Hi Hunter,

As I have been saying for a while, the older demo formats are on fire. It is not a fluke. Younger demo formats overall are suffering as the younger demos have fled to other technology being a P1 consumer there.

WDRV and WLS-FM being up so much (Even ME-TV FM), begs the issue of what WPWX, B96 etc are trying to accomplish being in the sewer. There is a hole a mile wide for a rock/AOR based station (The LOOP, Blaze, Rock 103-5, Q101). Yes you are treading on WDRV, WLS-FM, but you will shave them enough and expose their shortcomings.

There is a hole a mile wide for the rhythmic hits from 80 - 2K, especially during the B96/Energy days). I was chatting with the great Sal aka Digital Saviors Chicago, I stated that this market has a boner for Classic Dance aka 80 - 2k WBMX, B96, Energy 927&5. He said there is at most 100 titles you cant make a format out of it. I said not really, you can scrape up many more, counter program the competition, as these songs have been missing from the airwaves for greater than 20 years. They might as well be new currents, as people have not burned out on them in so long. No one is playing those dance tracks. Hell, WLS-FM seems to be on a library of a few hundred songs. You do a (Top 40) "fun" Classic Hits format from 80 - 2k and focus on the dance tracks and ignored black hits on WLS-FM = success. You can run a (Top 40) "fun" Late 80s and 90s based Classic Hits and spike the 80s and 90s Dance hits = success. If Audacy did it (please don't as Audacy would wreck it), on B96, they would have the heritage calls and slogans and all the nostalgia that comes with it. They would also be wrapping it up between Jams and that potential station.

You can pull a 3 share and bang your demo, you will be gold compared to the toilet slurry being accepted as success now. (The B96 is heritage and bills well, will end one day. Take a look at B94 in Pittsburgh, LOOP Chicago and WPLJ in NYC among others).

It is just insanity, what is allowed to transpire as good or even acceptable on terrestrial radio these days. If you are not mediocre or if corporate tries too hard to make a station actually sound good and succeed, then you will be viewed as a malcontent and blown out. 🤦🏻‍♂️

Thanks for posting this Hunter!

Z