Roddy: Why do you think Star performed so dismally under Tony? Do you think the Jen and Jeff hire was a good move? Was the music correctly programmed for the P1 which was/is the "soccer mom?"
It seems to me, in the Atlanta area, that "The Fish" and "The Joy FM" are the soccer mom favorites by far.
Good questions, and I'm not the most qualified person to answer them, not being involved in programming. But I'll tell you my perceptions. First, Star's ratings have been strong in the past couple of monthlies with what is still Tony's product. That said, someone definitely has been minding the store; the imaging--with Neil Wilson and Rachel McGrath remaining the voices--has become a little more aggressive. And the music seems a bit more rhythmic although that's the way pop music has been going lately.
Atlanta is a tough market in that there is so much Urban radio here, which takes a fair amount of share points to start out with. Moreover, so many stations are programming for women 18-49/25-54: Star 94-1, Power 96-1, B98.5, Q100, 104.7 The Fish. The pie is divided into a lot of slices.
People perceive B98.5 to be the station that's acceptable to play in the background in restaurants, stores, doctor/dental practices and offices. That gives B98.5 a tremendous head start in the ratings and is an advantage that the competitors usually cannot overcome.
The PPM has pretty much obliterated exclusive cume, but 104.7 The Fish's unique format still attracts loyal listeners who do not listen to other stations. (I don't consider The Joy FM a factor.)
Aside from all of that, I really don't know. Star 94 musically is close to Q100, which has good adult numbers. With the stations so close musically, maybe people tend to prefer CHR over almost CHR, which is what Hot AC is.
As far as Jeff & Jenn, I thought hiring them was a no-brainer. They had a few really good months before Q100 woke up and made some adjustments, including presenting new material in the 9AM hour. You have to give Bert credit; what he has accomplished in this market is nothing short of amazing. I haven't seen morning drive ratings for recent months.
I'm hoping someone who knows more than I do will post their interpretation of what's going on.