94.7 is changing formats today

[SCMcKinney]

So now the question is raised - With NYC without a country station, who'll fill that void, and how quickly will someone jump on it?

I am of the opinion that virtually no one is listening to 660 WFAN. 101.9 IS the WFAN signal, and 660 is just excess baggage, at least during the day. Audacy owns 660, and it is bringing very little to the table as a simulcast. If 660 were to become WNSH, and if it were marketed right, I wonder if it could A) serve the need for Country in Market 1, B) bring in dollars Audacy is not getting now, C)with proper marketing, demonstrate that AM does have a purpose in the radio world in 2021.

It is my feeling that most AM listening today is via Apps and Alexa. The AM transmitter is just there for in-car listening, and providing an easy local address for casual sampling. If 660 WNSH.com were marketed correctly (namely NEVER mention those ugly letters "AM"), Country could live in NY, and perhaps even prosper. Sporting events could still be carried by WNSH, courtesy of their cuzzins at WFAN, and the Yankees will have that booming signal for those night games.

Another thought - if 660 WNSH were to come to be, they might even be able to strike up a deal with 650 WSM and the Opry, with its live music with current stars (and many veterans) could be heard in the the northeast. A win for both Gaylord and Audacy.

 

[Jeffrey]

It would seem that audacy had enough profit netted yearly to not have to worry about the money they may have been losing they were selling ads consistently for nash fm were they not? If they would of stuck with the format and station for a few more years I think it would have payed off in the long term. And what makes audacy so sure this throwback format is gonna do any better? They had an exclusive premium on country in nyc before now they have a format where they have to compete with a whole slew of stations with a similar format they will probably be losing more money with their new bright idea.

It was 8 years. Didn't bill well. Time to move on.

 

[Syfy]

It was 8 years. Didn't bill well. Time to move on.

But my question is this new throwback format just gonna be a short term thing or will they explore another formation for the long term that doesn't have as much competition?

 

[Syfy]

It says on the station they are playing 25 thousand rap / hip hop songs in a row without commercials, many of which promote gun violence and drug use.... just what New York needs. I just doubt brands are gonna be eager to get their ads on this station.

 

[MikeyD]

Audio of the 94.7 The Block stream is very poor. Like there is no processing or whatsoever on their stream. Are they still using Omnia.9 over the air and some stream processing for their stream? They need to adjust that.

Stream Quality seemed to be changing a lot during the day. Seems they are working through something.

 

[CTListener]

It says on the station they are playing 25 thousand rap / hip hop songs in a row without commercials, many of which promote gun violence and drug use.... just what New York needs. I just doubt brands are gonna be eager to get their ads on this station.

Stereotyping much?

 

[Syfy]

Stereotyping much?

How is it stereotyping when that's what a lot of that music promotes? Its a fact.

 

[davideduardo]

WYNY 103.5 also billed a lot more than 94.7. If previous posts about 94.7 billing roughly $100,000/month are true, I seem to remember WYNY was doing roughly as much in a month as 94.7 did all of last year, and that was before being adjusted for inflation. Granted, that was before a worldwide pandemic and two major recessions, but I can’t imagine anyone with a New York area license wanting to do a format that was only billing a million to $1.5 million a year.

It was billing around $200 k a month during the first pandemic year, down from around $5 million each of the previous 5 years. That is still very, very low.

Again, this was 15 or so years ago, but I worked at a station in market #252 that billed about $1.2 million a year. I don’t think it bills anywhere near that today, but, even in these times, you should be able to bill well above that annually just by having an FM license in New York.

Adjusted for inflation, radio as an industry is billing a bit over 60% less now than it did in 2000.

 

[ksradiogeek]

syfy:

It says on the station they are playing 25 thousand rap / hip hop songs in a row without commercials, many of which promote gun violence and drug use.... just what New York needs. I just doubt brands are gonna be eager to get their ads on this station.

So out of touch with a genre you likely don’t listen to. Advertisers will still come to the new format just fine. Billing will be better than that beer drinkin’, truckin’, tailgatin’ music. (See how easy it is to stereotype?)

 

[davideduardo]

I just doubt brands are gonna be eager to get their ads on this station.

It's a gold based format. How can a station that does not play currents have "adds"?

 

[Kent]

It is my feeling that most AM listening today is via Apps and Alexa. The AM transmitter is just there for in-car listening, and providing an easy local address for casual sampling. If 660 WNSH.com were marketed correctly (namely NEVER mention those ugly letters "AM"), Country could live in NY, and perhaps even prosper.

