WAMO DEBUTS TIED FOR 15TH PLACE...and other numbers

[Parttimer]

How high can WAMO go? Probably not much higher on an FM signal that only reaches 25% of the market, if that.

Jeez, one month and you're writing their obituary? ;D
If you'd checked their week 3 and 4 June numbers, you might not be so quick to pass judgement, or look foolish.

Let's see, you signed up for the board today and posted in Pittsburgh, Detroit and San Francisco. Thank you, Martz employee, whoever you are. You seem to be taking it personally, so you're probably some sort of a stakeholder.

And if you have access to numbers that I can't see, that's fine. Since you just showed up today I'll make you aware that I can only see published 6+ numbers for the most part, aside from what some little birdies tell me from time to time. I was speculating that without more coverage there's got to be some limit to how much you can grow. Simple math, really.

We'll see.

 

[Parttimer]

Star 100.7 is sounding good? Huh? It sounds like any other CBS hac/chr hybrid. See Mix 106.5 in Baltimore.

You mean the #3 station in Baltimore 6+, with really huge female numbers and massive billing? No, obviously you wouldn't want to follow that formula at all.....

Stations don't change formats to take listeners as much as they change to take advertisers. The old WAMO had plenty of listeners and no business. When the new WAMO has some business that the big companies would want on their air (and who can afford to be on their air) we'll talk.

 

[cingram]

Stations don't change formats to take listeners as much as they change to take advertisers. The old WAMO had plenty of listeners and no business. When the new WAMO has some business that the big companies would want on their air (and who can afford to be on their air) we'll talk.

This last point is a very salient one.

Considering that the old WAMO exited the market with a 2.6 share in the PPM, for the WAMO translator to do as
well as it is doing (I can't imagine much of that is coming from the AM side) is remarkable; I think it's the second
highest-rated translator in the country.

That said, let us not forget that the old WAMO also had big banners on its website advertising the availability of
bail bonds. I guess the good news here is that the new WAMO sounds closer to Kiss - despite the protestations
of those who want the old WAMO back.

This will be interesting to watch as the ratings go forward.

C.

 

[Jkf]

Star 100.7 is sounding good? Huh? It sounds like any other CBS hac/chr hybrid. See Mix 106.5 in Baltimore.

You mean the #3 station in Baltimore 6+, with really huge female numbers and massive billing? No, obviously you wouldn't want to follow that formula at all.....

Stations don't change formats to take listeners as much as they change to take advertisers. The old WAMO had plenty of listeners and no business. When the new WAMO has some business that the big companies would want on their air (and who can afford to be on their air) we'll talk.

Mix 106.5 has huge female numbers because of the lack of competition. Baltimore does not have five soccer mom stations to tune into like we do. They have a plug in and play very rhythmic leaning Crap Channel CHR, and internal competition from Lite FM. Lite FM also goes all oldies on the weekends. DC stations show up in Baltimore because Baltimore radio is so stale. Star is boring. Given some of the personalities on there, I don't understand why it sounds so canned. But it does.

Back to WAMO - One thing I think we are forgetting here. What Martz has done is cheap and low maintenance. If he bills maybe a tenth of what the smallest billing station in Pittsburgh does, he will make a profit. The problem is once CBS realizes they could make money with a rhythmic CHR station in Pittsburgh, and flips an under performing property (The Fan) there will be no need for WAMO.

 

[wdb2003]

WAMO would make a perfect Urban AC station if that happens. Does anybody listen to Q in the City on 92.9 at night? I tune in from time to time on my tune in app.

 

[Boss Radio]

Star 100.7 is sounding good? Huh? It sounds like any other CBS hac/chr hybrid. See Mix 106.5 in Baltimore.

You mean the #3 station in Baltimore 6+, with really huge female numbers and massive billing? No, obviously you wouldn't want to follow that formula at all.....

Stations don't change formats to take listeners as much as they change to take advertisers. The old WAMO had plenty of listeners and no business. When the new WAMO has some business that the big companies would want on their air (and who can afford to be on their air) we'll talk.

Mix 106.5 has huge female numbers because of the lack of competition. Baltimore does not have five soccer mom stations to tune into like we do. They have a plug in and play very rhythmic leaning Crap Channel CHR, and internal competition from Lite FM. Lite FM also goes all oldies on the weekends. DC stations show up in Baltimore because Baltimore radio is so stale. Star is boring. Given some of the personalities on there, I don't understand why it sounds so canned. But it does.

Back to WAMO - One thing I think we are forgetting here. What Martz has done is cheap and low maintenance. If he bills maybe a tenth of what the smallest billing station in Pittsburgh does, he will make a profit. The problem is once CBS realizes they could make money with a rhythmic CHR station in Pittsburgh, and flips an under performing property (The Fan) there will be no need for WAMO.

What do you have The Fan billing?

 

[Parttimer]

Back to WAMO - One thing I think we are forgetting here. What Martz has done is cheap and low maintenance. If he bills maybe a tenth of what the smallest billing station in Pittsburgh does, he will make a profit. The problem is once CBS realizes they could make money with a rhythmic CHR station in Pittsburgh, and flips an under performing property (The Fan) there will be no need for WAMO.

So first you say WAMO can make money billing 10% of what a major operator would want, then in the next breath that major operator would change format to chase that 10%? What am I missing here?

The other point you completely, totally miss is that the Fan does business with a male audience 25-54 and 35-64. WAMO's listeners are young and mostly female. Sports radio attracts on average the wealthiest audience of any format in the industry. WAMO could beat them 6+ and not take a single listener or dollar away from them, because the audiences are so dissimilar.

Give the Fan another year, if they get the Pirates (and the Pirates are good, as a bonus) they will be generating revenue that WAMO could never dream of.

An by the way, regarding Mix in Baltimore, with a 28% African-American population, Mix has to compete with Urban stations for adult female listeners. So to say they have no competition is inaccurate.

 

[corporateradiosucks]

Why would they do this? To take enough listeners from KISS. It wasn't that long ago that KISS refused to play half the CHR chart. It leaned VERY rhythmic. And, just like most of the other Kiss CHRs from the 2000s, they were playing nothing gold other than rhythmic.

The problem is that going between rhythmic and Taylor Swift is the definition of a buzzkill - for BOTH sides. Ever since Humpty Dumpty I mean Garth Brooks, the country (and popcountry) won't stay on the country stations where it belongs.

 

[xm41]

To say that WAMO is only going to sell to "ghetto" businesses is not only racist but outright ignorant as well.

I didn't intend for it to sound racist. What I meant is that if you look at the areas where they have a city grade signal most of those areas could be considered "the ghetto". That being said you sell adds where your station can be heard.

And before anybody says it I know that little signal can be heard all over the city and as far as Washington PA but what matters is how easily the signal can be picked up by your average portable radio without having to play with the antenna to hear it.

 

[Jkf]

Back to WAMO - One thing I think we are forgetting here. What Martz has done is cheap and low maintenance. If he bills maybe a tenth of what the smallest billing station in Pittsburgh does, he will make a profit. The problem is once CBS realizes they could make money with a rhythmic CHR station in Pittsburgh, and flips an under performing property (The Fan) there will be no need for WAMO.

So first you say WAMO can make money billing 10% of what a major operator would want, then in the next breath that major operator would change format to chase that 10%? What am I missing here?

The other point you completely, totally miss is that the Fan does business with a male audience 25-54 and 35-64. WAMO's listeners are young and mostly female. Sports radio attracts on average the wealthiest audience of any format in the industry. WAMO could beat them 6+ and not take a single listener or dollar away from them, because the audiences are so dissimilar.

Give the Fan another year, if they get the Pirates (and the Pirates are good, as a bonus) they will be generating revenue that WAMO could never dream of.

An by the way, regarding Mix in Baltimore, with a 28% African-American population, Mix has to compete with Urban stations for adult female listeners. So to say they have no competition is inaccurate.

To compare a translator and an AM daytimer that nobody knew existed and a major city grade signal is apples to oranges. If they could bill 10% of say, the Q, Martz profits. If a major signal were to dump their current format and flip to a CHR/Rhythmic/Urban, their success would certainly be measured in what they could bill.

And again, the comparison of the urban format to sports is not the point here. Where are The Fan's numbers right now IN THEIR KEY DEMOS? Are you saying some Yinzer calling in about the batting average of the 1987 Pirates while a monotone host keeps saying hmmm hmmm is good radio? How many listeners stick around for more than 15 minutes of this crap?

Sure there is some cross listenership between Mix and say 92Q in Baltimore. But to compare that with Star 100.7 and Bob/Q92.9/Kiss/Wish is not the same. Case in point - I heard Bruno Mars' Grenade on all 5 stations within 30 minutes. That's ridiculous.

 

[Parttimer]

[. Where are The Fan's numbers right now IN THEIR KEY DEMOS? Are you saying some Yinzer calling in about the batting average of the 1987 Pirates while a monotone host keeps saying hmmm hmmm is good radio? How many listeners stick around for more than 15 minutes of this crap?

They are currently 8th in men 25-54, that will go up during football season.

You also appear not to understand the concept of a company owning multiple stations in a market. The Fan's only job is to add male numbers 18-54 for CBS. Star is heavily female, Y108 probably a little more female as well. Sports also has revenue opportunities that are not directly related to ratings.... Pitt, for instance, will have sponsors no matter what station the games are on.

And again, I agree with you that the Fan stinks, but it isn't going anywhere.

CBS will never care about WAMO, and specifically will not will not flip the Fan to Urban. Your arguments are just the same old, "I don't like that station, they would get better ratings if they played what I like" that we hear over and over on this board, particularly when Urban formats are the topic.

 

[KeyTimes950]

It's a shame the Catholic Radio group is on 106.7. But I am Catholic myself, but on 106.7 - that's big. I was thinking or hoping they would be on the lower dials.

If I am devoted to the Catholic faith, as I believe any or all of the We Are One Body investors must be, and I have the money to offer toward the cause, as clearly this group had (and perhaps still has), and a frequency like 106.7 is available, why would I settle for "the lower dials"? Sheridan wanted out of local radio ownership and someone had $8 million to offer.

Whether you think WAOB is a waste of FM 106.7 or not, clearly St. Joseph Missions had a plan and is sticking to it. It is rare to find that sort of dedication in the broadcast media.

 

[lovejamminoldies]

The new WAMO guys realized that they weren't making money with the old format. If you noticed, it's more rhythmic CHR than Urban. Rhythmic stations can sell much better than Urban stations, i.e. Hot 1029 in Dayton where I live.

 

[Nate Wesley]

I didn't intend for it to sound racist.

Specific mention of 'rib & chicken joints' doesn't really help your case here, but whatever:

http://boards.radio-info.com/smf/index.php?topic=193359.0

(You're welcome.)

 

[FreddyE1977]

I didn't intend for it to sound racist.

Specific mention of 'rib & chicken joints' doesn't really help your case here, but whatever:

http://boards.radio-info.com/smf/index.php?topic=193359.0

(You're welcome.)

I've been known to enjoy spending time in Rib and Chicken joints, and
I'm probably the whitest guy in town.

 

[Raymond]

Star is boring. Given some of the personalities on there, I don't understand why it sounds so canned. But it does.

Their air personalities are boring. They sound canned because the air personalities don't gel very well as a unit. A morning show that is juvenile, a teen sounding midday gal, a guy that sounds like her dad in afternoons, and a very weak night guy.

 

[kenhawk1160]

WAMO has a smartphone app that allows live audio to be streamed over your iPhone. Unlike most apps I've seen (or heard) for terrestrial radio stations, theirs provides a very strong and steady signal.

So the weakness of the translator is immaterial. A niche audience will find this station and the means by which its signal is delivered. With more people migrating to smartphones, and the means you have to listen to audio from them IN YOUR CAR (I have a setup myself in my truck), they'll find what they want to hear.

15th place right out of the gate ain't bad for this market, where Urban has been flat or falling for the past 20 years. I say things can only get better.

 

[Parttimer]

Unfortunately smartphone listening doesn't show in the ratings. Not now, anyway.

Their morning guy (I've never heard him say his name and they never updated the airstaff tab on their website) was doing a pretty good phone bit this morning about Pittsburgh being named the "3rd most promiscuous city in the US" in some survey. Apparently their numbers are good in AM drive and tail off dramatically through the rest of the day... might be interesting to know who this guy is.

 

[kenhawk1160]

Unfortunately smartphone listening doesn't show in the ratings. Not now, anyway.

I give it maybe two years tops before they're able to figure a way to meter it.

 

[kenhawk1160]

Star is boring. Given some of the personalities on there, I don't understand why it sounds so canned. But it does.

Their air personalities are boring. They sound canned because the air personalities don't gel very well as a unit. A morning show that is juvenile, a teen sounding midday gal, a guy that sounds like her dad in afternoons, and a very weak night guy.

People don't listen to hear jocks anymore...they listen for the music. Notwithstanding, they're probably our strongest competitor in Butler.