Now that Christmas is over and once again we are blessed with three A/C FM radio stations, does anyone think that we will get a classic hit radio station in Buffalo or even a classic hit weekend?
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Classic Hits In Buffalo?
- Thread starter BUFFALOFLYGUY
- Start date
O
OttoM
Guest
qman said:
Sure, there might be a change - but it won't be to classic hits. How about punk country?
There have been reports of Air America’s imminent death before. However, that’s beside the point. First, 1520 doesn’t carry any Air America programming. Secondly, maybe progressive talk once hung by the thread of Air America’s existence but that is no longer the case. Three of the most listened to progressive talkers - Bill Press, Stephanie Miller and Ed Schultz - are syndicated outside the AA umbrella; if the network went out of business, several AA programs would also end up in syndication and might even be marketed more effectively.
B
Bob1370
Guest
The logical station to do this is Jack...simply hire some well-liked heritage jocks for every daypart 5 AM-10 PM weekdays, 6 AM-midnight on the wekends; leave the music library roughly as is but purge anything released after 1993 and anything that didn't originally chart on KB or Kiss 98.5 between 1965 and 1993 when it was new; and you're all set. And, oh, yeah, dump the snarky liners.
Good for an extra 2.5 to 3 share points within two books, gained at the expense of all three of those closely bunched AC stations.
Good for an extra 2.5 to 3 share points within two books, gained at the expense of all three of those closely bunched AC stations.
you can have one of our rochester classic rock channels. we have atleast 3 or more playing classic rock all the time. i'd like to see a good alternative channel come to rochester sorta like the the edge in toronto. the zone unfortunately just isnt cutting it, and with more imported dj's and hardly any local talent there is no rochester connection.
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NeedsMoreCowbell
Guest
Yes, it's just so easy: in two books, Jack reinvents itself, adds a lot of talk (not to mention a massive payroll increase), and vaults near the top of the ratings pack. Why haven't we thought of this before?
Perhaps in a fantasy world where money is no object, and advertisers look at 12+ ratings (ha), this might succeed at the "expense" of the ACs in the market. The reality is: there is a huge difference between the posted 12+ numbers you have access to, and the 25-54 numbers that matter. The ACs are not so closely bunched as you seem to think, in ratings and revenue.
The other reality is that Jack succeeds as a format because there is more music, not more talk. PPM backs this up everywhere, and explains why one of my all-time favorite personalities, Chicago's Steve Dahl, was let go at WMJK due to poor ratings. Music, and snark, wins in the Jack format - not talk -and re-launching a station takes a hell of a lot longer than 2 books to catch on, if (and that's a big question) people even like the new station more than the previous incarnation.
'Cowbell paints a very stark yet realistic picture of the Classic Hits Conundrum in Buffalo.
Jack's doing quite well as is; jocks hate the station, as well they should, because without so much as one live body, Jack puts up some very competitive 25-54 numbers, primarily with Men.
Regent isn't likely to put live bodies on the station, even though I wishfully predicted Slick Tom Tiberi would show up there in '09. Why should they? With their stock trading at 9 cents a share, it's not likely we'll hear live jocks anytime soon on Jack.
And 'Cowbell's point about the AC 25-54 picture is correct as well, at least from the book old numbers I've had a chance to see. Star is the Hot AC leading the pack, WJYE gets the cougars and does very well, Mix gets the spillover from the other two.
Seems the Classic Hits format is the favorite of a lot of posters here. I'd bet it's because most posters are 45+ anglo males. Here, here!
The reality of Classic Hits is that it can no longer be a 60s based format. The 60s are over. The Stones, Beatles and Motown gave us great songs, but to reach 35-54's, today's successful Classic Hits station has to play the hits from the 80s and 70s.
It may have been Roxalot who noted that WHTT was bumping into 97 Rock during the Classic Hits phase a few years ago. Since WHTT became Mix, it sounds like 97 Rock is playing more 60s titles and artists previously heard on WHTT: Byrds, Zombies, Stones, Doors, Kinks, Yardbirds. Okay, no Monkees, Neil Diamond, Motown or Stax stuff, but enough 60s pop-rock titles so as to shore-up the 97 Rock base of graybeard males and chicks who think they can still party down at Stage One (for Rochester readers, Stage One was a rock club-bar owned by Harvey Weinstein's... yeah, THAT Harvey Weinstein.)
Now, consider music from the 80s; the prime MTV era: Big Hair, Mullets, Billy Idol, Spandex, Girl Bands, Bananarama, Loverboy, Bryan Adams, British and German Techno (der Komisar), Adam Ant, disco and club music like the Weathergirls, then U2, Romantics, Clash (okay, a few good bands there.) The 80s pop music scene was all over the field.
