Whatever CBS' newly launched CHRs may do in Los Angeles and New York, they've had the additional effect of reigniting broadcasters' interest in radio battles beyond their own backyard — no small accomplishment in these dismaying times. The WHTZ (Z100) vs. WXRK (Now 92.3) battle isn’t just the first time in a while that the out-of-market PDs I talk to have wanted to discuss what’s going on in New York radio, it’s also the first time in a long time that so many have obviously made the effort to listen themselves.

WXRK and KLSX (Amp 97.1) Los Angeles have given the format battle new currency after 10 to 15 years of relative dormancy, during which the best way to dismantle a competitor wasn’t to out-program or out-promote them, but just to buy them and fire everybody, even if they were winning. (Or particularly if they were winning.) All of which got me thinking, of course, of other format battles that were particularly influential for me.

Read the entire column by Sean Ross, here: