Power 100.1 - Athens

[jabba17]

I've never understood why so many people have a man crush on the AAA format or get so amazed when it doesn't bring in the share. It's about as exciting as listening to Jan Wenner's iPod and only appeals to the artsy types who pretend to shun "guilty pleasure" music that isn't the darling of critics.

The AAA format does really well in a number of markets, of which Atlanta is not one.

Out of curiosity, which ones? I'd like to hear what a successful AAA would sound like.

 

[ssnake]

I really liked Bulldog 103.7 when I moved to Athens... right after the reformatting from Rock 103.7. They later became more AOR and I tuned out.

I wonder if WUOG or WPPP-LP will fill the void?

Naw... most college radio (and community LPFM) types nowadays are too full of themselves on shunning "corporate music" and like to play artsy crap no one will listen to because they get props in their artsy circles.

 

[jonblaze]

I heard Kris on Magic yesterday afternoon,I guess Kevin will just concentrate on being pd,yes he is wounderful everyone who has ever worked with him has nothing but good things to say about him,I don't know when Evan is on. I hated tht Alex Brooks was let go from Magic.

Jennifer Holbrook aka Alex Brooks left on her own to work for a station in north Georgia, WCHM in Clarksville. I believe as ops manager. I have no clue if she is still there or gone somewhere else.

 

[the golden boy]

96.1 the Pig in Memphis is a really good AAA station.

 

[rubberchicken]

The AAA format does really well in a number of markets, of which Atlanta is not one.


Out of curiosity, which ones? I'd like to hear what a successful AAA would sound like.

97.3 KBCO Denver, KMTT 103.7 The Mountain Seattle, KINK Portland, Cities 97 Minneapolis are some of the formats stars. All very good stations, KBCO and Cities especially.

 

[bclark71.]

I will post it again, the failure here is on the Sales people for lacking the skills to sell the advertising coupled with Cox Radio's love affair with overpriced consultants.

Asking sales people to try and sell non-commercial music is one of the biggest of oxymorons in radio. That's why so many of those poser stations have flamed out. Selling that 1992 attitude in 2009 is like trying to sell 17-year old cottage cheese. Nobody's buying, and for good reason.

 

[Dwulf]

I will post it again, the failure here is on the Sales people for lacking the skills to sell the advertising coupled with Cox Radio's love affair with overpriced consultants.

Asking sales people to try and sell non-commercial music is one of the biggest of oxymorons in radio. That's why so many of those poser stations have flamed out. Selling that 1992 attitude in 2009 is like trying to sell 17-year old cottage cheese. Nobody's buying, and for good reason.

I am sure the Cox Radio sakes people shared your attitude which is why they failed. Naysayers like you are the ones who always follow in the footsteps of your betters for a lack of vision on how to get the job done. Nothing is impossible to sell if one has the determination to succeed.

Of course, I wonder just how hard the Cox Radio sales force worked on selling ad time for the Bulldog. One might even suspect that they were told to not try to hard so the format would fail, giving the Corpses an excuse to flip the station.

Several of you also miss the point of why I, along with many others, are upset with the change. If Cox Radio wants to get rid of all of its AAA stations, then so be it; But don't replace it with CHR. The flip has created a void in the Athens Radio market. We now only have the choice of listening to the same 100 CHR songs on 3 or 4 different stations, the same 100 Country songs on too many stations, the same 100 Classic Rock songs on 97.1 the River, the same 100 Lite Rock songs on 2 stations. If I wanted to hear the same songs over and over again, I'd burn some more CDs. I listen to the radio for variety and to hear rock, metal, and alternative rock songs I don't own.

Radio is fast becoming outdated and boring due to a slavish devotion to formulas, syndicated shows and consulting reports. Whatever happened to taking risks and being innovative?

 

[BIGSTICK]

Radio is fast becoming outdated and boring due to a slavish devotion to formulas, syndicated shows and consulting reports. Whatever happened to taking risks and being innovative?


Radio has been boring for a loooooooooong time..

 

[ShawtyBlack_ATL]

With every format flip of course you have listeners that are angry. You guys don't think the new POWER would do great in a college town like Athens? B93.7, HOT 98.1 and 95.5 The Beat serves Athens CHR music wise, but not with advertisers.

 

[jabba17]

With every format flip of course you have listeners that are angry. You guys don't think the new POWER would do great in a college town like Athens? B93.7, HOT 98.1 and 95.5 The Beat serves Athens CHR music wise, but not with advertisers.

And 95.5 The Beat not much longer at all, as soon as they complete their ATL move-in.

 

[Rogue]

Couple more AAA's that sound good and reflective of their markets, and make money-

KPRI in San Diego has a lot of longevity at this point, and who doesn't know of the truly legendary WXRT in Chicago?

 

[Dwulf]

With every format flip of course you have listeners that are angry. You guys don't think the new POWER would do great in a college town like Athens? B93.7, HOT 98.1 and 95.5 The Beat serves Athens CHR music wise, but not with advertisers.

