WPHI - Will classic hip hop last?

I don't work in the radio industry or know as much about this as most you, so I'm curious your thoughts.

I LOVE the classic hip hop format on 107.9 right now. My favorite genre of music is hip hop, but I've been unable to bear the urban stations that play contemporary, and usually end up listening to a mix of WRFF, XPN, wired, and Q102 depending on what i'm in the mood for. Ever since I found out about this boom station though, I've been hooked, since this is really what I've wanting to be listening to but it just hasn't been available so I've resorted to other genres. Really don't like power 99.

But do you guys think this is gonna last or just die out? Does it seem like there's a legitimate long-term audience for this who listens to commercial radio? Can they pull over people from the other urban stations?

Part of me wonders if they'd benefit from adding something like "contemporary alternative hip hop" into the mix or if the best thing is to stay purely "classic."

bump?

We have a local Cumulus station that flipped to Classic Hip Hop earlier this year. Cumulus must believe in the format, at this point, because they flipped another station (KSZR Oro Valley/Tucson) to the "Vibe" format.

The only complaint I've heard locally is that the playlist size is too small. What they play may be their core library and will add to it in the future.

eriedj said:

The only complaint I've heard locally is that the playlist size is too small. What they play may be their core library and will add to it in the future.

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Well here's another complaint. They brought in that "legally blind" deejay for the mixshows. GIVE IT A REST!!!. I know he can see as I was in a booth with him and saw him looking at his records and the females on the stage in front of the DJ booth. He must have dirt on someone at Radio One to keep getting chance after chance.

As for the station's playlist, I think the lack of definition as to which classics they play may be part. They seem to be playing what Power 99 played in the early 90's, mixed with with what 100.3 played in the late 90's to early 2000s. Also, I've heard songs that sounded as if they were playing cassette rips.

This summer will be their acid test. Will the generation that grew up on clean hip hop co-exist with the 2nd generation of hip-hoppers that want more explicit tunes booming from their vehicles?

The presentation will be important.

And, as the ad here on Radio Discussions indicates, Westwood One apparently has launched a Classic Hip-Hop format too.

eriedj said:

And, as the ad here on Radio Discussions indicates, Westwood One apparently has launched a Classic Hip-Hop format too.

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Westwood One is Cumulus.

I think they've already changed/adapted the format. Last Night, between 11:40pm and midnight, they played two R&B songs [Let's Get Married by Jagged Edge and Lovers And Friends by Usher], albeit, both had rap verses in them. I'm a traditionalist. Either play Classic Hip-Hop or don't brand yourself that way. Neither of the 2 songs they played were hip-hop, let alone classic hip-hop.

Sorry for the blunder on Westwood One. Been a few years since I was actively in the business.

eriedj said:

Sorry for the blunder on Westwood One. Been a few years since I was actively in the business.

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It's a fairly recent change. Several years back Westwood One which was CBS merged with Dial Global. Dial Global then got bought out by Cumulus within the past year or year and a half. Cumulus brought back the Westwood One name.

Looks like ratings have been continually slipping.

As a listener, my thoughts:
The signal is awful, so while I can get it at home, it only lasts me maybe a third of the way to work, so I don't listen to it as much as I otherwise would.
The playlists have gotten worse since around the time when the DJs started. Sometimes there are really good periods and other times it gets dull. Still other times, they seem to be repeating the playlist like crazy within a single day. And the DJs aren't great. Pull in a younger crowd- I feel like there is no energy- or flip the DJs back off and just play music.
Agreed about TouchTone. He's fine and actually plays some good tracks, but never the full song and only in those short mixes. The mixes are taking away from time when good full tracks could be in the actual playlist.

It's definitely been learning more modern/pop/r&b compared to what it was at certain times of day, which I don't totally mind, but it's pulling from the character of the station.

Yet the marketing seems geared towards an older generation than it should be, same with the on-air talent. I'm 24, and if they did this right they could definitely capture plenty of others in their 20s who love this stuff.

I hope it sticks around but may need some changes/attention.

To expand about the signal.. In Chester county and even parts of delco sometimes it's getting washed out by some pop station in the Poconos, from what I can tell.

Its not the signal, anytime some urbanic format slips there are always excuses, just say the music stinks. The signal is fantastic in the area and listeners they want to serve, the inner city, in fact its the best outside of MMR. Y-100 had great ratings with a poor signal for years...next excuse....

Hangman doesn't let facts get in the way of race-baiting rants.

Ain't Radio One supposed to be changing the station back to hip hop with the block format?

Tried listening over the summer. Hate the mix segments. They still play R&B, which sister station WRNB should be playing, but WRNB is still playing rap, so Radio One appears to be trying to pull WUSL's 80's and 90's listener base and splitting them, instead of have one strictly R&B station and one strictly Hip-Hop/Rap station.

Judging from the ratings drop during the last few books, which always happens when they put their mix-jocks on the air [ see WRNB's ratings from 1-2 years ago, when they went from no jocks back to the same tired jocks and mix-deejays ], my guess is they'll change the format again by the end of next summer ].

Y100 did not have nearly as bad a signal - could actually get that in the suburbs with no issues.

I fall into the suburban white female category and agree with the comment that a huge portion of classic hip hop listeners aren't black and don't live right in the city. Mainstream hip hop, maybe more so? Classic hip hop has a solid white college kid fan base too.

I get that radio one is marketing urban but they don't even seem to be doing that well.

I don't really think the genre is the issue as much as the way this particular station is doing it.

Not expecting it to last long