Buffalo & Rochester August '23 trends

[ckg279]

As per **************** . 12+ only. And only the top 5 stations in each market will be listed.

BUFFALO

1. WBLK/93.7 9.1(down .4 from last trend and 1.0 from May trend)
2. WGRF/96.9 8.4(down .1 from last trend, but up .6 from May)
3. WYRK/106.5 8.3(down 1.1 from the last trend, but down .1 from May)
4. WBEN/930 7.7(up .1 from the last trend and up 1.0 from May
5. WHTT/104.1 6.7(down .3 from the last trend and from May as well)

ROCHESTER

1. WBEE/92.5 9.1(down .6 from the last trend, up .4 from May)
2. WCMF/96.5 7.4(down .1 from the last trend, up .6 from May)
3. WDKX/103.9 7.3(up .6 from the last trend, down 1.0 from May)
4. WHAM/1180 6.0(down .7 from the last trend and 2.3 from May)
WRMM/101.3 6.0(up .4 from the last trend and 2.1 from May)

Other notes:

-Hot 98.9 in Buffalo does pop up on the book with a .6, just below CFLZ(101.1 More FM)which gets a .9 .
-WTSS shows up in the book at 4.2(up .3), but Radio Online lists it as being owned by the Educational Media Foundation. Which it ISN'T; Townsquare does.(EMF owns WBKV, formerly WTSS.)

 

[ckg279]

ratings.****************/content/arb037 has the full listings for Buffalo. (The Rochester link will be posted later on.)

 

[Rusty Bridges]

Here's the Rochester numbers ... just so readers 50 miles east don't feel neglected.

A few cursory observations on the Buffalo numbers. 97 Rock makes a change in midday, yet it continues to climb. Impressive and telling. This noted, looking at Persons 12+, it's anybody's guess as to where the bodies lie relative to dayparts and demographics. Still, up is up, and that's better than down.

Nothing really earth-shaking in this monthly report, although there are some quirks: WYRK's dip is intriguing, especially since it had appeared to be stabilizing. WGR is off a smidge while most might expect it to be stepping up, given Bills training camp and the forthcoming season. Edge, Kiss and Star @ 96.1 nudging upward, the Star numbers clearly reflecting what's going on at 96.1, not 102.5. WECK maintains it's baseline. Respectable. The Wolf holding at 2.1 appears also to have established its baseline. WBUF, gurgling at a consistent 1.4 ... hmmm, that sports talk thread comes to mind.

 

[ckg279]

I'd also add that 98.9's numbers remained consistent, whether it was 98.9 the Vibe or Hot 98.9 .

In Rochester, I'm not sure what on Earth happened to WRMM(Warm 101.3)to rocket up 2 points in 3 months, but it's OK with me.

 

[SirRoxalot]

It's interesting that the 3.4-ish share that the former WMSX had seems to have evaporated. Since EMF doesn't buy the book, it may indicate that 102.5 has maintained a mix of listeners from the former Star 102. 5 and some new listeners to their brand of music on arguably the biggest signal in town. Christian music definitely has an audience in other cities, including Top 5 ratings in cities as diverse as Minneapolis-St. Paul, Tampa-St. Pete, and Houston. Read more here:

Onward Christian Radio!

Radio broadcasters love to talk about new trends. That's a big part of the reason AI has become a well-discussed topic this year. But a major trend flying under the format radar is the rise of Christian radio in market after market. While many radio operators are struggling to grow audience and...

jacobsmedia.com

 

[tbolt909]

It's interesting that the 3.4-ish share that the former WMSX had seems to have evaporated.

WMSX is now WTSS The New Star. If you read the current ratings, it has a 4.2. They may have picked some former 102.5 listeners who chose not to "Come To Jesus". Some may have just moved over to KISS...

 

[davideduardo]

I'd also add that 98.9's numbers remained consistent, whether it was 98.9 the Vibe or Hot 98.9 .

In Rochester, I'm not sure what on Earth happened to WRMM(Warm 101.3)to rocket up 2 points in 3 months, but it's OK with me.

We have almost 2 points up with WGRF in Buffalo, too.

I prefer Lance's listings because he adds one more month in his columns, allowing for us to see a bit better things like the difference between wobbles an

 

[ckg279]

We have almost 2 points up with WGRF in Buffalo, too.

I prefer Lance's listings because he adds one more month in his columns, allowing for us to see a bit better things like the difference between wobbles an

David: So do I; that said, they weren't posted at the time I started the OP. I had to go with what was available.

 

[SirRoxalot]

WMSX is now WTSS The New Star. If you read the current ratings, it has a 4.2. They may have picked some former 102.5 listeners who chose not to "Come To Jesus". Some may have just moved over to KISS...

Yes, that's obvious. But look at the bottom of the column and you'll see that WMSX previously had a 3.0 / 3.4 in May and June while WTSS had a 4.4 / 4.3. WTSS, the former WMSX, had a 3.9/4.2 in July/August. There are no July/August ratings for WMSX. That indicates that about are no longer allocated to rated stations. Realistically, WMSX likely didn't lose all of its listeners when 102.5 went to EMF and the adopted the old WTSS call letters and moniker. If you sum up the shares for the rated stations for each monthly you'll find that there's a 2.9 share overall difference between May and August. It seems quite possible that some of the 102.5 listeners either didn't change their dial, or some folks gravitated to a "safe for children" station.

 

[tbolt909]

Realistically, WMSX likely didn't lose all of its listeners when 102.5 went to EMF and the adopted the old WTSS call letters and moniker. If you sum up the shares for the rated stations for each monthly you'll find that there's a 2.9 share overall difference between May and August. It seems quite possible that some of the 102.5 listeners either didn't change their dial, or some folks gravitated to a "safe for children" station.

