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Will Kiss 108 ever have any competition??!!

O

onair91

It has been rumored for a long time now that somebody in Boston will flip to CHR to compete with WXKS... will this ever actually happen? If so, who would be most likely to flip? WBMX?
 
What's just as amazing (Kiss-108 not having any real competition), is the fact that the number-3 station in Worcester is a Boston station... a country station, scoring nearly a 6 in the Worcster book. And there's no station in or near Worcester that wants to do country? (The next-highest-rated country station is the one form Providence, below the 1.0 mark.) If I owned an FM in or around Worcester, country it would be!
 
JIBGUY said:
What's just as amazing (Kiss-108 not having any real competition), is the fact that the number-3 station in Worcester is a Boston station... a country station, scoring nearly a 6 in the Worcster book. And there's no station in or near Worcester that wants to do country? (The next-highest-rated country station is the one form Providence, below the 1.0 mark.) If I owned an FM in or around Worcester, country it would be!
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With a transmitter site in Newton (or maybe it's Needham now--didn't they move from FM-128 back to the WBZ-TV tower last year?), 102.5 must have quite a good signal in Worcester. Would 104.5, which is licensed to Fitchburg, or one of the Class As near Worcester have enough better signal in Worcester to make a dent in WKLB's ratings? I think 104.5 once was Country--MANY years ago. And what about WCRN? Yeah it's AM but it's a killer signal in Worcester and environs. Nothing else has worked there despite the killer signal. Any chance that Country could be WCRN's salvation? They'd HAVE to get rid of that awful mortgage program at noon, though;>)
 
I would like to see CBS Radio battle out Clear Channel Boston's small little cluster (Kiss 108 and Jam'n 94.5). Probably they can even steal some hispanic listeners from Rumba 1200/Mia 1430.
 
DanStrassberg said:
With a transmitter site in Newton (or maybe it's Needham now--didn't they move from FM-128 back to the WBZ-TV tower last year?), 102.5 must have quite a good signal in Worcester. Would 104.5, which is licensed to Fitchburg, or one of the Class As near Worcester have enough better signal in Worcester to make a dent in WKLB's ratings? I think 104.5 once was Country--MANY years ago. And what about WCRN? Yeah it's AM but it's a killer signal in Worcester and environs. Nothing else has worked there despite the killer signal. Any chance that Country could be WCRN's salvation? They'd HAVE to get rid of that awful mortgage program at noon, though;>)
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104.5 has a killer signal in Worcester, and not just Worcester, but also MetroWest as well. From my casual observations, the Framingham/Natick area, which can easily pull in pretty much everything from Boston and Worcester, has no real loyalty to either area. Boston stations rarely go that far west to do remotes and such. Yet Worcester stations are willing to push out as far east as Marlboro for their events. I've been to just as many waiting rooms there that are tuned to 96.1 WSRS as are tuned to Magic 106.7, and even one or two that have 105.1 WWLI on.

From living and listening to country stations in Nashville and Chicago as well as Boston, it's hard for me to call WKLB a true country station. Listen to an hour of WSIX/Nashville, and then an hour of WKLB, and you'll hear a different sound - WKLB seems to play the same set of re-currents and new country that is very pop-themed. Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift end up getting burnt out on WKLB where as on WSIX, they're just in the normal rotation. Especially when it comes to country hits with rural themes, WKLB seems to flat out ignore them. WCTK and WOKQ, by contrast, seem to play it all. If a country station in Worcester were to offer a more all-encompassing country format, they might have a good shot at grabbing some WKLB listeners from suburban Boston too.

For other Worcester signals, though, Citadel must be under some kind of covenant or something to keep Oldies on 98.9 - obviously the signal isn't incredible, but has that station ever pulled decent ratings even once?
 
Who would have thought a few years ago that Boston would become such a Top 40 market? It wasn't that long ago that Rock was king in Boston. These days, Kiss 108 can't be beaten, even during Christmas season where the #1 station in most markets is a Soft AC playing all holiday music. (Of course, Boston is a bit odd in that it's the Oldies station that switches to all-Christmas music and the Soft AC station runs its regular format with some holiday music thrown in.)

But who would switch? WCRB is now owned by WGBH so it's safe. CBS put WBZ-FM, the Sports Hub, on the air a few months ago and moved WBMX to a better tower. So they're safe for now.

