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97.7 format change for the 4th of July?
- Thread starter Tomgsinger
- Start date
I think David explained that quite well: Because urban AC has little appeal to white or Hispanic (white and nonwhite) listeners compared to urban/hip-hop and CHR/rhythmic, and the Boston market doesn't have enough listeners in its target demo to make the format bill well enough. Boston isn't Washington. It isn't even New Haven. For years, while other, blacker markets had full-signal urban stations, Boston had only AM daytimer WILD. Yes, Touch and Big City, two professional-sounding, but quite illegal, pirates, build up a loyal listener base and even attracted advertisers (while not paying any taxes on the income!). It's easy to call your station a success when you operate that way. Licensed broadcasters have to do things by the book, though.
My main source for the format data on the FM was Nielsen's own Station Information Packet reporting system, whereby stations advise Nielsen of their chosen format (from an approved list) as well as other station data. It is up to stations themselves to submit this data for each "quarter" of the year. The WYBC-FM report shows as not updated for current survey period.
Other data sources on formats and data not provided by the FCC depend to a great extent on stations providing data. In the case of WYBC, they apparently are not too good on updating industry data sources or correcting mistaken data.
The Black population of Boston has a significant percentage of Haitians and West Indians, who are not technically African American. And, of course, Hispanics can be of any race from white to Asian.
Look at the signal. Look at its limitations. I'd say that signal performed about as well as one could reasonably expect from a ratings standpoint during the past year or two. It earned stronger ratings than several Class B blowtorches in the market.
After a few months, I suspect there will be considerable ratings erosion, and I think over the next 12-24 months, billing will be flat or down from where it's been recently.
Most of the African American population in Greater Boston is concentrated within the city of Boston itself. To suggest African American listeners are too scattered or two few in number to make Urban AC viable on a limited Class A signal is a fallacy, in my opinion. The format was perfect for that signal, and it earned respectable ratings.
A 2019 version of Star 93.7 on a far crappier signal than 93.7 is going to post lousy ratings. I give the new station zero chance of lasting longer than two years. I predict the station will pivot back to Urban AC prior to the two year point.
The ding-a-lings in terrestrial radio keep repeating the same mistakes over...and over...and over. This type of format has not shown any longevity in just about every market it's been tried over the past 15 years.
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You do realize that words like "true", "good" "real"...are all relative terms and have no meaning outside your own head, right?
Again, does this declarative statement have any rationale outside of your own feelings and likes/dislikes?
Does anything back up what your "feelings" are?
Lots of declarative sentences. Why do you think erosion, instead of building an audience? Anything to back up what you are predicting?
As one would expect. The current audience will never like when something is taken away from them.
And if you look at the playlist, you can see whey it works... it has a coalition list that appeals to the rather unique ethnic mix, mood and nature of the San Francisco market. The fact that the market is 30% Asian makes a big difference in the audience composition, even though Nielsen does not do Asian-specific weighting anywhere.
KBLX is indeed a majority-Black station, but just about a quarter of the audience is "other" (white and Asian) and another quarter is Hispanic.
With that mix, they can average somewhere around 15th in 25-54 in the market, which is where they rank in billing as well. It bills about 20% of what the #1 biller in the market does.
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The strangest thing happened this morning, I got into my car around 5:58am and saw “The Flagship Station” on my radio. It went into a Legal ID for WBZ Sports Hub but my radio was tuned to 97.7fm, I changed to 98.5 and confirmed I was hearing the same thing on 97.7 and when I flipped back to 97.7 it was 6:00am and the Legal ID for 97.7 The Beat aired. Does anyone think Beasley may be taking ownership?
Beasley has the max of 5 FMs. They could not own another. But what you saw is intriguing!
Yes. The actual ratings history of 97.7 as an R&B station.
Why do I think erosion over the long-term? Simple. Re-read my earlier post and then research the ratings histories of the "Jammin Oldies" stations tried in the late 90's & early 00's and the Rhythmic AC stations attempted in the late 00's. in almost EVERY case, such stations fail to survive longer than two years.
