Deeper Insights into Alternative and

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(No Transcript)
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Deeper Insights into Alternative and
Active Rock Prepared for Jacobs Media Rock S
ummit
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Agenda

• Historical perspective How did we get here?
• Defining and differentiating the Alternative and
  Active brands
  
• Defining and differentiating the Alternative and
  Active music products
  
• Evidence of convergence
• Strategic options going forward

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How did we get here?
Two formats born of different strategic
circumstances
Alternative vs. Active Rock
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How did we get here?
Two formats often serving different strategic
roles
Alternative vs. Active Rock
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How did we get here?
Two formats often serving different strategic
roles
Alternative vs. Active Rock
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Different brand meanings and values
The Alternative brand

• Essence has been about new, cutting edge,
  Alternative music forms
  
• Reflects contemporary alternative culture
• Makes for a good deal of fluidity and sonic
  variety, as culture moves through Rock, Pop and
  Mainstream periods
  
• Attracts trendsetters with malleable, fluid
  tastes reflecting relatively broad musical
  sensibilities More critical, cynical- burn
  out on music more quickly

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Different brand meanings and values
The Active Rock brand

• Essence has always been about Rock
• Reflects Rock feel or attitude, rather than
  cutting edge culture
  
• Emphasis on Rock produces less sonic variety
  than Alternative
  
• Attracts listeners who are somewhat slower to
  embrace new music trends Retain fondness for
  older music
  

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Comparing the music mixes
Era breadth is major differentiator between
formats
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Comparing the music mixes
Current/Recurrent content is another
differentiator
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Comparing the music mixes
Alternative features greater sonic variety
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Comparing the music mixes
Parallels CHR/Hot AC relationship
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Comparing the music mixes
Parallels CHR/Hot AC relationship
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Comparing the music mixes
Parallels CHR/Hot AC relationship
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Comparing the music mixes
Parallels CHR/Hot AC relationship
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Comparing the music mixes
Parallels CHR/Hot AC relationship
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Comparing the music mixes
Parallels CHR/Hot AC relationship
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Comparing the music mixes
Parallels CHR/Hot AC relationship
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Comparing the music mixes
Parallels CHR/Hot AC relationship
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Comparing the music mixes
Parallels CHR/Hot AC relationship
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Comparing the music mixes
Parallels CHR/Hot AC relationship
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Evidence of convergence
Formats sharing most Currents/Recurrents
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Evidence of convergence
Formats sharing most Currents/Recurrents
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Strategic options going forward

• How fast to embrace the cutting edge
• How to balance Cume and TSL sounds

Alternative stations face challenging issues...
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How to balance Cume and TSL sounds
Balance Top 100 songs with smallest Cume/TSL Ma
x score differential
TSL Top 100 songs with decidedly stronger TSL M
ax than Cume scores
Cume Top 100 songs with decidedly stronger Cume
than TSL Max scores
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Sound Code DistributionTotal Test vs. Balance
Quadrant
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How to balance Cume and TSL sounds
Balance Top 100 songs with smallest Cume/TSL Ma
x score differential

TSL Top 100 songs with decidedly stronger TSL M
ax than Cume scores
Cume Top 100 songs with decidedly stronger Cume
than TSL Max scores
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Sound Code DistributionTotal Test vs. Cume
Quadrant
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How to balance Cume and TSL sounds
Balance Top 100 songs with smallest Cume/TSL Ma
x score differential

TSL Top 100 songs with decidedly stronger TSL M
ax than Cume scores
Cume Top 100 songs with decidedly stronger Cume
than TSL Max scores
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Sound Code DistributionTotal Test vs. TSL
Quadrant
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Strategic options going forward

• When to give up on Gold

• Alternative stations face challenging issues...
• How fast to embrace the cutting edge
• How to balance Cume and TSL sounds

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Should Grunge be left to Active Rock?
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Should Grunge be left to Active Rock?
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Strategic options going forward

• How to balance need for music variety while
  retaining new music credibility
  
• How much Gold and how old that Gold should be
• Which contemporary styles are compatible with Gold

Active Rock stations face challenging issues as
well...
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Building the optimal format coalition
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Building the optimal format coalition
What is the potential of an Hard Active-based,
contemporary approach to Active Rock?
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Building the optimal format coalition
What is the potential of an older, 80s- and
early 90s-based approach to Active Rock?
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Looking ahead

• If convergence continues, whoever wins the image
  for the shared music will win the audience
  
• Hard Active nature of shared Currents favors
  Active Rock, given its Rock essence
  
• Long term, a Hard Active Rock music convergence
  probably better for Active Rock format because
  the status quo favors the more gold based,
  consistently Rock textured format

Implications of convergence
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Looking ahead

• Alternative can win if it has Hard Active Rock
  music image credibility (or superiority), if
  Active Rocks images do not evolve and lag too
  much in older 70s/80s AOR or if Current music
  diverges
• Emergence of new sound in Alternativeespecially
  if Mainstream or Pop in naturewill break current
  music convergence and formats will diverge to
  more unique, distinct positions again
• If all remains equal, then non-music attributes
  will key victory

Implications of convergence
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