• 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

Be Honest Now!

Two different topics here, Buffalo and Radio.

As for Buffalo, You'd have to live here to understand or at least have lived here at some point. The key ingredient is the people. WKBW had a sticker that said "Buffalo a Friendly Place". They weren't kidding about that. They could have put anything else on the sticker but they picked that and it's very true. I know lots of people who still live in the neighborhoods they grew up in.

Although I never had to drive in the snow I think the weather gets an undeserved bad rap. Believe it or not there are 4 seasons. Okay so winter comes a little early and summer is a little late but I have never seen such beautiful countryside. The city could use a little spruce up but it's been like that for as long as I can remember.

People always complained the jocks on WKBW talked too much but there were those of us who liked the chatter and the music. Today with so many more competing stations, short attention spans, low budgets, and big group owners, talent has a steeper mountain to climb. God bless the ones who try.
 
Unfortuntely, The Buffalo Area does not fair well with regards to
its image or its radio and television.
Not having lived there recently, are there any "standout" radio
stations???? On Wikipedia, If you pull up WUTV FOX 29 they
mention that it's the only Fox affiliate in a market size like
Buffalo that doesn't own a camera. Fox 29 apparently doesn't
have much, if any, local content. I do remember the WKBW
bumper stickers but that was 30+ years ago, What have you
been doing lately???? Here in Prescott, AZ we have KAHM,
FM 102.1, the number ONE rated Easy Listening Station on
radio locator. Nearby in Chino Valley, there's KFLX, one of the
most popular 80's Rock station. Both stations are able to sell
airtime with little difficulty, though the combined markets are
well less than 110k people. Phoenix, 100 miles away, has
several top entries in various genres...... Checking with radio
locator, Buffalo doesn't have any stations, in any genre, that
receive any mention. How can a region, a city, with one of the
wonders of the world at it's doorsteps, fair so poorly in so many
areas??????
 
According to Wikipedia, KAHM is running "beautiful music", a/k/a elevator music or muzak. I didn't think that anybody in the country was still running that format. It would be pretty easy to be number one in the country there.

Buffalo still has some very good radio. 97-Rock (WGRF) has been the number one Classic Rock station in the country frequently and recently. WYRK has won numerous industry awards, and consistently is in double-digits ratings-wise. It's a very good country station. WHTT is a pretty good Classic Rock station that would be better if they didn't have so much VT. WKSE (Kiss) has broadened it's CHR base considerably and is a force 12-45. WBLK does very well as an Urban Contemporary station, dayparting well to serve both an urban audience, and attract a lot of suburban kids at night. I've travelled to much larger markets recently, and found that Buffalo radio stacks up very well. It's not the typical radio you find in a market just outside the top 50.

I'm not sure what you're looking at in Radio Locator to determine "standout" radio stations, but it's not hard to tune in station streams from Buffalo. I didn't know that Radio Locator did any type of ratings. Perhaps you could direct us to that source.
 
Prescott? But, it's a dry heat. Thanks for your contribution to the thread. Nobody will ever mistake Buffalo for San Francisco or even Toronto just up the QEW. Sure, a few areas of the city look worn down and need some TLC, but most of the Buffalo-Niagara Falls-Western New York has more good than bad about it. One thing Buffalo thankfully isn't, is Prescott. Or for that matter, Phoenix.
 
Hey Joe in Prescott - sorry that you don't feel Buffalo radio stations measure up to a couple of your central AZ coffeepots. But hey, a guy who looks at radio-locator as an indicator of a station's success or stature can't be wrong.

Since you haven't visited in 30 years, let me fill you in - Buffalo's a hell of a town. The heritage, the architecture, the neighborhoods, the music scene, the theatre, the Philharmonic, the professional sports and incredible restaurants. You may want to ruminate on that next time you're savoring a culinary treasure in your neighborhood Blimpie.

Nick Seneca
 
Joe...where'd Buffalo Wings come from?

Annnd, of COURSE I have the 'KB sticker in my collection. But I've experienced it multiple times in my adult life. The wife and I often stop and gas up or grab a bite, maybe even do some shopping. Exit 52 Walden Ave's very convenient to the 90. in when heading to family further east. There IS a noticeable difference in how you're treated in just the 150 limes between Buffalo and Syracuse.

Debaser has noted the proximity to Canada as being a good reason for the quality of Buffalo radio, and I can understand that. Whatever it is, this outsider hears it and gives it props.

JPB...150% correct about skilled trades. From HVAC to electrical...plumbing...welding...carpentry...all fields that go wanting while it seems like a lot of people with college degrees end up working the counter at Starbucks while seeking forbearance on 50K or more in student loans.
 
