• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Rumor Mill 2: Changes at WHTT?

De-faced

Hmmm. Since I'm not a Facebook member, or "Facebook friend of Val", I can't really see anything on her site. Can you give us any further details?

I believe that Val has been teaching part time locally since she began working at WHTT. Is it possible that she may be doing both?
 
from her "about me" on facebook:

"I've worked in radio for 10 years (they stole my youth) and this August I'll be hanging up my headphones (full time at least!) I'm a professor of Communication and Media Arts at Genesee Community College & am doing my MFA thesis this year."
 
Shuffling in Buffalo

Well, now doesn't that make things interesting. If Val's leaving, who goes to afternoon drive? Pastrick?

If they move Pastrick, who do they plug into mid-days? And do they really want to shake up two dayparts at once?

With Citadel's stock under a buck, I have to think that they're not going spend big money on a big name. Let's just hope that they don't go VT or (gulp) syndicated in either mid-days or PM drive.
 
Re: Shuffling in Buffalo

SirRoxalot said:
Well, now doesn't that make things interesting. If Val's leaving, who goes to afternoon drive? Pastrick?

If they move Pastrick, who do they plug into mid-days? And do they really want to shake up two dayparts at once?

With Citadel's stock under a buck, I have to think that they're not going spend big money on a big name. Let's just hope that they don't go VT or (gulp) syndicated in either mid-days or PM drive.
Click to expand...

I've heard that Pastrick's got the best numbers in demo on the station. Tough decision - do you chance giving up some of those numbers in the important "at work" daypart and move Jim - a proven, longtime Buffalo personality - to PM drive? Or, do you leave Pastrick where he is and maybe try to pry someone loose from another station in town?

This one will be fun to watch...
 
The other rumor that won't go away is Citadel on the verge of changing either HTT or The Edge to Country before the Fall Book, and moving Norton to mornings on HTT (if he doesn't bolt at the thought) and S&R to mornings on 97 Rock. Maybe one of the many Citadel posters here (Rox? Pastrick? Any truth to it?) can confirm or dispel these rumors. My sources tell me supposedly it was Citadel guys who were the ones talking about it at a party recently. Might as well get it out there and see what the board has to say about it.

And if (as I suspect) no one can confirm or deny this, let's make it a hypothetical: if you could change HTT or Edge to Country to take on YRK, which one would you switch, and why? Does Val leaving make it easier to change HTT? Discuss.
 
Whew. Some Party, Dude...

Whew. Now THERE'S a whole lotta sh- uh stuff to wade through...

Let's think about this logically.

If you move Norton to 'HTT to do mornings, and Shredd & Ragan to 97 Rock, you probably should write off Opie & Anthony ,who are unhappy with Citadel, and barely hanging on as a terrestrial radio "act". That leaves The Edge with only Bull & Paul Brenon on the station that's #2 18-34, with a huge advantage in males - which combos nicely with the male domination of 97-Rock. Would country do better there? Well, maybe after they gutted the station like that...

Next, Norton (ostensibly with Rob Lederman & Chris Klein) on "family friendly" WHTT? WHTT doesn't have the numbers it had a couple of years ago, when it decided to take on WJYE and Star head-on as a full-fledged AC. If the "flashback" programming is any indication, that experiment seems to be coming to end.

WHTT as a "classic hits" station had - and likely will have again - a nice, balanced 35-54 audience that should bring decent female numbers to the table - and help them reclaim some of their heritage. Now, I'm not saying that WHTT might not need some help with the morning show, but I'm not sure that Norton is right answer - especially if they're "on the verge of changing" to country. OTOH, moving Bill Lacy to PM drive, and putting on a higher-powered morning show might yield the same results that moving Shredd & Ragan to afternoons on The Edge yielded - two strong dayparts. But, you'd be blowing up a very successful heritage morning show on the bread-and-butter winner at the entire group at a time when the entire company is focused on maximizing profit. Not only that, but you'd be crippling The Edge at the same time. Blowing up 3 radio stations doesn't sound like a winner to me.

My guess? Leave The Edge and 97-Rock alone, replace Val with a personality who'd be stronger with classic hits listeners, and strengthen the WHTT morning show. How to do that is the big question. Got any suggestions?

PS - I may have some ties to Citadel folks, but that doesn't make me one of them.
 
Evaluating Mix

Congratulations to Ms. Townsend on her move to academia. Although she didn't light the world on fire in afternoon drive at WHTT, she's an impressive commercial voice and the students at GCC should get a fine education in her media classes.

Just as it would be a fool's mission to take on 97 Rock (see WBUF as "Buffalo's Rock Station" and "Buffalo's FM Talk Station," and "The Lake"), it would be pure folly to take on Country WYRK, which has some of the most loyal listeners in Western New York. It isn't inexepensive to re-position a radio station and WHTT has already re-positioned itself from Oldies, a highly recognized but aging brand, to Buffalo's Greatest Hits. That was a safe and productive transition. WHTT then moved to Mix, which as of this writing, has yet to prove itself against WJYE and WTSS.

