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Just a very dumb question - format holes

Wimmmex said:
Would we all generally agree (without getting too picky) that the current top 5 money generating formats are (in no specific order):

News
Adult Contemporary
CHR/Top 40
Sports
Classic Hits/Rock
(i.e...if a city only had 5 stations, these would be the best bets for the 5 signals, no?)
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Yeah I agree with that list. I think 2/5 formats you listed could be candidates for 97.7 specifically. The Beat doesn't look like a long term format to me. Formats like that come and go with the examples I used above earlier. We saw the exact same thing happen recently with Amp.

I don't think a sports format would work here. Seems like Boston has those bases covered with Sports Programming on both AM and FM. And not CHR/Top 40 because of WXKS-FM obviously. News wouldn't work on 97.7 because of WKAFs signal. That would make sense on a station with better reception that more people could rely on.

A rock or Classic Hits format? I could see one or the other as potential formats. Boston is lacking a format like that now that WAAF is gone.

Also In the past I had mentioned in another post that iHearts "Breeze" brand might work in Boston. Something that's more of a soft and easy oriented format and less upbeat like Magic 106.7 is. They did replace the Breeze on 94.5 HD-2 with the Black Information Network.
 
Retro said:
Interesting! I have heard through various conversations that they wished that there was an early 90s station that focuses on early 90's R&B dance/pop. trying not too generic or cliche, but a lot of the underlings of such artists as Paula Abdul, MC Hammer, Mariah Carey, Boys to men, the vast many so-called phenomenal one hit wonders, etc.
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So far the results haven't been good. A couple of the so called 90's stations have not fared well. A limited playlist is the issue, and not enough product without making it sound like a trainwreck. Even as a 90s station they are dipping into titles from 88-90.
 
Groove1670 said:
So far the results haven't been good. A couple of the so called 90's stations have not fared well. A limited playlist is the issue, and not enough product without making it sound like a trainwreck. Even as a 90s station they are dipping into titles from 88-90.
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How is WBMX, Chicago doing since they appear to be focusing on later 90s/early millennial Rap and Hip Hop? True different genre, even as it was what had evolved from what were once called Top 40/Dance stations. In fact, you may remember back in '95 that the genre was so popular, that Jam'n almost beat Kiss in the general 12+ ratings dept.
 
The problem with news is it is labor intensive, but that being said IHrt is finding a way to cut WBZ-A to the bone, load a 30 minute wheel with 14 minutes of commercials, 2 minutes of traffic, 3 of weather and I guess it is not that hard to fill 9 minutes.

Sports... if you have one or more of the major teams that are doing well, even with high priced talent, your sales team should be able to sell it... without a major team sports is a hard format, especially if you can't get player or coach interviews. Put it on a marginal signal (1510 back in the not too distant past) and it is doomed to fail. Does anyone even know what is on WEEI AM 850 these days? Rumor has it a sports format of some sorts is on it, we'd have to ask one of the three listeners who tune in to verify that though.

You have to say one thing for Boston and the surrounding area, if it can be tried, someone has or is doing it... there is not a vacant frequency in the market, granted the AM band is challenged, but there are still no open slots that I know of, nobody is handing licenses back to the FCC and the big D gets put in front of the call signs
 
MRBIboredop said:
The problem with news is it is labor intensive, but that being said IHrt is finding a way to cut WBZ-A to the bone, load a 30 minute wheel with 14 minutes of commercials, 2 minutes of traffic, 3 of weather and I guess it is not that hard to fill 9 minutes.
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The thing iHeart owns is its own national news service. When Westwood One shut down its news service last year, iHeart became the lone station owner with its own in-house news service, and they have a bureau in Boston. So they have resources no one else has. I have a feeling you'll see them expand this in other markets in the new year.
 
Wimmmex said:
Would we all generally agree (without getting too picky) that the current top 5 money generating formats are (in no specific order):

News (WBZ / WBUR-WGBH as an alternative)
Adult Contemporary (WMJX / WWBX)
CHR/Top 40 (Kiss 108 / ??? )
Sports (93.7 & 98.5)
Classic Hits/Rock (100.7 & 105.7)
Country (102.5 & 101.7)
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All of these formats are lucrative enough to even have TWO stations in the format, presumably both making enough money to survive.

Anyone want to offer their thought for the #7 & 8 money format might be? Would it be some form of alternative? An Urban variant?...or something else? (Doesn't matter if anyone is doing it in Boston or not.)
 
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Wimmmex said:
All of these formats are lucrative enough to even have TWO stations in the format, presumably both making enough money to survive.

