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Greenville's BIN affiliate

AMRocks

AMRocks

WGVL 1440 is the Black Information Network "affiliate" in the Upstate. (I use the term affiliate loosely since I'm sure iHeart required the local-owned station to carry it - not that the signal was being used for anything better.)

iHeart has pretty much turned off most of their HD channels on FM. I believe it was cost for the music programming that wasn't really making them any money. Since the transmitters are already set up for HDm I'm curious why they wouldnt throw that BIN service on one of the big FMs? They actually showed in the last couple of ratings books -- small, but there.

Anyone have any insight?

(They could also put BIN on WESC-AM for more daytime penetration. It's not like anyone probably listens to the FM simulcast there.)
 
I don't work for the company. When BIN started, there were corporate sponsors lined up and stations chosen. When the format hit the airwaves, it was profitable. This is not a format that is ratings driven. If they have a .1 they make profit or if they that a 10.5, they make the same profit. Upgrading stations, adding the service to FM or HD channel merely means they make less profit because they increased the expenses.
 
b-turner said:
I don't work for the company. When BIN started, there were corporate sponsors lined up and stations chosen. When the format hit the airwaves, it was profitable. This is not a format that is ratings driven. If they have a .1 they make profit or if they that a 10.5, they make the same profit. Upgrading stations, adding the service to FM or HD channel merely means they make less profit because they increased the expenses.
Click to expand...
Does using a signal they already have increase costs? How much electricity could it be? Plus, if more people become familiar with it, won't they be able to line up more corporate sponsors? Just sayin...
 
The fact is they could put BIN on every signal they have but BIN will not pull in a penny more in revenue. BIN is not based on audience size but rather clearing the programming in certain markets. The electric bill is small potatoes in running an AM station and an FM for that matter. BIN is making a profit. Adding another signal means less profit.
 
I know there’s no reason with the above stated, but I would be curious to see how BIN would do on 104.9. Could it get better than a 0.3 share that frequency is getting? We’ll never know, but 104.9’s performance right now is a record low for the frequency. I don’t get why iHeart doesn’t just plug their conservative talkers in on 104.9 and let it do its thing. Take down 98.9 a bit to bump 102.5 and 92.5 up. When 94.5 was talk, it mustered a 2 share and some change and gave 98.9 some competition. Like them or not, iHeart has some big names in their Premiere stable that aren’t being cleared in the market (Beck, Clay and Buck, Hannity, Jimmy Failla, Brian Kealmeade, etc).

For context, the signal limited X-98.5 gets a 0.7 share, and Star 99.5 gets a 0.8. More than twice the share of the full powered, C3 104.9.

iHeart seems stuck with 660. Nobody probably wants it, and they’re keeping it warm with the 92.5 simulcast. 1440 isn’t a great signal for the market these days, but even with the nighttime coverage, it covers the areas where much of BIN’s audience would be concentrated in Greenville County, IMO. I’m surprised anyone has even found BIN considering the AM dial in GSP has been dead since WORD moved to FM.
 
AMRocks said:
Does using a signal they already have increase costs? How much electricity could it be? Plus, if more people become familiar with it, won't they be able to line up more corporate sponsors? Just sayin...
Click to expand...
Sponsors, in this case, are buying a concept and not ratings delivery. They want to be known as supporting the format.

Running a station is more than just electricity, though. Technical maintenance with both parts and manpower. Insurance. Tower lighting and painting. Site maintenance. License fees and associated legal costs. Business licensees and permits, accounting costs, and much more.
 
b-turner said:
The fact is they could put BIN on every signal they have but BIN will not pull in a penny more in revenue. BIN is not based on audience size but rather clearing the programming in certain markets. The electric bill is small potatoes in running an AM station and an FM for that matter. BIN is making a profit. Adding another signal means less profit.
Click to expand...
Som as long as BIN is "on" in a market, even if it's only a 250w daytime, it's just fine. Got it. 🙄
 
101tm said:
I know there’s no reason with the above stated, but I would be curious to see how BIN would do on 104.9. Could it get better than a 0.3 share that frequency is getting? We’ll never know, but 104.9’s performance right now is a record low for the frequency. I don’t get why iHeart doesn’t just plug their conservative talkers in on 104.9 and let it do its thing. Take down 98.9 a bit to bump 102.5 and 92.5 up. When 94.5 was talk, it mustered a 2 share and some change and gave 98.9 some competition. Like them or not, iHeart has some big names in their Premiere stable that aren’t being cleared in the market (Beck, Clay and Buck, Hannity, Jimmy Failla, Brian Kealmeade, etc).

