103.3 AMP Radio goes Silent

has radio given up on youth?

In the commercial radio industry, death and birth are intrinsically connected. When a station passes on, the story of a new station begins immediately, and along the same frequency. The new station usually bears a new format or programming philosophy than the previous, signifying a shift in music and on-air personalities. These changes can happen suddenly and without warning, hence the phrase “flipping formats.”

A format flip can be a minor retooling of a station’s branding, such as Boston’s alternative Radio 92.9 rebranding to ALT 92.9 in 2016. There, the music and DJs stayed the same, but overall image of the station changed. A more major format flip came in 2019, when Cumulus Media sold the legendary New York City 95.5 WPLJ to the inappropriately named Educational Media Foundation, who converted the station to their Christian Contemporary format K-LOVE.

Today, a major format flip occurred in Boston: Top 40 CHR station 103.3 AMP Radio became an artifact of the 2010s, and BIG103 was born.

BIG 103 Boston @big103Boston

2020 couldn’t possibly do anything worse right? Hold our beer…this is Music Unleashed!

I spent the first six years of my professional radio career at 103.3 AMP Radio as a producer, on-air personality, and, eventually, the station’s Imaging Director. For this bonus Transmission release, I would like to share the ideals and philosophy that made the now-defunct AMP Radio great—and why its Kafka-esque transformation into BIG103 is endemic of a major issue facing the commercial radio industry.

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2009 - CBS RADIO LAUNCHES THE AMP BRAND

The original AMP radio format was created and pioneered by KROQ program director Kevin Weatherly (now with Spotify) and assistant program director John Michael in Los Angeles. The goal of this new brand of Top40 radio was to attract younger listeners and compete with iHeartMedia’s national dominance in pop music. After that station experienced modest success, CBS Radio rolled out several AMP brands across the country: Boston, Detroit, Orlando, Philadelphia, New York City, and Dallas.

As secondary CHRs competing with behemoth heritage pop stations like 102.7 KIIS in LA, Z100 New York, and KISS 108 in Boston, these new brands had to differentiate themselves in the marketplace. They were more adventurous with their music selections, spinning EDM and trap before they went mainstream, and were much more aggressive with their branding. While imaging 103.3 AMP Radio, I always asked myself the question: “what if a pop station sounded more like an alternative station?” Thus, our station promos had deadpan jokes, rock beds, and just whatever weird audio I could dig up. At one point, I directed our voice-over artist Donna Frank to deliver our liners by “channeling her best April Ludgate.”

I don’t know if our style worked, but we had a lot of fun.

2016 - AMP HITS ITS STRIDE

Party pop music dominated the first half of the 2010s—artists like Jason DeRulo, Katy Perry, and Rihanna were core artists for the AMP brand. As secondary CHRs, these stations were also able to pepper in hip-hop, a genre rapidly growing in popularity with young Americans. When EDM thundered through college campuses, AMP stations were the first to play new music from The Chainsmokers, David Guetta, and Zedd. If a song was a club/college hit, you’d hear it on AMP first.

In Boston, this “college scene” focus carried over into content as well. Producer Matt Shearer made frequent appearances at bars throughout the city, interviewing patrons at closing time. These chaotic recordings became the foundation for “Bar Stars,” one of the most popular segments on the station, which aired every Monday morning at 7:40 and 9:40. The Boston AMP also held intimate AMP LIVE performances featuring then-upcoming artists Dua Lipa, Lizzo, Lil Dicky, and more.

Through branding, music, on-air personalities, and events, the AMP stations established themselves as the youthful party station in their respective cities. AMPs across the country enjoyed modest success—although they never overtook rival iHeartMedia Top40s in the ratings, they performed very well in key 18-35 demographics.

2017 - TROUBLE BREWS

In the latter half of the 2010s, on-demand streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music experienced explosive growth. This produced two problems for the youth-oriented AMP radio: 1) they were no longer only competing with iHeartMedia stations, and instead had to fend off on-demand and commercial free listening, and 2) musical trends began to turn over faster than the stations’ playlist.

Music radio stations find their greatest success when playing familiar songs with mass appeal in their target demographic. On-demand streaming fractured the 18-35 into infinite silos of personalized playlists, with which no station can compete. If AMP playlists became too cutting edge to adopt the latest trends, they would alienate casual listeners. Conversely, when the playlist became too casual, bored listeners would seek new music on streaming platforms. The AMP brand was caught in a Catch-22.

I further suspect, with no data or evidence, that streaming has all but killed the radio single. On-demand platforms enable and encourage frequent listening of the same songs and playlists on repeat. By the time radio picks up a song and adds it to their playlist, a large minority of people are already sick of it. This phenomenon is called “burn” or “burn rate.”