You answer your own question here. The country format that was on 94.7 is already on the Audacy app, though with fewer (if any) personalities. Why put it on AM when roughly 70% of listening would be via the app in the first place? If you really want or need country in your vehicle, you can tether your phone to a Bluetooth device for $20 or less. Then, you can just shout at Google or Siri to play the station when you start your car. The audio quality is better and as reliable, if not more, than AM.

 

[davideduardo]

But my question is this new throwback format just gonna be a short term thing or will they explore another formation for the long term that doesn't have as much competition?

What other station in the market is pure throwbacks of rhythmic and hip hop tunes?

CBS-FM seems to have been able to sustain a throwback format for more than a "short term".

 

[Syfy]

The question I have and ill leave it at this as I'm not trying to get into an argument on here is why does audacy think a station that is literally the only station playing a semi popular format like country in the market less likely to succeed than a format that is over used in the said market, why do the geniuses at audacy think this will be more successful as a long term format profitability wise?

 

[davideduardo]

You answer your own question here. The country format that was on 94.7 is already on the Audacy app, though with fewer (if any) personalities. Why put it on AM when roughly 70% of listening would be via the app in the first place? If you really want or need country in your vehicle, you can tether your phone to a Bluetooth device for $20 or less. Then, you can just shout at Google or Siri to play the station when you start your car. The audio quality is better and as reliable, if not more, than AM.

And I looked at the last LA book and less than 1% of total listening to Los Angeles stations is attributed to streams. Since essentially all the LA stations that matter do separate commercials on the stream, they can not be combined with the OTA programming for Nielsen.

 

[TheBigA]

Billboard's Melinda Newman has written an excellent story about the country format ever returning to NYC:

MSN

“I hate to say this because I’m a big believer in the market, but I would be very skeptical of another broadcaster coming in,” says RJ Curtis, executive director of Country Radio Broadcasters (CRB). “In that market, country is a niche format. We’ve known it was a struggle in New York City for a long, long time.”

RJ Curtis understands the struggle of big city country stations. He programmed KZLA in LA for many years. That station shut down for basically the same reason as WNSH.

 

[Syfy]

What other station in the market is pure throwbacks of rhythmic and hip hop tunes?

CBS-FM seems to have been able to sustain a throwback format for more than a "short term".

I guess what I'm saying is I don't think its a good format for the market. I think audacy will regret their decision. In the short term yes it looks like a good move for them but I don't think a decision of shutting down a station should be based solely on money and short term ratings. They had very talented hosts who knew the format well and were good at appealing to the country audience.

 

[davideduardo]

The question I have and ill leave it at this as I'm not trying to get into an argument on here is why does audacy think a station that is literally the only station playing a semi popular format like country in the market less likely to succeed than a format that is over used in the said market, why do the geniuses at audacy think this will be more successful as a long term format profitability wise?

Rhythmic and hip hop throwbacks are only minimally played elsewhere. You keep saying "over used" but that is not the case in NYC.

Country could not bill last year any more than WLIB or WADO. It was just not getting on buys as agencies did not see a big enough exclusive cume to warrant a buy to improve reach & frequency.

 

[ksradiogeek]

The question I have and ill leave it at this as I'm not trying to get into an argument on here is why does audacy think a station that is literally the only station playing a semi popular format like country in the market less likely to succeed than a format that is over used in the said market, why do the geniuses at audacy think this will be more successful as a long term format profitability wise?

Because, as your questions have already been answered on other pages in this thread, the country format has never really worked in an environment that is FAR removed from Nashville and anything rural. While it did fine in North Jersey, it suffered low ratings and low billing for 8 years in the much larger city. The chances of increasing billing and attention are much greater in the city than targeting the suburbs only.

You say the format is “overused.” Try saying that in Chicago, where hip hop/R&B formats work due to demographics and advertisers learning to not ignore a sizeable and valuable demographic group. Same thing in the Big Apple. You’d be better off trying to take a slice out of an ‘overused’ format and be sustainable longterm than a twangy niche. (This is coming from someone who actually did country radio in a VERY rural part of the States.)

 

[davideduardo]

I don't base a decision of shutting down a station solely on money.

As a person who once owned about a dozen stations, I can tell you that it is all about the money.

Everything good in programming and in community involvement you'd like to do as an owner depends entirely on the station being profitable.

 

[Kent]

CBS-FM seems to have been able to sustain a throwback format for more than a "short term".

You, of course, already know that classic hits and ”throwback” rhythmic aren't exactly the same thing. With the possible exception of KXQQ, Audacy's other ”throwback” stations start strong and burn quickly. WBMX and KHTP are about in the same territory that got their previous formats flipped, and KRBQ is well below where KISQ was when it became “The Breeze.“

I don’t know how you sustain a format like this indefinitely, but, even burning quickly, The Block may well do better long-term than country had been doing.