For context, the signal limited X-98.5 gets a 0.7 share, and Star 99.5 gets a 0.8. More than twice the share of the full powered, C3 104.9.

iHeart seems stuck with 660. Nobody probably wants it, and they’re keeping it warm with the 92.5 simulcast. 1440 isn’t a great signal for the market these days, but even with the nighttime coverage, it covers the areas where much of BIN’s audience would be concentrated in Greenville County, IMO. I’m surprised anyone has even found BIN considering the AM dial in GSP has been dead since WORD moved to FM.
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I would agree with the moving the iHeart talk programming to 104.9, rather than sports. Makes much more sense. With sports, they are battling for tiny numbers with Audacy's two crappy AMs and two small signal FM translators, and the Clemson sports station that comes in. I bet, switching to the conservative talk, they pull at least a 1 point something. But I suppose they don't "need" to clear the talk programming here. Hell, put some of it on the 660 signal!
 
DavidEduardo said:
Sponsors, in this case, are buying a concept and not ratings delivery. They want to be known as supporting the format.

Running a station is more than just electricity, though. Technical maintenance with both parts and manpower. Insurance. Tower lighting and painting. Site maintenance. License fees and associated legal costs. Business licensees and permits, accounting costs, and much more.
Click to expand...
I'm not a techie guy, but I would think an HD 2 signal can't cost that much more to operate. No additional insurance, tower lighting, painting, site maintenance. I wouldn't think there would be licensing fees for their own news programming. Other than engineering keeping it on the air and some more electricity, I wouldn't think there'd be that much cost. Hell, it's probably more expensive to keep 1440 on the air with transmitter upkeep, etc, than just putting it on an HD 2 signal.
 
At its launch it debuted in Atlanta on 640 am but i wondered why did not put on an hd 2 or 3 somewhere. I say that because the Atlanta market has more Black people than every other market except NYC. But iheart must be happy with the service as is.
 
AMRocks said:
I would agree with the moving the iHeart talk programming to 104.9, rather than sports. Makes much more sense. With sports, they are battling for tiny numbers with Audacy's two crappy AMs and two small signal FM translators, and the Clemson sports station that comes in. I bet, switching to the conservative talk, they pull at least a 1 point something. But I suppose they don't "need" to clear the talk programming here. Hell, put some of it on the 660 signal!
Click to expand...
Sports is not exclusively sold on ratings. Much of the national and regional money does not even come from advertising budgets: it comes from separate "sports marketing" budgets which no other format can touch.

And sports delivers almost 100% adult males, a valuable and efficient buy for male-oriented products and services.

Locally, sports is an easy sell to advertisers who are sports fans; conservative talk is polarizing and many clients won't touch it.
 
sadly, this thread misses the point of revenue and keeping people employed versus "ratings"......which doesn't ensure financial success.
 
RadioRonnie285 said:
At its launch it debuted in Atlanta on 640 am but i wondered why did not put on an hd 2 or 3 somewhere. I say that because the Atlanta market has more Black people than every other market except NYC. But iheart must be happy with the service as is.
Click to expand...
IMHO an HD 2,3, or "whatever #" unless it "feeds" a FM translator is not going to be a ratings power house.

To be totally honest I am surprised that the current occupant of the White House hasn't gone after BIN. I seriously doubt there will be any explanation of BIN for this White House cycle out of fear. Not a fan of iHeart but they should be able to program how they want to. Of course iHeart has a lot of conservative talkers, so they could retaliate and pull all their GOP talking points talkers. Respect is nice but fear works every time.
 
If they try to get FCC approval for something like Paramount or Audacy I would bet you a cup of BK regular coffee he would have something to complain about it being "DEI" programming. When or if the is a big radio consolation happens soon it will be brought up if iHeart is a player.
 
Charleston has never had a BIN station either. Probably the only option would be HD2 or HD3 of one of iHeart's big FMs, but that market is so particularly loyal to the 2 urban stations (Z93 and Star 99.7) in the market anything else is overwhelmed. You add Magic 107.3 to that and about 20% of the market's 12+ share is covered among 3 stations.

Most of those folks still listen to terrestrial radio. At least the ones over 40. A few listen to the gospel stations but they are fiercely loyal to those stations.
 
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