Trends!

[NotSoSilentBob]

I legally can't post the link to the 12+ trends here, but you know where to find them. And yes, I know it's just a trend.

We're finally seeing Jack's influence on the ratings, and this M/A/M trend includes only about 2 weeks or less of Jack. Early on, it looks like the curiosity factor was quite high. And could SCC be robbing Peter to pay Paul? Mix 92.9 had a bad trend.

97.1 is up a bit, and with its soft launch, there's really nowhere to go but up. Look for a full-point jump at the very least in the book next month.

Clear Channel has the trend bragging rights, and for the first time in a while, it's The Rock.

Getting countrified, WKDF has MAJOR problems at the moment. But what are they? Is the music selection lacking? Is it the lack of promotions? (they've been focusing their marketing on the Titans, and nowhere else, it seems) Are the personalities stale? What will the Citadel brass do to fix this, or will they sit on their tails and wait for the Titans to give them a little boost? Now that WKDF is out of the way, it's a two-team race, and they look like they're fighting over one diary right now. "The Air Castle of the South" is steady.

Speaking of sports, there's really nothing to say, except that without ESPN, WNSR has fallen completely out of the trend.

WTN may have finally pulled ahead of WLAC for at least a book, thanks to 2 factors, in my opinion: getting rid of Sportsnight, and WLAC's poor excuse for a morning show (not that WTN's is any better).

92Q had a great trend. The Beat, while losing a tad, is steady. And The Buzz (can I type that without getting a cease and desist?) might actually have a good book by Cromwell's standards.

Overall, the book (August 3) won't tell us too much because the Jack shakeup happened in the middle of it. But it will be interesting either way.<P ID="signature">______________
Bob
Moderator, Nashville board
Radio-Info.com--Always Tuned In</P>

 

[Jay_F]

> We're finally seeing Jack's influence on the ratings, and
> this M/A/M trend includes only about 2 weeks or less of
> Jack. Early on, it looks like the curiosity factor was quite
> high. And could SCC be robbing Peter to pay Paul? Mix 92.9
> had a bad trend.


I noticed Mix 92.9 has been playing more 80s rock/pop than they used to. Examples include Tom Petty "Free Fallin" and Kenny Loggins "Footloose". Mix should drop these type of titles, this would help Maximize having a Jack sister station.

 

[jetfli]

> We're finally seeing Jack's influence on the ratings, and
> this M/A/M trend includes only about 2 weeks or less of
> Jack. Early on, it looks like the curiosity factor was quite
> high. And could SCC be robbing Peter to pay Paul? Mix 92.9
> had a bad trend.

Umm, with two weeks of Jack affecting this trend, I'd think it was only a small factor in Mix being down a bit. But of course, I think there is also a little more than just anecdotal evidence to suggest Jack is indeed pulling some women away from Mix, but who knows yet if it is for the long haul. But hey, as long as the audience goes just from Mix to Jack, SC is happy. I think though, that all of the attention generated by 97.1 picking up Oldies drew a few members of the audience there. I know a number of people who say they've rediscovered Oldies. I too think we'll see a steady climb for 97.1 over the next several reporting periods.

> WKDF has MAJOR problems at the moment.
> But what are they?

I'm worried about their drop as well. I don't think they're really doing anything wrong, it is just that the "Turnaround King" has come in and found a way to beat them. Given that KDF has ridden pretty high for a time, it will still be awhile before they feel much need to make major changes. Maybe a bump when the Titans hit the field again will delay changes even longer. And I'll add that I think the "Turnaround King" needs to be set loose on all of his group's stations... I'd love to see what format he'd come up with to make 106.7 successful.

> Speaking of sports, there's really nothing to say, except
> that without ESPN, WNSR has fallen completely out of the trend.

I noticed that and actually felt sad for 560. Since they made changes to make their station a bit more local in more dayparts, I've actually listened to them lately. But I'm not keeping a diary...

> WTN may have finally pulled ahead of WLAC for at least a
> book, thanks to 2 factors, in my opinion: getting rid of
> Sportsnight, and WLAC's poor excuse for a morning show (not
> that WTN's is any better).

You hit the nail on the head regarding SportsNight. Interesting how WTN's ratings actually went up in that slot.

> And The Buzz (can I type that without getting a
> cease and desist?) might actually have a good book by
> Cromwell's standards.

But the Party keeps falling, falling, falling. Time for a format change or a sale.

 

[RMarino]

WKDF

> > WKDF has MAJOR problems at the moment.
> > But what are they?