There's some confusion it seems. The former WTSS is now WBKV. EMF obviously doesn't buy the ratings. The former WMSX took the STAR name AND the WTSS call letters. I suppose listeners and Nielsen could be confused by this switcheroo. Since Audacy also kept an online version alive, that added more chaos.

Even former STAR 102.5 listeners are probably bright enough to notice that the format changed. Maybe some decided to give K-Love a try, but I doubt very many...

 

[davideduardo]

Even former STAR 102.5 listeners are probably bright enough to notice that the format changed. Maybe some decided to give K-Love a try, but I doubt very many...

Actually, in markets where EMF subscribes I see that among the biggest shared listening for EMF's K-love are classic hits and AC formats.

 

[Rusty Bridges]

Actually, in markets where EMF subscribes I see that among the biggest shared listening for EMF's K-love are classic hits and AC formats.

This is not surprising, especially in "Bible Belt" regions where EMF operates in some larger markets. When the news broke that EMF was the buyer of the 102.5 frequency, I suggested that a (not necessarily large) number of Star 102.5 listeners might stay put, or at least sample the CC format and make it a P2 or P3 choice.

 

[SirRoxalot]

If you look at the link I posted above, you'll find that Christian radio does a lot better in many markets outside the Bible Belt than most people here surmise. It's not inconceivable that EMF could get a 3 share or better in the metro with that big signal. The reach, especially into Canada, may bring in more direct money than the former Star format raised with ads.

 

[davideduardo]

If you look at the link I posted above, you'll find that Christian radio does a lot better in many markets outside the Bible Belt than most people here surmise. It's not inconceivable that EMF could get a 3 share or better in the metro with that big signal. The reach, especially into Canada, may bring in more direct money than the former Star format raised with ads.

Good point, as usual.

The K-Love format gets a lot of listeners from those with Christian beliefs who don't go to church regularly or even ever.

I'm reminded of Ben Franklin, who was a Deist and had the belief that religion and God were everywhere, not just in churches. That seems to fit the profile of many who would like a portion of their musical diet to be spiritual without being evangelical. I'm sure EMF has done lots of research on the kind of people who will be the most frequent listeners and contributors.

Likely they have found non-practicing Christians are among them, and that explains the outreach programs like the phone and text counseling and local activities that they do beyond the radio programming. They have a prayer request service and what they call "life resources" that are ideal for those who don't belong to a congregation: Life Resources

Note: I am not a listener or supporter of EMF, but am not a critic, either. My fondest feeling for them concerns there elimination of one or two commercial stations in each market, leaving more of the shrinking radio revenue base to the rest of us.

 

[tbolt909]

If you look at the link I posted above, you'll find that Christian radio does a lot better in many markets outside the Bible Belt than most people here surmise. It's not inconceivable that EMF could get a 3 share or better in the metro with that big signal. The reach, especially into Canada, may bring in more direct money than the former Star format raised with ads.

EMF doesn't care about ratings. They DO care that the money keeps flowing in. You can't compare revenue from advertising to the EMF business model. Joel Osteen may be bringing in more money than Audacy at this point...

 

[MarkW]

Star 96.1 = WTSS. The shares associated with those calls belong to 96.1, not 102.5.

K-Love at 102.5 is evidently a non-subscriber.

96.1's share has nearly doubled in the past year. Townsquare has got to be ecstatic! Audacy's decision to sell 102.5 was a huge gift. (WBUF - much different story. What a disaster.)

The incorrect ownership info is an error committed by Radio-Online.

The Wolf has quietly cracked a 2 share, which is respectable for that set of signals.

 

[tbolt909]

The Wolf has quietly cracked a 2 share, which is respectable for that set of signals.

You've lowered the bar quite a lot if that's respectable. The Wolf has averaged a 1.4 share during its existence. This 2 share may be a fluke. Wait and see if it can maintain it for several months or if it goes right back down. Keep in mind that 107.7 once had a Rock format that averaged ratings in the 3.5 range consistently. Blaming the signal is a cop out.

Meanwhile, WBUF has no signal issues. They just have a train wreck format...

 

[davideduardo]

EMF doesn't care about ratings.

Actually, they do. They subscribe to Nielsen in a sample of markets so they can track things like age appeal, TSL, audience flow during the day, what stations and formats they share listeners with and many other things they can pull from the ratings.

They don't buy every rated market they are in, but instead buy a variety of market sizes and geographic locations. Since they run a 100% simulcast network, there is no need for every book in every market. But they definitely to buy a number of the and they definitely care about ratings.

They obviously know that a certain percentage of listeners make contributions so they want to reach as many as possible. Having ratings data is one tool they use in maximizing their performance.

They DO care that the money keeps flowing in.

And to do that, they have to reach more people in the ages and of the types that are the most generous.

You can't compare revenue from advertising to the EMF business model.

Yes, you can. Both use ratings to determine station reach and listening time and occasions. One uses the data to sell ads, the other uses the data to maximize its reach of potential donors.

Joel Osteen may be bringing in more money than Audacy at this point...

Unlikely. You can see the Audacy financials online.

 

[tbolt909]

My mistake. EMF is concerned with Money & Metrics. I guess it was Jesus who never dirtied his hands with that stuff. The Business of Religion does not run on faith alone...

 

[davideduardo]

My mistake. EMF is concerned with Money & Metrics. I guess it was Jesus who never dirtied his hands with that stuff. The Business of Religion does not run on faith alone...

Your point? (other than being consistently contrarian and negative)