4. Not having a CHR/Pop is nothing new for San Francisco. There have been several stretches over the past two decades where the format hasn't existed in the bay area. It's difficult for CHR/Pop to succeed there. However, I certainly agree it would do better than FREE FM!!! CBS would just have to be careful not to step on the toes of Modern AC sister station ALICE, a station that is slowly and steadily making ratings progress. I couldn't disagree more about KSOL switching from Spanish, KSOL is a top 5 radio station (and probably ranks even higher 18-34 and 25-54), that would be one of the worst moves in radio history and there is a 0% chance Unvision of all companies would make that flip. I'm not sure what KVVZ is? Are you thinking of Reggaeton KVVF? There are doing decent considering their limited signal and are filling a niche. CHR/Pop would probably push that signal below a 1 share.
22. MEGA in Denver didn't do any better when they were CHR/Pop KISS. What motivation does CC have to go back to a format that has failed for them already? MEGA isn't doing great either, I would consider switching to Mexican oldies LA PRECIOSA , a format CC has success with in several markets. Although MEGA in Houston finally had a good book which might give MEGA/Denver some encouragement to stick it out.
32. As a long time Vegas resident and radio veteran I have a lot of insight on this situation. KLUC has been using the "#1 Hit Music Station" positioning statement since the Fall of 1986, that's almost 20 years! They fully evolved to rhythmic in 1993 and have kept that slogan the entire time. It is part of their identity. In this market hit= rhythmic hit, it does not mean "playing all the hits".
Over the past year or so KLUC has played the occasional pop crossover. For example, they were playing a lot of Kelly Clarkson for awhile. But they can only take it so far in a pop direction and the reason is twofold. #1 Their sister station in KMXB (MIX 94.1), one of the most succesful Hot ACs in the United States, perhaps in the history of that format. MIX has excellent ratings and is a total cash cow. Part of this is because LV lacks a CHR/Pop, well KLUC will NOT become that CHR/Pop that turns the structure of the market more disadvantageous for MIX, it's not going to happen.
The #2 reason KLUC won't switch is that they have a rhythmic competitor HOT 97.5 KVEG. When KVEG signed on around 5 years ago nobody took this "mom and pop" owned station serious at all, they were considered a joke, posters on radio-info said they sounded like a high school station and they did at the time. Well all the cynics were dead wrong. KVEG has transformed into a MAJOR radio station, they currently rank #1 18-34. They are the first direct competitor to ever beat KLUC. Yet KLUC is still within striking distance, in fact the stations are currently tied 12+. But if KLUC moved to CHR/Pop, as the only rhythmic KVEG would become HUGE, they would always be #1 18-34, would be in double digits and be winning by a large margin. There is no way KLUC will give HOT 97.5 that gift!
With all that being said, I think that there IS room for a CHR/Pop in Vegas. We have a glut of classic rock/classic hits/80s type stations here and many are doing poorly, in fact most are actually getting beat 25-54 by stations like KVEG and KLUC who are not even aiming 25-54! This means we have a shortage of 18-34 targeted stations. Also KMXBs numbers are so good that it's obcene, somebody needs to hurt them on their young end. I can think of about 5 or 6 stations that would be better off as a CHR/Pop. The problem is the last station that tried it CCs 101.9 KISS FM (currently a LA PRECIOSA affiliate) failed and that scared everyone else from even considering it.
