Toronto-based Rogers Broadcasting seems to have successfully stopped the downward spiral of CKKS-FM in Vancouver with a format change that is getting thumbs up from media buyers in the market.

The former soft-rock station, dubbed 97 KISS-FM, is now JACK-FM, a station programming a relatively new format called ‘best of the best’ (BOB). The music focus is the top hits of the ’80s with small dips into the ’70s and ’90s, a format pioneered by Toronto’s CHUM Radio with BOB-FM in Winnipeg (see ‘Market Focus: Winnipeg,’ p. 6).

Gary Miles, CEO of the 43-station Rogers radio chain, says this ‘new oldies’ format is so popular because there is a large pocket of the population that grew up with the music.

‘If you look at the population bulge and [the ages] they’re moving through, this format of classic hits is their oldies. KISS, under the old AC format, was very successful but we never could have generated the kind of enthusiasm in Vancouver with KISS as we have with JACK.

‘It’s practically the same audience. We didn’t throw anybody away when we converted, because KISS was sort of a 30- to 45-year-old’s station, perhaps with more female listeners. Their musical tastes have changed. What they thought was hard and cutting edge at the time is now a lot softer.’

The early street buzz for JACK-FM has been positive with feedback coming from a very broad listener demographic. The target demo is 30- to 45-year-olds, but media buyers expect overlap at both ends of the spectrum.

David Stanger, managing partner of DSA Baron Communications of Vancouver and Calgary, expects JACK’s numbers will be much stronger than those of KISS. He also believes the new format will draw listeners from other stations in the market including Corus’s CFMI, Standard’s Z95, and CHUM’s QM-FM, the soft-rock station Stanger says was really burying KISS.

Both Stanger and Dean Butler, director of media services for Glennie Stamnes Strategy in Vancouver, won’t be waiting until the spring ratings book (expected out in early June) before buying JACK.

Butler says because KISS had been dropping over the past few ratings books, he’ll likely use fall 2000 as a base rate and then make adjustments when the spring numbers come out. He doesn’t think it’s much of a gamble because the format turned around the CHUM station in Winnipeg almost instantly.

‘There are never any guarantees in radio, but there’s an opportunity to experiment with JACK. KISS was falling and losing share, but there was still significant audience size. Now there’s a good chance they’ll grow.’