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WFUV 90.7

B

Barry

WFUV has had overall ratings of only around .3 for some time.
This puzzles me, as I believe it is a very well programmed AAA station, with terrific personalities. 'FUV also has a decent signal in much (I realize not all) of the Metro area.
Among noncommercial stations that have better overall numbers are WNYC, WQXR, WBGO, WAWZ, and WFME (at least in February, when this religious station last posted ratings).
I do understand that what matters to a noncommercial station is the number of subscribers, rather than overall audience. But I still wonder why their appeal is apparently so narrow. Is that to be expected from a station that has a broad, eclectic selection of AAA/roots music, as opposed to a focused repetitive playlist?
 
I am a proud listener of WFUV for about 20 years and am pleased to be a contributor as well. Perhaps the newspaper analogy may be valid here. More people read the Daily News or New York Post than the New York Times. The low ratings and cume puzzles me as well.

Bruce
 
I think with WFUV it boils down to a lot of people don't know it's there.

The major NPR stations in the city are on 93.9 and 820 AM. The public classical station is on 105.9. Unlike, say, Philly, where WXPN has great ratings and there are other NPR and public stations around them on the dial. People in NYC have little reason to go below 92MHz. WNYE, WKCR, WFMU? All miniscule audiences and very specific.

They need a good marketing program and some billboards or targeted ads to let people know they exist and how to find them. I've told a lot of people I know about it and they say "wow, this is great! I had no idea this station was here!" Use Dennis Elsas to get the former WNEW crowd.

On the other side of the coin, they make a LOT of money. Take a look at their financial statements, they're all on line. But imagine if they had another 200,000 listeners how much more they would pull in.

If they could raise the money, the smart thing to do would be a signal swap + cash for 99.5 and let Pacifica have 90.7. On 90.7, WBAI still reaches the maniacs in the city like the need to. Or grab 94.7, but I don't think Family Radio wants anything to do with another NYC frequency when they sell 94.7, all they want is the cash. In fact, 94.7 would be an excellent signal for them in that it would fill in all of NJ, which is where a lot of the $$ and listeners for non-comm AAA are.
 
I don't mean to bash the WFUV engineer, but the setup is poor:

-When the HD kicks on, the audio level is so much lower than that of the analog signal.
-Why is WFUV's main signal on both the HD-1 and HD-2 (with a delay) signals? Seems like a waste. (Alternate Side is on HD-3 (and 91.5 HD-1 during a.m. drive- which sounds much better))
-The four character HD display used to read WFUV (as seems to be the industry standard*), but now reads HD. That's not very descriptive! haha

*NYC seems to have more non-standard displays than most cities:
90.7 displays "HD" as mentioned above
98.7 used to display KISS rather than WRKS (ESPN changed that, and it now displays WEPN)
99.1 displays STAR rather than the call letters
 
Their signal isn't great in parts of New Jersey or in downtown/midtown Manhattan despite the booster. Why aren't they on Empire, is it strictly due to the cost?
 
At the end of the day, it's all about the music. The people who love it...love WFUV. But it's a niche format today that doesn't attract a lot of non-music fans. And let's face it, the vast majority of people are not big music fans. They like music, they listen to it, but they're not particular about it. Those people are probably not going to listen to WFUV. What I thought was interesting about the OP was that WBGO has, on occasion, beat WFUV. Because WBGO also has signal problems and also has a very specialized audience. If classic jazz outdraws alternative rock, that says a lot. But having this format on a non-com station is appropriate. It will attract passionate fans who will contribute, and that's what you want. Improving the signal won't make a huge difference in audience. A big publicity campaign won't make a huge difference. This is a niche station, and the ratings reflect that niche.
 
WFUV fills in a niche format.. It will never have big numbers as is. The mass societies music tastes are in line with stations like Z100 etc.
 
Let me add, as one who has run a few niche stations, that the reason the listeners love it and are as passionate about it is because they ARE a niche station, with a select audience. That builds a kind of love and passion that actually is damaged by larger audiences. I once attended a bluegrass event, and had to wait in line to get in, and someone near me said that if the lines got any longer, or the club got any more crowded, they wouldn't enjoy it as much, and might not come back. That's what loving a niche format is all about. It's like going to a niche restaurant. You like that small personal feeling. The minute it gets too busy, it's not the same any more.
 
ncountysurf said:
I don't mean to bash the WFUV engineer, but the setup is poor:

-When the HD kicks on, the audio level is so much lower than that of the analog signal.
-Why is WFUV's main signal on both the HD-1 and HD-2 (with a delay) signals? Seems like a waste. (Alternate Side is on HD-3 (and 91.5 HD-1 during a.m. drive- which sounds much better))
-The four character HD display used to read WFUV (as seems to be the industry standard*), but now reads HD. That's not very descriptive! haha

*NYC seems to have more non-standard displays than most cities:
90.7 displays "HD" as mentioned above
98.7 used to display KISS rather than WRKS (ESPN changed that, and it now displays WEPN)
99.1 displays STAR rather than the call letters
Click to expand...

