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Great Sounding AC Stations

R

radiolives

What are your opinions on great sounding AC stations?

Here is my list:
K 104.7 - Charlotte, NC
Lite 100.5 - Hartford, CT
101.9 Lite FM - Baltimore, MD
97.1 WASH FM - Washington, DC
WALK 97.5 - Long Island, NY
Magic 106.7 - Boston, MA
Sunny 96.9 - Charleston, SC
Star 102 - Kansas City, MS
Star 99.9 - Bridgeport, CT (sounds good for this type of AC station)

I know their are someother good ones but I will let you guys say them.
 
> What are your opinions on great sounding AC stations?
>
> Here is my list:
> K 104.7 - Charlotte, NC
> Lite 100.5 - Hartford, CT
> 101.9 Lite FM - Baltimore, MD
> 97.1 WASH FM - Washington, DC
> WALK 97.5 - Long Island, NY
> Magic 106.7 - Boston, MA
> Sunny 96.9 - Charleston, SC
> Star 102 - Kansas City, MS
> Star 99.9 - Bridgeport, CT (sounds good for this type of AC
> station)
>
> I know their are someother good ones but I will let you guys
> say them.
>
I absolutely agree with your choices of Charlotte's K-104.7 as well as 101.9 in Baltimore.

However, I have to say that WLTW 106.7 in New York is consistently number one for a reason. Less talk, not too many commercials, overall entertaining personalities, and a good mix of music (for me). But if I had to choose a number one favorite, it would be Charlotte's K. Great jingles, a good variety of current hits with the hits of the 60's, 70's and 80's. They don't sound like the typical "Lite-FM" as in New York. The personalities talk over the music, and it just sounds good overall.

Any others?
 
> > What are your opinions on great sounding AC stations?
> >
> > Here is my list:
> > K 104.7 - Charlotte, NC
> > Lite 100.5 - Hartford, CT
> > 101.9 Lite FM - Baltimore, MD
> > 97.1 WASH FM - Washington, DC
> > WALK 97.5 - Long Island, NY
> > Magic 106.7 - Boston, MA
> > Sunny 96.9 - Charleston, SC
> > Star 102 - Kansas City, MS
> > Star 99.9 - Bridgeport, CT (sounds good for this type of
> AC
> > station)
> >
> > I know their are someother good ones but I will let you
> guys
> > say them.
> >
> I absolutely agree with your choices of Charlotte's K-104.7
> as well as 101.9 in Baltimore.
>
> However, I have to say that WLTW 106.7 in New York is
> consistently number one for a reason. Less talk, not too
> many commercials, overall entertaining personalities, and a
> good mix of music (for me). But if I had to choose a number
> one favorite, it would be Charlotte's K. Great jingles, a
> good variety of current hits with the hits of the 60's, 70's
> and 80's. They don't sound like the typical "Lite-FM" as in
> New York. The personalities talk over the music, and it
> just sounds good overall.
>
> Any others?
>

Well, living in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton market, I got to say that Entercom's AC station "EZ-103", which signed on two years ago plays artists that many such stations today do not focus on. They have great jingles, hits of the 60's, 70's, 80's, and 90's. Their jingles that are currently using is the KOST L.A. package from JAM Productions. The other AC player, Magic 93 plays classic rock and stuff you normally hear on the CHR stations. It even included Smashmouth in their playlist. Too bad it is played through the P.A. systems in some stores I visit. Like when I visit a Big Lots-type store, they pipe in Magic 93 all the time. I also hear it when we were having dinner in a Chinese restaurant across from the former Wal-Mart(now Kohl's).

I was disappointed when one CC-owned AC station Sunny 99.1 from Houston TX changed their entire imaging to make it sound upbeat. The last time I listen to them, they had softer jingles. Today when I took a listen, I noticed they switched from the previous Groove Addicts package to which I believed is a customized jingle package from TM Century. That station became unlistenable for me because they keep playing those loud jingles between songs almost all the time. I do not like the package and I hope that someday, Sunny make up their mind and go for a ReelWorld package or a package that is used on EZ-103. Listening to Sunny's new package is like listening to a hot AC or an Oldies station.

