Buffalo More Bridge building at WBFO

[ckg279]

The Bridge, WBFO-FM's AAA format that runs on their HD2 signal, was already running Fridays from 7-9pm and Saturdays from 8pm-midnight on the main channel.

As of July 22nd, they'll get more airtime on WBFO.

Monday-Thursday(as well as Saturday), The Bridge will air from 8pm-midnight. Fridays it'll run from 7pm-midnight. Sunday I THINK it airs from 6pm-midnight.

 

[TheBigA]

There's a view around the public radio world that AAA is the new jazz. It's a music that appeals to their demo who might prefer to hear music that's current and appeals to an older demo. AAA does that. There's not much else available to public radio stations other than BBC or repeats of the daytime shows. There's not enough potential audience at that time to justify anything live & local. It'll be interesting to see if they use it to fundraise around.

 

[SirRoxalot]

Let's see, you can hear repeats of shows that run earlier, or a music format that's been largely ignored for over a year here. Does that mean they're dropping "Fresh Air," or moving to a more listenable time? "Fresh Air Weekend" is currently buried at 7:00 AM on Sundays. Do they really expect more hours of "The Bridge" to bring in more dollars?

 

[RadioGuy1864]

8pm to midnight. Those are certainly hours when lots of people listen to radio (said no one in the last 20 years).

 

[Oldbloodandguts]

What happened to Slick Tom Tiberi at 97 Rock?

 

[tbolt909]

Weekday evenings are a good time for niche programming like The Bridge. That time slot is not what it was 30 years ago. They have little to lose by trying this. They can also use it to promote some of the featured artists when they play Buffalo or Toronto...

 

[Rusty Bridges]

It's a good roll of the dice for WBFO, making an attempt to attract younger demos to the frequency. Maybe they stick around and sample the morning show when they wake up the next day ... the morning or midday shows.

 

[TheBigA]

It's a good roll of the dice for WBFO, making an attempt to attract younger demos to the frequency.

''Younger'' is a relative term. The AAA format typically attracts mostly men over 45. Median age is 51. It depends how they approach it.

Some AAAs play 60s progressive rock and attract a lot of 70+. WXPN in Philadelphia is a good example.

But another way to approach the format is mix in a lot of current alternative. KEXP is a good example.

 

[Mark1981]

It’s so interesting how programming philosophies change. Twenty years ago, public radio consultants recommended that each station focus on a singular format— NPR News, classical, jazz or Triple A. WBFO featured NPR News AND Jazz. I saw the numbers then. There was minimal crossover between the news and jazz audiences. At 10am when WBFO transitioned from Morning Edition to jazz, news listeners went elsewhere. Management eventually accepted that philosophy and opted to focus primarily on NPR News. When WBFO was acquired by WNED in 2012, the station aired news/talk 24 hours a day, with the only exception being the Saturday and Sunday evening Blues shows.

But so much has changed in the last decade. Buffalo listeners who want to hear NPR News can easily listen to any public station in the country through their smart devices. Most public radio shows are available as podcasts. I only listen to WBFO on radio in the car. I can’t remember the last time I listened to Fresh Air on WBFO. I hear the podcast.

Radio is trying to stay relevant. So, I have no issue with this change. AAA is a better fit than jazz when it comes to retaining the NPR News listener. In fact, I don’t think it’s a stretch to assume some listeners who are overwhelmed by the current news environment would prefer music while chilling out in the evening. Is it going to attract a huge audience? Doubtful. The station usually stops on-air fundraising at 6pm on WBFO and WNED-FM because of the audience drop off during the evening hours. So, any fundraising on The Bridge on WBFO will likely be limited to pre-recorded spots.

I’m so glad I’m retired. I don’t envy current programmers who have to make programming decisions in these challenging times when the technology has changed things so much. WBFO is not alone in cutting back on its local news staff. Other public stations across the country have slashed budgets and laid off staff. Fundraising is down. For now, Morning Edition and All Things Considered, and to a lesser extent Here and Now, are the shows that really matter. Airing The Bridge during the evening hours won’t hurt the numbers. But I doubt it will have much impact either.

 

[TheBigA]

Buffalo listeners who want to hear NPR News can easily listen to any public station in the country through their smart devices.

I agree, and I believe the only reason NPR stations aren't doing better in Nielsen is because people listen to selected stories rather than shows in real time.

