Spring Phase 1 ratings are out

[neo11]

...with quite a few noteworthy items to note:

- WCAA is up to a 3.4, up from 1.8 in Fall '07. No doubt Luis Jimenez is helping the station greatly in the mornings.

- RXP is doing *really* badly, with an 0.9. PPM or not, they need to see a spike in the ratings quickly or the format is toast. K-Rock isn't doing much better either, up to a 1.4 from a 1.3. Even with PPM, it won't surprise me if neither of these stations survive. K-Rock no longer is the lowest rated FM in the city, however, while RXP is just a tick ahead of WALK and WBLI.

- Z100 continues to be really strong, in first place with 4.9. Kiss FM had a huge jump from 3.9 to 4.7 and knocked Lite FM down to third place. It seems that Kiss may have picked up some former CD101.9 listeners...surprisingly, Lite FM doesn't seem to have gotten any sort of a bump, however. I also can't remember the last time I saw Lite in third place 12+.

- WPAT and WSKQ are now tied...Mega 97.9 is still strong but I don't remember seeing them quite this low in a while either. WCAA has certainly dipped into their audience.

- Hip-hop stations seem to be on a slow but steady decline. Power 105.1 is down to a 3.1, just ahead of KTU at 3.0, which seems to be doing well in recent books.

- WABC had a very strong book, up to a 3.7, ahead of Hot 97. This number might go up even more as we get closer to the election.

- Fresh is slightly up to a 2.3 from a 2.1 but overall is still far below its peak. PPM may help them though.

- WQBU continues to do really well on a limited signal, up to a 1.4, beating, among others, RXP!

- WLIB's gospel format finally reaches a 1.0. Seems that they've built a steady audience for the station.

 

[Ombudsman]

WLIB's gospel format finally reaches a 1.0. Seems that they've built a steady audience for the station.

Amen!

 

[Ozman]

still no keyword :active: rock in NYC...


i'm sure i'll get it when I'm on social security...

 

[SoulCrusher]

Why is it that everyone can understand what is wrong with K-Rock and RXP except the people programming them?

RXP had laid the groundwork for a good station, but it's still too eclectic to build a devoted following. If you like Arcade Fire, you probably don't like Nickelback. Why play both of them? I say get rid of the disposible pop/rock acts like Daughtry, 3 Doors Down and the aforementioned Nickelback - half the stations in the market play them. And while we're at it, we can do without all the tired classic rock that is also played in many places.

K-Rock is almost beyond help. They were decent until about late '97 when they saw fit to add "Retro Rock" (and by that I mean Rush, AC/DC, Aerosmith, etc.), and sounded OK prior to "Great Rock Period" K-Rock, but have been abysmal for the better part of 10 years now.

The remedy for what ails both of these stations is not rocket science.

K-Rock: Should be Active Rock (with acts like Korn, System Of A Down, Slipknot, Mudvayne and others receiving solid airtime, alongside more streamlined acts like Foo Fighters, Godsmack and Disturbed - focus should be on the '90s and present). A sound close to WJRR in Orlando or WCCC in Connecticut would work well.

RXP: Should be Alternative Rock in the vein of an Indie or FNX. I know Matt Pinfield is the morning show host, but he should also be either PD and/or MD. He did an excellent job in making FM 106.3 (WHTG in Eatontown, NJ) one of the top Alternative stations in the country and could very easily do the same with WRXP. He has his finger on the pulse of the format and knows what works for the audience they're trying to attract. Oasis, Blur, Beck, R.E.M., Sublime, Pixies, Replacements, Depeche Mode, The Cure, Radiohead, and The Strokes should be core artists on the station - they should also go heavy on new music, playing at least 40 Currents. They may want to consider excluding post-grunge (Seether, Breaking Benjamin) and the more aggressive rock acts to avoid overlap with the competition. Bottom line: If RXP wants to be seen as an "intelligent" rock station, that means NO Nickelback, Daughtry, Hinder, Buckcherry, Aerosmith, Bad Company, AC/DC, Def Leppard, etc. NONE of these bands could be considered even remotely intelligent.

 

[Indielover]

Too bad about RXP's rating, however I'm not suprised...AAA formats take time to build...hopefully emmis will give it that time..this could be a good station...

I believe they should try a more basic AAA direction..such as... KFOG, the Sound in LA, 107.1 the Peak, 92.9 EHM, etc..

 

[Indielover]

"RXP: Should be Alternative Rock in the vein of an Indie or FNX. I know Matt Pinfield is the morning show host, but he should also be either PD and/or MD. He did an excellent job in making FM 106.3 (WHTG in Eatontown, NJ) one of the top Alternative stations in the country and could very easily do the same with WRXP. He has his finger on the pulse of the format and knows what works for the audience they're trying to attract. Oasis, Blur, Beck, R.E.M., Sublime, Pixies, Replacements, Depeche Mode, The Cure, Radiohead, and The Strokes should be core artists on the station - they should also go heavy on new music, playing at least 40 Currents. They may want to consider excluding post-grunge (Seether, Breaking Benjamin) and the more aggressive rock acts to avoid overlap with the competition. Bottom line: If RXP wants to be seen as an "intelligent" rock station, that means NO Nickelback, Daughtry, Hinder, Buckcherry, Aerosmith, Bad Company, AC/DC, Def Leppard, etc. NONE of these bands could be considered even remotely intelligent"

good points all...and if Matt Pinfield were to program the station it might have a chance, perhaps they'll give him that chance. I do however think as I said in the previous post, a basic AAA might be the way to go..whichever direction (if either), this COULD be a really good station...I've seen the potential here from the beginning.

