WLKK an alternative to the ALT format

[Radio-Bored-Op]

what if
107.7 becomes Entercom's Channel Q.

+
hd- 3 after thought becomes a overnight ratings grab.

+
positive image to associate with 500 corporate pkway
especially after waves of backlash, here and nationally

+
like it or not, LGBT is here.
ps: please no commentary on this.
our forum is the best on here and while, at times, we rip each other like family, no REAL wny native would be hurtful towards people or a group in or community. - Everyone has rights.

ok, back at it
+ / -
So, the programming is not local, it is already produced and sizzles.
If this were to move a meter, local content can easily be discovered.

+
flipping a switch and running channel Q saves entercom $
-
drawback while revenue and money gained, local livelihood is lost.
that (-) one hurts.... personally and is there worst part of the business

+/- depending on if you attend kerplunk...
err, kerfuffle... would lose alt buffalo
or (+) be happy anything else is programmed on 107.7


an alternate to this alternate
run NASH fm on 107.7
since entercom ( corporate) likes $$$$ over actual living breathing people..
have WYRK play nice and share some revenue.

what do I know, I'm just a guy behind a keyboard
but not hiding behind one
real name eric venator ( eric vee) vMan by the best dude in radio

 

[Radio-Bored-Op]

my next post will be on my chromebook
my mobile phone makes everything look jumbled...
more than usual for this long time poster

 

[davideduardo]

what if
107.7 becomes Entercom's Channel Q.

+
hd- 3 after thought becomes a overnight ratings grab.

+
positive image to associate with 500 corporate pkway
especially after waves of backlash, here and nationally

+
like it or not, LGBT is here.
ps: please no commentary on this.

The problem here is the stereotype that all LGBTQ persons like the same music.

For decades I have been dealing with people who talk about "the Spanish format" which is a geographical and cultural misnomer.

A Spanish format is on a station in Spain. And Hispanics in the US, in different groups, like as many if not more formats than English speaking North Americans.

So why would there be an LGBTQ format? Do we think that Tim Cook and Ellen and Caytlin all like the same kind of music.

 

[Radio-Bored-Op]

the edM genre, while not inclusive, welcomes the LGBT community. As the artists, such as CHER was focused on gay men. On addition, brick and mortar high end fashions play edm, in store while targeting specific demos.

 

[TheBigA]

Radio isn't just about ratings, but advertisers. I can imagine some advertisers preferring not to be in such a format.

Is there enough money to support such a format?

As for country, we've talked in the past about how 107.7 could cause problems for WBEE in Rochester.

 

[RadioGuy1864]

Radio isn't just about ratings, but advertisers. I can imagine some advertisers preferring not to be in such a format.

Is there enough money to support such a format?

As for country, we've talked in the past about how 107.7 could cause problems for WBEE in Rochester.

Couldn't a little engineering eliminate most of the Rochester coverage and send the signal only to the Buffalo market? With the 104.7 translator, it's a pretty good signal in Buffalo now. Why should WYRK have the country format exclusively? I would think country would sell more spots than ALT.

 

[TheBigA]

Couldn't a little engineering eliminate most of the Rochester coverage and send the signal only to the Buffalo market?

It's not that simple. First of all, WLKK isn't licensed to Buffalo, but Wethersfield.

You also have to consider that BEE's signal is pretty strong as far west as Batavia.

 

[SirRoxalot]

Directional FM isn't as simple or effective as it sounds, especially on a fringe signal.

OTOH, if country on 107.7 did impact WBEE, they could simply sell it in combo in Rochester. Seems like there would be more upside in Buffalo with a country format, especially since WYRK's audience seems to have become a little less loyal over the last couple of years.

There may be more to it than that, however. Entercom may feel that having 107.7 protect its flank in Buffalo may be a better use of the signal than leaving a format hole that WBUF could expand into. Or maybe they're comfortable with the results they're getting in the demo they're targeting. Looks like they've cut back to two on the airstaff. It's not likely to be a high-cost format at this point.

 

[Buddy Shula]

Stay Tuned.

 

[TVEngineerArk]

Stay Tuned.

WECK on a better FM signal? Is Buddy tipping his hand a little bit? Hope so!

 

[tbolt909]

Directional FM isn't as simple or effective as it sounds, especially on a fringe signal.

OTOH, if country on 107.7 did impact WBEE, they could simply sell it in combo in Rochester. Seems like there would be more upside in Buffalo with a country format, especially since WYRK's audience seems to have become a little less loyal over the last couple of years.

There may be more to it than that, however. Entercom may feel that having 107.7 protect its flank in Buffalo may be a better use of the signal than leaving a format hole that WBUF could expand into. Or maybe they're comfortable with the results they're getting in the demo they're targeting. Looks like they've cut back to two on the airstaff. It's not likely to be a high-cost format at this point.

What format hole do you mean? WLKK and The Edge are both Alternative formats. WBUF is Variety Hits. All 3 of those stations are near the bottom of the ratings(especially WLKK). I highly doubt that Townsquare would flip JACK to Alternative if WLKK went away.

Entercom and David Field seem to love the Alternative format, even though the ratings are bad everywhere. Theoretically, the format should appeal to those highly coveted younger demos. Instead, Alternative is ratings repellent. They could try something else, but "The New Idea Cupboard" is empty...

 

[CTListener]

What format hole do you mean? WLKK and The Edge are both Alternative formats. WBUF is Variety Hits. All 3 of those stations are near the bottom of the ratings(especially WLKK). I highly doubt that Townsquare would flip JACK to Alternative if WLKK went away.

Entercom and David Field seem to love the Alternative format, even though the ratings are bad everywhere. Theoretically, the format should appeal to those highly coveted younger demos. Instead, Alternative is ratings repellent. They could try something else, but "The New Idea Cupboard" is empty...

