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Hartford, CT - A Sleepy Little Radio Town

G

GreatCalloftheNE

Guest
No wonder there's so little posting on this board; hardly anything ever happens worth commenting about. And that includes the ratings. Here's a comparison of the standings of the Top Ten stations from three years ago...the Fall of '03 as compared to now. (I got permission from Radio-Info managment to post the numbers from three years ago. To see the current numbers you have to go elsewhere.)

Fall 03 Fall 06 (Part 2 of 3)

WTIC-AM 10.9 WTIC-AM
WRCH-FM 9.8 WRCH-FM
WZMX-FM 8.4 WZMX-FM
WWYZ-FM 7.4 WHCN-FM
WHCN-FM 5.8 WWYZ-FM
WTIC-FM 5.3 WDRC-FM
WDRC-FM 5.1 WKSS-FM
WKSS-FM 4.9 WCCC-FM
WCCC-FM 4.6 WPHH-FM
WPHH-FM 4.1 WTIC-FM

The only big difference is the fall of WTIC-FM from 6th to last. Talk about stagnant!!!!
 
The Last FM format flip in the market was 104.1 from Modern Rock to Hip-Hop September 15, 2003. I mean yes there are only 9 FM stations, still. The only thing on FM that has been done is tweaks of formats. Tweaking at WDRC-FM and the evolution (sp?) of 104.1 from Hip-Hop to Urban Contemporary (essentially sounding like what JAMZ 910 sounded like). I don't like it, but apparently it's working because they're up to 8th place instead of 9th place.
 
Whats wrong with 96.5 TIC with all the good Hot AC music coming out they should be doing better. And the other thing I see is that The River is in the place Country was three years ago.
 
My guess is that the River has really done a number on 'TIC's numbers.
IMHO, the River is the best station in Hartford right now, they have a decent mix of some Rock AC and classic rock. Maybe 'TIC needs to lliven up and tweak its format a little, more like WBMX in BOston.
 
I'm not sure Hartford is all that different from many other markets these days. Even back in the 1930s (before my time) it was considered an advertising test market, so Hartford has long been regarded as very typical. For market 51, it's not especially crowded with big local signals, so there isn't much room for the AAA, smooth jazz, adult urban, dance, alternative, FM talk and so forth that you may find in bigger or more "overradioed" markets. Hartford radio is very mainstream. That may make radio enthusiasts looking for the next big format change a little bored, but one person's "stagnant" is someone else's "stable."

Clear Channel has left its mark on Hartford, for better or worse. The River is a particularly good example of a success story. It seems to fill a few voids, segueing from 70s rock to "Paradise City" to Sugar Ray. It's not an easy format to pin down, yet it works here. At CBS, TIC-FM is probably still a 25-54 demo player and has a great personality-driven sound , even with lower overall numbers. It may be more a matter of a slight music shift than some dramatic format change.
 
Well, Connecticut is known as "the Land of Steady Habits."
I agree 'TIC does actually have some great personalities on there. Imagine that, personalities on that radio that make it fun to listen to.

Clear Channel, are you listening? :)
 
96.5 TIC and The River are two different types of formats so I wouldn't compare the two. The River is classic hits while 96.5 TIC is Hot AC. So your not going to hear the same songs on TIC and The River. Overall 96.5 TIC sounds good with the mix of music from todays hot ac artists to the 80s and 90s. As for The River I don't really listen to it or care for that station.

Also one more thing to point out about 96.5 TIC, could the lower ratings be to they changed their signal. As it used to be clear where I live. In the car its fine but on my radio in the house theirs a little static which wasn't their before. To bad 96.5 TIC's signal couldn't be on Meriden Mt. where most of Hartford's FMs are.
 
The River and TIC may be two different formats, but they still may share listenership. FM signals from Avon or Farmington actually can have an advantage over the ones in Meriden. They are more in the center of market #51, the Hartford Arbitron metro, while the Meriden stations straddle the Hartford and New Haven markets. If these two radio markets were combined, like they are with TV, then it might be a different story. TIC-FM's signal, with a nice shot at Hartford, hasn't hurt it in the past. The old WIOF from Meriden was toast not long after Farmington's WRCH went directly against it with AC. WHCN was at a disadvantage from a signal standpoint in their former head to head competition with Avon's WCCC.

Signal isn't everything, as well-programmed stations can demonstrate, but get most of your signal into the biggest market around (Hartford in this case) and you've got an edge.
 
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