B
Bugsy
Guest
Start the clock.....How long before 92.3 WFAN hits the air?!!
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Monday at 12:01a is launch time for ESPN on FM.
In Boston Sports Hub debuted in August of 2009 (CBS, 98.5). Entercom could have scooped them by simulcasting WEEI 850 on 93.7--they had several weeks advance notice. Instead
it took just over 2 years; by September of 2011, right in time for Red Sox collapse, Ent.
finally decided to make 93.7 pretty much the new home of WEEI (in other words while they're
still on 850, they primarily identify as "93.7 WEEI". Entercom had a money making variety
hits station with "Mike 93.7" but had to sacrifice it to shore up their sports franchise.
In Boston Sports Hub debuted in August of 2009 (CBS, 98.5). Entercom could have scooped them by simulcasting WEEI 850 on 93.7--they had several weeks advance notice. Instead
it took just over 2 years; by September of 2011, right in time for Red Sox collapse, Ent.
finally decided to make 93.7 pretty much the new home of WEEI (in other words while they're
still on 850, they primarily identify as "93.7 WEEI". Entercom had a money making variety
hits station with "Mike 93.7" but had to sacrifice it to shore up their sports franchise.
Doing a little Thursday-morning quarterbacking here, I say that 92.3 Now switches sooner than later. The non-music madness to FM is becoming the norm. Two fewer music stations on FM in NYC.
(Not just that, but if anyone gives a flying one, these maneuvres send non-music WEMP back to summer school for at least the third time.)
There can't be too many people who deduced 98.7 as being the one. That was a surprise. We've been reading both major radio boards here -- like reading the NY Daily News and the NY Post, lol -- and I don't recall anyone mentioning 98.7
(Not just that, but if anyone gives a flying one, these maneuvres send non-music WEMP back to summer school for at least the third time.)
There can't be too many people who deduced 98.7 as being the one. That was a surprise. We've been reading both major radio boards here -- like reading the NY Daily News and the NY Post, lol -- and I don't recall anyone mentioning 98.7
The reason none of us saw this coming was that we were all thinking about radio format's, ratings, cume numbers, traditions etc.
But, this decision was about.....Money, and, possibly, desperation !!!! Apparently, it happened as a result of a financial squeeze that Emmis finds itself in. They just blew up the number-6 station in the 6+ PPMs and the top urban format in the top radio market. A station with a cume of 2-million listeners.
We first were focused on WFME which was supposed to be "for sale" and now we get a comment from Merlin CEO Randy Michaels, who just purchased WFME's sister-station in Philly, that WFME is not on the market yet. Michaels likely would know. Then we went looking for stations with poor ratings, assuming nobody would want to blow up a top-10 format. So you never know.
And, it will be interesting to see what happens to 92.3? If I worked there I wouldn't be making any long-term financial commitments or plans. I wouldn't be buying a new condo in Manhattan, and taking on a new mortgage.
CBS probably will wait to see how the new ESPN FM catches on, but with both baseball team radio contracts coming up next year, CBS may be forced to do some things differently. It still has the advantage of clear channel AMs that carry Yankees and Mets games to fans far out of the NY market, and while that doesn't matter much for ad sales, it does help the team image and help it keep a big fan base. That extra coverage would be lost with FM only, but again we are talking radio signals, and what will really make the deals happen is....Money. CBS vs. Disney and ESPN. Get your calculators out, as with some TV Olympics coverage, it will be interesting to see who is willing to pay the most, and possibly lose the most, to have the "prestige" of carrying Yankees or Mets baseball starting next year.
Thing is, will a 660/92.3 simulcast make more money than WFAN + 92.3 Now combined? Or perhaps they could move WFAN to 92.3, WINS to 660, and sell 1010. The New York sports teams have fans who live further than the 40 dBu contour of the FM stations. The Yankees have fans all over, and WCBS's skywave reaches those fans (at least for the night games)
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fmradio1
Guest
It's going to depend if CBS wants to renew the Yankees or not. If they do, an FM outlet will be essential to their bid. That means Now would eventually have to go away. Their morning show just left, and IIRC their PM driver did as well. They're cuming OK, but there's not much there to save. If 98.7 gets the Yanks, they'll build up their younger demos very quickly. WFAN can't afford to sit on the sidelines and let that happen. My guess is they'll do it over the summer.
Likely if WFAN simulcasts on 92.3 (like the Philadelphia model), 92.3 would be used as a "sports spillover" channel with Nets/Devils and September Sunday Mets games (when the Giants are on against them) being farmed out there rather than to WBBR, WNYM, WLIB and (for ESPN Radio) WWRL (one ESPN Radio Ranger game this season). Even WMCA was used for an ESPN Radio Ranger game a year or two ago.
