Buffalo June '21 ratings

[davideduardo]

BTW, would this constitute the "Spring Book?" (Or is that Spring Brook? Ahem.)

In the diary markets that have "continuous measurement" there are no season books, just monthly releases that cover the prior 12 weeks.

Only in markets where there are only two books or just one is there a release named after a season.

Still, I think many of use will still call the Apr-May-Jun book "Spring" anyway. And some of the industry data services like BIA show only the quarters, not the months and they use the traditional seasonal names. Maybe this is a case of "there is no wrong answer".

 

[davideduardo]

Easy Dan. Bad weighted book. Next month we drop a low number so we will be back to three

And that is why most of us look at averages and trends, not weeks and months... just like agencies do. The shorter the period, the more variables there are.

 

[MarkW]

Free Beer & Hot Wings will prove to be ratings poison for WBUF over the long term, I predict.

Since being added to fellow Townsquare station WMMQ in Lansing, MI (a station Fred Jacobs claims is the first ever classic rock station on FM), just one hour away from their home base, the ratings have absolutely tanked. What had been a perennial top3 station in pretty every demo that mattered just fell to its worst AQH share in decades! Numbers are down more than 50 percent Y-o-Y. I hope the $150k a year in salary Townsquare saved by firing the local show compensates for the big revenue hit that station will likely endure.

I understand the show is the bee's knees in Grand Rapids; it doesn't seem to produce terribly good results in any other market of significance with the possible exception of one or two markets in New Jersey.

 

[TheBigA]

I understand the show is the bee's knees in Grand Rapids; it doesn't seem to produce terribly good results in any other market of significance with the possible exception of one or two markets in New Jersey.

Perhaps the goal isn't always just to get good ratings:

CEO: We've Recovered Faster Than Expected - Radio Ink

Townsquare CEO Bill Wilson could not have sounded more optimistic about his company's Q2 financial results and outlook for the balance of 2021. And what has become the norm for Townsquare, digital revenue is leading the way.

radioink.com

Keep in mind that WBUF is part of a cluster. If it was operated as a stand-alone I'm sure things would be different.

 

[MarkW]

How does putting on a morning show with narrow appeal that will likely generate miserable ratings help the "cluster" strategy? Please explain.

 

[TheBigA]

How does putting on a morning show with narrow appeal that will likely generate miserable ratings help the "cluster" strategy? Please explain.

Am I their CEO? No. But they clearly wanted this station to have personality, as opposed to what it was previously.

They get big mainstream ratings from WYRK and WBLK. This station is gravy. It is the 107.7 of their cluster.

 

[tbolt909]

Am I their CEO? No. But they clearly wanted this station to have personality, as opposed to what it was previously.

They get big mainstream ratings from WYRK and WBLK. This station is gravy. It is the 107.7 of their cluster.

WBUF is more "Grave" than gravy. A blot of mustard or underdone potato said Mr. Scrooge.

WBUF has one of the best signals in the market. Every format they've attempted has underperformed. Classic Rock will just be another failure...

 

[TheBigA]

WBUF has one of the best signals in the market.

Why do you keep saying this over & over? People don't listen to signals.

 

[SirRoxalot]

Why do you keep saying this over & over? People don't listen to signals.

People don't listen to signals if the content isn't worth listening to. 92.9 has been successful in the past, but it's been a long time since it's been programmed to win instead of programmed as a flanker or spoiler.

 

[MarkW]

Why do you keep saying this over & over? People don't listen to signals.

Stations with big signals - all else equal - have a competitive advantage. Easier building penetration.

They get big mainstream ratings from WYRK and WBLK. This station is gravy. It is the 107.7 of their cluster.

This is why the mid-90's ownership law changes were bad. Owners only put real effort into 2 or 3 stations among a cluster of 4 to 6 stations.

Strategies like this - that sacrifice programming quality - make me want to root for big radio's failure. Of course, at the end of the day, it'll only be the creditors that get hosed, which is unfortunate. CEOs and other execs survive and continue to collect big paychecks despite destroying value.

 

[TheBigA]

This is why the mid-90's ownership law changes were bad. Owners only put real effort into 2 or 3 stations among a cluster of 4 to 6 stations.

Not every format can be #1 or #2. Some genres and some formats are destined to get a 1 share or 2 share regardless of the effort. The intent of the ownership law was to spread the revenue from the big formats among more stations. In fact, the law was written in such a way to discourage any group from monopolizing a market.

Regardless, the ownership laws were created because the FCC over-licensed the spectrum. They created more radio stations than a market can support. Stations went from getting 12 shares to getting 6 shares because of new stations as well as the growth of FM. The only way radio companies can afford to operate is through the economies of scale. Even Buddy Shula recognized this and has forged sales alliances with other stations (some in Canada) in order to subsidize WECK. Bottom line is that whatever you think of the ownership laws, they're not going anywhere.

Strategies like this - that sacrifice programming quality - make me want to root for big radio's failure.

You're making a qualitative judgement based on ratings. Those are two different things. WNED plays quality music and has a quality presentation but gets a 2 share. Getting big ratings is not a function of programming quality. In fact it can be the opposite. In a competitive situation, stations will cut the size of their playlist in order to get better ratings. If you don't like country music or urban music, it doesn't matter if WYRK or WBLK are #1 and #2 in the market.