Consider the 70s. A bit more rock oriented with bands like Boston and Frampton, yet the pop music charts showed that disco prevailed on the pop charts from 73-79. Rock the Boat, Night Fever, Lionel Richie, Bee Gees, Saturday Night Fever soundtrack LP dominating record sales and imaging.
And then there's that hideous 70s fashion trend for men known as Leisure Suits! Lime green. Sharkskin. Baby blue. White. Cow hide. Leather. Guys actually wore those things... accented by platform shows, lots of gold chains and hair shirts. And let's not even go near polyester tweeds, leather, Earth Shoes and clogs.
Even more preposterous was the fact that some women found guys in leisure suits and chains attractive.
It's more likely women's fashion looked better in the 70s. Farah hair or Stevie Nicks curls and bangs (which seemed to work well for Peter frampton, too.) Ahhh, on second thought, maybe not. But it was arguably better than the purple hair, short hair, Pat Benatar look of the 80s. Not to knock Ms. Benatar, but...
Now, think about pop music from the 90s. Cher, Sheryl Crow and that chick who has a three octave voice that shatters glass at a hundred yards, Mariah Carey.
Throw these three eras in a blender and it sounds like you have a station that appeals to Women 35-54: Star, which is current and re-current intensive with some 90s and 80s and a repition rate that rivals any CHR. WJYE, with recurrents, 70s and some 60s. Mix, which sounds like a classic hits for chix station with some currents, recurrents, 90s and 80s and an occasional title from the 70s.
Can the market support three AC stations? Beats me. But 2009 is going to be a demanding year and the Fall 2008 book is going to be out in about three weeks. Nothing would surprise me. Not even the status quo.
Jack's doing quite well as is; jocks hate the station, as well they should, because without so much as one live body, Jack puts up some very competitive 25-54 numbers, primarily with Men.
Regent isn't likely to put live bodies on the station, even though I wishfully predicted Slick Tom Tiberi would show up there in '09. Why should they? With their stock trading at 9 cents a share, it's not likely we'll hear live jocks anytime soon on Jack.
And 'Cowbell's point about the AC 25-54 picture is correct as well, at least from the book old numbers I've had a chance to see. Star is the Hot AC leading the pack, WJYE gets the cougars and does very well, Mix gets the spillover from the other two.
Seems the Classic Hits format is the favorite of a lot of posters here. I'd bet it's because most posters are 45+ anglo males. Here, here!
The reality of Classic Hits is that it can no longer be a 60s based format. The 60s are over. The Stones, Beatles and Motown gave us great songs, but to reach 35-54's, today's successful Classic Hits station has to play the hits from the 80s and 70s.
It may have been Roxalot who noted that WHTT was bumping into 97 Rock during the Classic Hits phase a few years ago. Since WHTT became Mix, it sounds like 97 Rock is playing more 60s titles and artists previously heard on WHTT: Byrds, Zombies, Stones, Doors, Kinks, Yardbirds. Okay, no Monkees, Neil Diamond, Motown or Stax stuff, but enough 60s pop-rock titles so as to shore-up the 97 Rock base of graybeard males and chicks who think they can still party down at Stage One (for Rochester readers, Stage One was a rock club-bar owned by Harvey Weinstein's... yeah, THAT Harvey Weinstein.)
Now, consider music from the 80s; the prime MTV era: Big Hair, Mullets, Billy Idol, Spandex, Girl Bands, Bananarama, Loverboy, Bryan Adams, British and German Techno (der Komisar), Adam Ant, disco and club music like the Weathergirls, then U2, Romantics, Clash (okay, a few good bands there.) The 80s pop music scene was all over the field.
Consider the 70s. A bit more rock oriented with bands like Boston and Frampton, yet the pop music charts showed that disco prevailed on the pop charts from 73-79. Rock the Boat, Night Fever, Lionel Richie, Bee Gees, Saturday Night Fever soundtrack LP dominating record sales and imaging.
And then there's that hideous 70s fashion trend for men known as Leisure Suits! Lime green. Sharkskin. Baby blue. White. Cow hide. Leather. Guys actually wore those things... accented by platform shows, lots of gold chains and hair shirts. And let's not even go near polyester tweeds, leather, Earth Shoes and clogs.
Even more preposterous was the fact that some women found guys in leisure suits and chains attractive.
It's more likely women's fashion looked better in the 70s. Farah hair or Stevie Nicks curls and bangs (which seemed to work well for Peter frampton, too.) Ahhh, on second thought, maybe not. But it was arguably better than the purple hair, short hair, Pat Benatar look of the 80s. Not to knock Ms. Benatar, but...
