Why so many urban stations?

[Wildstyle K]

I've had a lot of praise for Wild but my praise is about to go to condemnation for their **GASP** constant repeats. ..... that dance/mix show they have with mama someone at night is AWFUL. I love house music and remixes but check out this set she plays each night; It's an encore. It's the same 10 songs every single night! ARGH!!

I have a different view on this.

I think the evening show and mix is the best one out of all. I wish she had more mix times. Mornings on WWVA, however, could use a little more work and change. They could also use a Friday night mix as well instead of doing nothing.

I did notice a lot of mixhsow repetition in the evening mix, but I figured it works because it does bring more familiarity and lessens the chance of alienating listeners who aren't used to that sound or certain songs that are only used in mixshows. I love the way the entire mix is constructed and think the whole structure set up of it exceptionally well done, even regardless of the actual content in it.

I don't think WiLD is any more repetitive than other typical rhythmic chr's. Go anywhere and it will be the same (and probably worse). Most station mixshows tend to also be "predictable" or repetitive every day or week since it's typically the same dj who does the mixes, and most dj's tend to have a particular style of their own. Listen to WAMJ, WALR, or just about any other station mixshows and you'll notice that their mixshows will sound pretty much the same all the time as well, unless a substitute dj fills in. The same selection of particular styles of music will often be heard every time with an occasional twist thrown in from time to time. Even talk radio hosts tend to have a "repetitive / distinct theme sound" that only seems to change up when someone else fills in.

Q100 has a very well done Saturday Night mixshow with various dj's, but after a while, you'll even begin to notice that their dj's also all have a distinct sound pattern and style. I can always tell when a new (or the next) dj is on without hearing the name drops if I happen to walk out and miss part of the mix and return to tune back in later.

I think WWVA is doing a good job with being creative while still keeping limitations and maintaining consistency to create familiarity. I did love how the early 95.5 The Beat and Q100 used to go deep with the house, trance, electro-freestyle, and bass, but I'm not sure how well that did ratings-wise. Doing too much could scare people off, but if those stations remained consistent with that formula from 2002 up until today, I'm sure they would've gained a loyal audience and Atlanta would have two of the best sounding unique chr's in the country. After all, look how far Saturday Night Q has gone. I'm sure WPOW didn't become as unique as they are overnight.

Currently listening to Dj Class doing the morning Loco Mix on local rhythmic KKFR, and he even has a certain sound and playlist selection style that he uses every time he's on.

 

[jabba17]

I have to check out this Z93 station because if there's a chr in Atlanta, then... I don't know what I would do. I remember trying to request "hey jealousy" by Gin Blossoms on Z93 back in 1994 since no one else was willing to play it (and they wouldn't either). Star*94 did eventually pick it up a few years later. In other words, I remember Z93 as a rock station. I'll be shocked to see any chr material on there once I go check.... Maybe somebody can finally play "blackout" by Breathe Carolina there.

Anyway, what I originally came to say; WWVA is DEFINITELY not urban. It is a very good pop rhythmic station, though. 95.5 The Beat was close enough to urban sounding to carry a "hip hop" slogan... sort of like KPWR. WWVA, however, could appropriately use a "hit music" slogan the way they are now.

Z93 was CHRban a year or two before they flipped to classic rock in 1989, and a very famous CHR before that, in the late 70s and early 80s.

 

[jabba17]

Also, Atlanta is a quickly becoming a large breakout point for urban artists. Some artists in Detroit have a 'second studio' here while others have already made the move.

For years I've suggested that WGST do an urban news/talk format in the evenings when they cut power. I believe it would work on a heritage station, and such variety would be great pr for them - but CC has deaf ears.

Sounds like Ralph From Ben Hill, who was on WGST 6-9 PM in the Jacor days in the early 90s and probably before that too. A Black Muslim (IIRC), he targeted an urban audience but whites liked him too. I remember his coverage of the Rodney King riots and he did a wonderful job.

