They weren't actually tracked shows, but live shows originating from NY or Detroit. And they were in fringe time periods, not morning or afternoon drive. The goal of having a national platform should be to attract national advertisers, and I don't think their national approach did that.
-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
94.7 is changing formats today
- Thread starter erwin33
- Start date
They weren't actually tracked shows, but live shows originating from NY or Detroit. And they were in fringe time periods, not morning or afternoon drive. The goal of having a national platform should be to attract national advertisers, and I don't think their national approach did that.
Big A, do you just say things to hear yourself talk?
I looked at the top U.S. 50 podcasting charts and didn't find any.
The same could be said of you. You're telling a company what their core business is, and they don't agree. They're doing everything they can to avoid the word "radio." Maybe you missed that. It's not their job to fix the radio industry or to attract young people to a specific electronic device. Perhaps if the FCC rules were different, or if the FCC allowed radio stations to play the music teens are streaming (a lot of which is obscene) things would be different. It's to the point where radio stations have to censor Justin Bieber!
You complained about lack of innovation. You didn't say it had to be popular too.
Last edited:
MassMusicMan
Banned
Holy 20th century, Batman! Catching up on this thread, and some of it is sound, but what's this nonsense that this is a "station for Black people?"
This is about as white-bread and as narrow as a rhythmic gold library can be. These were powers at CHR when I was high school and college age. I'm 37 now. Most stations I've heard don't do this format well at all. HOT 96.9 in Boston is the template (well, at least it should be): Top 6 25-54 each of the last two monthlies. Oh, and they play currents and recurrents, too, because they fit the format.
Same reason Lite does that, yet, an entire industry willfully doesn't do that with the rhythmic hits from the same era. But, hey, keep losing. HOT's five-station cluster had four of their stations in the Top 6 25-54 last month, and regularly hands Audacy stations in Boston their lunch. Maybe they'll learn. Maybe they won't.
This is about as white-bread and as narrow as a rhythmic gold library can be. These were powers at CHR when I was high school and college age. I'm 37 now. Most stations I've heard don't do this format well at all. HOT 96.9 in Boston is the template (well, at least it should be): Top 6 25-54 each of the last two monthlies. Oh, and they play currents and recurrents, too, because they fit the format.
Same reason Lite does that, yet, an entire industry willfully doesn't do that with the rhythmic hits from the same era. But, hey, keep losing. HOT's five-station cluster had four of their stations in the Top 6 25-54 last month, and regularly hands Audacy stations in Boston their lunch. Maybe they'll learn. Maybe they won't.
These are practical purposes of an HD-2:
1. To legally feed a translator, be it your own format or leasing out the time to someone else.
2. To put a niche format that you're primarily trying to market on your streaming app on a signal so it qualifies for OTA Sound Exchange rates.
3. To put an AM on "FM"
4. A format graveyard; where losing formats go to die, but you want to keep the intellectual property/trademarks alive.
5. A place to park branding in the market to keep someone else from using it (Alt, Breeze, etc.)
Only the first two make any money, but they all have some purpose in the big picture.
Nos. 1 through 3 don't seem to apply in this case, but do either No. 4 or No. 5 apply? There's really no trademark or branding or intellectual property involved since the station was being marketed (if you can call it that) with the generic "Country" label used by thousands of other country stations.
Apparently they're going to continue to run Katie & Company and some of the other national shows, so this gives them a clear in market #1. According to the press release, they hope fans of the station will stream it on the Audacy app.
So No. 2 applies, then.
That is principally because the most used streams are either aggregate totals of groups with lots of local streaming stations. It is also because most stations stream to reinforce local coverage; they gain little or nothing from coverage outside the metro and all that does is cost them rights fees. Some stations restrict streaming to their home region or state.
There is no need to insult the operator of another radio platform; the person you refer to has operated a well moderated and professional NYC radio board for decades at his own expense. He had early-life radio experience but found a career that is more stable and, probably, better paid than radio.
And, just like you, he is entitled to his opinion.
In many ways, he was right. If it were not for the station's owner wishing to have a "national station" and needing at least a NYC "affiliate", this would never have been done.
That reminds me that when Entercom bought the station in 2019, most observers thought the company would flip the station then. Few industry types expected them to stay with the country format. Instead they doubled down on the country format, dropping the syndicated morning and night shows, and replacing them with local personalities in an effort to maximize local ratings. The airstaff mentioned this in their goodbyes Friday morning, thanking CEO David Field for keeping the format for another two years. He also moved Kelly Ford from Nashville to NYC.
There can be plenty of overlap between cluster members. Just look at the KBIG-KIIS-KOST overlap in LA. And all three do fine.
Obviously, The Block targets a different core age, lifestyle and musical taste than CBS-FM. However, there are going to be some songs that are newer for CBS-FM listeners and older for The Block listeners but which both groups like. But neither group will probably like 95% of the rest of the playlist.
I first worked in a 5 station local market cluster in 1963 as an intern. Two of the stations duplicated 50% of the same music. But it was the other half that set them apart. Neither took listeners from the other one.
Plus there's more to a radio station besides the music. As we've noted with WKTU and WNEW, there may be similarities in music, there are obvious differences in presentation. Thus different listeners.
Last edited:
But LA has a huge basket full of pre-regulation high power stations up on 5,000 foot Mt Wilson or even at 1100 foot Mulholland Drive or Mt Harvard. And the plethora of A's are mostly spread around the central zone, just at the edge of the protection curve for Mt Wilson but right in the middle of populations.
The NYC A's are all suburban, and the NYC metro is very wide, from the East End all the way to Morris County in Jersey.
WKJY is home to the NYC market... it is just suburban. Just like KWIZ is home to the LA market.
Right! I should have added that the two stations in my example were aimed at different socioeconomic levels. One was aimed at A and B, the other at C, D and E levels. The language of the jocks was different, and, of course, the advertisers were different.
True, WKJY is a suburban station. But the transmitters of WQBU and WNBM are both located within the City, in Queens and in the Bronx, respectively.
And it was done, apparently, to have a "home station" for a national concept that did not work out well anywhere.
They are playing songs that go from a couple of years old to 20 year old or so. That is definitely a young adult format.
The format they are doing is very definitely a 25-44 target. Remember, even CHR stations target 18-44! Nobody targets 12-24 or 12-17 because there is no advertiser interest.
Just like the Smooth Jazz listeners, the Big Band listeners, the Beautiful Music listeners, the Salsa listeners, the Oldies listeners and any other group that is too small or too young or too old for a commercial radio station to make money on.
NYC has loads of 18-34 appeal stations, including The Block. Z-100, WBLS, WNEW, WKTU, WQHT, WWPR, WXNY and, of course, the sports stations are all focused on 18-34 as all or part of their core.
And, unlike LA, NYC has not major hills to sit atop. WQBU is hampered by being surrounded by tall buildings... they are on top of one of them, in fact, which limit the penetration and effectiveness of the small signal.
WSKQ also does very well 18-34. In fact it may be #3.
Lew and John were only concerned about the NASH format, not WNSH. That was made evident right from the beginning. Any other time and place and 94.7 would never have been country.
I’m not even defending Dr. Sniffin inasmuch as anyone who even has a cursory knowledge about the demographics and population trends in a media market can reasonably ascertain formats and whatnot. I’m not an expert on the dynamics of the NYC market and admit it.
- Status