No less an observer than Mr. Shula has written in another thread that the stations are "playing the same thing." Your analysis based on station plays is not in dispute. However, perception is reality. If a P-3 like me perceives the music is the same, and a Country fan like Buddy perceives the music is the same, then analytics really don't matter. Moreover, based on the most recent post by the owner of WECK; WYRK has 9 times the quarter hours than does the Wolf. That's a formidable lead.
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60 in a Row
- Thread starter Radio-Bored-Op
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I think back to my own listening patterns pre-radio. I noticed various subtle differences in stations. I sampled stations that flipped formats typically when another station of the same format played a song I didn't like too much. I figured regardless of how much a station sounded the same as the established station, if I sampled the new one and liked it, I'd sample it again and again. Eventually I would choose between the two to be my go to station. The differences were not too significant to me but rather of the station could keep me listening. We talk about all this stuff we notice as radio people but we need to view this from the eyes of a typical listener who does not consider any on what we are talking about. I figure it is all about gaining sampling, sort of like a restaurant...if you try it and like the food, you'll likely be back.
Not on you, anyway. But people who actually listen know the difference. In any case, this is the format they're using.
According to Shula's Quarter Hours post WYRK has more than nine times the quarter hours than The Wolf. Perhaps the "people who listen" know the difference, but to this point they're not all that jazzed up about the format they're using.
Fall 2021 Phase 2
Reminder that it's only been 6 months. That same person who posted those numbers disputes their accuracy and complains about weighting.
Others here have said the purpose of The Wolf is to shave off a point or two from WYRK. Since July WYRK has dropped 1.2 shares. Right?
WYRK has declined, but the Wolf's ratings didn't improve. If they even had a 2 share, you might have a valid point. There's no evidence that suggests The Wolf will ever get close to a 2 share...
I don't think that has ever been stated. With the current trajectory after the station existing for a bit, I'd hazard a guess it may peak out around 2 if it's ran as a corporate satellite and less like a local radio station.
I am one of the "people that listen" to The Wolf. I am one person that makes up a proportional part of ratings/share/whatever. There is a difference between it and WYRK. It is not a glaring in-your-face difference, but there is indeed a difference. It is a different "feel"... yes, somewhat intangible. It seems to be more music oriented, rather than pop-culture personality oriented. To me, the jury is still out as to whether it will survive. I simply don't know enough about the strategic and commerce side of the operation. I do not believe that the Wolf will dominate over WYRK in the foreseeable future... nor, frankly, do I see/hear anything that hints that is their direct objective. However, as the saying goes, there is only one way to eat an elephant. I believe that the Wolf offers a clear alternative to WYRK.
Were I to have supreme unilateral say over what the Wolf programs, yes, it would be different. Probably not drastically different, though. Until that time, I can be considered in general - a WYRK defector.
Also, to those that comment about the 'signal' of the Wolf. I frequently/regularly (almost daily) drive a fair amount around all of Western New York - and into the Southern Tier of NYS/Rochester/Finger Lakes areas. The Wolf does not get to some of those areas... but I cannot say that the signal is inferior to that of WYRK. WYRK does not reach some of those areas either. I've been as far east as Penfield and the Wolf came through without noticeable degradation, for example. The same is true for Niagara and Orleans counties. The most notable failure seems to be literally a half block area on Pearl Street (or maybe Franklin Street?) in Buffalo where surrounded by multistory buildings.... and periodically a very short distance on Main Street by UB's South campus where the signal fades noticeably and then returns.
And for those that seem to think (disrespectfully) that listeners to country music are uneducated rubes and hayseeds, everyone has the right to be wrong.
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