And yet so far the ratings haven't improved.
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Kevin Weatherly Returns To KROQ
- Thread starter johndavis
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And yet so far the ratings haven't improved.
It's a lot harder to win back people you've lost than it is to lose them.
That being said, the ratings have improved in some markets, but that hasn't happened for KROQ yet.
Similar changes had worked at ALT. KYSR shifted to a pop-leaning alternative mix during the Kaplan era that resonated better with people who did not listen to the format (younger listeners, women and Latinos).
It's a strategy that was worth trying and he had the business case to back it up. Unfortunately, it did not work at KROQ because of a variety of reasons.
I noticed as soon as Kaplan left Alt 98.7 there numbers improved consistently
Here is a summary piece about changes being made at KROQ:
www.insideradio.com
I don't think there's anything here that hasn't already been mentioned. Just that it's all in one place.
KROQ Begins The Slow Uphill Climb Toward Brand Restoration.
With Kevin Weatherly back in the driver’s seat at KROQ, Audacy’s L.A. alternative has begun to make on-air changes to restore its tarnished brand. The most noticeable, so far, have
I don't think there's anything here that hasn't already been mentioned. Just that it's all in one place.
A lot of smart and creative moves Kevin has already initiated in his first week. The only strategy I don't love is the greater emphasis on core bands. Yawn. How much more of the repetitive Muse, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters, Offspring, Sublime, Linkin Park and other acts synonymous with the station need to be overplayed? Sure, keep them around for small tastes, but KROQ's strength in the 80s and 90s was about the here and now; not the there and then.Here is a summary piece about changes being made at KROQ:
KROQ Begins The Slow Uphill Climb Toward Brand Restoration.
With Kevin Weatherly back in the driver’s seat at KROQ, Audacy’s L.A. alternative has begun to make on-air changes to restore its tarnished brand. The most noticeable, so far, have
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
The definition of "overplayed" is always different with armchair quarterbacks than with a station's average listener.
Weatherly knows this and while I don't have a crystal ball I would bet that, just as playing "Hotel California" multiple times a day on KRTH hasn't hurt them (even though many people here call that song "burnt to a crisp") playing those artists, which resonate well with the KROQ target audience, will improve the situation that he was brought back to fix.
However he's also playing current songs by most of those bands (those who have released new music), and that also marks a change from the previous regime. He's also playing more currents overall, which helps dilute all the burned classics.
She's been on Lithium for a while now..
Looking at Mediabase, they’re by far the front runner on re-adding Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill”. It’s a huge hit right now, so props to Weatherly on owning it.
Note: Lithium is a show, not the drug in this case. I almost pulled the post thinking it was about a private medical condition.
(Shows how if you are not in the lifestyle, you can make stupid mistakes... as I almost did!)
Not a show, but a SiriusXM channel devoted to alternative rock of the '90s. Why the name Lithium? Snarky reference to a popular drug of that decade, I guess. Makes me wonder why one of the EDM channels isn't called Molly or Ecstasy.
It's also a track from Nirvana on their album Nevermind. That's where the channel gets its name from.
Running Up That Hill is likely going to be #2 on the Hot 100 this week. Weatherly made a good call on getting on the wave as it crests instead of waiting for the peak or for research to come in. RUTH is a KROQ classic that has had a wave of interest that can only be described as lightning in a bottle and putting it on heavy could bring in a diverse swath of lapsed and new listeners.
I also like the call of adding new songs by KROQ legacy artists.
Is it 1985 again? Who knew?
Maybe they can play Tears for Fears' "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" too. After all, it seems like it is even more approriate for our own times than even then.
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
Thinly veiled sarcasm bordering on snark is not a very compelling argument, IMO.
I would also like to point out three mainstream "second chance" hits over the years, for comparison:
"Do You Love Me" by the Contours, #3 in 1962, #11 in 1988 (26 years between chart appearances)
"Stand By Me" by Ben E. King, #4 in 1961, #9 in 1986 (25 years)
"Twist And Shout" by the Beatles, #2 in 1964, #23 in 1986 (22 years)
As for "EWTRTW", it happens to have been the 17th most-played song for 2021 on Classic Hits radio (and was #18 for the week ending yesterday), so why not?
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
BTW, it's always 1985 at the stations running The Eighties Channel ...
Because it's mostly a pop song which, at least for the moment, fits better on co-owned KRTH. However, if some cultural event occurs that somehow motivates the KROQ core demo to show interest in the song (similar to the other examples you gave), then why not? That's how being "in tune" with the culture of the core demo gets reflected in radio programming.
At least you got that much; not everybody does. But you missed out on the playful and somewhat facetious nature of the comment as well. There is a lot of nuance if you will take the time to read into it.
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