WEPN 98.7 FM Gains

[TimeIsTight]

If a listener can't be covered by an Empire FM, chances are they aren't in the metro... do the advertisers or the station care?

With the exception of Eastern Long Island, the Class-B FM signals from the Empire State Building reach past the edges of the NY Radio Market and into adjacent markets and counties. For ratings based ad sales there is no reason why the stations or advertisers would care about uncounted listeners past the metro borders.

If the teams care about listeners in those adjacent markets, they can sign up radio affiliates there. Even being on the big WCBS-AM signal, the Yankees still have radio affiliates in the Hudson Valley, Bridgeport CT., and Warren County, in Northwest NJ.

And the Jets, now on 98.7, are reaching the East End of Long Island with two FM affiliates, adjacent market Ocean County NJ with an FM affiliate, Western New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania with an AM affiliate, and still offering Jets games on AM on local stations in Morristown and Asbury Park, within the New York market.

So, even for teams interested in the adjacent market audience, there are good options for that coverage. They don't need a 50-kw AM signal to reach those out-of-market fans.

 

[Seltzer]

No doubt any gain in ESPN listeners will push CBS to find an FM homr for the Fan.

If a listener can't be covered by an Empire FM, chances are they aren't in the metro... do the advertisers or the station care?

With the exception of Eastern Long Island, the Class-B FM signals from the Empire State Building reach past the edges of the NY Radio Market and into adjacent markets and counties. For ratings based ad sales there is no reason why the stations or advertisers would care about uncounted listeners past the metro borders.

If the teams care about listeners in those adjacent markets, they can sign up radio affiliates there. Even being on the big WCBS-AM signal, the Yankees still have radio affiliates in the Hudson Valley, Bridgeport CT., and Warren County, in Northwest NJ.

And the Jets, now on 98.7, are reaching the East End of Long Island with two FM affiliates, adjacent market Ocean County NJ with an FM affiliate, Western New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania with an AM affiliate, and still offering Jets games on AM on local stations in Morristown and Asbury Park, within the New York market.

So, even for teams interested in the adjacent market audience, there are good options for that coverage. They don't need a 50-kw AM signal to reach those out-of-market fans.

 

[reelyreal]

That's what it'll take though, 98.7 ESPN putting up some serious numbers gains. We've already seen that CBS won't blow up an NYC FM on threats, it's going to take action on the part of ESPN in the form of ratings. Otherwise, we would have seen news on FM when FM News launched.

Only time will really tell.

 

[badjef]

That's what it'll take though, 98.7 ESPN putting up some serious numbers gains. We've already seen that CBS won't blow up an NYC FM on threats, it's going to take action on the part of ESPN in the form of ratings. Otherwise, we would have seen news on FM when FM News launched.

Not necessarily. Look toward #3 Chicago at WBBM.

Only time will really tell.

Patience.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

 

[reelyreal]

Not necessarily. Look toward #3 Chicago at WBBM.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

Right, and why didn't they do it in NYC at the same time? Because it would've have been a huge move, and the Chicago move proved to be premature. It's even less likely to happen now than it was before the FM news situation.

Additionally, Fresh in Chicago was performing more poorly than any of the NYC FM's are.

 

[badjef]

Not necessarily. Look toward #3 Chicago at WBBM.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

Right, and why didn't they do it in NYC at the same time? Because it would've have been a huge move, and the Chicago move proved to be premature. It's even less likely to happen now than it was before the FM news situation.

Additionally, Fresh in Chicago was performing more poorly than any of the NYC FM's are.

Sure, Market dynamics play a major part in any decision.

The question everybody asks before any move, "What would the Market look like without WXXX?"

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

 

[davideduardo]

That's what it'll take though, 98.7 ESPN putting up some serious numbers gains.

Where are those gains? I see WEPN with the same male 25-54 numbers it averaged in the three books between December and February ("Holiday" excluded).

 

[badjef]

That's what it'll take though, 98.7 ESPN putting up some serious numbers gains.

Where are those gains? I see WEPN with the same male 25-54 numbers it averaged in the three books between December and February ("Holiday" excluded).

Sounds as though they are off to a great start, then.

It ain't going to be a "worst to first in 74 days" scenario.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

 

[WNTIRadio]

What I see is that WFAN's TSL remains strong, with WEPN gaining cume but not TSL. They are getting more sampling on FM, most likely when WFAN is in a break and then people tune back to WFAN in a few minutes.

 

[reelyreal]

That's what it'll take though, 98.7 ESPN putting up some serious numbers gains.

Where are those gains? I see WEPN with the same male 25-54 numbers it averaged in the three books between December and February ("Holiday" excluded).

That's essentially what I was trying to say, it'd take big numbers, and those numbers aren't happening.

 

[MHVRadiofan]

Disney has a convoluted, rambling, confusing, (with horrible grammar) way of trying to express himself, and is often pointless. However, he has a valid point here. I realize that us residents of the Mid-Hudson Valley don’t count on the NYC market, but with ESPN-WEPN is now exclusively on FM we are out of luck. WEOK Poughkeepsie tried ESPN several years ago but as usual simulcasting a big city signal on a small local station it did not work out. Therefore, unless Cumulus decides with this change it’s time to try again, but I doubt it the area will be without ESPN and it's sports Franchises . Time will tell if Clear Channel or Pamala , the other two big players in the market will blow up a station to make the switch .Meanwhile Mid –Hudson residents are now without the Jets on radio.