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- Thread starter neosolbrudda
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I seen that. It just amazes me to see these numbers for the 103.7 frequency.
Lots of alt stations seem to be having a bad month. Although this is lower than most.
It's been consistent.
I listened to 103.7 the other day and they seemed to have copied the Edge's playlist. Lock, stock and Linkin Park. We've heard it before and are tired of it.
The genre has grown tired too.
I do miss the old 94.5 The Edge. When it moved to 102.1 and became under the iHeart (then Clear Channel) wing, the station's playlist became so stale and repetitive with cardboard DJs, it was just unlistenable. Now I'm feeling that same way with 103.7.
Part of it is because of the format itself, not 103.7 nor Entercom. Alternative is not the same as it was 10 years ago (run by indie rock), or 20 years ago (rap-rock), or even 30 years ago (grunge, new wave, punk). Today it's just another form of CHR/Hot AC that avoids Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, etc. but might as well play them with what alternative is playing now. Then you have Entercom who thinks voicetracking DJs and playlists from New York will work in DFW. We've had the Edge before (both 94.5 and 102.1) and we know what kind of alternative we want and deserve and how the genre defined DFW radio. At least KXT plays indie rock if I want a local alternative fix.
So knowing what's on 103.7 is not working, what's next? Or is the station making money?
The original 94.5 The Edge was amazing and refreshing. Lots of new cutting edge music (thus the name) you didn't hear anywhere else. I really enjoyed it on my frequent visits to DFW at the time (early 90's.) Far better than the same ol' same ol' on KTXQ. Unfortunately The Edge degenerated into more of the same ol' same ol'.
Of course, my experience with a lot of new stations and formats I initially find exciting is that they eventually turn into garbage. But I'll admit to being what radio execs call an outlier.
Yes, nice to have that option in DFW, the sort of thing a non-comm can do. Similarly formatted KUTX in Austin seems to be having good success as well.
I'm not sure if bringing "103.7 KVIL" back will work. I used to say this to my friends a lot in 2017, that I rather see "Star 102.1" take off than "103.7 KVIL" come back. As a Mainstream AC listener, KDGE is a well programmed AC, much better than the KVIL in 2011, 2012. The KVIL in 2011, 2012 was awful. CBS were awful with their AC in general before they merged with Entercom. iHM had always been programming AC very well since it's Clear Channel days.
I guess if we imagine "KVIL 103.7 The Breeze", "Easy 103.7 KVIL", or "KVIL 103.7 The Sound".
There are only a couple of Soft AC in medium and large markets around the nation, iHM has KISQ in San Francisco, WLIT-FM in Chicago, WISX in Philadelphia, and KBEB in Sacramento. Entercom has KSWD in Seattle. The only two I know that does well in the past overall 12+ ratings and perhaps 25-54 are KISQ and WLIT. Entercom also used to have a Soft AC, WDZH, for short time in Detroit from 2018 to 2020. WDZH was pulling really low ratings as a Soft AC, so they flipped it from 98.7 The Breeze to ALT 98.7 as Alternative in 2020 and the funny thing is it's ratings got worse, now it's about as bad as KVIL's now.
Cox has a Soft AC WEZI in Jacksonville, but I think that one has morphed into an AC. They also have WDUV in Tampa-St. Petersburg and Soft AC works for the demo in Tampa. They also have WFEZ in Miami-Ft. Lauderdale which is now a hybrid Soft AC/AC which resembles the old WLYF in Miami.
I think iHM's and Entercom's AC tends to do better than CBS' AC before CBS merged with Entercom. iHM's and Cox's AC tends to do better than Entercom's AC. It also depends on the region. Tampa and Miami are markets that are more suited for a Soft AC.
KDGE is slightly an older leaning Mainstream AC than most Mainstream AC across the nation. Putting Soft AC on KVIL to compete against KDGE can be tricky, but maybe possible. I'm afraid KVIL will just fail as a Soft AC just like its sister WDZH just did in Detroit. Entercom seems to not do very well with Soft AC, looking at KSWD's current and past ratings and given what happened to WDZH. Unlike CBS before CBS merged with Entercom, Entercom's AC tends to do very well, CBS' AC tends to do very bad in general before CBS merged with Entercom.
AC KOIT in San Francisco seemed implement both current and upbeat content and older and softer contents very well ever since Bonneville adopted KOIT from Entercom. Even KOIT is a slightly older leaning Mainstream AC, Soft AC KISQ tends to compete against it very well. I'm wondering if SF has more older demos.
KEGL also went Soft AC for a short-time from 2004 to 2005 before it flipped to a Spanish Oldies format then back to its original and current Rock format in 2007, so that's already a sign Soft AC doesn't work in Dallas and the thing is KVIL was already struggling a little since the mid 00s even though it was the only AC in Dallas-Ft. Worth.
I don't think KVIL will do well as a CHR. Didn't KJKK failed as a CHR in the early 00s? Didn't KVIL failed as an AMP CHR in the mid 10s? Also CHR KLIF is currently only 0.1 share higher than KVIL in January 2021 6+.
I think we already have two modern country in Dallas. Are we still missing a classic country? Should KVIL flip to Classic Country or is the demo in Dallas too young for a classic country?
Alternative KTBZ in Houston has been doing well all these years.
Absolutely. It's been second or third in 25-54 several times in the last few books.
That's because Houston rock fans have no other choice. There is no market equivalent of KEGL or KKXT.
In Houston Country Legends 97.1 KTHT does surprisingly well for a rimshot signal. The audience is probably too old, and it supposedly bills poorly, but it appears there is a market for Country fans that detest the current state of their preferred musical genre.
Speaking of KLIF, I think it's time to give up on the failing CHR format, and do Classic Hip Hop like they were about to do in 2014 before Radio One beat them to the punch and flipped 94.5. Cumulus stations have "The Vibe" format in several markets. Why not try it here? I believe the staff is beamed in anyway.
I think the market would benefit from an 80s-90s-based Country station. KLUV and KJKK seem to both do quite well focusing on 80s-90s based Pop/Rock. A Classic Country station would bring a little more variety to the radio dial.
Yes, however HD Radio penetration is very low. My reference is to a Classic Country offering on FM analog.
Any upstart is going to have problems competing against an established station unless the existing one has a glaring weakness. 100.3’s failure as a CHR isn’t relevant today. If you were born when that change happened, you’re a junior in high school today. That’s an eternity in radio. AMP is definitely more significant. It didn't set the world on fire, but it did a lot better than Alt is doing today. Of course, Entercom's bottom line might still be okay because of all the cost cutting it's done, but the fact that a constant non factor in 93.3 is beating it says plenty.
Country has roughly a 10 share, almost all of which is in the money demo, and one company has that to itself. Again, being an upstart against two established stations would be tough, but I still can’t believe everybody has left that audience to one company. I guess KFWR is an option for country fans in Tarrant County, but it’s a nothing burger in Dallas.
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