Talk is expensive and WTKK hasn't been doing that well for Greater Media. But you can carry a lot of commercials on a talk format, and the audience isn't as fickle as teens and 20-somethings. WBOS chased WBCN out of the alternative format so even if their overall numbers aren't great, I suppose they're doing well enough with young men. Does Greater Media own any Top 40 stations in other markets?

At Entercomm, WMKK isn't doing great. But it costs so little to run. And if it flipped, it would likely simulcast WEEI's sports format, or put ESPN on 850 and put local sports programming on 93.7. Unless they think it would be a waste to kill an AM station making good money just for a couple more ratings points by moving it to FM. Maybe Entercomm has to wait another year to see if WBZ-FM steals WEEI's listeners or creates its own.

Of course, if Kiss gets even stronger, like hits a 10 share, all this could change. NYC and LA have competing Top 40 stations. Likely Boston would too. Then you may expect a flip of either WMKK or WTKK.



Gregg
[email protected]
 
Gregg said:
Does Greater Media own any Top 40 stations in other markets?
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Nope - virtually everything Greater Media owns targets a suburban, white, 25-54 audience. It's a strategy that seems like it will screw them eventually as those demos age and their markets diversify (Charlotte screams out to me on the latter), but it's worked well so far.
 
encarta95 said:
Gregg said:
Does Greater Media own any Top 40 stations in other markets?
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Nope - virtually everything Greater Media owns targets a suburban, white, 25-54 audience. It's a strategy that seems like it will screw them eventually as those demos age and their markets diversify
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Well, when you look at how they operate Magic, you can see that they haven't fallen into that trap.

Magic was a 25-54 demo station when it began in 1982...and they are 25-54 now.

They didn't grow old with their audience.

Every year newer/younger people discovered the station, and a few older people aged out of it.
 
I say blow up WBMX abnd put a "Progressive CHR" station there.

It would have a lighter rotation of currents and a good selection of classics going from the 50s all the way to today.

It would have consistent local DJs who would have some selection into the music played (besides the currents)

I would call it the NEW WBCN. :)
 
chitchatjf said:
I say blow up WBMX abnd put a "Progressive CHR" station there.

It would have a lighter rotation of currents and a good selection of classics going from the 50s all the way to today.

It would have consistent local DJs who would have some selection into the music played (besides the currents)

I would call it the NEW WBCN. :)
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Jerry Lee Lewis into Justin Bieber?
 
chitchatjf said:
I say blow up WBMX abnd put a "Progressive CHR" station there.

It would have a lighter rotation of currents and a good selection of classics going from the 50s all the way to today.

It would have consistent local DJs who would have some selection into the music played (besides the currents)

I would call it the NEW WBCN. :)
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Yeah, a station that plays Top 40 would be the new WBCN. And a Boston Top 40 station would let air talent pick records. Wow.
 
karsonwithak said:
chitchatjf said:
I say blow up WBMX abnd put a "Progressive CHR" station there.

It would have a lighter rotation of currents and a good selection of classics going from the 50s all the way to today.

It would have consistent local DJs who would have some selection into the music played (besides the currents)

I would call it the NEW WBCN. :)
Click to expand...

Jerry Lee Lewis into Justin Bieber?
Click to expand...

Yup!
 
Will said:
Yeah, a station that plays Top 40 would be the new WBCN. And a Boston Top 40 station would let air talent pick records. Wow.
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It would have the attitude of the OLD WBCN (68-75) but with some current hits as well.
 
Uh, guys,

The whole reason someone started this thread was because Kiss is above an 8 share and has nearly 1 and a half million in cume. So it's silly to resurrect a new WBCN that died last year.... or create a new sort of Top 40 that when you explain it isn't Top 40 at all.

If Kiss has incredible ratings because it plays Lady Gaga and Justin Timberlake and the Black Eyed Peas every 60-90 minutes, and you want a chunk of those 1.5 weekly listeners, you don't have to re-invent the wheel. You just have to find a morning show, a PD to create contests and excitement, and play the hits.


Gregg
[email protected]
 
1,000% right Chris!! You hit the nail on the head! If/when someone brings another CHR-outlet to Boston, they will need come in with guns blazing and be ready to spend some serious cash!

I have to admit, I'm a little surprised CBS hasn't taken this approach yet-- but maybe it's in the cards. KAMP in LA is doing well against KIIS. WXRK Vs. WHTZ in NYC not so much... curious how the new CHR in Detroit will fair in the long run against Channel 95.5
 
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