After stunting all weekend with Christmas Music, Entercom has flipped CHR “Amp Radio 98.7” WDZH Detroit to Soft AC “98.7 The Breeze“.
Launching with 10,000 “Relaxing Favorites In A Row”, the new format takes aim at iHeartMedia AC 100.3 WNIC while it is in Christmas music mode while flanking co-owned Classic Hits 104.3 WOMC.
The first hour of “98.7 The Breeze” consisted of:
Chicago – What A Big Surprise
Jimmy Cliff – I Can See Clearly
Elton John – Your Song
Michael Jackson – Human Nature
Fleetwood Mac – Landslide
Mike + The Mechanics – The Living Years
Adele – Someone Like You
Quarterflash – Harden My Heart
Wilson Phillips – Hold On
Spandau Ballet – True
Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds – Fallin’ In Love
Aretha Franklin – A Natural Woman (You Make Me Feel)
Journey – Lights
Adele – Hello
Phil Collins – You Can’t Hurry Love
Heatwave – Always and Forever
Listen to the launch of “98.7 The Breeze” at FormatChange.com.
Entercom, the #1 creator of live, original, local audio content in the United States, today announced the launch of 987 The Breeze (WDZH-FM) in Detroit, MI. The station will provide the Detroit region with relaxing favorites at work with hits from artists like Elton John, Fleetwood Mac and Boyz II Men to Adele, Alicia Keys and Sara Bareilles.
“We are excited to launch 987 The Breeze and to fill this void in the Motor City’s music scene,” said Debbie Kenyon, Senior Vice President and Market Manager, Entercom Detroit. “We know the station will become a must-listen to make your work day breeze by.”
987 The Breeze is celebrating its launch by playing 10,000 songs commercial-free, starting today at 5:00 p.m. ET. 987 The Breeze replaces 98.7 AMP Radio.
Original Report 11/9: Entercom has dropped CHR on “Amp Radio 98.7” WDZH Detroit and is currently stunting with a broader than normal Christmas music format.
Currently branding as “The Rudolph Network at 98.7“, the station began stunting a little after 5:00. The move brings an end to the nine year old CHR format at the station. The flip took place hours after iHeartMedia AC 100.3 WNIC made its annual move to Christmas music this morning.
WDZH ranked sixteenth in the Detroit market with a 2.4 share in the October 2018 Nielsen Audio ratings. IHeartMedia’s crosstown CHR “Channel 95.5” WKQI was eighth with a 5.1.
No word yet on the status of the current WDZH airstaff.
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Wonder if a classic country format might be coming.
Classic country? On a full-power FM? Why do that and risk undercutting WYCD?
Honestly, while it’s a safe bet for an AC format to emerge after the holidays, I can’t get out of my mind the thought of 94.7 being used to simulcast WWJ on the FM dial.
You must mean 98.7, since Beasley Media isn’t about to get rid of WCSX.
Country Oldies on a full-market FM in a heavily black metro like Detroit would be a death wish.
Excuse me, I meant 98.7. You can’t edit comments on here even in the case of obvious typos.
I agree with Nathan. Classic country is highly unlikely. I don’t think any major markets have classic country on a full-power FM, and Detroit would seem even less attractive for that format than some others.
Seems like some derivative of AC would be most likely.
Classic Country is only for medium and smaller markets. 98.7 could rebranding and flip before 2018 is gone.
Even if Classic Country is possible for major markets, the format will mainly be heard on an HD Radio (HD2 or 3) subchannel. In Dallas/Fort Worth, Classic Country is heard on Entercom-owned station KJKK 100.3 HD3.
My guess is that a Rhythmic CHR or some kind of AC format is likely on 98.7.
Amp’s social media is still active. I’m not at all convinced CHR is done on this frequency.
I’ve noticed that a seasonal variant of the Amp logo is now being used, so it does look like the online properties aren’t being abandoned. However, it may not be a good idea to drop the name now–even if a true flip is coming–as there’s still the station’s Kringle Jingle concert coming up, in December.
I hoping that 98.7 could most likely to flip to either Dance/EDM, Rhythmic/Hip-Hop( Likely to complete against WJLB and WGPR) or Classic Hip-Hop (Likely to be completed against WMGC).
If 98.7 do switch to classic country, Channel 955 could add more pop acts since they had Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, Deni Lavato, Miley Cyrus, and Liam Payne. 96.3 WDVD could drop 1980s and 1990s music and switch to Top 40 and could add few Hip-Hop acts like Drake, and other.
1.) 98.7 is 100% not going classic country. I don’t know why this is even persisting as a thing. Good lord.
2.) 95.5 isn’t going to change much, if any. WDVD is doing well as a modern/hot AC, and have been doing well for over a decade. 98.7 would be smart to go modern/hot AC and take on WDVD directly.
WDVD could flip to Top 40 if 98.7 flip to Rhythmic before 2019 comes.
At the very least WDVD flirts with Adult CHR, but going full CHR? Highly unlikely. Cumulus flat-out doesn’t do well with the format outside of long-established stations like KRBE or WWWQ, and sacrificing what ratings/revenue they have right now in order to be a perennial #2 to Channel 95.5 makes no sense.
And why would 98.7 go rhythmic?
Because they could play Hip-Hop, EDM, and a few pop music, just like Channel 955 because they play some Hip-Hop, EDM, and some pop music. If 98.7 do switch from top 40 to Adult Contemporary and complete with WNIC, 96.3 could go to a full top 40 for the first time in more than 2 decades.
The CHR format has a lot of problems right now and they aren’t improving. It’s telling that, within Entercom’s portfolio, WBMP, WZMP, KVIL, KEGY, WQMP and now WDZH have all seemingly abandoned the format over the span of one year.
Soon, we could see WDRQ dropping out of country format after almost 5 years due to low ratings and flipping to CHR/pop.
I hoping that 98.7 is a 50-50 chance that they could flip to Rhythmic Top 40. If it does, that could be the first time in almost 2 decades that Detroit would receive that format.
Apparently, according to the two morning show host’s, Cruise and Julia said on the Facebook page that the Top-40 format isn’t going anywhere and neither are the shows that are on the station. The station is just playing Christmas music for the holiday season and then going back to their regular format after Christmas.
Below is the video of Cruise and Julia talking about what is happening.
https://www.facebook.com/987ampradio/videos/723793671329033/
Well, Cruise & Julia were either lied to (and unknowingly relayed untrue info)…or they intentionally lied to all of their listeners!
I watched the video in question.
Of course, Amp Radio’s web site, Facebook page, and Twitter have already been deactivated, so I am unaware of any method to watch said video at this point.
This should have been done on 94.7 in DC.
Soft AC might be the good way to bring in the workday listeners who are sick and tired of hearing Andy Williams over 10,000 times during the holiday season.
So many breezes popping up across the country. The return of soft AC format to the mainstream?
I never said the station was going to go classic country. Basically I was just wondering aloud. Even dumb ol me knows that a classic country format would not work in a place like Detroit. But seeing the station rebranded as the Breeze sure is following a trend lately.
Since 98.7 has been taking on WNIC, 96.3 could be dropping out of 1980s and 1990s music and switch to full blow top 40 and added more pop, EDM, and Hip-Hop acts to take on Channel 955.