Finally, KYXY 96.5 from San Diego is the best AC station around. I wish CBS Radio could stream it because they play artists that are normally not heard on any other AC stations in my region. They sometimes sound like the "classic" Lite-FM in NYC, but they throw in Hoobastank, Madonna, and Avril Lavinge mixing with regular AC artists.

There are other good ones that I can listen via online streaming, however when I go out of town, I can give one of them a listen.
 
> > What are your opinions on great sounding AC stations?
> >
> > Here is my list:
> > K 104.7 - Charlotte, NC
> > Lite 100.5 - Hartford, CT
> > 101.9 Lite FM - Baltimore, MD
> > 97.1 WASH FM - Washington, DC
> > WALK 97.5 - Long Island, NY
> > Magic 106.7 - Boston, MA
> > Sunny 96.9 - Charleston, SC
> > Star 102 - Kansas City, MS
> > Star 99.9 - Bridgeport, CT (sounds good for this type of
> AC
> > station)
> >
> > I know their are someother good ones but I will let you
> guys
> > say them.
> >
> I absolutely agree with your choices of Charlotte's K-104.7
> as well as 101.9 in Baltimore.
>
> However, I have to say that WLTW 106.7 in New York is
> consistently number one for a reason. Less talk, not too
> many commercials, overall entertaining personalities, and a
> good mix of music (for me). But if I had to choose a number
> one favorite, it would be Charlotte's K. Great jingles, a
> good variety of current hits with the hits of the 60's, 70's
> and 80's. They don't sound like the typical "Lite-FM" as in
> New York. The personalities talk over the music, and it
> just sounds good overall.
>
> Any others?
>

101.5 Lite FM Miami, Florida
Sunny 104.5 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
B101 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
KOSI 101 Denver, Coloradio
FM100 Salt Lake City, Utah
Mix 102.7 New York City (when it WAS AC)
 
> Well, living in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton market, I got to
> say that Entercom's AC station "EZ-103", which signed on two
> years ago plays artists that many such stations today do not
> focus on. They have great jingles, hits of the 60's, 70's,
> 80's, and 90's. Their jingles that are currently using is
> the KOST L.A. package from JAM Productions. The other AC
> player, Magic 93 plays classic rock and stuff you normally
> hear on the CHR stations. It even included Smashmouth in
> their playlist. Too bad it is played through the P.A.
> systems in some stores I visit. Like when I visit a Big
> Lots-type store, they pipe in Magic 93 all the time. I also
> hear it when we were having dinner in a Chinese restaurant
> across from the former Wal-Mart(now Kohl's).
>
> I was disappointed when one CC-owned AC station Sunny 99.1
> from Houston TX changed their entire imaging to make it
> sound upbeat. The last time I listen to them, they had
> softer jingles. Today when I took a listen, I noticed they
> switched from the previous Groove Addicts package to which I
> believed is a customized jingle package from TM Century.
> That station became unlistenable for me because they keep
> playing those loud jingles between songs almost all the
> time. I do not like the package and I hope that someday,
> Sunny make up their mind and go for a ReelWorld package or a
> package that is used on EZ-103. Listening to Sunny's new
> package is like listening to a hot AC or an Oldies station.
>
> Finally, KYXY 96.5 from San Diego is the best AC station
> around. I wish CBS Radio could stream it because they play
> artists that are normally not heard on any other AC stations
> in my region. They sometimes sound like the "classic"
> Lite-FM in NYC, but they throw in Hoobastank, Madonna, and
> Avril Lavinge mixing with regular AC artists.
>
> There are other good ones that I can listen via online
> streaming, however when I go out of town, I can give one of
> them a listen.
>

Had the stream on for Sunny 99.1 in Houston. They sound pretty good overall with the playlist but the jingles aren't that bad, kind of sound like another AC station I heard before. Sounds good overall, I am sure the local people in Houston, TX that listen like the station.
 
> Had the stream on for Sunny 99.1 in Houston. They sound
> pretty good overall with the playlist but the jingles aren't
> that bad, kind of sound like another AC station I heard
> before. Sounds good overall, I am sure the local people in
> Houston, TX that listen like the station.

I would now stay away from that station. Even during their "love songs" hour, they still play those loud TM Century jingles between songs. Like I said, in a few months if they change the imaging again, I would listen to them again.

