Assignment 1.5

Is conforming to society a necessity in today's economy? Radio stations all over Minnesota are a perfect example of this. The Twin Cities radio station 96.3 exhibits this conformity. While B96 made its roots in genres like local and underground hip-hop and rap, the music has shifted towards a more commercial and mainstream sound.

In the spring of last year, the Twin Cities adopted a new ratings system called Portable People Meter (PPM). The PPM measures only what audiences are listening to. Soon after the system was adopted, B96 started showing low numbers and signaled a need for an upgrade. On January 6, 2010 B96 changed its name to “96.3 NOW” and its call sign to KHTC. It went from being the Twin Cities only commercial rap and urban music station to a direct competitor with KDWB, the second highest rated radio station in the Cities. Since the big change the ratings have moved them from twelfth place to tenth place in only a few months. Thus proving that in today’s economy, in order to appeal to a broader market you must be willing to conform to societies current standards.