Why does Cumulus need Hot 106?

[Runrigger]

I know having a CHR and an urban works for Clear Channel in Boston but the numbers are quite different in Providence. Is it a sales thing or is Hot 106 really needed? The station has done the right thing by attempting to build some loyalty with a local morning show, but Cumulus doesn't have a music station in Providence that targets men. It works for HJY, albeit a lot of that due to heritage, but couldn't Cumulus attempt a classic rocker on 106.3 with some success? If Hot 106 went, PRO-FM would pick up some of their listeners. Others would flock to JAMN and their own unedited music. I wonder if a classic rocker would pull enough listeners from HJY and B101 to make the format feasible. With a live & local staff of seasoned personalities who know the music & the potential audience & a big launch with lots of promotion, I don't think a classic rocker could do any worse than Hot does now. Unless, of course, it's a sales thing.

 

[BoredModerator]

Just like Coast, half the reason CC keeps it is so nobody else can have it.

 

[ScottBurns]

Hot's less than desirable signal, I think, will prevent Cumulus from trying to develop a new format on the station. I fear, as we discussed some time ago, that Cumulus might actually try a WPRO trimulcast: 630 WPRO on AM, 99.7 WEAN on FM (serving Washington and Kent Countries), and 106.3 on FM (possibly with WERI calls, serving Providence and all points north).

 

[reelyreal]

I know having a CHR and an urban works for Clear Channel in Boston but the numbers are quite different in Providence. Is it a sales thing or is Hot 106 really needed? The station has done the right thing by attempting to build some loyalty with a local morning show, but Cumulus doesn't have a music station in Providence that targets men.
It works for HJY, albeit a lot of that due to heritage, but couldn't Cumulus attempt a classic rocker on 106.3 with some success? If Hot 106 went, PRO-FM would pick up some of their listeners. Others would flock to JAMN and their own unedited music. I wonder if a classic rocker would pull enough listeners from HJY and B101 to make the format feasible. With a live & local staff of seasoned personalities who know the music & the potential audience & a big launch with lots of promotion, I don't think a classic rocker could do any worse than Hot does now. Unless, of course, it's a sales thing.

Cumulus Prov doesn't need a music station to target men, WPRO gets the job done. WPRO-FM is number one in the market with consistent double-digit shares, it's not like they really need a boost in listeners. As an adult-leaning CHR with plenty of recurrents, Hot listeners are not necessarily PRO-FM listeners.

It's important to remember that we're talking about radio in 2012, and we're talking about Cumulus. There are no more live and local seasoned personalities. There are no more big station launches anywhere in the country. There's no more promotion.

Going up against 31-year-old WHJY and 23-year-old WWBB to try to improve on Hot's not terrible share would be suicide.

 

[necrat123]

Hot's less than desirable signal, I think,

I keep hearing this all the time and disagree this comment. That 106.3 signal is easily the best class A signal in the Providence Metro, and areas north, like Pawtucket, Central Falls, and areas where 106.3 would target, the signal is very strong.
You can hear them very clear all the way down into Newport and Narragansett and east into New Bedford without too much of a stretch. Unless you have a REALLY bad car Stereo, to say that 106.3 is a "less than desirable" signal is off base.

 

[McRadio]

Hot is also probably competing against the Latino stations although I don't know one from the other or the difference in the music each plays. I would expect them to pull better numbers in a market like Providence is becoming. Cumulus wouldn't sink the money into a classic rock station to do it the way it should be done but I wouldn't call trying the format suicide. HJY is a tough nut to crack but regardless of B101's numbers I think all audience loyalty is for the morning show. The rest of the day is aimed at complacent listeners who just accept what's out there. I'd like to see what would happen with a classic rock station now that Providence is a PPM market and stations like HJY and B101 can't rely on lazy diary keeping. Hot is the lowest rated music station in Providence but cheaper to run than a classic rock station with the kind of staff and PD that would be needed. Does HOT even have a PD? I know the afternoon girl left after not being there long and I think she left on her own.