I really hope that the new customized package won't be listed in TM Century's web site.
 
> What are your opinions on great sounding AC stations?
>
> Here is my list:
> K 104.7 - Charlotte, NC
> Lite 100.5 - Hartford, CT
> 101.9 Lite FM - Baltimore, MD
> 97.1 WASH FM - Washington, DC
> WALK 97.5 - Long Island, NY
> Magic 106.7 - Boston, MA
> Sunny 96.9 - Charleston, SC
> Star 102 - Kansas City, MS
> Star 99.9 - Bridgeport, CT (sounds good for this type of AC
> station)
>
> I know their are someother good ones but I will let you guys
> say them.
>


The 2 Best I Can Think Of:

100.7 WHUD - Peekskill/Hudson Valley, NY
98.7 WCZT "The Coast" - Wildwood/Cape May, NJ<P ID="signature">______________
GSP163

Formally "V"

NOT NEW YORK....
NOT PHILADELPHIA....
PROUD TO BE NEW JERSEY....</P>
 
> However, I have to say that WLTW 106.7 in New York is
> consistently number one for a reason. Less talk, not too
> many commercials, overall entertaining personalities, and a
> good mix of music (for me).

I have few words about WLTW: WAY TOO MUCH DISCO!!!

I can understand it, as they're trying to keep Disco fans from switching over to NYC's "Rhythmic AC" station, "Mix 102.7" WNEW. But do we really need to hear Barry White, Donna Summer, and the Bee Gees over and over and over again? They're relentlessly burning the same old Disco favorites into the ground.
<P ID="signature">______________
It's a common mistake to not use punctuation in its proper form.
<a target="_blank" href=http://www.cgl.uwaterloo.ca/~csk/its.html>Be kind to your friend, the apostrophe.</a></P>
 
> Well, living in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton market, I got to
> say that Entercom's AC station "EZ-103", which signed on two
> years ago plays artists that many such stations today do not
> focus on. They have great jingles, hits of the 60's, 70's,
> 80's, and 90's. Their jingles that are currently using is
> the KOST L.A. package from JAM Productions. The other AC
> player, Magic 93 plays classic rock and stuff you normally
> hear on the CHR stations. It even included Smashmouth in
> their playlist. Too bad it is played through the P.A.
> systems in some stores I visit. Like when I visit a Big
> Lots-type store, they pipe in Magic 93 all the time. I also
> hear it when we were having dinner in a Chinese restaurant
> across from the former Wal-Mart(now Kohl's).


> Finally, KYXY 96.5 from San Diego is the best AC station
> around. I wish CBS Radio could stream it because they play
> artists that are normally not heard on any other AC stations
> in my region. They sometimes sound like the "classic"
> Lite-FM in NYC, but they throw in Hoobastank, Madonna, and
> Avril Lavinge mixing with regular AC artists.
>

In Atlanta, there is no traditional run-of-the-mill AC. The two Atlanta AC's, Cox's B98.5FM (WSB-FM) and Clear Channel's 94.9 Lite FM (WLTM) are very weirdly programmed. I like B98.5's mix, but it needs more currents and more depth. However, I wish they were better (a lot). For those from out of town, I will give you a look (It is very unusual here).

Lite only plays recurrents overnights (no currents, with the exception of Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway"), and B98.5 (like Cox sister Star 99.9 Bridgeport) does thorough research before a song makes it on the playlist. Only 6 currents made it to B98.5's playlist last year (3 of those Kelly Clarkson songs). Both stations do all-Christmas during the holidays.

B98.5's mix of 300 songs (yes, only about 300, rotated only once a year. This is the Cox standard) is heavy right now with Kelly Clarkson, but also is beating the death out of Rob Thomas' "Lonely No More", DHT's "Listen to Your Heart", Maroon 5. The station plays the most current 9 newest adds at least four times a day. (The oldest of the 9 that gets the very heavy rotation is 2003's Christian crossover "I Can Only Imagine" form MercyMe. It has been in heavy rotation for three years now.) As for older songs, they play Avril Lavigne's "Complicated", Smash Mouth, and some reggae ("Angel" from Shaggy/Rayvon).

