Perhaps I'm stupid, I like SFA, but programming a radio station to college students is insanity. Seriously, If J.C. Stallings, Bill Vance, the Yates family, and Clear Channel/AMFM/Gulfstar/GAP didn't do it, there is probably some radio wisdom there.
Let's look at ratings. Your average college student is not going to see an arbitron diary. If by some miracle they move off campus and Arbitron sends them a diary (which is unlikely considering Arb's recruiting methods), chances are the student will pocket the $3 and forget to mail it in. Hence programming to college students results in low returns in arbitron numbers. This is important to remember, especially when you consider that the national agencies want to see Arbitron numbers and calculate cost-per-point. For those of us in Rusk, this is a non-issue. But, if you are in a rated market (as Nacogdoches-Lufkin now is) numbers are important. (And don't forget that the national agencies tend to look for the 25-54 demo... that's great, if you're programming to 3rd-year sophomores.)
Next, let's look at local ad revenue (To heck with nationals, we'll concede those to Gap broadcasting). Your biggest radio advertisers? That's right! Car dealers. Car dealers want QUALIFIED buyers. These are buyers who either (a) have the cash to buy a car or (b) can obtain financing. In order to qualify in either of these categories, you'll need to make approximately $20k per year, or more. Avg. College Student salary? $10k. But what about mom and dad? If mom and dad are the "buy my baby a new camaro" types, that decision and purchase will likely be made in the hometown of the student, with a dealer/sales person they are familiar with. Sure, some college students will buy cars from a Nacogdoches dealer, but those dealers will have more luck per capita marketing themselves to the other 18,000 people in nac rather than the 11,000 unqualified buyers sitting in the classroom.
So, by programming your station to appeal to the college, you have relegated yourself to picking up the scraps from the nationals and the car dealers (whatever scraps Gap, Vance and Yates have missed), and have relegated yourself to package stores, bail bonds, restaurants and clubs as your primary revenue source. (And maybe banks). Of course, Jitterbugs and Electric Cowboy, your two most aggressively marketed clubs, tend to sign exclusively with one station. (When I was in town, Jitterbugs signed exclusively with KYKS, Electric Cowboy with KJCS).
As for the 58 million in payroll... Rusk TX has a similar figure coming from the state hospital and prison system... what's your point? The employees of SFA spend their money on mortgages, skyrocketing utility rates, gasoline, food, restaurants, SUV payments and insurance. Businesses make money off of them, and it has a definite positive impact on the local economy. But then again, you pick up SFA employees when you program to their demographic. (Hence, my former 40 year-old female professor would likely enjoy listening to an AC format, and my 45-year old male instructor probably listened to classic rock.)
You would think I was dumb if I programmed a radio station exclusively for Rusk State Hospital employees. Why is it any smarter to program to SFA employees? You program to the demographics, not the place of employment.
All that said, it is wise for a radio station to "wink" at SFA. But to program to it? Bad idea.
