• 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

What's Wrong With The AC Format?

DToTheJ

DToTheJ

All across the country, "lite" stations that have enjoyed higher ratings, if not a boost all the way to the top of the PPM's, are dramatically dropping all the way to middle or lower double-digit finishes in the January book.

Obviously, people will tune in droves for some holiday cheer, but fail to stick around for their regular fare come December 26.

So what, if anything, is wrong with the AC format that's not keeping these high shares around? Does the format need to be tinkered with again?
 
Nothing with the format (whether one wants to point out specific stations is a whole other set of discussions). "Sliding all the way back" is hardly a major disappointment when it still lands you near or at the top of the heap, or at least as well as you were doing pre-holiday. If you're simply not into the format, you're not into it, and even if Christmas songs bring you in, it's not that the station is doing something wrong when they flip the switch back, it's just not what you want.
 
In my market both WMYI and WSPA are down, more than before Christmas even.

I could see the AC format not doing as well, it's getting more boring - same currents over and over and over for months on end with nothing new. Hey Soul Sister, Breakeven, Mine, Just The Way You Are, Need You Now, Smile, September. Repeat each 4 times a day for months on end.
 
People tune into AC more during Christmas and away from their regular station. In some markets you see the other stations down during this time.
 
http://www.radio-info.com/programmi...-beckons-many-but-more-current-frightens-some

Check out this article that Sean Ross wrote recently. The question of more currents, currents added quicker, and the role of millennial (00-09) music vs 70s, 80s, and 90s.

Understanding that there is a real break in artist preference at age 40 (source: Alan Burns study on AC radio from last summer), many stations are at a crossroads. And at the crux of the issue is how to attract more female listeners in the 35-44 cell when Hot AC, CHR, and even country is having an impact on the format? Let's have some discussion.
 
I guess it depends on who AC is losing listeners to - in a lot of markets I checked, Hot ACs have shot up in ratings (while ACs have gone down below pre-Christmas levels) - if AC is losing listeners to HAC, seems like the answer is obvious (add more currents)

If there's really a big split in musical preferences at ago 40, though, I can see where ACs would be stuck in a jam, since no matter what they do they're gonna isolate one end of their target audience
 
I know in one market (Minneapolis) the AC hit the roof during Christmas and now its below the Hot AC. But that isn't the case in all markets. Most time I see the AC over the Hot AC.
 
IMO, It varies by market. AC's are not like CHR, classic rock, classic hits, Urban, etc. Depends on the competition. AC stations in markets where there is a fairly strong Hot AC/Adult CHR may play more currents. WLTW is liberal with currents as of late and they're competing with WWFS, a Hot AC. Remember, a LOT of Hot AC's have evolved out of the 80s, skipped a lot of the 90s, and are pretty much "Adult CHR" now and don't resemble AC stations like they used to.
I agree that normally, the AC does better than a Hot AC/Adult CHR/whatever. Maybe it's just a dry spell for the format, like I keep saying, there aren't many extremely good currents right now like there have been in the past few years. There is a decent amount of material for the H/AC format currently, which may be helping them.

I always come back to my argument that AC stations that play more older music typically do better. With the right songs, I think you can snatch the 35-54's and keep them happy. It has to be the right songs and the right balance of eras. For example, saying you play 13 songs an hour...I'd do 2 '70s, 4 '80s, 2 '90s, 4 '00s/recurrent, and 1 current. If there's extra time, throw in another 80s or maybe a "new" current in light rotation. 2000s and 80s are the most important decades. I just don't know about more than one current, then you may risk running the 40+ listeners off....and is there really enough material? The right 70s songs will definitely attract the 40+ audience and won't hurt the younger end. Same for the 80s. Listen to WSNY in Columbus; for an AC in 2011, I think they do it right. I think it just depends on the market.

In my opinion, when the 70s and especially the early-mid 80s get too old for AC, there WILL be a problem. The very late 80s, 90s and early 2000s aren't going to give the format the quality and abundance of material that the 70s and 80s have. I've often wondered if this will be the death of the format.
 
I agree with that.

