Mix 965.... What Happened ???

[radiogooroo]

KBXX does have local ads that aren't associated with clubs and bail bonds. And KODA definitely has high ratings too, they literally swap places with KBXX almost every month. And about your last statement, there is also a split between the 2 CHR's here and both are doing just fine.

Neither CHR is billing anywhere near what it would if the other one didn't exist.  They're both doing ok because their demographic is desirable to advertisers and has money.

When you can listen to The Box and hear more than one spot per stopset telling you how to get more welfare bennies, a huge chunk of the station's listenership clearly doesn't have money.

[mr.ric]

Neither CHR is billing anywhere near what it would if the other one didn't exist.  They're both doing ok because their demographic is desirable to advertisers and has money.

When you can listen to The Box and hear more than one spot per stopset telling you how to get more welfare bennies, a huge chunk of the station's listenership clearly doesn't have money.

I wouldn't say a huge chunk of their listeners, there are some yes. However, as an example, I know plenty of people who listen to The Box and they have money.

[radiogooroo]

I wouldn't say a huge chunk of their listeners, there are some yes. However, as an example, I know plenty of people who listen to The Box and they have money.

It might surprise you to learn I've programmed a successful urban station.  It lagged behind its sister stations by a wide margin in revenue despite having the highest ratings in the cluster.  Even our lagging rock station outbilled it.

[radiogooroo]

Speaking from a programming standpoint for a moment, does it make any sense to flip a station to a format with few superstar core artists right now?

Yesterday's urban stars are cashing in on pop/dance records right now.  The new players in urban aren't impressive.  Urban is in a lull.

[97 Rock]

Bring back 97 Rock and bring a real rock station back to Houston that actually cares about it's listeners. Bring back real giveaways like a 1963 split window corvette, trips all over the world and serious cash. Bring back a promotional street program that has a party patrol, weekly beach parties and kick ass street vehicles. Bring back old school radio and see what happens.

[smartestguyintheroom]

It's sad to see this legendary station sink so low.  And hard to saw exactly what happened as the erosion was over time, not just a quick drop.

It would seem like management made some wrong decisions regarding on air talent in mornings.  Kidd is an excellent talent with a stellar track record in Dallas and various other smaller to medium markets in syndication.  Getting traction in a major market is difficult.  It also appears a serious evaluation of the music is required (define serious as not just Tracy and Mark) to build a music strategy.  And Mix needs to be more focused on their target lifegroup. 

It's doubtful they would flip to all news, as Mix history and heritage still gets them at lease noticed on avails.

Let's hope they're not foolish enough to take a run at KODA.  Sunny's 20 year history of success is due to a number of things including not making knee jerk reactions as Mix has over the years.  Beside, look at the CBS "Fresh" brand in NYC, DC, and the Chicago Fresh which just flipped to be a BBM-AM simulcast.  They're not doing any real harm to the established AC in those markets.  Plus, KVIL struggles to be top 5 in demo in Dallas, not exactly a ringing endorsement for their AC programming acumen.  Upending an established mainstream AC in a major market costs huge amounts of money which CBS won't spend and takes strategic expertise which CBS doesn't have.

Beside, CBS/Houston has problems with KILT-FM as well as Mix.  (look at Dallas, problems with KVIL and Jack just tanked too.)

[radiogooroo]

It's sad to see this legendary station sink so low.  And hard to saw exactly what happened as the erosion was over time, not just a quick drop.

It would seem like management made some wrong decisions regarding on air talent in mornings.  Kidd is an excellent talent with a stellar track record in Dallas and various other smaller to medium markets in syndication.  Getting traction in a major market is difficult.  It also appears a serious evaluation of the music is required (define serious as not just Tracy and Mark) to build a music strategy.  And Mix needs to be more focused on their target lifegroup. 

It's doubtful they would flip to all news, as Mix history and heritage still gets them at lease noticed on avails.

Let's hope they're not foolish enough to take a run at KODA.  Sunny's 20 year history of success is due to a number of things including not making knee jerk reactions as Mix has over the years.  Beside, look at the CBS "Fresh" brand in NYC, DC, and the Chicago Fresh which just flipped to be a BBM-AM simulcast.  They're not doing any real harm to the established AC in those markets.  Plus, KVIL struggles to be top 5 in demo in Dallas, not exactly a ringing endorsement for their AC programming acumen.  Upending an established mainstream AC in a major market costs huge amounts of money which CBS won't spend and takes strategic expertise which CBS doesn't have.

