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WBUF
- Thread starter Radio-Bored-Op
- Start date
I have about as many thoughts about them as they have about the Buffalo market itself. IOW, not many. Their idea of "localism" is reposting a bunch of Bills and Sabres articles. They get more promotion than the station itself.
I wonder how much influence Bob Barnett will have on this station. In my view, great radio shouldn't be confined to one format. What he knows about radio could easily translate to this station. To have access to his knowledge would be helpful to whatever they do. The location of the talent doesn't matter if they don't know what they're doing.
Let's see:
-Same garbage morning show from Grand Rapids
-Different garbage syndicated show at night (the weekday version of Lamewire Nights plays nothing but watered down music, sounds very small market, and doesn't hold a candle to the vastly superior HardDriveXL)
-Probably a near replica of the same uninspiring playlist WGRD uses.
That being said, the station at least now has a market exclusive music format (not counting 97.7 from across the border). So, on a net basis, it's a change for the better despite the multiple shortcomings. However, this station could do so much better if it would actually put forth some effort in mornings.
At the end of the day, these changes will probably tack on an extra half share, maybe even seven tenths of a share.
-Same garbage morning show from Grand Rapids
-Different garbage syndicated show at night (the weekday version of Lamewire Nights plays nothing but watered down music, sounds very small market, and doesn't hold a candle to the vastly superior HardDriveXL)
-Probably a near replica of the same uninspiring playlist WGRD uses.
That being said, the station at least now has a market exclusive music format (not counting 97.7 from across the border). So, on a net basis, it's a change for the better despite the multiple shortcomings. However, this station could do so much better if it would actually put forth some effort in mornings.
At the end of the day, these changes will probably tack on an extra half share, maybe even seven tenths of a share.
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They don't seem to know what they're doing. They are programming like it's 1995. What did they do? A minor logo change on the website? Nobody cares and the ratings reflect that. The only reason the other Classic Rock station has any ratings is "legacy" listeners. The same dudes who barely have heard of this new thing called internet...
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The good news is - based on the music log from overnight and this morning - the playlist does seem better crafted than its counterpart in Grand Rapids.
Was pleasantly surprised to see Change (in the House of Flies) by Deftones in the log. Also saw H by Tool.
I still think the sanitized and cliche morning show from Michigan will hold this station back. Also, why wasn't Dean given middays?
I'm a little surprised the station didn't fully rebrand. So far, the WBUF brand = confused identity and weak ratings. Perhaps TSQ felt a full rebrand would scare away some incumbent cume it wishes to retain.
I will also say of the various flavors of Rock available, TSQ *finally* picked the right one for 92.9.
Was pleasantly surprised to see Change (in the House of Flies) by Deftones in the log. Also saw H by Tool.
I still think the sanitized and cliche morning show from Michigan will hold this station back. Also, why wasn't Dean given middays?
I'm a little surprised the station didn't fully rebrand. So far, the WBUF brand = confused identity and weak ratings. Perhaps TSQ felt a full rebrand would scare away some incumbent cume it wishes to retain.
I will also say of the various flavors of Rock available, TSQ *finally* picked the right one for 92.9.
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They had no Brand Identity anyway. What have they changed? Did they just drop some titles/artists like "Free Bird" and "Bohemian Rhapsody"? They had better numbers running the JACK format on autopilot. They need a NEW format, not a continued rehashing of ones from 20 years ago...
We've gone through this before. The only format they don't have in Buffalo is CHR, and so they'd just be a second CHR instead of being a second rock station. Not much improvement.
You can't make people listen to a product they don't want(See The Wolf). Town Square could turn in the license and let it go dark. Reducing electricity and operating costs would cut the losses a bit. If your business isn't growing, it's dying. The idea of Digital Growth is smoke and mirrors...
You can't make people listen to anything, even something they want. That's how radio works.
They could change the format to something you'd want, and you'd find a reason not to listen. Trust me.
Only because YOU can't see it. But TS says it's 55% of their revenue. They aren't lying.
So, I turned on WBUF last night after reading this thread and had to turn it off after a Metallica set. I’ve never been into heavy metal. But that’s okay. I’m glad that TS is bringing in a music format that appeals to those who have had their fill of classic rock. But can someone offer a basic tutorial about the genre of rock being played by WBUF? I’m not familiar with many of the names on the playlist. Because of my connections to BTPM, I do enjoy The Bridge from time to time. Obviously, some of the older stuff on The Bridge is familiar. And the newer tunes on The Bridge are mostly listenable to this aging boomer. But I don’t think WBUF is for me. Again, that’s fine. There are handful of Buffalo stations I never tune into but are nonetheless popular with other demos. I do agree with MarkW that perhaps a rebranding is needed combined with a marketing campaign. If it weren’t for this thread, I wouldn’t know of the change. TS needs to let potential listeners that there’s a new rocker in town.
