Newsradio 930 - - to FM??

[nitro99]

Just a thought to stir up some commotion...

Why not move the programming from WBEN Newsradio 930 to the FM, say to 107.7? Face it, the only people who don't have a FM radio are probably in Cheektowaga/Sloan driving their Plymouth Dusters wondering what happened to "998"!

Place an adult standards on 930, and bingo, you have a good chance in retaining listeners on the AM while giving Bauerle, Beach and company the rich FM sound they deserve.

In all seriousness, being the only local newstalk in town (non-public), you could move your programming anywhere on the dial, and people will find you.

The only downside is the call letters were allowed to slip through their hands to land in Philadelphia over a year ago, so rebranding would take some cash/time/energy.

 

[ThePickleReport]

I could see some sort of a simulcast of 930 on 107.7, but the 107.7 signal isn't good enough in metro Buffalo.

 

[Element9]

Why not move the programming from WBEN Newsradio 930 to the FM, say to 107.7? Face it, the only people who don't have a FM radio are probably in Cheektowaga/Sloan driving their Plymouth Dusters wondering what happened to "998"! Place an adult standards on 930, and bingo, you have a good chance in retaining listeners on the AM while giving Bauerle, Beach and company the rich FM sound they deserve.In all seriousness, being the only local newstalk in town (non-public), you could move your programming anywhere on the dial, and people will find you. The only downside is the call letters were allowed to slip through their hands to land in Philadelphia over a year ago, so rebranding would take some cash/time/energy.

WBEN owns the news-talk brand in Buffalo. Whether we think the station is great or sucks is beside the point. It does very well Persons 12+ as it is. I'm not sure that people in Sloan and Cheektowaga don't have or use FM radio. These are the same people who followed Dan Lesniak to FM when he signed WADV on the air in the 60's and helped make it viable, especially when Dan did his Saturday and Sunday polka shows. These same people consititute a large share of WBEN's aging audience, which is one reason the station has large 12+ numbers.

107.7 is a lame duck signal. Entercom would never risk the revenue loss that would result if WBEN moved to that frequency. As to putting Adult Standards on WBEN, it might have a better place on WWKB. Maybe Adult Standards has a place on 107.7 in the future. When Entercom spins the wheel of formats on 107.7 it's an even bet that it will stop on "Country."

We've had THIS discussion before on this board. For all we know, David Field and Greg Reid will be content with what's on 107.7 chugging along at a 3 share 12+ and barely making a dent in the 25-54 demo.

-9-

 

[SirRoxalot]

Why?

As previously stated, 107.7 is a lame duck signal. It is also the favorite child of David Field. As long as it doesn't lose money, it will remain The Lake.

WBEN covers the market, and makes money. Greg Ried has stripped away as much of the cost as is possible while still pretending to be a full-service news-talker. Moving the format to FM wouldn't gain any listeners. Moving to 107.7 would likely cost listeners.

Talk on FM is more likely to skew significantly younger, as WBUF tried prior to Jack. Considering the rousing success of the "Free FM" talk format from CBS/Infinity, I don't see why anybody would pursue that avenue.

 

[Radknowski]

NewsRadio 107 Point 7... What's The Point?

...WBEN covers the market, and makes money. Greg Ried has stripped away as much of the cost as is possible while still pretending to be a full-service news-talker. Moving the format to FM wouldn't gain any listeners. Moving to 107.7 would likely cost listeners. Talk on FM is more likely to skew significantly younger, as WBUF tried prior to Jack. Considering the rousing success of the "Free FM" talk format from CBS/Infinity, I don't see why anybody would pursue that avenue.

As Isaac Hayes (aka "Chef") once said, "...Right on..." FM Talk skews younger and that's a problem especially in Buffalo, where the young adult exodus (and detachment) leaves most stations catering and scrambling for as much of the 25-54 pie as possible.

There's a larger consideration, however, that being Entercom having more serious problems with more important Buffalo properties. Reportedly, Star 102.5 had a disastrous Spring book and is trending very soft in the first two months of the Summer book. Kiss 98.5 has an identity crisis, especially with the aging (yet ever glamorous) Janet Snyder in morning drive. WGR fell off the cliff after the Sabres' playoff drive.

These issues are far more important than what happens on 107.7, at least for the time being.

 

[x13thfloorrand]

Perhaps...

Why not use 107.7 to cover Sabres games;i do miss the FM sound when the sabes were on 104.1.

Possible? With baseball and football moving all over the place as the Sabres season rolls (MNF moves to 1520 if there is a sabres game or world series/ALCS game)

 

[MediaBoy4Radio]

Nitro.....

the WBEN-FM call letters did not slip out of their hands................

Entercom sold the calls to "BEN" in Philly.....................$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

 

[Bob1370]

If it ain't broke a smart owner won't try to fix it, just fine tune it, sand out and repaint minor rust spots. WBEN is quite successful just where it is. It won't move anywhere.

It could use some tweaks...and perhaps a year or so down the road may end up doing what KSTP and WBAL did, and re-evaluate its commitment to Limbaugh. (The station would probably do better ratings-wise by bringing back the Newsday news hour at noon, which was a long-running hit that Limbaugh displaced, and hiring a new local host to bridge the 1-3 slot from the news hour to Sandy Beach. And it wouldn't cost any more than they probably pay for Limbaugh's rights now, maybe not even as much.) I'd love to know how Ron Dobson's doing--I'd venture a guess that if we could see the book, he's holding the same 12+ share as his predecessors but looking a little healthier in the demos. More retooling of other dayparts could accomplish the same thing for the station as a whole and improve the bottom line. Mornings need to add a personality host working alongside the existing anchors (canning Bill Lacy was a significant mistake). Sandy is strong but won't last forever--they should hang on to him as long as they can, but they should also be developing someone in late evening or weekends to eventually take his place a few years down the road when he decides he's said all he has to say and wants to take it easy.

Technically there's no compelling reason to move the programming to another channel at all. WBEN has no serious coverage problems with its current signal throughout most of the metro (except in Chautaqua County after dark), unlike most of the other Buffalo market AMs--and when the FCC opens the next window for more major facilities changes in a year or so, it probably has room to bump power up to 10,000 watts or more without significantly reconfiguring either day or night pattern. There's no push, but if they want more signal, there's probably not much standing in the way of them getting it.