I think WKDF is just unfocused. Imaging is boring. The jocks are dull. The music selection seems off too. According to their monitored playlist, which is listed at R&R's website, WKDF isn't even playing the #1 song in the country right now (Rascal Flatts "Fast Cars And Freedom"). As a country fan, that happens to be my favorite song out right now. Guess who is playing it the most in the market over the past week? I'll give you 98 guesses

 

[jetfli]

Re: WKDF

> I think WKDF is just unfocused. Imaging is boring. The
> jocks are dull. The music selection seems off too.

Would an infusion of Southern Rock help KDF? I'm thinking of a great sounding "Wolf"-monikered station I heard up in, of all places, British Columbia, a while back. They were "Drivin' Country and Southern Rock." I ask because this format had a great sound, it's something a bit different, and it is sure to get attention in this market because KDF built much of its Rock 'n' Roll legacy on the likes of Skynyrd, ZZ, and .38 Special. Would they do well to leave "the legends" to WSM and bring back a part of the KDF legacy to join with a harder-edged country format? Or would it just be way too male-oriented to reclaim lost ratings? Or, now that I think about it, since 95.5 seems intentionally out for females, maybe KDF should go after the male country audience. They've got the Titans... they could always bring in Rick and Bubba if they felt they didn't have the right morning show... and partner with the Zone to really lock in an even bigger chunk of the male demo.

 

[jwk1979]

> > We're finally seeing Jack's influence on the ratings, and
> > this M/A/M trend includes only about 2 weeks or less of
> > Jack. Early on, it looks like the curiosity factor was
> quite
> > high. And could SCC be robbing Peter to pay Paul? Mix 92.9
>
> > had a bad trend.
>
>
> I noticed Mix 92.9 has been playing more 80s rock/pop than
> they used to. Examples include Tom Petty "Free Fallin" and
> Kenny Loggins "Footloose". Mix should drop these type of
> titles, this would help Maximize having a Jack sister
> station.
>
Mix 92.9 has been playing "Free Fallin" by Tom Petty and "Footloose" by Kenny Loggins for several years, they are not recent adds to the playlist. <P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by jwk1979 on 07/08/05 04:12 PM.</FONT></P>

 

[RMarino]

Re: WKDF

Male leaning country stations haven't been particularly successful in the past, look at WYUU in Tampa. But then again this is Nashville, and Nashville ain't no Tampa. By the way I know I've heard Skynyrd and .38 Special (possibly ZZ Top too) on The Wolf, so KDF just adding those artists would make them just sound like imitators.

I'm not sure what they should do. Perhaps pick a target and stick with it. Either target females and try to do a better job than WSIX (which won't be easy) or play older music and own the "country classics" position in town (for those who don't like AM.) It's a tough time to be WKDF now when WSIX and WSM-FM are sounding so good.

 

[DiamondJoe]

Re: WKDF Lacking Fast Cars & Freedom?

> According to their monitored playlist, which is listed at
> R&R's website, WKDF isn't even playing the #1 song in the
> country right now (Rascal Flatts "Fast Cars And Freedom").
> As a country fan, that happens to be my favorite song out
> right now.

In that regard, I found it ironic that outside the entrance to Riverfront Park on July 4, there was a replica race car with a huge KDF logo on it, and the words "Fast Cars & Freedom".
Let's see if this annual event has any bearings on 103 or 104.5's ratings in the next Nashville (where I just got back from) book.<P ID="signature">______________


New York City Radio and TV</P>

 

[jetfli]

Re: WKDF

> so KDF just adding those artists
> would make them just sound like imitators.

Not if they came up with good promotional theme branding them as playing "Southern Rock." Our Wolf may play it, but they don't say it. A lot of a station's success is simply about promotion.

In fact, maybe that's what KDF needs now more than anything... GREAT and expensive promotion. But who knows, maybe they're not already doing it because they've evaluated the ROI on such, and are enjoying the billing they have now without it.

> It's a tough time to be WKDF now when WSIX
> and WSM-FM are sounding so good.

What a great way to phrase it. Pick up KDF, move it to a nearby market without a heritage country station morning man or a turnaround king, and you've got a number one station. They're really doing nothing wrong with what they are doing. The competition is just doing better right now.

 

[ExIslander]

Re: WKDF

Take it for what it's worth, from someone who majored in broadcasting and computers and had his toes in the radio waters just long enough to figure out I'd better go write software for a living...

I moved to Nashville about four years ago and quickly latched onto WKDF as my favorite country station. My impression -- sometimes borne out by R&R playlists, sometimes not -- is that WKDF pushes new music a little harder through the pipeline. By the time a song finishes the interminable climb up the chart nationally, KDF is just about done with it. This isn't the first time I've seen a #1 that had already dropped off their playlist. It makes sense -- the heavy rotation seems heavier on KDF, so you get sick of the songs quicker. Admittedly, WKDF talks about legends way out of proportion to what they actually play, but I like the way they spread around the gold/recurrent slots.

WSIX is the station that most resembles a typical station elsewhere in the country, playlist-wise, and that's not a good thing to me. I don't like the heavy rotation of not-quite-current songs, particularly when it causes an overdose of a particular artist. If "Fast Cars and Freedom" is getting seven spins a day, does "Bless The Broken Road" need five? I just don't care for the mix sometimes.

I really like what the Wolf is doing with its playlist, and it's shown up in my channel-flipping. I would say my listening splits 40% WKDF/40% Wolf/20% WSIX right now.

But mostly, I give all the stations a big thumbs-up. I do just enough traveling to remind me of what country radio sounds like elsewhere. Bleah. Corporate cookie-cutters with playlists weeks behind the stations here... thank goodness for XM.

 

[athena]

Re: WKDF

In my opinion, WKDF is sinking because the Country music audience is shifting to a Keith Urban cool listener. WKDF sounds like what you'd hear at a Mapco. If it was playing in your car when another person got in, you'd quickly switch stations. They are slow to spin new songs and although they do play legends, it's the same 2 songs for every legendary artist.

 

[RMarino]

Re: WKDF

> WKDF pushes new music a little
> harder through the pipeline. By the time a song finishes the
> interminable climb up the chart nationally, KDF is just
> about done with it. This isn't the first time I've seen a #1
> that had already dropped off their playlist. It makes sense

Yeah, I understand that, as I have worked for a PD who did the same thing (powered the songs on their way up the chart and backed off when they were peaking.) It sounded great that way when I was "on the inside", but now since I'm no longer working the country format, I can listen to it as a typical listener would. And I have found that although your P1s might enjoy that because they have been following your music curve all along, your WSIX and WSM-FM listeners are just now (or have recently) gotten to love the song that you have just dropped.

> WSIX is the station that most resembles a typical station
> elsewhere in the country, playlist-wise, and that's not a
> good thing to me. I don't like the heavy rotation of
> not-quite-current songs, particularly when it causes an
> overdose of a particular artist.

A lot of the Clear Channel country stations do sound very similar. The one I worked for in Florida is almost identical musically with WSIX. But I've seen the research and these ARE the highest testing songs. That's why the CC stations that follow that research are getting very high ratings.

> But mostly, I give all the stations a big thumbs-up.

Agreed. This is without a doubt the most competitive radio market for country and that keeps things interesting.

 

[DiamondJoe]

Re: WSIX, WSIX Online

> A lot of the Clear Channel country stations do sound very
> similar. The one I worked for in Florida is almost
> identical musically with WSIX.

Not to blow your cover, but it wouldn't be Tampa's new US 103.5, would it? I've heard both stations online (even though I still have to plug in the old WTBT calls to hear US 103.5) and their "classics" contributions are pretty much similar. Just enough.

Speaking of WSIX's stream, has anyone notice it's been silent lately? I can connect to the stream, but it just sits there without any broadcasting.<P ID="signature">______________


New York City Radio and TV</P>

 

[RMarino]

Re: WSIX, WSIX Online

> > A lot of the Clear Channel country stations do sound very
> > similar. The one I worked for in Florida is almost
> > identical musically with WSIX.
>
> Not to blow your cover, but it wouldn't be Tampa's new US
> 103.5, would it? I've heard both stations online (even
> though I still have to plug in the old WTBT calls to hear US
> 103.5) and their "classics" contributions are pretty much
> similar. Just enough.

No cover to be blown. I'm always perfectly honest here. The station was Sarasota's 106.5 CTQ. Of course they are musicly similiar to US 103.5 who are similiar to WSIX. It's all CC research and from my experience, it's right on target.

 

[ExIslander]

Re: WKDF

> A lot of the Clear Channel country stations do sound very
> similar. The one I worked for in Florida is almost
> identical musically with WSIX. But I've seen the research
> and these ARE the highest testing songs. That's why the CC
> stations that follow that research are getting very high
> ratings.

True. Can't argue with the results, and I'm not saying WSIX needs to change anything. But when a station is so thoroughly researched, it can sound a little bland to someone who's not in the demographic bullseye. Rascal Flatts, earlier mentioned in this thread, is a perfect example. The "typical country listener" and the focus groups obviously lap up Rascal Flatts, while their songs typically make me injure my index finger in my haste to change the station. That's why I like the other two stations' playlists better. Like I said, that's just my opinion. It takes all kinds and WSIX is obviously doing fine without me.