 

[acheron1982]

I still say that Wilds evening mix is awful. I have a friend that DJ's clubs and specializes in Top 40 and house and gives Q's Saturday night thing much more credit than Wild. You can take one song and mix it in many different ways. Wild mixes certain songs the same way. Also, WILD has a bad habit of transitioning from one song to the same song that was done the previous nights.

Furthermore, when your mixing, it should not be illegal to bring out some non-traditional songs. I recall listening to Saturday night Q a few weeks ago and they did a mashup with Elton John's Rocket Man in a trance fashion. Q also brings back some of the dance hits that were big at the start of 2000 such as sandstorm. Wild has got to dig deeper in the top 40 and hip hop tracks to spin during there show. I listened to WILDS night show on my way home from work and have had enough of it because its the same songs and sometimes they are even in the same order as the previous night.
This is not normal and should not be overlooked by the listeners who want to see house do well in Atlanta because I can assure you; Go to a club that spins the same sets over and over at night and each weekend, the club dance floor will be empty after a few months.

 

[Wildstyle K]

I still say that Wilds evening mix is awful.  I have a friend that DJ's clubs and specializes in Top 40 and house and gives Q's Saturday night thing much more credit than Wild.  You can take one song and mix it in many different ways.  Wild mixes certain songs the same way.  Also, WILD has a bad habit of transitioning from one song to the same song that was done the previous nights.

Furthermore, when your mixing, it should not be illegal to bring out some non-traditional songs.  I recall listening to Saturday night Q a few weeks ago and they did a mashup with Elton John's Rocket Man in a trance fashion.  Q also brings back some of the dance hits that were big at the start of 2000 such as sandstorm.  Wild has got to dig deeper in the top 40 and hip hop tracks to spin during there show.  I listened to WILDS night show on my way home from work and have had enough of it because its the same songs and sometimes they are even in the same order as the previous night. 
This is not normal and should not be overlooked by the listeners who want to see house do well in Atlanta because I can assure you; Go to a club that spins the same sets over and over at night and each weekend, the club dance floor will be empty after a few months. 

I understand what you are describing, but I still don't think that it necessarily makes the mix itself bad. Just predictable and repetitive. I do notice many of the same songs are always repeated in the mix and often times contain the same back to back song sequence or edit order, but I always figured that there must be a reason why this happens. Mami Chula is capable of doing different styles of mixes with different types of songs, which she showed back when they were promoting some concert with Ludacris and others and she did a mix made specifically for that concert promotion. That mix sounded quite different from the usual and featured different songs, remixes, and a different theme from what she normally does. I know she has a lot more than she's allowed to play on air.

I assume that one reason the mix is musically repetitive every day is to keep familiarity and consistency on a new station that's still trying to build themselves while still featuring some exclusive non traditional songs. I don't think they want to go "all crazy and wild" just yet. Unlike the more established V103 (who was deep into some dubstep yesterday) and Q100 where people are more familiar with their schedule set up, I think (the new) WiLD is still trying to play it safe - but without taking away certain specialty programs, and I'd much rather prefer what they're doing now than to have NO mix shows at all (which is what most new stations do to avoid inconsistency in music and prevent having dj's straying away from the playlist too often and confusing new listeners).

For example: I remember when a new PD came to our local KZON when they were still pretty new and "randomly" decided one day, in the middle of the week, to abruptly remove all weekday mix shows and just play nothing but regular music until ratings went up. Then, after a while, they slowly started to add mixes back once the ratings became "acceptable" and people became more familiar with the format. I believe the purpose in removing mixes for many many months was so no matter what time people tuned in, there would be familiar, consistent music, unlike when they had all those mixshows that... I will admit, did tend to get "a little crazy". That's dangerous for a new station trying to develop and maintain a loyal audience. At least WiLD, who even has a bad signal to worry about in addition to gaining a loyal audience, isn't taking such drastic measures.