94.9 Lite is oldies-heavy right now, since it picked up the slack when sister Clear Channel oldies station "Cool 105.7" died (then resurected via 94.9's HD2 signal). Disco, Beatles, and anything that can fit under an AC and oldies banner at the same time is played. Lite is home to Delilah in Atlanta.

Both stations are heavy on voicetracking. When Dr. Charles McPhee's "Dream Doctor" went bust on B98.5 a couple of years ago, Cox replaced it with a voicetrack from 21 year station vet Kelly McCoy (who does afternoon drivetime live). While they are voicetracked evenings, they are live overnights after 12 midnight with 19 year station vet Larry "Nighttrain" Lane. On the otherhand, Lite voicetracks after 12 Noon DURING THE WORK DAY with Val Lorenzo (a.k.a. Randi West) from Raleigh, and JT from Birmingham.

The most unusual are the morning shows, both of them very similar in nature. Both of them are two-man acts with oldies backgrounds, one of the men in each is the class clown comedian, and the other is the quiet lead guy. Kelly Stevens and Alpha Trivette do mornings at B98.5, and have been with the station since 1998., Randy Cook and Spiff Carter do Lite's morning show, and came from Cool when it died. You would have to listen to understand.

Ratingswise, Lite FM is currently ahead 12+, however B98.5 has only a slight lead in the key demo (25-54).

What we need in Atlanta is for either AC to shape up, or someone else come in and do AC.

I apologize for the long post, but for a major market (Atlanta is now #10), we are in serious need of some help.
 
> What are your opinions on great sounding AC stations?
>
> Here is my list:
> K 104.7 - Charlotte, NC
> Lite 100.5 - Hartford, CT
> 101.9 Lite FM - Baltimore, MD
> 97.1 WASH FM - Washington, DC
> WALK 97.5 - Long Island, NY
> Magic 106.7 - Boston, MA
> Sunny 96.9 - Charleston, SC
> Star 102 - Kansas City, MS
> Star 99.9 - Bridgeport, CT (sounds good for this type of AC
> station)
>
> I know their are someother good ones but I will let you guys
> say them.
>
Even though they're a gold-based AC, I would have to vote for Sunny 104.5 in Philadelphia. Also, Mix 106.7 in Harrisburg is a good gold-based AC station.
 
