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WROR, Unchallengeable?
- Thread starter Retro
- Start date
I think that's what the OP was asking. My response was that's Big 103.
While ROR plays some 70s, they still manage to rate #4 in 25-54 and #3 in 18-34. That's pretty unbeatable.
That's a great performance, but I don't think there's room for a direct competitor to WROR-FM unless it was #1 25-54 with double digit shares. WBGB is Adult Hits, not Classic Hits, so not quite a direct competitor. They're still doing fairly nicely with their format even if they're not exactly close to WROR-FM, possibly taking advantage of the lack of an Alternative station to play popular 1990s Alternative gold.
Most people thought ROR couldn't survive the loss of Loren & Wally. In fact it's doing better without them.
Share some examples of how creativity in video "died"? Ever since there's been video there's been innovation in video (same goes for music, but nobody wants to admit it), it's always growing, and every era has strong examples of evolution in the medium.
I guess my question was more if it was a mistake to blow WODS up in hindsight. I don’t believe WROR and WODS combined were getting close to the numbers WROR is getting now, but had CBS stuck with classic hits on 103.3 I wonder what would have happened. I know they wanted Amp/CHR in the market at the time. I’m not sure if canning WODS was a result of poor performance as much as CBS believing the frequency could be used for something more beneficial (CHR to bring KISS down).
Were WODS still around, it would likely be more upbeat and play less 70s and more 90s than WROR based on what they’re generally doing across the country.
It’s notable two of the top PPM classic hits stations by share, WJJK in Indianapolis, WROR and an honorable mention to the very strong WGRR in Cincinnati tend to play more 70s and less 90s, and lean more towards rock (especially WJJK). It’s hard for classic hits stations to lean rock without playing more 70s than 90s.
The flip happened almost exactly ten years ago. Here's the story from the time:
The battle that was going on within CBS at the time was whether or not the company was going to stay in radio at all. The company's chairman Les Moonves was against it. A currents-based format give them more ways to interact, with contests and live events. Ultimately CBS sold their radio stations. With classic based radio stations, all you really can do is act as a music delivery service. That's not much of a business. So while on the one hand these stations attract a good sized share, they're not among the big money makers.
I looked at the top 25 stations in 2021 revenue, and got an assortment of young and old focused formats.
2 are AC
3 are CHR
2 are classic hits
3 are hot AC
1 is hiphop
1 is lite C
1 is modern rock
5 are all news
3 are talk
2 are sports
1 is urban AC
There is a broad range of demos among these, and more than half are focused on 35 and over. Even if we go to just music only stations and expand to the top 50 billers, we find lots of AC, classic rock, classic hits, country, Spanish AC and other formats that are not 18-34 focused.
Very few stations alone can make money off concerts and live events; there is money in corporate events used in multiple markets. Generally, events are done by one of the national concert and event promoters and all a radio station gets out of them is an ad buy. Contests with ticket give-aways and the like are usually part of an ad buy where a local station puts its name on an event in exchange for giving away a lot of free promotion. And dealing with concert promoters is only a step or two above dealing with used car dealers.
I went on to look at all stations billing over $12,000,000 and came up with 88 stations:
2 are AAA
5 are AC
1 is adult hits
2 are alternative
6 are CHR
1 is Rhythmic CHR
5 are classic hits
4 are classic rock
2 are country
6 are hot AC
6 are hiphop/r&b
1 is lite AC
2 are Regional Mexican
1 is modern rock
9 are news
11 are news talk or news talk sports
1 are rhythmic CHR
1 is rock
1 is soft rock
2 are Spanish adult hits
1 is Spanish AC
2 are tropical
3 are sports
4 are urban AC
3 are urban.
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Right now the ad market is in a slump. Businesses that depend on ad revenue are having a tough time. Radio stations need to find something other than spots & dots to make it through this year.
Stations "forever" have been looking for ways to open normally closed doors. This goes back to the 60's with the bridal fairs in late Spring and Community Club Awards and the like. Job fairs and other topical events can be put together, but the ROI on those is much lower than spot sales, and many of us found that the added work actually cut into normal selling... and profits.
Only when a company packages new media with broadcast does a successful non-radio component achieve constant profitability. Otherwise, event-based promotions require temporary staffing or divert the regular staff from higher margin business.
Are you missing a zero in $12,000, or do you mean they bill $12,000 a month rather than a year? Even $12,000 a month sounds awfully skimpy to be considered "top" anything.
Margins are dropping and sales contacts are drying up.
Should be $12,000,000 annually.
That's called "recession" and we are at the very cusp of one now. Special events are even harder to sell in a recessionary environment than straight ad campaigns as advertisers don't designate any discretionary money in their budgets.
WMKK Mike 93.7 flipped to WEEI-FM sports on Sept 12, 2011, 2 years and 1 month after Sports Hub debuted
Which is why you look for something other than advertising.
Here's a thread from 2011 that was titled "Is WODS doomed?" At the time, WODS was #10 in 6+. Probably lower in 25-54.
Most of the chatter had it flipping to talk.
I figure WXRT/Chicago is one of the AAAs. Whose the other? I can’t think of any AAA stations in markets large enough to bill that much? KINK?
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