It's also real good for insomnia LOL! I guess that's why advertisers aren't real interested in the format in most cases. The audience is either nearly asleep, using it for background dribble, or have one foot in the grave. Any way ya slice it, the format isn't very commercially viable.
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Tempie Lindsey to Middays on WRR
- Thread starter txchipk
- Start date
i disagree, O-K-C. The demographics aren't skewed old like oldies, classic rock or talk, and they tend to be more affluent, intelligent and loyal. If you had a store and had the choice between the fans of a rap station, a heavy metal station and a classical station, which would you choose?
grantchester said:
"Loyal"...that's the problem. How valuable is a group to advertisers if they are loyal to brands they use?
Classical skews very old. There are only about two dozen commercial classical music stations left in the country (and the number is shrinking with KFUO St Louis changing formats pending sale and WQXR New York and WCRB Boston moving to be under public radio stations in their markets). There are hundred of hip hop stations. So, the marketplace has spoken.
Affluent means nothing if it is an audience over 60. People that age tend to be more discriminating about purchases, more brand loyal, etc. In other words, for advertisers, they are harder to convince to switch to their product even though they may have more money. It takes more ad impressions to convince them to switch than younger folks...thus, the rates have to be discounted since an advertiser would have to run more ads to convince that group compared to younger groups. Thus, 25-54 demos are more attractive and stations that do well in that group can sell their ad time at a premium compared to stations with "old" audiences.
Look beyond 25-54, check the qualitative... level of education, family income, leadership positions. Classical gives a better audience.
And think about this: Classic Rock and Oldies are based on the premise that people choose the music they listened to in high school. In 5 more years, the class of '79 will be 54, and classic rock will be OVER. Likewise mainstream oldies. After the mid-70's, there was no longer a mass-appeal mainstream. Instead there were sub-Genres; punk. metal, disco, rap, etc etc... There will be no such thing as mass-appeal oldies in a few more years.
Txchipk puts premium on the stupid demographic... good luck with that.
For the classical audience, it may not be as big as hip-hop, but there will always be new listeners coming up through high school and college fine arts programs. Pop fads will come and go. Beethoven Bach and Mozart will live on. James Galway, Jascha Heifitz, Yo Yo Ma and similar artists will be heard for generations. Whatever happened to Vanilla Ice and M.C. Hammer?
I mourn for the posters who call classical boring, background, and bad. I'm sure the marketplace will serve you well.
And think about this: Classic Rock and Oldies are based on the premise that people choose the music they listened to in high school. In 5 more years, the class of '79 will be 54, and classic rock will be OVER. Likewise mainstream oldies. After the mid-70's, there was no longer a mass-appeal mainstream. Instead there were sub-Genres; punk. metal, disco, rap, etc etc... There will be no such thing as mass-appeal oldies in a few more years.
Txchipk puts premium on the stupid demographic... good luck with that.
For the classical audience, it may not be as big as hip-hop, but there will always be new listeners coming up through high school and college fine arts programs. Pop fads will come and go. Beethoven Bach and Mozart will live on. James Galway, Jascha Heifitz, Yo Yo Ma and similar artists will be heard for generations. Whatever happened to Vanilla Ice and M.C. Hammer?
I mourn for the posters who call classical boring, background, and bad. I'm sure the marketplace will serve you well.
If my dentist had KISS FM on in her office instead of WRR, I'd need way more gas.
grantchester said:
Try re-reading my post. I don't put a premium on younger listeners; advertisers do. I personally have WRR as a pre-set and don't listen to rap.
Whether you like it or not, as a format, classical skews heavily towards older listeners. Whether you like it or not, commercial radio station owners want to make money and the way they make money is from revenue from selling ad time. As a result, it is going the way of the beautiful music/EZL format because advertisers don't put a premium on the audience. Advertisers are interested in getting people to switch to their product; selling to people who are loyal to other products is not attractive.
If it were a format that drew an audience advertisers sought out, there would be more than two dozen commercial classical music stations left in the entire country. Most major markets no longer have a commercial classical outlet now:
#1 New York has no commercial classical music station
#2 LA has no commercial classical music station
#3 Chicago's WFMT 98.7 is operated commercially by non-comm WTTW
#4 KDFC San Francisco is the only commercial classical station owned by for profit company (Entercom) in a major market
#5 WRR Dallas owned by the city of Dallas
#6 Houston has no commercial classical music station
#7 Atlanta has no commercial classical music station
#8 Philadelphia has no commercial classical music station
#9 DC has no commercial classical music station
#10 WCRB Boston is being sold to non-comm WGBH
#11 Detroit has no commercial classical music station
#12 Miami has no commercial classical music station
#13 KING is owned by a non-profit partnership including the Seattle Symphony and Opera after it was donated by the previous owner.
#14 Puerto Rico has no commercial classical music station
#15 Phoenix has no commercial classical music station
WRR is only around because the city owns it. Almost every proposal in the last 25 years from groups interested in buying the 101.1 facility from the city involves removing the format from 101.1. Previous articles about how WRR does indicate it generates only $2-$3M a year and generates a little profit. The revenue leaders in the market earn 10x that much.
Fixed that for you.
A big part of the problem in radio today is the way stations rely so heavily on agency sales.
The people who listen to WRR buy big ticket items, like Mercedes automobiles, vacation homes, remodeling services, cruises, financial planning, fine wine and elegant dining. Those are high-mark-up categories. It's a valuable psyche-graphic.
The classical audience is a community of interest. When I call them loyal, I'm not referring to loyalty to a brand of toothpaste or a type of b--t wipe. I mean loyalty to the members of their community who they see supporting the things that bring them together.
WRR, with the proper direct sales marketing, could and should have the highest 'power-rating' of any DFW radio station. Classical music, with proper marketing and programming, could have the staying power for success for years, decades, even centuries to come.
We now return you to your previous conventional wisdom.
I'm not going to get into the debate on whether classical music has merit or not - obviously it has legs and I rather doubt we'll be spinning Lady Gaga on whatever is broadcast on whatever form of airwaves existing in the year 2209. Personally, I love WRR and am glad the city continues to offer it.
That said, I congratulate you, Tempie. You are a great talent and I hope you enjoy longevity there.
That said, I congratulate you, Tempie. You are a great talent and I hope you enjoy longevity there.
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