> > Well, living in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton market, I got to
>
> > say that Entercom's AC station "EZ-103", which signed on
> two
> > years ago plays artists that many such stations today do
> not
> > focus on. They have great jingles, hits of the 60's, 70's,
>
> > 80's, and 90's. Their jingles that are currently using is
> > the KOST L.A. package from JAM Productions. The other AC
> > player, Magic 93 plays classic rock and stuff you normally
>
> > hear on the CHR stations. It even included Smashmouth in
> > their playlist. Too bad it is played through the P.A.
> > systems in some stores I visit. Like when I visit a Big
> > Lots-type store, they pipe in Magic 93 all the time. I
> also
> > hear it when we were having dinner in a Chinese restaurant
>
> > across from the former Wal-Mart(now Kohl's).
>
>
> > Finally, KYXY 96.5 from San Diego is the best AC station
> > around. I wish CBS Radio could stream it because they play
>
> > artists that are normally not heard on any other AC
> stations
> > in my region. They sometimes sound like the "classic"
> > Lite-FM in NYC, but they throw in Hoobastank, Madonna, and
>
> > Avril Lavinge mixing with regular AC artists.
> >
>
> In Atlanta, there is no traditional run-of-the-mill AC. The
> two Atlanta AC's, Cox's B98.5FM (WSB-FM) and Clear Channel's
> 94.9 Lite FM (WLTM) are very weirdly programmed. I like
> B98.5's mix, but it needs more currents and more depth.
> However, I wish they were better (a lot). For those from out
> of town, I will give you a look (It is very unusual here).
>
> Lite only plays recurrents overnights (no currents, with the
> exception of Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway"), and B98.5 (like
> Cox sister Star 99.9 Bridgeport) does thorough research
> before a song makes it on the playlist. Only 6 currents made
> it to B98.5's playlist last year (3 of those Kelly Clarkson
> songs). Both stations do all-Christmas during the holidays.
>
> B98.5's mix of 300 songs (yes, only about 300, rotated only
> once a year. This is the Cox standard) is heavy right now
> with Kelly Clarkson, but also is beating the death out of
> Rob Thomas' "Lonely No More", DHT's "Listen to Your Heart",
> Maroon 5. The station plays the most current 9 newest adds
> at least four times a day. (The oldest of the 9 that gets
> the very heavy rotation is 2003's Christian crossover "I Can
> Only Imagine" form MercyMe. It has been in heavy rotation
> for three years now.) As for older songs, they play Avril
> Lavigne's "Complicated", Smash Mouth, and some reggae
> ("Angel" from Shaggy/Rayvon).
>
> 94.9 Lite is oldies-heavy right now, since it picked up the
> slack when sister Clear Channel oldies station "Cool 105.7"
> died (then resurected via 94.9's HD2 signal). Disco,
> Beatles, and anything that can fit under an AC and oldies
> banner at the same time is played. Lite is home to Delilah
> in Atlanta.
>
> Both stations are heavy on voicetracking. When Dr. Charles
> McPhee's "Dream Doctor" went bust on B98.5 a couple of years
> ago, Cox replaced it with a voicetrack from 21 year station
> vet Kelly McCoy (who does afternoon drivetime live). While
> they are voicetracked evenings, they are live overnights
> after 12 midnight with 19 year station vet Larry
> "Nighttrain" Lane. On the otherhand, Lite voicetracks after
> 12 Noon DURING THE WORK DAY with Val Lorenzo (a.k.a. Randi
> West) from Raleigh, and JT from Birmingham.
>
> The most unusual are the morning shows, both of them very
> similar in nature. Both of them are two-man acts with oldies
> backgrounds, one of the men in each is the class clown
> comedian, and the other is the quiet lead guy. Kelly Stevens
> and Alpha Trivette do mornings at B98.5, and have been with
> the station since 1998., Randy Cook and Spiff Carter do
> Lite's morning show, and came from Cool when it died. You
> would have to listen to understand.
>
> Ratingswise, Lite FM is currently ahead 12+, however B98.5
> has only a slight lead in the key demo (25-54).
>
> What we need in Atlanta is for either AC to shape up, or
> someone else come in and do AC.
>
> I apologize for the long post, but for a major market
> (Atlanta is now #10), we are in serious need of some help.
>

You could ask CBS Radio to make Dave-FM an AC station in Atlanta, GA. I bet you would like a station like K 104.7 out of Charlotte, NC. Check out their stream. It is doing very well going head to head with Clear Channels AC station. I think CBS Radio programs some very good AC stations. To bad they don't program one in NYC to compete with 106.7 Lite FM.
 
