New Buffalo Ratings

[Mike O]

I see no mention of the fact that Buffalo finally has ratings released from Winter '06 thru 1st trend of Fall 06. No interest or no one knew the embargo was lifted?

Mike O / Houston

 

[SirRoxalot]

FMQB Has All of '06

I hadn't seen them. R&R is showing through Summer '05, then Fall '06 P1. Arbitron site is showing through Summer '05 and Summer '06. AllAccess is showing Summer '06 & first trend of Fall '06. FMQB is showing all of '06 through the first Fall trend.

As might be expected, WBEN had a monster Fall '06 first trend. The October storm kissed them big-time, and smacked most music-centric stations. One other surprise is CHWO, which got a respectable 2.0 share with an Adult Standards format.

Of course, these are the 12+ beauty contest numbers.

 

[Element9]

I see no mention of the fact that Buffalo finally has ratings released from Winter '06 thru 1st trend of Fall 06. No interest or no one knew the embargo was lifted? Mike O / Houston

More likely, we're all stunned and suspiscious (Dazed and Confused?) Soon as we start yapping here about who's up and who's down, who's winning and who's losing, the numbers will disappear. Seems it takes a while, but the 25-54's start to trickle in and the next thing you know, the Berlin Wall goes up again. No surprise that WBEN is on top of the heap given it's the only (commercial) news-talk station in Buffalo and the October storm and power outage more than likely drove listeners to WBEN. After that, it's all open to speculation. Proceed with caution.

-9-

 

[Bob1370]

Can anyone who has access to continuous surveys tell us if WBEN's growth has been steady, or if it was a sudden bump driven by Friday the 13th and its aftermath? It may make a big difference further down the line. But a good performance during the storm itself may also make a difference for several books to come.

The last mega-storm to hit in January of 1977 reverberated for two years afterward--with WKBW (which won praise for its coverage anchored by Danny Neaverth, Jim McLaughlin, Jim Fagan, Henry Brach, and John Zach) reaping the benefits and WBEN (which was perceived as stumbling a bit during Buehlman's last year on the air) needing a major retooling under new owners and managers in order to recover its lead by 1979.

We'll have to see over the next couple of books whether WBEN made long term gains by getting on top of the storm, or if things go back to normal.

The other interesting observation to make is how 97 Rock has enjoyed its best numbers in a couple of years, perhaps driven by the Bills' somewhat improved season performance to date. Meanwhile WTSS and WHTT are in a dead heat in their battle for 25-54 music listeners, while WJYE is defending its slice of that same pie reasonably well but not spectacularly. It'll be interesting to see if WHTT's decision to stick to its normal format will help or hurt it by contrast with their competitors' going all Santa, all the time.

 

[caveman-97]

The new Buffalo ratings are now found on R & R's site.
It would appear that format changes at KB and WHLD did no good whatsoever. Ditto WECK. Lockport has better ratings. This may provide some solace to guys like Neaverth and Mitchell who lost their jobs for questionable reasons.

 

[Yeziknoradio]

The new Buffalo ratings are now found on R & R's site.
It would appear that format changes at KB and WHLD did no good whatsoever. Ditto WECK. Lockport has better ratings. This may provide some solace to guys like Neaverth and Mitchell who lost their jobs for questionable reasons.

Did anyone bet a beer on KB being more successful as a talker? I don't think so, but if they did, that's an awful lot of beer when offered to each person who posts here.

Perhaps there's more revenue in ten 30 somehings listening than 100 50 somethings????

 

[Debaser]

Can anyone who has access to continuous surveys tell us if WBEN's growth has been steady, or if it was a sudden bump driven by Friday the 13th and its aftermath?

Bob, WBEN has been number one since the dawn of time and most likely will remain #1 long after we're gone. No matter what the nay-sayers on this board say.

There may have been a book or two...or even a year or two...when the station's numbers have slipped, but WBEN gets top marks, and not just with the older-than-dirt crowd. If that were the case then their audience would have died off years ago, since people have pretty much said their listeners were mostly in the 50+ range back as long as I can remember (my time in Big B began in the early 70s).

When there is a crisis---and especially when weather is involved---people tune to WBEN to get the information they need. And if that crisis happens during a book it makes their already-good numbers look even better. It makes no difference how old these people are; everybody in Buffalo knows and trusts WBEN's news department, and that's the bottom line.

IMHO it's time for the nay-sayers to move on. WBEN has established itself in the #1 slot for too long. Your arguments no longer make any sense.

 

[Radknowski]

Can anyone who has access to continuous surveys tell us if WBEN's growth has been steady, or if it was a sudden bump driven by Friday the 13th and its aftermath?

Bob, WBEN has been number one since the dawn of time and most likely will remain #1 long after we're gone. No matter what the nay-sayers on this board say.

There may have been a book or two...or even a year or two...when the station's numbers have slipped, but WBEN gets top marks, and not just with the older-than-dirt crowd. If that were the case then their audience would have died off years ago, since people have pretty much said their listeners were mostly in the 50+ range back as long as I can remember (my time in Big B began in the early 70s).

When there is a crisis---and especially when weather is involved---people tune to WBEN to get the information they need. And if that crisis happens during a book it makes their already-good numbers look even better. It makes no difference how old these people are; everybody in Buffalo knows and trusts WBEN's news department, and that's the bottom line.

IMHO it's time for the nay-sayers to move on. WBEN has established itself in the #1 slot for too long. Your arguments no longer make any sense.

True for the most part, DB. But (and there's always a "but") WBEN isn't the paragon of talk, news and weather it may have been at one time because it's a great radio station as much as it's the only (commercial) news-talk radio station in the market.

When the Blizzard of '77 knocked on Buffalo's door, there were a number of radio stations (mostly AM) that answered the call: WGR, WBEN, WEBR, WYSL and of course, WKBW which jumped to the head of the pack. These days, primaryily due to consolidation, only WBEN remains as a primary source of news, traffic, weather and talk. Yes, WNED-AM and WBFO-FM are good radio stations with outstanding programming and solid staffs, but they don't have the juice that WBEN has.

Having read many posts on these boards pro and con WBEN, it's my opinion that some of the criticism directed toward WBEN is not because posters "hate" the station or its staff, but rather that the station is held to account for its actions and moreso, to a higher standard. Additionally, it may be that WBEN, being a news-talk station, is open to criticism, just as its high profile talk show hosts criticize (in ad hominem style) others. In this regard,what's good for the goose is good for the gander as the criticism is well-deserved and legitimate.

Another point, many of the posters here may know about some of the things that go on inside 500 Corporate Parkway because they know people in the building (Buffalo is such a close-knit market, most people know what's going on at the competition) and as such, they're prone to discuss the "inside baseball" thinking behind decisions and the people who make the decisions. Greg Reid, Larry Robb and others are public people with track records in the market. They're also well-paid, grown men who've made decisions that affect the lives of many other people. As such, the posters on this board hold them to account for their decisions.

DB, this board may get intense at times, but it's one of the most civil boards on the entire R-I site. Cincinnati, Syracuse, Boston and certainly New York make this board look tame by comparison.

Always good to see your posts here, sir.

 

[Debaser]

Mike-

In no way, shape or form do I deny anyone their opinion of WBEN's programming...or their right to express it. Hell, I even have an opinion of how they sound and what I would do with it if I knew anything about that kind of format.

But (and to quote, ummmm, you: "there always is a 'but'") I all too often see posts on this board that don't differentiate between the poster's opinion and certain undeniable facts. And the fact that WBEN continues to dominate the ratings and is sold out in all major day parts cannot be overlooked in the speculation by some people as to how they could be better. I mean, why would managment want to change a thing? The format they're doing is working so why should they do anything more than tweak it every now and then? But when you read some posts on this board you'd think that unless they perform a wholesale housecleaning and format revision, they will roll over and die along with "most of their listeners."

I just gotta figure that since I've been hearing that argument for over 30 years now and the station is still as strong as it ever was (no matter what we did in the 70s, for example, we could never pull ahead of them), the scenario that certain people would just love to see happen , won't.

Everything else is just pie-in-the-sky wishful thinking by people who should say, "Well, here's how I would do it if I had the chance, but I know that won't happen as long as WBEN does as well as they have been doing for so long."

And by the way, I know that the other AM stations rose to the challenge in '77 (I may not have lived there, but I had friends and family in Buffalo during that time), but WBEN was still the first choice for anybody who needed to get the facts fast. I'm sure it was very frustrating to those who worked long and hard in the newsrooms of all those other stations, but they all knew that no matter how well they did, WBEN was still the station "to go to" for up-to-the-minute facts in closings, weather forecasts and even news. It's just the nature of the beast, so to speak. As another example, no matter how many people we had at KB gathering school closings during snow storms, the schools themselves always told their students and teachers to tune to WBEN. I'm fairly sure nothing has changed there.

 

[Element9]

I've been an occasional critic of WBEN's programming and talk show hosts, but I've also praised the station when it deserved recognition. WBEN offers something most FM jukeboxes don't: consistent NEWS. Perhaps some of the FM stations might come to realize that having a NEWS DEPARTMENT staffed by at least a skeleton crew of credible, experienced NEWS professionals is an asset, especially in times of emergencies.

Sorry, Metro News and morning show kibitzers aren't the answer in times like this.

Is it any surprise that people turn to WBEN, WNED-AM and WBFO-FM in times of crisis? These are the stations that can be depended upon to provide a service to listeners in need. When the lights go out, "10 in a row" somehow isn't all that important. It's really no wonder WBEN's first trend of the Fall book is as strong as it appears, the station was on the air, live and local and provided a service and product customers needed.

BROADCASTING. In the public interest, convenience and NECESSITY. Radio 101.

-9-

 

[Mike Sheridan]

BROADCASTING. In the public interest, convenience and NECESSITY. Radio 101.

-9-

An old and it seems forgotten ideal. Now it's do it cheap it's all about $$$.

I understand they gotta make money but it used to be done without the sacrafice in quality.

 

[Mike Sheridan]

Oh and I think we all knew how popular the format changes at WWKB, WHLD, and WECK were going to be!

After all local stations that can be run out of a closet are so interesting...right? Even the people working for operations like that don't listen to it.

very sad :'(