SALE OF WRXP: FINALLY IN THE WORKS?

[ansky212]

WTOP in Washington, DC, the Capital's long-time all-news outlet, was on 1500 AM with a drectional 50 kW signal. It could be received at night up the I-95 corridor, but not in many DC suburbs. Bonneville purchased the station, moved it to 103.5 FM and WTOP has had a dramatic increase in both ratings and ad revenue. WTOP is the highest billing station not in NY, Chicago or LA. I'd call that a successful migration from AM to FM!

Ok, but you're saying the AM signal was poor in many DC suburbs. So it's not necessarily the AM to FM move that caused the ratings jump, it's that it moved from a bad signal to a good signal. Without knowing what would have happened if they moved to a better AM signal, we can't just assume the ratings jump is because more people like FM.

 

[ansky212]

What we are seeing in most cities is that the success of AM is limited to a handful of full-power AM signals. WEPN isn't one of those, so it would benefit from moving to FM.

Yes, I would agree with that. There is a big difference between "poor AM signals vs. good FM signals", and "young people don't listen to AM". Two very different issues. I'd buy the first, but not necessarily the second.

 

[TheBigA]

102.7 did not succeed because it was not a good format.

I am one of those who believes the format itself wasn't bad. It's execution wasn't particularly good, plus it had the misfortune of following a heritage format. In the same way that Jack has been successful elsewhere but not at WCBS. I don't think WRXP has that kind of heritage.

 

[davideduardo]

Ok, but you're saying the AM signal was poor in many DC suburbs. So it's not necessarily the AM to FM move that caused the ratings jump, it's that it moved from a bad signal to a good signal. Without knowing what would have happened if they moved to a better AM signal, we can't just assume the ratings jump is because more people like FM.

The 1500 signal was good daytime, and covered nearly all the population (the market gets less and less dense as you go outwards, like most markets). The issue was that they didn't have 25-54... the station was still leading the market, but the audience that used AM was getting older and moving out of the sales demos.

Look at WSB in Atlanta... they added a somewhat limited FM, and doubled... mostly in sales demos. And WSB was not a slacker on AM only, either. Or KSL in SLC. #1, but weaker in 25-54. They moved to the top when they added an FM simulcast. WSB and KSL are former 1-A clear channel stations, so no signal issue.

There are dozens and dozens of such examples... in some cases, they made up for AMs where the market had moved beyond the signal... or at least the night signal... and in others it was just to add 25-54's, such as WWL in New Orleans discovered upon starting a simulcast.

People under 55 or so did not grow up on AM, think it sounds bad and don't use it much.

 

[atlantaboy]

I don't understand why RXP is being viewed as a "failure" - ratings are almost identical to KFOG/San Francisco, and just slightly lower than WXRT/Chicago

How come a 2.3 rating is fine for a AAA station in San Fran, but a 2.2 in NYC is seen as failing, and causing the station to be sold?

 

[icybluelake]

I don't understand why RXP is being viewed as a "failure" - ratings are almost identical to KFOG/San Francisco, and just slightly lower than WXRT/Chicago

How come a 2.3 rating is fine for a AAA station in San Fran, but a 2.2 in NYC is seen as failing, and causing the station to be sold?

I've wondered this too. Is the answer in the cumes?

 

[DToTheJ]

If I were a WRXP employee, I would be rooting for the Steelers this Sunday. Hard.

Who's to say that Disney wouldn't pull off a last-minute, eleventh-hour deal with Emmis for WRXP if the Jets make the Super Bowl?

 

[radioguy39nj]

I doubt that a Jets' win next Sunday would be the catalyst that puts WEPN on 101.9 in time for the Super Bowl! However, the Jets' continued success combined with the MSG teams (Knicks and Rangers) having better fortunes on the court and the ice will certainly make it more likely.

Sports is moving to FM in other markets. It's only a matter of when it happens in New York.

 

[htowler]

so if 101.9 flips


nyc will only have 104.3 to rock out too


id say either cbs brings K rock back to 92.3

or clear channel could flip 105.1 to a rock format as the buzz lol

Are you for real about CC? Emmis Sells 101.9...Bonus CC Flips 105.1 to rock and let Hot97 have the Urban Crown on it's own? Bigger Bonus for Emmis. NOT going to happen. The Buzz was one of the many names it had when the station was playing wheel of formats every few months.

 

[leethalweapon]

I don't understand why RXP is being viewed as a "failure" - ratings are almost identical to KFOG/San Francisco, and just slightly lower than WXRT/Chicago

How come a 2.3 rating is fine for a AAA station in San Fran, but a 2.2 in NYC is seen as failing, and causing the station to be sold?

Aside from the fact that it sounds more like an Alternative than a AAA, I wonder why Emmis isn't happy with a 2.1 million cume. I question whether the sales department are actually doing their job. While there may be little agency support, surely direct sales could be doing a better job than what they are. In a city the size of New York, surely there are enough businesses that would fit the demo's that WRXP targets. So my guess is, the sales team is what is letting them down.

I also find it slightly perplexing that while everyone in the industry is concerned about shrinking audience's, the major companies choose to chase each other with identical formats, targeting a finite number listeners. Meanwhile, sections of the audience go unserved. Is it any wonder that people are deserting radio?

 

[TheBigA]

Aside from the fact that it sounds more like an Alternative than a AAA, I wonder why Emmis isn't happy with a 2.1 million cume.