I seriously doubt there would be major frequency moves afoot (AM to FM, frequency swaps) for the CBS Radio properties - they're fine right where they are. And CBS Radio tends to move slowly and prudently with regard to these moves - although one could make a case that they simulcasted all-news WBBM Chicago on 105.9 FM rather quickly as a preemptive strike vs. Merlin's WWWN/now WIQI. They made their move in Boston (blowing up WBCN for The Sports Hub) after seeing some success in Pittsburgh and Detroit with FM sports. Granted, mixed sports-on-FM results in other markets (DC, Baltimore, Dallas).
WCBS AM already blows away 101.9 WEMP - why fix something that's not broken? WCBS serves suburbia well with it's far reaching signal while WINS properly serves the 5 boroughs with its smaller signal. Both are cash cows for CBS Radio. Leave 'em alone! Likewise leave the FAN alone on 660.
Yes, the Met/Yank contracts being up after this season does put some sense of urgency into the proceedings, but CBS Radio will do what's best for the bottom line. They did let the Knicks and Rangers go to ESPN Radio about a decade ago, and while I'm sure they'd like to have them from a prestige aspect, it likely doesn't hurt their bottom line much.
I seriously doubt there would be major frequency moves afoot (AM to FM, frequency swaps) for the CBS Radio properties - they're fine right where they are. And CBS Radio tends to move slowly and prudently with regard to these moves - although one could make a case that they simulcasted all-news WBBM Chicago on 105.9 FM rather quickly as a preemptive strike vs. Merlin's WWWN/now WIQI. They made their move in Boston (blowing up WBCN for The Sports Hub) after seeing some success in Pittsburgh and Detroit with FM sports. Granted, mixed sports-on-FM results in other markets (DC, Baltimore, Dallas).
WCBS AM already blows away 101.9 WEMP - why fix something that's not broken? WCBS serves suburbia well with it's far reaching signal while WINS properly serves the 5 boroughs with its smaller signal. Both are cash cows for CBS Radio. Leave 'em alone! Likewise leave the FAN alone on 660.
Yes, the Met/Yank contracts being up after this season does put some sense of urgency into the proceedings, but CBS Radio will do what's best for the bottom line. They did let the Knicks and Rangers go to ESPN Radio about a decade ago, and while I'm sure they'd like to have them from a prestige aspect, it likely doesn't hurt their bottom line much.
F
fmradio1
Guest
If they use the Philly model, 92.3 will be the primary, with conflicts and out of market games (like on Dial Global/WW1) going to 660. This way the FM carries either local talk or p-b-p, and it simulcasts on the AM outside of these exceptions. Makes sense.
pjc1961 said:
With regard to which would be the primary...thing is, though...unlike the WIP-AM-FM setup in Philly,
I think we all agree that (for the most part) the stronger signal is 660 over 92.3 (yes there are situations in NYC where the FM signal is better than the AM signal).
But...from a demo and "future of radio" standpoint, FM is the place to be. Decisions, decisions...
Another possibility is that CBS Radio retains Mets and Yanks rights and puts one on 660 AM (Yanks, possibly) and the other (Mets, possibly) on 92.3 FM. This would clear WCBS-AM format-wise to be all-news all the time (don't sue me WINS!
) - but might still be needed for conflict/spillover game broadcasts if the Devils/Nets are playing.
There is something to be said for WCBS AM being the exclusive home of the Yanks with no likelihood of being bumped. The Mets pretty much have reign over 660 AM (until September when they're occasionally asked to step aside to WBBR 1130 for regular season Giant football).
Side note:
the Giants 2011-2012 postseason national feed broadcasts on WCBS AM were a "keepaway" move by CBS Radio in order to prevent WEPN ESPN Radio from gobbling up national feed play by play rights and cutting into ratings for WFAN's Giants local feed broadcast.
The NFL radio rules changed last year allowing other stations in a market (besides the local rights holder) to broadcast a national feed of Conference Championship and Super Bowl games.
I think we all agree that (for the most part) the stronger signal is 660 over 92.3 (yes there are situations in NYC where the FM signal is better than the AM signal).
But...from a demo and "future of radio" standpoint, FM is the place to be. Decisions, decisions...
Another possibility is that CBS Radio retains Mets and Yanks rights and puts one on 660 AM (Yanks, possibly) and the other (Mets, possibly) on 92.3 FM. This would clear WCBS-AM format-wise to be all-news all the time (don't sue me WINS!
) - but might still be needed for conflict/spillover game broadcasts if the Devils/Nets are playing.There is something to be said for WCBS AM being the exclusive home of the Yanks with no likelihood of being bumped. The Mets pretty much have reign over 660 AM (until September when they're occasionally asked to step aside to WBBR 1130 for regular season Giant football).
Side note:
the Giants 2011-2012 postseason national feed broadcasts on WCBS AM were a "keepaway" move by CBS Radio in order to prevent WEPN ESPN Radio from gobbling up national feed play by play rights and cutting into ratings for WFAN's Giants local feed broadcast.
The NFL radio rules changed last year allowing other stations in a market (besides the local rights holder) to broadcast a national feed of Conference Championship and Super Bowl games.
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