Today we’ve got another offering from Jacobs Media’s Keith Cunningham:
Yeah, I know… most of you have grown tired of hearing about KROQ success stories, but work me with me on this one.
The lineup for KROQ’s Inland Invasion 2006 serves as another reminder that Rock stations can no longer live within a tight, restrictive format box. It may look good on paper and it surely makes sense to be focused – but the reality is listeners don’t limit themselves to one format box. Smart compatibility is where it’s at these days. And although all competitive situations vary and can be fluid, stations that limit themselves to one parochial format niche are likely to lose in the long run.
The lineup for Inland Invasion is Guns ‘N Roses, Alice in Chains, Papa Roach, Avenged Sevenfold, Muse, Buckcherry, Rise Against, 30 Seconds to Mars, and Atreyu. Additionally, I should note that KROQ’s Current playlist includes Gnarls Barkley, Teddy Bears, Wolfmother, The Fray, Tool, Arctic Monkeys, Papa Roach, Buckcherry and dozens more.
Can you say “rock variety to the 10th power,” without ever uttering the “variety” word?
To flesh this out more, here are a few of the passages I contributed to the Jacobs Media Alternative Radio Halftime Report (coming soon to Jacobs clients):
The Rock universe has been fragmented to the point where narrowcasting has become the norm for some. In an effort to differentiate each station in the Rock spectrum, sometimes within the same cluster – Alternative, Active, Mainstream, Triple-A programmers have moved too narrow with each station.
The audience does not have a narrow opinion of music. We needn’t look any further than the success some Jacobs Media clients are having with the Everything That Rocks approach. As an industry, we can put whatever label we want on a song or sound, but to many listeners, Rock is simply Rock. A hit is a hit.
Compounding the problem is the harsh reality that the musical tastes of Men 18-34 are more diverse in 2006 than in past generations, due to the growth of Hip-Hop, the proliferation of the iPod, and what Chris Anderson calls “The Long Tail.”
Alternative programmers need to accept the fact that the Rock universe has declined in the past decade, and consumers have never had so many music choices. As a medium, radio has lived in a “focus wins” world. And although that principle may still be true to an extent, the definition of focus has evolved. Being cume accessible has never been more important for Alternative radio. It’s a fine line to walk between cume and core, but ask any GSM, GM or CEO and they will tell you they’d rather have 100 listeners who listen an hour a day, than 10 listeners who listen for 2+ hours a day. Call it variety, diversity, widening, shuffle, or whatever your word of choice is, but the truth is that today’s audience is anti-tight & narrow. That’s why the iPod mentality is something that absolutely has to be considered, especially in Alterna-World, where our Tech Poll this spring indicated that over half of this audience now owns their own personal jukebox, and they’re having a wonderful time programming it diversely and creatively.
So whether you choose to believe my voodoo or not, this isn’t just an Alternative Rock issue. It’s becoming apparent when some of our industry’s premiere brands, like KROQ, are indeed tearing down traditional format walls. KROQ’s Inland Invasion 2006 looks more like an Active Rock concert than an Alternative show – and the headliners are more 35+ than 18-34 (and gasp – some are even heard on Classic Rock stations!). Yet, KROQ’s Currents, Recurrents and Gold also reflect diversity and relevancy.
Now I know what you’re thinking – KROQ certainly benefits from having multiple lanes all to themselves in Los Angeles. There’s isn’t an Active Rock or even a harder classic rocker in Los Angeles. However, that does not mean they don’t face some risks in doing a show like this. Their team clearly knows that, if done right, with risk comes reward.
Radio’s playing field has completely changed in a few short years and lowest common denominator or format chart programming isn’t the recipe for terrestrial success anymore. Niche is out, cume appeal and variety are in. And we can talk about brand integrity and “cred” all day long, but those concepts are becoming cop-outs for not expanding turf. Since when does pleasing a wide audience tarnish a brand? If you don’t believe me – just ask the kool kidz at KROQ.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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Keith –
It is becoming so difficult to put together a station music “festival,” getting just about any band you can is becoming the norm. Still, KROQ wields a lot of power and can pull in some bigger names, albeit one has been over for a long time and another isn’t really the band whose name is used.
And now, on to the bigger topic – Variety is cool…perhaps inspired by Jack/Bob/Joe/ Keith/Greg/Fred…but in some clusters, a couple of “rock” stations have forced narrowcasting. The challenge is determining if wide and thin or narrow and deep is the appropriate approach.
Lastly, whatever you choose, you better have a firm grip on how to brand it…it better not be the same ol’ cheesey name and look. Not only must it truly exude the image, it better create a meaningful relationship…