AC to me is a mix of current and past contemporary hits without the hard edge and hip hop music . Which goes to why many AC's use the slogan "Soft Rock". Sure AC has changed from 10 years ago. It has to change over time.

Soft AC is much much fewer current AC, mostly songs from the 70s, 80s with 90s and today soft AC stuff in the mix.

Hot AC the not so soft rock side of AC. Can be a cross with CHR but without the hip hop. Where you'll hear stuff like Linkin Park, Hinder, etc.
 
Seltzer said:
http://www.radio-info.com/programmi...-beckons-many-but-more-current-frightens-some

Check out this article that Sean Ross wrote recently. The question of more currents, currents added quicker, and the role of millennial (00-09) music vs 70s, 80s, and 90s.

Understanding that there is a real break in artist preference at age 40 (source: Alan Burns study on AC radio from last summer), many stations are at a crossroads. And at the crux of the issue is how to attract more female listeners in the 35-44 cell when Hot AC, CHR, and even country is having an impact on the format? Let's have some discussion.
Click to expand...

It's an interesting debate. I'm not in the target audience so my opinion doesn't really matter, but I do think many AC station's today are tilted towards currents and I simply don't think much of the music is compatible with the AC format. Much of it is too "poppy" for me. As the article suggests, finding the right balance is key, but IMO, I would rather have stations be more conservative with their current selection. That's not to say I want a bland playlist, but I think they can actually do a better job of keeping things 'fresh' by actually throwing in some hits from say, the 80s or 90s, that haven't seen much airplay over the past several years. It just seems odd to be hearing "Dynamite" on stations that used to be known for Billy Joel and Savage Garden.
 
Guess I'm in the dark as I haven't heard an AC playing "Dynamite" and I listen to a decent variety of them. I know some of the big market ones do, but that's all I really know of.
 
carolinaradio said:
Guess I'm in the dark as I haven't heard an AC playing "Dynamite" and I listen to a decent variety of them. I know some of the big market ones do, but that's all I really know of.
Click to expand...

Check out Lite 100.5 which is a CBS Radio owned AC out of Hartford, CT they play "Taio Curz - Dynamite"
 
The only ones I know of are WLTW, WBEB, and WRCH. There are probably some Hot AC's reporting as AC playing it also. I know I've never heard one play it anywhere near here.
 
imhomerjay said:
Nothing with the format (whether one wants to point out specific stations is a whole other set of discussions). "Sliding all the way back" is hardly a major disappointment when it still lands you near or at the top of the heap, or at least as well as you were doing pre-holiday. If you're simply not into the format, you're not into it, and even if Christmas songs bring you in, it's not that the station is doing something wrong when they flip the switch back, it's just not what you want.
Click to expand...
There's a simple solution to the Christmas problem. What you were playing at Christmas, with different lyrics, is what Easy 93.1 in Miami is doing. Officially it's called soft AC, but I'm not sure I'd agree.

Actually, a lot of what is played at Christmas is even softer. It's called adult standards!
 
vchimpanzee said:
Actually, a lot of what is played at Christmas is even softer. It's called adult standards!
Click to expand...

And it has limited appeal at best outside of Christmas.
 
I agree with all of you. Looks like the AC format is getting a bit worse, especially the so-called "Lite" or "Soft Rock" stations. I used to enjoy the format more than a decade ago but now I almost totally gave up listening to it. Adding insult to injury, some of the lite stations are incorporating specialty weekends, most likely the all-80s music played every weekend. Two decades ago, only a few stations have a weekend dedicated to oldies music. The only stations known to play this type of music and only played the regular AC format during the workdays are WSB-FM(Atlanta), WFLC(Miami), WLIF(Baltimore, the latter playing '70s oldies), and several others. Now recently, both KYXY(San Diego), and WWLI(Providence) have joined the all-80s bandwagon. Even though I'm a huge 80s fan, this type of specialty weekend programming should only be focused on hot AC or classic hits stations, and only play all classic songs during Saturday nights. In the early 90's, only a very few stations have this type of programming.

The Fresh stations so far never feature all-70s, 80s, type programming from what I heard.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom