The Crumbling Alternative Empire

[tbolt909]

The afternoon drive guy for Entercoms National Alternative format is moving on. Chris Booker is taking a job with Iheart Los Angeles.

He just started in September with the New York station WNYL. You would think David Field would have one of his "Stars" under contract. They just launched this national approach a couple months ago putting this guy on several stations. The format is so disposable that nobody will notice when he's gone...

 

[TheBigA]

I'm not sure they were as committed to Booker as you think they were. Sure he's on AltBuffalo, but I don't see him on other Entercom stations (other than WNYL). He wasn't included in the press release that announced all the personalities a few months ago. They list "Church Of Lazlo" as their national afternoon show. You will likely hear that show in Buffalo next month.

Entercom Details Launch Of Reimagined Country And Alternative Brands | AllAccess.com

This move is primarily a huge problem for Entercom's KROQ in LA. They cannibalized their afternoon show by moving Stryker to mornings with Kevin Kline. I thought it was a terrible idea. Kevin is fully capable of doing mornings alone, and they could have left Stryker in afternoons. Now they will find it even harder to compete with KYSR once Booker starts in afternoons.

 

[tbolt909]

I'm not sure they were as committed to Booker as you think they were. Sure he's on AltBuffalo, but I don't see him on other Entercom stations (other than WNYL).

I didn't say they were committed to him. It's just odd to hire someone for market #1 and let them move on after 4 months. As for Buffalo 107.7, it won't matter if they put a talking chimp on in the afternoon slot. No one will care about this format. David Field can't grasp that...

 

[Rusty Bridges]

As for Buffalo 107.7, it won't matter if they put a talking chimp on in the afternoon slot.

David Field holding for you on line three, tbolt.. "Talking chimp.... oooo, I liiike that!"

 

[TheBigA]

David Field can't grasp that...

Once again, his job title is CEO for the entire company, not PD in Buffalo. Two very different jobs. There are several layers of people between him and Buffalo.

 

[Buddy Shula]

The alternative initiative in Buffalo for ETM does not come locally, it comes from ETM corporate. You have to remember all those people in Pike NY who can’t wait to hear alternative music on the radio from “ Molly and the Meatloaf” or whatever the hell these bands names are. It’s a losing format for today’s radio. I’ve always known that. When ETM announced this format years ago I nearly fell to the floor. It should be Country.....and they still will not sell it to me. Trust me, I’ve asked! A few times! They want to keep all these stations for some reason, as do the other groups. It’s ridiculous. I am just waiting for the bankruptcy filing to swoop in. In the meantime, when I’m down in Angelica NY, i will be looking forward to hearing the new alternative music from “odometer juice”. Such a joke format.

 

[Element9]

107.7 would better serve as a "hometown FM" for a community like Warsaw, East Aurora, Geneseo or Batavia. It's an orphan to Buffalo and Rochester, even though its signal reaches those cities. If only WCJW or WBTA could trade up their translators for one full power FM in its own back yard.



Oh, and about Odometer Juice. What's your problem, bud? Those guys are good. Their version of LA Woman is awesome.

 

[Buddy Shula]

107.7 would better serve as a "hometown FM" for a community like Warsaw, East Aurora, Geneseo or Batavia. It's an orphan to Buffalo and Rochester, even though its signal reaches those cities. If only WCJW or WBTA could trade up their translators for one full power FM in its own back yard.



Oh, and about Odometer Juice. What's your problem, bud? Those guys are good. Their version of LA Woman is awesome.

Good point about hometown fm. There is a need for that. Especially in rural areas. Now I’m going to go listen to 107 for my favorite new alternative band “ Hanebel Lechter and the Sweet Potatoes”

 

[Ed Trefzger]

It's a good thing bands in the 60s and 70s didn't choose odd names. The Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, Blue Oyster Cult, Supertramp, Lynyrd Skynyrd ... they all bombed, right?

 

[Ed Trefzger]

The problem isn't the music. Radio has made itself irrelevant to an under-35 audience which is the alternative audience's core.

 

[davideduardo]

The problem isn't the music. Radio has made itself irrelevant to an under-35 audience which is the alternative audience's core.

That would be why in normal (non-pandemic) weeks, 88% of people between 18 and 34 use radio?

That is only 4 percentage points below the figure for 35-64 adults, in fact.

