Formats You’ll Flip Over
• After 20 years of playing Classic Hits for the good citizens of Sioux Falls, SD, Midwest Communications gave a pleasant little jolt to the market yesterday as KQSF flipped to Top 40 as The NEW Q95.7.
“We’re excited to finally give listeners a choice when it comes to hit music on Sioux Falls radio,” said Tom Gjerdrum, Operations Manager of Midwest’s five-station Sioux Falls cluster. He added, “The all NEW Q95.7 plays the most music in the Sioux Empire. Period. We’ve created a radio station that plays nearly twice as many songs each hour than any other pop station in the area. As the Sioux Falls radio market and advertiser needs continually change, we’re evolving with those needs. The NEW Q95.7 is totally music-driven, playing at least 52 minutes of music every hour through an energetic presentation designed specifically for 18-34 year olds.”
Rounding third and heading for home, Gjerdrum said, “The NEW Q95.7 is a response to our ‘I want it all’ world, where people have endless options for consuming music. Listeners demand fewer commercial interruptions. We will not only meet listener expectations, but exceed them.”
• Early yesterday, iHeartMedia began stunting on translator W225AH (WQRV-HD3)/Huntsville, AL as “Trash Pandas 92.9” — a nod to the city’s awesomely named new minor league baseball team — The Rocket City Trash Pandas! The 92.9 frequency stunted with a bunch of baseball-themed elements until the stroke of 9:29am, when the switch was thrown to launch ALT 92.9, Huntsville’s New Alternative.
SVP of Programming Erich West says, “Huntsville has never had an Alternative music station, so there was a huge opportunity to fill a hole with a format that’s never been done in the market before. This is a great addition to our already strong cluster and will bolster our commitment for our advertising partners.” PD Johnny Maze said, “iHeart is the leader in this format, and I’m totally stoked for Huntsville. Many of ALT 92.9 bands have never had the exposure in this market before and I believe Huntsville is ready and will totally embrace ALT 92.9.” The station will roll commercial-free through the end of the month.
