Are their Any Rock Leaning CHR's at all? or at least closest thing to one in the USA? on FM radio. that's not a college/high school station.
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Rock Leaning CHR's?
- Thread starter XCountry285
- Start date
wkrz
B
Beejus
Guest
spongebag7890 said:
During the day- WPST and WSTW
B
BoscoGoldBear
Guest
Kiss 108 in Boston - since sister station Jam'n 94-5 is rap, Kiss 108 can't touch the Jam'n music, and vice versa (John Ivey's rules). Don't blame Clear Channel for this one - the switch by Ivey from rhythmic CHR to rock CHR was made under Kiss founder Richie Balsbaugh's watch. 
Since Ivey is at KIIS, plus his history of operating rock leaning CHRs (WRVW and WPXY come to mind), let's put KIIS on the rock leaning CHR ledger.
Since Ivey is at KIIS, plus his history of operating rock leaning CHRs (WRVW and WPXY come to mind), let's put KIIS on the rock leaning CHR ledger.
WIXX Green Bay
WIFC Wausau
WIFC Wausau
L
LostInTheShuffle
Guest
W-We used to be a really good radio station until we fired a great PD after we were bought by a certain corporate giant-H-O-T
Steve N. said:Kiss 108 in Boston - since sister station Jam'n 94-5 is rap, Kiss 108 can't touch the Jam'n music, and vice versa (John Ivey's rules). Don't blame Clear Channel for this one - the switch by Ivey from rhythmic CHR to rock CHR was made under Kiss founder Richie Balsbaugh's watch.
Since Ivey is at KIIS, plus his history of operating rock leaning CHRs (WRVW and WPXY come to mind), let's put KIIS on the rock leaning CHR ledger.
Ummmmm...KISS 108 is back to mainstream CHR and has been for a while. They still play some older/Hot ACish records, but that is because of their success in the older end of the CHR demo. But to say they are still rock leaning is really far from the truth.
It was also well documented in trade publications and websites that KIIS has gone to an extreme Rhythmic lean. They are not even playing a single guitar driven current. Just go to there website and look at their playlist (if you can't access it on Media Base 24/7).
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BoscoGoldBear
Guest
Given John Ivey's CHR/rock history, I'm very surprised! This rhythmic lean goes against everything he has ever done in his career!
On the other hand, he also operates Star (also in LA) the way he operated Kiss 108, and look at its crap ratings! Had Ivey run KIIS in the same rock vein as Kiss 108, WPXY and WRVW I might have been able to write off Star's poor ratings as being a KIIS clone; however, Star's ratings tell me that there isn't much of a demand for current rock.
Now getting back on topic - two more rock CHRs:
KXXM (San Antonio) and WPRO-FM (Providence) - Citadel (Pro-FM) runs a rhythmic which has to be the opposite of its "CHR", and Clear Channel (Mix in SA) has run The Beat for years (first for Hispanic, now for Univision) and steered Mix clear from Beat music.
On the other hand, he also operates Star (also in LA) the way he operated Kiss 108, and look at its crap ratings! Had Ivey run KIIS in the same rock vein as Kiss 108, WPXY and WRVW I might have been able to write off Star's poor ratings as being a KIIS clone; however, Star's ratings tell me that there isn't much of a demand for current rock.
Now getting back on topic - two more rock CHRs:
KXXM (San Antonio) and WPRO-FM (Providence) - Citadel (Pro-FM) runs a rhythmic which has to be the opposite of its "CHR", and Clear Channel (Mix in SA) has run The Beat for years (first for Hispanic, now for Univision) and steered Mix clear from Beat music.
Steve N. said:Given John Ivey's CHR/rock history, I'm very surprised! This rhythmic lean goes against everything he has ever done in his career!
On the other hand, he also operates Star (also in LA) the way he operated Kiss 108, and look at its crap ratings! Had Ivey run KIIS in the same rock vein as Kiss 108, WPXY and WRVW I might have been able to write off Star's poor ratings as being a KIIS clone; however, Star's ratings tell me that there isn't much of a demand for current rock.
Now getting back on topic - two more rock CHRs:
KXXM (San Antonio) and WPRO-FM (Providence) - Citadel (Pro-FM) runs a rhythmic which has to be the opposite of its "CHR", and Clear Channel (Mix in SA) has run The Beat for years (first for Hispanic, now for Univision) and steered Mix clear from Beat music.
