Hot AC Panel Changes

[Adam (UTR)]

Mediabase is conducting some panel changes effective Monday and Hot AC is one of the big winners this time around. Here's what's happening:

ADDS
KLCK-FM/Seattle, WA (Sandusky) (Alternative -> Hot AC)
KMXW-FM/Reno, NV (Wilks)
WEZF-FM/Burlington, VT (Vox) (AC -> Hot AC)
WMGX-FM/Portland, ME (Saga)
WSTW-FM/Wilmington, DE (Clear Channel) (CHR/Pop -> Hot AC)

DROPS
KURB-FM/Little Rock, AR (Cumulus) (Hot AC -> AC)

This will bring the panel back up to 95 stations. Good to see a lot of independent owners being added.

[atlantaboy]

Mar 9, 2012 16:48:52 GMT -5 Adam (UTR) said:

WSTW-FM/Wilmington, DE (Clear Channel) (CHR/Pop -> Hot AC)

Wow this should've happened 10 years ago ...

[mrclimbfall20]

I wish KRVE Baton Rouge would switch from AC to Hot AC. We get KVDU from New Orleans that is labeled as Hot AC but their playlist says otherwise.

[saga]

Did a station get dropped from the panel today? If so, which one?

[jaytee]

Mar 28, 2012 9:49:12 GMT -5 saga said:

Did a station get dropped from the panel today? If so, which one?

WWWM-FM (Toledo, Cumulus owned) flipped to Top 40 and was dropped from Mediabase entirely.

[saga]

Thanks!

[Kurt]

KSCF San Diego (Sophie 103.7) is flipping to CHR at 5:00pm today, becoming "Energy 103.7." Source: AllAccess

Darn; they seemed to jump on new stuff fairly early and I think their Sophie's Challenge online polls were pretty popular.

[allow that]

Mar 29, 2012 12:51:43 GMT -5 Kurt said:

KSCF San Diego (Sophie 103.7) is flipping to CHR at 5:00pm today, becoming "Energy 103.7." Source: AllAccess

Darn; they seemed to jump on new stuff fairly early and I think their Sophie's Challenge online polls were pretty popular.

Sophie was a great station, but definitely morphed into standard Hot AC fare as the years went on. I remember when I was visiting San Diego in summer 2007 and I was shocked (and happy) to hear songs like "She Moves In Her Own Way" by The Kooks and "Sunday Morning" by k-os. They had "Read My Mind" by The Killers in heavy rotation and were already playing "Love Song" by Sara Bareilles, about 9 months before it peaked on the Pop chart.

I tuned in online a few months ago and was hearing pretty much the Hot AC chart's Top 10, with maybe a song from the bottom of the Top 20 slightly more often than other Hot AC stations.

Still, it's a loss. It was such a great station in its prime.

[mrclimbfall20]

I guess Star 94.1 was too powerful for them to compete lol

[crazychick]

That's really too bad about Radio Sophie. I was listening to this ENERGY 103.7 last night, and it sounds like it's going to be all rhythmic, all the time. So most of the stuff that Sophie played will likely never get any spins on this new station

[atlantaboy]

^San Diego has two Alternative stations, though, a Triple A, and another Hot AC - IMO probably too many stations competing for the same audience

[mrclimbfall20]

They also have two rhythmic stations too. They're gonna have to compete against Z90 and Channel 933.

[Marv]

Channel 933 has been a CHR/Pop powerhouse for decades, and two of their air personalities (Sisanie & Boy Toy Jesse) are heard on tons of CCs top 40 outlets nationwide, including KIIS-FM.

Star 94.1 is a terrific Hot AC station; once pioneering Hot AC station Star 100.7 (KFMB-FM) switched to Adult Hits in 2005, it's had the adults and baby-boomers to itself, and it also has a killer signal which can be heard 200+ miles away in Ventura County.

Sophie was definitely a 'different' radio station with an eclectic playlist, but PPM sealed its doom; hence it had to revert to a vanilla-sounding rhythmic station.

[jaytee]

Another Cumulus owned Hot AC station (KQHN, Shreveport LA) flipped to CHR and was dropped from the reporting panel