One smart thing NPR has done is make the websites of either NPR.org or any local station find your location from your ISP and remind you who your local station is, and that you can donate directly to them.

 

[Theater of My Mind]

''Younger'' is a relative term. The AAA format typically attracts mostly men over 45. Median age is 51. It depends how they approach it.

Some AAAs play 60s progressive rock and attract a lot of 70+. WXPN in Philadelphia is a good example.

But another way to approach the format is mix in a lot of current alternative. KEXP is a good example.

KEXP is its own format, there's nothing else really like it.

Some AAAs lean folk. Others, like SXM Spectrum pretty much stick to the Mediabase AAA chart for currents and lean toward classic rock with their gold tracks. Both of those variants are sure to attract older men.

Some, like WXPN, lean indie/progressive and sound quite eclectic. I respect it but don't find it an easy listen.

A station like WBFO sounds more alternative and classic alternative. I like that type of AAA but my favorite variant leans more toward indie pop. I just learned that CBC 2's AAA format deliberately includes 50 percent female artists. It makes for a more unique, and less male-dominated sound.

The point of all this is that AAA seems like a bit of a catch-all term for a bunch of different sounding formats, not all of which target older men or sound like the Mediabase AAA chart.

 

[tbolt909]

KEXP is its own format, there's nothing else really like it.

Some AAAs lean folk. Others, like SXM Spectrum pretty much stick to the Mediabase AAA chart for currents and lean toward classic rock with their gold tracks. Both of those variants are sure to attract older men.

Some, like WXPN, lean indie/progressive and sound quite eclectic. I respect it but don't find it an easy listen.

A station like WBFO sounds more alternative and classic alternative. I like that type of AAA but my favorite variant leans more toward indie pop. I just learned that CBC 2's AAA format deliberately includes 50 percent female artists. It makes for a more unique, and less male-dominated sound.

The point of all this is that AAA seems like a bit of a catch-all term for a bunch of different sounding formats, not all of which target older men or sound like the Mediabase AAA chart.

That's always been true. AAA is just a generic description in Radio terminology. The appeal of these stations is that they are not "cookie cutter" in nature. Each station can use different ingredients to create an interesting sound.

Buffalo certainly isn't the hippest market in the country, but WBFO may be able to assist in getting some artists to schedule shows there...

 

[Rusty Bridges]

''Younger'' is a relative term. The AAA format typically attracts mostly men over 45. Median age is 51. It depends how they approach it.

Some AAAs play 60s progressive rock and attract a lot of 70+. WXPN in Philadelphia is a good example.

But another way to approach the format is mix in a lot of current alternative. KEXP is a good example.

Concur. But in perspective, "younger" as it relates to the age of NPR and/or WBFO listeners who trend older, "51" isn't a bad thing, and "45" is even better. Now then, the question: Will this evening format on WBFO attract "enough" of those listeners, and down the road, if this format on non-com WBFO attracts a viable audience, might a commercial station consider doing it. But that's wayyy down the road. Let's see how this experiment shakes out.

 

[TheBigA]

Will this evening format on WBFO attract "enough" of those listeners, and down the road, if this format on non-com WBFO attracts a viable audience, might a commercial station consider doing it.

No, and no. I don't see this being done to attract new listeners. Because non-com radio doesn't benefit from the Nielsen game. It's about satisfying members. In other markets, AAA public stations hold member get-togethers around artists in the format. The goal is to engage with members.

As for commercial stations considering it, it depends on the demos. But looking around the country, the only commercial stations that succeed with the AAA format are heritage stations such as WXRT Chicago. We just saw Hubbard invest a lot of money on a AAA station in Seattle, only to give up on it after failing to reach even a 1 share. They hired heritage air staff, played the right music, and never attracted enough listeners.

 

[ckg279]

What happened to Slick Tom Tiberi at 97 Rock?

There's a thread about it. All your questions will be answered.

 

[ckg279]

Side note: Due to the incredible amount of breaking news this week, WBFO has postponed the debut of their new schedule to this Monday(7/29).

 

[tbolt909]

Side note: Due to the incredible amount of breaking news this week, WBFO has postponed the debut of their new schedule to this Monday(7/29).

I expect that the station will interrupt the music for "Breaking News" on a regular basis. It's an Election Year and other events will occur. They'll play music when it's slow and plug in NPR news when necessary...