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PUNCH WAR: The River vs. i106

L

lovejamminoldies

So I was checking out both stations online and I didn't realize i106 was rhythmic-leaning... that's definitely different for a typical Cumulus CHR. If I remember correctly, Cumulus launched the "i" brand to go against the major market CHR's promoting "new music first" and commercial free hours. i106 is doing just that, and I think they may have gotten even more rhythmic-heavy when 102.5 The Party left the market. The River on the other hand? More adult CHR. Which one do you listen to and which one do you think sounds the best? I took both stations following their morning shows at 9am and put them head to head. Let's see who wins.

9am:

The River: LMFAO/Lauren Bennett/Goon Rock - Party Rock Anthem (Station Rank #19)
i106: David Guetta/Usher - Without You (Station Rank #23)

That D. Guetta is flying and gonna be big, but LMFAO still is hot. Good song to kick off the hour. River wins.

The River: Jason Aldean/Kelly Clarkson - Don't You Wanna Stay (Station Rank #6)
i106: Britney Spears - I Wanna Go (Station Rank #1)

Classic market-power situation here. Because of the country market, The River is powering the country crossover from Aldean. Probably great for the market, but can't beat Britney which is still powerful in the country. i106 wins.

The River: Pink - U + Ur Hand (Station Rank N/A)
i106: Jason Derulo - In My Head (Station Rank #83)

Recurrent vs. Recurrent. Their clocks are spot on so far. So which one wins? Derulo's most recent and just has that "feel good sound" for the workday. i106 wins.

The River: Cobra Starship/Sabi - You Make Me Feel (Station Rank #9)
i106: Rihanna - Cheers (Drink To That) (Station Rank #6)

Both songs doing extremely well around the country right now, but Rihanna is being heard EVERYWHERE. More familiar at this point. i106 wins.

The River: Lady Gaga - The Edge Of Glory (Station Rank #18)
i106: Bruno Mars - Just The Way You Are (Station Rank #55)

Post-Power vs. Post-Power... Bruno was bigger. Gaga was most recent. I feel Gaga would be the one a typical listener would prefer to hear... now if this was going up against his "The Lazy Song", it'd be different. The River wins.

The River: Gym Class Heroes/Adam Levine - Stereo Hearts (Station Rank #4)
i106: Hot Chelle Rae - Tonight Tonight (Station Rank #20)

Gym Class Heroes is getting pretty popular while Hot Chelle Rae is fading away. The River wins.

The River: Jason Mraz - I'm Yours (Station Rank #41)
i106: Nicki Minaj - Super Bass (Station Rank #3)

Nicki is just so popular with all demographics... song was a big hit for her and still is big. i106 wins.

The River: Bad Meets Evil/Bruno Mars - Lighters (Station Rank #3)
i106: Adele - Rolling In The Deep (Station Rank #25)

Lighters wasn't named Song of the Summer by MTV for no reason. Great song with so much power around the country. The River wins.

The River: Katy Perry - Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) (Station Rank #20)
i106: New Boyz/Chris Brown - Better With The Lights Off (Station Rank #13)

You have a big CHR single vs. a big rhythmic single... New Boyz is making moves and it has a mainstream sound. Katy Perry has a large burnout... i106 takes it home.

The River: Andy Grammer - Keep Your Head Up (Station Rank #33)
i106: Lady Gaga - The Edge of Glory (Station Rank #15)

This one is interesting. Andy Grammer has gotten major Hot AC attention, while Gaga has to, Andy is making moves on CHR and it's a great song for the workday. Cool new song vs. a big hit with a big burnout. The River wins.

The River: Outkast - Hey Ya! (Station Rank #153)
i106: Justin Timberlake - Lovestoned (Station Rank #81)

Personally, I rather hear JT because everytime I hear Hey Ya, I turn the station. Thinking in the eyes of a 18-34 listener, and even more importantly 25-54, they'd probably want Outkast. Now if it would've been Sexyback or My Love... JT could've had a better chance. The River wins.

The River: Adele - Someone Like You (Station Rank #5)
i106: Maroon 5/Christina Aguilera - Moves Like Jagger (Station Rank #2)

i106 automatically wins for playing the #1 song in the country, but that Adele song is #1 Billboard. Going to be huge for her.

The River: Pitbull/T-Pain - Hey Baby (Drop It To The Floor) (Station Rank #54)
i106: Lil Wayne/Drake - She Will (Station Rank #29)

This one is a hard one. You have the Pitbull song a lot of people forgot about because it quickly disappeared once Give Me Everything released. You have a HUGE rhythmic smash from Lil Wayne & Drake that gets some CHR attention in some parts of the country. I think She Will is a hot song, but thinking in terms of at work and CHR familiarity, Pitbull would be the answer. The River wins barely.

The River: Maroon 5/Christina Aguilera - Moves Like Jagger (Station Rank #2)
i106: Katy Perry - Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) (Station Rank #10)

The River wins automatically.

