Colorado Media Newsroom
February 24th, 2023, 10:20 AM
From Radio Insight:
https://i0.wp.com/radioinsight.com/wp-content/images/2017/10/waxq.png?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1When January PPM ratings were released Tuesday, Classic Rock WAXQ (Q104.3) New York (https://q1043.iheart.com/) was second in the market, up 5.1-5.9 6-plus. As Ratings Expert Chris Huff noted, (https://radioinsight.com/headlines/248920/january-2023-1-5-2-1-nielsen-audio-ppm-ratings-day-1-record-highs-qd-up-in-new-york-chicago-dallas) those were not just the highest ratings for Q104.3 (or the frequency), but for any rock station in New York ever. Right behind was Classic Hits WCBS-FM, up 4.1-5.6 and returning to the range that it had occupied before the December and holiday period ratings.
Q104.3 probably got some help from the fall departure of WNYL (Alt 92.3). Those stations may have little musical overlap, but Alt 92.3 still likely read as a ?rock? choice for some listeners, especially given the ?K-Rock? heritage of the frequency (and, for older listeners, the Classic Rock heritage of the frequency). But Q104.3 has also been a strong, consistent presence.
As current-based formats struggle, it isn’t unusual to see both the Classic Rock and Classic Hits station at the top of a market. In Boston, Classic Rock WZLX (6.1) edged WROR (5.7), one of the most consistently successful stations in the format. In Philadelphia, Classic Rock WMGK leads the market. After two days of ratings, Classic Rock leads in Phoenix, Detroit. Dallas, Houston, Denver, St. Louis, Chicago, and San Jose. Classic Hits leads in Los Angeles, Seattle, Minneapolis/St. Paul, San Diego, Tampa, Baltimore, and Riverside/San Bernadino.
There has always been a poppier edge to Q104.3, dating back to when ?Classic Hits? still signified ?Classic Rock, but with some softer titles,? rather than merely the new term for ?Oldies.? Over the years, I?ve encountered derision about that from Classic Rock programmers in other markets about the willingness to play Elton John or Billy Joel, but it’s less unusual now than it was a decade ago. (I?ve also spoken to Oldies/Classic Hits PDs who looked at CBS-FM from outside the market and considered it vulnerable.)
When I listened to Q104.3 on Monday, the first two songs I heard on Q104.3 were ?Bennie and the Jets,? which most Classic Rock stations play, but code as ?pop,? and ?Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),? which plays only on a handful of Classic Rock stations. Over the course of the hour, I also heard a few songs that still form a dividing line between Classic Hits and Classic Rock ? Neil Young?s ?Southern Man,? Pink Floyd?s ?Hey You.?
As the first ?Gold? editor of Radio & Records in the mid-?80s, I covered enthusiastically both the birth of Classic Rock and the resurgence of the Oldies format. At first, I was writing mostly about Classic Rock, including probably the first major interview with consultant Fred Jacobs about the format, as well as profiles of his first clients, KRQX Dallas (on AM) and WMMQ Lansing, Mich. The Oldies FM land rush exploded a few years later, in part because so many markets had already filled the Classic Rock hole.
As a music researcher over the last 20 years, I?ve been fortunate to work with successful stations in both Classic Rock and Classic Hits. If you?ve read more about the latter format in this column, that?s partially because Jacobs is blogging daily and doing such a good job of advocating for Classic Rock. Also, my frame of reference (https://radioinsight.com/blogs/225536/the-kid-who-did-not-rock/) has always been ?all the hits,? which led me more to Oldies/Classic Hits personally. AOR radio gave Classic Rock a wide legacy of music, but the parameters of the format often seemed defined by a few successful but particularly restrictive years in the late ?70s/early ?80s.
From doing music research, I came to believe that most listeners were ?all the hits? people as well. Occasionally, a Classic Rock station would test the R&B artists or soft rock acts that were once part of ’70s AOR radio. I didn?t see a lot of listeners who loved ?Bennie and the Jets? but not ?Lean on Me.? That led me to believe that ?all the hits? was an advantage for Classic Hits, particularly once the format rebounded in the late ?00s/early ?10s.
