New York Metro Radio Ratings: Holiday 2023

[CassChopper96]

Audacy might as well just bake cookies if it doesn't. If you can't make hip hop for chicks in their 30's a winner in New York, then you have no business programming radio stations at all.

The problem is you got WKTU, WWPR, WBLS and WQHT going after the same demographic

 

[TheBigA]

It's still tunnel vision. There are 16.5 million people in the market, try finding some others besides 30 year old hip hop chicks. They already have lots of stations. How about some actual format variety?

That's what happens when you depend on advertising to pay for music. They set the priorities. Not radio.

 

[Theater of My Mind]

That's what happens when you depend on advertising to pay for music. They set the priorities. Not radio.

The station is an abject failure with just half the share of Audacy's previous failed formats you guys so heavily criticized. Bringing up the rear at #20 in the NY ratings. Fifth place out of five stations chasing the same audience with the same music. The lowest ranked FM station in Market #1 behind only WEPN, which is for sale.

I guess since it plays 'rhythmic' music it's cool to come up with a hundred ways to spin it into some kind of success story here, though.

 

[TheBigA]

The station is an abject failure with just half the share of Audacy's previous failed formats you guys so heavily criticized.

Keep in mind that success and failure isn't measured in ratings. It's measured in money. Audacy dropped the country format because of billings, not ratings. The ratings were pretty good. But they billed about $2 million a year.

 

[MassMusicMan]

Bringing up the rear at #20 in the NY ratings.

Where did you see 25-54 that far down? I only saw Top 10 from the article posted.

Their Boston counterpart is routinely Top 5 18-34, and absolutely takes the piss out of Jam'n every book. That's the difference between good programming, and, well, Audacy.

 

[Weiserguy]

OK, name a format that is economically viable that does not exist on a full signal in the market

Has anyone tried Tibetan bluegrass yet?

 

[MVB13]

Why not classic alternative?

 

[davideduardo]

The problem is you got WKTU, WWPR, WBLS and WQHT going after the same demographic

No, you don't "got" that.

WKTU: targeted mostly at later generation Hispanics as well as non-Hispanic whites who like rhythmic music without rock.
WWPR: Urban, primarily but not exclusively Black.
WBLS: Urban AC, almost all 30+ or 35+ Black listeners
WQHT: Targeting both Black and Hispanic, less urban than WWPR.

"Demographic" means more than "age range". It means ethnicity, gender, education level, suburban-vs-urban and lots more categories.

 

[davideduardo]

Why not classic alternative?

A new classic alternative? Name one station where such a format, introduced in the last decade or so, has been successful. And that is a very white format while New York only has a white minority now.

 

[davideduardo]

The station is an abject failure with just half the share of Audacy's previous failed formats you guys so heavily criticized.

But it gives them Black and Hispanic numbers for cluster sales. That can be worth millions.

Bringing up the rear at #20 in the NY ratings.

It's part of a cluster SALES strategy.

 

[TheBigA]

Why not classic alternative?

Everyone keeps throwing spaghetti at the wall with no consequence. This is not a music decision. It's a MONEY decision. If you want to play armchair PD, make a financial argument for this. How much more money can be made, based on doing what? Right now they're running with all local hosts. Do you fire them? Who pays their contracts? Then do they all get replaced with more local talent? Who has credibility in this format in this market? Scott Muni and Pete Fornatale are dead. Who are potential sponsors? How do you propose this classic alt make money that is different from what they're doing now? Do you have clients lined up and ready to go, or do we have to operate at a loss until there are sellable ratings. And who gets fired if this idea doesn't work?

 

[MassMusicMan]

And who gets fired if this idea doesn't work?

Wait, people get let go in radio for sucking?

 

[TheBigA]

Wait, people get let go in radio for sucking?

Sucking is subjective. If they cost the company money, that's objective.

 

[MassMusicMan]

Sucking is subjective. If they cost the company money, that's objective.

By that logic, and based on what David Eduardo has said more than once about half of stations not making money, that's a lot of people who should be canned.

The point was more that this industry is littered with people who get third and fourth chances despite not being that good.

 

[Theater of My Mind]

The point was more that this industry is littered with people who get third and fourth chances despite not being that good.

It's called 'failing up' and it's rampant in this business.

 

[TheBigA]

By that logic, and based on what David Eduardo has said more than once about half of stations not making money, that's a lot of people who should be canned

Sooner or later, everybody gets canned. It's not a business of IF you get fired, but WHEN. The only lifetime jobs are in the courts.

I've worked for several company founders who each found themselves fired from the companies they launched.

The point was more that this industry is littered with people who get third and fourth chances despite not being that good.

They call it forgive & forget. I know lots of air talent who have been fired by iHeart, only to get rehired by a different PD.

Firing is not forever. It's only until you find something else.

It's called 'failing up' and it's rampant in this business.

It's rampant in EVERY business. Some famous people have been beneficiaries. Very common in family businesses.