WCBS AM Moving Further Away From News?

[wadio]

Why in the world does Rutgers need an AM station to broadcast their games? If listeners can figure out how to switch from WOR to WCBS, they can figure out how to switch to the Internet. Why not put the games there, sell advertising and collect all the revenue?

 

[TheBigA]

Why in the world does Rutgers need an AM station to broadcast their games?

This is Learfield Sports that's doing this. They sell radio advertising.

The station will get the streaming rights. So the games will be on the Audacy stream.

 

[CTListener]

Students who never listen to AM radio are going to rediscover (or even discover) the band in order to listen their school's laughable football games and generally inconsequential basketball games (although at 18-14 this year, they'll probably be in the who-cares NIT)? I have long since ceased trying to understand the way the brains of the supposedly hominid life forms in the radio syndication and advertising world work, but this just seems like throwing money away. Tip of the hat for Audacy for finding away to capitalize on this massive groupthink idiocy, but sooner or later, won't the advertisers/title sponsor catch on to the fact that their branding and sales pitches aren't reaching enough ears to matter in a market that, for the most part, ignores its local college sports except for gambling purposes?

 

[TheBigA]

Students who never listen to AM radio are going to rediscover (or even discover) the band

Maybe you missed where the games will be streamed on the Audacy app.

 

[NJMark]

Students who never listen to AM radio are going to rediscover (or even discover) the band in order to listen their school's laughable football games and generally inconsequential basketball games (although at 18-14 this year, they'll probably be in the who-cares NIT)? I have long since ceased trying to understand the way the brains of the supposedly hominid life forms in the radio syndication and advertising world work, but this just seems like throwing money away. Tip of the hat for Audacy for finding away to capitalize on this massive groupthink idiocy, but sooner or later, won't the advertisers/title sponsor catch on to the fact that their branding and sales pitches aren't reaching enough ears to matter in a market that, for the most part, ignores its local college sports except for gambling purposes?

It's not for the students, who would listen either on the student station or the local station (or watch on TV now that the dorms have cable). This is for everyone else, alumni in particular, who don't live near New Brunswick. Rutgers sports have been on commercial radio almost as long as commercial radio has existed. They were on WOR for 30 years, and WEVD before that.

So the question really is why SHOULDN'T they be on NY radio? Just because the station is physically located in NY doesn't mean it isn't supposed to serve New Jersey as well.

 

[ajaynejr]

Is traffic and weather an important part of WCBS to get listeners? Of course that has to be accurate otherwise listeners will go somewhere else. More sportscasts (as well as more half hour, whole hour, etc. informercials) mean longer stretches without a traffic report or weather report.

But I do not listen to news radio for hours on end. Too much rehashing of the same stories and clips

 

[dcowboy7]

& yet we still cant bet $$ at the sportsbooks on games involving ny/nj college teams.
Crazy.
Steve fezzik & brad powers had some great picks on some of those games as usual too.

 

[Rusty Muck]

The other thing to remember is that both WCBS and WCBS-FM have to change their call signs in 2027 per the brand licensing agreement between what is now Audacy and Paramount Global. That doesn’t apply to any other callsign shared between radio and TV.

WCBS could try a geographical rebranding like KNWN Seattle had to adapt when they were forced to give up the KOMO calls/brand earlier this year, but there’s no guarantee that the all-news format lasts until then.

 

[ixnay]

oth WCBS and WCBS-FM have to change their call signs in 2027 per the brand licensing agreement between what is now Audacy and Paramount Global. That doesn’t apply to any other callsign shared between radio and TV.

You have a link to that? Google and Wikipedia aren't helping me.

 

[TheBigA]

The other thing to remember is that both WCBS and WCBS-FM have to change their call signs in 2027

You have a link to that? Google and Wikipedia aren't helping me.

Entercom has a 20-year use (starting in 2017) of call letters they share with CBS owned TV stations. So it's actually 2037.

Entercom Can Keep CBS Digital Portals—For Now.

The pending merger of CBS Radio into Entercom will bring a slow-motion unplugging of the unified radio-television portals that have been a key part of CBS Corp’s local digital strategy

www.insideradio.com

Under licensing terms spelled out in the merger agreement, Entercom will have 20 years to use call letters that are also associated with CBS-owned television stations. Entercom can also continue to use the “CBS Sports Radio” name for the CBS Sports Radio Network until Dec. 31, 2020. The prospectus however says Entercom must phase out its use of the iconic “CBS Eye” design, which is part of the logo of “News Radio 880” WCBS, New York. It has 12 months after closing the deal to remove the Eye design “from all goods, services and materials in the Licensees’ possession or control.”