But Classic Rock has certain advantages, too. One is era. Both Classic Rock and Classic Hits have pushed into the ?90s and beyond, but Classic Rock has been less self-conscious about older music. In that regard, the latter format has been helped by a much-discussed infusion of younger fans. Classic Rock can still give them an occasional Creedence Clearwater Revival or Beatles song without seeming too old, and your 15-year-old proves it. Classic Hits, after the format?s near-death experience in the mid-?00s, still has to position itself as ?not Oldies.?
When I listened to Q104.3 on Monday, I heard ?Let It Be? (from 1970, but a song that most PDs would code and categorize as ?60s). It was set up with a Beatles stager, and when Gerry Martire backsold it, it was with a teaser for a Beatles block on the following day?s ?Two for Tuesday.? The hook promo I heard that hour was ?L.A. Woman,? ?You Can?t Always Get What You Want,? and ?Tom Sawyer? ? a ?70s song from a ?60s-image act; a ?60s song reissued in the ?70s; a pre-MTV ?80s hit from a band that straddles the decades.
The stretch of Q104.3 I heard was roughly evenly divided between ?70s and ?80s with one ?90s song. On WCBS-FM last week, I heard a stretch of roughly an hour with one ?70s and three ?90s. For the most part, the passage of time is pulling Classic Hits away from even the early ?70s, but certain songs will remain timeless, (https://radioinsight.com/blogs/216941/why-classic-hits-should-play-the-60s-again/) and an advantage to Classic Rock if Classic Hits stations can?t acknowledge them.
https://i0.wp.com/radioinsight.com/wp-content/images/2019/05/WCBSFM.png?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1There?s also a difference in rotations. ?Livin? on a Prayer,? not surprisingly for New York, is the most-played song on both Q104.3 (9x last week, according to Mediabase) and WCBS-FM (18x). WCBS-FM hasn?t gone as far as other Classic Hits stations in pushing toward 3-4x a day on the hits, a strategy that has been very successful for KRTH (K-Earth 101) Los Angeles, but not across the board. As far as library size, both Q104.3 and WCBS-FM are playing about 350 titles twice a week or more. In Chicago, the difference is between Classic Hits WLS (21x on its most-played title) and Classic Rock WDRV (11x).
There?s also the question of whether Classic Hits has really taken advantage of being able to play ?all the hits.? Classic Rock sometimes seems locked into rock radio?s ?kickass rock ?n? roll? years of the early ?80s, but Classic Hits sometimes seems to be reliving CHR?s ?disco backlash? from that same period: Journey and REO Speedwagon punctuated by only an occasional Prince or Michael Jackson. In New York, CBS-FM and Q104.3 are very distinct, even with the Eurythmics on Q104.3. In other markets, the two formats are sometimes less distinct. (That will change as Classic Hits moves into the ?90s, where there is less guitar rock to choose from and too much R&B/Hip-Hop to avoid.)*
Here?s Q104.3 on Presidents Day at 2:50 p.m.:
Elton John, ?Bennie and the Jets?
Eurythmics, ?Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)?
Pink Floyd, ?Hey You?
Journey, ?Wheel in the Sky?
Pearl Jam, ?Yellow Ledbetter?
Bryan Adams, ?Summer of ?69?
Foreigner, ?Jukebox Hero?
Beatles, ?Let It Be?
Nazareth, ?Love Hurts?
Blondie, ?Call Me?
Neil Young, ?Southern Man?
Van Halen, ?(Oh) Pretty Woman?
Joe Walsh, ?Rocky Mountain Way?
Steve Miller Band, ?Fly Like an Eagle?
Here?s WCBS-FM on Feb. 15 just before 5 p.m.:
Prince, ?1999?
REO Speedwagon, ?Take It on the Run?
George Michael, ?Faith?
Weather Girls, ?It?s Raining Men?
Tommy Tutone, ?867-5309/Jenny?
Cyndi Lauper, ?Girls Just Want to Have Fun?
Romantics, ?What I Like About You?
Michael Jackson, ?Black or White?
Eurythmics, ?Here Comes the Rain Again?
George Harrison, ?Got My Mind Set on You?
Aerosmith, ?I Don?t Want to Miss a Thing?
Stevie Wonder, ?Sir Duke?
Van Halen, ?Jump?
Paula Abdul, ?Straight Up?
Human League, ?Don?t You Want Me?
