Posted by Steve Gosset on February 06, 2008 at 10:01:25:
In Reply to: 101.9 RXP: Where Is The Audience? posted by Allan Sniffen on February 06, 2008 at 08:27:25:
Allan: I understand some of your concerns, but I fervently believe that, if handled right, this is a station that could have legs.
A few thoughts:
I don't think it was so much that WNEW was "forced out" of rock, so much that it forced itself out by operating in panic mode, and constantly tweaking the format to the point that listeners were confused and then no longer cared. First, they tried more alternative, then AAA, then classic rock. It disenfranchised whatever audience it had by not offering something that couldn't be heard elsewhere on the dial and done better.
As I have noted in previous posts, I have rejected the notion that AAA is essentially a suburban format, given stations like WXRT in Chicago, KMTT in Seattle, KBCO in Denver and KFOG in S.F. that have successfully employed a version of this format.
And it's too blithe to dismiss these successes as being in "whiter" markets. That's bull. And it fails to take into account those markets' wide swath of suburbs.
True, it's easier to sustain AAA in smaller markets, where there's either a fervently loyal listenership or ratings aren't as big a deal. KGSR in Austin, several AAA stations in Vermont and WMVQ in Martha's Vineyard are examples of that.
My view is that many potential listeners of a AAA format are not listening to terrestrial music radio because there's been nothing out there for them. And those may very well be the 25-54 demo advertisers crave. As WPLJ and WFAN have long showed, you can be a non-entity in 12+ if you get the right folks listening, as WNEW-FM had during its heyday. That's why it had car and airline spots when other rock stations had club ads and spots for Battlin' Barry's House of Audio.
Even if the often-unlistenable WBAB is going after the same demo, Allan, audiences like theirs and the other classic-rock stations on the fringes -- WRCN, I-95 and The Fox -- are vulnerable, because now there is something different.
Based on the early music selections on RXP, the Peak can serve as a complement, less a competitor.
Which could be the problem that RXP needs to address to achieve long-term success. By mixing new rock, classic and alternative, the something-for-everyone approach might be viewed as more frustrating than inclusive.
If you're used to a more-conventional AAA approach, then it's jarring to hear RXP play "Foxy Lady." Ditto for anything by Nickelback. That's AOR, not AAA.
That doesn't mean an AAA station has to be all soft and fuzzy, filled with guitar strumming singer-songwriters. But to truly stand out in the market, its music mix needs to be more distinctive and make tracks that could otherwise be heard on K-Rock or Q104 the exception rather than the rule. Take the best elements of WFUV and The Peak, and you have a damn good rock station for grown-ups.
If they get that right, then RXP can carve out a distinctive and very profitable niche for itself. The PPMs could definitely help the cause. But for now, the key will be Emmis being patient waiting for that to happen.
As you said, Allan, "Solid formats pick up listeners on the edge who know to dial flip to them from time to time."
There's no reason why this can't be one of them. Anyone who's ever cared about rock radio in this market should hope that's the case.