Really didn't mean to hit a nerve...... Since you cannot really compare radio stations directly, due
to market size, tools like radio locator help factor out that variable. If you look up their website, go to
genres, then easy listening format, you'll find KAHM as the most listened to and also the station most frequently visited station in that particular genre, no matter what the size, from tiny 45k Prescott to N.Y and L. A.
Since Prescott and much of Central and Northern Arizona are frequently named as tops for retirees and
families, the easy listening format on KAHM, makes sense. They been doing it since 1981..........
I was back in Buffalo about 4 years ago, to visit my cousin, who continues to live in Orchard Park.
Unfortunately, I didn't see any of the improvements mentioned..... I still follow The Bills, The Sabres,
WNY College Sports, hoping that the dry spell comes to an end....... I do miss the many mom and pop
restaurants that serve up some of the best ethnic food you'll ever find anywhere..... As for the weather,
Prescott is situated at 5,300 feet, we get some snow in the winter and rarely go above 95f in the summer,
with low humidity, mornings fall to 60f even during July and August. Mean annual sunshine is 85%+ compared to WNY's 48%......... But not evenone likes sunshine day after day and I do have to admit, it
does get boring.............
 
If the top 3 most visited websites aren't in NY, LA, or Chicago, it's likely that a format doesn't exist on a full-service facility in those markets. Did you look at the list of "Easy Listening" stations? There are 41 - in the whole country - at least as far as Radio-Locator is concerned. When Prescott, AZ, Jacksonville, FL, and North Myrtle Beach, SC, are the top 3, that should be a clue. Look at the rest of the list, and it's a litany of small market stations.

The boys did pile on a little bit. A lot of us have spent time elsewhere, and came back to Buffalo for a variety of reasons - family, the opportunity to work at a favorite station from childhood, or because we discovered the joys of a small city that's affordable and easy to get around that still has a lot of big-city attractions.

I'm glad that you enjoy Prescott. As I said, tune in some Buffalo stations, and see what you think.
 
You are accurate in your assessment that few, if any, Easy Listening stations eminate from large markets. However, KAHM FM 102.1, reaches quite well into the metro Phoenix market. In most of the central and west valley, KAHM has sufficient signal to be scanned by most car radios. Metro Phoenix
has a population of over 4 million and is one of the top 15 markets. I'm sure some of the other stations, in small markets do the same. Additionally, if you look at Oldies format on Radio locator, you'll find that WLS 94.7 fm Chicago is one of the top 3 stations but you'll also find that KBKL in Grand Junction, CO is also in the top 3. Grand Junction has a population of 60k..... I have actually spent some time listening to some of the Buffalo Area stations: 92.9 "Jack FM," 96.1 WJYE. I also tried to listen to: WKSE and WTSS but those stations put online listeners through hoops by requiring them to download specific applications to listen and even then, there are commercials before and during, in addition to the ones "on air." Why can't they simply do as KAHM.info does???? It instantly loads, whether you're in Prescott, Phoenix, Sydney, Auckland, Rome or even, Buffalo, N.Y. And there are no additional commercials. Lets not forget that KAHM.info also shows photos of Prescott. Hence "Scenes and Sounds worth savoring, Prescott and the soothing sounds of KAHM, FM 102.1" Finally, after several hours of listening, I found that WHTT has about the best music, for my tastes, available.... A final observation, I cannot imagine that the Buffalo area does not have any population in the over 50 age group. Those people still like music, still remember the days of Dan Lesniak and WADV 106.5 and wish for something similar.... Instead of having 10 stations doing essentially the same thing, someone, sometime is going to realize they have a captive audience and lots and lots of dollars behind them!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
People who are 60 now grew up on the Beatles, Stone, Doors, Hendrix, Janis, and Zeppelin. I'm not too sure how many are into Mantovani. My guess is that KAHM's audience is primarily 70-to-Death.

Your example of the Oldies format - which is also a niche format at this point - illustrates that Radio-Locator's "Top 3" visited VIA Radio-Locator, or listened to VIA Radio-locator, hardly seems like a reliable ratings source. I'm not sure how many people listen or search via Radio-Locator. I'm a radio geek, and I never used their format search function until you brought it up. Now, if you told me that iHeartRadio or another service that's considerably more popular that Radio Locator had KAHM listed in the Top 3, I'd probably be more impressed.

Entercom does seem to have issues with streaming. They're not interested in a restrictive agreement with Clear Channel's iHeartRadio. I can't say that I blame them, but they could certainly make their stations more "stream-friendly".
 
I'm 60, You might be surprised, I can go from the Beatles to Elvis to Mancini depending on my mood. I have listened to a lot of music and like to spread out a bit. There is a lot more music out there than just what's heard on the radio.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom