Buffalo Trend

[SpareChange]

Radio & Records has published the lastest 12+ ratings for the second phase of the Spring Arbitron. Once again, WYRK rules the roost, holding a healthy lead over WBEN. Buffalo's sole commercial news-talk station appears to be slipping.

WBUF-Jack (incorrectly listed as "Talk") notched up and continues to prove board pundits here wrong.

Apparently there are listeners who enjoy Standards, because the Canadian flamethrower 740 CHWO looks relatively healthy, while once-Standards-now-Classic Country-WECK wanes. WWKB battles WXRL for less than a share of the market. The once proud KB just can't seem to establish itself. Could it be that WBEN and WWKB are down because talk radio listeners slid over to WGR? Hard to say what the Buffalo Sabres' loss in their quest for The Cup will do for WGR's ratings when the complete Spring book is released.

Heritage Urban WBLK holds a consistently strong position, while its whitebread cousins Kiss and Z-101 slug it out in the CHR brawl, with Kiss the leader in this round. In the face of intense competition and despite long commercial breaks, 97 Rock had a welcome up trend, while the level of the Lake appears to be down. Global warming?

The biggest surprise may be in the AC arena where WHTT Mix 104.1 surged to fourth place, leading established competitors, Hot AC Star 102.5 and Soft Rock WJYE 96.1.

With two thirds of the all important Spring book in, these numbers make for interesting speculation.

 

[Yeziknoradio]

So, what's the population of *any* other language other than english in Buffalo and area?

I'm thinking...spanish or something for better revenue over at KB.
It's been mentioned here before, so the idea is hardly mine.
I honestly do not know if there is a market in Buffalo for anything outside english language radio.

 

[ThePickleReport]

I think if WHTT ends up in the top 4 stations when the book is finished that is quite a coup. If so, WJYE might be in for a serious re-tooling.

WBUF is proving that you don't need a personality or airstaff to at the very least remain consistent and respectable.

 

[Element9]

So, what's the population of *any* other language other than english in Buffalo and area?

The Hispanic population of Buffalo, according to the 2000 census, was 7.5 per cent. However, it may be the only ethnic constituency that's growing, considering the US Census projected 2007 data show Buffalo's overall continues to decline at an alarming rate. It might not be too long before the Rochester contingent on this board, normally a congenial lot, is crowing about Rochester being larger than Buffalo. (Hey! Remember, the teams are still named the BUFFALO Sabres and Bills.)

I'm thinking...Spanish or something for better revenue over at KB. It's been mentioned here before, so the idea is hardly mine. I honestly do not know if there is a market in Buffalo for anything outside english language radio.

It appears Professor Bob has made an impression on you. There's already a Spanish station in the market, daytimer WBBF AM 1120, which Citadel apparently leases to a group of Hispanic businessmen. I don't collect a check from Entercom, but friends there say KB is making money with progressive talk and the company is fond of the station. But it's hard to argue with those right-minded radio types who insist KB would make a fine Standards-Oldies station. Still, hasn't Entercom been down that road before?

I think if WHTT ends up in the top 4 stations when the book is finished that is quite a coup. If so, WJYE might be in for a serious re-tooling.

Both Jack and Mix are proving some of us very wrong (thanks for your vote of confidence, SpareChange.) Granted, it's only a trend for each station, and these ARE 12+ numbers, but both stations are making headway. That 12+ has to be coming from SOME demo. Am I wrong in thinking that WBUF pushed WHTT to more actively pursue Women and take on WJYE and Star with an AC format that sounds like "Jack for Women?" Wouldn't we all like to know where Mix is picking up listeners and where WJYE and Star are losing them. I don't see WJYE re-tooling anytime soon. Their braintrust most likely feels they have a good product and they'll keep doing what they're doing for at least another book or two. Unless of course, the 25-54's are downright unsavory. If WJYE doesn't rebound within a two book period, a re-tooling may be in the works. But the question is: Re-tool to what? Oldies? Regent should be doing that on WECK. Furthermore, where does WJYE go if it decides to re-tool? It has Jack on one of its flanks, so Oldies and Classic Hits are out. WYRK is on the other, so Country is out. What to do?

WBUF is proving that you don't need a personality or airstaff to at the very least remain consistent and respectable.