It's true that WFUV's audio is somewhat lower on HD than analog. That should be fixed.
The HD2 is actually quite a cool concept. It is used to maintain the regular format when the primary signal is carrying other programming, generally on weekends and during the occasional weekday sporting events. I would not be surprised if even many long time listeners do not know they can hear the regular WFUV programming on weekends (with voicetracked personalities) by tuning into the HD2, or its online stream.
 
I haven't listened to WFUV for years. One of the reasons: I can't take the hosts! With the exception of Corny O'Connell, who sounds like a nice guy and doesn't constantly call attention to himself, these hosts seem to perceive themselves as sooo hip ... sooo cool! Vin Scelsa is probably the worst. When Rita Houston started "Required Listening" I tuned away and never came back. She sounded like she really believed it!

When I think about it, the WFUV announcing style probably isn't too different from WNEW-FM in the '60s-'70s, but that was another time. The audience has grown up. Radio isn't the big deal it once was and hosts don't need to try to sound like Gods.
 
WFUV at 90.7 FM has a transmitter in the Bronx. It can not be on the Empire State building since it would interfere with some college stations on 90.3 FM and WFMU at 91.1 FM in NJ. I do concur with one of the previous posters that they can do more to promote themselves. I see WFUV as the successor to WNEW-FM. I enjoy their hosts who are very knowledgeable about the music they play.

Bruce
 
Does their on-channel booster on W 31st street work to fill-in some of the tough spots around The Village, etc?
 
... their hosts who are very knowledgeable about the music they play.
Click to expand...

You nailed it ... that's part of the problem. These hosts like to "show off" by trying to impress the audience with their deep musical knowledge. Do most people care about all that minutia? Also, there's nothing worse than an interview with a musician! Musicians are uniquely talented at making music but generally dull as dishwater when it comes to talking, which they generally do in a monotone, especially when talking about themselves, their albums, their tours, etc. etc.

Just speculation, but I think WFUV might be more successful if the hosts tried to relate to a broader audience than just armchair musicologists. Play the music ... talk about other stuff.
 
Barry said:
WFUV has had overall ratings of only around .3 for some time.
This puzzles me, as I believe it is a very well programmed AAA station, with terrific personalities.
Click to expand...

It's way too eclectic - very few currents, and spins its currents less than 10 times per week - It's programmed for music buffs, not for the general public
 
Is any radio station programmed for the general public? All formats on terrestrial, satellite, or internet radio are aimed at niches. The question is whether the niche is profitable. The people at WFUV are satisfied with the dollars that the station takes in from listeners. If someone does not like the station, he/she will not tune in and obviously not donate to the station.

I like to know something about the artists that I hear on any radio station. On the other hand, I would likely tune out if an excessive amount of time is spent interviewing an obscure artist.

No radio station can please everyone all of the time.

Bruce
 
BruceS8852 said:
I am a proud listener of WFUV for about 20 years and am pleased to be a contributor as well. Perhaps the newspaper analogy may be valid here. More people read the Daily News or New York Post than the New York Times. The low ratings and cume puzzles me as well.

Bruce
Click to expand...

That is simply not true. The latest Audit Bureau of Circulations figures for the period ending March 31, 2012 are...

The New York Times...1,586,757

Daily News...579,636

New York Post...555,327

Even with the Post and News combined, the Times is still the largest paper in NYC.

http://accessabc.wordpress.com/2012/05/01/the-top-u-s-newspapers-for-march-2012/
 
Perhaps WFUV is impacted more than most local stations by the availability of music online. The people that are very into music, which WFUV is trying to reach, may be among the most likely to dig around the Internet to find songs and specialized online stations that interest them.
 
It's way too eclectic - very few currents, and spins its currents less than 10 times per week - It's programmed for music buffs, not for the general public
Click to expand...

Again, it comes down to business. Those music buffs open their wallets WIDE during the fundraisers. At the end of the day in a non-comm, that's what keeps you going. You don't need huge numbers to attract agency buys. You need to keep your core audience happy. Did that balancing act for 7 years.

I still think that with some targeted advertising, they could grow at least another 150-200,000 listeners who simply don't know they're there. If 5% of them donated in some way, the campaign pays for itself many times over.
 
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