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WBEN Gets It Right And Other Radio Debris

E

Element9

[*]WBEN made the right move dumping the kvetching yenta and replacing her with a real live local talk show hosted by Ron Dobson, a guy who sounds unlike anybody else on the station. This guy sounds nothing like republican chest-thumpers, Bauerle and Beach.

[*]Noticed in the trades (or "cheerleading rags," as a friend call them)that WTOP AM 1500, the 50 kW news talk station in the nation's capital moved its operations to FM and signed a deal with The Washinton Post. Wonder how long it'll take before WBEN makes the move to FM? Entercom has three FM properties and it doesn't seem like such a far-fetched idea. Too bad the WBEN-FM call letters are nesting on a Philadelphia FM station these days. Hmmmm... "Newsradio 107 point 7, WBEN" has a pretty smooth ring to it, wouldn't you say?

[*]Why would somebody ask what the weather's like in Buffalo on this board? There are at least a dozen weather sites that offer information about annual average temperatures and climate in any city in the world. Google "weather" and see what happens. Nice thread though, with posts worthy of the Chamber of Commerce Seal Of Approval by several posters, notably Sir Roxalot.

[*]Anybody hear a rumor about WECK going Classic Country? Looks like KB might get that big 2 share afterall! Now what happens to WXRL?

[*]"Which one's the Sports Station?" WBEN local hosts were talking sports today. Listeners had their choice of WBEN hosts sounding reasonably genteel or WGR hosts grunting and farting, as they usually do.

[*]If Pro Football Hall Of Fame Coach Marv Levy becomes the Bills GM, will he continue to do a show on WGR, which has a propensity for bashing the Bills. Or will Levy move to WGRF, which holds the broadcast rights to the Bills.

[*]How long before WGR tees-off on Levy and the Bills? If Levy does become GM, how long will he put up with WGR ripping Bills "new-lease-on-life-but-not-for-long-if-the-team-keeps-losing head coach, Mike Mularkey?

[*]Is this the year KB goes Progressive Talk? Or will KB move to Music Of Your Life if and when WECK moves to Classic Country?

Your turn.
 
Kvetching Yentas and WBEN Gentility

> WBEN made the right move dumping the kvetching yenta and
> replacing her with a real live local talk show hosted by
> Ron Dobson, a guy who sounds unlike anybody else on the
> station. This guy sounds nothing like republican
> chest-thumpers, Bauerle and Beach.

Dr. Laura's star has faded. I suspect her contract was up, and WBEN made the shocking decision that they could get a live body for the same money. This also gives them a chance to groom a new host in the event Sandy ever decides to hang up the headphones. Even he may be tired of hearing himself talk by now. It may also be a leverage ploy to keep Sandy from demanding even more cash now that Entercom is minding its P's and Q's re: trade deals.

> Noticed in the trades (or "cheerleading rags," as a friend
> call them)that WTOP AM 1500, the 50 kW news talk station in
> the nation's capital moved its operations to FM and signed a
> deal with The Washinton Post. Wonder how long it'll take
> before WBEN makes the move to FM?

I don't see any advantage in moving talk from full-coverage 930 AM to rimshot 107.7 FM. I'm afraid that 107.7 is doomed to a life of niche broadcasting. As soon as they actually start to get some ratings, a full-coverage FM in Buffalo will undercut the format and steal away listeners. That's what happens when you're licensed to Wethersfield and try to be a Buffalo station.

> Why would somebody ask what the weather's like in Buffalo on
> this board? There are at least a dozen weather sites that
> offer information about annual average temperatures and
> climate in any city in the world.

The numbers don't tell you the whole story - in weather or in radio. Plus, our prospective new resident wanted more than just a weather report.

> Anybody hear a rumor about WECK going Classic Country? Looks
> like KB might get that big 2 share afterall! Now what
> happens to WXRL?

ZZZZZZ, snort, wha-? Oh. ZZZZZZZZ

> "Which one's the Sports Station?" WBEN local hosts were
> talking sports today. Listeners had their choice of WBEN
> hosts sounding reasonably genteel or WGR hosts grunting and
> farting, as they usually do.