Hmmmm. You've just poked the hornets nest with that remark! Jack's good and the people who are pushing the buttons there are doing an impressive job. But Jack, to the best of my knowledge, hasn't unseated 97 Rock or Star. As with Mix, it'd be nice to see just where it's picking up 25-54 numbers. Jack seems to nibble away at a number of stations: Star, 97 Rock, WHTT, Kiss and even WJYE, with a format designed primarily for males, and women who are musically diverse. We'll know more when the complete Spring 2007 book is out. Hopefully, it won't be embargoed on Radio & Records.

Now, what's up with The Lake? Just when it looked like it was going to break from the bottom feeders, it appears waterlogged. Is it the signal, the format or a combination of factors?

-9-

 

[Radknowski]

Oh no, not another lead in to a Lake bashing thread. The Lake is just fine. Let it be. It is what it is. After three years, it's not like it's going to change.

As to Jack, it does seem to be proving a lot of people wrong, but I wouldn't go so far as to say that it's success is proof that a station doesn't need live, local, air talent to win. Far as I can tell from the 12+ ratings at Radio & Records, Jack still hasn't beaten Star, 97 Rock, Mix, WBEN and WYRK, stations with good live, local air personalities. OK, so things might be different in the 25-54 ratings (which we don't see) and Jack does seem to be making things difficult for a few radio stations that might be doing a lot better if Jack wasn't occasionally pimping listeners from them. But I still think "live 'n local" wins in the long run. Just my buck-tree-eighty.

 

[ThePickleReport]

Jack's good and the people who are pushing the buttons there are doing an impressive job. But Jack, to the best of my knowledge, hasn't unseated 97 Rock or Star.

Agreed. But that's not what I was trying to infer.

My early thoughts when JACK first went on that it would gain a bit because of curiosity, peak, and then gradually fall over a few books and be a candidate for ANOTHER format change-du-jour. Instead JACK-FM seems to have a real solid base and doesn't show much fluctuation over the last 5 books, at least 12+.

If you are an optimist about the station I'd say JACK has out-performed and if you are a pessimist there's doesn't seem to be much more room to improve. We'll see about that trend though.

 

[ThePickleReport]

Oldies? Regent should be doing that on WECK.

Yes they should. I don't know what the hold-up could be. The only thing lower than WECK's current ratings is turning the transmitter off. ;D

 

[SirRoxalot]

WrECK

The only thing lower than WECK's current ratings is turning the transmitter off. ;D

Hey, if WECK changes format, WYRK will have to worry about WXRL stealing those Classic County listeners...

 

[NeedsMoreCowbell]

12+ ratings are always fun to look at, but they really mean nothing in the grand scheme. What remains consistent regardless of share book after book are the top 4 Buffalo billers: WBEN, WYRK, WGRF and WTSS. These are the big dogs in revenue, and this hasn't changed in a decade. Even when the ratings of 97 Rock and Star are in the tank, which seems to happen once a year for each at least, they still bill more than the stations that get so much discussion on this board. Each conglomerate in town has at least one revenue big gun, everyone else competes for what's left.

 

[Radknowski]

12+ ratings are always fun to look at, but they really mean nothing in the grand scheme. What remains consistent regardless of share book after book are the top 4 Buffalo billers: WBEN, WYRK, WGRF and WTSS. These are the big dogs in revenue, and this hasn't changed in a decade. Even when the ratings of 97 Rock and Star are in the tank, which seems to happen once a year for each at least, they still bill more than the stations that get so much discussion on this board. Each conglomerate in town has at least one revenue big gun, everyone else competes for what's left.

Well said. We certainly enjoy getting amped-up on these 12+ numbers, most of us knowing full well the 25-54's are the real issue. But ain't it fun? Seems to me we're all a bunch of know-it-alls, speculators and experts... this said in the most benevolent of ways.

Not knowing what the 25-54's are for this latest trend doesn't prevent us from projecting, sometimes in a very articulate and knowledgeable way, what we believe the 25-54's to be. Station "A" goes up a few shares 12+ and we presume it had a big gain at the expense of station "B." Or, the gains came from increases 25-54, when in fact, the increase could have occured in the 18-34 demo.

It will be interesting to see the Spring book and find out if any of the traditional "big dogs" are toppled by any one of the secondary stations like Jack or Mix, or a combination of secondary stations like the Lake, WGR, Jack and Mix. Goliath was brought down by one well-targeted stone. The way radio revenue ebbs and flows these days, one bad book, especially Spring or Fall, can be very costly and the beginning of a downward spiral.

Just my buck tree 80.