 

[ScottBurns]

Admittedly, Hot has a good signal in Providence and throughout most parts of Providence County (Jayday can shed some light, however, on Providence County deficiencies). On the other hand, other than good car radios, Hot's signal south of the I-95/Route 4 split becomes much weaker. In places such as South Kingstown, Narragansett, and Newport, the signal is often very scratchy on non-car radios. As a matter of fact, I own a place in Narragansett, and on my old Sony boom box - even with an antenna - 106.1 WCOD overpowers Hot 106. And keep in mind that in Westerly, Hot's signal is extraordinarily weak, as it is obliterated by WBMW at 106.5. Finally, the reason why Hot's at-the-time owners (AAA?) purchased 102.7 in 1997 and used the signal to simulcast Hot was because of the weakness of the 106.3 signal in southern Rhode Island.

Hot's less than desirable signal, I think,

I keep hearing this all the time and disagree this comment. That 106.3 signal is easily the best class A signal in the Providence Metro, and areas north, like Pawtucket, Central Falls, and areas where 106.3 would target, the signal is very strong.
You can hear them very clear all the way down into Newport and Narragansett and east into New Bedford without too much of a stretch. Unless you have a REALLY bad car Stereo, to say that 106.3 is a "less than desirable" signal is off base.

 

[whdh1920]

then why was 102.7 flipped???

Admittedly, Hot has a good signal in Providence and throughout most parts of Providence County (Jayday can shed some light, however, on Providence County deficiencies). On the other hand, other than good car radios, Hot's signal south of the I-95/Route 4 split becomes much weaker. In places such as South Kingstown, Narragansett, and Newport, the signal is often very scratchy on non-car radios. As a matter of fact, I own a place in Narragansett, and on my old Sony boom box - even with an antenna - 106.1 WCOD overpowers Hot 106. And keep in mind that in Westerly, Hot's signal is extraordinarily weak, as it is obliterated by WBMW at 106.5. Finally, the reason why Hot's at-the-time owners (AAA?) purchased 102.7 in 1997 and used the signal to simulcast Hot was because of the weakness of the 106.3 signal in southern Rhode Island.

Hot's less than desirable signal, I think,

I keep hearing this all the time and disagree this comment. That 106.3 signal is easily the best class A signal in the Providence Metro, and areas north, like Pawtucket, Central Falls, and areas where 106.3 would target, the signal is very strong.
You can hear them very clear all the way down into Newport and Narragansett and east into New Bedford without too much of a stretch. Unless you have a REALLY bad car Stereo, to say that 106.3 is a "less than desirable" signal is off base.

 

[reelyreal]

then why was 102.7 flipped???

Admittedly, Hot has a good signal in Providence and throughout most parts of Providence County (Jayday can shed some light, however, on Providence County deficiencies). On the other hand, other than good car radios, Hot's signal south of the I-95/Route 4 split becomes much weaker. In places such as South Kingstown, Narragansett, and Newport, the signal is often very scratchy on non-car radios. As a matter of fact, I own a place in Narragansett, and on my old Sony boom box - even with an antenna - 106.1 WCOD overpowers Hot 106. And keep in mind that in Westerly, Hot's signal is extraordinarily weak, as it is obliterated by WBMW at 106.5. Finally, the reason why Hot's at-the-time owners (AAA?) purchased 102.7 in 1997 and used the signal to simulcast Hot was because of the weakness of the 106.3 signal in southern Rhode Island.

Hot's less than desirable signal, I think,

I keep hearing this all the time and disagree this comment. That 106.3 signal is easily the best class A signal in the Providence Metro, and areas north, like Pawtucket, Central Falls, and areas where 106.3 would target, the signal is very strong.
You can hear them very clear all the way down into Newport and Narragansett and east into New Bedford without too much of a stretch. Unless you have a REALLY bad car Stereo, to say that 106.3 is a "less than desirable" signal is off base.

...South County is not exactly an urban hotbed. Could you imagine being a local sales weasel and meeting with locally owned businesses in Narragansett, Middletown, Portsmouth, Newport, Kingstown, etc. and trying to get them to buy time on your "rap" station?

