Fans of WODS-FM (103.3) are lamenting after CBS Radio announced Wednesday that the station’s format is changing effective Thursday. Calling it an “an exciting move” for Top 40 fans in Boston, CBS suits said the station, which played hits from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s, will now be called 103.3 AMP Radio and will play contemporary hits, including artists such as Rihanna, Usher, Maroon 5, Pitbull, Flo Rida, Katy Perry, and Nicki Minaj. (If that sounds like what KISS 108 plays, that’s because it is.) “When looking at the habits of Boston radio listeners, it is clear the music most favored by the biggest group of people is contemporary hit music,” Mark Hannon, market manager for CBS Radio in Boston said in a statement. The WODS staff was laid off and will be replaced with a new program director and a new lineup of DJs.
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What incredible stupidity! WODS has been firmly in the top ten Boston radio ratings for most of its 25-year run. It is now 5th in the market. Yet the suits at CBS Radio want to try to beat KISS 108 by duplicating their Top 40 format. WODS right now has "deep numbers"- ratings based on long-term listener loyalty. That's something to respect, like the deep numbers of the now defunct WFNX, or Eric in the evening on GBH. "The radio business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." Hunter S. Thompson
I agree with Lavrans. It's all about the demographic. If your listeners skew older, they don't count. Oldies 103 has been around for ages, with many of the same DJs over the years and well-established traditions like live summer concerts at City Hall (and, OK, less-loved traditions like playing lame Christmas music nonstop beginning on Veterans Day). My sympathies and thanks to the staff who kept it going for so long.