What's Up with Mix 98-5?

[StacysMom]

Can someone tell me what's going on with Mix? All I hear is Urban stuff now. Usher, Kanye West, Kevn Little, Chris Brown. When did these become Hot AC artists?

Someone needs to tell Jerry McKenna that John Zellner tried this same thing a year ago and it didn't work then... and judging by Mix's fall numbers, it doesn't work now.

Where is Greg Strassell? I though he was still a regional Infinity guy? I'm surprised he's letting them do this to a station he worked so hard to build.

Thoughts?

 

[keyjock]

> Where is Greg Strassell? I though he was still a regional
> Infinity guy? I'm surprised he's letting them do this to a
> station he worked so hard to build.
>
I think he's still trying to keep the fire started by DLR contained.

 

[Garrett]

Sounds like they are transitioning to Mainstream CHR.
On the other hand, Mix98 has traditionally played more Pop titles than most Hot AC's I've heard. Also don't forget that Mix98.5 started out as AC and R&B, so it's not all that unusual.

> Can someone tell me what's going on with Mix? All I hear is
> Urban stuff now. Usher, Kanye West, Kevn Little, Chris
> Brown. When did these become Hot AC artists?
>
> Someone needs to tell Jerry McKenna that John Zellner tried
> this same thing a year ago and it didn't work then... and
> judging by Mix's fall numbers, it doesn't work now.
>
> Where is Greg Strassell? I though he was still a regional
> Infinity guy? I'm surprised he's letting them do this to a
> station he worked so hard to build.
>
> Thoughts?
>

 

[JustinT]

> Sounds like they are transitioning to Mainstream CHR.
> On the other hand, Mix98 has traditionally played more Pop
> titles than most Hot AC's I've heard. Also don't forget that
> Mix98.5 started out as AC and R&B, so it's not all that
> unusual.

I'm not sure if it's specifically CHR. This morning, Lander played "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off"; with some Rascal Flatts and other country artists in rotation as well. They've also been playing some more urban-sounding tracks in recent months, getting tons of plays off of Kanye West's "Golddigger".

Hot AC across the country is in an identity crisis, losing listeners and stations to the variety hits format, while gaining little new material of it's own. With Mix playing country and urban tracks, it's probably the station testing new material for acceptance. It's one of the country's flagship hot ACs (along with WPLJ/NYC, WTMX/Chicago, KBIG/Los Angeles), and at the moment I'd doubt it's going anywhere. But you never know...

 

[MassMusicMan]

> > Sounds like they are transitioning to Mainstream CHR.
> > On the other hand, Mix98 has traditionally played more Pop
>
> > titles than most Hot AC's I've heard. Also don't forget
> that
> > Mix98.5 started out as AC and R&B, so it's not all that
> > unusual.
>
> I'm not sure if it's specifically CHR. This morning, Lander
> played "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off"; with some
> Rascal Flatts and other country artists in rotation as well.
> They've also been playing some more urban-sounding tracks in
> recent months, getting tons of plays off of Kanye West's
> "Golddigger".

Lander is allowed to play whatever he wants. Using his choices as part of an argument in regard to Mix's musical direction is biased.

 

[NotoriousN-I-K]

Hey a hit is a hit as they say

> > Sounds like they are transitioning to Mainstream CHR.
> > On the other hand, Mix98 has traditionally played more Pop
>
> > titles than most Hot AC's I've heard. Also don't forget
> that
> > Mix98.5 started out as AC and R&B, so it's not all that
> > unusual.
>
> I'm not sure if it's specifically CHR. This morning, Lander
> played "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off"; with some
> Rascal Flatts and other country artists in rotation as well.
> They've also been playing some more urban-sounding tracks in
> recent months, getting tons of plays off of Kanye West's
> "Golddigger".
>
> Kanye is far from an urban artist, and "Golddigger" is a CHR smash, chr songs with legs like that usually cross to more adult formats like Hot AC in time..... it's far from "Urban", Kanye's the biggest crossover success in recent history and one of the few artists (in any format) actually SELLING a lot of albums.

 

[ScottBurns]

> Lander is allowed to play whatever he wants. Using his
> choices as part of an argument in regard to Mix's musical
> direction is biased.