> > Well, living in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton market, I got to
>
> > say that Entercom's AC station "EZ-103", which signed on
> two
> > years ago plays artists that many such stations today do
> not
> > focus on. They have great jingles, hits of the 60's, 70's,
>
> > 80's, and 90's. Their jingles that are currently using is
> > the KOST L.A. package from JAM Productions. The other AC
> > player, Magic 93 plays classic rock and stuff you normally
>
> > hear on the CHR stations. It even included Smashmouth in
> > their playlist. Too bad it is played through the P.A.
> > systems in some stores I visit. Like when I visit a Big
> > Lots-type store, they pipe in Magic 93 all the time. I
> also
> > hear it when we were having dinner in a Chinese restaurant
>
> > across from the former Wal-Mart(now Kohl's).
>
>
> > Finally, KYXY 96.5 from San Diego is the best AC station
> > around. I wish CBS Radio could stream it because they play
>
> > artists that are normally not heard on any other AC
> stations
> > in my region. They sometimes sound like the "classic"
> > Lite-FM in NYC, but they throw in Hoobastank, Madonna, and
>
> > Avril Lavinge mixing with regular AC artists.
> >
>
> In Atlanta, there is no traditional run-of-the-mill AC. The
> two Atlanta AC's, Cox's B98.5FM (WSB-FM) and Clear Channel's
> 94.9 Lite FM (WLTM) are very weirdly programmed. I like
> B98.5's mix, but it needs more currents and more depth.
> However, I wish they were better (a lot). For those from out
> of town, I will give you a look (It is very unusual here).
>
> Lite only plays recurrents overnights (no currents, with the
> exception of Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway"), and B98.5 (like
> Cox sister Star 99.9 Bridgeport) does thorough research
> before a song makes it on the playlist. Only 6 currents made
> it to B98.5's playlist last year (3 of those Kelly Clarkson
> songs). Both stations do all-Christmas during the holidays.
>
> B98.5's mix of 300 songs (yes, only about 300, rotated only
> once a year. This is the Cox standard) is heavy right now
> with Kelly Clarkson, but also is beating the death out of
> Rob Thomas' "Lonely No More", DHT's "Listen to Your Heart",
> Maroon 5. The station plays the most current 9 newest adds
> at least four times a day. (The oldest of the 9 that gets
> the very heavy rotation is 2003's Christian crossover "I Can
> Only Imagine" form MercyMe. It has been in heavy rotation
> for three years now.) As for older songs, they play Avril
> Lavigne's "Complicated", Smash Mouth, and some reggae
> ("Angel" from Shaggy/Rayvon).
>
> 94.9 Lite is oldies-heavy right now, since it picked up the
> slack when sister Clear Channel oldies station "Cool 105.7"
> died (then resurected via 94.9's HD2 signal). Disco,
> Beatles, and anything that can fit under an AC and oldies
> banner at the same time is played. Lite is home to Delilah
> in Atlanta.
>
> Both stations are heavy on voicetracking. When Dr. Charles
> McPhee's "Dream Doctor" went bust on B98.5 a couple of years
> ago, Cox replaced it with a voicetrack from 21 year station
> vet Kelly McCoy (who does afternoon drivetime live). While
> they are voicetracked evenings, they are live overnights
> after 12 midnight with 19 year station vet Larry
> "Nighttrain" Lane. On the otherhand, Lite voicetracks after
> 12 Noon DURING THE WORK DAY with Val Lorenzo (a.k.a. Randi
> West) from Raleigh, and JT from Birmingham.
>
> The most unusual are the morning shows, both of them very
> similar in nature. Both of them are two-man acts with oldies
> backgrounds, one of the men in each is the class clown
> comedian, and the other is the quiet lead guy. Kelly Stevens
> and Alpha Trivette do mornings at B98.5, and have been with
> the station since 1998., Randy Cook and Spiff Carter do
> Lite's morning show, and came from Cool when it died. You
> would have to listen to understand.
>
> Ratingswise, Lite FM is currently ahead 12+, however B98.5
> has only a slight lead in the key demo (25-54).
>
> What we need in Atlanta is for either AC to shape up, or
> someone else come in and do AC.
>
> I apologize for the long post, but for a major market
> (Atlanta is now #10), we are in serious need of some help.
>

Great post. My impression is that Atlanta is a very AC friendly market and probably could make room for a third. If that were the case, things would be very interesting.

Here's one thing I can say: Lite FM is much better B98.5
 
> Magic 106.7 - Boston, MA

Being here in the Boston area, this station wouldn't make my top 50 of good sounding AC stations. They've been using many of the same tired Thompson jingles for over ten years. They also do not have a voiceover guy for the station. The liner that you'll hear most frequently is the midday girl, just saying "Magic 106.7" with some slight effects in the background.

The biggest thing that bothers me about them is their custom edits of songs. There are many songs where they'll just chop pieces out of songs. Some that come to mind are Christina Aguilera - Beautiful, Journey - Faithfully, Aerosmith - Don't Want To Miss A Thing, and REO Speedwagon - Keep On Loving You.

This station is on where I work, and they really do seem to play the same songs every day.
 
> > Magic 106.7 - Boston, MA
>
> Being here in the Boston area, this station wouldn't make my
> top 50 of good sounding AC stations. They've been using many
> of the same tired Thompson jingles for over ten years. They
> also do not have a voiceover guy for the station. The liner
> that you'll hear most frequently is the midday girl, just
> saying "Magic 106.7" with some slight effects in the
> background.

You may notice, but I'm sure regular listeners don't care.

> The biggest thing that bothers me about them is their custom
> edits of songs. There are many songs where they'll just chop
> pieces out of songs. Some that come to mind are Christina
> Aguilera - Beautiful, Journey - Faithfully, Aerosmith -
> Don't Want To Miss A Thing, and REO Speedwagon - Keep On
> Loving You.

A lot of stations do that. I don't like that either.