 

[tvnut]

Entercom has to change KCBS-AM-FM as well. All the other previous CBS-owned radio stations, such as WBBM, need not be changed.

 

[TheBigA]

Entercom has to change KCBS-AM-FM as well. All the other previous CBS-owned radio stations, such as WBBM, need not be changed.

Not true. CBS owns WBBM-TV in Chicago, so they will have to change in 2037.

Read here: "Under licensing terms spelled out in the merger agreement, Entercom will have 20 years to use call letters that are also associated with CBS-owned television stations."

 

[ixnay]

Well, WCBS (AM) *was* WABC at one time...

 

[fybush]

And if the callsigns still have any value in 2037 to Audacy or its successor, there's nothing stopping them from renegotiating an extension with CBS or its successor.

 

[Yabadabado1]

by 2037? It may not matter what they call letters are, AM might be totally dead by then.

 

[AceBiscuits]

Not true. CBS owns WBBM-TV in Chicago, so they will have to change in 2037.

Read here: "Under licensing terms spelled out in the merger agreement, Entercom will have 20 years to use call letters that are also associated with CBS-owned television stations."

Not that it matters in the case of WCBS, but this article does not seem accurate. CBS gave a limited license term (November 2037) to the calls that include “CBS”, and allowed for “perpetual” use of the shared callsigns that don’t include CBS, such as WBBM.

... Except as otherwise set forth in Section 10.2, this Agreement shall begin on the Effective Date and be in effect:

... until 20 years after the Effective Date with respect to the license to use the WCBS and KCBS Licensed Property for all uses including as and to the extent used as Trademarks and in the Radio Station Call Letters, Radio Station Branding and Domain Names; and perpetually with respect to the license to use the KDKA, WBBM, KYW, WBZ, WCCO, WJZ and WWJ Licensed Property for all uses including as and to the extent used as Trademarks and in the Radio Station Call Letters, Radio Station Branding and Domain Names (the applicable term that applies with respect to each such license set forth in this clause (a), the “Term”); ...

 

[Gregg.]

>>>All-news as a format is in big trouble. <<<

Among the top stations every year in terms of revenue, four All-News stations usually make the list. WTOP Washington is consistently #1. WINS and WBBM remain in the top 10. WCBS only fell out of the top 10 this past year, so we can assume it's still in the top 15. Is any other format so well represented among the nation's highest earning stations?

Maybe Rock is in trouble? No Rock station is in the top 10, not Alternative, not Active, not Classic Rock. Maybe Talk is in trouble? KFI fell out of the top 10 at the same time as WCBS. So currently there's no talk station in the top 10. How about Sports? I think only WFAN is in the Top 10.

Perhaps we should tell Audacy that All-News is in big trouble. In the last couple of years, it has given FM simulcasts to two of its All-News stations, KYW and KNX, to go along with KCBS and WBBM, which already had FM simulcasts, not to mention Lotus-owned KNWN-AM-FM Seattle, and WTOP which is only found on FM. Why is Audacy investing in moving its All-News stations to FM? Surely they think All-News is a revenue earning format.

Hey, as radio people we should be ROOTING for All-News to stay healthy and maybe find a new market or two. All-News stations employ more people than any format you can think of: Anchors, Reporters, Writers, Meteorologists, Traffic Reporters, Producers, etc. I assume that the average All-News station employs about 50 people.

 

[TheBigA]

>>>All-news as a format is in big trouble. <<<

Among the top stations every year in terms of revenue, four All-News stations usually make the list. WTOP Washington is consistently #1.

The key difference with WTOP is it's also consistently Top 5 in 25-54 and occasionally (as in this month) it's Top 5 in 18-34.

Neither WCBS nor WINS can claim that. WCBS demos are so bad that they run infomercials on the weekends.

How about Sports? I think only WFAN is in the Top 10.

WBZ-FM is #2 in Boston. Very high in key demos too.

 

[davideduardo]

WBZ-FM is #2 in Boston. Very high in key demos too.

And it is a hybrid, news in in the daytime, talk at night.

 

[ixnay]

Not that it matters in the case of WCBS, but this article does not seem accurate. CBS gave a limited license term (November 2037) to the calls that include “CBS”, and allowed for “perpetual” use of the shared callsigns that don’t include CBS, such as WBBM.

AceBiscuits, where did you get the text of the agreement about the Audacy calls that you quoted?