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Portland ME to Become #89 Market - Arbitron

G

Gregg

Arbitron is changing the rankings of ten markets, including Portland ME. It will move up to Market 89 from its current ranking of #168.

http://arbitron.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=767

The following counties are being added to Cumberland County to boost the Portland Market to its new Top 100 status.

Androscoggin
Oxford
Sagadahoc
Part of York (I suppose the southern part of York stays in the Portsmouth market.)

Expanding the Portland market will no doubt put WGAN's status as the #1 station in jeopardy. While WGAN's 5000 watt signal covers Cumberland County, it won't be as strong in those other counties. Other stations with weaker signals such as WYNZ and WHXR/WHXQ will be likely hurt. I'd imagine stations like WTHT will be helped with its simulcast on 99.3 in York County. WLOB will likely be helped with its 95.5 simulcast. WHEB will likely become at least a minor player in the newly expanded market, since it's so strong throughout York County.

Portland will replace Toledo at #89. The Toledo market has a 12+ population of just over half a million people.


Gregg
[email protected]
 
This will be very beneficial to WHOM and should help WFNK and WJBQ a bit too. But it looks like WHOM is the biggest winner with the addition of Oxford County.
 
I am getting a big upgrade in NY to #38 :eek:
How will this fear with TOS? they don't get into Portland well at all.
 
Jamie said:
How will this fear with TOS? they don't get into Portland well at all.
Click to expand...


'TOS is a non-issue in anywhere but Augusta/Wtvl and Bangor with Lewiston Auburn secondary. Although with the add of a couple counties that 96.7 covers, they MIGHT show up but Blueberry largely cashes in on the 105.1 frequency, I have no idea how the 101.1 frequency is doing with downeast listeners however.
 
ThatGuyOnTheRadio said:
What becomes of the Lewiston-Auburn market?
Click to expand...

It will disappear. It is part of the joining into the new Portland market. Or maybe they'll call it "Portland-Lewiston".
 
I wonder if Saga will feel the need to find an FM simulcast for WGAN? If it stays at 560 AM only, it will be hard to remain #1 in the market. At the very least, it should find an inexpensive AM station in the Lewiston area to simulcast, such as 1240, which is running religion currently. And Citadel probably wishes it hadn't sold WCYY's Lewiston simulcast to a religious broadcaster. With Lewiston being merged into the Portland market, 94.3 WCYY could use the 93.9 simulcast now.

I guess the Class C FM stations will really benefit... WHOM, WBLM, WFNK, WJJB-FM, all with much higher power and/or antenna height than the Class B stations... WJBQ, WPOR, WMGX, etc. Those Class C stations cover the new Portland Market very well.

Did one of the group owners in Portland pressure Arbitron to do this? Suddenly owning a major station in a Top 100 market no doubt boosts the worth of some of these stations and can command better ad rates, even if the station's ratings stay the same. I imagine some advertisers only buy time on Top 100 market stations.

Gregg
[email protected]
 
Gregg said:
I wonder if Saga will feel the need to find an FM simulcast for WGAN? If it stays at 560 AM only, it will be hard to remain #1 in the market. At the very least, it should find an inexpensive AM station in the Lewiston area to simulcast, such as 1240, which is running religion currently. And Citadel probably wishes it hadn't sold WCYY's Lewiston simulcast to a religious broadcaster. With Lewiston being merged into the Portland market, 94.3 WCYY could use the 93.9 simulcast now.
Click to expand...

1240 is doing oldies, it's partially simuclasted on 1450 South Paris and 780 Rumford which splits away most of the daytime for religious

Citadel had to sell off WCYI per FCC rules when they bought ABC Radio...I bet they're wishing they had sold off another station (but WCYI was probably the only one on their mind because L-A and Portland were 2 different markets)
 
What will this mean on the sales side? New jacked-up rate cards rolling out ASAP? Smaller local mom-and-pop businesses get priced out as advertisers? There goes my dream of buying time in the market for my Cheap Beer Connoiseur Corner show, it was going to be great! I had Matthews Pub on Free St. all lined up as a sponsor too, dammit. ;D

Cheers,
OldPort Wino
 
WJBQ will do just fine in Lewiston-Auburn and Bath-Brunswick from their location at the top of the WPXT-TV tower on Dutton Hill in Gray; which is halfway between L/A and Portland for those unfamiliar with the area. Citidel had to sell WCYI because of an ownership cap issue in the market in lieu of the acquisition of the ABC Radio properties.

Wonder if at the very least WGAN finds itself on an HD-2 channel of one of Saga's FM sticks or blow up an under performing FM format altogether for a WGAN-FM. They could use the positioner "All News, all the time". :) <sorry, couldn't resist>



Gregg said:
I wonder if Saga will feel the need to find an FM simulcast for WGAN? If it stays at 560 AM only, it will be hard to remain #1 in the market. At the very least, it should find an inexpensive AM station in the Lewiston area to simulcast, such as 1240, which is running religion currently. And Citadel probably wishes it hadn't sold WCYY's Lewiston simulcast to a religious broadcaster. With Lewiston being merged into the Portland market, 94.3 WCYY could use the 93.9 simulcast now.

I guess the Class C FM stations will really benefit... WHOM, WBLM, WFNK, WJJB-FM, all with much higher power and/or antenna height than the Class B stations... WJBQ, WPOR, WMGX, etc. Those Class C stations cover the new Portland Market very well.

Did one of the group owners in Portland pressure Arbitron to do this? Suddenly owning a major station in a Top 100 market no doubt boosts the worth of some of these stations and can command better ad rates, even if the station's ratings stay the same. I imagine some advertisers only buy time on Top 100 market stations.

Gregg
[email protected]
Click to expand...
 
So will this put Nassau over the cap?

They will have 5 FMs from my count when this happens in the Portland market.
99.3 (Previously considered unrated)
99.9
104.7 (Previously considered unrated)
106.3
107.5

Under 73.3555(a)(1)(i) - the market must have 45 or more stations to have 5 stations on 1 service (in this case FM)

Will Nassau be required by the FCC to sell off, or will current ownership be considered grandfathered.
 
Interesting question. I seem to recall that 99.3 and 104.7 showed up in the Portland book (albeit with tiny ratings) before the beauty contest numbers were embargoed. And besides, didn't Nassau already resolve the cap issue by selling off 106.7 when Goldman Sucks took over?
 
Necrat said:
Will Nassau be required by the FCC to sell off, or will current ownership be considered grandfathered.
Click to expand...

my guess is they're grandfathered until they make some sort of massive deal, much like Citadel taking over ABC Radio.
 
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