I'd rather have the predictable Mami Chula mix than to have no mixes at all. It could've easily been removed like the 6 o clock mix was. Besides, the Mami Chula mix is much edgier than the 6 o clock mix on 105.7 ever was in regard to content. Even though they tend to reuse the same mixshow music exclusives and edits over and over daily, it's better than if they were restricted to nothing but regular playlist music or simply not even mixing. As a matter of fact, that's even better than some top 40 stations that actually repeat entire mix sets within the same week (or once a week!) I'm sure once they gain an established audience that trusts them to remain consistent, they'll most likely become more creative with things.

Don't forget how mainstream, predictable, and repetitive Q100 and 95.5 The Beat were during the first many months of their existence. There are certain non traditional songs, like "shut up and party" by Nire Alldai and other things that would've never been played or heard in Atl. if it weren't for that mix. (By the way, WVEE, WALR, and WAMJ mix live from the club every week and they play mainly the same music every week, especialy when it comes to the uptempo material.)

 

[Wildstyle K]

By the way, I believe some college stations could do more to help house and electronica. There are already enough urban stations to the point that the school stations don't need to also somewhat duplicate that sound.

 

[Wildstyle K]

I think the evening show and mix is the best one out of all.

By the way, I should clarify that I meant best one out of all shows on WWVA. Not out of all stations.

 

[ShawtyBlack_ATL]

I still say that Wilds evening mix is awful. I have a friend that DJ's clubs and specializes in Top 40 and house and gives Q's Saturday night thing much more credit than Wild. You can take one song and mix it in many different ways. Wild mixes certain songs the same way. Also, WILD has a bad habit of transitioning from one song to the same song that was done the previous nights.

Furthermore, when your mixing, it should not be illegal to bring out some non-traditional songs. I recall listening to Saturday night Q a few weeks ago and they did a mashup with Elton John's Rocket Man in a trance fashion. Q also brings back some of the dance hits that were big at the start of 2000 such as sandstorm. Wild has got to dig deeper in the top 40 and hip hop tracks to spin during there show. I listened to WILDS night show on my way home from work and have had enough of it because its the same songs and sometimes they are even in the same order as the previous night.
This is not normal and should not be overlooked by the listeners who want to see house do well in Atlanta because I can assure you; Go to a club that spins the same sets over and over at night and each weekend, the club dance floor will be empty after a few months.

I understand what you are describing, but I still don't think that it necessarily makes the mix itself bad. Just predictable and repetitive. I do notice many of the same songs are always repeated in the mix and often times contain the same back to back song sequence or edit order, but I always figured that there must be a reason why this happens. Mami Chula is capable of doing different styles of mixes with different types of songs, which she showed back when they were promoting some concert with Ludacris and others and she did a mix made specifically for that concert promotion. That mix sounded quite different from the usual and featured different songs, remixes, and a different theme from what she normally does. I know she has a lot more than she's allowed to play on air.

I assume that one reason the mix is musically repetitive every day is to keep familiarity and consistency on a new station that's still trying to build themselves while still featuring some exclusive non traditional songs. I don't think they want to go "all crazy and wild" just yet. Unlike the more established V103 (who was deep into some dubstep yesterday) and Q100 where people are more familiar with their schedule set up, I think (the new) WiLD is still trying to play it safe - but without taking away certain specialty programs, and I'd much rather prefer what they're doing now than to have NO mix shows at all (which is what most new stations do to avoid inconsistency in music and prevent having dj's straying away from the playlist too often and confusing new listeners).

For example: I remember when a new PD came to our local KZON when they were still pretty new and "randomly" decided one day, in the middle of the week, to abruptly remove all weekday mix shows and just play nothing but regular music until ratings went up. Then, after a while, they slowly started to add mixes back once the ratings became "acceptable" and people became more familiar with the format. I believe the purpose in removing mixes for many many months was so no matter what time people tuned in, there would be familiar, consistent music, unlike when they had all those mixshows that... I will admit, did tend to get "a little crazy". That's dangerous for a new station trying to develop and maintain a loyal audience. At least WiLD, who even has a bad signal to worry about in addition to gaining a loyal audience, isn't taking such drastic measures.

