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WBUF Flips To Rock

They still have references to Jack on their website. You'd think with a rebrand they'd update the site?
 
Just when I got used to JACK fm.
more dinosaur rock... just great.

Funny, WEDG is the classic rock station !!!
( early linkin Park, foos, etc ) are 20+ years old.
 
Didn't they try rock before flipping to Jack? I left Buffalo almost 19 years ago but they were rock back then and it didn't work. I have to wonder why they think it will work now.
 
TVEngineerArk said:
I have to wonder why they think it will work now.
Click to expand...

Different ownership. That was part of the CBS Radio deal with Jack. The Jack format is called "Variety Hits," but it's basically a form of classic rock. It appears they want to drop the Jack branding and format (which they have to pay for), and play basically the same music. I expect they'll also start to carry a Townsquare nightly syndicated show "Loudwire," a rock version of "Taste of Country Nights" on WYRK.
 
The website says "92.9 - Everything That Rocks"...

More like "Everything That Sucks". Typical Corporate garbage. Yet another recycling project without an ounce of creativity...
 
TheBigA said:
Translation: You didn't listen before, you don't listen now. So what?
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That would make an excellent sweeper for this station.!

The "new" format will likely go unnoticed. JACK may have played some non Classic Rock artists like Prince, Michael Jackson, etc... This is just another rehash of Classic Rock, Active Rock, or whatever moniker you want to use. This stuff was stale 20 years ago...
 
Interesting. A format change in the tail end of what's traditionally called "the Fall book," plus a pandemic... and considering that Adult Hits Jack FM had a 15 year run in this market. Could be that Townsquare has decided to program and operate WBUF on a higher profile than that of Jack FM. The new WBUF "everything that rocks" format appears to be a different approach than that used by CBS/Infinity when it owned WBUF, which was billed as "Buffalo's Rock Station" and leaned Classic Rock. Will WBUF draw a significant number of listeners away from two heritage stations, 97 Rock and the Edge? Hard to say. Both 97 and 103 have very strong morning shows. 97 has an established personality and promotional presence. Could be WHTT benefits most because there's now one less competitor in the Classic Hits format.
 
I read the news release from the link posted at the start of this thread. Just more corporate blather. Don’t Townsquare execs get it? Unless they’re willing to invest in staff, this format will fail, just like Jack and its many predecessors. IMHO, 97 Rock works not only because of the music but because of The Bull, Rob Lederman, JP, Carl Russo and Slick Tom. I heard a liner proclaim “welcome home” to either Buffalo’s first or original (I’d have to listen back to confirm the wording) rock station. Regardless, even that’s a false claim. WYSL-FM/WPhD holds that distinction. I fail to see where there’s a hole in the market when it comes to rock stations. Don’t see this latest remake of WBUF clearing a 3 share.
 
tbolt909 said:
That would make an excellent sweeper for this station.!

The "new" format will likely go unnoticed. JACK may have played some non Classic Rock artists like Prince, Michael Jackson, etc... This is just another rehash of Classic Rock, Active Rock, or whatever moniker you want to use. This stuff was stale 20 years ago...
Click to expand...

Going after 97 rock and Edge. Terrible decision from a revenue standpoint. They will make no money with this. I am guessing they will have some local jocks. They are totally blowing off females. Except for a larger playlist, what are they going to do to separate themselves form 97 Rock and Edge, as my suspicion is the WGRF will react accordingly and open up some more titles.

If I were Cumulus, I would flip the EDGE to Country in a second
 
I can't hear Shredd and Ragan doing country, and they're the bread and butter of The Edge. It's more likely that both 97 Rock and The Edge do a little tweaking if 92.9 gets any traction. I expect it will be mostly jockless. It may have even less personality than Jack.
 
Buddy said:
I am guessing they will have some local jocks.
Click to expand...
There are more than a few out there, like the former staffers from 107.7.


Buddy said:
They are totally blowing off females.
Click to expand...
Did Jack really have that many females in the first place? Seems they were at WYRK, Star, WHTT and the Breeze.

