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Pittsburgh Radio Predictions for 2010

The biggest reason radio is dull is the big companies carve out their niches and then protect them. There's no Cecil Heftel to come in and knock a sleeping market on its butt. The big guys are stuck with their stations, and the state of the business is such that upstarts and mavericks don't think they can make it, so they don't bother.

It's nice that a few thousand people are living downtown, but unless you're visiting them, what does that matter to anyone else?
 
Pratte4 life....You are kidding me right? Pittsburgh is a great town, and pretty from a distance, but up close, it's a train wreck!!!!!! Sorry, but only yunzers with rose colored glasses, wearing a Greg Lloyd Steeler jersey, are saying the city is better now than it was 10 years ago. Business in the downtown is depression like. Things that were there 10 years ago are long gone. Left in their place are real estate signs or flags that are badly faded. And as for those condos downtown? Do some homework. There are a lot of overpriced units that have been, and will continue to be, EMPTY. What the heck this has to do with radio, I don't know. But then again, I started it.

P.S. One of the other bloggers said it best. What good are a few thousand people living downtown if there is no economic benefit? (other than taxes)
 
I think this year Quinn and Rose's distribution will be picked up by a third party syndicator like Dial Global or Compass Media Networks, and their show will now have a barter option which re-attracts affiliates.
 
Well, apparently the President, who put the G-20 here, and Rand McNally, who named Pittsburgh the Most Liveable City AGAIN are "yunzers (sic) with rose colored glasses wearing a Greg Lloyd Steelers jersey."

I mean I'm trying to think hard about what was there 10 years ago and not now. Point Park moving into the Bank Center, which is a positive. So is the removal of the porno shops from every block on Liberty Ave.

I'm thinking there could be more done with the corridor between Wood and Market Square on Forbes. But Smithfield Outlet moving there does not mean that a store has been abandoned on Smithfield Street- I do not believe one has. Murphy's is a casualty of the American 5 and 10, we don't have Woolwoorth or McCrory's anymore, not just here but ANYWHERE- just as the executives in Troy, Michigan long ago decided they were better off as K-Mart than Kress.

And I believe the old McCrory's has been replaced by Rite-Aid, as drug stores such as them have replaced the 5 and 10, for better or worse.


I guess, much to my chagrin, that Hare Krishna or whatever the place was called store has been torn down, but is that Pittsburgh's fault or the fact there hasn't been a market for Accept and Vixen posters for more than 20 years?
 
california said:
Pratte4 life....You are kidding me right? Pittsburgh is a great town, and pretty from a distance, but up close, it's a train wreck!!!!!! Sorry, but only yunzers with rose colored glasses, wearing a Greg Lloyd Steeler jersey, are saying the city is better now than it was 10 years ago. Business in the downtown is depression like. Things that were there 10 years ago are long gone. Left in their place are real estate signs or flags that are badly faded. And as for those condos downtown? Do some homework. There are a lot of overpriced units that have been, and will continue to be, EMPTY. What the heck this has to do with radio, I don't know. But then again, I started it.

P.S. One of the other bloggers said it best. What good are a few thousand people living downtown if there is no economic benefit? (other than taxes)
Click to expand...

2 things...

1) if you compare it to the 80's, when the economy here was far worse that what was recently described as "the worst economic conditions since the great depression", things are really good here now. You have to look at it on a regional basis, not just downtown to really make a valid comparison, because urban and regional development has evolved that way everywhere. But look at Robinson, the Waterfront, Southpointe, Cranberry, Ross Park Mall... all good solid stuff that has the side effect of diluting a downtown core. But also look at the cultural district downtown, the North Shore development including Alcoa and Del Monte, the new PNC firstside facility, two modern stadiums, a new arena about to open. There's far more here than there was 20 years ago.

2) you could always move.
 
Parttimer said:
california said:
Pratte4 life....You are kidding me right? Pittsburgh is a great town, and pretty from a distance, but up close, it's a train wreck!!!!!! Sorry, but only yunzers with rose colored glasses, wearing a Greg Lloyd Steeler jersey, are saying the city is better now than it was 10 years ago. Business in the downtown is depression like. Things that were there 10 years ago are long gone. Left in their place are real estate signs or flags that are badly faded. And as for those condos downtown? Do some homework. There are a lot of overpriced units that have been, and will continue to be, EMPTY. What the heck this has to do with radio, I don't know. But then again, I started it.

P.S. One of the other bloggers said it best. What good are a few thousand people living downtown if there is no economic benefit? (other than taxes)
Click to expand...

2 things...

