I'm guessing this us why stations use the word "Buffalo" when they promote smart speaker use on the air, "Tell your smart speaker to play play Star 1-0-2-5 Buffalo"
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OK, folks! It's Survey Time
- Thread starter ckg279
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To me, at least, that sounds like the best option. They're NEVER going to upend Star doing a warmed-over Hot AC format.
Then again...it's been quite a while since Buffalo has had a format war: I can remember when WKSE and 102.5(when it was Majic 102...and later Q 102)were going at it hammer and tong doing top 40(102.5 was more female-oriented top 40). Maybe Mix will take it in that direction. We'll see what happens near the end of December.
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Trending... as they say. Not that it portends anything in Buffalo, but Entercom (formerly CBS) just flipped Amp CHR in the Motor City to Soft AC. More than a few companies are watching this move. https://www.allaccess.com/net-news/...t-s-christmas-music-vacatio?ref=mail_bulletin
That isn't the FIRST station that pulled that stunt: WISX/106.1 in Philadelphia switched from Christmas music to become 106.1 the Breeze, a soft AC format(with the tagline Philly's Relaxing Favorites). This station is owned by iHeartMedia. (Previously, it was known as Real 106.1-which was a rhythmic AC.)
Some of the posters here may know the story of 101.3 in Tillaonberg Ontario, located about a 100 miles away. They were an oldies/ soft AC station that flipped to an AC mix similar to Buffalo's 96.1. Facebook reaction was 95% opposed to the change but they are thinking that "modernizing" the song library is better in the long run.
I am one of the folks who misses not only the old format of the station I just mentioned, but also 96 when they were Wjye But the switch of the Tillsonberg station made me feel more confident that, from a business perspective, a mix format is a good call.
I am one of the folks who misses not only the old format of the station I just mentioned, but also 96 when they were Wjye But the switch of the Tillsonberg station made me feel more confident that, from a business perspective, a mix format is a good call.
And if you want to see how a station's long-term performance is with "21st Century Soft AC" check out KSWD/Seattle. They dumped a decades-old Country format for soft AC a year ago and there's been steady growth.
IMO bringing back "Joy" is a no-brainer especially if you look at how Buddy's doing with WECK. Buffalo is an insular-enough market that it might work.
Not disputing that "Joy" had heritage in the market, but the call letters are already taken. As noted, the format could be called Joy, or anything else for that matter, regardless of call letters. WECK's numbers are decidedly 35+, probably 55+ and more than likely would be adversely affected by a change at 96.1 ... its 3 share would probably be impacted to some degree. Then again... no one knows. It's immaterial. One thing certain, Joe Chile and Jon Summers would fit nicely into a Breeze, Joy, Warm soft AC format on 96.1.
BTW....sidebar, but if you look at the recent trends for phase 1 of the fall book...WECK is listed(along with the Townsquare stations). And Buddy isn't kidding when he says the station has done better ever since the shift to the present format.
And to add to Element9's comment...the WJYE calls are currently being used by an AM station in Augusta/Gardiner, Maine doing a classic country format.
Fall Trend #2 shows MIX getting a slight increase. WECK is down to a 2.5, but still ahead of JACK. A 5 share was a Pipe Dream, but at least WECK is targeting a niche. JACK is nothing to everyone on a blowtorch signal...
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Buddy Shula
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Pipe dream idiot*? We have been doing an oldies format for 5 months. The 5 share will come. Get back on the welfare line. You have no idea what the trends consist of other than what you saw on all access.
Get a grip, clown. Reality sure isn't your specialty. You're the one who guaranteed the 5 share by now...
Trends are unweighted averages of two pieces of one book and one piece of another. They are only rough indications, not real reflections of the ratings because of that lack of weighting.
In the diary methodology, as books come in from the first weeks of the 12-week survey, they dynamically adjust diary recruitment and placement for the remaining weeks of the book. So there may be, as an example, oversample of one demo or other stratification variable, in the first weeks and an intention undersample of the same demo. So the individual weeks can be widely different in respect to the sample on the dozens of different controlled variables.
And then, after all the books are in and the data keypunched, deficiencies in sampling are compensated by over- or under-weighting the affected demo(s) to achieve mathematical proportionality.
It is a given that if a single week of the diary sample is never, save for serendipitous luck, perfectly proportional on all variables. So a trend that takes 4 unweighted weeks from one book and 8 from another is not going to be a perfect sample. Add in the lack of "total sample" weighting (since you are taking pieces of two separate samples), and you know the reason why more often than not, the extrapolated single month data is not the same as the full book weighted result.
There is a reason why Nielsen is now moving to continuous measurement with a processed and weighted rolling average in diary markets, rather than the imperfect current system.
Okay, let's notch this down a bit. Buddy can understand that there are more people who don't understand how ratings are done, and you can stop slamming a dedicated local broadcaster.
And all over an unweighted trend.
Can we please have a truce on this subject?
Lost in all this discussion is the fact that Townsquare has been advertising for separate program directors for Mix and Jack, giving no hint of a change in the Mix format. The company in early November released their Operations Manager who also programmed Mix and Jack. If Mix were to go to a 21st Century Oldies For Women it could substantially affect the ratings for Star, WHTT and WECK. Depending on the approach, WECK would have more to lose than WHTT, which has shed most of its 60s, retained a moderate amount of 70s and established a 80s-based Classic Hits approach, with a smattering of 90s hits. Star's overall ratings may actually improve if Mix goes away. Also worth noting: Townsquare has been consistently promoting the Mix Christmas music format and morning show on bus cards, the Buffalo News and it's website, showing no abatement in the company's dedication to the Hot AC format. These basic indicators may point to Mix sticking with the Hot AC format after Christmas. OTOH, the newspaper and bus ads could be part of a trade agreement and Townsquare is simply burning off the trade before year's end. As for Jack, it seems to have become more 80s-hits intensive over the last three months.
It is pretty well known that stations have an obligation to show in their EEO reports to the FCC that they have posted all open positions in places where women and members of minority groups would see them.
So, even if a station has a strong candidate in mind, they have to post. Even if they have already made a hiring decision, they have to post so that the paperwork looks good.
And very often those postings are just to satisfy legal posting requirements.
It's an imperfect system...
The advertised "position" may not exist at all. A format like JACK doesn't need a PD to babysit the automation. Most PDs these days are responsible for multiple stations anyway...
That's not what the PD does.
A Breeze-type format on 96.1 would probably snag a few listeners from WECK, WHTT and Star. It might even take a few listeners from WYRK. So maybe Townsquare stays with the present format.
WHTT needs to play "Blinded By The light," "Escape" and "Tainted Love" a few more times each day and Jack isn't playing "The Reflex," "All She Wants to Do is Dance" and "Sweet Dreams Are Made of This" often enough.
I think he meant the station runs pretty much on a shoe string and a shared PD could run it.
So, these are kinda sorta nice-to-haves. Sounds like 'imperfect' is an understatement. Essentially, there are "poles", right? In pretty much every area of polling, it's been found that societal changes of the last, say, 10-15 years have made (past) polling methods irrelevant. Possibly, these ratings poles are behind the curve in keeping up with the times(?).
Question: Are trends of the "Trends" generally reliable?
OMG Dang. My apologies for the ATROCIOUS spelling. Apparently, I suck.
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