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WBUF

Every year, the iHeart AC stations flip to Christmas music. Every year I compare the playlists coast to coast. From New York, LA, Chicago, or wherever, they are all the same songs in the same order. And every year, those stations get double digit shares.

Playing the same songs doesn't matter, unless the station is a chart reporter. Then they'll warn you, and after that, they drop you.
 
Every year, the iHeart AC stations flip to Christmas music. Every year I compare the playlists coast to coast. From New York, LA, Chicago, or wherever, they are all the same songs in the same order. And every year, those stations get double digit shares.

Playing the same songs doesn't matter, unless the station is a chart reporter. Then they'll warn you, and after that, they drop you.
This isn't exactly Breaking News. Radio formats are like McDonald's or Walmart. It will be the same in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Houston, and every other market. WBUF is not playing much (if any)new music anyway. The current "Active Rock" (or whatever it is) has already been done to death everywhere...
 
I noticed WBUF this afternoon is playing the same songs at the same time, with only 1 or 2 exceptions an hour, as Banana 101.5 in Flint, MI.
Sounds to me like they either can't program rotations correctly or they're just too lazy to do it. It doesn't take a programming genius to set up rules that prevent that.
 
Sounds to me like they either can't program rotations correctly or they're just too lazy to do it. It doesn't take a programming genius to set up rules that prevent that.
Why would Buffalo listeners care that WBUF was playing many of the same songs at the same time as a station in Flint? And, assuming that the stations aren't co-owned and just inserting local elements around the same songs (as two country stations here in Vermont do), would programmers at those stations care?
 
How many people do you think care? Maybe just you?

I think my earlier post may have been misconstrued. It was not necessarily meant as a criticism of WBUF; was merely making an observation.

I know Townsquare likes to use duplicate playlists for some of its AC stations, too. I am unsure if they do so for CHR, Hot AC or Country.

Not all of the stations of like format copy each other within Townsquare. WJIM-FM in Lansing and WKFR in Kalamazoo (which recently shifted from Hot AC to CHR) have mutually exclusive playlists. When WKFR was still Hot AC, it and WLHT Grand Rapids were mutually exclusive. WGRD in Grand Rapids is mutually exclusive from Banana 101.5 in Flint. Magic 104.9 in Grand Rapids (hip-hop) and WBLK in Buffalo are mutually exclusive, too.

I suspect the reason WBUF is using a WWBN playlist is because I believe Tony LaBrie (PD of WWBN) is a format captain - or some similar title - for Townsquare. I also cannot say for sure if the two stations play the same music at the same time during the work week.
 
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Sounds to me like they either can't program rotations correctly or they're just too lazy to do it. It doesn't take a programming genius to set up rules that prevent that.
They obviously don't think it matters. They plugged in the Stale Beer morning show and the music is just as irrelevant. Station websites from Corporate groups are all carbon copies of each other.

The music that WBUF is playing is way out of step with the times. People say that AAA is a niche format that skews old. The current format on WBUF has even less appeal. I doubt that very many 25-40 year olds listen to this stuff...
 
I know Townsquare likes to use duplicate playlists for some of its AC stations, too. I am unsure if they do so for CHR, Hot AC or Country.

If they do, and any of those stations are chart reporters, they will be issued a warning, and then dropped. Or they might get credited as a single company format. Stations that play currents must have unique local playlists, and have a local person designated to take calls from record labels. Since WBUF is not a chart reporter, it doesn't matter.
 
WBUF/Buffalo Brand Manager/Afternooner Nik Rivers Exits

TOWNSQUARE MEDIA Classic Rock WBUF (92.9 BUFFALO'S REAL ROCK)/BUFFALO Brand Manager/afternooner NIK RIVERS has exited. RIVERS, who joined WBUF last OCTOBER, had his position eliminated due to budgetary reasons.
That was a brief stint. WBUF just posted a 1.9 share with one of the best signals. The format is the cliched Dumpster Fire. So much for his alleged expertise at creating digital content...
 
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As I've said, Townsquare has other stations in the market that serve that purpose and do well in ratings. You're looking it this as a single station operation. It's not.
As I have said before, TS could give a rats ass about ratings or radio.

I know that for a fact.

They are basically a digital company.

I work with TS almost everyday. They do not care.
"Town Square - We Do Not Care". Very catchy slogan.

It's curious that they hired this Rivers guy less than a year ago. The story says he was let go for "Budget" reasons. Did they slash the budget again since then? Guess it was no longer convenient to pay him without getting results (Whether those results are ratings or digital)...
 
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It's curious that they hired this Rivers guy less than a year ago. The story says he was let go for "Budget" reasons. Did they slash the budget again since then? Guess it was no longer convenient to pay him without getting results (Whether those results are ratings or digital)...

Maybe you've heard about this thing called inflation. It means costs have gone up. At the same time, there's been a recession in the advertising business. That means revenues have gone down.

You do the math. What happens when costs go up, and revenues go down?
 
Maybe you've heard about this thing called inflation. It means costs have gone up. At the same time, there's been a recession in the advertising business. That means revenues have gone down.

You do the math. What happens when costs go up, and revenues go down?
Since you have said that WBUF is not a relevant station in the cluster, why did they bother making a hire? They could have saved a few bucks for the 8 months he was employed. The results would be the same...
 
Maybe you've heard about this thing called inflation. It means costs have gone up. At the same time, there's been a recession in the advertising business. That means revenues have gone down.

You do the math. What happens when costs go up, and revenues go down?

Townsquare Q2 earnings up 13.6% with CEO Bill Wilson announcing that the company is raising its FY 2022 guidance and expecting double-digit digital net revenue growth to continue at strong margins.

What recession?

https://news.****************/articles/b17141/Townsquare-Q2-Net-Revenue-Up-136-to-$1219-Million
 
What recession?
It was pointed out by the Australian Prime Minister that inflation figures are retrospective, so the reports you get about the last quarter are nearly useless going forward. I would be interested to see what a group like Townsquare will do during the winter months, especially if new Covid-19 strains take off, as they have here in Australia.
 
It sounds to me like WBUF is looking for another format already, maybe? I wonder how much money Townsquare spends on music tests etc... lol
 
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