1) if you compare it to the 80's, when the economy here was far worse that what was recently described as "the worst economic conditions since the great depression", things are really good here now. You have to look at it on a regional basis, not just downtown to really make a valid comparison, because urban and regional development has evolved that way everywhere. But look at Robinson, the Waterfront, Southpointe, Cranberry, Ross Park Mall... all good solid stuff that has the side effect of diluting a downtown core. But also look at the cultural district downtown, the North Shore development including Alcoa and Del Monte, the new PNC firstside facility, two modern stadiums, a new arena about to open. There's far more here than there was 20 years ago.

2) you could always move.
Click to expand...

That's stretching the boundaries pretty widely, comparing downtown to an area that now includes Washington and Butler counties.
 
Agreed, but my point is that to make any assessments on the health of this market based on the state of the narrowly-defined downtown area is meaningless. I can tell you from the standpoint of my business (consumer electronics) and several others that this has been one of the healthiest markets in the US the last 2+ years.
 
Downtown Pittsburgh is a lot more viable than downtown Tampa or downtown Richmond.
 
corporateradiosucks said:
105.9 finally admits "We know Bob Marley isn't really alternative, we just got stuck for a minute. A lot."
Click to expand...


Yeah ... but it's all about the 420, mon!
 
And if I can go with Part for a bit here, does it really make a difference if nightlife in Pittsburgh is focused in places like the South Side, Oakland, and Strip District and not downtown?

I keep hearing about how downtown needs more nightlife. All due respect, when I was living in the Point Park dorms it was nice to be able to go to Smithfield Street News after midnight for a snack or something and not worry about having to be mugged.
 
Raymond said:
That was Dr. Michael Lynn.

This post is actually the first one of yours Ken Hawk that makes sense. Must be one of your New Year's resolutions? ;D
Click to expand...

Very funny, Rain Man! :D
 
Predictions for the New Year:

*B94 is gone
*There will be one all sports FM.
*There will be two less Frogs
* At least one of the major players in the market will look a great deal differently at the end of the year.
*One of the religious buy ins will never make it to air.
*There will be two fewer AMs
 
Snafu said:
Predictions for the New Year:

*B94 is gone
*There will be one all sports FM.
*There will be two less Frogs
* At least one of the major players in the market will look a great deal differently at the end of the year.
*One of the religious buy ins will never make it to air.
*There will be two fewer AMs
Click to expand...

CBS flips B94 to Churban like WPGC or WLLD
Hopefully 106.7 goes sports instead of the "All Gregorian" format in the works. It gets sold to COX.
This is confusing as to which. Guess we will just let a car run over two of them.
WRRK and WLTJ get sold to COX and they will always be "New"
Cox buys all the Renda holdings too and WJAS is sold to Salem and WMNY goes dark. WSHH becomes the "New WISH 100" with your 50 minute music hour coming right up"
KDKA goes dark-----just kidding. It gets sold to COX.
WPGR goes dark so that makes the two.
Ron Morris buys 104.3 and converts it to all Feminist call in shows. Lynn Cullen comes back and Uncle Dougie too, however Uncle Dougie can no longer flirt with female callers ( including me).
WDUQ is bought by the people who own WBGO and breaks the Top 10.
 
Snafu said:
Predictions for the New Year:

*B94 is gone
*There will be one all sports FM.
*There will be two less Frogs
* At least one of the major players in the market will look a great deal differently at the end of the year.
*One of the religious buy ins will never make it to air.
*There will be two fewer AMs
Click to expand...

Assuming the Frogs stay on 104.3, who are they going to get to buy 94.9 and 103.5?

103.5 in particular is not really beneficial to them because of the upgrades to 104.3, but I don't think they ever moved 103.5 off of Channel 9's stick in Steubenville, did they? Wasn't the Bugettstown COL just so the studio could be where it is? It's basically a Wheeling -Steubenville station and there's not much money there at all.

If someone bought both they still have the same issue the Frogs originally had before 98.3's move-in, namely a gaping hole in Allegheny county.
 
Keymarket/Forever is in worse financial shape than most realize. They'll throw overboard whatever they have to in order to stay afloat.

The studio in Stubenville was in the top floor of the building that Channel 9 used to be in. All of the sets had been abandonded in place on the main floor and about half of the wiring was still there. I kept waiting for the ghost of Red Donnelly to walk through a wall any minute.

The transmitter has been moved into PA.
 
Parttimer said:
Assuming the Frogs stay on 104.3, who are they going to get to buy 94.9 and 103.5?
Click to expand...

I'd personally like to see WKZV's format on 94.9. No one's doing classic country on FM in this market. With our aging demographic, it can succeed. Citadel's "Real Country" satellite format is a great example of how classic country can be done without it sounding like restroom music at the TA.
 
kenhawk1160 said:
I'd personally like to see WKZV's format on 94.9. No one's doing classic country on FM in this market. With our aging demographic, it can succeed. Citadel's "Real Country" satellite format is a great example of how classic country can be done without it sounding like restroom music at the TA.
Click to expand...

I just checked that out. If Reba's running around there it's not classic enough for me.
 
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