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Pergament says WBEN can't sell airtime during Rush Limbaugh's show

Buddy Shula said:
I am not sure why people keep thinking that ad agencies like the 25 to 54 demo. Ad agencies are a small part of radio revenue. The older demo 35 plus is the demo that the big money comes from. This is WBEN's demo. Yes, that is a broad age group, and many of the people in that demo will be 45-70. But I will sell to that demo than 18-45 demo any day of the week. That age group has grown up with radio. They are going to stay with radio, and understand it a lot better than millennials. Just my thought
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You forget that in larger rated markets, agency revenue is critical to a major station being profitable.

For Buffalo, the percentage of national business is about 42%. For the major stations, it is likely as much as 60%. And, of the remainder, a big chunk is local agency placement.

So if you are one of the full signal FM's or one of the two significant AM stations, the "big money" comes from agency buys or buys done by in-house agencies that use ratings. And those buys are essentially against some part of 18-54. And that money is just as much against 18-34 as it is against 35-54; three of the top 5 billers are Country, Hot AC and CHR.
 
SirRoxalot said:
Have you seen the disposable income for 55+ these days? It's higher than 25-34. There are plenty of products and services targeted to include 55+. WBEN - and Entercom in general - seem to be doing just fine.
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WBEN is one of quite a few heritage AMs in stable markets that are traditional buys. They don't grow in revenue, but they manage to tread water quite well; WBEN is estimated to be billing about the same as it did in 2008 right after the recession drop.

The advantage of the news/talk format in sales is the ability to run 4 to 6 minutes an hour more spots than a music station. So while they may have a lower rate than Star, WYRK or Kiss, they can run more units and stay in the top two or three billers still.

When the local accounts that buy "my favorite station" disappear, the station will see declining revenue as the agencies won't be buying a station that is not even top 10 in 25-54.
 
Considering that Buddy is one of the top sellers at Entercom, I suspect he has a pretty good idea of the revenue at WBEN and where it comes from. I'm sure that they'll be looking hard at what Rush costs vs. what Rush brings in when Rush signs a new contract within the next few months. WBEN's brand of neo-con blather may not be your cup of tea, and AM is slowly fading as a medium, but they're decline has been slow compared to many other markets. With so few staffers, most radio stations are much more concerned about "right now" than five or ten years down the road. Even people in upper management seem to be more of the "make as much as I can for as long as I can", with the "Après moi le déluge" ethos borrowed from Louis XV of France.
 
"I'm sure that they'll be looking hard at what Rush costs vs. what Rush brings in when Rush signs a new contract within the next few months." IF Rush signs a new contract!
 
TheBigA said:
Read the subject line on this thread. Are there big name advertisers during his show? Or is it all 1-800 numbers.
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They are the usual advertisers. You won't listen so you want me to tell you no one advertises. But that's not the case.

Jamison, Buffalo Dental, BMI Weight Loss, Century 21 Winklhofer, Gelber & O'Connell Attorney...same as Bauerle, Hannity, Savage, etc.
 
TheBigA said:
All I was doing was answering your question. No need to insult.
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I answered your question and even listed what I heard.

But I still don't know what the purpose of me listening was.

My guess is, as I originally suspected, and confirmed by a first hand source that this station does not have any problem selling airtime during Rush's program.

The daily rag...that's another story.
 
dand5780 said:
I answered your question and even listed what I heard.

But I still don't know what the purpose of me listening was.

My guess is, as I originally suspected, and confirmed by a first hand source that this station does not have any problem selling airtime during Rush's program.
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"That station must be making tons of money. It has so many commercials."

I have heard that many times over the decades. And it speaks for a confusion of quality with quantity. A station may have lots of spots and lots of clients, but at what rate?

Some time ago, I knew of an FM that ran two minutes of commercials an hour, six 20" units, and billed more than 35 of the 42 stations in the market it operated in... most of which ran ten times the number of commercial minutes per hour. It had to do with the rates.
 
dand5780 said:
The daily rag...that's another story.
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Your repeated juvenile shots at the Buffalo News is especially moronic considering the BN is far and away the best source for in-depth local news. WBEN can't come anywhere close to the coverage the BN provides.

WBEN is junk food while the Buffalo News is the hearty dinner.