The other reality is that if the big radio companies fail, there will be no revival of small radio companies to replace them. They will be replaced by EMF and other religious radio companies that will operate a national chain from one centralized office. That's the next step and its the only growing trend we see right now.

 

[TheBigA]

Stations with big signals - all else equal - have a competitive advantage. Easier building penetration.

Doesn't matter. Just because I can pick up a station doesn't mean I will listen. And today, there is no real advantage to an FM signal over wifi or ethernet in an office. The radio exists in the desktop computer.

 

[SirRoxalot]

The other reality is that if the big radio companies fail, there will be no revival of small radio companies to replace them. They will be replaced by EMF and other religious radio companies that will operate a national chain from one centralized office. That's the next step and its the only growing trend we see right now.

The reason that big radio companies sell to EMF and other religious radio companies is because they don't perceive them as direct competition. They will sell for less, or give away AM signals, to make sure that the stations don't go to serious competitors who can hurt their bottom line. Some of them are finding that Contemporary Christian does compete well in some markets. Religious broadcasters will also spend money on signals because their revenue stream is quite different.

 

[davideduardo]

This is why the mid-90's ownership law changes were bad. Owners only put real effort into 2 or 3 stations among a cluster of 4 to 6 stations.

First, and as BigA mentions, in the mid 90's the full and most detrimental effects of Docket 80-90 were felt: too many stations in n early every market with no increase in revenue. Over half of all stations were not profitable.

As to clusters, in my experience every station in a cluster is important; the possible exception would be bad AM signals and limited FMs. Those are often used as signals to take a bit away from a major competitor to level the field a bit.

I once owned 9 stations in one market. Every one was just as important as the rest, and got attention equally in sales, programming and staffing. Of course, all were full market signals, so each had the potential to bill well. Each went after a different audience segment, and certain segments were less attractive to advertisers than others so billing was not equal. But as to the focus of ownership and my managers, there was no difference between the CHR, the country equivalent, or the classical station.

Strategies like this - that sacrifice programming quality - make me want to root for big radio's failure. Of course, at the end of the day, it'll only be the creditors that get hosed, which is unfortunate. CEOs and other execs survive and continue to collect big paychecks despite destroying value.

Let's say I disagree.

The problem with the Big Three that filed or skirted bankruptcy had to do with either a leveraged buyout or a poor acquisition. It had nothing to do with the stations themselves.

 

[TheBigA]

The reason that big radio companies sell to EMF and other religious radio companies is because they don't perceive them as direct competition.

Although in the specific case of Cumulus, they were exiting many of these markets. They couldn't sell to competitors because those companies were already maxed out in those major markets. They sold to EMF because that company offered the most money, based on audience reached rather than a multiple of cash flow. In a time of declining revenues, basing sale price on reach rather than revenue can be very attractive.

 

[MarkW]

The problem with the Big Three that filed or skirted bankruptcy had to do with either a leveraged buyout or a poor acquisition. It had nothing to do with the stations themselves.

Look at revenue trends from the stations themselves over the past 15, 20, 25 years. Not pretty. It's a declining industry. Programming strategies that marginalize certain stations in a cluster to safeguard the "bread winner" are making the overall dial less palatable to younger listeners in particular. Great LOCAL morning shows are a shrinking species. Playing songs from a computer with a few milquetoast voicetracks from time to time passes as sufficient programming. The art of creative production is becoming a lost one, too.

You are right that foolish underwriting theses from investment bankers is the primary cause for the bankruptcy filings that have occurred within the past five years, but that same overriding mentality also fueled the extreme consolidation that has resulted in a deterioration in programming quality.

Big companies are trying to deploy podcasting strategies in hopes of plugging the holes in a slowly sinking ship. Time will tell if that strategy works.

And today, there is no real advantage to an FM signal over wifi or ethernet in an office. The radio exists in the desktop computer.

Many large companies' firewalls prevent streaming so as to conserve bandwidth. If I can stream from my computer, FM radio is probably the last thing I would choose in any event, unless it's a great morning or afternoon show.

 

[TheBigA]

Many large companies' firewalls prevent streaming so as to conserve bandwidth. If I can stream from my computer, FM radio is probably the last thing I would choose in any event, unless it's a great morning or afternoon show.

All of the big streaming companies (Apple, Spotify, Pandora) are doing hosted "radio" shows, just like FM, and from what I can see, hardly anyone listens. Listeners may use the curated music stations, but the DJ shows (when when they use celebrity DJs) are not something people seek out or use in a way that makes an impact, at least when compared to traditional FM. If people want hosted radio, they know they can find it for free on FM.

 

[MarkW]

The celebrity DJ thing annoys me. Anecdotal example - I am getting sick of Tom Morello (of RATM fame) being allocated big blocks of time on SXM so he can spin mostly stiffs.

Mario Lopez's AC radio night show is awful, too. Used to be carried on a very well known AC in my local market. Thankfully, they cancelled his show a couple years ago.

 

[ckg279]

The celebrity DJ thing annoys me. Anecdotal example - I am getting sick of Tom Morello (of RATM fame) being allocated big blocks of time on SXM so he can spin mostly stiffs.

Mario Lopez's AC radio night show is awful, too. Used to be carried on a very well known AC in my local market. Thankfully, they cancelled his show a couple years ago.

The latter show you mentioned doesn't run directly on any Buffalo station; it IS carried in the market by CJED(105.1 the River)and WWSE(SE93)in Jamestown; they're both Hot AC stations.