• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Star 94 Tanks in January PPM

R

RoddyFreeman

Star 94 had a really bad January PPM while Q100 and The Beat increased share.

Is "On Air with Ryan Seacrest" not the station saver that Star expected it to be? It was on the air during most of the January survey period.

In fairness, I guess the show needs to run for more than just 3 weeks for us to really know its effect. And the other dayparts obviously affected the overall numbers also. But I've been saying that show's quality is pretty mediocre.

I expect JR Ammons to succeed eventually, but some fundamental changes seem necessary.
 
Well, I'll just say this; The entire time I lived in Atlanta, although I had Star*94, I prayed and wished daily for a new top 40 or rhythmic station to pop up. Maybe I should've been more specific with my wishes - which did happen to come true AFTER I moved from Atlanta!

I always knew and thought Star*94 could do better with their music selection and always used to wonder why there was no station like Q100 or 95.5 The Beat. Well, I guess now with Q100 around, I think Star*94 should remain the same with their more alternative lean top 40 hits because this way there is still a noticeable difference between the two stations. Besides, its worked for them for this long and its not really a bad format.

While Star is good and I can say this is mostly what I grew up with, I have to admit that Q100 and 95.5 The Beat would be my new home if I ever decided to come back. I usually (or used to) listen to them online on Saturday nights. Star also has a good show on Saturday nights around eleven, but this is something they should've started doing a long long time ago!

On an unrelated note, I guess we're one of the only states who has Ryan Seacrest on a station that is not top 40... but then again this is Phoenix and that would happen. I see in other places Ryan is usually affiliated with something top 40. Well not here.
 
The interesting aspect of these ratings is that Star's cume isn't far off from Q100's at all. However, the latter is trouncing Star in the 6+ overall ratings. Are people sampling WSTR but not maintaining interest?

In recent months, JR and/or Michael have really tightened up the musical screws. Star still sounds more current than Q100 (sad but true), but their powers are turning over more often and the scheduling seems improved. From the looks of things, I doubt these are the last major moves on Star.

Q100 has a tremendous morning show, solid airstaff and good promotions, but the music is still awful. I guess that's a bit like saying everything at Ruth's Chris is delicious but the steak. Despite their continuing issues, I think Star's a good station in many respects as well, and I can't fathom for the life of me why Atlanta Top 40 listeners select an outlet with such a stale musical mentality when the product across the street has a superior playlist and strong peripheral components. I wish they would make some headway, even if only to induce a new musical strategy at Q.
 
According to the ratings, Star was beaten (overall) by True Oldies 106.7.

Two big problems are mornings and afternoons. Star is actually playing more music during Seacrest's voicetracked time then the two drivetimes. A new morning show (that does play some music) versus an established show (with little to no music). During PM drive, a morning show type show (with the same amount of music during AM drive - maybe a little more) versus a station playing 12 or so songs. Connect the dots.

Problem is easily fixable...move Cindy and Ray (who are established in this market) to mornings, and find another afternoon DJ. Did I mention...this will save them money?

Another option...do all of the above, and add hip-hop to the mix and sound like a real mainstream CHR. I don't know why Star is scared of hip-hop.
 
jal41 said:
According to the ratings, Star was beaten (overall) by True Oldies 106.7.

Two big problems are mornings and afternoons. Star is actually playing more music during Seacrest's voicetracked time then the two drivetimes. A new morning show (that does play some music) versus an established show (with little to no music). During PM drive, a morning show type show (with the same amount of music during AM drive - maybe a little more) versus a station playing 12 or so songs. Connect the dots.

Problem is easily fixable...move Cindy and Ray (who are established in this market) to mornings, and find another afternoon DJ. Did I mention...this will save them money?

Another option...do all of the above, and add hip-hop to the mix and sound like a real mainstream CHR. I don't know why Star is scared of hip-hop.
Click to expand...

That doesn't fix the problem, it moves the problem. C&R don't even beat Johnny O in afternoon drive, how in the world would they beat Bert? What the station needs is a complete identity change, because Q100 has hammered Star in every single PPM and there's no way it's a fluke at this point. ATL simply likes Q, all day, much better than Star.

And Q has Akon, Ne-Yo, and Flo Rida all in their top 15 played songs. The only reason I think Star can be seen as more "current" is that Q keeps playing tracks like "Leavin", "Shattered", and "Makes me Wonder" in their top 20 while Star plays Matt Nathanson and Thriving Ivory. Maybe the fact is that listeners would rather hear solid recurrents rather than newer, but less proven tracks?
 
The odd thing about Star is that THEY actually played "damaged" by Danity Kane (although, late). Actually, not odd, because the rest of the country was playing it too.. No other station in Atlanta indicated they were playing it all the times I checked throughout all of 2008... and if Star has music in the morning, be thankful! I wish our top 40 station here in Az also had music in the morning too! The morning show, by the way, is from 5 TO AROUND 10:13 OR SOMETHING! Almost doesn't make sense, but.... I must remember where I live. I like how Atlanta radio has become more normal than Phoenix now in many ways...

We kind of need a station here like Star*94. We have a bunch of rhythmics - rhythmic leaning top 40, a rhythmic oldies, a back in the day and today rhythmic, a latin rhythm, a REAL rhythmic, and another rhythmic leaning urban that's labeled as rhythmic and is focusing on trying to wipe out the other rhythmic by stealing (and "sharing") the same slogan as the REAL rhythmic and considering themselves a "hit music station" while still sounding like the "where hip hop lives" that they used to be. This is just a brief summary of the silliness going on here. They all play an incredible amount of hip hop... (or shall I say r&b and pop now that hip hop has faded away). What if we had a Star*94 in Phoenix? If we had a Star*94, I'd listen a bit, but would prefer the station under a different name. If this hypothetical Star*94 is not going to play Pitbull or Baby Bash or Lil Wayne or TI about 10 or 12 times a day, then chances are it probably wouldn't do too well in Phoenix as a top 40 based on the music selection the PD would most likely give it. It's amazing we have all this rhythmic, and the only one that can seem to play any real dance is the latin rhythm (and NOW sometimes the rhythmic top 40). Latin house and dance mixed with reggaeton and bilingual hits & hip hop in a mixshow is better than no dance at all.

Anyway, I have no idea who Cindy and Ray are, but I remember Steve and Vicky... and for some reason that's all I remember - the names. I don't remember at all what they talked about or anything about what they did in the mornings as I got ready for school. I wonder if Rick Dees is still on there? I'm not even going to get into that... but I say the best syndicated countdown show is Hollywood Hamilton Rhythm Countdown. - whether it be the rhythmic version, the top 40 version, or the dance remix version, Hollywood Hamilton is the best, but I'm biased because I love the rhythmic or rhythmic top 40 format (unless it does not include dance hits). Rick Dees was the best to me back in the mid 90's, and probably was the most exciting part of Star*94.
 
I see Star*94 plays Nickelback. Well, we need a top 40 station that does that. I don't even think Nickelback is classified as a top 40 artist here in Phoenix, or any of the top 40 stations I listen to in the west coast. I don't remember the last time we had Nickelback play on a top 40 station here (although I'm pretty sure it's happened) since 2006, but I do remember hearing "roc the mic" by Beanie Sigel (or State Property as the artist is listed on Yes.com for KZZP at 9:00pm Feb 28) yesterday on our top 40 and wondering "what the heck is going on here?... and this is not even a current!" I could understand Tupac or Notorious BIG being played as top 40, but not Beanie Sigel.

Maybe Star*94 needs to start doing odd stuff like this. Our top 40 station is beating the hell out of everyone else who is close to that format. Go to ratings and see our top 40 way up there, and not paying any mind to all the rhythmics below, all talking trash about each other and talking about who plays REAL hit music....etc. ...And there I was thinking Atlanta radio was odd when I lived there!
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom