It had been technically two and a half years that one of the top five markets lacked an AC and that is the #5 market, after KVIL debuted as Hot AC. Three and a half years that it lacked a true AC, since KVIL 'retooled' its AC format and took the 'Bright AC' or 'Fresh AC' approach with the "Best Variety...90s, 2k, and Today" slogan. Th modeled its AC format after its sisters' WWFS (now WNEW-FM)/NY, WIAD/Washington, and the defunct WCFS/Chicago.
Today we have a new AC in Dallas and we had it since the midnight of Dec 26.
Unfortunately, KDGE had not been doing well in audience shares over the past several years with its long time dedicated Alternative format in the DFW market while its sister KEGL is doing pretty well with its Rock format over the past several years despite its failure and several flips in the mid 00s.
On Nov 16, 2016, iHM toasted KDGE 27 years old alternative format in favor of stunting X-Mas music and that yielded an alternative hole for the #5 market. Many members on the DFW board saw a potential AC format coming to KDGE. Which also would bring the AC format back to the market the first time in almost three years. Some thought it could be branded "Sunny 102.1" much like its sister KODA Sunny 99.1 from the neighboring market. At midnight on Dec 26, 2016, KDGE flipped from X-Mas to its current AC format as "Star 102.1".
I didn't even know about the new AC until the first week of February 2017 which is also the week right before the weekend of my birthdate. I found about the flip when I was observing the Neilsen BDS ratings. I did remembered back in the middle of November 2016 a couple of my friends shared sad posts on Facebook about the change to KDGE legacy alternative format. I'm not even sure if I remembered hearing anything about KDGE starting or already stunting X-Mas. Almost like I didn't even cared what's happening in the market of my own residence. On the personal side, I was busy working full-time as a technician for my company, taking computer programming training courses over Java, trying to fix my PC, and preparing to return to my university for another bachelors degree all at the same time during that time.
KDGE AC approach is very sweet. Not too uptempo and not too soft. A little old leaning with almost enough recurrent/current being aired that a liberal AC would aired. KDGE is halfway between a conservative AC and a liberal AC. It looks like they're doing around a couple 70s a day, 5 80s an hour, 1-2 90s an hour, 0-1 00s an hour, 3-4 recurrents/currents an hour. Too many 80s for an AC in 2017 to even consider it a liberal AC at all, most liberal AC aired 2-3 80s an hour since the past few years. But, if I were to focus an AC heavily on 80s in 2017, I usually would stick to around four 80s an hour at most.
Their playlist included tracks like "Right Here Waiting", "In Too Deep", "Your Love", "Hungry Like the Wolf", "Can't Fight the Moonlight", "How Do I Live", "Imagine", "Livin' la Vida Loca", "The Lady in Red", "Missing You", "Kyrie", "Faith", "Your Song", "Treat You Better", "Stitches", "You Give Love a Bad Name", "Wanted Dead or Alive", "Livin' on a Prayer", "December 1963", "Straight Up", "You Can't Hurry Love", "In the Air Tonight", "Don't Stop Believin'", "Open Arms", "Faithfully", "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)", "Any Way You Want It", "Jessie's Girl", "I Want to Know What Love Is", "Don't Wanna Know", "Animals", "Sugar", "Moves like Jagger", "Payphone", "Every Breath You Take", "Careless Whisper", "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go", "La Isla Bonita", "Papa Don't Preach", "Open Your Heart", "Crazy for You", "True Blue", "Holiday", "Lucky Star", "Into the Groove", "Borderline", "Piano Man", "Uptown Girl", "Because You Loved Me", "Mad about You", "Heaven Is a Place on Earth", "Hips Don't Lie", "Human Nature", "Bad", "Smooth Criminal", "Man in the Mirror", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Billie Jean", "Rock with You", "P.Y.T.", "Thriller", "Beat It", "Black or White", "You Are Not Alone", "How Will I Know", "I Wanna Dance with Somebody", "Thinking About You", "Photograph", "What Is Love", "Demons", "Purple Rain", "Little Red Corvette", "1999", "When Doves Cry", "Kiss", and many more.
Ever since I found out KDGE flipped to AC, I've been listening to it almost all the time. It's been six years since I actually listened to any local radio stations here in Dallas-Ft. Worth. I had been streaming mostly AC from many different cities across the nation. Mostly KMGL/Oklahoma City (my hometown), WLYF/Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, and so on. I've been streaming through many devices through my home, school, and work internet. I only listened to the local radio while I am driving to school. I even actually started collecting my own CDs, putting my CD music onto my phone, and listened to it in the car while I am driving to school and work.
