Is this really a market?

[b344077]

I just returned from spending the last week in a place called Lilly, Pa. (My wife's home town.)

As I listened to the stations across the dial, I just not could discern one station from another, marketwise. I was receiving stations from Pittsburgh, Johnstown, Altoona and beyond.

Only a few came in well: 89.7, 90.7, 92.1, 93.5, 94.3, 94.7, 95.5, 96.5, 97.3, 98.1, 99.1, etc.

None were "State College"

While I don't want to provoke a long discussion, I think this is a very difficult market to cover. If I owned a property here, I would be looking to bring up multiple translators and boosters to cover from State College to Johnstown to more effectively compete for newspapers and TV dollars. Otherwise, I'd be stuck with promoting Joe's Bar in Cresson.

Johnstown belongs on this board.

 

[Spackler1]

Altoona, Johnstown, and State College are three very separate markets, though some stations cross over into two or all three.

In Lilly, you were between Altoona and Johnstown, and something like fifty plus miles from State College, so it's no wonder you couldn't receive any of the station college stations. You did see the mountains, right?

 

[Hermes]

You tell him Spec! You can't hear the FM stations in San Francisco either...maybe it shouldn't be a market.

 

[b344077]

Say what you want but there seems to be little synergy. I did much market analysis in my day when I was with Arbitron. I must tell you that your market holds little promise. Don't get me wrong, I think the area is great but radio? I don't know.

As for San Francisco, the stations cover the market far better than Altoona/State College. There, they have combined many of the sticks on one hill south of the Bay. You guy's are all over the place. They think in terms of a market.

Again, I don't want to pick a fight. It must be tough to make a living in radio in that area and I am the last person to throw any rocks because I dumped out of the industry when I was at KDKA-TV. The closest I get are occasional voice-overs to make a few extra bucks. Like today, I made a flat $400 with no residuals.

Chao baby.

 

[fwdmo]

Say what you want but there seems to be little synergy. I did much market analysis in my day when I was with Arbitron. I must tell you that your market holds little promise. Don't get me wrong, I think the area is great but radio? I don't know.

As for San Francisco, the stations cover the market far better than Altoona/State College. There, they have combined many of the sticks on one hill south of the Bay. You guy's are all over the place. They think in terms of a market.

Again, I don't want to pick a fight. It must be tough to make a living in radio in that area and I am the last person to throw any rocks because I dumped out of the industry when I was at KDKA-TV. The closest I get are occasional voice-overs to make a few extra bucks. Like today, I made a flat $400 with no residuals.

Chao baby.

I am kind of confused...what stations in their respective markets don't cover the metro they serve?

 

[Meggawatt]

Now I'm confused...does Jay Billie play volleyball?

 

[Spackler1]

I'm confused as well. I may be missing your piont.
Johnstown is what - 80 miles from State College, over mountainous terrain? There's a reason that these are three separate radio markets.

So to answer your question: No, this really isn't a market. It's three.

For competing with television for ad dollars, no station in any of the markets is in a position to do that, with the exception of maybe 98.1/98.7/106.3 and 95.5, and even with the big signals, they can't touch the local television stations in terms of ad dollars.

Each of the three markets has it's own newspaper.

I'm not getting it, I guess.

 

[fwdmo]

I'm confused as well. I may be missing your piont.
Johnstown is what - 80 miles from State College, over mountainous terrain? There's a reason that these are three separate radio markets.

So to answer your question: No, this really isn't a market. It's three.

For competing with television for ad dollars, no station in any of the markets is in a position to do that, with the exception of maybe 98.1/98.7/106.3 and 95.5, and even with the big signals, they can't touch the local television stations in terms of ad dollars.

Each of the three markets has it's own newspaper.

I'm not getting it, I guess.

And b344007 did research for Arbitron...I'm scared

 

[b344077]

Yep. Did lots of stuff for Arbitron at one time.

Again, didn't want to cause a skirmish here.

It still looks like a market created out of thin air.

 

[fwdmo]

Yep. Did lots of stuff for Arbitron at one time.

Again, didn't want to cause a skirmish here.

It still looks like a market created out of thin air.

WHAT market was created out of thin air???????????????????????????

Johnstown, Altoona and State College are three seperate radio markets...they are one TV market, but three - count them 1, 2, 3 - seperate radio markets. Here, take a look for yourself www.arbitron.com.

No one thinks you are causing a skirmish, we are just trying to figure out what the eff you are talking about!?!

 

[Spackler1]

Three markets, with a combined population of something like 430,000. Nothing like a major or even medium sized market, but certainly not out of thin air. If you spent the week in Lilly, I can see how you might think there is nothing here.

 

[Snafu]

Look at it like a media buyer would. If you looked that far down the list you'd buy it as one entity. There isn't enough there to call it three seperate markets anymore. The only one of the three with real growth is State College and it will be another decade before I-99 really fuels the boom it needs to push market number up substantially.
From an outsiders view this is all one market anymore. Has been since about 1995.