Ratings Observations

[MarcB]

The last 3 ratings periods show that BOMBA-FM (WMRQ HD2) which airs on 3 Hartford area translators (97.1/Bolton, 98.5/Meriden, and 99.5/Waterbury [yeah I know 99.5 is licensed to Clinton, but their antenna is in Waterbury]) gets higher ratings than Radio 104.1 WMRQ. Based on that shouldn't they put BOMBA's Spanish format on WMRQ's main channel and put the Modern Rock format on 104.1 HD2 and the translators? Being on the main channel would also fill-in holes that exist in their current coverage area they have with the translators. While personally I know of several places where I can pick up the 3 Hartford-area translators on the car radio, I have friends who tell me there are places where they can't pick up any of of the 3.

 

[CTListener]

The last 3 ratings periods show that BOMBA-FM (WMRQ HD2) which airs on 3 Hartford area translators (97.1/Bolton, 98.5/Meriden, and 99.5/Waterbury [yeah I know 99.5 is licensed to Clinton, but their antenna is in Waterbury]) gets higher ratings than Radio 104.1 WMRQ. Based on that shouldn't they put BOMBA's Spanish format on WMRQ's main channel and put the Modern Rock format on 104.1 HD2 and the translators? Being on the main channel would also fill-in holes that exist in their current coverage area they have with the translators. While personally I know of several places where I can pick up the 3 Hartford-area translators on the car radio, I have friends who tell me there are places where they can't pick up any of of the 3.

If any of those places are outside of Hartford, Waterbury or Meriden, then the people there are not in the target audience and don't matter. The translators cover those three cities, all with significant Hispanic populations, just fine. There's a negligible potential audience for them anywhere else, given the demographics of most of the towns lying between those cities. Since the rock audience is largely white, English-speaking and suburban, Red Wolf would be wise to keep that format on the main signal. Yes, the signal underachieves with alternative rock, but you'd think that if there were a viable better choice for Red Wolf, ratings-wise and advertising-wise, it would already be on 104.1. The Hartford market has no profitable format holes on FM, and challenging a WWYZ or a WRCH would be suicide.

 

[davideduardo]

If any of those places are outside of Hartford, Waterbury or Meriden, then the people there are not in the target audience and don't matter. The translators cover those three cities, all with significant Hispanic populations, just fine. There's a negligible potential audience for them anywhere else, given the demographics of most of the towns lying between those cities. Since the rock audience is largely white, English-speaking and suburban, Red Wolf would be wise to keep that format on the main signal. Yes, the signal underachieves with alternative rock, but you'd think that if there were a viable better choice for Red Wolf, ratings-wise and advertising-wise, it would already be on 104.1. The Hartford market has no profitable format holes on FM, and challenging a WWYZ or a WRCH would be suicide.

Good points. Bomba is likely achieving its maximum potential via the translators, while reducing the coverage of the general market format would only hurt it more.