The BIGGEST wasted signal in the NYC metro

[FLjack2]

What would you say is the biggest wasted signal in the NYC metro? It could be AM. Could be FM. But it's the biggest signal with the lowest ratings or poorest format in your opinion.

 

[XCountry285]

103.5-not poor ratings just poor in terms of its format right now, keeps overlaping with other stations owned by CC in the market.
94.7-better become Rock
101.9-irrelevant when you have 660
98.7-ratings suck go either country, rock or back as Kiss
93.9- isn't it simulcasted on 105.9 why?
93.1-ratings are horrible go dance

 

[kevinsealy]

I can only say )it's prpbably because it's my all-time favorite radio station) the 1130 AM frequency that was occupied up until December 11, 1992 WNEW, which was a cultural institition.

WNEW was the first stiation in New York and probably America to spin records on a contunuous basis starting with the Make Believe Ballroom in 1935. WNEW was also the first station, or one of the first stations to broadcast around the clock.

WNEW was replaced by Bloomberg Radio WBBR a station that has only reached a 1 share no more than four times since the station went on the air in January 1993.

A 50,000 watt clear channel station should do better than a 1 share. Right now Bloomberg Radio isn't even showing up in Arbitron's ratings.
Another wasted

Some are saying that the AM 1560 is a wasted owned by Disney because of its low ratings.

When AM 1560 was occupied by a Stnadards format WQEW owned by the New York Times, they were averaging in the low to mid 2 share.


Thanks,
Kevin L. Sealy

 

[davideduardo]

103.5-not poor ratings just poor in terms of its format right now, keeps overlaping with other stations owned by CC in the market.

You continue to think of slight playlist overlaps as being a bad thing. You really have to think of stations in a cluster as being linked, much as the links of a chain "overlap" with each other to produce strength.

Cluster strategy involves considerable overlap. The objective is to build a brick wall... note that in a strong wall, bricks overlap each other... to prevent competitors from wedging in between stations.

103.5 does not overlap in appeal with any of the other CC stations. It complements them. While many listeners will use several CC stations in different moods and moments, that does not mean they cannibalize each other; the average PPM listener uses 6 stations during each week and CC wants to get as many of those 6 as possible for its line-up of stations.

101.9-irrelevant when you have 660

No, not irrelevant when it's been suggested that 660 will become a separate format after a certain transition time.

98.7-ratings suck go either country, rock or back as Kiss

The station has been on FM since the middle of the September book. It is doing nicely for a station that transitioned to FM, and should improve slightly over time. ESPN is a marketing concept before being a radio station... it enhances the ESPN brand, and that is its main reason to be.

93.9- isn't it simulcasted on 105.9 why?

Why would they? 105.9 is classical, and 93.8 is spoken word. Two different audiences, served in a fashion that commercial radio does not generally choose to provide.

These are two very significant contributors to diversity of voices and formats in the market.

93.1-ratings are horrible go dance

SBS tends to recover, eventually, from its crashed formats. I would not expect them to do a format that is outside their corporate area of expertise.

As a sidebar, they did dance in San Francisco about a decade ago, and it did not go well for them... so they may have a predisposition against that format anyway.

 

[BobSmolarek]

I can't believe no one has mentioned 99.5 WBAI? There is no reason that they should have that format on a full power commercial frequency. It should be on 91.5.

 

[mikerock]

...
94.7-better become Rock
101.9-irrelevant when you have 660
98.7-ratings suck go either country, rock or back as Kiss
93.1-ratings are horrible go dance
...

I wish I could vote that up.

 

[Steve Green NEPA]

Will second Sealy's choice of 1560.

1560 is one of the few NYC AM stations to reach here into NEPA (near Hazleton) day and night.

Yeah -- I know I'm far from being in the all-important 6-11 demo sought by the station's owners. My question is why/how is this expensive station with the huge electric bill considered as a crucial 'brand' in NYC when absolutely no one listens to it or otherwise gives a flying one?

But yeah ..... then again, there is on file the lesson lost vis-a-vis the huge WWKBW 1520, which went Oldies and ..... went nowhere. Both 'KB and 'QEW may as well be sending up smoke signals.

 

[wadio]

WNEW was replaced by Bloomberg Radio WBBR a station that has only reached a 1 share no more than four times since the station went on the air in January 1993.

I listen to WBBR a lot now that there's relatively little interesting talk radio in NYC. Fortunately it's not "Make Believe," as in playing the same stale songs over and over. You can actually learn something from listening. If the general public chooses to not do so, that's their loss. There are quite a few high-end local advertisers who are supporting the 1% who listen to this station, so it may be profitable despite being ignored by the masses.

 

[d21ofnj]

93.1-ratings are horrible go dance

SBS tends to recover, eventually, from its crashed formats. I would not expect them to do a format that is outside their corporate area of expertise.

As a sidebar, they did dance in San Francisco about a decade ago, and it did not go well for them... so they may have a predisposition against that format anyway.

A decade ago and today is the big difference. EDM today if landed on 93.1 would be an uproar just like RXP 2.0 compared to 2002.

