Is The Block a temporary format? Prediction, Alt to 94.7, WINS to 92.3. Alt would probably do better on 94.7, even if it's not a total NYC coverage.
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94.7 The Block
- Thread starter BJSteigner
- Start date
It is believed we won't know for sure about the 94.7 signal. We don't even know how well The Block will do....Next up....Adding local on air talent.
Permanent.
No. They're not stunting
There's also WWJ Detroit
It’s not the same. Not even close.
Every format is temporary. Ask the WABC and WHN jocks from the 1970’s and 80’s!
Seriously, The Block wasn't designed to be a temporary format, but it wasn’t designed to whiff out of the starting gate either.
How many 18-34 or 25-44 targeted stations that "make it" did not do so significantly in the first two books?
And stations that start off bad only "make it" if they do significant adjustments.
The reason Audacy and its predecessors have continued to run two all-news stations in NYC is that both make good money, and because there's nothing else left to put on AM that would be as profitable.
If they put WINS on FM that would change things. With its FM advantage, WINS would presumably attract most of the all-news listening. WCBS 880, which was already down to a 2.3 share in the last PPM trailing both WOR and WABC, would likely see even steeper declines if left behind on AM.
All-news is the most expensive format to run, and with AM numbers going south you'd have to think at some point the cost of programming it on WCBS would exceed the revenue in this scenario. So either 880 would pull the plug on all-news and possibly become some form of syndicated talk, or both all-news stations would have to migrate to FM together to avoid such a lopsided division of the audience. But then obviously Audacy would have to sacrifice two music stations in order to do that -- Alt and The Block. And they would go from four revenue streams to two because the AM stations would probably end up being simulcasts.
This is why the all-news stations have stayed on AM for so long in NYC, those are tough calls to make. But the latest PPM share for 880...ouch.
If they put WINS on FM that would change things. With its FM advantage, WINS would presumably attract most of the all-news listening. WCBS 880, which was already down to a 2.3 share in the last PPM trailing both WOR and WABC, would likely see even steeper declines if left behind on AM.
All-news is the most expensive format to run, and with AM numbers going south you'd have to think at some point the cost of programming it on WCBS would exceed the revenue in this scenario. So either 880 would pull the plug on all-news and possibly become some form of syndicated talk, or both all-news stations would have to migrate to FM together to avoid such a lopsided division of the audience. But then obviously Audacy would have to sacrifice two music stations in order to do that -- Alt and The Block. And they would go from four revenue streams to two because the AM stations would probably end up being simulcasts.
This is why the all-news stations have stayed on AM for so long in NYC, those are tough calls to make. But the latest PPM share for 880...ouch.
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Agreed. And from what I understand, 94.7 would probably be the better signal for WCBS 880 and 92.3 for WINS given the areas the signals cover.
This is a when, not if scenario. Maybe not immediately, but the future for AM isn’t looking any better, nor will it ever. This will be a very tough decision whenever it has to be made.
Yes, WINS is laser focused on the 5 boroughs so its signal would have to be on the Empire State Building which would almost certainly mean 92.3.
WCBS News Radio is more tri-state focused. Unfortunately 94.7 covers one state, New Jersey, better than the others. But I suppose you have to play the hand you're dealt so 94.7 would cover the western portion of the tri-state, and much of the city pretty well, and the 880 simulcast would remain to fill in the coverage gaps. 880 gets out to the east really well so at least that makes some sense.
WCBS News Radio is more tri-state focused. Unfortunately 94.7 covers one state, New Jersey, better than the others. But I suppose you have to play the hand you're dealt so 94.7 would cover the western portion of the tri-state, and much of the city pretty well, and the 880 simulcast would remain to fill in the coverage gaps. 880 gets out to the east really well so at least that makes some sense.
Yeah, WCBS’s migration to FM would be pretty screwy. Unless something massive changes (which I doubt) they aren’t about to touch WNEW or WCBS-FM so with city coverage a must for WINS it goes to 92.3 and WCBS would have to go to 94.7. Less than ideal but there may come a point in time where there’s no better option.
Unless….Audacy attempted to find a suburban market FM to fill some areas not covered well by 94.7, but things would start getting messy then.
Unless….Audacy attempted to find a suburban market FM to fill some areas not covered well by 94.7, but things would start getting messy then.
I wonder how much longer they can afford to continue the format duplication. We all understand why they do it now. They have no better alternative for those two AM frequencies. But to blow up two of their very limited FM outlets for basically the same format would require serious thought. Keep in mind that every time they do this, they kill off a revenue stream. The revenue from the previous FM format goes away. They won't replace all of that revenue with the simulcast. They merely retain what they have, with the hopes of stopping any decline. So this isn't a move for growth. And since the FCC doesn't appear interesting in loosening ownership rules, and they also don't appear eliminating AMs from the ownership caps, these companies are stuck at the number of stations they own. Then there's the call letter problem. There already is a WCBS-FM. So moving the news format to FM will require a rebrand. There are examples of how WBBM did this in Chicago or WSB did it in Atlanta. But it's not an easy fix. So my expectation, given that all things stay the same, is that only one news station will survive the move to FM.
This news migration tangent probably deserves to be moved to its own thread. Not only is it drifting away from discussing the hip hop throwbacks being played on The Block, but I have a feeling it could grow into a pretty historic topic if these events do happen.
Good points! And things change, but WCBS is the lesser of the two ratings wise. WINS has a better reputation and legacy as a "hard news" outlet than 880, and shoring it up makes more sense.
One option for Audacy would be to gradually incorporate some more "outside the city" fare in to WINS - gradually - and if WINS went to FM, slowly dial back news on CBS AM to daytime blocks to sort of ease the transition. If WINS went to FM, CBS AM wouldn't lose all of their listeners, but they would be stuck staring down a dark tunnel with their already stronger sister station having the added bonus of FM. It would probably go the way of KFWB eventually.
I'm 99.999999999% certain the news outlet that will make it to FM will be WINS. I wouldn't expect WCBS AM to die that day, but it would likely be the beginning of the end.
1010 WINS is not just the brand, it's also the station itself.
Changing frequencies to 92.3 would hurt them in many ways as "1010 WINS"
could no longer be that iconic brand if it was on 92.3 without affecting their programming.
1010 WINS vs 923 WINS kills the brand...
Now maybe it would work if it went from "WCBS 88" to "WCBS 92"
A news station with the current call letters 92.3 WNYL
might work under a "New York Live" slogan of some sort.
Here in Upstate SC our local news station (Also owned by Audacy)
Does this with the station as "106.3 WORD"
even though it's technically WYRD-FM and is no longer WORD on 950 AM.
Changing frequencies to 92.3 would hurt them in many ways as "1010 WINS"
could no longer be that iconic brand if it was on 92.3 without affecting their programming.
1010 WINS vs 923 WINS kills the brand...
Now maybe it would work if it went from "WCBS 88" to "WCBS 92"
A news station with the current call letters 92.3 WNYL
might work under a "New York Live" slogan of some sort.
Here in Upstate SC our local news station (Also owned by Audacy)
Does this with the station as "106.3 WORD"
even though it's technically WYRD-FM and is no longer WORD on 950 AM.
People forget perhaps that both L.A. and Chicago once had not one but two all newsers on the AM band, much like NYC today.
In Los Angeles, there was 980 KFWB and 1070 KNX.
In Chicago, there was 670 WMAQ and 780 WBBM.
Chicago saw 670 WMAQ dump all news in favor of moving 1160 The Score to 670's superior signal.
A number of years later (late 00's, I want to say?), Los Angeles saw 980 KFWB shift to talk until the station was ultimately sold.
The above moves were all transacted under CBS Radio ownership, I believe.
1010's nighttime signal struggles in New Jersey and in Connecticut away from the coast. 1010 WINS is also a stronger brand than 880 WCBS (and Audacy owns every aspect of the 1010 WINS intellectual property).
I think 1010 WINS will get an FM simulcast first; the only question is whether that takes place at 92.3 FM or 94.7 FM. Audacy might very well continue to operate 880 WCBS as a standalone AM just to see how things go. I do think the ultimate outcome will be a single all-news brand.
I could certainly see Audacy keeping the 880 signal (after the WCBS Newsradio brand is tossed aside), using it to simulcast the all news FM stick, and divesting the inferior 1010 signal.
In Los Angeles, there was 980 KFWB and 1070 KNX.
In Chicago, there was 670 WMAQ and 780 WBBM.
Chicago saw 670 WMAQ dump all news in favor of moving 1160 The Score to 670's superior signal.
A number of years later (late 00's, I want to say?), Los Angeles saw 980 KFWB shift to talk until the station was ultimately sold.
The above moves were all transacted under CBS Radio ownership, I believe.
1010's nighttime signal struggles in New Jersey and in Connecticut away from the coast. 1010 WINS is also a stronger brand than 880 WCBS (and Audacy owns every aspect of the 1010 WINS intellectual property).
I think 1010 WINS will get an FM simulcast first; the only question is whether that takes place at 92.3 FM or 94.7 FM. Audacy might very well continue to operate 880 WCBS as a standalone AM just to see how things go. I do think the ultimate outcome will be a single all-news brand.
I could certainly see Audacy keeping the 880 signal (after the WCBS Newsradio brand is tossed aside), using it to simulcast the all news FM stick, and divesting the inferior 1010 signal.
Maybe they could call it "1010 WINS on 92.3." Yes, I'm not going to stop calling them 1010 WINS no matter what they do!
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