Rhythmic CHR in St. Louis

[Hamp]

Why doesn't St. Louis have a Rhythmic CHR station???  Does anyone think the market could support one???

[only1moore]

It could, but who is going to flip to Rhythmic? And if it happens, you can bet that WHHL and KSLZ will be ready to counter with tactics of their own.

[wdb2003]

I think WHHL started off Rhythmic but its main target was KATZ so it was actually Mainstream Urban. Movin 101.1 would have been the perfect choice to go Rhythmic after the Rhythmic Hot AC format failed but Bonneville doesnt do Urban formats. Clear Channel could do that with 100.3 since its already had 3 formats. It wont hurt KSLZ.

[Hamp]

I think WHHL started off Rhythmic but its main target was KATZ so it was actually Mainstream Urban. Movin 101.1 would have been the perfect choice to go Rhythmic after the Rhythmic Hot AC format failed but Bonneville doesnt do Urban formats. Clear Channel could do that with 100.3 since its already had 3 formats. It wont hurt KSLZ.

Why doesn't Emmis just flip K-Hits 96 or CBS Radio flip Y-98?

[Kent]

Why doesn't Emmis just flip K-Hits 96 or CBS Radio flip Y-98?

K-Hits is one of the two highest billers in the Emmis cluster and has been the top biller on more than one occasion.  Also, Emmis previously said CHR wouldn't work in St. Louis and would be eating crow if they were to launch a CHR derivative.

Y-98 outbills its ratings share by nearly 2:1.  It makes way too much money.

[Mrtraveler01]

Why doesn't Emmis just flip K-Hits 96 or CBS Radio flip Y-98?

K-Hits is one of the two highest billers in the Emmis cluster and has been the top biller on more than one occasion.  Also, Emmis previously said CHR wouldn't work in St. Louis and would be eating crow if they were to launch a CHR derivative.

Y-98 outbills its ratings share by nearly 2:1.  It makes way too much money.

Isn't Y98 more or less evolving in Rhythmic CHR direction anyways? I hardly hear any songs before 2000 on that station anymore it seems.

[Hamp]

Why doesn't Emmis just flip K-Hits 96 or CBS Radio flip Y-98?

K-Hits is one of the two highest billers in the Emmis cluster and has been the top biller on more than one occasion.  Also, Emmis previously said CHR wouldn't work in St. Louis and would be eating crow if they were to launch a CHR derivative.

Y-98 outbills its ratings share by nearly 2:1.  It makes way too much money.

Actually it was John Beck who runs the Emmis cluster in St. Louis who made the stupid remark.  I think the only reason why he did that because he didn't want to spend the money it takes to make a CHR format work.

[Hamp]

Why doesn't Emmis just flip K-Hits 96 or CBS Radio flip Y-98?

K-Hits is one of the two highest billers in the Emmis cluster and has been the top biller on more than one occasion.  Also, Emmis previously said CHR wouldn't work in St. Louis and would be eating crow if they were to launch a CHR derivative.

Y-98 outbills its ratings share by nearly 2:1.  It makes way too much money.

Also, K-Hits and K-SHE somewhat overlap anyway.  Wouldn't it make more sense to combine the stations and use the other frequency for rhythmic CHR?  Just saying.

[Kent]

Also, K-Hits and K-SHE somewhat overlap anyway.  Wouldn't it make more sense to combine the stations and use the other frequency for rhythmic CHR?  Just saying.

Those are the #1 and #2 billers in the cluster.  Combining the two wouldn't make their ratings, or their rates, go up by the same amount.  In other words, combining two stations with a 5.0 and a 4.0 share wouldn't equal one station with a 9.0.  Plus, it would open their cash cow up to an outside attack.  So, no, it wouldn't make sense in the least! 

[justpassingthough]

Didn't John Beck make the comment about CHR not working in STL in like 1997 or 1998?  Thats 15 years ago.  I wouldn't say Emmis would have to eat crow on programming a station that they said wouldn't work in the market when that much time has past.  Sure, the demographics of the market haven't changed much, but there has been a shift in culture and music patterns that make CHR or a rhythmic leaning CHR have a much greater chance at success in 2012 than in 1998.

With that said, Rhythmic CHR really works best in large markets and the Southwest, where the population is either diverse and/or there is a large Hispanic population.  STL falls into neither of these categories, so it would still be a tough road ahead.  If Clear Channel wanted to do it, they probably would have evolved 100.3, but they're afraid (and rightfully so) of cutting into KSLZ.  Emmis does the format successfully here in LA, but comparing the markets is apples and oranges, and they don't really have a viable candidate station for flipping in STL.  KXOK would probably be the most likely fit, but for the station to work correctly, it would probably need a better signal.

In terms of programming, I think CBS would be the best choice, as their experience in flipping underperforming stations to rhythmic leaning CHR in the past few years has been admirable (Amp in Los Angeles and Detroit, Now in SF, etc), and they could best compete with Clear Channel head to head as they do with CHR in many markets now, but there is no way they're going to flip any of their current formats.