And, of course, the demos you cite are wrong. Going back to "normal" January and February, KYSR averaged 8,000 AQH persons in 18-34, and in 35-64 they averaged 11,000 persons. The target is 25-54, of course, because that is where the revenue lies.

 

[TheBigA]

Radio has made itself irrelevant to an under-35 audience which is the alternative audience's core.

That's a bit of a stereotype about the alternative audience. A lot of alternative musicians are over 35.

 

[Ed Trefzger]

Here's one source for the numbers: Favorite music genres among consumers by age group in the U.S. 2018 | Statista

Your statement is a bit of a logical fallacy, though. Who the artists are and who the audience is don't need to match. A lot of CHR artists are older than much of that audience. Plus, it's like someone saying "women on average are shorter than men," and you replying, "But a lot of women are over six feet tall."

 

[davideduardo]

Here's one source for the numbers: Favorite music genres among consumers by age group in the U.S. 2018 | Statista

Your statement is a bit of a logical fallacy, though. Who the artists are and who the audience is don't need to match. A lot of CHR artists are older than much of that audience. Plus, it's like someone saying "women on average are shorter than men," and you replying, "But a lot of women are over six feet tall."

We are not talking about consumers here. We are talking about Average Quarter Hour listening to Alt stations by age group. And, among the several Alt stations I looked at, there are as many or more 35-and-over listeners in the AQH listenership as there are 18-to-34's.

And your comment about CHR stations is also off base: the target of CHR stations is 25-44 women, with 18-49 women being secondary. Most of the CHR artists are not in their 40's.

 

[TheBigA]

Your statement is a bit of a logical fallacy, though.

Maybe. There is nothing the device has done to make "itself irrelevant" to any audience. The music has contributed to the splintering of the audience, where fans of certain bands only want to listen to those bands. A service that provides a wider assortment of music in that genre isn't of much interest. Meanwhile, personalized music services that cater to that specialized taste are readily available. Radio companies are not in the music distribution business. None of this has anything to do with the success or failure of alternative format radio stations. Some companies are doing very well in this format, and their stations do very well in the 18-34 demographic.

 

[CTListener]

That would be why in normal (non-pandemic) weeks, 88% of people between 18 and 34 use radio?

And many of them are female, racial/ethnic minority or both, and more likely to prefer rhythmic pop, Latin pop, hip-hop, r&b and country music to any shade of rock.

 

[davideduardo]

And many of them are female, racial/ethnic minority or both, and more likely to prefer rhythmic pop, Latin pop, hip-hop, r&b and country music to any shade of rock.

Yep! And because there are so many stations fragmenting the audience in even the smaller metros, an Alt station with a 3 share can be in the top 10. But still, as you point out, all those other genres have 96% or more of the listening. For every Alt listener at any given time, there are about 30 listeners to something other than alternative rock.

 

[TheBigA]

For every Alt listener at any given time, there are about 30 listeners to something other than alternative rock.

And going back to a previous comment, the reason for that is the music. If they made more commercial music that appealed to a wider audience, the radio stations would attract more people. But then it wouldn't be "alternative" to the more popular genres.

 

[Rusty Bridges]

And many of them are female, racial/ethnic minority or both, and more likely to prefer rhythmic pop, Latin pop, hip-hop, r&b and country music to any shade of rock.

Yep! And because there are so many stations fragmenting the audience in even the smaller metros, an Alt station with a 3 share can be in the top 10. But still, as you point out, all those other genres have 96% or more of the listening. For every Alt listener at any given time, there are about 30 listeners to something other than alternative rock.

And going back to a previous comment, the reason for that is the music. If they made more commercial music that appealed to a wider audience, the radio stations would attract more people. But then it wouldn't be "alternative" to the more popular genres.

These three statements point to the craziness of putting an Alt format on 107.7 given its limitations. The old Lake format isn't the answer; nor is Latin pop, rhythmic pop, hip-hop or R&B. Might be time to break out the Dwight Yoakam, Shania and Alan Jackson.

 

[TheBigA]

Might be time to break out the Dwight Yoakam, Shania and Alan Jackson.

For some reason people view this as a stand-alone station. It's not. It's part of a cluster.

Buddy said all that needs to be said about this station. It's not for sale. They want it to do what it's doing.