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CC Flipping AM News Talker to ....... OLDIES?

F

fred flintstone

Guest
Allentown Morning Call is reporting that Clear Channel's WAEB 790, a long-time news-talk outlet, is flipping to Oldies (with the exception of station's local-live morning show). In the Arbitron book released this week, WAEB was the number one AM station (number six overall), the top talk-based format and had it's best overall numbers in the past year. WAEB was one Rush's charter affiliates (I used to enjoy the contrast between Rush's local show on WABC from 10-noon and Rush's national show on WAEB). The station also carries Beck and Hannity. Clear Channel recently flipped their former AM Oldies station in the market to Religion. However, syndicated talk shows on WAEB are also available to most listeners in the market from WABC and/or WPHT 1210, Philadelphia.

Both news-talk and Oldies skew toward older listeners. The difference is radio stations are mostly able to sell news-talk much better than they've been able to sell Oldies. That makes this a curious move. The trend (including among Clear Channel stations) has been in the opposite direction with stations dropping Oldies - often for some form of talk.

WAEB has been teasing listeners about the partial flip since before Christmas. This is being discussed more fully on the Lehigh Valley Board.
 
fred flintstone said:
Allentown Morning Call is reporting that Clear Channel's WAEB 790, a long-time news-talk outlet, is flipping to Oldies (with the exception of station's local-live morning show). In the Arbitron book released this week, WAEB was the number one AM station (number six overall), the top talk-based format and had it's best overall numbers in the past year. WAEB was one Rush's charter affiliates (I used to enjoy the contrast between Rush's local show on WABC from 10-noon and Rush's national show on WAEB). The station also carries Beck and Hannity. Clear Channel recently flipped their former AM Oldies station in the market to Religion. However, syndicated talk shows on WAEB are also available to most listeners in the market from WABC and/or WPHT 1210, Philadelphia.

Both news-talk and Oldies skew toward older listeners. The difference is radio stations are mostly able to sell news-talk much better than they've been able to sell Oldies. That makes this a curious move. The trend (including among Clear Channel stations) has been in the opposite direction with stations dropping Oldies - often for some form of talk.

WAEB has been teasing listeners about the partial flip since before Christmas. This is being discussed more fully on the Lehigh Valley Board.
Click to expand...
Must be some evil corporate executive :mad: plotting to increase profits as behind this switch! ::) Oh, the humanity! ;)
 
Scott in DE said:
Must be some evil corporate executive :mad: plotting to increase profits as behind this switch! ::) Oh, the humanity! ;)
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Did you even read the original post, Scott?

Sometimes you come up with well thought-out stuff. Sometimes you mechanistically spout random right-wing talk radio cliches - which may or may not have anything to do with the post to which you are replying.

If you'd paid more attention, you'd notice that the point is that if the goal is profits (and it should be) they are shooting themselves in the foot by dropping a format which consistently produces revenues for one which does not.

Those of us who work in the BIZ do appreciate it this is a business and we want it to be financially healthy so we still have a BIZ to work in. It's you listeners who seem to think radio should not care about revenue - only about running whatever the listener posting wants hear. If at some point, a station thought they could increase revenue with programming other than Mark Levin or "conservative" talk, you'd be the first to scream bloody murder.

BTW: Have you found the political discussions on the Off The Air board yet? You might find it interesting.
 
NigelWick said:
We're seeing FM's flip to news, talk, sports in many markets. Is Allentown next?
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Interesting idea. Maybe a good one.
But if that's in Clear Channel's plans, it makes no sense to drop the format on one station and then wait to re-introduce it on FM.
Clear Channel has not been keeping this secret, so it would also have made sense for somebody else to be ready to move with a talk format on FM (and with the syndicated shows on WAEB).
 
It does seem like a curious move. Is the oldies format going to be satellite-fed? I'm guessing CC is not going to hire much of a local air staff. The only way this makes sense (financially) is if the oldies format costs far less in overhead than the news-talk station. Even then, since much of what was on the talk format was syndicated, it seems like there would not be too much in the way of savings. Curious.
 
Those of us who work in the BIZ do appreciate it this is a business and we want it to be financially healthy so we still have a BIZ to work in.

If you truly worked in the business in a higher capacity that being a board op in a small market station, then you'd realize that every single market in the country has its own unique identity. Just because one thing works in most markets doesn't mean it works in every market.

Perhaps you need to expand your own personal understanding of what "local" really means. If you're going to advocate "local" hosts on "local" stations broadcasting "local" content, then maybe you might consider that the local management of that station has a better handle on what works in that particular city.
 
I recall in the 90's when CBS took N/T off 1210 and made it Oldies 1210 - WOGL-AM. After a year, the brass said it was the first time the station had made a profit in years. Of course, they were carrying the Phillys', copying the FM overnight and during morning drive (but with a separate newscast following a union protest). They were only paying Hy Lit and Harvey Holiday to do separate programs. So of course they made a profit. They fired the highly paid talk hosts (Frank Rizzo made $100K/yr for his gig), union scale producers and news readers and cut the pay to about one third what it had been.

But to take a successful and relatively low cost N/T operation and make it oldies sounds like a really bad idea. The ASCAP/BMI fees alone will be more than they are paying for Rush.
 
WTUX said:
But to take a successful and relatively low cost N/T operation and make it oldies sounds like a really bad idea. The ASCAP/BMI fees alone will be more than they are paying for Rush.
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I'm not so sure about that. If they keep the playlist tight, and can right off the fees as an Operating Expense, then they wouldn't be spending that much on ASCAP/BMI fees....I guess it depends on how much Rush bills, but since he's the #1 host, I would imagine it's not small potatoes.
 
Allentown Morning Call is reporting that Clear Channel's WAEB 790, a long-time news-talk outlet, is flipping to Oldies
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I seem to be picking on Fred, busting all his reports....but I have to remind him and you that ABC has a long term contract to carry Hannity on WAEB. We just did this contract extention last fall for another 2 years, so they can´t drop Hannity...and I can´t imagine them dropping Rush. I think you need to go back and check your sources.

pb
 
Phil Boyce said:
Allentown Morning Call is reporting that Clear Channel's WAEB 790, a long-time news-talk outlet, is flipping to Oldies
Click to expand...

I seem to be picking on Fred, busting all his reports....but I have to remind him and you that ABC has a long term contract to carry Hannity on WAEB. We just did this contract extention last fall for another 2 years, so they can´t drop Hannity...and I can´t imagine them dropping Rush. I think you need to go back and check your sources.

pb
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We are not on different sides on this one. I think this may be a stunt. I think it certainly would be a dumb move.
 
UPDATE - CC Flipping AM News Talker to ....... OLDIES?

It does not appear to be a stunt. I could be hype.
On air announcement promised for 9am tomorrow (Tuesday).
It could be a flip (except morning drive).
It could be weekend oldies (like NJ101.5) or evening Oldies.
It could be an Oldies weekend (like WABC).
Stay tuned.
 
I repeat. They have a two year contract to carry Hannity. They can't dump him, and surrounding him with oldies music seems stupid.

pb
 
Phil Boyce said:
I repeat. They have a two year contract to carry Hannity. They can't dump him, and surrounding him with oldies music seems stupid.

pb
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In the words of Ed McMahon, "You are correct, sir."
It was a tease.
The station website is has started an Oldies audio stream.
 
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