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Why doesn't DC have 2 top 40 stations
- Thread starter Viper252
- Start date
Top 40 may recover from the pandemic trough, but it's not quite high yet.
Also, if DC gets a 2nd Top 40, which station will flip?
DC-area listeners who want an alternative to Hot 99.5, co-owned Z104.3 out of Baltimore will have to do.
That was at a time when they had fewer formats and AM was still viable. The one CHR they have is barely in the Top 10 right now. Not much encouragement to any owners to flip. And who would flip? The station owners are happy with the situation as it is now. The CHR format is at a very low point creatively.
DC has fewer FM allocations than most other cities its size, so that may also be a factor.
DC has fewer FM allocations than most other cities its size, so that may also be a factor.
WBQB covers Prince William and the extreme southern portion of Fairfax.
WWMX covers parts of Montgomery and Prince George's.
WAFY covers Frederick and the extreme northern portion of Montgomery.
Would the District itself be in dire demand of a Hot AC station? Granted, Mix 107.3 was successful before it went Christian rock, but still. I personally don't see a radio station in DC flipping to CHR or Hot AC in the near future.
If you look at WAFY's playlist they're more hot AC than CHR.
Mainstream pop is in a creative funk and has been in one for a few years now. Listeners who used to have CHR as their primary station are being siphoned away by hot AC, urban and country. The only format in worse shape right now is active rock.
I argue that gold-leaning radio stations are doing the best now. Given the censorship, urban/rhythmic stations are not seeing ratings, and country is kind of declining a little bit. Classic Hits, Classic Rock, Urban AC, AC, and maybe NPR (depending on the market) are doing well.
The CHR listeners who might drift off to urban probably aren't the ones who want uncensored versions, or who would object if the songs they heard were bleeped. They just want a little more of an urban edge to their CHR and less pop.
In theory, yes. But while it's true that listeners prefer rhythmic music, urbans and rhythmics do not necessarily romp mainstream Top 40 stations in the ratings.
WPGC and WKYS are both finally gaining in the ratings, but so is Hot 99.5. In San Francisco and Atlanta, CHR is doing very well. In the case for Atlanta, the two CHRs are holding their own in the ratings, even though the market's demographics point to a preference for Hip-Hop and R&B music. Hot 107.9 isn't doing as well, even though they have dominated the ratings in the past.
Because DC is so close to Baltimore, the District doesn't have as many stations as some large markets. So in Washington, you have only one of each format, no duplications, except for ones aimed at African-American listeners. One Top 40, one Country, one FM Sports station, one All-News station, one FM Talk station, one Religious Instruction FM station, one Mainstream AC, one Classic Hits, one Alternative, one Classic Rock, one NPR, one Classical.
But no Hot AC which Baltimore has, no Adult Hits station, which Baltimore has. And actually, Washington has two Christian Contemporary stations, one programmed locally and one K-Love outlet.
But no Hot AC which Baltimore has, no Adult Hits station, which Baltimore has. And actually, Washington has two Christian Contemporary stations, one programmed locally and one K-Love outlet.
Just an attempt to split the demo. Hot plays more currents, so it's younger.
Modern rock is floundering in more demographically favorable markets than DC or Baltimore. A nonstarter. Rhythmic, rhythmic, rhythmic.
If you're south of Baltimore/east of DC there's 103.1 WRNR, a local independent operation with a modern rock/AAA format.
Indeed, but then, it's also missing a good classic rock station. All the so-called "rock" radio stations in DC are awful. Go toward the beach and WZBH is much better. Go to the mountains and WBHB is much better. Go toward York and WQXA is much better. Go toward Charlottesville and WWWV is much better. Et cetera.
WWDC is a rock-leaning pop station which acknowledges in its own promos that it's better on the weekends (when it doesn't repeat the same 20 or 30 pop songs over and over), while WBIG is a rock-leaning oldies (sorry, "classic hits") station. WIYY tries to be all things to all people and doesn't really pull it off. All three have way too much inane prattle and not enough music. And WZBA's signal doesn't make it into DC.
- Trip
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I'm not sure if a classic rock station that tilts heavily towards hard rock would generate high ratings in a major market the way it does in a small market, given the demographics and listening habits. Classic rock stations like WAXQ, WZLX, WDRC, WBIG, WSRV, WXGL, and WBGG generate high ratings by having a fair amount of pop rock / soft rock in their playlist (think Billy Joel and Phil Collins).
DC tried a hard classic rock for 3 years, 105.9 The Edge from 2009-2011. It was the last music format on the signal before WMAL moved there.
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