Bell Biv Devoe, ?Poison?
more (https://radioinsight.com/blogs/249024/classic-hits-and-classic-rock/)
https://i0.wp.com/radioinsight.com/wp-content/images/2017/10/waxq.png?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1When January PPM ratings were released Tuesday, Classic Rock WAXQ (Q104.3) New York (https://q1043.iheart.com/) was second in the market, up 5.1-5.9 6-plus. As Ratings Expert Chris Huff noted, (https://radioinsight.com/headlines/248920/january-2023-1-5-2-1-nielsen-audio-ppm-ratings-day-1-record-highs-qd-up-in-new-york-chicago-dallas) those were not just the highest ratings for Q104.3 (or the frequency), but for any rock station in New York ever. Right behind was Classic Hits WCBS-FM, up 4.1-5.6 and returning to the range that it had occupied before the December and holiday period ratings.
Q104.3 probably got some help from the fall departure of WNYL (Alt 92.3). Those stations may have little musical overlap, but Alt 92.3 still likely read as a ?rock? choice for some listeners, especially given the ?K-Rock? heritage of the frequency (and, for older listeners, the Classic Rock heritage of the frequency). But Q104.3 has also been a strong, consistent presence.
As current-based formats struggle, it isn’t unusual to see both the Classic Rock and Classic Hits station at the top of a market. In Boston, Classic Rock WZLX (6.1) edged WROR (5.7), one of the most consistently successful stations in the format. In Philadelphia, Classic Rock WMGK leads the market. After two days of ratings, Classic Rock leads in Phoenix, Detroit. Dallas, Houston, Denver, St. Louis, Chicago, and San Jose. Classic Hits leads in Los Angeles, Seattle, Minneapolis/St. Paul, San Diego, Tampa, Baltimore, and Riverside/San Bernadino.
There has always been a poppier edge to Q104.3, dating back to when ?Classic Hits? still signified ?Classic Rock, but with some softer titles,? rather than merely the new term for ?Oldies.? Over the years, I?ve encountered derision about that from Classic Rock programmers in other markets about the willingness to play Elton John or Billy Joel, but it’s less unusual now than it was a decade ago. (I?ve also spoken to Oldies/Classic Hits PDs who looked at CBS-FM from outside the market and considered it vulnerable.)
When I listened to Q104.3 on Monday, the first two songs I heard on Q104.3 were ?Bennie and the Jets,? which most Classic Rock stations play, but code as ?pop,? and ?Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),? which plays only on a handful of Classic Rock stations. Over the course of the hour, I also heard a few songs that still form a dividing line between Classic Hits and Classic Rock ? Neil Young?s ?Southern Man,? Pink Floyd?s ?Hey You.?
As the first ?Gold? editor of Radio & Records in the mid-?80s, I covered enthusiastically both the birth of Classic Rock and the resurgence of the Oldies format. At first, I was writing mostly about Classic Rock, including probably the first major interview with consultant Fred Jacobs about the format, as well as profiles of his first clients, KRQX Dallas (on AM) and WMMQ Lansing, Mich. The Oldies FM land rush exploded a few years later, in part because so many markets had already filled the Classic Rock hole.
As a music researcher over the last 20 years, I?ve been fortunate to work with successful stations in both Classic Rock and Classic Hits. If you?ve read more about the latter format in this column, that?s partially because Jacobs is blogging daily and doing such a good job of advocating for Classic Rock. Also, my frame of reference (https://radioinsight.com/blogs/225536/the-kid-who-did-not-rock/) has always been ?all the hits,? which led me more to Oldies/Classic Hits personally. AOR radio gave Classic Rock a wide legacy of music, but the parameters of the format often seemed defined by a few successful but particularly restrictive years in the late ?70s/early ?80s.
From doing music research, I came to believe that most listeners were ?all the hits? people as well. Occasionally, a Classic Rock station would test the R&B artists or soft rock acts that were once part of ’70s AOR radio. I didn?t see a lot of listeners who loved ?Bennie and the Jets? but not ?Lean on Me.? That led me to believe that ?all the hits? was an advantage for Classic Hits, particularly once the format rebounded in the late ?00s/early ?10s.