Mix again appears to be in a state of transition as it adds more 70s and even some 60s on the Flashback feature on weekends and weekdays at noon. Pastrick isn't one of my favorite jocks (he comes off to me as a smart-ass), but I'll give him his due for his days at KB, QFM-97 Rock and WHTT. If nothing else, like Roger Christian, the guy is a survivor and a proficient jock. It's somewhat amusing that Christian and Patrick compete with each other on middays and from what I've seen, Christian gets the better of it.

Yugoidar seems to have made the most sense here. If WHTT middays is the strongest daypart on the station, why tamper with it? The question is, who gets hired to do afternoon drive? Last week, WHTT PD Joe Syragusa was heard filling in for Val. He was competent. If Citadel Buffalo is as strapped for funds as a few posters here have suggested, an on-air PD may be a distinct permanent possibility. Maybe he was auditioning himself for the job?

What about weekenders Tony Venturoli and Brian J? Both are said to be gainfully employed in the real world, so that may not be a possibility. There also are a few ex-WJYE guys and a lady who'd probably like to work. There's also the WHTT alumni association at WECK: Harv Moore, Tom Donahue and Tom Schuh, who seems the most contemporary of that group.

Is there another woman who could hold down PM drive and get ratings? This will appear gender-biased, but there are some (straw man argument ahead) who say women don't care to listen to women on the radio. It may be that going with a female in PM drive was a bold idea well ahead of its time or simply a risky move that didn't work out.

With Mix seemingly moving towards 60s-70s-80s and some 90s, it may be that it's more interested in staffing PM drive with a person that is compatible with the 35-54 target demo.

As the saying goes, "Tapes and resumes..."
 
"I don't know nothin' 'bout birthin' no babies." We get the game plan and do what the coaches tell us to do and that's just fine by me. Beyond that, I'm Sargent Schultz.
 
And the winner is...

Element 9!  According to allaccess, Program Director Joe Sirgusa steps in and takes over afternoon drive replacing Val Townsend (According to the article, "HE's leaving to teach a local college").
 
When your stock's in the toilet...

Ah, the low-cost solution...

One wonders what other cost-cutting may be coming up at Citadel. They dropped Opie & Anthony in Syracuse, and O&A made disparaging remarks about Citadel as a result. Since O&A have bombed in most other markets, you have to wonder if Citadel will re-up with them in the few markets that they have left in common.

If O&A go, do you try to move Shredd & Ragan back to mornings, or leave them alone where they're killing in PM drive? If you leave them in PM drive, who do you put in mornings?

My guess is that Citadel will choose whatever option is the least expensive. How does Bull feel about doing 6A-3P?

One other thing, do you mess with 97-Rock, the top biller in the Citadel Buffalo stable? What do you cut there without costing yourself more listeners - and more money - in the long run?
 
Re: When your stock's in the toilet...

SirRoxalot said:
If O&A go, do you try to move Shredd & Ragan back to mornings, or leave them alone where they're killing in PM drive? If you leave them in PM drive, who do you put in mornings?

My guess is that Citadel will choose whatever option is the least expensive. How does Bull feel about doing 6A-3P?

One other thing, do you mess with 97-Rock, the top biller in the Citadel Buffalo stable? What do you cut there without costing yourself more listeners - and more money - in the long run?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't mess with 97 Rock. Even these rumors of moving Shredd & Ragan to 97 and then blowing up 103 would be a dicey proposition. It's like musical chairs, and if you end up without a seat it could be the death of the frequency in being any kind of billing option for the group. That country rumor would be a definite mistake I think.

If S&R are "killing" in PM drive I'd leave them there and go with a more-music morning show on 103 if you had to. I actually think "The Bull" would do okay in mornings.
 
The funny thing is, if the demand for a country station that competes with 106.5 is there, why isn't Entercom beating Citadel to the punch by tossing Country (back) on 107.7??

(back, in respect to the former 107.7 WNUC, under a different ownership back then, respectfully.)
 
WHTT now airs ABC newscasts during the day and its playing more songs from the 80s and 70s. Looks like posters here have this station pegged.
 
I've noticed the news briefs on Mix lately and I think they sound really good. While long stretches of music are great...I appreciate an update during the day. I suppose it helps me feel as if I'm still in touch with what's going on while at work. I also think that HTT is sounding much better lately after they backed-off the newer muxic and started adding some 60's and 70's classics.

Someone mentioned that women don't like to hear other women on the radio. That's not always true. I think Val Townsend had a pleasant voice. She didn't do much with her show, but after reading that she's leaving for another career....I understand why. Probably just "phoning it in" for the time being. I also like Alexis on JYE. She's fairly solid on the air. The one woman I cannot stand on the radio is Sue O'neil. She has a very annoying delivery and she sounds pompous.
 
Sue O

You called Sue O'Neil "pompous"? Ooooh. She'd be annoyed if she actually deigned to recognize your existence.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom