Satellite Surprise

[Jay_Surly]

I'm surprised by the amount of time I've been spending this summer listening to XM radio. A few years ago, I posted that I bought XM and spent time with it, then became disinterested. While I have not abandoned AM & FM, my interest in XM has been gradually re-kindled. One of the reasons might be the music. New music, particularly the Adult Album Alternative genre.

While I grew up with the bands and groups that are staples of classic rock and classic hits formats, it seems that now, as in my college days, I'm enjoying new music from Clapton, Black Keys, White Stripes, Cold Play, U-2, Fountains of Wayne and DMB. I find this re-awakening very interesting.

Don't get me wrong, I continue to enjoy classic rock and classic hits, but I've found that there's something new and exciting for a 45+ guy like me being offered on satellite radio, new music (as well as channels exclusively dedicated to 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s) that the classic stations cannot adequately supply.

Another thing that surprised me was what drew me back to terrestrial radio: News-talk and local NPR. Perhaps those formats and stations are more powerful than some might think.

Best regards,

Janos Surlikevich

 

[SirRoxalot]

Hole in the market?

> While I grew up with the bands and groups that are staples
> of classic rock and classic hits formats, it seems that now,
> as in my college days, I'm enjoying new music from Clapton,
> Black Keys, White Stripes, Cold Play, U-2, Fountains of
> Wayne and DMB. I find this re-awakening very interesting.

I have speculated for some time that there is a hole in the market for AAA - Adult Album Alternative. What I think is missing is new music by older bands - bands that we grew up with. There are also newer artists that fit that genre - like John Mayer - that are not getting played.

The Hot A/C stations play the pop stuff from that era, and new stuff that fits the pop mold. Nobody seems to be playing the newer rock-oriented music that's targeted toward 35-49's. Yes, you get the occaisional track from 97-Rock, and the odd track on The Edge. Maybe you can pick out a nugget or two on Jack, but you have to sift through a lot of dross to find those nuggets.

This is the hole I thought The Lake might actually fill, but it really has become more of the same-old, same-old - although with a bit less repetition.

On my last trip past Rochester, I seem to recall a station there that might fit the bill. I don't remember which one, but I remember it fading before I got back to Buffalo.

 

[Desi_Bell]

Re: Hole in the market?

>
> This is the hole I thought The Lake might actually fill, but
> it really has become more of the same-old, same-old -
> although with a bit less repetition.


And as soon as the repetition factor kicks in, it will sound like every other Buffalo station. Unfortunately that seems to be the only way to compete in that market.

 

[mroz]

Re: Hole in the market?

Uh, oh... The phrase "hole in the market" just sparked a Sesame Street flashback. Anyone else who remembers this feel free to sing along...

HENRY: There's a hole in the market, dear Liza, dear Liza...
There's a hole in the market, dear Liza, a hole...

LIZA: Weeeeeeellllll, fix it, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry
Well fix it, dear Henry, dear Henry, fix it!

HENRY: With what shall I fix it, dear Liza, dear Liza?
With what shall I fix it, dear Liza, with what?

LIZA: With format, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry...
With format, dear Henry, dear Henry, new format!

HENRY: The format's not working, dear Liza, dear Liza,
The format's not working, dear Liza, won't work.

LIZA: Weelllllll, tweak it, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry
Well tweak it, dear Henry, dear Henry, tweak it up!

HENRY: The ratings aren't climbing, dear Liza, dear Liza
The ratings aren't climbing, dear Liza, still flat.

LIZA: Weeeeellllll...

You get the idea. Thanks for indulging me with this stress break.

 

[NickGerard]

Re: Hole in the market?

I've wondered why Triple A has not taken off in a big way over the past ten years. There's never been a triple A "wildfire" as there has been for the Jack format. A quick check of the ratings in R&R shows that the stations which are doing OK are the HERITAGE Triple-A's: KMTT, KINK, KBCO, KFOG, WXRT. They've all been doing the format since the early or mid 90's.

I'm speculating here, but maybe it's just a tough format to introduce in 2005. How do you explain it to advertisers? How long before a significant number of listeners catches on? Is there, in any new market such as Buffalo, a critical mass of music lovers receptive to artists unique to this format? Would any of the big radio companies be willing to give this very specialized format the time to grow? I'm not sure.

I worked in this format at WCLZ in Portland, Maine for about 3 years in the 90's and it was one of the most rewarding times in my radio career. We were playing music totally unavailable elsewhere in the market, and our listeners were passionate about our station. No, the ratings weren't big, we were ususally in the bottom half the the rankings. 'CLZ didn't even subscribe to Arbitron. But the station had a cachet in the market, and fortunately was led by a manager who understood this and was able to use it as a selling advantage. There was a committed, focused local direct sales effort that kept WCLZ in the black. Our AE's talked to advertisers about the loyalty of our listeners, the specialness of our station, and the importance of good copy to make their spots work. No talk about numbers. Just old-fashioned shoe-leather radio selling, but it was effective.

107.7 would seem like an ideal candidate to adopt Triple-A, especially given that Entercom has a history of success with one of the pioneering (and still successful) Triple-A stations - KMTT in Seattle. There are people already in the company who know how to make the format work. They'd just have to be willing to nurture it, give it time to grow, and let it acquire the same hip vibe that KMTT has developed over the past several years.

Nick Seneca

 

[wired]

Proving a Point..

> And as soon as the repetition factor kicks in, it will sound
> like every other Buffalo station. Unfortunately that seems
> to be the only way to compete in that market.
>

Wired adds to the conversation:

"...And as soon as the repetition factor kicks in, it will sound
like every other Buffalo station. Unfortunately that seems
to be the only way to compete in that market...."

Wired also adds:

"...And as soon as the repetition factor kicks in, it will sound
like every other Buffalo station. Unfortunately that seems
to be the only way to compete in that market..."


i really hope y'ALL get the humor here !!

 

[Element9]

Re: Hole in the market?

> 107.7 would seem like an ideal candidate to adopt Triple-A,
> especially given that Entercom has a history of success with
> one of the pioneering (and still successful) Triple-A
> stations - KMTT in Seattle. There are people already in the
> company who know how to make the format work. They'd just
> have to be willing to nurture it, give it time to grow, and
> let it acquire the same hip vibe that KMTT has developed
> over the past several years.
>
> Nick Seneca
>

Well said, Mr. Seneca. Once the Lake is vanquished by 97 Rock, presuming current conditions prevail and 97 Rock maintains its dominance, 107.7 could easily transition to a hybrid Adult Album Alternative, augmented by classic rock cuts that don't get played on 97 Rock. This would seem to be the perfect format for (1) The Lake and (2) adults who are tired of the high repetition of well-tested selections from Boston, Pink Floyd and 'Zep on 97 Rock.

As I had earlier posted, The Lake takes itself too damn seriously. Radio is not brain surgery; if it were, 90% of the jamokes who are doing it would be doing something else.

When one listens to the Lake, he/she hears a station devoid of fun and lacking entertaining features. All that is heard are droll stories about the artists, bands and groups. It's become tiresome and if, as The Lake notes "it's all about the music," that can be found just as easily on a person's mp3 player, car CD or satellite radio. Incidentally, even XM's satellite channels have jocks who exhibit more vitality than those on The Lake.

Say what you will about 97 Rock, the station has foreground personalities who sound like they know the music without having to prove that they know the music by reading short tomes.

There's a sense of vitality and larger-than-life special features and production on 97 Rock not found on The Lake, let alone most other Buffalo (and I might add, Rochester) radio stations. And of course, 97 rock has Buffalo Bills football, which brings in a massive amount of cume listenership.
<hr>
BTW, since the 'Skulker started it, here's another contribution to the "hole" theme:
<p align="center">
"I'm fixing a hole where the rain leaks in
and keep my mind from wandering,
where it will gooooooo..."
</p>

 

[Mark_Scott]

Re: Hole in the market?

Interestingly, a number of public radio stations in the country have made names for themselves by featuring a Triple "A" format. Two of the most prominent are WFUV in New York City and WXPN in Philadelphia, which produces the highly regarded "World Cafe." Here at WBFO, we're committed to NPR News, Jazz and the Blues. But in markets such as New York City, where there are public radio stations already offering NPR News, Classical and Jazz, the Triple "A" format is a viable alternative. NPR is even planning to offer a 24-hour Triple "A" stream to public stations which have converted to HD radio to offer on their side channels. Anyway, I thought I'd add this sidenote to what is an interesting discussion. I would say that any Triple "A" format in Buffalo would need to come from the commercial, rather than public, sector.

 

[JimMcGrath]

Re: Hole in the market?

> I have speculated for some time that there is a hole in the
> market for AAA - Adult Album Alternative. What I think is
> missing is new music by older bands - bands that we grew up
> with.

You mean "They're Not Dead Yet! sets". I just don't understand when a three song set by the same artist is made up of the same three songs time & time again. Many Classic Rock artists are still around, still kickin' butt musically but get no airplay what so ever Even if folks would go back to "the good ol' days" and search out songs that didn't make the charts the first time around but were worthy it might help.