ANY HOPE FOR A COUNTRY STATION ON REGULAR FM IN THE NY MARKET????

[mikerock]

50 kilowatt 100.7 - WHUD could probably pickup more listeners and reach NYC if they switched to a country format.  Country has the same problems in the region as rock stations do and would likely benefit from adding familiar songs from the 70s and 80s as well as new country in order to gain a wider audience.

They may do well in the Hudson valley now but they have allot of competition from NYC stations.  But being the sole country station in the region could change all that.

That's a pretty ludicrous idea.  They're doing great with what they have now.  They would *not* see the same ratings as a country station, and their signal doesn't make it well enough into NYC to cause much of a dent.  Besides, it's pretty well known that country, if anything, is a suburban format (and all those recent attempts have failed too).

In your opinion as a fan.  However the reality is there really is no Westchester book anymore to know for sure but we do know the market is saturated with NYC stations that have similiar formats as HUD.  If you look at the Poughkeepsie book they are #6 and being beaten by WRWD, a country station taking the #1 slot.

You have to remember this is 50kw station and punches a pretty good signal into NYC which is only 20 miles away.  Part local and part fringe coverage.
http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WHUD&service=FM&status=L&hours=U

 

[neo11]

50 kilowatt 100.7 - WHUD could probably pickup more listeners and reach NYC if they switched to a country format. Country has the same problems in the region as rock stations do and would likely benefit from adding familiar songs from the 70s and 80s as well as new country in order to gain a wider audience.

They may do well in the Hudson valley now but they have allot of competition from NYC stations. But being the sole country station in the region could change all that.

That's a pretty ludicrous idea. They're doing great with what they have now. They would *not* see the same ratings as a country station, and their signal doesn't make it well enough into NYC to cause much of a dent. Besides, it's pretty well known that country, if anything, is a suburban format (and all those recent attempts have failed too).

In your opinion as a fan. However the reality is there really is no Westchester book anymore to know for sure but we do know the market is saturated with NYC stations that have similiar formats as HUD. If you look at the Poughkeepsie book they are #6 and being beaten by WRWD, a country station taking the #1 slot.

You have to remember this is 50kw station and punches a pretty good signal into NYC which is only 20 miles away. Part local and part fringe coverage.
http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WHUD&service=FM&status=L&hours=U

In my opinion as a fan? I'm not a fan of WHUD. However, your "idea" that WHUD switch to country reeks of wishful thinking on your part. Even though there is no separate Westchester book, Westchester numbers are available to WHUD and any other station in the region that cares to see them, through Arbitron. And, in case you haven't noticed, the Westchester market has *always* been saturated with NYC signals. That hasn't stopped WHUD from doing well for so long, especially in Westchester, Rockland, etc.

Westchester had a country station very recently: Y-107 (part of the quadcast that was also on LI and two parts of NJ). It failed miserably, even though it had a great signal in most of NYC's suburbs where, supposedly, all the country listeners are.

I also wouldn't take the Radio Locator coverage maps as the gospel. With multipath from the tall structures in the city, and the "dead zone" that exists for miles around the Empire State Building with the strong signals from there bleeding over onto the neighboring frequencies, 100.7 does *not* put in a good signal in most of NYC.

Again, everything you are saying smacks of wishful thinking with no basis in reality.

 

[username23]

There's a strange stigma that's stuck with country music in the New York market. CHR stations outside of the city regularly play country artists, like Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood, who are characterized as "pop country". In New York the second a hint of a twang comes along CHR shuns it until it proves very popular elsewhere, forcing the station to add it to the playlist. Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats" was a fast mover up the charts before HTZ played it. Taylor Swift's "Teardrop on my Guitar" had to get a Pop Remix before it appeared on CHR stations. Even Kid Rock's "All Summer Long" was a hit outside of the city in May, but didn't get 2am airplay until around late June and regular airplay even later. These songs are hits everywhere else, but get shunned in the city.

 

[neo11]

These are crossover hits, however. Sprinkling some of them in to an AC or Hot AC or even one or two into a CHR rotation is a far cry from a full country format in NYC.

I think the "stigma" has to do with the fact that ratings for all of the more recent efforts to put country on the air in the NYC area were not encouraging, especially in the suburbs, where the country fans/listeners supposedly are.

 

[MsMusicRadio]

Take a low rated station and create a format of a mix of country, smooth jazz, and adult standards. You could call it "My name is Gonzo and I play what I like".

 

[UncleBozzle]

Now that would really be a "MIX"....something we will never get to hear....lol.

 

[neo11]

Take a low rated station and create a format of a mix of country, smooth jazz, and adult standards. You could call it "My name is Gonzo and I play what I like".

Gotta throw in some of that pre-1964's oldies as well!

 

[davideduardo]

Re: No hope. No Hud.

However the reality is there really is no Westchester book anymore to know for sure but we do know the market is saturated with NYC stations that have similiar formats as HUD.

Sure there is a "book." Any suscribing station can get Westchester only numbers by going to Maximizer and creating a custom geography of Westchester or Westchester and Rockland counties.

If you look at the Poughkeepsie book they are #6 and being beaten by WRWD, a country station taking the #1 slot.

They have around a 5 in the Poughkeepsie book and a 7 in the Newburgh one, plus a 0.6 in the NY Spring book and very good demos. In the Westchester-Rockland County break, they are #1 with a 7 share.

This is not a station that would consider changing format.

You have to remember this is 50kw station and punches a pretty good signal into NYC which is only 20 miles away. Part local and part fringe coverage.

The usable signal does not even reach the Bronx. Those radio locator maps are labeled "for amusement purposes," if you check. 95% of a station's usual in home and at work listening occurs inside the 64 dbu contour, and that contour ends at the bottom tip of Westchester.

WHUD is so successful that it actualy grew revenues last year, while most US stations were off.

 

[MsMusicRadio]

Get old jingles and promos from WNEW-AM, WHN-AM, WKHK-FM, and WQCD. The theme could a "stroll down memory lane at BILLY BOB's and Birdland"

 

[NJMark]

Take a low rated station and create a format of a mix of country, smooth jazz, and adult standards. You could call it "My name is Gonzo and I play what I like".

That sounds like "Radio TED" on 1350 WHWH, Princeton.

 

[WPPCProductions]

Get old jingles and promos from WNEW-AM, WHN-AM, WKHK-FM, and WQCD. The theme could a "stroll down memory lane at BILLY BOB's and Birdland"

Sounds good to me.

 

[occsafmedic]

We had two of the countries' must successful country stations-- and even though both were the largest in the nation, it was still smaller than other formats-- so whn became sports, and 103.5 became truly annoying crap.
Best hope if u want to hear Country in Midwood is satellite-- I love my Sirius.

 

[p_herring]

Try this on:

If we can't even get a rock station right how in the world are we going to get a country station right in New York City?

 

[lowtechman]

I just find it very interesting that the #1 station in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton PA market only 90 miles from NYC has been a country station for many years now.

 

[neo11]

I just find it very interesting that the #1 station in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton PA market only 90 miles from NYC has been a country station for many years now.

Comparing Allentown to New York City is like comparing apples to oranges. Actually, it's more like comparing carrots to oranges. In other words, there's no comparison whatsoever.