I don't know that Emmis isn't happy. It's certainly the best set of numbers they've had since they switched formats. They have almost double the audience they had a year ago. Perhaps it's finally catching on. That's something to be happy about. However, this thread is about the rumors that Disney might like the frequency for their sports format. That's different from any problems with WRXP. They may have to sell the station for reasons completely unrelated to the format. Although their Chicago cluster is also on the table.

I question whether the sales department are actually doing their job.

That's an easy reaction to have, but let me suggest we're currently in an economic and advertising depression, with most advertisers convinced that there are a lot better ways to reach this demographic than OTA radio, regardless of format. I believe the facts aren't conclusive, but there's no question that advertisers are placing most of their ad money in many other forms of media right now. I'm not making excuses, but I wouldn't be so quick to blame the sales force. They're probably doing the best they can with the numbers they have.

I also find it slightly perplexing that while everyone in the industry is concerned about shrinking audience's, the major companies choose to chase each other with identical formats, targeting a finite number listeners. Meanwhile, sections of the audience go unserved. Is it any wonder that people are deserting radio?

This is one of those art vs. commerce discussions. The reason companies like certain formats is because they work. If they didn’t work, they’d try something else. “Unserved audiences” aren’t united in terms of their format preference. So you end up with a large group of people who each like very different things. The reason satellite or the internet is better for these unserved audiences is because there’s no limit on the number of stations you can create. The people who are “deserting radio” are people who want a very narrow and specific type of music that doesn’t appeal to enough people within the sales demo to make money. So they desert radio. You can’t make everybody happy all the time. We’re all adults and we all recognize that some people will never be happy listening to mass media. For them, there’s satellite and the internet.

My view about Emmis and this station is they took a big risk running a rock station in a market where there hadn’t been a rock station in 15 years, in a market where a lot of these artists haven’t had a radio station before. They didn’t have to do this format. They could have tried some other flavor of urban or AC. So they tried a format to reach those unserved people you’re talking about, and they’ve got one of the lowest rated stations in town. At some point, that becomes less the responsibility of the radio industry and more the responsibility of the audience to support the music they love. Even if every song they hear isn’t their personal favorite. That’s just my opinion.

 

[DToTheJ]

... Emmis... took a big risk running a rock station in a market where there hadn’t been a rock station in 15 years... they tried a format to reach those unserved people you’re talking about, and they’ve got one of the lowest rated stations in town...

I know... rock : apples :: country : oranges - but regardless of 101.9's fate as a rock station, its performance since its debut will certainly have radio owners thinking twice about bringing back a full-signal country station to Market No. 1.

 

[musichead1029]

Doing a lousy job at programming a rock station doesn't say anything about the state of Rock or Country in Market #1. You can't reach an unserved rock audience by programming a mishmash of Classic, Active, Alternative and New Wave that causes guaranteed frustration at some time for nearly all rock fans. Pick a genre and superserve, or just take the format to the internet.

 

[TheBigA]

Doing a lousy job at programming a rock station doesn't say anything about the state of Rock or Country in Market #1. You can't reach an unserved rock audience by programming a mishmash of Classic, Active, Alternative and New Wave that causes guaranteed frustration at some time for nearly all rock fans. Pick a genre and superserve, or just take the format to the internet.

Based on the experience of the past few years, there are not enough people in any of those niche audiences. The reason this station is a zebra is because rock is a zebra, but its fans aren't. This station plays classic rock in order to get some familiarity amidst all the no-names.

 

[atlantaboy]

Doing a lousy job at programming a rock station doesn't say anything about the state of Rock or Country in Market #1.

Sorry to keep bringing this up, but why do people keep saying they're doing a lousy job programming the station, when its ratings are identical to KFOG, and almost as high as WXRT?

Actually, I think the only decent-sized Triple A stations that are doing significantly better than RXP are the AAAs in Denver and Atlanta

Even the AAA station in Seattle only has a 2.5, and can't imagine anyone would talk about flipping that station

 

[frozenfiresb]

'RXP has been throwing in a *few* harder and/or deeper songs they haven't played before since this thread was started. Still meaningless because of the Petty to Passion Pit to AC/DC to Everclear nature of the playlist.

 

[TheBigA]

Harder or deeper songs won't help get this station out of the basement.

 

[icybluelake]

Doing a lousy job at programming a rock station doesn't say anything about the state of Rock or Country in Market #1.

Sorry to keep bringing this up, but why do people keep saying they're doing a lousy job programming the station, when its ratings are identical to KFOG, and almost as high as WXRT?

Actually, I think the only decent-sized Triple A stations that are doing significantly better than RXP are the AAAs in Denver and Atlanta

Even the AAA station in Seattle only has a 2.5, and can't imagine anyone would talk about flipping that station

Comparing the AQH numbers, they're right behind KFOG and not far behind WXRT. WRXP is running about 22nd in AQH%, but 11th or so in cume. I'd sure be interested to know how these stations compare in revenue.

 

[xyz]

WRXP has successfully established themselves as the only game in town. They'll be around for quite some time.

 

[atlantaboy]

^Yeah I agree - there are too many new Alternative/Indie bands for NYC not to support an Alternative or Alt-leaning AAA

And the way I understand AAA is that their listeners tend to be really rich, so their ratings don't need to be any higher than the 2.0-2.5 range