It doesn't matter if it's scratchy south of the 95 split, those kids are just fine with PRO-FM. There's not enough of an audience to justify the second signal, that's why the simulcast was killed. WRNI-FM does a much better service to it's targeted community with public radio.


Also, as of at least a month ago, there was still no PD at Hot, Davey and Tony are minding the ship.

 

[necrat123]

...South County is not exactly an urban hotbed. Could you imagine being a local sales weasel and meeting with locally owned businesses in Narragansett, Middletown, Portsmouth, Newport, Kingstown, etc. and trying to get them to buy time on your "rap" station?

It doesn't matter if it's scratchy south of the 95 split, those kids are just fine with PRO-FM. There's not enough of an audience to justify the second signal, that's why the simulcast was killed. WRNI-FM does a much better service to it's targeted community with public radio.


Also, as of at least a month ago, there was still no PD at Hot, Davey and Tony are minding the ship.

Thank you, mystery man. That was my point exactly. Hot's signal is good, where it needs to be for the format.
99.7 fills in an area where the night signal of WPRO suffers greatly. 106.3's area, however, gets a fine signal from 630, both day and night, and a simulcast is unneeded.

Unless the station is in the tank, I don't see any reason why Cumulus would kill off Hot 106.

 

[ScottBurns]

Actually, the simulcast was dropped because of the FCC's ownership rules. When Hot came under the Citadel banner, Citadel was one station over market cap. Therefore, 102.7 had to be spun off. I believe it was a jazz station for a while (before becoming NPR).

...South County is not exactly an urban hotbed. Could you imagine being a local sales weasel and meeting with locally owned businesses in Narragansett, Middletown, Portsmouth, Newport, Kingstown, etc. and trying to get them to buy time on your "rap" station?

It doesn't matter if it's scratchy south of the 95 split, those kids are just fine with PRO-FM. There's not enough of an audience to justify the second signal, that's why the simulcast was killed. WRNI-FM does a much better service to it's targeted community with public radio.


Also, as of at least a month ago, there was still no PD at Hot, Davey and Tony are minding the ship.

Thank you, mystery man. That was my point exactly. Hot's signal is good, where it needs to be for the format.
99.7 fills in an area where the night signal of WPRO suffers greatly. 106.3's area, however, gets a fine signal from 630, both day and night, and a simulcast is unneeded.

Unless the station is in the tank, I don't see any reason why Cumulus would kill off Hot 106.

 

[fmradio1]

Back when Citadel originally swooped in and bought Hot, PRO-FM and nearby Fun 107, the conventional wisdom was that either 106.3 or 107.1 would change format. It never happened. The combination just worked. Fun got big ratings in New Bedford and Hot protected PRO-FM to the point it could skew 92.3 very adult, which has worked extremely well for them.

Now that Fun and WBSM are going to Townsquare, the last thing Citadel would want to do is shed PRO-FM's rhythmic flank by flipping Hot.

 

[reelyreal]

Actually, the simulcast was dropped because of the FCC's ownership rules. When Hot came under the Citadel banner, Citadel was one station over market cap. Therefore, 102.7 had to be spun off. I believe it was a jazz station for a while (before becoming NPR).

...South County is not exactly an urban hotbed. Could you imagine being a local sales weasel and meeting with locally owned businesses in Narragansett, Middletown, Portsmouth, Newport, Kingstown, etc. and trying to get them to buy time on your "rap" station?

It doesn't matter if it's scratchy south of the 95 split, those kids are just fine with PRO-FM. There's not enough of an audience to justify the second signal, that's why the simulcast was killed. WRNI-FM does a much better service to it's targeted community with public radio.


Also, as of at least a month ago, there was still no PD at Hot, Davey and Tony are minding the ship.

Thank you, mystery man. That was my point exactly. Hot's signal is good, where it needs to be for the format.
99.7 fills in an area where the night signal of WPRO suffers greatly. 106.3's area, however, gets a fine signal from 630, both day and night, and a simulcast is unneeded.