Highly coveted white, suburban, male, younger demos. A great number of whom grew up on and still listen to hip-hop and other rhythmic genres.

 

[tbolt909]

Highly coveted white, suburban, male, younger demos. A great number of whom grew up on and still listen to hip-hop and other rhythmic genres.

They may be "highly coveted", but they aren't listening. The game is to try to convince the Ad Agencies that they are. A little fact checking should give the agencies the truth...

 

[CTListener]

They may be "highly coveted", but they aren't listening. The game is to try to convince the Ad Agencies that they are. A little fact checking should give the agencies the truth...

The truth is that a significant portion of them are listening to rhythmic genres. They're not doing that on rock radio. They're part of the audience that agencies are buying on urban and rhythmic CHR stations. Rock stations of all varieties save for classic rock underperform on advertising because their audiences are small and because they're perceived as difficult to sell to -- a cynical, suspicious bunch.

 

[Rusty Bridges]

Got $10 million? Put lipstick on the pig all you want. 107.7 is and always will be a hampered signal, whoever owns it, whatever format is on it.

When 107.7 was AOR as The Bear (WBYR) after 97 Rock went down, it had two good books. Two. When 104.1 changed format in '86 dropping CHR for Classic Hits, 107.7 ratings fell off the cliff and absentee owner Chris Devine's checks bounced higher than a racquet ball. Employees raced to the bank.

John Cascianni bought the remnants of 107.7 from Devine. Under Cascianni's ownership, 107.7 was WEZQ, then WBMW with a Wave-type format. The ratings were mediocre. It then became WNUC as "New Country" in an attempt to challenge WYRK. The ratings were mediocre. Cacsianni cashed out, selling the station to Adelphia Cable and the Rigas clan which owned the Buffalo Sabres and Bandits. Adelphia upgraded the entire technical operation, changed the format to Sports and carried the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres games put up good ratings, but the other sports programming on 107.7 was uninspired, delivering ratings that were mediocre to modest at best. Adelphia went bust, Rigas and his son Tim went to prison. Citadel and Entercom got into a bidding war for the 107.7 carcass which Entercom for better or worse, won. Word is the frequency went for around $10 million. The Lake debuted with ratings that were a modest success, but paled compared to 97 Rock.


See this null? Scroll down... The null is aimed at Buffalo.


The Alt format is a bust locally and nationally because the Alt music scene is poorly defined and fragmented. There's no real "there" there. At best, the format is a place holder. A generation of white, suburban 18-34 listeners gravitated to Hip-Hop and Urban, which Buffalo's full power 93.7 WBLK owns. WGR, 97 Rock, WYRK and the Edge carve up a lot of what the Alt 107.7 format would like to own.

What's 107.7's future. Who knows. Go ahead, put Oldies on it. Entercom won't make that move because the Oldies format is 55+ and Entercom wants no part of putting a format on FM that will compete with or eviscerate the 55+ core that listens to WBEN. And Entercom won't sell to a local owner who would put a format on 107.7 that would adversely affect WBEN.

 

[TVEngineerArk]

John Cascianni bought the remnants of 107.7 from Devine. Under Cascianni's ownership, 107.7 was WEZQ, then WBMW with a Wave-type format. The ratings were mediocre. It then became WNUC as "New Country" in an attempt to challenge WYRK. The ratings were mediocre. .

I believe it was WBMW The Wave first (and I believe Cascianni used the brand of his car as an influence in choosing the initial call letters when he bought the station if I remember correctly). When that smooth jazz type format didn't make it, he then went to easy listening as WEZQ before going country as WNUC. But the signal is what it is in the Buffalo metro, particularly in the north towns.

But an argument can be made that if the content were there to draw listeners they would find a way to listen. Buddy has certainly proven that with his creative ways of presenting WECK to his audience. That's what has to make you wonder what he's got in mind in here.

 

[tbolt909]

WECK on a better FM signal? Is Buddy tipping his hand a little bit? Hope so!

Entercom had an Oldies format on KB and got rid of it because it was hurting WBEN--Then they sacrificed The Lake for the WBEN simulcast debacle--Then they tried ALT Buffalo. That's a string of futility.

AAA would fill a format hole and get younger demos than WECK. None of it matters without revenue coming in. Maybe Entercom would sell the signal if the price was right. Michael Corleone did business with Hyman Roth in the Godfather 2...

 

[davideduardo]

AAA would fill a format hole and get younger demos than WECK.

But it is not a format most advertisers can identify with. "Everyone" liked Top 40 radio back in the day of the songs that Buddy plays. Not everyone liked the core songs of an AAA format.

AAA is known as an advertiser-unfriendly format, in fact. Look at the billing of the AAA in Philadelphia... it gets a much lower percentage of revenue than it gets in ratings share of listeners.

 

[tbolt909]

But it is not a format most advertisers can identify with. "Everyone" liked Top 40 radio back in the day of the songs that Buddy plays. Not everyone liked the core songs of an AAA format.

AAA is known as an advertiser-unfriendly format, in fact. Look at the billing of the AAA in Philadelphia... it gets a much lower percentage of revenue than it gets in ratings share of listeners.

Everyone liked Top 40? There were many FM stations that played Album Rock and became quite successful. If a AAA format can get good ratings and reach affluent demos, a competent salesman should be able to find clients. Sometimes the problem is the sales staff, not the programming. That may be a hard pill to swallow, but it's true...

 

[TheBigA]

Sometimes the problem is the sales staff, not the programming. That may be a hard pill to swallow, but it's true...

They're not going to flip to a format the sales staff can't sell. They will know before they flip, not wait until after.

Sometimes the problem is the armchair quarterback wants what he wants and doesn't care if the format makes money.

That may be a hard pill to swallow....