I'd rather have the predictable Mami Chula mix than to have no mixes at all. It could've easily been removed like the 6 o clock mix was. Besides, the Mami Chula mix is much edgier than the 6 o clock mix on 105.7 ever was in regard to content. Even though they tend to reuse the same mixshow music exclusives and edits over and over daily, it's better than if they were restricted to nothing but regular playlist music or simply not even mixing. As a matter of fact, that's even better than some top 40 stations that actually repeat entire mix sets within the same week (or once a week!) I'm sure once they gain an established audience that trusts them to remain consistent, they'll most likely become more creative with things.

Don't forget how mainstream, predictable, and repetitive Q100 and 95.5 The Beat were during the first many months of their existence. There are certain non traditional songs, like "shut up and party" by Nire Alldai and other things that would've never been played or heard in Atl. if it weren't for that mix. (By the way, WVEE, WALR, and WAMJ mix live from the club every week and they play mainly the samemusic every week, especialy when it comes to the uptempo material.)

KISS 104.1/WALR doesn't mix anymore! IDK what happened.

 

[kilamanjero]

I still say that Wilds evening mix is awful. I have a friend that DJ's clubs and specializes in Top 40 and house and gives Q's Saturday night thing much more credit than Wild. You can take one song and mix it in many different ways. Wild mixes certain songs the same way. Also, WILD has a bad habit of transitioning from one song to the same song that was done the previous nights.

Furthermore, when your mixing, it should not be illegal to bring out some non-traditional songs. I recall listening to Saturday night Q a few weeks ago and they did a mashup with Elton John's Rocket Man in a trance fashion. Q also brings back some of the dance hits that were big at the start of 2000 such as sandstorm. Wild has got to dig deeper in the top 40 and hip hop tracks to spin during there show. I listened to WILDS night show on my way home from work and have had enough of it because its the same songs and sometimes they are even in the same order as the previous night.
This is not normal and should not be overlooked by the listeners who want to see house do well in Atlanta because I can assure you; Go to a club that spins the same sets over and over at night and each weekend, the club dance floor will be empty after a few months.

I understand what you are describing, but I still don't think that it necessarily makes the mix itself bad. Just predictable and repetitive. I do notice many of the same songs are always repeated in the mix and often times contain the same back to back song sequence or edit order, but I always figured that there must be a reason why this happens. Mami Chula is capable of doing different styles of mixes with different types of songs, which she showed back when they were promoting some concert with Ludacris and others and she did a mix made specifically for that concert promotion. That mix sounded quite different from the usual and featured different songs, remixes, and a different theme from what she normally does. I know she has a lot more than she's allowed to play on air.

I assume that one reason the mix is musically repetitive every day is to keep familiarity and consistency on a new station that's still trying to build themselves while still featuring some exclusive non traditional songs. I don't think they want to go "all crazy and wild" just yet. Unlike the more established V103 (who was deep into some dubstep yesterday) and Q100 where people are more familiar with their schedule set up, I think (the new) WiLD is still trying to play it safe - but without taking away certain specialty programs, and I'd much rather prefer what they're doing now than to have NO mix shows at all (which is what most new stations do to avoid inconsistency in music and prevent having dj's straying away from the playlist too often and confusing new listeners).

For example: I remember when a new PD came to our local KZON when they were still pretty new and "randomly" decided one day, in the middle of the week, to abruptly remove all weekday mix shows and just play nothing but regular music until ratings went up. Then, after a while, they slowly started to add mixes back once the ratings became "acceptable" and people became more familiar with the format. I believe the purpose in removing mixes for many many months was so no matter what time people tuned in, there would be familiar, consistent music, unlike when they had all those mixshows that... I will admit, did tend to get "a little crazy". That's dangerous for a new station trying to develop and maintain a loyal audience. At least WiLD, who even has a bad signal to worry about in addition to gaining a loyal audience, isn't taking such drastic measures.

