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Lake Effect?

E

Element9

Following Townsquare's lead in dumping Hot AC on 96.1 in favor of a format that more resembles the previous WJYE brand, it seems reasonable to wonder if Entercom is evaluating the Alt 107.7 brand and giving consideration to the previous Lake format which performed far better than the present Alternative format. Anybody with an FM radio knows the 107.7 signal is challenged in the city, but it's viable in the first ring suburbs and arguably more effective when modulating a format better suited to the preferences of listeners who live and work inside the contours of the station's strongest coverage. It's been quite some time, so it may be The Lake brand has been dormant for so long that it's no longer of interest to the 45+ male listeners who once championed the station. Still, the Lake managed to generate some decent ratings, certainly far better that what's been seen of late for the Alt brand. And at least for a while, the Lake also generated respectable revenue. Some here have suggested Country as the format that best fits the 107.7 signal. It's rumored that Entercom, in the last 12 months, considered the Country option but concluded that Country would present too much of a risk to the well-being of Rochester's market ratings and revenue leading Country WBEE and the notion was scrubbed before it bloomed.

https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WLKK&service=FM
 
Element9 said:
It's rumored that Entercom, in the last 12 months, considered the Country option but concluded that Country would present too much of a risk to the well-being of Rochester's market ratings and revenue leading Country WBEE and the notion was scrubbed before it bloomed.
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Of course country was once tried on that signal before Entercom owned it.
 
TheBigA said:
Of course country was once tried on that signal before Entercom owned it.
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And it had a 1 share. Flipping to Country would be futile. Why challenge WYRK with an inferior signal?

The Lake had success on that signal as a niche format. The ALT format hasn't delivered the prized younger demos in Buffalo. An updated version of the Lake or AAA could attract 35-55 year olds and get some clients. However, the merge with CBS has made 107.7 very low priority on their radar...
 
Element9 said:
Following Townsquare's lead in dumping Hot AC on 96.1 in favor of a format that more resembles the previous WJYE brand, it seems reasonable to wonder if Entercom is evaluating the Alt 107.7 brand and giving consideration to the previous Lake format which performed far better than the present Alternative format.
Click to expand...

I'm thinking the answer to that is a big fat NO. Did you see how many people went to the Kerfuffle in November and December? So what if the ratings aren't as good - it's results (i.e. the bottom line) that really matters for the 107.7 frequency.
 
tbolt909 said:
And it had a 1 share. Flipping to Country would be futile. Why challenge WYRK with an inferior signal?

The Lake had success on that signal as a niche format. The ALT format hasn't delivered the prized younger demos in Buffalo. An updated version of the Lake or AAA could attract 35-55 year olds and get some clients. However, the merge with CBS has made 107.7 very low priority on their radar...
Click to expand...

Why challenge WYRK? Seriously? They are the top-billing station in the market! I would be perfectly OK being the #2 country station in the market. I worked at WNUC when it was country, on air and in sales.....you are very mistaken. The station never made more money, because it was number 2 which is why it was able to be sold to Adelphia. Also, it had a nearly 80,000 cume audience. It did not have a 1 share. Flipping to country would be the best thing the signal every did. When I buy it, it will be country.
 
Rob Piotrowski said:
I'm thinking the answer to that is a big fat NO. Did you see how many people went to the Kerfuffle in November and December? So what if the ratings aren't as good - it's results (i.e. the bottom line) that really matters for the 107.7 frequency.
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Do you really think that ALT Buffalo filled Kerfuffle in Nov and Dec? It may have helped, but so did social media and the following certain acts have, cult followings, word of mouth and fan clubs. Nobody I know who likes Alternative even listens to 1077, and it shows in the ratings. Those acts could come to Kerfuffle every year, without a radio sponsor and would get the same amount of people. On air sponsorship's are the only way 1077 is making money off this. That's a fact
 
Entercom has several high-powered FMs without translators. It's not going to sell 107.7 to Buddy unless he comes up with more than $10-million. The 107.7 pattern admirably covers a major chunk of the area east of Buffalo - an area that WGR doesn't cover well at all - and on FM. Entercom is invested in major league sports. 107.7 would be a great fit as a WGR simulcast.

Of course, all of this becomes moot as 5G and online listening replace towers and transmitters.
 
TheBigA said:
Maybe 20 years ago, but not now. AAA appeals to people over 55, and is mainly a format for non-commercial stations.
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Yes! And can bolt name one commercial convert to AAA in the last quarter century that has been successful?
 