I echo those sentiments. Mix is essentially two stations: a CHR station when Lander is on and a Modern/Hot AC during the rest of the day. Defining Mix is difficult. Back in the late 1990s, Mix went in the new "Modern" AC direction, focusing on some traditional AC with some lighter Alternative mixed (no pun intended in). But that was when Alternative was the thrill in the CHR world; remember that Z100/NYC went in this direction in the mid- and late-1990s. After this Alternative era was over, Mix hung onto the "Modern" side of the AC format. Slowly, Mix has been replacing "Modern" with CHR music, especially as rappers have replaced Alternative musicians.

Nonetheless, much of Mix's programming is still aimed at AC traditional AC listeners, especially suburban "soccer moms." I doubt Mix will ever go full-fledged CHR. That giant gorilla known as Kiss 108 will forever prevent that.

 

[JustinT]

> Lander is allowed to play whatever he wants. Using his
> choices as part of an argument in regard to Mix's musical
> direction is biased.

Alright then. How about Tim McGraw's "Live Like You Were Dying", which was played this afternoon? Or Keith Urban's "Making Memories of Us", which was played at 11:40 AM.

 

[JustinT]

Re: Hey a hit is a hit as they say

> > Kanye is far from an urban artist, and "Golddigger" is a
> CHR smash, chr songs with legs like that usually cross to
> more adult formats like Hot AC in time..... it's far from
> "Urban", Kanye's the biggest crossover success in recent
> history and one of the few artists (in any format) actually
> SELLING a lot of albums.

"Golddigger" is definately crossover; I wouldn't deny that at all. I'd mentioned this song in particular as Mix has a history as one of the defining Modern ACs, which were entirely rock-based. A song like this only deviates more from the station's past image.

 

[Runrigger]

> > Lander is allowed to play whatever he wants. Using his
> > choices as part of an argument in regard to Mix's musical
> > direction is biased.
>
> Alright then. How about Tim McGraw's "Live Like You Were
> Dying", which was played this afternoon? Or Keith Urban's
> "Making Memories of Us", which was played at 11:40 AM.

Live Like You Were Dying & Making Memories Of Us are crossover hits to hot AC & even CHR, although I don't think the Keith Urban has fully proven itself yet like You'll Think Of Me did. Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off & Bless The Broken Road haven't crossed over & probably won't. The Rascal Flatts song did get an AC push but it never really made it in any format but country.

 

[Garrett]

But Run,
You have to admit, it's a bit unusual for a Hot AC station to be playing such an extreme range of generes. I would be hard pressed to consider "Golddigger" something normal for a Hot AC to be playing. I don't even think Kiss108 is playing as far reaching a playlist, and that's one of the countries premier CHRs (by the way, which was first, KIIS FM, or Kiss108?)

>
> Live Like You Were Dying & Making Memories Of Us are
> crossover hits to hot AC & even CHR, although I don't think
> the Keith Urban has fully proven itself yet like You'll
> Think Of Me did. Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off & Bless
> The Broken Road haven't crossed over & probably won't. The
> Rascal Flatts song did get an AC push but it never really
> made it in any format but country.
>

 

[Runrigger]

> But Run,
> You have to admit, it's a bit unusual for a Hot AC station
> to be playing such an extreme range of generes. I would be
> hard pressed to consider "Golddigger" something normal for a
> Hot AC to be playing. I don't even think Kiss108 is playing
> as far reaching a playlist, and that's one of the countries
> premier CHRs (by the way, which was first, KIIS FM, or
> Kiss108?)

You have good points there. If you check the R&R Hot AC chart there's music there some stations with that format won't touch. A CHR that doesn't skew in any particular direction can play both Kanye & Tim McGraw even if dayparted. I don't think Golddigger hit the Hot AC chart, but ironically I don't like urban music & am heavily into country & Golddigger is one of the few urban songs I'll sit through. Maybe Kanye is visible enough in the media at this point so that the general public is aware of him. I was also going to mention I know a girl who listens to Mix, isn't a country fan, heard Bless The Broken Road, cried because it struck some chord with her, & loves the song. Bottom line of course is if we're talking music only Lander plays, it's the personality that's drawing the listeners in & real fans of the show will probably sit through any song while they're waiting for the show itself to resume.

 

[JustinT]

> (by the way, which was first, KIIS FM, or
> Kiss108?)

Kiss 108 launched in 1979. KIIS-FM in Los Angeles flipped on August 22, 1975.

(though the KIIS calls and moniker were in use before that. They were first on 1150 AM (now home to KTLK) for a few years until it and 102.7 KKDJ were "married".)

So KIIS-FM is older.