But Classic Rock has certain advantages, too. One is era. Both Classic Rock and Classic Hits have pushed into the ?90s and beyond, but Classic Rock has been less self-conscious about older music. In that regard, the latter format has been helped by a much-discussed infusion of younger fans. Classic Rock can still give them an occasional Creedence Clearwater Revival or Beatles song without seeming too old, and your 15-year-old proves it. Classic Hits, after the format?s near-death experience in the mid-?00s, still has to position itself as ?not Oldies.?
When I listened to Q104.3 on Monday, I heard ?Let It Be? (from 1970, but a song that most PDs would code and categorize as ?60s). It was set up with a Beatles stager, and when Gerry Martire backsold it, it was with a teaser for a Beatles block on the following day?s ?Two for Tuesday.? The hook promo I heard that hour was ?L.A. Woman,? ?You Can?t Always Get What You Want,? and ?Tom Sawyer? ? a ?70s song from a ?60s-image act; a ?60s song reissued in the ?70s; a pre-MTV ?80s hit from a band that straddles the decades.
The stretch of Q104.3 I heard was roughly evenly divided between ?70s and ?80s with one ?90s song. On WCBS-FM last week, I heard a stretch of roughly an hour with one ?70s and three ?90s. For the most part, the passage of time is pulling Classic Hits away from even the early ?70s, but certain songs will remain timeless, (https://radioinsight.com/blogs/216941/why-classic-hits-should-play-the-60s-again/) and an advantage to Classic Rock if Classic Hits stations can?t acknowledge them.
https://i0.wp.com/radioinsight.com/wp-content/images/2019/05/WCBSFM.png?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1There?s also a difference in rotations. ?Livin? on a Prayer,? not surprisingly for New York, is the most-played song on both Q104.3 (9x last week, according to Mediabase) and WCBS-FM (18x). WCBS-FM hasn?t gone as far as other Classic Hits stations in pushing toward 3-4x a day on the hits, a strategy that has been very successful for KRTH (K-Earth 101) Los Angeles, but not across the board. As far as library size, both Q104.3 and WCBS-FM are playing about 350 titles twice a week or more. In Chicago, the difference is between Classic Hits WLS (21x on its most-played title) and Classic Rock WDRV (11x).
There?s also the question of whether Classic Hits has really taken advantage of being able to play ?all the hits.? Classic Rock sometimes seems locked into rock radio?s ?kickass rock ?n? roll? years of the early ?80s, but Classic Hits sometimes seems to be reliving CHR?s ?disco backlash? from that same period: Journey and REO Speedwagon punctuated by only an occasional Prince or Michael Jackson. In New York, CBS-FM and Q104.3 are very distinct, even with the Eurythmics on Q104.3. In other markets, the two formats are sometimes less distinct. (That will change as Classic Hits moves into the ?90s, where there is less guitar rock to choose from and too much R&B/Hip-Hop to avoid.)*
Here?s Q104.3 on Presidents Day at 2:50 p.m.:
Elton John, ?Bennie and the Jets?
Eurythmics, ?Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)?
Pink Floyd, ?Hey You?
Journey, ?Wheel in the Sky?
Pearl Jam, ?Yellow Ledbetter?
Bryan Adams, ?Summer of ?69?
Foreigner, ?Jukebox Hero?
Beatles, ?Let It Be?
Nazareth, ?Love Hurts?
Blondie, ?Call Me?
Neil Young, ?Southern Man?
Van Halen, ?(Oh) Pretty Woman?
Joe Walsh, ?Rocky Mountain Way?
Steve Miller Band, ?Fly Like an Eagle?
Here?s WCBS-FM on Feb. 15 just before 5 p.m.:
Prince, ?1999?
REO Speedwagon, ?Take It on the Run?
George Michael, ?Faith?
Weather Girls, ?It?s Raining Men?
Tommy Tutone, ?867-5309/Jenny?
Cyndi Lauper, ?Girls Just Want to Have Fun?
Romantics, ?What I Like About You?
Michael Jackson, ?Black or White?
Eurythmics, ?Here Comes the Rain Again?
George Harrison, ?Got My Mind Set on You?
Aerosmith, ?I Don?t Want to Miss a Thing?
Stevie Wonder, ?Sir Duke?
Van Halen, ?Jump?
Paula Abdul, ?Straight Up?
Human League, ?Don?t You Want Me?
Bell Biv Devoe, ?Poison?
more (https://radioinsight.com/blogs/249024/classic-hits-and-classic-rock/)