NewsRadio 880 has built strong brand identity. This is a chance to see if content really matters.
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WCBS ND/PD Tim Scheld to step down saying news stations will combine resources
- Thread starter Theater of My Mind
- Start date
NewsRadio 880 has built strong brand identity. This is a chance to see if content really matters.
Sure is.
As others have noted WCBS has more reporting from the burbs while WINS focuses on the 5 boroughs. The :20-:40 newsblock is really light on news content - there's an entertainment block plus the anchor handover at :30 eats up a minute or so - if a combined station needed to cover a broader geographical region there is time to do so.
Well we’re already attempting to put one of their news stations into irrelevancy by putting one on fm and leaving the other behind
Yes, WCBS (AM) has a much better signal for covering the Metro Survey Area as it reaches the Jersey counties that are in the MSA while directional WINS misses.
There are over 17 million in the daytime WCBS 5 mV/m contour and "only" a bit under 14 million for WINS. At night, the difference is even greater. Adding an FM to WINS fills in a lot of the area the AM does not cover. It makes WINS more competitive.
The whole market is 19.4 million, so WCBS has a decided advantage.
But, if they decide to do only one all-news station, the frequency for the AM part should be the better signal one: 880.
However, both news stations are billing among the top 20 nationally, so neither is going away soon. The union agreement to share staff and resources makes this a much longer term proposition.
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That is exaggeration. They are, first, eliminating a format that was declining into oblivion in NYC, saves money while reinforcing one of the news stations for the future.
But both AMs billed in the top 20 out of nearly 12,000 commercial stations in the US so they will continue to have WCBS (AM) provide better Jersey and far Long Island coverage as long as it bills well. The new union shared staff agreement makes this viable for many years.
The alternative for a non-directional 50 kw AM is?
Correct... none. So news will continue for some time into the future.
WINS aired Yankees baseball from 1978 through 1980. And they also aired the Yankees for many years in the 1940's and 1950's long before they became an all news station.
At the time, I didn't listen to the radio at night or on weekend afternoons; therefore, I didn't notice the break in WINS' all-news format. Also, I was born after WINS became an all-news stations. Thanks for history lesson.
Has WCBS given up on news during the overnight hours? I happened to be listening at around 2:30 AM today and they were playing a re-run of 60 Minutes. The only commercials were promos for CBS-produced podcasts.
Would the Mets be ok with being on a radio station that's all about sports betting?
I laugh because it won't just be a discussion on that....
YES!!! 880 is still a strong News station that is one of the top billing stations in the nation, and yes it would be insane to change it now.
YES!!! Their latest ratings drop is big time factored by the Mets disappearing and disappointing.
We will need the next 6 months to get the true picture of WINS on FM and how it affects 880 News Radio.
There's an initial sampling of WINS on FM by those who listen to 880 and switch to FM for other programming who might decide that they like the 880 product more and would rather listen to them on AM.
We don't know how much of that drop is Mets related, and or a ratings fluke.
When you are of the nation's top billing stations you have earned the right to implement little tweaks to your product to reverse ratings loss if it does continue. You don't get forever, but obviously at least a year.
Also, a stations billing doesn't just disappear over night. Heritage stations continue to bill well even when the ratings have collapsed because those who buy time know you need at least 4 books to even consider it real, and their is good faith in the product as well.
So. Down the line IF WCBS am is really smashed by WINS FM, would the Mets be cool with this station being home of the Mets and also a sports betting station?
I laugh because it won't just be a discussion on that....
YES!!! 880 is still a strong News station that is one of the top billing stations in the nation, and yes it would be insane to change it now.
YES!!! Their latest ratings drop is big time factored by the Mets disappearing and disappointing.
We will need the next 6 months to get the true picture of WINS on FM and how it affects 880 News Radio.
There's an initial sampling of WINS on FM by those who listen to 880 and switch to FM for other programming who might decide that they like the 880 product more and would rather listen to them on AM.
We don't know how much of that drop is Mets related, and or a ratings fluke.
When you are of the nation's top billing stations you have earned the right to implement little tweaks to your product to reverse ratings loss if it does continue. You don't get forever, but obviously at least a year.
Also, a stations billing doesn't just disappear over night. Heritage stations continue to bill well even when the ratings have collapsed because those who buy time know you need at least 4 books to even consider it real, and their is good faith in the product as well.
So. Down the line IF WCBS am is really smashed by WINS FM, would the Mets be cool with this station being home of the Mets and also a sports betting station?
I'm a bit of a night owl and I first noticed blocks of longform, prerecorded programming on WCBS 880 overnight after the pandemic lockdowns and hot trend of furloughs in 2020. I chalked it up to the crazy staff reductions everyone was doing at the time but you know how corporate America works -- once they find a way to cut costs they never want to go back.
There are often irresistible bonuses doled out to managers who cut costs too (a.k.a. fire people and find filler to replace them). Not saying that was the case here, but Audacy's top priority these days seems to be cuts cuts cuts.
In addition all of the union writers and anchors received pay increases as part of their new contract. So everyone is getting paid more. However, revenues are holding steady. So the raises will have to come from somewhere. Or would you prefer them to add 10% more spots? That's the mathematics here. You either cut costs or increase commercials. Which would you prefer?
KYW in Philly is repeating their local news between 2 AM (I think) and 5 AM except for live traffic reports every 10 minutes. They also broadcast 60 Minutes live Sundays at 7 pm, Face The Nation Sunday night and CBS radio’s America: Changed Forever twice on Saturday night so WCBS isn’t alone in replacing at least a few hours of live programming weekly with pre-recorded programming.
I'm sorry if it wasn't clear, I was just projecting a future scenario.
KGO was once a top biller and no one thought that they would one day become a sports betting station.
I too hope 880 remains strong and I hope that they remain a compliment to WINS.
Market conditions change, though.
It's a valid question and an interesting one.
Considering some of the suggestions here and the way that I framed it......lol
But KGO went into a lengthy decline after Y2K and was finished off by the introduction of the PPM. They had a lot of time to "modernize" but, instead, kept reinventing the old format with new people.
But the issue here is directly related to listener ages. As long as people get just one year older each year, they have time to work on a plan or an exit strategy.
My exit strategy is probably going to be decided by the Grim Reaper.
Probably? Death and taxes are still a certainty...
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