The trimulcast of 105.7 WWWM, 105.3 WRXP and 105.1 WGVX have given up Classic Hip Hop for Christmas music, with a new format anticipated for December 26th. These stations have underperformed for quite some time. Minneapolis is a market where most FM stations run 100,000 watts. Yet Cumulus is trying to cobble together three stations broadcasting from several different sites that are powered at levels between 3,000 watts and 25,000 watts.
So what will the new format be? Cumulus hasn't said. The big format hole in Minneapolis is Adult Contemporary. It is the largest market where AC is missing, a format that's usually #1 in markets like NYC, Philadelphia and Houston. But the trimulcast tried AC a few years ago and it didn't work. In 2011, CBS gave up AC on 102.9 to become the market's #2 country station, which Cumulus thought it could fill at 105 FM. You might say Cumulus' recent attempt at Classic Hip Hop in one of the whitest large markets probably wasn't a wise idea either.
Will it try Soft AC? The format is tops in Miami and Tampa,. It's the top music station in San Francisco, #4 in Seattle and #7 in Jacksonville. iHeart just announced it is giving up Country in Sacramento to go Soft AC, modeled after The Breeze in San Francisco. So will Cumulus try Soft AC in Minneapolis-St. Paul?
So what will the new format be? Cumulus hasn't said. The big format hole in Minneapolis is Adult Contemporary. It is the largest market where AC is missing, a format that's usually #1 in markets like NYC, Philadelphia and Houston. But the trimulcast tried AC a few years ago and it didn't work. In 2011, CBS gave up AC on 102.9 to become the market's #2 country station, which Cumulus thought it could fill at 105 FM. You might say Cumulus' recent attempt at Classic Hip Hop in one of the whitest large markets probably wasn't a wise idea either.
Will it try Soft AC? The format is tops in Miami and Tampa,. It's the top music station in San Francisco, #4 in Seattle and #7 in Jacksonville. iHeart just announced it is giving up Country in Sacramento to go Soft AC, modeled after The Breeze in San Francisco. So will Cumulus try Soft AC in Minneapolis-St. Paul?