Hey Greater Media----I have an idea for you

[Seltzer]

So Boston has two Classic Hits stations doing all Christmas. My question to Greater Media:

1. Why do you do all Christmas on WROR and not WMJX. The "all Christmas" format tends to work better for mainstream A/C radio stations than Classic Hits.

2. Keep WROR Classic Hits. You would probably draw in some WODS listeners and if you promote and market the right way, hold on to some of them after Christmas. WMJX could also build some new cume as well promoting their regular format during the holiday season. So, in essence, you're able to build audiences for two stations.

This seems like such a no brainer to me. What am I missing?

 

[Mickey37]

MJX is and has been a gold mine for that company. That would be a bad move, in my not-so-humble-opinion, especially when they have the option to put holiday music on another station.

 

[Deleted User]

So Boston has two Classic Hits stations doing all Christmas. My question to Greater Media:

1. Why do you do all Christmas on WROR and not WMJX. The "all Christmas" format tends to work better for mainstream A/C radio stations than Classic Hits.

2. Keep WROR Classic Hits. You would probably draw in some WODS listeners and if you promote and market the right way, hold on to some of them after Christmas. WMJX could also build some new cume as well promoting their regular format during the holiday season. So, in essence, you're able to build audiences for two stations.

This seems like such a no brainer to me. What am I missing?

You are missing that MJX is already high in the ratings, and bills huge numbers, where WROR probably sees an increase in listeners and can bill higher because of it, assuming this year that anyone is buying time.

Risking MJX's ratings isn't worth it, they are 2nd in the 6+ numbers, where ROR is 6th.

You are not going to improve on 2nd with Holiday music, but you might improve on 6th place, which is where WROR was in the October PPM book

 

[jlehmann]

WMJX did it one year, I believe it was 2005. I'm sure if it had worked for them that year, they would've continued doing it there.

 

[Mickey37]

Agreed. And having other stations available within the same company makes that decision easier.

 

[nd2023]

In New York, #1 station 106.7 Lite FM went all-Christmas and their ratings went sky high.
If a new AC station were to launch, the best format to flip to from October-December is all-Christmas. Then, people would find them and they would be the de-facto Christmas station, even if someone else flips later.
WMJX could probably add some older songs to pick up the classic hits listeners.

 

[Rick]

In my personal opinion, each market only needs ONE all Christmas station (and I feel it should start the day after Thanksgiving). If Greater Media didn't flip any station, it would be better. Because WODS and WROR both are very similar with Classic Hits, having at least WROR still in their usual format wouldn't leave any holes in the market for that format. Now instead of having two stations playing hits of the 60s-80s, we have zero until the day after Christmas.

 

[BoscoGoldBear]

In my personal opinion, each market only needs ONE all Christmas station (and I feel it should start the day after Thanksgiving). If Greater Media didn't flip any station, it would be better. Because WODS and WROR both are very similar with Classic Hits, having at least WROR still in their usual format wouldn't leave any holes in the market for that format. Now instead of having two stations playing hits of the 60s-80s, we have zero until the day after Christmas.

In WROR's case there are two stations filling in the classic rock hole: WZLX and WMKK (both are also classic rock, same as WROR).

 

[radiofool89]

In my personal opinion, each market only needs ONE all Christmas station (and I feel it should start the day after Thanksgiving). If Greater Media didn't flip any station, it would be better. Because WODS and WROR both are very similar with Classic Hits, having at least WROR still in their usual format wouldn't leave any holes in the market for that format. Now instead of having two stations playing hits of the 60s-80s, we have zero until the day after Christmas.

In WROR's case there are two stations filling in the classic rock hole: WZLX and WMKK (both are also classic rock, same as WROR).

i dont understand why you think WMKK is classic rock when they play artists like
-Sugar Ray, The Fray, Blackeyed Peas, Third Eye Blind, Nickleback, Puddle Of Mudd, Gwen Stefani, etc...

 

[Don Juan]

In WROR's case there are two stations filling in the classic rock hole: WZLX and WMKK (both are also classic rock, same as WROR).

i dont understand why you think WMKK is classic rock when they play artists like
-Sugar Ray, The Fray, Blackeyed Peas, Third Eye Blind, Nickleback, Puddle Of Mudd, Gwen Stefani, etc...

Please don't try to engage Steve N in any rationale discussion about the radio industry. ;-)

 

[Seltzer]

Yes..both WODS and WROR plat Classic Hits. Yet, WODS plays more pop & R&B material than WROR, which leans more toward the rock side of Classic Hits. One can assume that ROR leans more male than ODS does. Which means, ROR really has no business doing all Christmas. It should be on the more female based station-----WMJX. And with Boston now on the PPM, MJX's ratings from December 9 (end of the paper diary rating period) through Christmas Day in what is called the 13th month for PPM would go through the roof.

 

[bigtom101]

Yes..both WODS and WROR plat Classic Hits. Yet, WODS plays more pop & R&B material than WROR, which leans more toward the rock side of Classic Hits. One can assume that ROR leans more male than ODS does. Which means, ROR really has no business doing all Christmas. It should be on the more female based station-----WMJX. And with Boston now on the PPM, MJX's ratings from December 9 (end of the paper diary rating period) through Christmas Day in what is called the 13th month for PPM would go through the roof.

It's cluster programming - WROR is being used to protect WMJX from WODS while 103.3 is all xmas. If WROR can siphon off enough listeners from WODS, then WMJX wins. Why sacrifice WMJX's ratings from the other 11 (or 12 if you count the 13th ratings period) months of the year, especially if using WROR can accomplish the same goal of weakening a competitor and getting more cume for itself (essentially what all xmas does - try and shoot the cume up in the hopes that people will stick around after the 25th).

 

[fmradio1]

In New York, #1 station 106.7 Lite FM went all-Christmas and their ratings went sky high. If a new AC station were to launch, the best format to flip to from October-December is all-Christmas. Then, people would find them and they would be the de-facto Christmas station, even if someone else flips later. WMJX could probably add some older songs to pick up the classic hits listeners.

Keep in mind that in New York, WLTW has a direct format competitor in 102.7 Fresh FM. Until Fresh came on the scene, WLTW never went all Christmas. Fresh did Christmas early their first year on the air and WLTW resisted, but soon 106.7 noticed their cume slipping as people were sampling Fresh. They soon flipped to the Christmas format and have been doing it ever since.

Magic does not have a direct format competitor. In addition, they are the highest biller in a five station cluster, so the other stations flank Magic. WROR, as stated above, is the perfect candidate to run holiday music. It allows WMJX to do it's thing while bringing in ratings and revenue to the GM cluster.

Also, don't forget that WODS has been doing the Christmas format for seven years now, and WROR for almost that long. People in the market know where to go for the format when it's in season. If Magic was to run the format it's no guarantee that they'd become the "defacto Christmas station." WODS has built up some heritage and expectation as the Christmas station in the market.