 here (no pop recurrents such as Taylor Swift, etc. etc. etc.)

I liked 95.7 The Spot for its first few years, but the format has become really, really stale.
101tm said:
KJKK’s presentation and music is much better IMO - it was among the first of the “Jack FM” stations in the country, launching almost 20 years ago!
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I enjoy listening to KJKK when in the Metroplex. Much fresher overall sound with lots of tunes that haven’t been burnt to a crisp. Wish we had that in Houston (well, we once did, but on a rimshot that never got much traction.)

Bob-FM in Austin (KBPA) is a good example of what a Variety Hits format should sound like, and it’s success over the past 20 years backs that up.
 
101tm said:
Audacy has made it work in LA with KCBS and KRTH, although I would have to look in to the playlists of both to see how much overlap there is.

I’ve always thought KKHH in Houston was pretty overrated. It’s not a particularly good adult hits or classic hits station. It fills a void in the market so it does well, but not exactly what I consider good radio. KJKK’s presentation and music is much better IMO - it was among the first of the “Jack FM” stations in the country, launching almost 20 years ago!
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Your point about KKHH not being that good of an Adult Hits or Classic Hits station has certainly been true since the adjustments made to the playlist around the end of 2021. Its playlist is too short to make a good Adult Hits station (it feels like they've had the same 300-350 songs or so in regular rotation for the past years and a half, though I don't have the data to confirm my gut feeling), not to mention that they still don't play much from 2000 onward and lack certain '70s and '80s rock songs that separate Adult Hits/Classic Rock from Classic Hits. On the other hand, ever since that playlist adjustment, they no longer have the depth in '80s titles to make a good Classic Hits station, either. While I understand the need for a younger learning playlist in a younger market like Houston, I feel like they didn't have to cut down the amount of '80s titles just to play more '90s.

Personally, I much preferred the station before then, when the playlist was much closer to resembling a Classic Hits format, had more of a balance between pop and rock hits, and played more '80s. It is interesting that they continue to do well now that they're leaning rock given the ethnic composition of the market, but given possible sample size issues with Hispanics in Houston, it does seem like they have found a mix that works with the current PPM panelists. Looking back at old Research Director articles, KKHH was actually beating KODA ocassionally in 25-54 and 18-49 back in 2019-20, which hasn't happened in quite some time. Overall, I think the KODA playlist is "more Houston", for lack of a better term, and I don't see KKHH beating KODA again in its current form (they're #2 behind KODA right now, but well over 2 shares behind). As for me and my musical needs, I've basically going back and forth between 95.7 and 99.1 or streaming an actually good Classic Hits station on iHeartRadio for a while now, or listening to other Houston stations when I'm in the mood for something else.
 
charles1234 said:
Why are they repeating the same songs over and over again? I know they can play more songs that they have now.
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Rolling out a new format direction takes time, Charles. Audacy will certainly add more titles into the rotation in the coming weeks, and remove some at the same time. A playlist that is curated correctly goes through cycles. I mean, yes the playlist is rather tight right now, but how many casual listeners are sampling the station non-stop? What Audacy is doing right now is establishing what the intended direction will be for The Spot as it progresses forward. You don't want to do too many "out there" tracks right off the bat, because one person's "oh wow" song is another person's "what the..." while they scramble to hit a different preset or the seek function on their receiver. You don't want the playlist too big for any station, because everything you play ends up getting burnt to a crisp. The Spot will evolve, just be patient.
 
rosecitymedia said:
Rolling out a new format direction takes time, Charles. Audacy will certainly add more titles into the rotation in the coming weeks, and remove some at the same time. A playlist that is curated correctly goes through cycles. I mean, yes the playlist is rather tight right now, but how many casual listeners are sampling the station non-stop? What Audacy is doing right now is establishing what the intended direction will be for The Spot as it progresses forward. You don't want to do too many "out there" tracks right off the bat, because one person's "oh wow" song is another person's "what the..." while they scramble to hit a different preset or the seek function on their receiver. You don't want the playlist too big for any station, because everything you play ends up getting burnt to a crisp. The Spot will evolve, just be patient.
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Will they add Linkin Park to their rotation like their sister station KRTH in L.A.?
 
In the last 3 hours, 98.7 has played:

-10 ‘70s tracks (primarily mid-late, Bee Gees, ELO, Rupert Holmes, Queen, etc)

-22 ‘80s tracks (primarily early-mid 80s - Pat Benatar, Blondie, Billy Joel, Tears for Fears, Genesis although a couple of later 80s tracks from REM and Whitney Houston)

-2 ‘90s tracks - “Semi-Charmed Life” and “Tubthumping”

So 29% ‘70s, 65% ‘80s, and 6% is 90s. Core seems to be 1979-1984.

Unlike IHeart and Cumulus, the 60s are not played at all as very typical for Audacy. CMLS and iHeart still play a few Beatles tracks, Brown Eyed Girl, CCR, Sittin On the Dock of the Bay I believe are the main ones. However, as I’ve said quite often, while those two companies have inserted 90s tracks but are still deeper in the 70s than Audacy is on any of their classic hits stations.