I don't listen to CHR. I think it is mostly trite nonsense that all sounds the same. A majority of the music being played on today's CHR stations will be forgotten in a year, unlike much of the music of past decades. Just like the programming on today's radio stations, most CHR is composed via formulaes intended to produce a sound that will quickly sell a bunch of records. The songs have the same beat, the same synth, the same lack of content. CHR might be great to dance to but it won't last.

If Cox had flipped 103.7 from Talk Radio to CHR, fewer people would have been angered. Had they flipped the Bulldog from AAA to any other rock format (apart from Lite) most of the current listeners would have adjusted. CHR is about as far from AAA as you can get.

 

[electroboy73]

All I can say is that I find it hilarious that there is a TRUE CHR station that now serves towns like Bogart, Bishop, and Watkinsville. But not Atlanta! Too bad I can't pick it up here or I would already have programed at "preset-1" in my car. Oh well, Atlanta we came close! Now back to our CHRs here in the big city with Rob Thomas, Daughtry, Jason Mraz and Lifehouse.

 

[Rogue]

It's anything but a "true CHR", even by today's bastardized definition.

It leans very heavily toward the rhythmic side of the spectrum.

960 WRFC and it's FM successor Q105, the two most prominent CHR's in the market's history never leaned in that direction. The only limited exception would have been a few hours specialty weekend night programming on Q in the 80's with the live dance mix show from Stonewalls (which was essentially a paid show and revenue winner for a weak sales slot).

Power sounds closer to Cox co-owned 95-5 The Beat than it does a legit mainstream CHR, by far.

 

[CHRles]

Rogue, your current knowledge of CHR radio is limited at best.
The new Power 100.1 is playing exactly what is big on the CHR/Pop chart.
http://www.radio-info.com/charts/1

Most of the records inside the Top 20 are Rhythmic Pop, and they're huge with CHR/Pop's core 18-34 year old females. Those are the facts. The non Rhythmic titles that are hits? Power 100.1 seems to be playing them as well.

As for how disposable some of the music on CHR radio is, that has ALWAYS been on the case. Don't believe me? Listen to old Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 shows from the 80s and 90s.
http://www.rick.com/media/20

 

[Rogue]

I don't have to revisit it via old Dees clips, because I lived it and breathed it...

No doubt the so-called CHR format of today skews much more female/rhythmic than in it's heyday.

That was not my point, so you are debating a non existent argument with those comments.

The devil is in the rotation %'s, and to that the facts clearly point to Power leaning very rhythmic.

Every market's make up and niche opportunities are different, but the general make up of Athens nor it's open gaps support doing this format this way presently.

Now, that's merely my opinion, but I had a little success at the game for what it's worth.

As to disposable music "always" being the mainstay of CHR, that's only somewhat of a factual statement. Was there always disposable tunes spinning on the legendary CHR's of yesteryear? You bet. However, it's also the format that embraced and made superstars of the likes of The Beatles, Beach Boys, Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles and on and on and on... yeah, all the stuff The River burns crispy today.

Hardly disposable.

The vast majority of what passes as "hit music" on CHR today will never be heard on the radio two years from now, much less twenty or thirty years later.

Anyway, enjoy Athens NEW #1 Hit Music Station, Power 100.1.

Sing their praises far and wide.

Just don't expect them to dominate that market in broad, easy to sell demos the way the former CHR's I mentioned there did.

Peace.

 

[Dwulf]

I won't be singing any praises for 100.1. Instead, I will be hoping for either one of the independents in Athens or a change in the Cox Radio personel to make a flip that results in a new AAA, Alternative Rock or Real Classic Rock station in Athens with Kris and Evan heading up the programming.

 

[bclark71.]

I won't be singing any praises for 100.1. Instead, I will be hoping for either one of the independents in Athens or a change in the Cox Radio personel to make a flip that results in a new AAA, Alternative Rock or Real Classic Rock station in Athens with Kris and Evan heading up the programming.

I doubt another station is going to pick up a format that just failed elsewhere on the dial.

 

[Dwulf]

I won't be singing any praises for 100.1. Instead, I will be hoping for either one of the independents in Athens or a change in the Cox Radio personel to make a flip that results in a new AAA, Alternative Rock or Real Classic Rock station in Athens with Kris and Evan heading up the programming.

I doubt another station is going to pick up a format that just failed elsewhere on the dial.

Failed or was allowed to fail?

 

[top16]

I won't be singing any praises for 100.1. Instead, I will be hoping for either one of the independents in Athens or a change in the Cox Radio personel to make a flip that results in a new AAA, Alternative Rock or Real Classic Rock station in Athens with Kris and Evan heading up the programming.

This would be nice!!! Heck, let's get them on at 99X at 97.9FM in Atlanta in the mornings. Unfortunately, listeners in Atlanta won't hear them on the radio.