Will WDVD become a CHR?

[Jasonthegreat]

With WDVD lately playing stuff like Nicki Minaj, Flo Rida, and Pitbull, has WDVD began switching toward CHR? According to Wikipedia, WDVD is still considered a Hot AC, but I think that WDVD is shifting toward CHR. Obviously, Hot AC is a lot like CHR today, but has WDVD started shifting toward a full CHR?

 

[A2Townie]

I believe the songs you mention are indeed a regular part of the nationally syndicated Perez Hilton show, which appeals to a younger audience, but I'm guessing they are not part of the WDVD playlist proper and you won't hear them outside that show.

As far as fully transitioning to a CHR, my guess is no. For a couple of months I think Cumulus was testing that idea out, to see if they could pull some of the younger demo away from WKQL and AMP. But they've since put more of their old HAC recurrents back in rotation, especially rock, and now the station sounds more like they did before Cumulus messed with them.

I'm just a listener, though, so who knows what the future brings. We'll see what the June ratings look like.

 

[chrocket87]

It pretty much is now...I mean it keeps some Hot AC recurrents/golds, but outside of that, it's become what Hot ACs everywhere have become: Just CHRs that play the hits after the other CHRs have already played them.

 

[ChrisInMI]

I think what WDVD is doing now is what this Sean Ross article called "Almost 40":

http://www.radio-info.com/programming/programming-music/the-next-big-format-recurrents

 

[iyiyi]

Where is the rationale for them to take a station that is consistently posting 4s and in the top 10 and throw it into the 9 5 5 vs. Amp circus?

 

[Jasonthegreat]

The thing about WDVD is that most of their currents are Hot AC-based songs. The reason I think WDVD is shifting toward CHR is that I looked at their playlist recently, and they were playing Rihanna, which is not on the Hot AC charts. Maybe Rihanna is on the Hot AC charts now, but that doesn't sound like it should belong there. Of course, one non-Hot AC artist played on a Hot AC station doesn't mean they're shifting toward CHR, though.

 

[A2Townie]

The thing about WDVD is that most of their currents are Hot AC-based songs. The reason I think WDVD is shifting toward CHR is that I looked at their playlist recently, and they were playing Rihanna, which is not on the Hot AC charts.

Actually, I think almost all of their currents come from CHR. You get the occasional fun., Gotye, Grouplove or Neon Trees that rise up through the AAA/Alternative ranks and cross over to HAC, but even those songs won't be added until they've made an impressive showing on CHR also.

To me, Rihanna is totally an HAC format artist, as is Usher. I'm more concerned about artists like Karmin, Nicki Minaj, Bieber, and the insufferable boy bands 1D and The Wanted somehow insidiously making their way into the HAC format. The audience for those artists skews WAY too young for them to have any place on a true HAC station. When WDVD started playing some of those artists, that's what made me worry about a potential CHR transition!