99.7 in San Francisco and 92.5 in Seattle once featured similar formats (as did virtually all stations using the "Movin" moniker); both saw mediocre ratings with this type of playlist but then saw their ratings skyrocket after shifting to CHR/Pop. Stations in Austin and Orlando have tried similar formats and failed. I already mentioned Detroit, Philly and Portland. I cannot think of a single market where this format has succeeded long-term.
Ratings might be decent in the early going - simply from the curiosity factor and the availability of big late 80's & early 90's pop hits that haven't been played on the radio very much - but empirical evidence in nearly every market where this format - and its prequels such as jammin' oldies - have been tried suggests burn-in occurs quickly.
You are completely wrong to suggest my earlier comments are based on "feelings." But go ahead - ignore the mountain of empirical evidence from other markets that suggest this format has little chance at any type of long-term viability.
That’s what I thought both Beasley and Entercom are maxed out with FM’s. The RDS was definitely showing The Flagship Station and I heard them say the sports hub but my radio was tuned to 97.7FM. I don’t listen to sports radio so it threw me for a loop. I’m beginning to think it may have just been some sort of malfunction with my radio, or maybe it was all the beers I drank yesterday! I guess time will tell? ?
OK, fair enough.....but I believe the people at iHeart are pretty smart people.....and you (and me) are just anonymous people on a website. I don't anything about your qualifications...so making declarative statements on an anonymous web site is always suspect. ;-)
Yes, I've seen that before where the RBDS display can get briefly hung up on another previously listened to station.
Actually, Entercom is not maxed out in the Boston market. They own WEEI-FM, WWBX, WODS and WMJX (4 FMs) in the market, while WAAF (a Worcester market station that rimshots into the Boston market) is also based in the Brighton Entercom studios.
WAAF is licensed to Westborogh, which is in the split part of Worcester County that is part of the Boston MSA.
This is from the Nielsen WAAF SIP:
City of License: WESTBOROGH/BOSTON
County of License: Worcester (WO Split)
Additionally, it appears that the station has long opted to be considered a Boston station (just like KLYY Riverside opted to be an LA above the line station) and so it meets the Nielsen standards to be attributed to the market.
But in 2004 they actually changed the COL to a location within the Boston MSA to truly be home to the market:
BY THIS APPLICATION, ENTERCOM BOSTON LICENSE, LLC REQUESTS THAT A LICENSE BE ISSUED FOR STATION WAAF(FM) (FACILITY ID NO. 74467) CHANGING THE COMMUNITY OF LICENSE OF THE STATION FROM WORCESTER TO WESTBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE REPORT AND ORDER IN MM DOCKET NO. 02-49, RELEASED NOVEMBER 14, 2003, AS MODIFIED BY THE ERRATUM RELEASED DECEMBER 8, 2003. A COPY OF THE ERRATUM IS ATTACHED.
AS REQUIRED UNDER THE ERRATUM, THIS APPLICATION SEEKS TO IMPLEMENT THE CHANGE OF COMMUNITY OF LICENSE FOR STATION WAAF AT ITS CURRENTLY LICENSED SITE, APPROVED IN FILE NO. BLH-19980416KB. APART FROM THE REDESIGNATION OF THE COMMUNITY OF LICENSE AS AUTHORIZED IN MM DOCKET NO. 02-49, NO OTHER CHANGE IN THE STATION'S FACILITIES IS REQUESTED.
Remember, KFI counted as a Clear Channel station in San Diego. The rule has taken into account signal certain instances when a station provides primary service to an adjacent market. In this case, WAAF self-designated to Nielsen that it was to be considered a Boston station, and then they actually moved the COL to make it officially in the market.
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So it’s in the Worcester market then, since it says “WO Split”?
No. Worcester county is split. Half is in the Boston MSA, and that is where the COL is.
There are a number of instances of counties being split. Nearby, Fairfield, CT, is cut up and the SW part of it is in the NYC MSA; the reset is in the Bridgeport market. And the Bridgeport market has a piece of New Haven County in it and which is not part of the New Haven MSA.
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Can WAAF move their transmitter any closer to the Boston under the current rules? Could they utilize the Channel 66 tower in Hudson or even to the Newton/Needham cluster of towers?
Probably not, as they already have two heavy directional bulls within the Boston market to protect WERZ/Exeter-Portsmouth, NH and WFCC/Chatham-Hyannis
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