That's the first time - and probably last - that either of the B&B Boys were ever described as "genteel". "Gentile" yes. Genteel? I don't think so.

> If Pro Football Hall Of Fame Coach Marv Levy becomes the
> Bills GM, will he continue to do a show on WGR, which has a
> propensity for bashing the Bills. Or will Levy move to WGRF,
> which holds the broadcast rights to the Bills.

WGR will re-sign The Coach if Marv goes to 97-Rock.

> How long before WGR tees-off on Levy and the Bills? If Levy
> does become GM, how long will he put up with WGR ripping
> Bills "new-lease-on-life-but-not-for-long-if-the-team-keeps-losing
> head coach, Mike Mularkey?

See above.

> Is this the year KB goes Progressive Talk? Or will KB move
> to Music Of Your Life if and when WECK moves to Classic
> Country?

So, you want KB to go after an even OLDER audience? Forget Progressive Talk. Entercom ain't gonna do ANYTHING that might dilute WBEN.
 
> WBEN made the right move dumping the kvetching yenta and
> replacing her with a real live local talk show hosted by Ron
> Dobson, a guy who sounds unlike anybody else on the station.
> This guy sounds nothing like republican chest-thumpers,
> Bauerle and Beach.

Couldn't agree more. It would be a little gutsier move for WBEN to follow the example of KSTP in Minneapolis-St. Paul and replace Limbaugh with a local host. If I were them, I'd be watching Rush's numbers carefully for signs of erosion of the kind we've already seen in big markets like NYC and Chicago...and when it happens, have a local alternative ready.

> Noticed in the trades (or "cheerleading rags," as a friend
> call them)that WTOP AM 1500, the 50 kW news talk station in
> the nation's capital moved its operations to FM and signed a
> deal with The Washinton Post.

This is apparently a move peculiar to the Washington market, where the WTOP antenna pattern is not well configured to penetrate the dense office district of the capital and surrounding communities for daytime listening. The Post, which will take over the station's programming with a news format heavier on long form stories, in depth pieces and commentary, may end up in the end with the better of this deal.

> Wonder how long it'll take
> before WBEN makes the move to FM? Entercom has three FM
> properties and it doesn't seem like such a far-fetched idea.
> Too bad the WBEN-FM call letters are nesting on a
> Philadelphia FM station these days. Hmmmm... "Newsradio 107
> point 7, WBEN" has a pretty smooth ring to it, wouldn't you
> say?

The logical place for it to go on FM would be 102.5 since that's the one transmitter Entercom has which can match 930's coverage. But again, it's not a move WBEN has to make, since its signal does a much better job of covering everything it needs to cover 24/7 than WTOP could do down in DC.

> Anybody hear a rumor about WECK going Classic Country? Looks
> like KB might get that big 2 share afterall! Now what
> happens to WXRL?

WECK is the wrong signal for it since the target audience for that format is the outer ring burbs that WECK struggles to reach, especially at night. But that may happen anyway...actually it would make sense for CBS to sell WECK to Ramblin' Lou and let him create a regional classic country network (he might also pick up WJJL for a song while he's at it).

> How long before WGR tees-off on Levy and the Bills? If Levy
> does become GM, how long will he put up with WGR ripping
> Bills
> "new-lease-on-life-but-not-for-long-if-the-team-keeps-losing
> head coach, Mike Mularkey?

The honeymoon lasts until the first Bills loss of the 2006 regular season (unless that loss comes more than halfway through, at a time when it's clear they'll make the playoffs...in which case it lasts until the 2006 season ends).

> Is this the year KB goes Progressive Talk? Or will KB move
> to Music Of Your Life if and when WECK moves to Classic
> Country?

WHLD will be the progressive talker in the market if anyone is, and that'll come this spring if it comes at all. 'KB will remain what it is as long as it brings in enough money to make the nut for Entercom (which it apparently is doing). It has more room to grow, IF they'd just market it a little.

JMO, of course...
 