Nevertheless, our noble AMP stations persisted. If we couldn’t add a new viral song into rotation, I would try to work it into our sonic branding or our digital team would interview under-the-radar artists for spotlight on our Instagram and YouTube channels.

2017 - SALE OF CBS RADIO

On November 17, the CBS Corporation sold its radio division to Entercom Communications. Within a year, Entercom flipped AMP in New York City, Orlando, and Dallas to its new ALT brand of alternative rock. This decision made a great deal of sense at the time, as there was a gaping format hole in each of those markets for alternative. Why compete with an iHeartMedia Top40 and Spotify when there is no alternative station in the market? Other AMP brands in Philly and Detroit were shifted to variety hits formats (WTDY in Philadelphia would later return to Top40, but under a non-AMP brand). Thus, only AMP in LA and Boston remained.

2018 - TRAP AND HIP-HOP TAKE THE CROWN

To be clear—I am not blaming the popularity of trap and hip-hop for the fall of the AMP radio brand. However, their rapid rise to the top of the charts put AMP radio in an impossible situation. Not only did AMP stations need to compete with iHeartMedia behemoth Top40s and on-demand streaming, they also found themselves in ratings battles with hip-hop stations. AMP was caught on a tightrope: too much hip-hop and trap would alienate core pop listeners, but without enough hip-hop, the youth audience could evaporate.

Also during this time, American popular music experienced an unprecedented slowdown in tempo and energy levels in music, which I analyzed in one of my first Transmission publications:

Music-format radio generally aims to lift listeners up, make them feel good as hell, and keep them tuned in for more positive energy – a goal that isn’t particularly easy when songs are sad, soft, and slow. Sure, some people like myself prefer to start and end their workdays quietly with as few loud noises as possible, but when mass appeal is at stake, more energy means more listeners and bigger ratings.

Not every song on the radio is a bummer; there have been some monstrous bangers that have recently topped the Billboard Hot 100: “Bodak Yellow” by Cardi B, “Closer” from The Chainsmokers, and “Truth Hurts” by Lizzo. However, perception is reality, and the perception is that pop songs are sadder than usual.

Sad and slow songs don’t make for good ratings—especially when you’re in a four-way brawl for a rapidly narrowing slice of listening audience. This music trend continued through the end of the decade, with hit songs getting sadder and slower every year.

All these factors, and others we may not be aware of, led to falling ratings, which reduces advertising dollars, and culminated in the death of 103.3 AMP Radio.

2020 - THE BIRTH BIG103

The untimely disappearance of 103.3 AMP Radio is only half the story. Prior to the unveiling of BIG103, there was speculation that Entercom would roll out one of its prized ALT brands for Boston, which has been lacking a true alternative for over a year. They could still focus on younger listeners, but with a fresh brand and possibly a genre-agnostic approach. Post Malone, KennyHoopla, and The Killers could add up to a winning musical formula.

Instead, Boston was treated to BIG103 Music…Unleashed. The format is essentially JACK-FM, a variety hits music station without DJs, instead relying on frequently updated irreverent promos and sweepers. This style of jukebox/playlist radio performs well in workplaces and is extremely inexpensive—which is important for an industry currently gutted by COVID-19. But BIG103 will face many challenges as an 80s-driven variety hits station. They will need to compete with 105.7 WROR, a well-established ‘80s/rock hybrid station; Rock 92.9, the “next generation of classic rock;” and their own sister station adult contemporary station Magic 106.7. I cannot comment on why Entercom opted for another four-way battle, but I wish the programmers the best of luck and I hope BIG103 is the…biggest…station it can be.

THE FUTURE

The decision to abandon a youth-centric format in favor of “variety hits” aimed toward Generation X is deeply unsettling. The radio industry is slowly moving away from younger Americans and doubling down on older generations, who are more likely to consume radio and attract advertisers with their expendable income. This makes sense from a business perspective, but it is disappointing to see radio giving up on youth culture, and spells disaster for the future of radio.

It’s easy to say “Millennials and GenZ don’t listen to radio” but it’s important to consider what radio has offered those generations. Beyond the AMP brand, there has not been another radio format committed to youth culture. Without representation on air, they’ve turned to podcasts, TikTok, and YouTube. Radio has been writing off young Americans, and in turn, they may have written radio off. If Millennials and GenZ don’t grow up with radio, they may never discover what makes the medium special. If the twenty-year-olds today don’t listen to radio in their thirties, the commercial radio industry will collapse.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s triple j has found ratings success by tailoring its music and content to young Australians. The playlists are genre-agnostic, and they boast a large and vibrant air staff. The product is far more left-of-center, but it reminds me of the early days of the AMP brand.

Things may seem bleak, but I am bullish that a youth-centric station that breaks new artists and traditional rules could find success in America. It would be a gamble and a massive investment, but it might be the only way to save the industry.

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