Posted by Bob T. on February 06, 2008 at 09:22:57:
In Reply to: 101.9 RXP: Where Is The Audience? posted by Allan Sniffen on February 06, 2008 at 08:27:25:
Don't write off this new format too quickly.
I would agree with Allan that it's unlikely that New York will support a third rock channel, irrespective of HD 2 and 3 signals.
But RXP has a chance to knock out one of the other players. The "which one" may be a simple matter of corporate commitment at CC and CBS.
The strategy I hear is one of attacking the repetition that's tight as a drum on both Q and K-Rock.
Heard a good RCP positioner that asked something to the effect of "how can a song be a classic if you hear it every day after day?"
And although some of the same standard rock cuts show up at 101.9, as they should, it also seems that they're going to be willing to go deeper into the libraries of RHCP, Pumpkins, Pearl Jam et. al. to avoid the repetition hammer.
A lot will depend on the programmer. Does he have the ear for the mix? There's a chance to capture that People Meter rock audience if RXP gives them something to listen for besides the same tunes that audience already has in their IPODS and Zunes.
And if 101.9's rock mix makes any headway at all, who would bet that K-Rock, which has not seen anything close to significant success since its return, would stand firmly committed to their format?
As for the suburban stations, I don't agree with Allan's reading that WDHA is still doing a good job. Not at all. Can't speak for the others which I can't hear out here in the Jersey Highlands.
Too often rock formats lean too heavily toward intensity as their defining metric. That works for a while with very young males (12-24), but not as well with the more attractive, broader money demos.
What I've heard so far demonstrates a sensitivity to that problem.
With the right mix of new and recent alt. rock, I think XRP has a chance to win a broad enough audience to send K-Rock packing off into the sunset to another format of the month.
I wish the programming team at 101.9 good luck. It's there for the grabbing.