Re: Kvetching Yentas and WBEN Gentility

>
> Dr. Laura's star has faded. I suspect her contract was up,
> and WBEN made the shocking decision that they could get a
> live body for the same money. This also gives them a chance
> to groom a new host in the event Sandy ever decides to hang
> up the headphones. Even he may be tired of hearing himself
> talk by now. It may also be a leverage ploy to keep Sandy
> from demanding even more cash now that Entercom is minding
> its P's and Q's re: trade deals.
>
<font face="times new roman" size="3" color="330066">
Knowingly or otherwise, you have hit on a key point. Two of them, in fact.

Sandy extracts a heavy paycheck.

"Trade deals" absorb valued inventory. Sales people make little or no no commission from putting together trade deals, especially for air personalities who can be mercurial.

By extension, WBEN, Wenger and Entercom are hedging their bets. They get to expose a new, fresh air talent who's considerably younger than their heaviest local personality while Dobson developes a fan base and listener awareness.

Ideologically speaking, in the process WBEN moves slightly to the middle with Dobson on board. As noted by my sometimes nemesis, element_nine, Dobson is unlike anybody else on WBEN. Differentiation at this stage of the game is good, especially good if some other cluster goes off the deep end and takes one of its AM's progressive talk.

Additionally, with conservative talk radio having become the predictable, gaseous haze on AM radio (Rush, O'Reilly, Hannity, Savage, Boortz, et al) having a host who's not necessarily a died in the wool republican in a station's regular line-up is a wise bet.</font>

<P ID="signature">______________
New year, new screen name. This is only a test.</P>
 
> Couldn't agree more. It would be a little gutsier move for
> WBEN to follow the example of KSTP in Minneapolis-St. Paul
> and replace Limbaugh with a local host. If I were them, I'd
> be watching Rush's numbers carefully for signs of erosion of
> the kind we've already seen in big markets like NYC and
> Chicago...and when it happens, have a local alternative
> ready.

In KSTP's case, it wasn't a gutsy move at all. Clear Channel converted its smooth jazz FM outlet to talk and took Limbaugh away from KSTP.
 
> In KSTP's case, it wasn't a gutsy move at all. Clear Channel
> converted its smooth jazz FM outlet to talk and took
> Limbaugh away from KSTP.
>
Mmmm, according to the trades like Radio & Records, CC made the changes at its FM in order to keep Limbaugh in the market, after KSTP had indicated months earlier that it didn't plan on a renewal of the carriage contract. Arbitrons drove the decision.
 
Say, I just noticed something...

Aren't the time stamps on all this board's posts about five hours fast?
 
> > In KSTP's case, it wasn't a gutsy move at all. Clear
> Channel
> > converted its smooth jazz FM outlet to talk and took
> > Limbaugh away from KSTP.
> >
> Mmmm, according to the trades like Radio & Records, CC made
> the changes at its FM in order to keep Limbaugh in the
> market, after KSTP had indicated months earlier that it
> didn't plan on a renewal of the carriage contract. Arbitrons
> drove the decision.
>

I know you're stuck believing the paradigm that conservative talk radio is imploding despite the fact that it maintains a lead over a growing number of alternatives. I'd suggest, as others have suggested in coverage of radio, that people are tiring of talk radio in general, or at least the same drumbeats by the same tired hosts. I know I am, especially in a market where I have a choice of left-wing rants, right-wing rants, sports bozos, or "make any topic seem dull as dishwater" as options.

KSTP's statement on the loss of Limbaugh: "However, the tangled web of corporate involvements has caused an unfortunate situation. The corporate entity that now controls Rush's program affiliations has informed us that they are stripping his program from AM1500. Although we would prefer not to disrupt the continuing successes our partnership has created, they have chosen to end the relationship with AM1500 at the conclusion of the current contract. Their decision was a complete surprise to us. We have expressed our displeasure to them. If you would like to leave your views on a voice-mail in their public relations department, you could contact Clear Channel corporate headquarters in San Antonio, Texas."

Doesn't sound like a voluntary separation.
 
It's actually nice to see a station have to be creative and come up with some programming once forced off the Limbaugh nipple.
 
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