As you figured, I replaced KVIL on my first preset with KDGE on all of the FM receivers in my house and my car. I even plugged in my Sony XDR-F1HD and start using it again that I hadn't use for six years. I even pulled out the Zune HD player to listen to KDGE daily. I replaced my broken Creative Zen player that I bought in 2010 with the Zune HD I bought last year for listening to my music and FM radio.
Today we have a new AC in Dallas and we had it since the midnight of Dec 26.
Unfortunately, KDGE had not been doing well in audience shares over the past several years with its long time dedicated Alternative format in the DFW market while its sister KEGL is doing pretty well with its Rock format over the past several years despite its failure and several flips in the mid 00s.
On Nov 16, 2016, iHM toasted KDGE 27 years old alternative format in favor of stunting X-Mas music and that yielded an alternative hole for the #5 market. Many members on the DFW board saw a potential AC format coming to KDGE. Which also would bring the AC format back to the market the first time in almost three years. Some thought it could be branded "Sunny 102.1" much like its sister KODA Sunny 99.1 from the neighboring market. At midnight on Dec 26, 2016, KDGE flipped from X-Mas to its current AC format as "Star 102.1".
I didn't even know about the new AC until the first week of February 2017 which is also the week right before the weekend of my birthdate. I found about the flip when I was observing the Neilsen BDS ratings. I did remembered back in the middle of November 2016 a couple of my friends shared sad posts on Facebook about the change to KDGE legacy alternative format. I'm not even sure if I remembered hearing anything about KDGE starting or already stunting X-Mas. Almost like I didn't even cared what's happening in the market of my own residence. On the personal side, I was busy working full-time as a technician for my company, taking computer programming training courses over Java, trying to fix my PC, and preparing to return to my university for another bachelors degree all at the same time during that time.
KDGE AC approach is very sweet. Not too uptempo and not too soft. A little old leaning with almost enough recurrent/current being aired that a liberal AC would aired. KDGE is halfway between a conservative AC and a liberal AC. It looks like they're doing around a couple 70s a day, 5 80s an hour, 1-2 90s an hour, 0-1 00s an hour, 3-4 recurrents/currents an hour. Too many 80s for an AC in 2017 to even consider it a liberal AC at all, most liberal AC aired 2-3 80s an hour since the past few years. But, if I were to focus an AC heavily on 80s in 2017, I usually would stick to around four 80s an hour at most.
Their playlist included tracks like "Right Here Waiting", "In Too Deep", "Your Love", "Hungry Like the Wolf", "Can't Fight the Moonlight", "How Do I Live", "Imagine", "Livin' la Vida Loca", "The Lady in Red", "Missing You", "Kyrie", "Faith", "Your Song", "Treat You Better", "Stitches", "You Give Love a Bad Name", "Wanted Dead or Alive", "Livin' on a Prayer", "December 1963", "Straight Up", "You Can't Hurry Love", "In the Air Tonight", "Don't Stop Believin'", "Open Arms", "Faithfully", "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)", "Any Way You Want It", "Jessie's Girl", "I Want to Know What Love Is", "Don't Wanna Know", "Animals", "Sugar", "Moves like Jagger", "Payphone", "Every Breath You Take", "Careless Whisper", "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go", "La Isla Bonita", "Papa Don't Preach", "Open Your Heart", "Crazy for You", "True Blue", "Holiday", "Lucky Star", "Into the Groove", "Borderline", "Piano Man", "Uptown Girl", "Because You Loved Me", "Mad about You", "Heaven Is a Place on Earth", "Hips Don't Lie", "Human Nature", "Bad", "Smooth Criminal", "Man in the Mirror", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Billie Jean", "Rock with You", "P.Y.T.", "Thriller", "Beat It", "Black or White", "You Are Not Alone", "How Will I Know", "I Wanna Dance with Somebody", "Thinking About You", "Photograph", "What Is Love", "Demons", "Purple Rain", "Little Red Corvette", "1999", "When Doves Cry", "Kiss", and many more.
Ever since I found out KDGE flipped to AC, I've been listening to it almost all the time. It's been six years since I actually listened to any local radio stations here in Dallas-Ft. Worth. I had been streaming mostly AC from many different cities across the nation. Mostly KMGL/Oklahoma City (my hometown), WLYF/Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, and so on. I've been streaming through many devices through my home, school, and work internet. I only listened to the local radio while I am driving to school. I even actually started collecting my own CDs, putting my CD music onto my phone, and listened to it in the car while I am driving to school and work.
As you figured, I replaced KVIL on my first preset with KDGE on all of the FM receivers in my house and my car. I even plugged in my Sony XDR-F1HD and start using it again that I hadn't use for six years. I even pulled out the Zune HD player to listen to KDGE daily. I replaced my broken Creative Zen player that I bought in 2010 with the Zune HD I bought last year for listening to my music and FM radio.