Hartford gets 2nd hip-hopper

["Martin J. Waters" <mwaters@record-journal.com>]

   A couple/few years (?) after Hartford got its first hip-hop format,
WZMX-FM/93.7, Clear Channel flipped WMRQ-FM/104.1 from new/modern
rock/alternative, sometime yesterday afternoon. It's "the new power,
one-oh-four-one" and "your new number one for hip-hop and r-and-b."

   For a while, Dee Snider did the AM drive on 'ZMX, but he had been gone
lately, IIRC. This leaves Hartford-New Haven without a real new rock
station, at least for the moment. The closest overlap is WCCC-FM, which has
Stern in the AM. Arbitron lists WCCC as active rock; 'ZMX was alternative.

   A funny part of this is that the company web site is not updated. The
WMRQ page has a message saying thanks for all the years and that the format
now will be available 24/7 commercial free on the internet, but the link
given didn't work for me just now.

   The latest ratings, I guess tell the story: WMRQ was 11th in the market
out of 24 stations listed, at 2.5/2.7 for summer '03, pts. 1 and 2. WZMX has
been the biggest ratings deal I've seen here since WWYZ flipped to country
back in the day. WZMX went from a way-bad also-ran to flirt with #1 in the
past several quarters. Right now, it's showing 9.2/9.3 for the two summer
numbers, basically a tie for second with WTIC (AM), 9.6/8.9. First is
WRCH-FM, AC, as usual, at 11.0/11.2. But, those three stations are all
Infinity. Clear Channel's best is in fourth place, WWYZ, at 5.9/6.3.