The MOViN Format: One Year In
Special Report

by Alan Burns
February 28, 2008

How’s the MOViN® format moving?  I get asked that question a lot, and since the average MOViN station was on the air almost a full year when the fall '07 book started, now is a good time for an update.

First off, it seems that many people fall into one of two camps in terms of their opinion of the format: some think it’s an automatic, simple success - and others think the format is not working. The truth is that neither of those views is accurate.  Like any other new format or new station, MOViN needs the tools that have always been common to great stations: research, marketing support, strong personalities and leadership. When it has those resources (and even sometimes when deprived of some of them) it has worked great.

Since baseball season is almost upon us, I’ll formulate the stats this way: so far, we’ve had a home run, some triples and doubles, and a few who are still at the plate swinging.

In Syracuse, for example, WOLF has become one of the market leaders F25-54 despite some signal challenges. Starting with the month after it launched, the station ran off a string of 12 consecutive growth trends despite a signal issue. WMUV in Jacksonville accomplished the highest ratings and revenue in the history of the frequency in 2007. Over its entire span in the format, KQMV Seattle has outscored the market’s Hot AC, Mainstream CHR, Jack, and Classic Hits stations with women 25-54 on average.

Virtually all the MOViN stations have improved their target F18-49 shares compared to the previous format and are still growing. Averaging the last three books, the typical MOViN has grown its F18-49 audience over 650% compared to its previous format.

Not only are the audiences growing, but the qualitative tends to be very strong.  In the most recent data I’ve seen, for example, most MOViN stations indexed at or near the top of their markets in cume and P1 composition among high-income households. As Marc Kaye, VP/GM of the Sandusky Seattle stations says, “MOViN has opened up sales opportunities with new clients and new categories, and a whole world of web-related business that we were never able to go near.”

Marc and the other strong GMs and PDs listed in the box on this page are driving the MOViN format’s adaptation to their market dynamics. One very healthy development for the stations is that working together, we’re finding the right musical lean for each individual market. For example, Syracuse plays more dance than the others; Seattle has a fairly high hip hop component; and after a tough start, LA has found its niche as a more gold-based station. The most out-of-the box MOViN would be St. Louis, where WMVN has elected to experiment with a mix that includes much more pop and rock.

As with any new format, we’re still learning as we go along: what music works best, for example, where the sweet spots are, etc. We have even seen a benefit we barely promoted emerge as the most-appreciated attribute of the format. As we learn, we grow.

We’re also beginning to see the development of some exciting personalities on some of the stations.  MOViN was never planned to be a “no jocks” format, and as stations establish their music image the next layer becomes building tighter relationships with the audience via morning shows like those on MOViN in San Francisco and Seattle.

At this point in their life cycles, the biggest growth opportunity (and need) for most MOViNs  is to continue to build awareness and cume.  For various reasons including the tough revenue climate we’re all in, most MOViN stations were not launched with the kind of strong marketing pushes enjoyed by formats and stations like “Fresh” or the highest-rated Jacks and Bobs. Without that marketing wind at their backs, these MOViNs will take longer to reach their peak.

In Dallas, for example, KMVK is has already passed KDMX and KHKS in TSL within its cume, but still has a significant cume gap to overcome.

That awareness issue means that we’re looking forward to PPM implementation this year in MOViN markets like LA, San Francisco, and Dallas.

The average MOViN station had been on the air for 11.9 months when the fall book started, and it has been a wild, challenging, fun year.  One final sign of growth we’re excited about is that more operators are adding the MOViN format to their clusters. There will be multiple new MOViNs launched prior to the spring book. 

So, the answer to the question is: MOViN is moving along at a nice clip!  Please shoot me an email if you have more questions about the format.

Alan Burns is CEO of Alan Burns and Associates, and can be reached by email or (850)497-2346.