 

[disney fanatic]

WRXP is going way downhill in the first trend. AAA is not worth listening in the NY airwaves, if you don't like it, why not listen to WDST in Woodstock, NY. They still have the same format as WRXP.

http://www.wdst.com

To get back the edge, WLTW's "Lite-FM" is going down from #1 to #3, because the station has been #1 forever when Jim Ryan was there, now they got rid of him thank the lord Jim is gone, gone, gone forever. No more Jim Ryan as PD, now WBEB's "B-101" in Philly hired Chris Conley to take over Jim. Jim has been with WLTW for 11 years and he's going to move on until Batman sees you at the CC Joker's desk.

CBS-FM did really well playing some good songs with some 80's tunes spiced up and mostly 50's and early 60's songs that Joe McCoy, then PD usually do. I hope that CBS-FM needs to bring back the reverb to make the station a lot better when Joe McCoy was around. On the other hand, CBS-FM HD2 got rid of "Jack", because the station wasn't doing well for the last year and two years as a existence on the main station since it was way down two years ago, but last year, it came back and it does really well. Good job for CBS-FM and the people who brought you the format. CBS-FM HD2 is no longer "Jack", so they got rid of Howard Colgan and brought in former WPLJ jock now CBS-FM jock Pat St. John to do liners for 101.1's HD2 channel which is the same format that "Jack" was on HD2.

"Fresh" was doing okay in the NY side at 102.7, on the Chicago side, it does the same on 105.9.

Other ratings, Z-100 is back at #1 since last year, thank goodness! WBLS does well and so on.

As for the official PPM numbers, let's bring in the numbers until this fall.

 

[neo11]

???

 

[Jacko]

I was just about to write about the same thing that SoulCrusher wrote about WRXP and WXRK. I was visiting in the area over the weekend and thought that K-Rock should be the market's active rocker and RXP should be the alternative station. The newer alternative that RXP is playing is actually pretty good--I heard new music from the Kooks and... wait for it... Supergrass while I was in the area last weekend, but mixing it with Van Halen and Aerosmith just seems out of place. And yes, I know, people are going to say "but that's what AOR should sound like!" True, but in these days many listeners are looking for stations that are a bit more niche-sounding. And I'm not too sure about classifying WRXP as "AAA" as they have some harder rock in their rotation. Plus, there's non-comm WFUV playing an eclectic AAA format and I doubt WRXP is attracting many listeners from them.

WXRK is a mess and just needs to go active rock all the way and stop playing so much classic rock. Sure, throw in the occasional Zeppelin or AC/DC song, but only once or twice an hour.

Notice how Q104.3, over the past several years, has stayed with a consistent format and has had very good ratings throughout? Hmmm...

Jacko

 

[disney fanatic]

I guess three rock stations don't support them as Dr. Sniffen point out that this station WRXP is not another WNEW-FM of the late 60's.

 

[murcuryvapor]

I believe they should try a more basic AAA direction..such as... KFOG, the Sound in LA, 107.1 the Peak, 92.9 EHM, etc..

***YAWN***

 

[ciao99]

Why is it that everyone can understand what is wrong with K-Rock and RXP except the people programming them?

RXP had laid the groundwork for a good station, but it's still too eclectic to build a devoted following. If you like Arcade Fire, you probably don't like Nickelback. Why play both of them? I say get rid of the disposible pop/rock acts like Daughtry, 3 Doors Down and the aforementioned Nickelback - half the stations in the market play them. And while we're at it, we can do without all the tired classic rock that is also played in many places.

K-Rock is almost beyond help. They were decent until about late '97 when they saw fit to add "Retro Rock" (and by that I mean Rush, AC/DC, Aerosmith, etc.), and sounded OK prior to "Great Rock Period" K-Rock, but have been abysmal for the better part of 10 years now.

The remedy for what ails both of these stations is not rocket science.

K-Rock: Should be Active Rock (with acts like Korn, System Of A Down, Slipknot, Mudvayne and others receiving solid airtime, alongside more streamlined acts like Foo Fighters, Godsmack and Disturbed - focus should be on the '90s and present). A sound close to WJRR in Orlando or WCCC in Connecticut would work well.

RXP: Should be Alternative Rock in the vein of an Indie or FNX. I know Matt Pinfield is the morning show host, but he should also be either PD and/or MD. He did an excellent job in making FM 106.3 (WHTG in Eatontown, NJ) one of the top Alternative stations in the country and could very easily do the same with WRXP. He has his finger on the pulse of the format and knows what works for the audience they're trying to attract. Oasis, Blur, Beck, R.E.M., Sublime, Pixies, Replacements, Depeche Mode, The Cure, Radiohead, and The Strokes should be core artists on the station - they should also go heavy on new music, playing at least 40 Currents. They may want to consider excluding post-grunge (Seether, Breaking Benjamin) and the more aggressive rock acts to avoid overlap with the competition. Bottom line: If RXP wants to be seen as an "intelligent" rock station, that means NO Nickelback, Daughtry, Hinder, Buckcherry, Aerosmith, Bad Company, AC/DC, Def Leppard, etc. NONE of these bands could be considered even remotely intelligent.

As a Boston listener, please do NOT let WRXP model itself after WFNX. You are probably thinking of the FNX of ages past. That station is gone. Today's FNX is heavy on adult contemporary leaning alternative songs from big bands, heavy on the 90's. New music is an after-thought. Breaking bands? Why...when you can hide in a careful mix of audience tested music of a past generation.

Now WHTG? That's a good alternative station.