I'd rather have the predictable Mami Chula mix than to have no mixes at all. It could've easily been removed like the 6 o clock mix was. Besides, the Mami Chula mix is much edgier than the 6 o clock mix on 105.7 ever was in regard to content. Even though they tend to reuse the same mixshow music exclusives and edits over and over daily, it's better than if they were restricted to nothing but regular playlist music or simply not even mixing. As a matter of fact, that's even better than some top 40 stations that actually repeat entire mix sets within the same week (or once a week!) I'm sure once they gain an established audience that trusts them to remain consistent, they'll most likely become more creative with things.

Don't forget how mainstream, predictable, and repetitive Q100 and 95.5 The Beat were during the first many months of their existence. There are certain non traditional songs, like "shut up and party" by Nire Alldai and other things that would've never been played or heard in Atl. if it weren't for that mix. (By the way, WVEE, WALR, and WAMJ mix live from the club every week and they play mainly the samemusic every week, especialy when it comes to the uptempo material.)

KISS 104.1/WALR doesn't mix anymore! IDK what happened.

The Cox Media urban stations' dictate is what happened. None of their stations will competitively mix except on weekdays at 5PM and maybe on the weekends for about 1-2 hours. That's why I said ultimately Kiss is going to lose because Atlanta is a vibrant mixers' and club/music lounge market and if you don't mix then the listeners will notice this.

 

[MRFLASHPORT]

Also, Atlanta is a quickly becoming a large breakout point for urban artists. Some artists in Detroit have a 'second studio' here while others have already made the move.

For years I've suggested that WGST do an urban news/talk format in the evenings when they cut power. I believe it would work on a heritage station, and such variety would be great pr for them - but CC has deaf ears.

Sounds like Ralph From Ben Hill, who was on WGST 6-9 PM in the Jacor days in the early 90s and probably before that too. A Black Muslim (IIRC), he targeted an urban audience but whites liked him too. I remember his coverage of the Rodney King riots and he did a wonderful job.

Ha ha, Ralph from Ben Hill saved this white boy from Cobb county from suicide when I was a teenager, he was a blast to listen to.

Sidenote, we have urban stations because they pull numbers and make money. They invest heavily in air talent and promotions...V-103 is a machine at this...maybe if others would follow in other formats, aw nevermind. That won't happen. :

 

[ShawtyBlack_ATL]

HOT is now using "Commercial Free Hip-Hop and R&B" in some of their positioners. They're still using "Atlanta's Only Hip-Hop Station" too which began after 95.5 THE BEAT died.

 

[Nate Wesley]

WWVA - Rhythmic Contemporary Hit Radio (CHR)

You cannot tell me that WiLD would be considered a CHR. CHR is Z93... not WiLD or Q100.

CHR has evolved and expanded musically. I can tell you that WABB Mobile, a longtime CHR since the 50s, was notoriously conservative (and consistent) toward playing rap-free versions of songs in the 1990s. Specifically, crossover hits like TLC's "Waterfalls" or "No Scrubs" would lose their short Left-Eye supplied rap bridge.

Today though? WABB targets the same audience of young people, yet it plays Drake and Lil Wayne without much of a second thought.

 

[bringbackradio]

I happened to notice something while preparing my PPM report for the company and noticed something:

Atlanta has 5 urban stations in the Abitron reports:

WVEE
WALR
WHTA
WAMJ
WWVA

It's better than the 6 we used to have before the beat became extinct.

Why in the heck do we have so many darn urban stations? While Urban has 5 stations.... AC only has 1 and country has 2.

Another thing....why do we have 4 rock stations?
WSRV, WNNX, WKLS, AND 99x.

That is way to many. We need more variety in our format. Just my Ps and Qs. What's your opinion?

Bill Bradley
[email protected]

Correction: it is 6 stations including WPZE. There is a difference in two gospel formats, one being southern and the other urban for that reason. Count that in, and that means that Atlanta had the highest number of 8 stations carrying the urban variation format between 2003-2006 when WFOX was on.

 

[RoddyFreeman]

WWVA - Rhythmic Contemporary Hit Radio (CHR)

You cannot tell me that WiLD would be considered a CHR. CHR is Z93... not WiLD or Q100.