Making those comments about the BN just makes you sound like a sad WBEN lackey.
 
Perhaps the out of town guys with no real links to the market ought to just stop speculating about a station that they simply don't have information about. WBEN does well in both ratings and revenue. In fact, Buffalo has two AMs doing well in revenue - WBEN and WGR. Entercom, with arguably the weakest stable of stations, is the revenue leader in Buffalo. Those two AMs more than earn their way. A lot of it has to do with sales talent. Over the last few years, most of the top sellers in the market have ended up at Entercom, mostly due to poor management at both Townsquare and Cumulus. Talent makes a difference, and it's apparent in the revenue levels. Entercom ain't perfect, but as a radio vet friend of mine says, "They're the best of a bad bunch."
 
SirRoxalot said:
Perhaps the out of town guys with no real links to the market ought to just stop speculating about a station that they simply don't have information about.
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If you read my posts in this thread, you'll see I haven't commented at all about the station. I was simply answering a question.
 
This is totally wrong! WBEN has much higher rates than Kiss and STAR. WBEN does not play more commercials in a row than YRK or anyone else. Local accounts don't spend their money because it is their favorite station. They spend it because it gets results. Our revenue does not depend on agencies. It depends on local direct. You don't know sales too well.
 
I am thee top biller at Entercom, and have been for years. IT makes me laugh how stupid some of you sound by just guessing at what you think is going on with radio revenue and rates. It is very obvious who is still in the business, and who is not. Folks, Entercom has like a 48 share of the Buffalo radio revenue market. WE leave the other scraps to the bottom feeders at Town square and Cumulus. Most of the people at those companies honestly do not know how to market radio to potential advertisers, and if they get lucky and sucker their clients, the clients usually leave and I have to explain to them how radio marketing REALLY works.
 
Buddy Shula said:
I am thee top biller at Entercom, and have been for years. IT makes me laugh how stupid some of you sound by just guessing at what you think is going on with radio revenue and rates. It is very obvious who is still in the business, and who is not. Folks, Entercom has like a 48 share of the Buffalo radio revenue market. WE leave the other scraps to the bottom feeders at Town square and Cumulus. Most of the people at those companies honestly do not know how to market radio to potential advertisers, and if they get lucky and sucker their clients, the clients usually leave and I have to explain to them how radio marketing REALLY works.
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Per the industry standard, Entercom has 41% of revenue and Townsquare has 34% with Cumulus at 18%.

I would not say that Townsquare is a "bottom feeder"

Cumulus has only 3 really viable stations, the FMs, as the two AMs are not viable. Entercom has 4 truly viable stations including the only two AMs that are somewhat sustainable. Townsquare has four very viable FMs, and one is the market's billing leader. Over time, they have the best chance to be the market billing leader as they have no AMs with declining or stagnant billing.

As a company, Townsquare has been registering industry leading revenue gains. They have a different market positioning philosophy that goes beyond spots and dots, which bodes well for their future.
 
DavidEduardo said:


Per the industry standard, Entercom has 41% of revenue and Townsquare has 34% with Cumulus at 18%.

I would not say that Townsquare is a "bottom feeder"

Cumulus has only 3 really viable stations, the FMs, as the two AMs are not viable. Entercom has 4 truly viable stations including the only two AMs that are somewhat sustainable. Townsquare has four very viable FMs, and one is the market's billing leader. Over time, they have the best chance to be the market billing leader as they have no AMs with declining or stagnant billing.

As a company, Townsquare has been registering industry leading revenue gains. They have a different market positioning philosophy that goes beyond spots and dots, which bodes well for their future.
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oooo....snap!
 
The only problem with your assessment, David, is that the best sales talent in the market almost always ends up at Entercom. Townsquare had had a wholesale management change which may work in their favor eventually, but that will likely take time. I wouldn't count on Entercom giving up the sales crown soon.
 
SirRoxalot said:
I wouldn't count on Entercom giving up the sales crown soon.
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The difference isn't the sales people. It's the products in the inventory. Yes WGR has some very valuable sports franchises that Townsquare will never touch, and I get that. But that's about it. Townsquare is selling things beyond the air signal, and that gives them a leg up. Entercom's rights to their most valuable products are limited to the air signal.
 
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