New CHR in Fredericksburg

[Slinky]

radioinsight.com/broadcast-buzz/wysk-fredericksburg-goes-rhythmic/

Finally Hot AC B101.5 has some competition! 99.3 had bad ratings as an Alt. station, and Fredericksburg isn't big or young enough to support an Alt. station anyway. Fredericksburg can still get the Alt. format from DC's 101.1 or Richmond's 102.1.

99.3 The Vibe is a bit signal-disadvantaged compared to the big stations in the market, but I think this'll do better than the previous format.

[EvanJ]

Won't The Vibe be a Rhythmic station that won't compete much with a Hot AC? Wouldn't it compete more with CHR-Pop stations like WIHT and WHTE?

[atlantaboy]

99.3 was CHR from '97-'98 (I lived there back then) - it was called Y99.3...it had a really weak signal (prob a 10 mile radius from Fredericksburg), and a really low audience I'm assumin cause the only commercials back then were PSAs and maybe a couple local car sales commercials...right after I moved in 6/98 I think it went Triple A and then Alternative - it wasn't until it went Alternative that it got ratings significant enough to make it into Arbitron (over 1.0)

[Slinky]

Jan 9, 2008 9:31:05 GMT -5 EvanJ said:

Won't The Vibe be a Rhythmic station that won't compete much with a Hot AC? Wouldn't it compete more with CHR-Pop stations like WIHT and WHTE?

Depends on how Rhythmic it is I guess. It was described in the article as a blend of Rhythmic, Urban, and Top 40.

I think there are still a lot of people listening to WBQB by default though, just because there's no other local choice for contemporary music. In other words, WBQB has a lot of the potential CHR audience. The DC, Richmond, and Charlottesville CHRs can be heard, but reception can be erratic and none of those stations promote themselves or get great ratings in F'burg.

[Slinky]

Finally got a chance to listen to this via stream. It is definitely a Rhythmic from the half hour I heard:

Janet Jackson - That's The Way Love Goes
Ne-yo - So Sick
J Holiday - Suffocate
Keisha Cole - Let It Go
Method Man/Mary J. Blige - You're All I Need
Shop Boyz - Party Like A Rockstar
Jennifer Lopez - Love Don't Cost A Thing

Imaging was all over the place. They mostly tag themselves as "Fredericksburg's #1 Hit Music Station" but I also heard them say "Your Home for Hits and Hip-Hop" and "#1 for R&B". Overall, not a very good sounding station so far.

[atlantaboy]

^That's def. a rhythmic station...almost Urban IMO - hope this doesn't come out wrong but seems weird cause Fredericksburg is almost completely a white demographic (it serves the mostly white bedroom communities of D. C.) - sorry to throw race in there but IMO it's a weird choice considering the demographics of the area

[Slinky]

Jan 23, 2008 18:30:24 GMT -5 atlantaboy said:

^That's def. a rhythmic station...almost Urban IMO - hope this doesn't come out wrong but seems weird cause Fredericksburg is almost completely a white demographic (it serves the mostly white bedroom communities of D. C.) - sorry to throw race in there but IMO it's a weird choice considering the demographics of the area

I agree. A straight up CHR would have been a better choice given the area's demographics.