Rock 92.9 To Bloomberg

[davideduardo]

Adam puts in a mighty effort though. He does his job. I see his posts online everywhere. I suspect the misguided programming on 92.9 was out of his hands, there's a lot of excellent rock music they did not play that would have made them more mass appeal. Instead they focused on headbanging.

Like all major market music stations, they have research at the song-by-song level. They also have format research that shows which blend of songs will be the greatest attraction to the most listeners.

I think it is safe to say "if they did not play it, it was not mass appeal enough to the pre-determined largest target audience."

 

[luperm]

I'd love to see someone give alternative another shot. Adam 12 seems to have the reverse Midas touch, so I would recommend someone other than him to be PD of such a station locally.

Something tells me that alternative would perform even worse than a second rate classic rocker. Sad, indeed.

 

[MarkW]

Like all major market music stations, they have research at the song-by-song level. They also have format research that shows which blend of songs will be the greatest attraction to the most listeners.

I think it is safe to say "if they did not play it, it was not mass appeal enough to the pre-determined largest target audience."

For the first couple years, the music mix worked surprisingly well. Then, the ratings faded significantly yet Beasley refused to change the formula.

Playing 80s butt rock and 90s rock in nearly equal quantity is too jarring, in my opinion.

What's interesting is 98.7 the Shark in Tampa, at launch, was a near replica of WBOS. When that station's AQH share began to fade, it adopted a more traditional sounding classic rock format, and its numbers improved almost immediately.

 

[New]

they have research at the song-by-song level.

I think it is safe to say "if they did not play it, it was not mass appeal enough to the pre-determined largest target audience."

Research can be a tool or a crutch. Any researcher can make "Brown Eyed Girl" test well, that doesn't mean the station should play it. An intuitive programmer can curate a more appealing playlist than a math genius who bases programming decisions on numbers.

Either way, research never helped 92.9's "Next Generation of Classic Rock" much, their ratings were at the bottom. It's possible better research, better programming and different marketing could have gotten better results.

 

[Uncle Kaimbridge]

Will there be changes at 1450/106.1 Newburport and 92.1 Topsfield too? No longer needed for Bloom.?

My guess would be brokered ethnic....Costa-Eagle looking to "spread their wings"? 😁 (sorry, couldn't resist!)

 

[New]

Something tells me that alternative would perform even worse than a second rate classic rocker. Sad, indeed.

It would have to be very strategic, and would cost a lot of money (live DJ's, marketing), but I'm certain an alternative rock format could do very well in Boston. Just not the kind of repetitive alternative rock that suffocated both WBCN and WFNX - who were playing 20 year old (at the time) songs from Nirvana, Green Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam and Smashing Pumpkins over and over again. Hartford has WMRQ, Wash DC has WWDC.. Boston is college town with a rich rock history, ridiculous radio can't leverage that. Yeah Classic Rock would perform better with less effort, but wouldn't generate the buzz an alternative would.

 

[Kelly A]

Lance hit the nail on the head. Would I rather run a station with all the expense and payroll while trying to wring local advertising out of a shrinking pool, or receive a decent monthly check for someone else to take on programming my station?
Kids, that's what you call a no-brainer.

 

[ex radio pimp]

Adam puts in a mighty effort though. He does his job. I see his posts online everywhere. I suspect the misguided programming on 92.9 was out of his hands, there's a lot of excellent rock music they did not play that would have made them more mass appeal. Instead they focused on headbanging.

True but he has been in afternoon rive for the death of three stations. Coincidence?

 

[Fenway1912]

1330 WRCA Watertown/106.1 W291CZ Boston currently has a cume of 14,000

I am speechless over this

 

[tjm_pro]

WFNX-LP down in Scituate looks like it’s forming to do some type of Alternative. They are not on the air yet, but the stream looks interesting.

 

[Miss Tuned]

1330 WRCA Watertown/106.1 W291CZ Boston currently has a cume of 14,000

I am speechless over this

It doesn't matter, as long as those 14,000 people are decision makers in businesses, so that the spots for investment plans and accounting software reach the people whose decisions matter in their company buying them.

I have to admit that I don't entirely "get" Bloomberg myself, though. I listen to their London DAB signal sometimes and the programming is excellent, intelligent news and business discussion without tabloid-style hype or parochial local crime'n'crashes crap. But in London it has a cume of 83,000 out of a population of 12.8 million, and a 0.1 share. It's not a cheap format, and Bloomberg news and information is available online, on TV and (to the audience that really matters to them) on their terminals. Is there really an audience of business decision-makers listening to the radio to get that information these days?

 

[chrocket87]

WFNX-LP down in Scituate looks like it’s forming to do some type of Alternative. They are not on the air yet, but the stream looks interesting.

Looks pretty AAA to me, just more gold based and familiar tunes than The River.