Isn't that what the tweet in the OP did? Do you want Paul Revere riding around Buffalo on his horse proclaiming "A new format is coming?"
Snark unnecessary. The tweet would only be seen by Twitter users who follow WBUF, right? That might be where a few potential listeners would be, but TV, billboards, newspaper ads (and stories as the result of letting the paper know something is up), skywriting, etc. would reach a lot more.
Do you realize how very little the cost of electricity is for a radio station in a significant market? I see this "reduce the electric bill" comment very often and the fact is that things like property insurance (or reserve is self-insured) are usually more.
Turning off the station would require an instant write-off of the book value of the property, and that would have significant corporate impact.
OTOH, I am betting that even low ratings and lower billing still allow it to cover expenses and, maybe, throw some profit to the bottom line.
It is a well known fact in the radio industry that TS could care less about radio, dj’s , ratings, etc.
They are a digital company. They love to cut expenses in radio, especially on the on-air side. They run them as cheaply as possible, lots of VT, etc. They are banking on digital, which is not a horrible business play.
It is obviously to me that the Breeze seems to be blowing away, as the format is slowly getting more uptempo and newer. It seems to be heading in the direction of CHR lite. So, that is most likely why they are going for a younger approach. Instead of competing against 97 Rock where they don’t have a chance at anything, they are pitting themselves against the Edge.
Personally I think alternative is the most horrible music in the history of music, but may find some monetary success from events and promotions. Since they are primarily a digital company, it would make sense to push this station digitally, not with traditional media. Especially station promotions downtown etc
The sales effort internally at this company is absolutely focused on digital, not spot radio. There is zero doubt they are keeping most of the radio stations afloat by low expenses, and digital revenue.
They can do that as they have the corporate bandwidth. If the stations were mine, it would be localism and spot radio sales with a ton of outside promotion.
In summary, my guess…..they will do a lot better in revenue with this format because of promotions, and the ratings will be very nominal.
They are a digital company. They love to cut expenses in radio, especially on the on-air side. They run them as cheaply as possible, lots of VT, etc. They are banking on digital, which is not a horrible business play.
It is obviously to me that the Breeze seems to be blowing away, as the format is slowly getting more uptempo and newer. It seems to be heading in the direction of CHR lite. So, that is most likely why they are going for a younger approach. Instead of competing against 97 Rock where they don’t have a chance at anything, they are pitting themselves against the Edge.
Personally I think alternative is the most horrible music in the history of music, but may find some monetary success from events and promotions. Since they are primarily a digital company, it would make sense to push this station digitally, not with traditional media. Especially station promotions downtown etc
The sales effort internally at this company is absolutely focused on digital, not spot radio. There is zero doubt they are keeping most of the radio stations afloat by low expenses, and digital revenue.
They can do that as they have the corporate bandwidth. If the stations were mine, it would be localism and spot radio sales with a ton of outside promotion.
In summary, my guess…..they will do a lot better in revenue with this format because of promotions, and the ratings will be very nominal.
Some would describe it as "Butt Rock". Hack bands like Nickelback. It's basically what The Edge used to be. "Active Rock" is the industry term. It's a meaningless description and WBUF will probably sink further with this approach...
Pergament won’t write about this because he’s unaware of it.
I think ditching Adult Hits was a big mistake. I can understand not wanting to pay licensing fees for the JACK branding. OK - fine. Rebrand to a different name, keep the format with just minor tweaks, and call it good.
In term of what's changed music wise versus a few days ago, the station now plays far fewer 80's tracks, about the same amount of 90's tracks (albeit with some different selections versus before), and a ton more post-2K material than before. Station now plays a decent dose of new rock & recent rock.
New artists or established artists with new songs that 92.9 plays include:
- Ghost
- Dorothy
- Ayron Jones
- Halestorm
- Five Finger Death Punch
- The Black Keys
- Mammoth WVH
- Volbeat
- Foo Fighters
- Korn
- Muse
Station is also now willing to play some harder rocking vintage artists from the 90's & early 00's that it previously would've avoided. These include Tool, Rage Against the Machine, Godsmack, White Zombie and others.
97.7 CHTZ-FM in St. Catharines features the same format but with noteworthy differences in song choices given the prominent inclusion of Canadian artists on that station.
If you broaden the view to how these music changes might integrate well with other non-broadcast activities at Townsquare, I would direct your attention to the company website. Under the category of live events, and you'll see that some of those same artists appear there. So what you may see at some point is a station-branded event in Buffalo (similar to WYRK's Taste of Country Festival) featuring some of those active rock artists. It's much easier to do those kinds of events with active artists rather than classic artists.
Townsquare Events – Live Music & Events Directory
Townsquare creates, promotes, and produces hundreds of events each year, including concerts, music festivals, trade shows, and more.
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