>
> This station is on where I work, and they really do seem to
> play the same songs every day.

Its like that for most AC stations.
 
> > Well, living in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton market, I got to
>
> > say that Entercom's AC station "EZ-103", which signed on
> two
> > years ago plays artists that many such stations today do
> not
> > focus on. They have great jingles, hits of the 60's, 70's,
>
> > 80's, and 90's. Their jingles that are currently using is
> > the KOST L.A. package from JAM Productions. The other AC
> > player, Magic 93 plays classic rock and stuff you normally
>
> > hear on the CHR stations. It even included Smashmouth in
> > their playlist. Too bad it is played through the P.A.
> > systems in some stores I visit. Like when I visit a Big
> > Lots-type store, they pipe in Magic 93 all the time. I
> also
> > hear it when we were having dinner in a Chinese restaurant
>
> > across from the former Wal-Mart(now Kohl's).
>
>
> > Finally, KYXY 96.5 from San Diego is the best AC station
> > around. I wish CBS Radio could stream it because they play
>
> > artists that are normally not heard on any other AC
> stations
> > in my region. They sometimes sound like the "classic"
> > Lite-FM in NYC, but they throw in Hoobastank, Madonna, and
>
> > Avril Lavinge mixing with regular AC artists.
> >
>
> In Atlanta, there is no traditional run-of-the-mill AC. The
> two Atlanta AC's, Cox's B98.5FM (WSB-FM) and Clear Channel's
> 94.9 Lite FM (WLTM) are very weirdly programmed. I like
> B98.5's mix, but it needs more currents and more depth.
> However, I wish they were better (a lot). For those from out
> of town, I will give you a look (It is very unusual here).
>
> Lite only plays recurrents overnights (no currents, with the
> exception of Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway"), and B98.5 (like
> Cox sister Star 99.9 Bridgeport) does thorough research
> before a song makes it on the playlist. Only 6 currents made
> it to B98.5's playlist last year (3 of those Kelly Clarkson
> songs). Both stations do all-Christmas during the holidays.
>
> B98.5's mix of 300 songs (yes, only about 300, rotated only
> once a year. This is the Cox standard) is heavy right now
> with Kelly Clarkson, but also is beating the death out of
> Rob Thomas' "Lonely No More", DHT's "Listen to Your Heart",
> Maroon 5. The station plays the most current 9 newest adds
> at least four times a day. (The oldest of the 9 that gets
> the very heavy rotation is 2003's Christian crossover "I Can
> Only Imagine" form MercyMe. It has been in heavy rotation
> for three years now.) As for older songs, they play Avril
> Lavigne's "Complicated", Smash Mouth, and some reggae
> ("Angel" from Shaggy/Rayvon).
>
> 94.9 Lite is oldies-heavy right now, since it picked up the
> slack when sister Clear Channel oldies station "Cool 105.7"
> died (then resurected via 94.9's HD2 signal). Disco,
> Beatles, and anything that can fit under an AC and oldies
> banner at the same time is played. Lite is home to Delilah
> in Atlanta.
>
> Both stations are heavy on voicetracking. When Dr. Charles
> McPhee's "Dream Doctor" went bust on B98.5 a couple of years
> ago, Cox replaced it with a voicetrack from 21 year station
> vet Kelly McCoy (who does afternoon drivetime live). While
> they are voicetracked evenings, they are live overnights
> after 12 midnight with 19 year station vet Larry
> "Nighttrain" Lane. On the otherhand, Lite voicetracks after
> 12 Noon DURING THE WORK DAY with Val Lorenzo (a.k.a. Randi
> West) from Raleigh, and JT from Birmingham.
>
> The most unusual are the morning shows, both of them very
> similar in nature. Both of them are two-man acts with oldies
> backgrounds, one of the men in each is the class clown
> comedian, and the other is the quiet lead guy. Kelly Stevens
> and Alpha Trivette do mornings at B98.5, and have been with
> the station since 1998., Randy Cook and Spiff Carter do
> Lite's morning show, and came from Cool when it died. You
> would have to listen to understand.
>
> Ratingswise, Lite FM is currently ahead 12+, however B98.5
> has only a slight lead in the key demo (25-54).
>
> What we need in Atlanta is for either AC to shape up, or
> someone else come in and do AC.
>
> I apologize for the long post, but for a major market
> (Atlanta is now #10), we are in serious need of some help.
>



Of the top ten markets, Atlanta currently has the second highest AC share (Philadelphia is #1). I say it's the markets with low AC shares that are in serious need of help and could learn a thing or two from ATL.

