WRUR's Route has changed

[ckg279]

Along with WITH/90.1 in Ithaca, the University of Rochester-owned station shifted format and positioner this morning. More details from Radio Insight...

WRUR Rochester & WITH Ithaca Head Down A New Route - RadioInsight

 

[Rusty Bridges]

Got a website

Got a signal WURU coverage map

How will this impact other non-coms that offer music? How will it impact the commercial FMs that offer music? Let the games begin.

 

[TheBigA]

Interesting situation, because WRUR is still owned by the university, but it's programmed by WXXI. NPR does not have a market exclusivity clause in its contract. If a station qualifies for membership, it can carry NPR programming. So if WRUR was independent, it could run all NPR news shows at any time they choose. We see this in Boston where WGBH and WBUR both carry NPR talk programming at times that suit them. I imagine WXXI will run Morning Edition with local inserts, and WRUR will run the national feed with no local content. Cue Mr. Fybush.

The decision to go AAA is popular in non-com radio now. Some speculation that Tom Calderone would like a signal for The Bridge. So you'd have The Bridge and The Route in adjacent markets. Some areas might have gone with an Americana mix of Jason Isbell and Sturgell Simpson, but we'll see how things evolve. The successful model is WXPN in Philadelphia, home of World Cafe.

 

[fybush]

No comment.

 

[Mark1981]

The decision to go AAA is popular in non-com radio now. Some speculation that Tom Calderone would like a signal for The Bridge. So you'd have The Bridge and The Route in adjacent markets.

I just had an interesting thought. Is it possible Buffalo Toronto Public Media would reach out to SUNY Buffalo State to purchase WBNY? Tom was an early pioneer at WBNY in the early ‘80s and has that connection. SUNY and UB decided more than a decade ago they no longer wanted to be in the radio business and sold off WBFO to BTPM. WBNY serves as a training station for Buff State’s communications students. No doubt a sale wouldn’t sit well with students. But money talks.

When my son went to the University of Rochester 20 years ago, WRUR was a studen-run station. Today, it appears paid employees of WXXI are in charge under the partnership with the U of R. Perhaps that could be a model for BTPM and Buff State, giving The Bridge an over-the-air option at 91.3FM.

Just speculatin’!

 

[SirRoxalot]

I just had an interesting thought. Is it possible Buffalo Toronto Public Media would reach out to SUNY Buffalo State to purchase WBNY? Tom was an early pioneer at WBNY in the early ‘80s and has that connection. SUNY and UB decided more than a decade ago they no longer wanted to be in the radio business and sold off WBFO to BTPM. WBNY serves as a training station for Buff State’s communications students. No doubt a sale wouldn’t sit well with students. But money talks.

When my son went to the University of Rochester 20 years ago, WRUR was a studen-run station. Today, it appears paid employees of WXXI are in charge under the partnership with the U of R. Perhaps that could be a model for BTPM and Buff State, giving The Bridge an over-the-air option at 91.3FM.

Just speculatin’!

WBNY is owned by the students, not SUNY. The structure at WBFO was very different, as was the payroll. It's not impossible that the student government there might decide to sell it and spend the money elsewhere, but the budget for WBNY is a fraction of what WBFO's was. That's not to say that students might not decide to put their activity fee money elsewhere, but even streaming instead of broadcasting might not save much money. The thing that could drive a sale could be a lack of expertise dealing with FCC rules and regs that could result in fines or legal fees. That doesn't seem to be a problem at the moment.

 

[fybush]

The students run WBNY, but the license is held by SUNY in Albany, or at least that's what the FCC believes. That's good as far as rules compliance goes, but it still leaves the license in the same jeopardy as others (WGCC, for instance, or WETD in Alfred) that SUNY has chosen not to keep in recent years.

 

[ckg279]

The students run WBNY, but the license is held by SUNY in Albany, or at least that's what the FCC believes. That's good as far as rules compliance goes, but it still leaves the license in the same jeopardy as others (WGCC, for instance, or WETD in Alfred) that SUNY has chosen not to keep in recent years.

Correct on who holds the license; it should be noted that United Students Government funds WBNY through the student activity fee(and has ever since WBNY started in 1982). I will also noted that the station's license was renewed for quite a few more years.

 

[SirRoxalot]

The students run WBNY, but the license is held by SUNY in Albany, or at least that's what the FCC believes. That's good as far as rules compliance goes, but it still leaves the license in the same jeopardy as others (WGCC, for instance, or WETD in Alfred) that SUNY has chosen not to keep in recent years.

SUNY isn't paying for WBNY, so they have no reason to sell it unless the student government defunds it. WBFO was a different situation. It was owned by the State Education Department and wasn't student run. The primary staff was mostly paid state ed employees. There was a student-run carrier-current station at UB in the dorms funded by the student government.

 

[Rusty Bridges]

WBNY has a signal barely more than 1kW and it's directional, ostensibly to protect first adjacency CJRT Jazz 91.1 in Toronto. Does Calderone really want a peashooter FM signal on which to run The Bridge format? Let's set sentimentality aside. Seems WBNY's legacy programmer would want some RF juice if he's going to invest in another Buffalo FM signal. Yes, there's always on-line streaming possibilities, regardless of power associated, but WBNY? Given that USG funds WBNY, would Buffalo State University students want to give up an outlet that is uniquely theirs? Think Calderone would tolerate such a move if it happened back in the day when he was running the show at WBNY? He'd be the first person to protest the move, and rightfully so.

 

[TheBigA]

Does Calderone really want a peashooter FM signal on which to run The Bridge format?

No. But I think WXXI has a great deal with WRUR, and several community-owned public broadcasters around the country have south out similar relationships with area colleges. We have another thread about radio stations owned by Vermont State.