Anyone want to offer their thought for the #7 & 8 money format might be? Would it be some form of alternative? An Urban variant?...or something else? (Doesn't matter if anyone is doing it in Boston or not.)
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I will say either religious programming. Mostly because of the brokered paid time method. With that said, there are a few Commercial Christian Music stations that either do very well or at the very least self sustaining! Most notably KLTY, Dallas, Spirit 105.3, Seattle, and 95.9 The Fish, in Atlanta.
 
Wimmmex said:
All of these formats are lucrative enough to even have TWO stations in the format, presumably both making enough money to survive.

Anyone want to offer their thought for the #7 & 8 money format might be? Would it be some form of alternative? An Urban variant?...or something else? (Doesn't matter if anyone is doing it in Boston or not.)
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Top commercial formats for larger markets, in no special order...

News/talk
All News (aging rapidly)
All Sports
Country
Urban
Urban AC (urban also attracts Hispanics, but Urban AC generally does not)
CHR
Churban (Rhythmic CHR)
Alt Rock
Classic Rock
AAA (hard to do on commercial station... too old)
AC
Hot AC
Gold based smooth AC
Variety hits (Jack and friends)
Contemporary Christian
Gospel (leans really old)
Spanish language AC, CHR, regional Mexican, variety hits, tropical/salsa/bachata)
Oldies (too old to sell transactionally, may work for marginal direct sales facility)

Of course, there are hybrids of these formats that work in some markets; it all depends on what the rest of the market is doing.
 
Retro said:
I will say either religious programming. Mostly because of the brokered paid time method. With that said, there are a few Commercial Christian Music stations that either do very well or at the very least self sustaining! Most notably KLTY, Dallas, Spirit 105.3, Seattle, and 95.9 The Fish, in Atlanta.
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There are successful commercial ones in Orlando (sometimes #1), Orange County, CA) and others.

I count 25 that bill a million or more, including these markets:

Dallas, Atlanta, Worcester, Seattle, LA, Austin, Baltimore, Puerto Rico, Richmond, Portland, Cleveland, Providence, Nashville,Birmingham, Seattle, Tulsa, Grand Rapids, Colorado Springs, Omaha, Detroit, South Bend and Honolulu
 
Retro said:
Let me duly add Spanish in select markets also.
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"Spanish" is a language, not a format. Depending on the market, there are these options:

AC, CHR, regional Mexican, variety hits, tropical/salsa/bachata, sports and talk.
 
DavidEduardo said:
"Spanish" is a language, not a format. Depending on the market, there are these options:

AC, CHR, regional Mexican, variety hits, tropical/salsa/bachata, sports and talk.
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Yes, I remember this argument back in the day when Arbitron had Puerto Rico as market #13 or something.

However, with that said, if anyone has an antenna up (legally), broadcasting within the normal radio dial spectrum, then in that case I would have to say othwrwise.
 
If we are talking about 97.7 finding a “format hole", or an esdtablished station flipping format, from David's list, this is what we have left to choose from. (Unless you are proposing a head-to-head format battle, which 97.7 doesn't have the signal for.)

Urban
AAA (hard to do on commercial station... too old)
Gold based smooth AC
Variety hits (Jack and friends)
Spanish language AC, CHR, regional Mexican, variety hits, tropical/salsa/bachata)
Oldies (too old to sell transactionally, may work for marginal direct sales facility)
 
Wimmmex said:
Not really, just playing out some thoughts. In a general sense listeners = revenue.
(Like I said in my other post, "generally speaking, and not getting too picky".) ;-)
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I think that it would be very wise for iHeartRadio to target the South Shore area.
 
Retro said:
Yes, I remember this argument back in the day when Arbitron had Puerto Rico as market #13 or something.

However, with that said, if anyone has an antenna up (legally), broadcasting within the normal radio dial spectrum, then in that case I would have to say othwrwise.
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The differentiation occured long before Arbitron even entered Puerto RIco in the 90's. And Puerto Rico is still a top 20 market, despite the huge population decline following the Federal Government's failure to renew the tax incentives for the Island and then the destructive hurricane.

Since the late 70's and early 80's Miami has had Spanish langauge AC, tropical, CHR, oldies, talk and news stations. Since the mid-80's LA and several other CA markets have had AC, regional, AC/gold and news talk stations.
 
Retro said:
I think that it would be very wise for iHeartRadio to target the South Shore area.
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Broadcasters with full signals target the entire market geography, not just one area.
 
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