Dance Radio Alive...In New York (May 28, 2004)

WKTU and WNEW Dance The Weekend Away New Yorkers better get out their dancing shoes over the long holiday weekend. Both Clear Channel Rhythmic Top 40 WKTU (The Beat of New York) and Infinity Hot AC WNEW (Mix 102.7), which was a one-time Blink 102.7 format flop in 2002, will program classic Dance hits. 'NEW is also bringing back longtime 'KTU air personality Freddie Colon, who currently does mornings on Journal Rhythmic Oldies KGMG/Tucson. Colon will fly back to the Big Apple to host the eight-hour "Classic Dance Showcase," which airs on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

Colon was not only a DJ on both the original and the new 'KTU, but has spent time at other New York stations, including WQHT (Hot 97) and the old WTJM (Jammin' 105). "We're thrilled to have Freddie coming back to do this for us," WNEW APD Rick Martini told the New York Daily News. 'KTU is also planning its own "Three Decades of Dance" this weekend.

All of this makes for an interesting battleground. By playing more Dance-oriented music from the '70s, '80s and '90s, 'NEW is trying to lure some of `KTU's target audience away. Many believe 'NEW is under the guidance of former WKTU PD Frankie Blue.

Notes: WKTU is a Clear Channel O&O station. WNEW is an Infinity O&O station.

You know, we have Clear Channel running a low-rated KOOL 99.3 that is getting dismal ratings with oldies music coming from the Mexican transmitter where a great majority of listeners in Mexicans in Tijuana don't care for oldies that is not theirs, plus many elder North County oldies fans who can't get KOOL from 60 miles from the border.

We have Viacom running a low-rated Planet 103.7 playing classic rock hits that just isn't going to get any better soon as most of its target male audience is enjoying a fuller spectrum of classic rock on Deep Tracks on XM 40 and other satellite radio stations on XM and Sirius.

Here's a novel idea: flip both stations to competeting dance stations focusing mainly on the newer songs that I hear on 103x in Phoenix and XM 81 BPM on regular rotation as none of these songs are going to get airplay on any of these other stations. Bring in the new younger listeners who are turned off by junk rap rock, beat-less R&B and wimp emo rock playing on the other stations. Clear Channel could position Magic 92.5 to play more adult R&B ballads of today and back to the 60's and run "Galaxy 99.3" as I would call it to play the kind of dance mixes I used to hear on Klub KIIS and Full Frequency among others. "Groove Planet 103.7" would focus on today's and yesterday's dance hits and classics going back to the days of disco.

Both corporate parents can cull ideas from their sister stations in New York to help jump start the new formats.

Since the rich males are paying for satelite radio to get more oldies and rock music, it seems useless to program to a niche that is disappearring from the Arbitron ratings charts. Might as well bring in some new music ideas to get in younger listeners 18-34 who may not be able to get satellite radio.