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CBeScapades

R

Radknowski

No word on the CBS Buffalo stations this week. If I were a betting man, I'd put money on Clear Channel adding one more pin on its map of New York state properties. Why Clear Channel? Because it's likely the only company large enough to come up with the money and meet the terms CBS is asking.

Which only leads to more conjecture. IF (and admittedly, it's a hedged-bet "if") Clear Channel buys the Buffalo CBS cluster, just what becomes of Jack and WECK? Wouldn't it make sense to restore the Standards format on WECK? Well, one of my friends in the business says there may be another angle to consider, that being talk or news-talk. His theory is Clear Channel owns Rush and a bevy of other conservative syndicated talkers, so why not do some addition by subtraction, pull Rush off WBEN (with the required 30 days advance notice) and put him on WECK along with Glen Beck and all the other right wingers. Sounds plausible.

As to WBUF, Clear Channel doesn't seem to have embraced the Jack franchise, so it's only reasonable to guess that another format could once again debut on 92.9. Classic Rock? AAA? Another one of my industry pals insists Jack is taking a few listeners from sister station WJYE.

Speaking of WJYE, while it remains sturdy with 25-54 Women (so I'm advised by two of my sales buds, one of whom sells for CBS) it seems to be losing a few listeners to WHTT... which raises another topic: WHTT. Fine Young Cannibals? U2? John Mellencamp? Genesis? Sheryl Crow?

No, it certainly is NOT Oldies 104 anymore. Frankly, the station sounds dynamic.
 
Radknowski said:
His theory is Clear Channel owns Rush and a bevy of other conservative syndicated talkers, so why not do some addition by subtraction, pull Rush off WBEN (with the required 30 days advance notice) and put him on WECK along with Glen Beck and all the other right wingers. Sounds plausible.
Click to expand...

It's plausable. I think WBUF would be the station to do it with though, as CC did the same thing in Pittsburgh with WPGB-FM. They have Rush, Beck, Savage, Hannity, Coast-to-Coast, etc.
 
CC Re: CBS Buffalo

Mike, for a house painter, you sure seem to have a lot of radio buddies. Are you sure you aren't one of the guys that the B&B Boys at 'BEN shill for?

I agree that Clear Channel is the most likely winner in the CBS Buffalo sweepstakes. If Entercom got 'em, they would have announced it along with Rochester. Citadel has enough trouble trying to complete the ABC deal, and nobody else makes geographic and/or monetary sense.

As far as WBUF and WECK are concerned, CC does have a lot of AM talkers, and a handful of FM talkers. Talk on WECK is certainly a possibility. Talk on WBUF might also be a possibility. If you're going to go after a market leader like WBEN, you need a cannon, not a peashooter. Go news/talk daytime, and sports/talk nightime, and you might set the table for a run at the Sabres and/or the Bills broadcast rights. Daytime, retrieving Rush may lead to significant discomfort at WBEN. Nightime, steal the Sabres, and you put a stake in the heart of WGR. The Sabres would love having their games on a big-time FM instead of the substandard nightime signal of WGR. The Bills would also be happy to look at a fistful of dollars waving at them when Citadel's contract comes up for renewal.

Mike, if CC wins, be happy you're on the sidelines watching. There's likely to be some slicing and dicing both in house and around town. There will be lots of people trying to stay under the radar. Some will not be successful.
 
In God We Trust...

It always makes me nervous when someone begins a statement with "Trust me..."

As in "Trust me - nobody could be worse than CBS..."

We ALL know that a station purchase RARELY makes life better in the short term. New owners don't come in and say "I know you're all underpaid. We bought the station to rectify that problem and create a new environment where we can all do our best work, and be fairly compensated."

Oh, wait, that IS what they SAY.

It's just not what they DO.
 
Re: In God We Trust...

SirRoxalot said:
It always makes me nervous when someone begins a statement with "Trust me..."

As in "Trust me - nobody could be worse than CBS..."

We ALL know that a station purchase RARELY makes life better in the short term. New owners don't come in and say "I know you're all underpaid. We bought the station to rectify that problem and create a new environment where we can all do our best work, and be fairly compensated." Oh, wait, that IS what they SAY. It's just not what they DO.
Click to expand...
Funny line, Rox. Sounds like you've heard the pitch, seen the movie and have the t-shirt to prove it. Me thinks the resident house painter is on to something here and it's not his intent to stir the pot. I have no idea what company is going to make the bold move into Buffalo, other than reading what's been posted here, but there've been some very good points made and interesting guesses.

As already pointed out, the talk format on WBUF makes a lot of sense (big signal, stable of syndicated talk shows, nothing to lose, etc.) Given that CC has taken one of its big signal FM's talk in Pittsburgh where it's taken on established heritage news-talk KDKA, the theory seems plausible. Still, even with its own syndication, can talk be an economical decision when a live, local news presence is required?

Perhaps the answer to that question, again as was pointed out, is that programming talk on WBUF especially having Rush Limbaugh, is likely to put WBEN at a distinct disadvantage. Still, haven't we read dozens of posts here (including a few of mine) that advocated "local always wins!" It would seem this very credo would apply to talk radio, especially in Buffalo.

Having seen the Spring book, WBUF-Jack is an also ran, but doesn't look much worse for wear, except for morning drive where Howard's absence has left a gaping hole. It's not costing CBS much to run the format and perhaps Clear Channel, should it purchase the cluster, will feel equally ambivalent about investing a lot of money in what has become one of Buffalo's two faltering FM frequencies (pardon the aliteration, I guess I've watched too much Eyewitness News in the 60's and 70's), the other being 107.7.

Sensing another Eyewitness News Moment, the headline for WBUF's theoretical format switch might be "Less Jack, More Yak!" (Film at 11.)

Apologies.
 
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