Hartford Ratings released 9/8/17

[MarcB]

The Hartford Ratings have been released.

WRCH, WZMX, WKSS, WDRC-FM, WMRQ, WFCR (Springfield NPR station), and WDRC (AM) were all up.

WTIC-FM, WHCN, CT Public Radio, WTIC (AM), and KOOL 96.1/990 were all down.

WWYZ and BOMBA-FM remained the same.

WPOP is listed as N/A. Me thinks its time for iHeart to pull the plug on this turkey.

http://ratings.****************/cgi-bin/rol.exe/arb061

 

[CTListener]

WPOP is listed as N/A. Me thinks its time for iHeart to pull the plug on this turkey.

There are no options left, but going dark isn't likely to happen. The right-wing talk audience -- in a blue state -- is stretched thin among three stations, the liberal/centrist crowd is listening to WNPR and there are no viable left-wing talkers out there in the extreme Limbaugh/Hannity/Savage model to make a commercial left talk station go. Sports talk is on FM. iHeart isn't going to take a station leased ethnic or dollar-a-holler infomercials. So they might as well stay with the conservative gab with no local content and take in whatever ad revenue they can scrape up.

 

[amfmradio1]

When I worked @Merv Griffin's Magic104/WIOF in the late '70's and early '80's, my friend who worked @DRC-FM and I went over to 104's sister station at the time which was WPOP (Merv Griffin Radio), and spoke with one of the personnel who expressed to us how indescribable it was what mgmt. was doing to this fine radio station - it still rings true almost 40 yrs. later.

 

[MarcB]

There are no options left, but going dark isn't likely to happen. The right-wing talk audience -- in a blue state -- is stretched thin among three stations, the liberal/centrist crowd is listening to WNPR and there are no viable left-wing talkers out there in the extreme Limbaugh/Hannity/Savage model to make a commercial left talk station go. Sports talk is on FM. iHeart isn't going to take a station leased ethnic or dollar-a-holler infomercials. So they might as well stay with the conservative gab with no local content and take in whatever ad revenue they can scrape up.

If WPOP doesn't get a translator I would say simulcast 97.9 ESPN on the thing. My Mom does not subscribe to the Sports Package on DIRECTV and we don't get the YES Network, ESPN, or FOX Sports 1. I can not pick up 97.9 on any radio in the house meaning the only Yankees Games I can follow are the 20 games WCTX-TV 59 picks up from WPIX and the handful of games shown on The FOX Network. I can pick up WPOP day and night. (Though at night it mixes with some station playing Caribbean Music).

If WPOP gets a translator I can see a couple options.

Classic Country. It can be sold in tandem with sister 92.5 WWYZ.

Throwback Hip-Hop. If they program it like sister station REAL 106.1 WISX in Philly. Throwback Hip-Hop I think can take a bite out of CBS's HOT 93.7 WZMX.


Do you want to know why Clear Channel failed with POWER 104.1? (At least in my opinion). They should have counter-programmed the station against HOT 93.7. HOT 93.7 was doing Slow Jams/Love Songs "Late Night Love" 10PM-1AM. POWER 104.1 was doing Slow Jams "Power After Hours" 9PM-Midnight. Hot 93.7 was doing a local Urban Talk Show and Old School Music 5PM-7PM on Sundays. Power 104.1 was doing Old School Music on Sundays til 8PM. Plus Power 104.1 never had a morning show. They were automated music 6AM-10AM for a while before they hired these shock jocks from NYC. After they were fired they went back to automated music before picking up Steve Harvey. Yep. Steve Harvey on a Hip-Hop station when Steve has publicly stated that he hates Hip-Hop Music.

 

[CTListener]

Has WPOP even applied for an FM translator?

Simulcasting WUCS would be a real nothingburger. Adding 1410 doesn't solve 97.9's big coverage problem south of Hartford. The 97.9 signal gets flaky in parts of Meriden and Wallingford, unusable in North Haven and Hamden. One could argue that a translator for WAVZ would make more sense.

 

[MarcB]

Has WPOP even applied for an FM translator?

It's listed in the FCC Database for 100.9 FM. Same frequency as their Hip-Hop station in New Haven "The Beat" and "KIX" in Springfield.

From FCC.GOV

W225CH CT HARTFORD USA FX APP

Licensee: AMFM RADIO LICENSES, L.L.C.
Service Designation: FX Translator Station (retransmits signal, different channel than main station)
Channel/Class: 265D Frequency: 100.9 MHz Application
File No.: BMPFT-20160729AEM Facility ID number: 140333 CDBS Application ID No.: 1745847

This station rebroadcasts WPOP (AM).

41° 46' 0.00 " N Latitude
72° 40' 38.00" W Longitude (NAD 27) 41.766667 -72.677222


Change of Community of License from SOUTHAMPTON, NY to HARTFORD, CT

Polarization: Horizontal Vertical
Effective Radiated Power (ERP): 0.14 0.14 kW ERP
Antenna Height Above Average Terrain: 0. 0. meters HAAT - Calculate HAAT
Antenna Height Above Mean Sea Level: 182. 182. meters AMSL
Antenna Height Above Ground Level: 167. 167. meters AGL


Directional Antenna ID No.: 126429 Pattern Rotation: 0.0


Relative Field values for directional antenna
Relative field values listed here do not include any pattern rotation that may be indicated above.
/n/n/n/n/n/n/n/n/n/n N

0° 0.040 60° 0.040 120° 0.103 180° 0.656 240° 0.982 300° 0.511
10° 0.040 70° 0.040 130° 0.230 190° 0.741 250° 0.933 310° 0.419
20° 0.040 80° 0.040 140° 0.339 200° 0.866 260° 0.842 320° 0.318
30° 0.040 90° 0.040 150° 0.438 210° 0.945 270° 0.720 330° 0.203
40° 0.040 100° 0.040 160° 0.528 220° 0.988 280° 0.645 340° 0.085
50° 0.040 110° 0.042 170° 0.602 230° 1.000 290° 0.589 350° 0.040