URBAN AC/OR SMOOTH JAZZ (AS RAPKING STATED)

[Keith321]

You're kinda confused. These stations do brokered time.

No, I'm not confused at all. I understand what time-brokered stations do and why they do it.

As a percentage of revenues, brokered-time stations take more money to the bottom line than conventionally programmed stations.

Not if the 'conventionally' programmed station is competitive and well-programmed.

You may not like what you hear on brokered-time stations. That's fine; you are not part of the target market for the various programs. The program producers must believe that they are getting their money's worth or they wouldn't keep on buying the time. Bear in mind that it isn't what you like or what you BELIEVE would make money on a station that necessarily makes money.

I am part of the target for some time-brokered programming, and know first hand the programming is awful. Most others I know in these "targets" don't listen to these programs either.

The program producers must believe that they are getting their money's worth or they wouldn't keep on buying the time. Bear in mind that it isn't what you like or what you BELIEVE would make money on a station that necessarily makes money.

If the total amount of the purchased time is covered in donations/ads.....then the program placement is considered a success. It doesn't matter if the program audience is one person or 1 million. If a program has one listener and that listener covers the entire broadcast cost in donation, then it's considered successful. Quite a waste of signal to reach 1 listener.

I am a life-long liberal Democrat but I do not believe that, with the exception of a few markets, Progressive talk has demonstrated an ability to generate the kind of profits that other formats generate.

Frankly, I don't care if it is Progressive, Middle of the road...or whatever...

We just need more alternatives to WRKO....which is a badly programmed station.

I sincerely believe that there is a genuine conspiracy by the radical (and not-so-radical) right to use hate-mail and threats of boycotts to intimidate advertisers and prospective advertisers on Progressive talk. I also believe that the fact that Air America did such a truly miraculous job of implanting its brand in the public consciousness was largely the result of very clever work by the righties who knew that the outfit was mismanaged from the git-go and would go down in flames if given half a chance. It was a brilliant strategy to kill Progressive talk: Make sure that Air America is 1) indelibly identified with Progressive talk and 2) shoots itself in the foot (or someplace higher and much more painful) at every conceivable opportunity. (#2 didn't take much effort.) This story is a sad commentary on a lot that's wrong with America today but the strategy could not have worked better for the righties.

OK....Once we get to the "conspiracy theories"...I think thats a signal that the conversation is near it's end.

 

[Retro]

I decided not even to get into that arguement myself...

We just need more alternatives to WRKO....which is a badly programmed station.

I totally agree, and WTKK while noteworthy, seems to have a different style of talk.

 

[Eli Polonsky]

As a percentage of revenues, brokered-time stations take more money to the bottom line than conventionally programmed stations.

Not if the 'conventionally' programmed station is competitive and well-programmed.

Brokered stations don't have to pay air talent, production staff, or sales people. All of that becomes the resposibility of the outside program producers, who are paying the station for the airtime. Those are massive savings in payroll when compared to stations that produce their own programming.

The station may have to pay a board-op (often around minimum wage), unless they have it automated, and many do nowadays. You can see why brokered time is an attractive deal for stations that were not able to make it with their own self-produced programming.

 

[kbf]

Wouldn't it be nice to see a successful Urban Adult Contemporary station on a strong FM signal in Boston? That is possible, but may not be probable considering the demographics of Boston's suburbs and surrounding areas, which constitute the bulk of Boston radio listeners. I'm just curious when the term "Urban AC" was coined because the format's target market has evolved tremendously over the years. Anyways, I'm glad to see the Boston boards discussing the importance of this genre of music, which is as broad and diverse as its listeners. The formats on Boston’s FM dial are always reflective of the consciousness of its population, which is the reason as to why there are many rock-oriented formats. If you want more diversity on Boston's FM dial, then Boston's consciousness must change...good luck with that one!

 

[Retro]

If more deregulation occurs at any point in the future, then we could see radio station here changing hands again, and thus the possibillity of such a format being programmed in Boston again. Also, if HD does end up catching on then there could be an outlet for it as well.

 

[Keith321]

Brokered stations don't have to pay air talent, production staff, or sales people. All of that becomes the resposibility of the outside program producers, who are paying the station for the airtime. Those are massive savings in payroll when compared to stations that produce their own programming.

But there is also a massive reduction in billing as well....as the price for said airtime ridiulously low. Lately you will see that the brokered stations have given time over to "per inquiry" programs...which means they can't even sell the time.

You can see why brokered time is an attractive deal for stations that were not able to make it with their own self-produced programming.

Usually it means an operator has given up trying to do anything that would make people listen.

 

[Keith321]

Wouldn't it be nice to see a successful Urban Adult Contemporary station on a strong FM signal in Boston? That is possible, but may not be probable considering the demographics of Boston's suburbs and surrounding areas, which constitute the bulk of Boston radio listeners. I'm just curious when the term "Urban AC" was coined because the format's target market has evolved tremendously over the years. Anyways, I'm glad to see the Boston boards discussing the importance of this genre of music, which is as broad and diverse as its listeners. The formats on Boston’s FM dial are always reflective of the consciousness of its population, which is the reason as to why there are many rock-oriented formats. If you want more diversity on Boston's FM dial, then Boston's consciousness must change...good luck with that one!

I realize that "Urban AC" means different things to different people.

It's sort of like "Jazz". When you ask people in a focus group, they all say they love Jazz! Until you start picking the records. ("That's not real jazz, etc., etc.")

Sme people would have considered Star 93.7 Urban AC.

What would you consider an Urban AC station that would work in Boston.

 

[Retro]

The former format 1150, The Touch. and WGCI Chicago.

 

[DanStrassberg]

But there is also a massive reduction in billing as well....as the price for said airtime ridiulously low. Lately you will see that the brokered stations have given time over to "per inquiry" programs...which means they can't even sell the time.

I suspect that you are wrong yet again. I'd wager that many of the programs that you assume are PI are in fact sold as leased time. For example, the 5:30 to 6:00PM half hour on WBIX. That's prime PM drive. If WBIX were not able to get its desired fixed price for that half hour from the outfit whose program appears in that segment, some other leased-time producer would buy the slot for a somewhat lower fixed price and the PI programming would go into a segment that the station couldn't sell at a fixed price--after 10:00PM, for example. Remember, some of those same programs also appear on weekends on WRKO and WBZ. I don't believe that the big guys are stooping to PIs in the segments they can't sell at fixed prices. OTOH, the Mexican border blasters, such as (then) 250-kW XERF, made millions of American dollars on PIs (back when the dollar was worth something). Wolfman Jack got his start in radio pitching baby chickens and pictures of Jesus on XERF and later XERB. According to the book "Border Radio," those stations, with their super power and huge skywave signals, routinely drew tens of thousands of orders per week for such products from US listeners. Even US stations such as WJJD and WLAC cashed in on the PI boom.

 

[Keith321]

I suspect that you are wrong yet again.

I wasn't wrong in the first place....

I'd wager that many of the programs that you assume are PI are in fact sold as leased time. For example, the 5:30 to 6:00PM half hour on WBIX. That's prime PM drive.

So what.

But the "Bee ALive Royal Jelly" programs on the Salem stations are "PI"...Some of the religious programs are as well. They simply share a portion of the revenue after the fact.

Station that give time to a PI program do so without any idea of what they will receive back (or with a very low guarantee). And when they do this...it's because they are not (or can not) selling it for a fixed price...which would be preferable.

I hope you are not coparing a 250KW border blaster at night that covered half the US...that played Rock and Roll in the off times....in a time when everyone listened to AM radio........to a bad signal AM from the suburbs with no one listening.