Ever since CBS Radio launched 97.1 AMP Radio on February 20th, cross-town rival and ratings stalwart, 102.7 KIIS-FM (which includes Ryan Seacrest) has tried to stay calm, but has shown a quiet and controlled response (see #3 below). Any fear and uncertainty KIIS may have based on from the results of recent Arbitron ratings (see below), would be  understandable. After all, the station has existed in its current format since 1981 and is often considered one of the top performing FM stations in the country, and its not every day that a competitor appears. To their credit, AMP Radio has gained an impressive 1.8 share points since their talk format days during the Winter 2008 ratings and now sits at #12 in the L.A. market. KIIS, meanwhile, retains the #1 spot but has lost 0.8 of a share already this year.

Remember, KIIS has not been uncontested in the ratings game – 103.5 KOST, the adult contemporary station, has been right on KIIS’s heels, especially when they switch to Christmas music every year.

The shift of some listeners from 102.7 to 97.1 is expected, but the question is how far the curves will shift. Will they meet in the middle at a point of equilibrium? Only time will tell, but until that day, the staff at each station must experiment with different unique strategies. And have they ever. Have a look at three major dynamic areas: 1) Social Media, 2) On-air staff, 3) Playlist:

1. Assume that since its the Los Angeles market, and L.A. is the place for entertainment and pop culture, a Top 40 format will always prevail over AC, Rock, Country, or Talk. Previously, the 97.1 frequency housed a talk format, but CBS apparently wished to “diversify its programming offerings” which meant to directly compete with the #1 station in the market. According to the Senior VP of Programming at CBS, in addition to conventional wisdom, such an approach cannot be direct. One cannot rely on just playing the same music as the competition. Instead, a successful startup must provide a unique online experience and engulf the audience in what they supposedly want – social media. Still, this alone cannot make AMP Radio king of the CHR/Top 40 format, for KIIS also relies heavily on social media for publicity. Also, take into account the fact that KIIS’s website is professionally designed, whereas AMP’s runs the $150 Abstract theme (available for purchase here) on Wordpress.


AMP's social links



KIIS's social links, similar to AMP

2. Don’t forget that morning show host Ryan Seacrest commands one of the largest Twitter followings, with over 876,000 people at his disposal. And it looks like he just premiered Paula Abdul’s new single. How can a new station compete with one of the country’s strongest media personalities if they can’t trump Seacrest on the social media front? One option is to take the opposite path and not have an abundance of on-air personalities. Logically, most listeners should be tuning in for the new music. Initially, AMP attempted to steal listeners by playing 10,000 songs in-a-row (about 3 weeks of music). Not a bad idea – just like a free iPod shuffle. However, when the DJs showed up, all they would do is ask callers where they switched from (a trick question because they knew everyone would say KIIS, but people feasibly could have said 99.1 KGGI (Riverside) or Q104-7 (Oxnard) to screw with the AMP guys). If having fewer DJs doesn’t cut it, then what will seal the deal? Well, by playing slightly older “feel-good” songs, that’s how.
3. The website yes.com tracks stations’ playlists and can show complete logs for most radio stations in decent-sized markets. Using this resouce, we can see how the two stations in question compare:

• 54 of the 100 most popular songs are commong to AMP and KIIS
• Both stations play most of the same artists: Akon, Black Eyed Peas, Britney Spears, Flo-Rida, Jamie Foxx, Justin Timberlake, Kanye West, Kelly Clarkson, Lady Gaga, Leona Lewis, LMFAO, Ne-Yo, Rihanna, T.I., Taylor Swift, The All-American Rejects, The Pussycat Dolls, Timbaland, Usher
• AMP doesn’t seem to play Beyonce
• Interestingly, both stations play older Top 40 songs, but it seems that AMP is much heavier on hits from the 90s and earlier this decade, in addition to some rap music. Roughly 1/6 of AMP’s top songs are not from 2008 or 2009:AMP: 2Pac – Changes, Alice Deejay – Better Off Alone, Daft Punk – One More Time, David Banner – Play, DMX Party Up, Dr. Dre – Forgot About Dre, Still D.R.E., Ginuwine – Pony, Jay-Z – Big Pimpin’, Lil’ Kim – Magic Stick, Nelly Furtado – Promiscuous, Snoop Dogg – Drop It Like It’s Hot, Notorious B.I.G. – Big Poppa, Mo Money Mo Problems, Warren G – Regulate, Ying Yang Twins – Salt Shaker
• KIIS, on the other hand, only has a handful of such songs in heavy rotation. Last Friday (May 1st) Ryan Seacrest could be heard playing older songs that overlap with AMP’s general playlist before the 8am hour. He then would air a caller after each song, who would in turn say how much they loved the throwback tune. The yes.com log confirms the playlist:
  

  Gwen Stefani – Hollaback Girl 01.05.2009 7:36am

  Daft Punk – One More Time 01.05.2009 7:46am

  R. Kelly – Ignition 01.05.2009 7:49am

  2Pac – California Love 01.05.2009 7:52am

  Warren G – Regulate (w/ Nate Dogg) 01.05.2009 7:55am

• Only 2Pac’s California Love is on the top 100 songs for KIIS. Coincidence? I think not. To play these songs in favor of current releases at a peak listener time (morning commute) can only mean that KIIS is fighting AMP by tweaking its traditionally ultra-current playlist.

In the end, KIIS will probably win the ratings, because they can match most of AMP’s moves. KIIS has just been around too long and makes too much money ($66 million in 2008). However, I don’t blame either of the stations for straying from the CHR format. In fact, the 90’s/early 00’s  genre is often neglected by mainstream stations. It doesn’t fall into the current Top 40 category, AC, or even Hot AC formats, which is why only all-encompassing 70s/80s/90s/today stations can even touch the 90s/early 00s. Stations suited to a single decade rarely work out (look at KMVN in Los Angeles, which recently shifted from 80’s to Mexican) and the only solution is to have station like AMP and KIIS occasionally play the songs as a breath of fresh air. It just takes a little competitive nudging, in this case the insight of CBS Radio in Los Angeles, to bring out the best of the format.