CHR has evolved and expanded musically. I can tell you that WABB Mobile, a longtime CHR since the 50s, was notoriously conservative (and consistent) toward playing rap-free versions of songs in the 1990s. Specifically, crossover hits like TLC's "Waterfalls" or "No Scrubs" would lose their short Left-Eye supplied rap bridge.

Today though? WABB targets the same audience of young people, yet it plays Drake and Lil Wayne without much of a second thought.

Unfortunately, WABB is gone as of March 1. It was owned by the Dittman family since the 50's. After Bernie Dittman passed away in 2006, none of the remaining family members lived in Mobile, and that was a major reason for the sale to a non-profit group in California. A Christian Contemporary station is now on 97.5, former frequency of WABB.

 

[ShawtyBlack_ATL]

I happened to notice something while preparing my PPM report for the company and noticed something:

Atlanta has 5 urban stations in the Abitron reports:

WVEE
WALR
WHTA
WAMJ
WWVA

It's better than the 6 we used to have before the beat became extinct.

Why in the heck do we have so many darn urban stations? While Urban has 5 stations.... AC only has 1 and country has 2.

Another thing....why do we have 4 rock stations?
WSRV, WNNX, WKLS, AND 99x.

That is way to many. We need more variety in our format. Just my Ps and Qs. What's your opinion?

Bill Bradley
[email protected]

Correction: it is 6 stations including WPZE. There is a difference in two gospel formats, one being southern and the other urban for that reason. Count that in, and that means that Atlanta had the highest number of 8 stations carrying the urban variation format between 2003-2006 when WFOX was on.

Ugggh, WWVA/Wild 105.7-96.7 is NOT URBAN!!!!!!!

 

[atlantaboy]

I happened to notice something while preparing my PPM report for the company and noticed something:

Atlanta has 5 urban stations in the Abitron reports:

WVEE
WALR
WHTA
WAMJ
WWVA

It's better than the 6 we used to have before the beat became extinct.

Why in the heck do we have so many darn urban stations? While Urban has 5 stations.... AC only has 1 and country has 2.

Another thing....why do we have 4 rock stations?
WSRV, WNNX, WKLS, AND 99x.

That is way to many. We need more variety in our format. Just my Ps and Qs. What's your opinion?

Bill Bradley
[email protected]

Correction: it is 6 stations including WPZE. There is a difference in two gospel formats, one being southern and the other urban for that reason. Count that in, and that means that Atlanta had the highest number of 8 stations carrying the urban variation format between 2003-2006 when WFOX was on.

Ugggh, WWVA/Wild 105.7-96.7 is NOT URBAN!!!!!!!

And WSRV is not rock - not sure why you'd even include WNNX with Project and 99X - 70s/80s classic rock isn't even close to the same format as Active/Alternative

 

[Nate Wesley]

WWVA - Rhythmic Contemporary Hit Radio (CHR)

You cannot tell me that WiLD would be considered a CHR. CHR is Z93... not WiLD or Q100.

CHR has evolved and expanded musically. I can tell you that WABB Mobile, a longtime CHR since the 50s, was notoriously conservative (and consistent) toward playing rap-free versions of songs in the 1990s. Specifically, crossover hits like TLC's "Waterfalls" or "No Scrubs" would lose their short Left-Eye supplied rap bridge.

Today though? WABB targets the same audience of young people, yet it plays Drake and Lil Wayne without much of a second thought.

Unfortunately, WABB is gone as of March 1. It was owned by the Dittman family since the 50's. After Bernie Dittman passed away in 2006, none of the remaining family members lived in Mobile, and that was a major reason for the sale to a non-profit group in California. A Christian Contemporary station is now on 97.5, former frequency of WABB.

I stand by my most consistent criticism of WABB, yet I also stood with a lot of people by their radios 'mourning' WABB's demise. I still enjoyed the station, and it's still awkward to have it playing a bland Christian music format. What a difference two months makes, huh?

 

[DallasRadioGuy]

WABB on the ATLANTA board?? Hmmm....
Funny that it was former WBTS and WWVA program guy Maverick that was programming the music at WABB the last couple months.
Coincidence??