WHY WBEN IS #1

[Element9]

Say what we will about WBEN, but when the weather is as bad as it was today, WBEN is the go-to station for news, weather, traffic and information. WNED-AM and WBFO are fine radio stations, but WBEN is the station of record when the chips are down. Some will note that it's the market's only commercial news-talk operation and nothing less should be expected. All that aside, WBEN gets the job done. Kudos to their news department.

 

[SirRoxalot]

Gee, I was led to believe that Tom Bauerle was the reason that WBEN was #1...

 

[qman]

Kudos also goes to WHAM for it's fine job getting people through the storm as well.

 

[Steven21]

While the lack of real competition definitely helps, I think WBEN sounds as good, if not better, than they have for years--around the clock.

They have been the leading station for a long time, but I believe they SOUND like it these days too.

 

[alw]

Those of us who are not WBEN understand that we cannot compete with them when it comes to storm coverage. We never will be able to, so we concentrate on areas that they cannot or will not touch. (i.e. longer, more thoughtful coverage of issues; attempt at politically even handed coverage...etc.)

This assures us a vastly smaller listenership.

"This is the life we chose....."
-Hyman Roth-
1974

 

[Bob1370]

"We never will be able to, so we concentrate on areas that they cannot or will not touch. (i.e. longer, more thoughtful coverage of issues; attempt at politically even handed coverage...etc.)"

You know what's sad about Al's statement? The virtues that he very rightly attributes to stations like WNED-AM, or WXXI-AM, or WBFO, used to be precisely the things for which WBEN was itself winning praise (and a wall full of awards) back in the day. Our midday news hour won AP's "Best Newscast In New York State" award three years running (1979, 1980 and 1981), and back then, when they put all larger market statiions in the same competition pool, you had to beat out the best efforts of WCBS, WINS, WOR and WABC to win it.

They cancelled that show in the mid-90s after Keymarket bought the station from Larry Levite, despite great revenue and the highest midday ratings in the market...so they could carry Limbaugh live. I wonder if they've ever regretted that decision...