 

[davideduardo]

Yeah -- I know I'm far from being in the all-important 6-11 demo sought by the station's owners. My question is why/how is this expensive station with the huge electric bill considered as a crucial 'brand' in NYC when absolutely no one listens to it or otherwise gives a flying one?

The electric bill is a tiny item compared to studio / office rents or insurance or any of the overhead items a New York station would have. Not knowing the electric rates at the WQEW site, I'll just mention that an LA 50 kw AM might pay around $8 k a month for transmitter electric consumption, including A/C and tower lights.

The Disney company uses both Radio Disney and ESPN radio as brand reinforcement for its other divisions. As long as they feel that the brand benefits from having radio stations, it will continue.

In fact, there has been a rather significant expansion of Radio Disney in Latin America, but in that case all the stations are FM. There is some amount of talk about that being a model that might be followed domestically.

At some point, stations like WBBR and Radio Disney cease to be effective brand reinforcements. And, like most AMs, they will end up as third tier talkers or religious or ethnic stations in languages that are not currently on the radio.

 

[GSP163]

I have to put 96.7 WKLV on this list.....For a Class A they put out a monster signal reaching as far as New Brunswick, NJ and yet they have little to no listeners and no local content.......Like Disney & ESPN, all EMF wants is the K-Love brand in the NYC metro and I bet at some point Air1 will end up here to....Although I don't listen to CCM I will give credit to 99.1 WAWZ beacuse at least they are local.

 

[stationless listener]

93.1 - Whatever they're trying to do apparently they're not trying hard enough because they haven't broken beyond the numbers they're currently getting. Is SBS in a money crunch? I would look to this station as the next to be sold, in terms of FMs

101.9 - If you're a Brooklyn Nets fan and the team is finally on an FM station you'd be royally pissed that they're still having to tell you to go to a second-tier AM station for some games because of "prior commitments". To those who think that NY stations don't care about people listening in the outlying areas, what do you say about what CBS Radio is doing with the sports AM/FM combo? City residents now have it worse

1130 and 1560 - as long as the companies involved don't care about losing money (unless the losses become ridiculous) then there's nothing to do about it

94.7 - no explanation needed. Let's see what Cumulus does with it when they take it over. From recent history I would suggest that the worst possible of the options available would be the one chosen

99.5 - unless you're one of the 10,000 diehard listeners, that is

710 - unless you're one of the 100,000 diehard listeners, that is (or a Rutgers fan)

92.3 - Coulda. Woulda. Shoulda.

98.7/1050 - I would have listed them except for the fact that I'm one of the city residents who follow association football and the AM station is valuable to me, especially during World Cup qualifying games. ;D

 

[benale]

WBBR and WQEW. Yes, I know these stations exist to promote their products and both have very few listeners. Two 50,000 watt signals wasted. It would be nice if these stations could move to less powerful frequencies. I would love to see standards(yes a few major markets still have these), older oldies or true local talk on 1130 and 1560. Two powerful signals that really get out there. I'm sure they have their listeners, but it would be great to see more mass appeal programming on 1130 and 1560. It's been almost 20 years on 1130 and almost 14 years on 1560 since I listened to these stations.

 

[ansky212]

I can't believe only 1 person has mentioned WBAI 99.5. This is hands down the most wasted frequency in NYC. I don't see how any other station could possibly be considered worse.

 

[Ai4i]

I can't believe only 1 person has mentioned WBAI 99.5.

As a fan of, I would love a chance for them to migrate to 660, 770, 880, or even 710.
Pacific would enjoy an enormous coverage area, collect $millions, and pay a fraction of their current rent.
The othe party would inherit a much coveted FM frequency:
A win-win prop for both parties.

 

[TonySantiago]

I can't believe no one has mentioned 99.5 WBAI? There is no reason that they should have that format on a full power commercial frequency. It should be on 91.5.

THAT I will agree with you. Granted for me I like the "Liquid Sound Lounge" with Jeannie Hopper, and I do support the liberal point of view, but I think Pacifica should go Internet in that sense and take the best shows out of their O&O's and combine it, that is if they can't get something non-comm.

And while I know why it is the way it is, we really don't need 2 classical stations. WNYC or WQXR, pick one.

 

[uncamark]

I can't believe no one has mentioned 99.5 WBAI? There is no reason that they should have that format on a full power commercial frequency. It should be on 91.5.

THAT I will agree with you. Granted for me I like the "Liquid Sound Lounge" with Jeannie Hopper, and I do support the liberal point of view, but I think Pacifica should go Internet in that sense and take the best shows out of their O&O's and combine it, that is if they can't get something non-comm.

And while I know why it is the way it is, we really don't need 2 classical stations. WNYC or WQXR, pick one.

WNYC hasn't been classical since they acquired QXR and moved it to 105.9. The station is now all news/talk except for Jonathan Schwartz.

 

[davideduardo]

93.1 - Whatever they're trying to do apparently they're not trying hard enough because they haven't broken beyond the numbers they're currently getting. Is SBS in a money crunch? I would look to this station as the next to be sold, in terms of FMs

It's rumored to be ready to flip almost any minute now.

 

[Raider57]

94.7, 96.7, and 99.5.

 

[SonoSational18]

I'd add 620 to that list.