I see, you are just an Ivey hater. STAR has never been a ratings monster, but it has always been a revenue monster...so, it ain't all that bad!
I think John Ivey is actually the one who slowly steered Kiss 108 back in a balanced CHR/Pop direction. Steve Rivers was the one who pretty much destroyed the core Kiss 108 sound back in 95, and made it more of an Adult CHR. WXKS gradually shifted back to Mainstream CHR by the late 90s.
As for KIIS-FM, personally I don't like the fact that it leans so heavily Rhythmic, but that approach seems to be working very well for them. The also leaned Rhythmic in the mid 90s, but not to the degree of which they're doing so now. The station sounded best, imo, in the late 80s/early 90s. It was at its worst though in the late 90s when it leaned far too heavily on Teen Pop. So these days I find the station much more enjoyable to listen to. I just wish it was more balanced musically, like other CHRs in global/world renowned cities like NYC (Z-100), Paris (NRJ and Voltage), London (Capital Radio), or Sydney (2Day FM and Nova 96.9). The only current Rock record in rotation at KIIS is by Fallout Boy (they were early on My Chemical Romance, and had it in medium rotation for a couple of months). Now a station doesnt have to play a lot of Rock to be balanced, but KIIS-FM needs to play more straight up Pop, as well as a bit of A/C and Dance, to balance the heavy Rhythmic lean. You do that by playing a bit of Pink, Hellogoodbye, and Avril Lavigne, alongside the Kelly Clarkson records of course.
Another thing that baffles is that someone mentioned 98 PXY Rochester was at some point Rock leaning. When exactly was this ??? ???
As for KIIS-FM, personally I don't like the fact that it leans so heavily Rhythmic, but that approach seems to be working very well for them. The also leaned Rhythmic in the mid 90s, but not to the degree of which they're doing so now. The station sounded best, imo, in the late 80s/early 90s. It was at its worst though in the late 90s when it leaned far too heavily on Teen Pop. So these days I find the station much more enjoyable to listen to. I just wish it was more balanced musically, like other CHRs in global/world renowned cities like NYC (Z-100), Paris (NRJ and Voltage), London (Capital Radio), or Sydney (2Day FM and Nova 96.9). The only current Rock record in rotation at KIIS is by Fallout Boy (they were early on My Chemical Romance, and had it in medium rotation for a couple of months). Now a station doesnt have to play a lot of Rock to be balanced, but KIIS-FM needs to play more straight up Pop, as well as a bit of A/C and Dance, to balance the heavy Rhythmic lean. You do that by playing a bit of Pink, Hellogoodbye, and Avril Lavigne, alongside the Kelly Clarkson records of course.
Another thing that baffles is that someone mentioned 98 PXY Rochester was at some point Rock leaning. When exactly was this ??? ???
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BoscoGoldBear
Guest
CHRles said:
You're right about Steve Rivers destroying the core Kiss 108 sound (i.e. Madonna, Prince, Chic, Michael Jackson, and individual classics like "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now," "Rapper's Delight," "Shame," "There But For The Grace Of God Go I"), but that was back in 1991, when GM John Madison fired Sunny Joe White (RIP) and Rivers overloaded Kiss with Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Metallica, Guns'N'Roses, Motley Crue, Poison and Warrant, which just happened to be the core of WZOU when Rivers won the 12+ ratings contest with an ad agency-unfriendly teen-heavy audience. WROR, which was to go alt-rock, had to adopt the core Kiss 108 sound instead as Mix 98.5, while WZOU, which Sunny was secretly (at first) and then openly the boss of, likewise adopted the core Kiss 108 sound. After getting slaughtered in the adult demos by both stations, then-Kiss 108 owner Richie Balsbaugh benched both Rivers and Madison, reinstituted the core Kiss sound himself, and forced both Mix and WZOU to drop the Kiss core music in 1992.
After spending the next year quietly retiring some of their core classics, Kiss 108 was basically CHR with a hip hop lean, when WZOU became Jam'n 94-5, an all-hip hop station, and beat Kiss with those under 30, while Mix brought back the original Kiss core music and smashed Kiss among those over 30. Balsbaugh then bought Jam'n 94-5, then Madison and Rivers were gone, while Matt Mills, a rock GM from WNCX Cleveland, and John Ivey, a rock/CHR PD of WPXY Rochester and WRVW Nashville, were hired. In order to differentiate Kiss 108 from Jam'n 94-5's new hip hop sound, Ivey dumped the remaining songs from Kiss 108's core sound (i.e. "Brickhouse," "Mighty Real," the artists and songs listed in the last paragraph), instead going heavy on Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots, Soundgarden, Counting Crows, Green Day and Collective Soul - rock which WBCN didn't play in fear of alienating their listeners aged 30+.
Needless to say, I flipped over to Mix 98-5 (and Star 93-7 much later) - I already forget who on the WROR topic wrote good personalities and bad music; I think that the old disco classics were awesome, and IMHO it's a shame that there's nowhere on Boston's dial to listen to these great disco classics anymore. :-[CHRles said:
I'd say late-1980s to early-1990s (the Motley Crue/G'N'R/Poison/Bon Jovi era), when Ivey was there.
But in the late 80s a lot of CHRs played a lot of Hard Rock simply b/c it was so big with the younger demos. It was all over the Pop charts. Records like "Pour Some Sugar On Me" by Def Leppard even topped the CHR airplay charts, and G N R's Appetite For Destruction album was selling like cupcakes. This was largely fueled by the impact of their videos constantly being aired on MTV.
Anyways, I recall Kiss 108 still playing all the hits, and having a bit of a Dance lean, in early 95. Then it just suddently adopted more of a Modern A/C sound, which was around the same time also picked up at stations like star 94 Atlanta, Mix 93.3 Kansas City, and the aforementioned 107.5 The River Nashville. This was totally different from the Modern Rock lean that stations like Z-100 NYC, 104 KRBE Houston, or 97.5 PST Trenton were championing.
Anyways, I recall Kiss 108 still playing all the hits, and having a bit of a Dance lean, in early 95. Then it just suddently adopted more of a Modern A/C sound, which was around the same time also picked up at stations like star 94 Atlanta, Mix 93.3 Kansas City, and the aforementioned 107.5 The River Nashville. This was totally different from the Modern Rock lean that stations like Z-100 NYC, 104 KRBE Houston, or 97.5 PST Trenton were championing.
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BoscoGoldBear
Guest
CHRles said:
Not sure about that one, CHRles. Do Hot AC stations play non-CHR hits such as Alive (Pearl Jam), Lithium (Nirvana), Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden), Big Empty (STP), and especially Black (Pearl Jam), which Kiss 108 was forever playing starting in 1994 all the way through the end of the 1990s? God only knows I couldn't tell the difference between Kiss 108, WBCN, WAAF, WFNX, and later on Mix 98.5 (which dropped the "point" and became 98-5), WBOS and the River (WXRV). I also don't seem to recall Sublime having a hit outside of the rock formats (alternative, active aka heavy metal, and mainstream), yet Kiss 108 is forever playing the drugged-up grunge group (not to mention Alice In Chains and Nine Inch Nails). Basically speaking, I find Kiss 108 the exact polar opposite of what it was during the glorious Sunny Joe White years (RIP).
BTW, FYI and FWIW, I had listened to the "Kiss classics" (basically covering the Sunny Joe years) on stations like Kiss (before Steve Rivers went Motley Crue on us), WZOU (before it went gangsta rap), Mix (before it went grunge rock, i.e. Alanis, Dave Matthews, BNL, STP, Nirvana), Eagle/Star 93-7 (until Disco Vinnie passed away and the station went classic rock as Mike) and WODS/Oldies 103 (until they replaced their disco show with a classic rock show).
J
JimmyJames
Guest
Yeah. Gotta love that grunge band Sublime.. ???
Actually, a lot of famous CHRs were playing "Alive" and "Black" back in the mid 90s.
When Z-100 NYC evolved back to mainstream CHR from Modern Rock leaning CHR it still kept some of the Grunge titles. You can still hear them on the station on occasion.
I don't know about STP's "Big Empty", but "Interstate Love Song" was a huge CHR hit back in 95, as was Pearl Jam's "Better Man".
When Z-100 NYC evolved back to mainstream CHR from Modern Rock leaning CHR it still kept some of the Grunge titles. You can still hear them on the station on occasion.
I don't know about STP's "Big Empty", but "Interstate Love Song" was a huge CHR hit back in 95, as was Pearl Jam's "Better Man".
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MarcR
Guest
CHRles said:
You can hear "post-grunge" acts like Hinder today on Z-100 but not any of the originals like Pearl Jam or Nirvana.
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