1st Format Flip in 2010!

[steve]

Today at 5p...the Blaze modified their format to what seems to be a combo between the old Rock 99 and Arrow. Its clear they made their changes to attract more meters in the PPM world. They still have the same name, but new imaging. Sounds pretty good!

[CAwasinNJ]

I'm not a big fan of the hard rock stuff, but it seems like Blaze has changed their format a few times already (not to mention the frequency.) I'm trying to remember exactly how it went. There were various Blaze's plus the Mad Dog station that sounded exactly the same to me. Those flipped back and forth between 102.3, 103.9, 94.9 and 97.5, right?

[CAwasinNJ]

I've been giving the new 97.5 a listen, and I'd call it closer to 104.7 than Arrow, though Blaze has a harder edge. Given that it's a rimshot and 104.7 was around first it seems like it's going to be tough. What's weird is that the same company (Millcreek) owns both. Am I seeing more similarity between 97.5 and 104.7 than other people?

[dxstuboy]

I don't think 97.5 can make up its mind.
Is it FM100?
Is it The End?
Is it KBER?
Is it 104.7?
Is it KOSY 106.5?

I'm confused...

[seattlefollower]

Since it designated itself "Adult Hits" with Arbitron, I would go so far as to say it wants to be "Jack FM" - but that will only attract cume, not a very strong AQH rating.

[henry]

I do think PPM is working, and sadly, it's adjusting radio to fit more with my actual habits:

For example, unless the DJs are really good (Mick & Allen, etc.) I find myself punching another preset whenever I don't hear music. That's really, really bad news, considering I'm trying to scratch out making a few bucks in the radio biz myself.

Likewise, the stations that are "potent" and have "stationality" are not the ones I find myself listening to. Often I'll get "trapped" into a station like 104.7 or the Arrow, listening for 30 minutes without even thinking "oh, I'm listening to ________ station."

Whereas, with U92, ZHT, the Mix, etc. I often flip back and forth between songs.

So, when it comes to The Blaze, I must say the prior format had better "stationarity." Yet, the new classic rock format has become one of the "trap" stations which hooks my ear for long stretches at a time.

So yes, Stu, from an identity standpoint it may seem a bit odd, but from a PPM standpoint, identity doesn't really matter anymore. Sad, but reality.

[dxstuboy]

I flip stations a lot too, but I also have particular stations I like more than others regardless of the songs. I don't know how the rest of Salt Lake listens to radio, but that is how I do it. My presets on my radio are 94.1 94.9 101.1 103.1 103.5 and of course 99.9 for MiloFm.