KJKK played “Got to Be Real” by Cheryl Lynn earlier - that one was scrubbed from Audacy’s classic hits stations quite a while ago!
 
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For any jingle fans, this was the final jingle package ever cut for KLUV from 2017. KLUV was quite known for their jingles being in the jingle capital, Dallas. I don’t believe it was used very long as there seemed to have been a top-down order from Audacy at some point to drop jingles from their classic hits stations (other than WCBS-FM, WOMC, and KEYN to my knowledge).

 
101tm said:
For any jingle fans, this was the final jingle package ever cut for KLUV from 2017. KLUV was quite known for their jingles being in the jingle capital, Dallas. I don’t believe it was used very long as there seemed to have been a top-down order from Audacy at some point to drop jingles from their classic hits stations (other than WCBS-FM, WOMC, and KEYN to my knowledge).

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Compared with the first "K-L-U-V" jingles:
 
I never kept up with DFW stations but when I was stationed at Carswell AFB in 1974 IIRC Wasn't there was a station (Arlington?) Calling itself KLove? Also I remember one of the stations (KLOVE?) had promotion with new DFW airport where one air personality left East and one left west in a "race around the world".
 
secondchoice said:
I never kept up with DFW stations but when I was stationed at Carswell AFB in 1974 IIRC Wasn't there was a station (Arlington?) Calling itself KLove? Also I remember one of the stations (KLOVE?) had promotion with new DFW airport where one air personality left East and one left west in a "race around the world".
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That was KVIL 103.7. It was a race between Mike Selden and Ron Chapman.
 
Spot (no pun intended) checked a couple of 3 hour sets of KLUV today, the ratio of music is still the same as I concluded last night. Around 30% 70s, 62-65% 80s, 5-8% 90s. Sometimes it’s 5% or so 90s but it just depends. In the last 3 hours one 90s song was played, “No Rain” by Blind Melon from 1992.

KRTH also has a sister adult hits station in KCBS-FM, and that’s not stopping them from playing the likes of Incubus, Run DMC, Eminem, etc.
 
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rosecitymedia said:
The playlist is most definitely changing. Heard Collective Soul this morning, just before 10. I don't remember a time when KLUV ever played a title from them. Other eyebrow raising notes: The Verve -Bittersweet Symphony, Green Day - Good Riddance, Chumbawamba - Tubthumping, and 4 Non Blondes - What's Up?

This isn't the KLUV of old. Starting to sound rather similar to Houston's version. If I hear Enter Sandman on 98.7, you'll be reading an online news article out of Tyler about a one vehicle accident in which the driver veered sharply off of the road and into a ditch.
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I heard Matchbox Twenty on KLUV back in 2017. I recall hearing another 90s song or two on there when I’d listen. I don’t sample the station that often to tell how drastic the playlist adjustment has been, but I could see more 90s tunes making their way to the classic hits playlist.

In speaking of Tyler/Longview, I remember how the oldies station on 95.3 went away and eventually became hot AC as “The Breeze” around 2006. Back then there was a proliferation of grunge hits and other hard rock on hot AC. I’d never thought I’d hear Nirvana on the former oldies station.
 
TexasTom said:
No, it wasn't a full class C. 107.5 has had to operate at a lower power level as long as it has been broadcasting from Cedar Hill. And before that it was on a short tower in or near Fort Worth.
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I guess I’m mistaken. That would make as the former 107.1 Terrell was so close. I remember there also was a 106.9 in McKinney. They might have simulcasted.
 
Jay S said:
In speaking of Tyler/Longview, I remember how the oldies station on 95.3 went away and eventually became hot AC as “The Breeze” around 2006. I’d never thought I’d hear Nirvana on the former oldies station.
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Yeah, it's kind of like hearing Nirvana on KOOI now. When you have vivid memories of what 106.5 was for all those years, it's rather funny to hear "In Bloom", or even "Pony" by Ginuwine, for these past 6.

Safe to say there is no Nirvana coming up in the next set, or any set in the foreseeable future, on 95.3.
 
Jay S said:
I guess I’m mistaken. That would make as the former 107.1 Terrell was so close. I remember there also was a 106.9 in McKinney. They might have simulcasted.
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They did. Under Marco Rodriguez, if memory serves. 107.1 Terrell is now 106.9 Kerens, 106.9 McKinney is now 107.1 Sulphur Springs. Boy, has the dial changed over the years, and it did McKinney no favors. All that's left, licensed to it, is KNTU.
 
Jay S said:
I guess I’m mistaken. That would make as the former 107.1 Terrell was so close. I remember there also was a 106.9 in McKinney. They might have simulcasted.
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Yes, the original 95.3 in McKinney (not the current KHYI/Howe) moved to 106.9 in 1991 and simulcast 107.1 through several different formats until 2002 when it moved to Campbell as 107.1 (and KTLR moved to 106.9 licensed to Kerens.)
 
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