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Missed Opportunity

B

BoscoGoldBear

Guest
As much as CBS is looking forward to gaining at the expense of WEEI, I believe they missed an opportunity to cash in on targeting Clear Channel's top 40 combo (WJMN/Jam'n 94-5 - the rap half of Top 40 - and WXKS-FM/Kiss 108 - the rock/pop half of Top 40). The belief from these parts is that a mainstream Top 40 in Boston could've knocked both Kiss and Jam'n down a notch or two. On the other hand, I have read the ratings in both NY and LA, which show that the CBS Top 40s (the Amps) still only have half the listeners of Z-100 and KIIS, so who knows?

Personally, I'll be listening to BZ-FM 98.5. ;D
 
At the moment, AMP in LA is making much better gains on KIIS than NOW is on Z100 in NYC.

Though, I'm a firm believer that NOW can continue to improve and AMP, well... they keep going like they have been and in 6 months you will see a VERY close race!
 
I like that idea. Power 104 the NEW WBCN!


My dream radio station would have today's hits in lighter rotation with classics going from the 50s to today. Pop rock and soul. Hip hop too! Progressive rock/Freeform attitude with a presentation aimed for AC appeal.
 
chitchatjf said:
I like that idea. Power 104 the NEW WBCN!


My dream radio station would have today's hits in lighter rotation with classics going from the 50s to today. Pop rock and soul. Hip hop too! Progressive rock/Freeform attitude with a presentation aimed for AC appeal.
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...and you CAN have your dream. It's called an Ipod. ;D
 
Why take more of a risk than you need to? Mix is a format that is doing all right. It's going to be complicated enough moving Mix from one frequency to another... but even more risky to juggle two format flips simultaneously.

You fight the fights you can win.
 
It is a missed opportunity, but once again caution reigned supreme in the Boston radio market. Meaning that the market continues to have fewer and fewer format choices thanks to the status quo of ownership. Basically everyone is frozen into a general state of inaction.

A new CHR would have really made things interesting around here - and could well have knocked Kiss and/or Jamn off of their respective perches. As it stands now, we'll never know for sure. Would such a flip represented CBS taking a chance? Yes it would have. But then again, such risks can pay off handsomely.

Staying with the fairly dull "Mix" format (even the name is a 90s throwback) is the safe route and they don't lose anything by doing that. But little is gained either.

I would be somewhat surprised if Boston doesn't lose yet another music format within the next 30 days as Entercom acts to shore up its valuable WEEI franchise. Truly the best way for them to fight back would be by putting their sports format on FM - probably 93.7. So, in a market with a very limited number of FM signals, you'll have two sports talkers and one 'issues' talker. No, we don't KNOW that Entercom will do this - but they'll be at a big disadvantage going forward if they don't. When you have an AM and an FM competing with the same format, the FM almost always wins. And the 850 signal is bad at night over much of the market while 98.5 is nice and clear.

It could get so bad that it will be up to college radio to supply mainstream music formats to the market! As it is, I am surprised that not one of them has tried going primarily urban. I've seen that draw a lot of listeners in places without any other urban outlet (at one time Las Vegas).
 
BRNout said:
It could get so bad that it will be up to college radio to supply mainstream music formats to the market! As it is, I am surprised that not one of them has tried going primarily urban. I've seen that draw a lot of listeners in places without any other urban outlet (at one time Las Vegas).
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That's unlikely to happen here because the student-run college stations in this area are not interested in formatting to maximize listenership. They're more interested in providing various types of programming to serve as outlets for the different interests of their students (and community volunteers in some cases) in a patchwork program schedule of block shows. The student-run stations are such modest operations (very few, if any, paid personnel) that they can get by with annual fundraising donations from the (relatively) small listener followings for their different types of programs, and small stipends from their school student activities budgets.

I'm not counting the non-student college-based professional Public Radio stations such as WBUR and WUMB, or WERS which is heavily administration driven, and is formatted as an eclectic AAA.

I recall that WRBB at Northeastern was primarily urban at one time as "Boston's Spice" a couple of decades ago, which made sense given their proximity to Boston's urban neighborhoods, but something happened... I'm guessing that some Northeastern students may have felt that the format didn't represent them, so more rock and "alternative" programming appeared, and their urban programming was eventually relegated to certain shows mainly on weekends. WRBB never could get the signal to be any kind of player in the wider greater Boston market anyway.
 