 

[SirRoxalot]

No. But I think WXXI has a great deal with WRUR, and several community-owned public broadcasters around the country have south out similar relationships with area colleges. We have another thread about radio stations owned by Vermont State.

WBFO already has extended its reach with WOLN in Olean and WUBJ is Jamestown. They've already invested a lot in The Bridge with little return. If I was a member of the board, I wouldn't approve another dime without some positive results.

 

[tbolt909]

WBFO already has extended its reach with WOLN in Olean and WUBJ is Jamestown. They've already invested a lot in The Bridge with little return. If I was a member of the board, I wouldn't approve another dime without some positive results.

How do you know what they've invested or what the return is? Talk about hypocrisy. You have a history of defending failed formats on Commercial stations. What results are you expecting? Are memberships in steep decline? Right, you're still miffed because of the lack of Christmas Blizzard coverage...

 

[ckg279]

How do you know what they've invested or what the return is? Talk about hypocrisy. You have a history of defending failed formats on Commercial stations. What results are you expecting? Are memberships in steep decline? Right, you're still miffed because of the lack of Christmas Blizzard coverage...

And you're still steamed at the demise of The Lake.

Your point is...?

 

[SirRoxalot]

How do you know what they've invested or what the return is? Talk about hypocrisy. You have a history of defending failed formats on Commercial stations. What results are you expecting? Are memberships in steep decline? Right, you're still miffed because of the lack of Christmas Blizzard coverage...

Neilsen ratings for non-commercial stations are available. WBFO's numbers aren't trending well:

Station	Format	Owner	23-Mar	23-Apr	23-May	23-Jun
WBFO-FM	News/Talk	Western New York Public Broadcasting Ass	4.7	4.5	4.1	3.2

And, yes, streams are rated, too. So far, The Bridge doesn't show up. Now, I understand that public broadcasting isn't ratings-driven, but they still have to pay their bills and keep those donations coming. The fact is, contributions were down in 2022 when compared to 2021. Financial statements are readily available on the WNYPB website. WNYPB is in the black, but not keeping up with inflation. It could be that other factors are involved, but it could also be that changes in programming aren't being well received. The 2023 financial statement should be interesting, considering that more changes have taken place in the 2023 fiscal year. Unlike some people, I do look at ratings and publicly available information before I form an opinion.

 

[TheBigA]

Neilsen ratings for non-commercial stations are available. WBFO's numbers aren't trending well:

Pew Research Center released a study on public broadcasting news, and the headline is that while listenership has declined, the stations are financially stable:

While Listenership Has Declined, Public Radio News Remains Financially Stable.

Pew Research Center's examination of local and regional public radio and TV stations shows that public radio's audience trended down in 2022, part of a steady decline since 2017, although

www.insideradio.com

So apparently the slippage in ratings isn't unique to Buffalo.

 

[SirRoxalot]

Pew Research Center released a study on public broadcasting news, and the headline is that while listenership has declined, the stations are financially stable:

While Listenership Has Declined, Public Radio News Remains Financially Stable.

Pew Research Center's examination of local and regional public radio and TV stations shows that public radio's audience trended down in 2022, part of a steady decline since 2017, although

www.insideradio.com

So apparently the slippage in ratings isn't unique to Buffalo.

The station is financially stable, but a 32% decline in ratings might be seen as an indication that they're not serving their audience as well now as they were six months ago. We won't see the revenue numbers for a while, but word of mouth is that their membership fundraising numbers have also declined.

 

[TheBigA]

The station is financially stable, but a 32% decline in ratings might be seen as an indication that they're not serving their audience as well now as they were six months ago.

Or it might be that its audience is transitioning from real-time on-air radio to the various online content the station has been creating. They've been replacing their traditional radio reporters with multi-media reporters. If their members shift their usage online, that will appear to hurt their traditional ratings.

 

[Rusty Bridges]

Good points made here. Ratings are down, but this is true for many Public Radio stations in markets larger and smaller than Buffalo-Niagara Falls. Certainly, the availability of program platforms may affect the ratings of the OTA platform. Streaming of The Bridge does not at this time appear to be a raving success. The true indicator appears to be the financial report. While WNYPBA appears to be in the black, the fact that donation/membership funding is down is not a good indicator.

Does the decline in membership funding mean that listeners have completely abandoned the station or have significantly reduced their Time Spent Listening ("TSL")? In either case, it reflects the listener's dissatisfaction: The product is not worthy of a listener's pledge equal to or greater than the amount contributed a year earlier, or at all. It's doubtful that listeners have totally forsaken WBFO, but it may be that listeners are not satisfied with the changes that have been made, and are voting with their wallets.

NPR listeners, research has shown, are a very savvy lot; well-educated, articulate and "woke" in the true sense of the word, which is to say they're not easily bamboozled. Very likely, the CEO and the numerous heads of staff will figure this out ... as if their jobs depended on it.

 

[TheBigA]

While WNYPBA appears to be in the black, the fact that donation/membership funding is down is not a good indicator.

Although this is in line with what was in the Pew Research study. What we know is public radio audiences are loyal to the brand. They seek out that content specifically, so they're not likely to just switch to WBEN, for example. The bigger problem is the drop in corporate underwriting. That drop is what led to NPR to lay off 10% of its staff earlier this year.

But I think you're jumping to conclusions to say there's some kind of "dissatisfaction." The station hasn't really made any programming changes lately other than dropping the weekend blues shows. As I said, they've shifted their content creators from primarily on-air to multi-media. I see a lot more content on their website and socials now than I did six months ago. None of that will translate to Nielsen ratings.

“On the whole, [while] the news offerings of U.S. public broadcasters have been marked by relative financial stability, with some declines in audience since 2020, the financial picture for news outlets in public radio appeared mostly strong both locally and nationally,” Pew's report says.