The River: Colbie Caillat - Brighter Than The Sun (Station Rank #59)
i106: Sean Kingston - Beautiful Girls (Station Rank N/A)

The River embracing their adult CHR roots with the new Colbie. I think any CHR listener would prefer to hear the recurrent smash from Sean Kingston. If i106's recurrent choice would have been weaker, I think The River could have had a chance with the new music first. i106 wins.

The River: STOPSET
i106: LMFAO/Lauren Bennett/Goon Rock - Party Rock Anthem (Station Rank #4)

i106 wins automatically... The River had to put a few minutes of commercials in after trying to compete with i106's 106 minutes of music.

Final Score:

The River - 8
i106 - 8

A tie? First time ever in a punch war I've done! If you look, the clocks are almost identical. Both stations have 10 currents an hr. i106 doesn't look to play much rock product, if any, and definitely more current-leaning during the workday than most Cumulus CHR's. i106 has more syndicated programming for sure with Bert and Billy Bush, and are the other two jocks piped in? I'm going to take a listen tonight after Billy Bush to hear their overall imaging package which I'm normally impressed with coming from Cumulus. I'm a big fan of rhythmic-leaning CHR's so I think I'd be listening to i106 the most... but both stations obviously have each other in mind with their clocks and musical selections. The River leaning-adult and i106 leaning-rhythmic. Which is your fav?
 
I pick i106 because they're the underdog and because they DON'T have intern Adam. BUT musically speaking, I like that the river mixes in "older" stuff (i106, like the river plays too much Brittney Spears and Kesha crap, but what do I know; I'm a 24-year-old fogie. The winner in my book: WZYP 104.3 Huntsville. I wish i106 would mirror it.
 
NashvilleNative said:
The winner in my book: WZYP 104.3 Huntsville. I wish i106 would mirror it.
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I'm a fan of WZYP - every now and then you can DX it a little bit out of south Nashville. It was a nice treat being able to sample WZYP on a semi-regular basis when my former job had me driving from Birmingham to Nashville and back circa 2006-2007.

I really like what The River does with the Retro Three at Three. I heard it the other day into a long commercial-free stretch, then the 3:50 p.m. stopset into the Top Four at Four, all sounding very good. I would think that would help with the afternoon TSL here in the PPM era.
 
WZYP is extremely adult, adult top 40 at its finest, very close to Hot AC. I've never listened to their on-air presence but i106 is smart to have the rhythmic-lean they do, especially with The River being more adult. There's no point in having two adult CHR's, especially with The Party gone.
 
With all due respect to The River, I vote for i106 simply because The River seems stale sounding. Seems to play it very safe compared to what they used to be. Not much motivation to be rhythmic or cutting edge anymore I suppose.

i106 would be great if they were more local though. No reason what so ever that an important daypart like mornings is being piped into a market the size of Nashville. No reason at all. That's just cheap and easy.
 
DJOnAStick said:
With all due respect to The River, I vote for i106 simply because The River seems stale sounding. Seems to play it very safe compared to what they used to be. Not much motivation to be rhythmic or cutting edge anymore I suppose.

i106 would be great if they were more local though. No reason what so ever that an important daypart like mornings is being piped into a market the size of Nashville. No reason at all. That's just cheap and easy.
Click to expand...

I do remember The River playing more rhythmic... not sure why the change. I agree 100% about i106. It's Cumulus though. They save money and play EVERYTHING safe. If it's not The Bert Show, it'd be Kidd Kraddick.
 
Woody and Jim have really gone downhill in the last few years and have become much more perverted than I remember from years past. They have good segments such as gender wars and what do you do wednesdays, but I'd rather listen to the Bert Show. Afternoon drive is a complete different story. We're NOT IN THE MIDWEST! Ryno is entertaining on 107, but anytime Jeff Andrews says i1oooooooooooooooooo6 in that awful accent I want to run my car off the road. I'm pretty tolerable, and realize southerners have accents too, but I can't handle that one.
 
I believe Jeff Andrews is the PD as well, and I wouldn't be surprised if he has some control over the music log. I never listened to The Bert Show, I heard little snippets when I left the station on overnight and woke up to it, but it sounded like a typical syndicated morning show. I always liked Kidd Kraddick when I listened to him.
 
lovejamminoldies said:
I believe Jeff Andrews is the PD as well, and I wouldn't be surprised if he has some control over the music log. I never listened to The Bert Show, I heard little snippets when I left the station on overnight and woke up to it, but it sounded like a typical syndicated morning show. I always liked Kidd Kraddick when I listened to him.
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Kidd is good, but he isn't local and he can't relate to a Nashville-centric audience. Nashville is not your typical mid-major radio market. It's a city that has a clear identity and reason for people being there. It's not just another big city on the interstate for most. Louisville would be a city where, if you just HAD to have a syndicated show on in the morning, it would be fine for the most part. Sure it wouldn't be perfect, but it would work with the right show and committment on the stations end.
 
lovejamminoldies said:
You're crazy if you think Cumulus is going to put on a local morning show OR night show on there. Just because it's cumulus!
Click to expand...

Oh I know. Former Cumulus air talent right here. I know how they think, but I'm just saying. LOL!!
 
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