Now, think about pop music from the 90s. Cher, Sheryl Crow and that chick who has a three octave voice that shatters glass at a hundred yards, Mariah Carey.
Throw these three eras in a blender and it sounds like you have a station that appeals to Women 35-54: Star, which is current and re-current intensive with some 90s and 80s and a repition rate that rivals any CHR. WJYE, with recurrents, 70s and some 60s. Mix, which sounds like a classic hits for chix station with some currents, recurrents, 90s and 80s and an occasional title from the 70s.
Can the market support three AC stations? Beats me. But 2009 is going to be a demanding year and the Fall 2008 book is going to be out in about three weeks. Nothing would surprise me. Not even the status quo.
As always I enjoy reading everyone's opinion about Classic Hits and whether it should or should not come to Buffalo. I definitely think there is a void without it, unfortunately I also believe that one of AC stations will never flip to Classic Hits. WJYE and Star will just keep doing what they are doing. WHTT is just all over the board when it comes to the music they play, the Flashback weekends were refreshing to hear at first but after a couple of months it just got stagnant, which is how all of the AC stations here sound. A couple of months ago just playing online I found Classic Hits on WSPQ in Springville, listened to it a few times and enjoyed that, but the web site and the stream they had went away a couple weeks after listening to it online. And if you don't live in the south good luck hearing it. A new fresh Classic Hits station in Buffalo would be refreshing, it must of course be well programmed and must stay fresh. I'll think positive and hope in '09 just maybe we'll get what we want on AM or FM.
B
Bob1370
Guest
Needs more Cowbell says, "The other reality is that Jack succeeds as a format because there is more music, not more talk. PPM backs this up everywhere"
We need to sit him down with Dan Mason, head of the CBS Radio group, and have him tell Cowbell what happened when Mason's predecessors adopted Jack in NYC...how that decision cost the Hollander brothers their jobs and CBS millions of lost revenue and profit dollars...and most importantly, all the good things that happened when Mason came in, pulled the plug on it, and re-invented WCBS-FM as a classic hits station. Jack had taken CBS's one-time cluster star in NYC from the 3s into the 1s (just like Jack keeps WBUF the bottom-ranked full market coverage FM in Buffalo in 12+ and all the money demos). Going back to personality classic hits made WCBS-FM consistently top-4 in 12+ and top-3 25-54, the shining star of the cluster once more, and the darling of the PPM era. I don't see why something similar shouldn't happen in Buffalo.
We need to sit him down with Dan Mason, head of the CBS Radio group, and have him tell Cowbell what happened when Mason's predecessors adopted Jack in NYC...how that decision cost the Hollander brothers their jobs and CBS millions of lost revenue and profit dollars...and most importantly, all the good things that happened when Mason came in, pulled the plug on it, and re-invented WCBS-FM as a classic hits station. Jack had taken CBS's one-time cluster star in NYC from the 3s into the 1s (just like Jack keeps WBUF the bottom-ranked full market coverage FM in Buffalo in 12+ and all the money demos). Going back to personality classic hits made WCBS-FM consistently top-4 in 12+ and top-3 25-54, the shining star of the cluster once more, and the darling of the PPM era. I don't see why something similar shouldn't happen in Buffalo.
Re-BUFfed
Bob, there's only one problem with your scenario. Taking WBUF "Classic Hits" would require considerable outlay for talent and promotion. Regent doesn't have the money. Their stock is at 9 cents a share. The company is valued at $191.91-million, and the debt on that value is $189.51-million. Regent is trying to stay above water at this point. The only changes are likely to be further cuts in personnel and other "expenses".
Bob, there's only one problem with your scenario. Taking WBUF "Classic Hits" would require considerable outlay for talent and promotion. Regent doesn't have the money. Their stock is at 9 cents a share. The company is valued at $191.91-million, and the debt on that value is $189.51-million. Regent is trying to stay above water at this point. The only changes are likely to be further cuts in personnel and other "expenses".
Debaser said:Hmmm...classic hits in Buffalo. What a unique concept.
Of course, should some station flip, they'll need the "proper"imaging voice, won't they... :
You're absolutely right. Is Jeff Kaye still doing voice work?
W
weck1230
Guest
SirRoxalot said:Debaser said:Hmmm...classic hits in Buffalo. What a unique concept.
Of course, should some station flip, they'll need the "proper"imaging voice, won't they... :
You're absolutely right. Is Jeff Kaye still doing voice work?
ZING!!
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