Also, I'm not sure if anything changed in the recent trend. But in the Fall 05 book LITE edged out B98.5 in 25-54 (#4 Vs #5). Having two ACs in the top 5 is impressive for the format, of course Christmas music did play a role during that ratings period.
 
> Of the top ten markets, Atlanta currently has the second
> highest AC share (Philadelphia is #1). I say it's the
> markets with low AC shares that are in serious need of help
> and could learn a thing or two from ATL.
>
> Also, I'm not sure if anything changed in the recent trend.
> But in the Fall 05 book LITE edged out B98.5 in 25-54 (#4 Vs
> #5). Having two ACs in the top 5 is impressive for the
> format, of course Christmas music did play a role during
> that ratings period.

Personally, I find it very exciting to watch two stations with the same format competing, whether it is AC, rock, or something else. The battle in Atlanta is exciting. I hope Sunny in Philadelphia improves. It is fighting B101, but so far is losing.
 
> > This station is on where I work, and they really do seem
> to
> > play the same songs every day.
>
> Its like that for most AC stations.
>

Try listening to a Top 40 for 8 hours a day, 5+ days a week. NO repeats! (cough cough cough)
 
Earlier someone posted some praise for KYXY. I certainly agree that KYXY (San Diego) is a very well-programmed station. One of the stations that always keeps me on my toes is KOIT (San Francisco). They constantly switch the playlist around, with a great variety from Gladys Knight to Rob Thomas. KOIT isn't afraid to throw in some forgotten tunes of the last 10 years (Celine Dion/R. Kelly "I'm Your Angel", for example), but it does so while sticking with the AC staple artists. Plus, they stream over iTunes. <P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by theswimmingbrain on 04/13/06 03:37 AM.</FONT></P>
 
> Earlier someone posted some praise for KYXY. I certainly
> agree that KYXY (San Diego) is a very well-programmed
> station. One of the stations that always keeps me on my toes
> is KOIT (San Francisco). They constantly switch the playlist
> around, with a great variety from Gladys Knight to Rob
> Thomas. KOIT isn't afraid to throw in some forgotten tunes
> of the last 10 years (Celine Dion/R. Kelly "I'm Your Angel",
> for example), but it does so while sticking with the AC
> staple artists. Plus, they stream over iTunes.


Nobody mentioned WDUV in Tampa. They are fully automated except morning drive and play what soft AC stations played 20 years ago. Streisand, Diamond, Bread Gino Vanetti,Dan Fogelburg,-you get the picture.

WTVR in Richmond VA. is the best AC station I've ever heard. The jocks relate very well to the community . They tend toward gold based, but play currents. They do not sound like CHR lite like some AC's are tending toward.

WSHH in PIttsburgh is a balanced station not going to any extremes.
>
 
> > Magic 106.7 - Boston, MA
>
> Being here in the Boston area, this station wouldn't make my
> top 50 of good sounding AC stations. They
> also do not have a voiceover guy for the station.

Is that a requirement to being a good AC station...? ...a "Voiceover guy"?

I think the fact that they *don't* have one of these omnipresent out of town hired out voices.....is a PLUS!

Why does a station with live jocks need some recorded Voiceover guy for?

The jocks can/do sell the stations images.

"Voiceover guys" are for small stations with bad jocks, voices and inconsistant imaging. A Voiceover guy helps them retain some semblance of being a unified station when you are in deluth, Tulsa, or some small town....because you can't afford the talent and staff.

> This station is on where I work, and they really do seem to
> play the same songs every day.

Yes, they do. But as another poster mentioned, most AC's have an active library of songs enough for one day.

The next day they play them all over again in different dayparts and order.

The key is finding the RIGHT songs....or the BEST songs to be part of that list.

Top 40's & CHR's play the same songs every 3 hours. If they are songs you like thats great!

But, I'm guessing the songs on Magic are picked for a female audience who likes soft-rock. (Are you part of that audience?)
 
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