Beside, CBS/Houston has problems with KILT-FM as well as Mix.  (look at Dallas, problems with KVIL and Jack just tanked too.)

Interesting perspective.  It's not sexy chat board fodder to consider that Mix may not be terminal, but I'm inclined to agree with you. 

I agree to a point about not challenging KODA, but with the right people in place, I think anything is possible.  I know of a guy on the beach here now that I'd love to see put together a new AC.  KODA has heritage, but from my perspective, they're leaning on it too heavily.  There's lots of really obvious voicetracking, and when I've listened anyway, I can't figure out what their music strategy is.  I'm not an AC guy by any stretch, but I've heard music sets at my doctor's office that led me to believe they're just taking whatever Selector spits out and not massaging the logs at all.

It sounds like a radio station on autopilot to me.  Admittedly, it wouldn't be easy to upset the heritage, but it would be possible.  My dentist's office stays on Sunny each year until the Christmas music starts.  Then they go to Mix because my dentist can't take the non-stop Christmas music, but they don't stay with Mix after Christmas because of all the morning show chatter.  (We had a chat about that last December.)  I have to wonder if a new AC station could pick up some of KODA's at work, background music listeners simply by not going 100% Jingle Bells?  If radios tied in to PA speakers get tuned away from KODA at Christmas by Scrooges, would they ever get retuned back to Sunny after Christmas?

[carolinaradio]

Wouldn't classic hits be a viable format in Houston?  It does well with PPM and CBS's 'greatest hits' model usually does very well.  106.9 isn't classic hits, it's more like classic rock.  From the outside looking in, I think that would do better than Hot AC or trying to go against KODA.  I can't believe a market the size of Houston has no true classic hits.  It looks like it does well in Dallas and San Antonio.

[andrewduong77]

Not many CBS stations are doing well lately. AC KVIL and Jack FM KJKK in Dallas aren't doing well either just like Hot AC KHMX and CHR KKHH in Houston aren't doing well. Although Classic Hits KLUV in Dallas are doing well though.

Clear Channel stations are doing well lately. CHR KHKS in Dallas is at the top of the market just like AC KODA in Houston is at the top of the market. Hot AC KDMX in Dallas is doing OK though.

It looks like Clear Channel are really doing well while CBS is struggling in major cities of Texas. It's strange how well CC's CHR KHKS/Dallas is doing compare to how bad CBS's CHR KKHH/Houston is doing. Same with how well CC's AC KODA/Houston is doing compare to how bad CBS's AC KVIL/Dallas is doing. CC's KHKS is able to pull most of it's audience from Cumulus' CHR KLIF/Dallas while CBS's KKHH lost most of it's audience to Cumulus' CHR KRBE/Houston.

Have you guys also heard about CBS yanking their online streams from the TuneIn Radio app. They now restricted their streams to only the Radio.com app like CC restricted their streams to only the iheartradio app. Although iheartradio is almost available to most mobile devices while the Radio.com app is only available to iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad and Android only which Squeezebox listeners had lost ability to listen to CBS stations along with Blackberry and Windows Mobile users as well. CBS is really going down lately. :/

[rbrucecarter5]

Problem is KONO is owned by COX, KHMX is owned by CBS. Why would they simulcast a competitor's station?  If they are going to go the Oldies route, why not Scott Shannon's True Oldies.  However I think KILT AM/FM would be a better fit for that.

Copying the format doesn't mean being a satellite of a competing group.  All you need is a hard drive with the songs and the desire to do a similar format. 

As far as "true oldies" are concerned - you forgot that somebody somewhere decided the term "oldies" isn't cool any more.  In spite of the fact that kids are starting to discover 50's, 60's and 70's music through Glee and other shows and movies, a lot of young artists are citing inspiration from the oldies in their musical style, the Beatles library supercharged iTunes, etc.  But of course the music is outmoded and nobody under 60 will listen.  Or - might it possibly be - that the music from the early era of rock and roll is timelessly good music, a lot of what came later sucks in comparison, and new generations are discovering the fact?  Oh but never call it oldies, it has to be called "classic hits".  And 50's - all of the sudden all of that great music is now taboo.  And you have to sprinkle in bad songs from the 80's to make your "classic hits" more relevant.  Or - do you?