Biddy said:
Except for a larger playlist, what are they going to do to separate themselves form 97 Rock and Edge
Click to expand...
If it's just about the playlist, 97 still wins.

Buddy said:
...my suspicion is the WGRF will react accordingly and open up some more titles.
Click to expand...
Calls to mind the adage, "What you don't play can't hurt you." Maybe 97 plays more B-sides or deep cuts in certain day parts, but there's no need to get crazy.

Buddy said:
If I were Cumulus, I would flip the EDGE to Country in a second
Click to expand...

Sir Roxalot said:
I can't hear Shredd and Ragan doing country, and they're the bread and butter of The Edge. It's more likely that both 97 Rock and The Edge do a little tweaking if 92.9 gets any traction.
Click to expand...

I'm with Rox on this. Why would Cumulus choose to take on a heritage Country station by flipping 103 to Country. Tit for tat? Shredd & Ragan aren't going to work in Country. Where would Cumulus put these two high profile guys who are so closely identified with the format of the Edge? Doing the morning show at 97 in place of Bull and Lederman? Not likely. In match-ups like this, heritage stations usually win, both in Country (WYRK) and Rock (WGRF). Besides, as long as the Edge stays in format, it's Cumulus' two rockers against Townsquare's one, both on the air, on the street and promotionally.
 
The Edge is Alternative right now. They haven't been Active Rock for several years. Their playlist is mostly currents with some 90s stuff. Current Alternative is more Pop than Rock.

Looking at the 92.9 playlist, I don't see any current titles. It's just the latest version of Classic Rock (which moves the goalposts into the 90s). This has been done before in many markets. It's not cutting edge to play Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Pink Floyd on the same station. The website still says JACK FM playlist. Another slipshod format change.!

Maybe the strategy is to just annoy Cumulus and burn out this music even more. They lose nothing by dumping JACK. WYRK and WBLK are Townsquare's main stations...
 
tbolt909 said:
They lose nothing by dumping JACK.
Click to expand...

And the big thing they GAIN is the licensing money they used to pay to Sparknet Communications for the name "Jack." Of course the name came with lots of other things, such as snarky imaging. But an easy way to freshen a format is to replace the branding & imaging.

At a time when stations are looking to cut costs, they cut one.
 
SirRoxalot said:
I can't hear Shredd and Ragan doing country, and they're the bread and butter of The Edge. It's more likely that both 97 Rock and The Edge do a little tweaking if 92.9 gets any traction. I expect it will be mostly jockless. It may have even less personality than Jack.
Click to expand...

FYI. It will not be jockless. They will have local jocks. Shred and ragan are the bread and butter of edge, but guess what, the edge is way under billing. Miller Kaplan reports in Buffalo that news, talk, sports, country represent almost 50 percent of the billing. The money is in those formats.
 
Element9 said:
There are more than a few out there, like the former staffers from 107.7.



Did Jack really have that many females in the first place? Seems they were at WYRK, Star, WHTT and the Breeze.

The above stations are female heavy

If it's just about the playlist, 97 still wins.

Of course they will win, but they may have a slap

Calls to mind the adage, "What you don't play can't hurt you." Maybe 97 plays more B-sides or deep cuts in certain day parts, but there's no need to get crazy.





I'm with Rox on this. Why would Cumulus choose to take on a heritage Country station by flipping 103 to Country. Tit for tat? Shredd & Ragan aren't going to work in Country. Where would Cumulus put these two high profile guys who are so closely identified with the format of the Edge? Doing the morning show at 97 in place of Bull and Lederman? Not likely. In match-ups like this, heritage stations usually win, both in Country (WYRK) and Rock (WGRF). Besides, as long as the Edge stays in format, it's Cumulus' two rockers against Townsquare's one, both on the air, on the street and promotionally.
Click to expand...

You guys are thinking about ratings. I am thinking of revenue. Two different ways of thinking. News talk is not huge cume, but it’s a big biller.
 
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