Buffalo & Rochester September '22 trends

[ckg279]

As noted by AllAccess.com and **************** . 12+ only. And only the top 5 stations for each market will be listed. Feel free, as usual, to make observations about any station.

With that, off we go...

BUFFALO

1. WBLK/93.7 10.4(+ .5 from the last trend)
2. WGRF/96.9 8.8(+ .6)
3. WYRK/106.5 7.8(- .4)
4. WHTT/104.1 6.8(- .4)
5. WBEN/930 6.2(+ .1)

ROCHESTER

1. WHAM/1180 7.7(+ 1.2)
2. WBEE/92.5 7.5(- 1.2)
WDKX/103.9 7.5(- .7)
4. WCMF/96.5 5.9(- .2)
5. WPXY/97.9 3.8(- .6)

 

[Buddy Shula]

Bad book for WECK. Worst in 2 years! I'm not happy. We will make a BIG comeback, trust me, it's just one month.

This is a very strange book....we have a new solid player....WBFO. You can see that reflecting in WBEN numbers.

What I am seeing over all in the vital signs is a very big share decline in radio. More and more stations are going below 4.5 share 12 plus.

That's concerning.

It is amazing to me that MSX and BUF cannot get their act together. LKK went back down to 1.5. This station will simply never make a difference playing the same music YRK does. Folks, go Country Gold!

97 Rock is steadfast. Does not surprise me. They are solid. They are heritage. They are part of Buffalo culture. The station is a rock. It ain't movin.

The overall picture concerns me. When total shares for most stations go down, it means radio share in general is going down. A little scary...

 

[tbolt909]

Bad book for WECK. Worst in 2 years! I'm not happy. We will make a BIG comeback, trust me, it's just one month.

LKK went back down to 1.5. This station will simply never make a difference playing the same music YRK does. Folks, go Country Gold!

97 Rock is steadfast. They are part of Buffalo culture.

That's like saying Walmart is part of the local culture. Every town has one just like it.

The Wolf is faring no better than Alternative did. It's an exercise in futility at this point. Why would Audacy try Gold Country? They'd be better off doing AAA or Classic Alternative like 1st Wave on Sirius. Audacy is in full collapse mode, so they're in no position to make any effort on the programming side anyway. As you mentioned, fewer people bother to check out Radio because they know there's no reason to...

 

[Buddy Shula]

That's like saying Walmart is part of the local culture. Every town has one just like it.

The Wolf is faring no better than Alternative did. It's an exercise in futility at this point. Why would Audacy try Gold Country? They'd be better off doing AAA or Classic Alternative like 1st Wave on Sirius. Audacy is in full collapse mode, so they're in no position to make any effort on the programming side anyway. As you mentioned, fewer people bother to check out Radio because they know there's no reason to...

The signal 107.7 was designed for rural geography. It absolutely should be a country station, just not a duplicate of the 30 year heritage station in the market

There are 2 types of country music, and the listeners are polar opposite. There is Country and New Country. Older people want older country, younger people like the newer country.

YRK is new country. They play none of the huge country traditional artists, George Strait, Randy Travis, Clint Black, The Judds, Charlie Daniels, Merle, George Jones.....and on and on

80's and 90's country is missing from Buffalo radio ....it would be an exclusive format and it would do well from a sales standpoint, and an older listenership

 

[Buddy Shula]

That's like saying Walmart is part of the local culture. Every town has one just like it.

The Wolf is faring no better than Alternative did. It's an exercise in futility at this point. Why would Audacy try Gold Country? They'd be better off doing AAA or Classic Alternative like 1st Wave on Sirius. Audacy is in full collapse mode, so they're in no position to make any effort on the programming side anyway. As you mentioned, fewer people bother to check out Radio because they know there's no reason to...

Everyone has a great memory of 97 Rock in Buffalo. What great memory do they have about other stations? Format changes? 97 Rock made a difference in the life's of people growing up in Buffalo. They all have at least a few good memories of 97 Rock. Remember the 97 Rock Angels, Rally in the Alley, Super fest at stadium? Larry Norton on the marathon ferris wheel? Memorial Day/Labor Day countdowns? Two for Tuesday? Double Shot weekends?

97 Rock's playlist is small. We all know that, but the trust factor is there. Remember when 97 Rock went to WRLT? Did not work out so well. People wanted 97 Rock back.

Russo, JP, Norton, Tiberi, Cindy Chan, John Hagar. Great jocks. Great followings. Like a comfy blanket.

Say what you want about 97 Rock, but too me, they have been part of the Buffalo culture for a long, long time.

 

[SirRoxalot]

I find it interesting that country is down in this book and WBLK is up. Is that a sign of diary placement? Or is WBLK making hay from the dilution of the Kiss product over the last couple of years?

It's only one book, but there are some trends here that are carrying over several months.

 

[flybynight]

I find it interesting that country is down in this book and WBLK is up. Is that a sign of diary placement? Or is WBLK making hay from the dilution of the Kiss product over the last couple of years?

It's only one book, but there are some trends here that are carrying over several months.

Rednecks have turned in their cowboy hats and become black people. It's about time.

 

[davideduardo]

The overall picture concerns me. When total shares for most stations go down, it means radio share in general is going down. A little scary...

There are always 100 shares, not matter what. Share: percentage of total radio listening going to each station, including unsubscribed or unidentified ones.

 

[tbolt909]

Say what you want about 97 Rock, but too me, they have been part of the Buffalo culture for a long, long time.

So are stomach churning greasy chicken wings. There's no accounting for taste. The station is hardly unique. It may be for people who have been in Buffalo all their lives. This is the station that fired their morning show and PD awhile ago over bad jokes about skin colour. Some people in Buffalo cringe at that kind of '"culture"...

 

[Buddy Shula]

There are always 100 shares, not matter what. Share: percentage of total radio listening going to each station, including unsubscribed or unidentified ones.

100 shares of what? There could be 10 people listening to radio and there would still be 100 shares split up against 10 people.

I see the shares for every station. Other than 4 or 5 stations, most are 4.5 or under. That never happened before.

It's pretty clear less people are listening to radio

 

[Buddy Shula]

So are stomach churning greasy chicken wings. There's no accounting for taste. The station is hardly unique. It may be for people who have been in Buffalo all their lives. This is the station that fired their morning show and PD awhile ago over bad jokes about skin colour. Some people in Buffalo cringe at that kind of '"culture"...

I have no idea where you are from, but Wings are like the Buffalo Bills in terms of our culture. I hear very very people describe wings like you do, so you are going to the extreme with these analogies.

What does letting someone go have anything to do about what we are talking about? Every station lets people go. Every company lets people go

I am not sure why you are saying 97 Rock is analogous to Buffalo.

If 97 Rock where taken of the air, there would be a outcry

 

[Buddy Shula]

Rednecks have turned in their cowboy hats and become black people. It's about time.

African Americans are not the only people who listen to WBLK

 

[Buddy Shula]

I find it interesting that country is down in this book and WBLK is up. Is that a sign of diary placement? Or is WBLK making hay from the dilution of the Kiss product over the last couple of years?

It's only one book, but there are some trends here that are carrying over several months.

Yes, it's only one book, and frankly, this is way worse looking at this every 4 weeks rather than the quarterly books. There are just too many wobbles.

Even my rep tells me "it's diary placement"

 

[tbolt909]

I am not sure why you are saying 97 Rock is analogous to Buffalo.

If 97 Rock where taken of the air, there would be a outcry

I simply pointed out that the format has been done to death everywhere. It's not unique to Buffalo nor did it originate there. If they flipped the format, people can still get their Zeppelin and Freebird fix elsewhere. Since the ratings seem solid, I doubt anything will change. Radio users who want this product are satisfied there. That's why WBUF failed. There's no demand for more of the same...

 

[SirRoxalot]

Rednecks have turned in their cowboy hats and become black people. It's about time.

WBLK doesn't only appeal to black people. It appeals to all people who are into Hip-Hop/R&B, a major component of today's Contemporary Hit Radio, and that includes a lot of people under 40 from all communities. While WBLK has been steady, Kiss has gone more and more with syndication and VT. Not to mention a 50-something out-of-town mom leading the morning show on what's supposed to be a CHR radio station.

 

[tbolt909]

Steve Harvey is 65. His age doesn't seem to be hurting WBLK. Maybe he's just more entertaining than the "50 Something Out of Town Soccer Mom"...

 

[Buddy Shula]

I simply pointed out that the format has been done to death everywhere. It's not unique to Buffalo nor did it originate there. If they flipped the format, people can still get their Zeppelin and Freebird fix elsewhere. Since the ratings seem solid, I doubt anything will change. Radio users who want this product are satisfied there. That's why WBUF failed. There's no demand for more of the same...

There is demand for things that Buffalo is known for in Buffalo. Like the Buffalo Bills or Chicken Wings.

I know where are coming from Bolt, but Buffalo is different from a lot of cities. It’s a city of hope. Old, non transient, and they like traditions. People still talk about Father Baker and the blizzard of 77

I feel 97 Rock still has that kind of position in people cognitively.

I do understand what your saying, and you are correct, AOR stations are everywhere, but 97 Rock has quite a history in Buffalo and people like that.

Buffalo is one of the few places that AM radio thrives. As an AM station owner, I like that.

There are many cities that could care less about FM, let alone AM.

 

[SirRoxalot]

Steve Harvey is 65. His age doesn't seem to be hurting WBLK. Maybe he's just more entertaining than the "50 Something Out of Town Soccer Mom"...

Steve Harvey is the only real game in town for the black community that makes up a substantial portion of WBLK's listening audience. He also may be more entertaining and more relevant to people who choose WBLK in the morning. My point is that Kiss is getting a bit long in the tooth and Audacy is not investing in new local talent.

 

[TheBigA]

There are 2 types of country music, and the listeners are polar opposite. There is Country and New Country. Older people want older country, younger people like the newer country.

That's not what we're seeing in markets where listeners have a choice. In Dallas, when KPLX flipped to a mix of 90s-2000s country, they got better numbers in both 6+ and in 18-34 than the currents-based KSCS. Also, younger people like new songs that reference 90s country, as evidenced by the success of current songs that incorporate 90s country such as "She Had Me At Heads Carolina" and "Damn Strait."

 

[davideduardo]

100 shares of what? There could be 10 people listening to radio and there would still be 100 shares split up against 10 people.

That is correct. The "universe" for share is composed of people who are listening to the radio. It does not include those who are not listening.

If there are 10 stations in the market, and at a given time just 100 persons listening in total, and each station has 10 listeners, each station would have a 10 share.

I see the shares for every station. Other than 4 or 5 stations, most are 4.5 or under. That never happened before.

That is fragmentation. There are less and less mass appeal formats and music varieties. We are not in the era of WKBW with 40 shares because not everyone likes the same kind of music or the same presentations.

The Internet has contributed by exposing people to lots more varieties of music and allowing for new ways of song discovery. It has also reduced radio time spent listening by around 60% in the last two decades.

It's pretty clear less people are listening to radio

Of course. But it's more than that.

In 2000 the average was around 95% of people listened to radio in a week. Now, it averages around 85% in 35 and over and below 80% in 18-34.

But those who do listen spend a lot less time with radio. Among listeners, the average was around 18 hours a week. Now it is 7 hours a week or less in PPM markets.