I miss JAM'N being a wannabe Urban! :mad: Yuck, they are way too rhythmic sounding now! A new CBS CHR would have been really interesting, kick now Hot-AC leaning KISS off its throne, but I am also an avid sports fan so I will be practically living on 98.5 after the 13th.
 
CBS will be insane if they don't go after Kiss/Jam'n now. They've taken on Z100 and KIIS, Kiss 108 is a much easier target: voicetracked or syndicated 16 hours a day, and operating with a skeleton staff after layoffs. Kiss 108 is in the weakest position it has ever been in - with the highest ratings - what a ripe juicy target for CBS! All Kiss 108 has right now is Matty, who's almost 60 years old. Karson and Kennedy come from CHR radio, and Jay Beau is a CHR stalwart. This is the time for them to do it. All it really means for them is playing Lady Gaga instead of Rob Thomas. And, yes, losing the dated "Mix" moniker.
 
Sibilant said:
CBS will be insane if they don't go after Kiss/Jam'n now. They've taken on Z100 and KIIS, Kiss 108 is a much easier target: voicetracked or syndicated 16 hours a day, and operating with a skeleton staff after layoffs. Kiss 108 is in the weakest position it has ever been in - with the highest ratings - what a ripe juicy target for CBS! All Kiss 108 has right now is Matty, who's almost 60 years old. Karson and Kennedy come from CHR radio, and Jay Beau is a CHR stalwart. This is the time for them to do it. All it really means for them is playing Lady Gaga instead of Rob Thomas. And, yes, losing the dated "Mix" moniker.
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It's 15, not 16. Matty(6-10) and Romeo(1-6).
 
Mix does well in the ratings why mess with that. CBS just needs to worry about the new sports station now. Im sure they thought about other formats like having a AMP station in Boston.
 
Ken said:
Mix does well in the ratings why mess with that.
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They're messing with it - moving it to 104, changing the name to Mix 104. If they're going to go CHR, this would be a good time, strategically. Mix did have a nice bump this week, but 12+ it's still CBS's second weakest performer next to WBCN. How were KLSX's ratings before they switched it to AMP - which is now #4 in LA 12+ after 5 months ?

Ironic CBS LA goes from talk to CHR, while in Boston it goes from Rock to talk.
 
Sibilant said:
Ken said:
Mix does well in the ratings why mess with that.
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They're messing with it - moving it to 104, changing the name to Mix 104. If they're going to go CHR, this would be a good time, strategically. Mix did have a nice bump this week, but 12+ it's still CBS's second weakest performer next to WBCN. How were KLSX's ratings before they switched it to AMP - which is now #4 in LA 12+ after 5 months ?

Ironic CBS LA goes from talk to CHR, while in Boston it goes from Rock to talk.
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I agree on pretty much all counts. Kiss is getting awesome ratings while mostly mailing it in. And JAMN is one lame quasi urban, quasi teenage punk rap, quasi CHR station. In any other major market, it would be losing to the local gospel format! Both are indeed ripe for the picking.

And Mix is a format that's an anachronism from the 90s. Even the moniker is out of date. A very dull station to listen to for what it's supposed to be. You're right, swapping frequencies is "messing with it." Also, Mix does fine....but just fine. It's never done great. It's never been up at the top of the ratings. It has a solid cume - but lackluster ratings that are below Mike and well below every other CBS station in the market except the soon-to-be late WBCN. In other words, it's no more foolish to flip it than it is to leave it as is.

Reposition 104.1 as a high energy CHR (which CBS has experience with) and watch the ratings grow - and the demos get more attractive. Boston is more than ready for such a change and this is a fine opportunity to make such a move. Not to mention that Clear Channel doesn't have the financial resources to counter with a lot of promotion at the moment. Hit them while they're down!
 
I have a feeling CBS isn't telling us the whole story  ;D

Who knows, maybe they are secretly planning a CHR on 104.1, you never know! Radio is a sketchy industry. Mix has never done anything special in the ratings, why keep them? Now is the time for a new CHR!
 
i listen to mix at work once in a while and all the promos suggest there moving up the dial but all the artists and jocks will stay the same. i agree we need competion for kiss/jamn combo, but why would they lie to their listeners and risk alienating them!!! ??? ::)
 
CBS could of used WODS instead of WBMX as both have the same coverage. Also both stations are right next to each other. I just thought of this. Putting sports on 103.3 and classic hits on 104.1 would work also.
 
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