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Just a thought about Rochester....

S

StangBuddy

WCMF posted there lowest numbers in at least 25 years and was beaten, 12 plus, by an automated Clear Channel stick called FOX.

Lets look at some of the really weird monikers used over the years. Today you've got FOX at 95.1, and CC blew up another weird moniker called NERVE just to put this station on. NERVE sits in the woods of Bristol after years of Stern as a lead-in. And low and behold there's someting called FICKLE, almost perfect when you research a burg known for years as "Smugtown". Do you know a FICKLE listener? Would you date them. Ewww!

My all-time favorite (outside of WOO-WOO of course) has to be ROCKET (or ROCK-IT), a station CMF destroyed back in the early 90's. Now we have to take things in context. ROCKET had, more or less, the same signal (at 95.1) that FOX has now. And back then the same so-called legendary PD was making mince-meat of this station, and bragging about it, and is now losing, badly, to another moniker at the same dial position.

WCMF's slow erosion is a shame. Hiring a babysitter for Wease, god help him, ain't much of an answer. They're not only being beaten by a BUZZ but now you've got a FOX to contend with!

This is a legend of a station and, outside of Wease, it's pretty much an empty shell. It's time for Infinity to step up.
 
> ROCKET had, more or less, the same signal (at 95.1) that FOX has
> now.

No. Not even close.

That incarnation of 95.1 was the same facility on Bristol Mountain that had been there since the Rural Radio Network in 1948. It wasn't a horrible Rochester signal, but it also didn't have enough juice over the city to overcome the nasty intermod from Pinnacle Hill. (There was a brief attempt, during either the Rock-It or Wish eras, to move to a phone company tower in Farmington; the neighbors didn't like the interference, and it went back to Bristol.)

It wasn't until early 2001 that CC finished engineering the swap that sent 107.3 to its exile up on Bristol. That swap moved 95.1 down to Baker Hill, where it's running off the very same antenna at the very same power as WVOR, putting a slamming signal over the Flower City. (A better signal, one might even argue, than WCMF.)

s<P ID="signature">______________
Tower Site Calendar 2005 NOW AVAILABLE! - <a target="_blank" href=http://www.fybush.com/nerw.html#calendar>www.fybush.com</a></P>
 
> WCMF posted there lowest numbers in at least 25 years and
> was beaten, 12 plus, by an automated Clear Channel stick
> called FOX.

This is a function of Wease's illness, which basically took him out of the picture for a while as he recovered from cancer treatment. He got a clean report from his most recent followup physical, indicating the treatment worked, and he's back to pretty much a full on-air schedule, so CMF's morning numbers are going to be back to normal by the fall book. That'll have an effect on the station throughout the day, so WCMF has probably seen the worst numbers it'll see for a while, and things will get better.

But this should also be a cautionary tale in this respect; no station should let its entire fate hinge on one personality in one daypart. You need to have a strong afternoon drive host as well, at a minimum---with the idea that he or she will be on hand to fill in on the morning trick if needed, or be groomed as a successor. You should also have a foreground personality in at least one other daypart as well, who can stand alone and generate revenue or be ready to move to afternoon drive if needed.

> WCMF's slow erosion is a shame. Hiring a babysitter for
> Wease, god help him, ain't much of an answer. They're not
> only being beaten by a BUZZ but now you've got a FOX to
> contend with!

Buzz I can see, because it actually has foreground human beings presenting the music in most dayparts. Fox seems to be starting to program live hosts in some dayparts but if they don't want to see their audience go back to'CMF (especially after Howard leaves broadast radio and the older part of his audience goes back over to 'CMF in winter '06) they need to inject more personality and energy in the presentation; it's a little laid back, not unlike a tighter-playlist version of The Lake 107.7 in its sound.

> This is a legend of a station and, outside of Wease, it's
> pretty much an empty shell. It's time for Infinity to step
> up.
>
That may not happen until Infinity finally figures out its long term plans for the radio division (we know they're shopping their Buffalo properties but evidently Rochester's fate isn't determined). But they'd better beef up CMF quickly whether they're keeping or selling, because the stronger it is, the more money it'll generate as either a property for sale or an ongoing investment.
 
I love your site Scott. "Not even close" is, however, a little strong. WISH posted some good numbers years ago and I can think of a few Class A's in the market who'd love to have the same signal. As you've noted on your site those old, rural engineers picked some great locations for there sticks. And you're right in noting that the old 95.1 had some problems covering high density areas around Pinnacle.

Let's just say it covered about 85-90 percent of the population, which is pretty close. By comparison WAAF covers maybe 65 percent of Boston and WXRV even less. The old 95.1 (without the translator) gets a B-Plus.

Again I love your site.
 
So WCMF don't play tunes? Down the Thruway at 97 Rock, a pretty successful station, they're very aware of music. When it comes to CMF however it's all Bills/all Wease, all of the time! And it's boring! The NFL should charge a fee.

Just automate 96.5, pump in the Bills, throw on Wease and live it up.

There seems to be a monumental failure to recognize that WCMF is a music station. People who know that have been tuning out for years.
 
> There seems to be a monumental failure to recognize that
> WCMF is a music station. People who know that have been
> tuning out for years.
>

Perhaps that is why Stan Main was brought back to CMF by Infinity. Since Main's arrival, the music has changed noticeably.

And give WEASE the credit he deserves. He helped build WCMF. Maybe the station isn’t the ratings giant it was years ago, but it’s not unusual for stations to lose listeners. At one time WVOR was number one in Rochester. Not anymore.

People’s listening habits change. Younger people are turning off radio for CD’s I-Pods and the internet.

<P ID="signature">______________
"I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted and I won't be laid a hand on.
I don't do these things to other people and I expect the same from them".</P>
 
> I love your site Scott. "Not even close" is, however, a
> little strong. WISH posted some good numbers years ago and I
> can think of a few Class A's in the market who'd love to
> have the same signal. As you've noted on your site those
> old, rural engineers picked some great locations for there
> sticks. And you're right in noting that the old 95.1 had
> some problems covering high density areas around Pinnacle.
>
> Let's just say it covered about 85-90 percent of the
> population, which is pretty close. By comparison WAAF covers
> maybe 65 percent of Boston and WXRV even less. The old 95.1
> (without the translator) gets a B-Plus.
>
> Again I love your site.

Hey, thanks!

Don't get me wrong - 95.1 from Bristol was a hell of a signal, with coverage clear down to Binghamton and Elmira on a good day. It just wasn't an ideal Rochester signal.

My experience with it (in the WZSH/WRQI/early WNVE years) is that it pounded the southeast suburbs, did fine southwest and was OK in the city once you got clear of the Pinnacle hash. But it didn't clear the ridge very effectively, so in addition to losing most of Brighton (and being a Brighton boy, I admit to some bias against the signal on that basis), it wasn't terribly useful in much of Greece or Irondequoit, either.

Anyone remember the WZSH-era 105.5 translator on the East Rochester water tower?

Yes, 95.1 from Bristol was a more effective Rochester signal than WAAF or WXRV are as Boston signals, and the 95.1/95.5 combo gave a reach that was almost equivalent to any of the full-market Bs. I'd give it a C+ without the 95.5 translator, a B+ with the translator. But that's still not the solid A that I'd give to the current Baker Hill signal, which is one of the best in the market.<P ID="signature">______________
Tower Site Calendar 2005 NOW AVAILABLE! - <a target="_blank" href=http://www.fybush.com/nerw.html#calendar>www.fybush.com</a></P>
 
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