October 05, 2009

By By Katy Bachman, Mediaweek

Taking on the top-rated station in Detroit, CBS Radio Monday at 8 a.m. debuted AMP Radio, which employs a top-40 format, on WVMV-FM. With the change, WVMV's smooth jazz programming, a format that has been disappearing from major markets across the nation, moves to an HD side channel.

As a smooth jazz station, WVMV-FM was ranked a respectable No.11 in the market, but it was also CBS Radio's lowest-rated music station and a format that doesn't rate as well under Arbitron's portable people meter system.

As AMP Radio, WVMV will play "All the hits," going head to head with Clear Channel's WKQI-FM, the top-rated station in the market with a 6.0 average quarter-hour share, per Arbitron's ppm ratings for August.

The AMP brand has been successful for CBS Radio since its February debut with AMP Radio in Los Angeles challenging Clear Channel's Top 40 stalwart, KIIS-FM. Since the flip, KAMP-FM in L.A. has doubled its ratings and has been tied for No.8 in the ratings.

To kick-of the new programming, AMP Radio is playing 10,000 songs in a row with limited commercial interruption. Artists on the play list include Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Rihana, T.I., Kanye West, Usher, Britney, Pink, Kelly Clarkson and Katy Perry, among others.

Of course, no station today is complete without its digital extensions. Fans can keep in touch with the station via instant messaging, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and other social networking sites, as well as applications for the iPhone and select Blackberry devices.

"Creating a successful radio station not only means focusing on what you hear over the air. It's that, yet it's so much more," said Kevin Weatherly, senior VP of programming for CBS Radio and architect of the AMP Radio format. "PPM has shown us there are a significant number of younger listeners who are seeking out this type of programming and incorporating radio into their daily lives more than we ever thought."

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