Markedly. And there may come a time in Buffalo when WBFO surpasses WBEN, just as WAMC has out performed WGY in Albany.
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January Ratings -- Falling Rock
- Thread starter tbolt909
- Start date
WBEN added the FM signal and the ratings went DOWN. The translator would have made no difference. The current Alternative format has the translator and the ratings are below a 1 share.
Entercom has made disastrous choices. The WBEN simulcast was a debacle. The Alternative format is even worse. It's not a signal issue with 107.7. It's a content one...
"Nobody" under 50 listens to AM any more with the possible exception of exclusive play by play sports.
So, yes, the Class A FM probably contributes well over half of the WGY listening.
And it does not matter how much the AM covers; the ratings are done in the six county MSA. The Class A does a 60 dbu signal in 2/3 of the market.
A good example is KSL in Salt Lake City, another 50 kw clear channel station. They have access to the AM vs FM listening data in a private reports, and that is why the station does not even put "1160 AM" on their website... just the FM. KSL NewsRadio - Utah's Latest News, Breaking News, and Radio
WGR also does very well without an FM translator. They do have a TV simulcast in middays and for most play-by-play of the Bills and Sabres. Oh, and let's not forget the dozens listening to the HD2 channel on Kiss.
The answer is content. If you have content people want, they'll find a way to listen.
The answer is content. If you have content people want, they'll find a way to listen.
There are a lot of "nobodies" that make WBEN in Buffalo a top 5 station Persons 12+ ... this is not to contest the points you've made, only to note that there are AM-only stations that are still putting up decent numbers. How much longer is anybody's guess, and I'd concur that AM has one foot in the grave an the other on the banana peel.
That duly noted, the numbers here are Persons 12+, and in markets like Rochester, Syracuse and Buffalo, there are AMs that continue to perform .... admittedly because they're top-heavy, Persons 50+.
Probably?! You're the numbers experto... we were counting on you to hash that out. That's it. No beer and wings for you!
True. But the salient question becomes, what per cent of the population, particularly the target demo, lives within the 60dBu contour?
WGY-FM coverage map
WAMC-FM Coverage Map
Using the last 3 books of 2020 as a basis, WBEN is 11th in 25-54. WBFO outscores it by a third.
But those numbers are predominantly 55+ in all the markets. WSYR is 12th in 25-54, and WHAM is 13th. WBEN is 11th in the demo.
Unless I am an A/S/T subscriber, and pay for the break-out, there is no way of knowing. And no, I'm not paying your beer and wings tab, either!
I went by persons covered, not the total county populations. The Class A covers 2/3 of the market population.
Sports is about the only exception, until the same format gets an FM.
This is sort of like the early AM Spanish language stations: great numbers until there was a Spanish language FM, and then they died almost totally.
The coverage maps linked above shows me that WAMC does a great job in a lot of areas without much population density. I suspect that the FM signal is OK in cars, but not so much in buildings in Albany and Troy, less so in Schenectady. The eastern suburbs of A-S-T are pretty rural.
WBEN was once consistently in the Top 5 in the demo you posted. Those days ended long ago. The reason for the ill conceived FM simulcast was to try to get "younger" without changing the on air product. It failed badly.
It's not surprising that NPR/WBFO has a wide lead in those demos. WBEN is The Angry Old White Man station...
Then again, it may come down to this... Albany is the state capitol, home to the offices of state regulators, the highest court in the state, countless legislators and their staffs, "a few" lobbyists, as well as artisans and craftsmen/women. It's also home to SUNY University of Albany; numerous colleges, and Albany Medical College. As such, there are a lot of educated people who have college degrees and advanced degrees in numerous disciplines, including science, the arts and law. WAMC (like WAMU in Washington, DC) attracts listeners, Persons 25-54, who are educated and have a sense of curiosity and intelligence... who also enjoy wings and beer. That they prefer WAMC over the tripe on WGY should not come as a surprise.
Simpler than that: WBFO is the FM station.
No, what's simpler is that WBFO over the last few years has added a lot more content from American Public Radio and other NYC/Boston originating outlets that lean farther left than NPR. It's no secret that younger listeners tend to lean more left than older listeners. FM plays a part in that, but content matters more. WBFO still has more listeners 40+ than 25-40.
Simpler than your explanation: the 40-54's of the early 2000's are now all over 55. Most are over 65!
No, it's the content. WBEN had an FM simulcast for 3 years. It didn't attract new listeners or get people to switch from AM to FM. Entercom could have put WBEN on all of its FM signals and it wouldn't have mattered.
NPR content appeals to wider demographics and is more inclusive...
WAMC has several translators that fix that problem, though. 93.1 for Troy and Albany, 92.9 for Schenectady.
The argument about AM vs. FM is growing less important every day as the number of people listening on apps and smart devices increases. iHeart is the #1 broadcast company promoting online listening. Entercom's acquisition of radio.com has it following iHeart's lead. Townsquare is carrying that torch into the small and medium markets. As the car dashboard entertainment system changes the amount of online listening will grow. Towers and transmitters running analog content have 10 years left - maybe.
Townsquare's business model is not in the area of streams and podcasts. It involves selling radio combined with web services they provide to local accounts that can't do good sites economically. They sell the integration of radio and new media, not the unprofitable-in-smaller-markets items like podcasts and streams.
And the population figures that one gets for the combined signals is just about 2/3 of the total market. It's fairly decent and seems to work.
WAMC + Translators Coverage Map
Relative to Buffalo, WBEN and WBFO ratings, it's long been know that WBEN listeners are 55+, aging up and out. It out-punches its class in revenue, which is a tribute to its legacy and its sellers, but how long can that last? It will be a fine day when WBEN, it's vitriolic programming and the hagiography it's paid come to an end. WBFO has the upper hand on the future, but even that is precarious as it relates to OTA "broad"casting.
Relative to Buffalo, WBEN and WBFO ratings, it's long been know that WBEN listeners are 55+, aging up and out. It out-punches its class in revenue, which is a tribute to its legacy and its sellers, but how long can that last? It will be a fine day when WBEN, it's vitriolic programming and the hagiography it's paid come to an end. WBFO has the upper hand on the future, but even that is precarious as it relates to OTA "broad"casting.
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