SirRoxalot said:
Entercom has several high-powered FMs without translators. It's not going to sell 107.7 to Buddy unless he comes up with more than $10-million. The 107.7 pattern admirably covers a major chunk of the area east of Buffalo - an area that WGR doesn't cover well at all - and on FM. Entercom is invested in major league sports. 107.7 would be a great fit as a WGR simulcast. Of course, all of this becomes moot as 5G and online listening replace towers and transmitters.
Click to expand...
$10 million, for 107.7, eh? Maybe BS gets the Former Employee in Good Standing discount. So $9.9MM. Your 5G theory regarding the simulcast question is more than likely the specter of radio to come. Perhaps sooner than most think. Entercom did the talk radio simulcast with WBEN on 107.7. Remember what a grand success that was? Cough. Doubt they'll take that route again, even with sports.
 
DavidEduardo said:


Yes! And can bolt name one commercial convert to AAA in the last quarter century that has been successful?
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Depends on your definition of success. The current ALT 107.7 has a 0.9. Impressive. The Lake had elements of AAA and did much better in the ratings.

I'll concur that AAA is a better fit for Non Commercial NPR stations. KFOG in San Francisco was a victim of Corporate ineptitude. Commercial Radio is content to rehash the same swill(See The Breeze)...
 
SirRoxalot said:
Entercom has several high-powered FMs without translators. It's not going to sell 107.7 to Buddy unless he comes up with more than $10-million. The 107.7 pattern admirably covers a major chunk of the area east of Buffalo - an area that WGR doesn't cover well at all - and on FM. Entercom is invested in major league sports. 107.7 would be a great fit as a WGR simulcast.

Of course, all of this becomes moot as 5G and online listening replace towers and transmitters.
Click to expand...

Rox, it was you who said I could never get the 100.5 translator. You were wrong about that and this too. Ever hear of LMA?
 
Buddy Shula said:
Why challenge WYRK? Seriously? They are the top-billing station in the market! I would be perfectly OK being the #2 country station in the market. I worked at WNUC when it was country, on air and in sales.....you are very mistaken. The station never made more money, because it was number 2 which is why it was able to be sold to Adelphia. Also, it had a nearly 80,000 cume audience. It did not have a 1 share. Flipping to country would be the best thing the signal every did. When I buy it, it will be country.
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I'd not disagree with most anything said here ^^^. Who wouldn't want a small plate portion of WYRK? I remember WNUC ('new country', right?). Thought it was a decent station. I'd bet that it'd do well as a "better county" alternative to WYRK. Whoever is choosing the tunes at WYRK would be responsible for opening that door. WYRK is only kinda sorta "country" at this point. [BTW, if there isn't already a pre-packaged format called "Better Country", I claim all rights to it! LOL]
 
four4rock said:
WYRK is only kinda sorta "country" at this point.
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They play what's popular. They're not in the music business, and they're not musicologists. If its popular, they play it.

That's the way all currents-based stations work. If someone wants to do classic country, that's another story.
 
IIRC, the last big LMAs in Buffalo involved Rich Communications which owned WGRF and Metroplex which owned WUFX. Later Keymarket, which owned WBEN-WMJQ-WKSE-WWKB entered into an LMA with WGR and WWWS owned by Rich Products. The first question is would Entercom LMA an FM property which they feel has value to their cluster and at what price, with what restrictions and with a purchase contingency? I'm guessing it would take some serious money to LMA 107.7 and Entercom would exert stringent control over the lessee to protect the formats and revenues of WGR-WBEN-WWKB-WKSE and WTSS. The second question; would a lessee who wanted to program Oldies get the green light from Entercom?
 
Would oldies on 107.7 have significant impact in the market? Buddy's already got translators that cover the metro pretty well. If Entercom let Buddy LMA it to go country it would impact WBEE in Rochester - which is why they haven't gone country in Buffalo already.

E9's got it right. There would be stringent control over what formats they'd allow for an LMA. BTW, if they did LMA it, and the format worked, what would keep Entercom from saying "thank you very much" and just coopting the format?

I'm not sure why people think Entercom would do Buddy any favors. He's a competitor who took his list with him and is knocking on the same doors for his own station that he knocked on for Entercom, looking for a piece of their action.

Buddy, you did shoe-horn in a translator into North Tonawanda. Congratulations. A sliver of Grand Island and some farmland in Sanborn tremble.
 
SirRoxalot said:
I'm not sure why people think Entercom would do Buddy any favors.
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Because he's not a corporate competitor. Some may even still have drinks with him from time to time.

I'm very friendly with my competitors and even share information from time to time. As long as I know it won't bite me.
 
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