Unless the station is in the tank, I don't see any reason why Cumulus would kill off Hot 106.

If the simulcast were that valuable, WFHN would've been sold instead. It wasn't.

 

[ScottBurns]

Obviously. 102.7's signal is very weak. It basically covers eastern Washington County and parts of Newport County. But Citadel did not need to sell Fun 107 to be in line with FCC rules. With its COL in Fairhaven, Fun is part of a different market than Citadel's Providence properties.

 

[reelyreal]

Obviously. 102.7's signal is very weak. It basically covers eastern Washington County and parts of Newport County. But Citadel did not need to sell Fun 107 to be in line with FCC rules. With its COL in Fairhaven, Fun is part of a different market than Citadel's Providence properties.

Actually, the FCC geographic market definition considers WFHN part of, or "home" to, the Providence market. WFHN and WBSM count against the Providence market ownership caps.

The most recent BIA/Kelsey market list I've seen is a year old, but still current. It was part of the multiple ownership report when WDDZ went from Disney to Salem:

https://licensing.fcc.gov/cdbs/CDBS...?appn=101406766&qnum=5160&copynum=1&exhcnum=1

Another place the 102.7 signal is fairly strong is southern New London County, CT along the shoreline. This worked pretty well for John Fuller when he put the station on the air in '89. Then-WPJB and WJJF both covered New London County, and that ended up being the bread-and-butter market for Fuller.

 

[ScottBurns]

I don't doubt, you, Reelyreal, but if this is true, then why did Citadel (and then Cumulus) own 7 stations in the "Providence" market (WPRO-FM, WEAN, WWLI, WPRO, WPRV, WFHN, and WBSM)? Perhaps there is something I do not understand.

Next time I am in SE CT I will check the 102.7 signal. This intrigues me. However, I can remember the 102.7 signal becoming very weak as one approached the CT border. I remember it fading as far east as Westerly. That doesn't mean that it doesn't come in at the CT shore, but still..

 

[necrat123]

I don't doubt, you, Reelyreal, but if this is true, then why did Citadel (and then Cumulus) own 7 stations in the "Providence" market (WPRO-FM, WEAN, WWLI, WPRO, WPRV, WFHN, and WBSM)? Perhaps there is something I do not understand.

Next time I am in SE CT I will check the 102.7 signal. This intrigues me. However, I can remember the 102.7 signal becoming very weak as one approached the CT border. I remember it fading as far east as Westerly. That doesn't mean that it doesn't come in at the CT shore, but still..

Because there are 53 total stations in the Geographic market. (See the attached document) Per FCC 73.3555(a)(i). In a radio market with 45 or more full-power, commercial and noncommercial radio stations, not more than 8 commercial radio stations in total and not more than 5 commercial stations in the same service (AM or FM); Citadel had 7 stations total, below the cap of 8.

And one thing both you guys should remember about the 102.7 is, in the last few years the signal has gone through a number of changes. Last year, WRNI-FM "directionalized" 102.7 @ 6kW with the null towards Providence. Earlier this year, the new antenna was modified again, to operate non directional at the original power level of just under 2kW, with an optimized signal into Providence and areas to the south. The current incarnation of the signal is the best it's ever been. 102.7 originally operated using an ERI 3 bay half wave on a water tower in Narragansett, it then moved to the tower were it currently sits, but the 3 bay 1/2 was modified to 2 bays full. I always suspected there were odd issues with that modified antenna install. The signal off of it was really bad.
When WRNI-FM went directional, they replaced it with a Shively 3 bay half wave, which is what remains, on the same tower, with a different orientation and pattern optimized.

 

[whdh1920]

does anyone think that any of the cumulus stations in providence will carry the new sports network??

 

[iyiyi]

Let's see... 106.3 has run that basic niche format for close to 30 years. Through several different owners. A class A in a medium market that consistently rates in the 3s and the top 10. What exactly is broken with 106.3 that needs fixing?

 

[aaronread]

Hey, if Cumulus doesn't want 106.3, we'll gladly take it at RIPR! ;D