 

[davideduardo]

It doesn't matter, as long as those 14,000 people are decision makers in businesses, so that the spots for investment plans and accounting software reach the people whose decisions matter in their company buying them.

The likelihood that any business decision maker would "wear" a PPM all day, every day for two years is as close to zero as you can imagine.

I have to admit that I don't entirely "get" Bloomberg myself, though. I listen to their London DAB signal sometimes and the programming is excellent, intelligent news and business discussion without tabloid-style hype or parochial local crime'n'crashes crap. But in London it has a cume of 83,000 out of a population of 12.8 million, and a 0.1 share. It's not a cheap format, and Bloomberg news and information is available online, on TV and (to the audience that really matters to them) on their terminals. Is there really an audience of business decision-makers listening to the radio to get that information these days?

Again, the target listeners are not going to participate in a ratings survey. It is amazing that they get the numbers they do have. That must be due to people, such as investors, who follow business but are not "kingpins".

 

[Fenway1912]

It doesn't matter, as long as those 14,000 people are decision makers in businesses, so that the spots for investment plans and accounting software reach the people whose decisions matter in their company buying them.

I have to admit that I don't entirely "get" Bloomberg myself, though. I listen to their London DAB signal sometimes and the programming is excellent, intelligent news and business discussion without tabloid-style hype or parochial local crime'n'crashes crap. But in London it has a cume of 83,000 out of a population of 12.8 million, and a 0.1 share. It's not a cheap format, and Bloomberg news and information is available online, on TV and (to the audience that really matters to them) on their terminals. Is there really an audience of business decision-makers listening to the radio to get that information these days?

It is well known that Abigail Johnson drives to work and I assume has security similar to the POTUS around her but she could be a Bloomberg listener.

Beasley now gets a check every month that won't bounce.

92.9 has always underperformed except for their brief run as a disco station that ended when KISS 108 came along. They had the signal to compete but nothing they tried worked.



I know for a fact Arnie Ginsburg had brokered a deal for WMEX to buy WBOS-FM in 1966 for 500K and Mac Richmond in the end walked away.

Radio's biggest problem today is young commissioned sales staff have no clue on how to sell to an older demo.

 

[CTListener]

The likelihood that any business decision maker would "wear" a PPM all day, every day for two years is as close to zero as you can imagine.

Again, the target listeners are not going to participate in a ratings survey. It is amazing that they get the numbers they do have. That must be due to people, such as investors, who follow business but are not "kingpins".

That's who I've always assumed makes up the lion's share of the audience for business radio: investors looking for information they can use to make money in the markets. That's why investment advisors of various sorts make up much of the advertising base. The parallels to sports betting radio are obvious, but people who play the markets call themselves "investors" and people who tell those players which stocks to pick call themselves "advisors" while calling those who play the point spreads and over/unders "gamblers" and the people who try to predict game outcomes "touts."

But they're all playing the same game, essentially -- wagering their money on some future event that they can't be sure will turn out the way they want it to.

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

True but he has been in afternoon rive for the death of three stations. Coincidence?

Yes

 

[Rosends]

It's absolutely stunning that Boston has NO alternative rocker, no mainstream rocker, and one classic rock left standing (for now - they've become essentially sports talk in the morning )

WERS? You've never had a clearer mandate. Do what KEXP does in Seattle - BEATING 100kw commercial alternative KNDD and heritage 100Kw Rocker KISW. Just do it. Stop being a wimpy AAA and start playing some rock music!!

Just loving the WERS shout out. Kudos.

 

[Kelly A]

It's not a cheap format, and Bloomberg news and information is available online, on TV and (to the audience that really matters to them) on their terminals. Is there really an audience of business decision-makers listening to the radio to get that information these days?

None of that matters. Like CNBC in the States, national sales folks for Bloomberg already have inroads to advertisers who want to reach potential movers and shakers. Expanding the geographic footprint indicates growth toward ad agencies interested in reaching those movers and shakers during their commute.
Those M/S's don't represent a hard demographic that stations playing the hits or reading the news-to would pursue. It's a lifestyle, socioeconomic-reach play.

 

[Kelly A]

WFNX-LP down in Scituate looks like it’s forming to do some type of Alternative. They are not on the air yet, but the stream looks interesting.

Sure, then 10-15 people interested could hear it. And I'm sure less than 10% of that 10-15 would donate toward the station playing what full-class stations or streams have been playing for years.

 

[luperm]

Radio's biggest problem today is young commissioned sales staff have no clue on how to sell to an older demo.

That's the biggest problem? Sales staff should get in front of the advertisers who want to reach a certain demographic and try to convince them that they should actually target some other demographic? If that's the case, then the LMA to Bloomberg sounds a lot easier.

I think you have it backwards (or I misunderstand your point). The radio station's job it to create the programming that advertisers want to reach. Advertisers are the customers. Listeners are the product.

It's tough out there. Less advertiser dollars overall and a smaller slice of that going to radio.