It appears that WMGX added an HD2 signal for WGAN..?
How do you guys feel about this? Good/Bad?
How do you guys feel about this? Good/Bad?
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WMGX HD2
- Thread starter mainelynews
- Start date
Maybe this is to put WGAN on the translator 103.3 that was in an earlier post as going on WBAE.WGAN has some quality problems with their signal downtown.Can't get them at all in some of the buildings.WBAE & WZAN come in great downtown.I don't understand why they didn't put WGAN on 970,a way better signal.
A
adbuyertoo
Guest
HD ownership in Portland (and most places) is almost non-existent.
'Cuz eventually WGAN is going to end up on 93.1, Coast 93.1 goes away.
Underminer said:'Cuz eventually WGAN is going to end up on 93.1, Coast 93.1 goes away.
Why would Saga blow up a Marconi Award-nominated station just to put a dying format with considerably older, less-advertiser-friendly demographics on FM?
"Why would Saga blow up a Marconi Award-nominated station just to put a dying format with considerably older, less-advertiser-friendly demographics on FM?"
There are so many things wrong with this question I don't know where to begin.
There are so many things wrong with this question I don't know where to begin.
Underminer said:There are so many things wrong with this question I don't know where to begin.
You can begin at the beginning.
1. "Marconi Award-nominated station" means nothing. Have you seen WMGX's ratings in the past five years? You can give a pile of pig crap an award, but it's still a pile of pig crap.
2. News/talk a "dying format"? Have you met Mr. Pahigian? If you ask him, he'll tell you he invented the damn thing.
3. "Less-advertiser-friendly"? Perhaps the esteemed adbuyer could address this one, but I'm fairly confident he'll set you straight.
4. It'll happen. Trust me.
2. News/talk a "dying format"? Have you met Mr. Pahigian? If you ask him, he'll tell you he invented the damn thing.
3. "Less-advertiser-friendly"? Perhaps the esteemed adbuyer could address this one, but I'm fairly confident he'll set you straight.
4. It'll happen. Trust me.
Underminer said:1. "Marconi Award-nominated station" means nothing. Have you seen WMGX's ratings in the past five years? You can give a pile of pig crap an award, but it's still a pile of pig crap.
Pig crap or not, I'll take their demos over WGAN's any day of the week.
Underminer said:2. News/talk a "dying format"? Have you met Mr. Pahigian? If you ask him, he'll tell you he invented the damn thing.
Mr. Pahigian's delusions of grandeur mean nothing to me.
Underminer said:3. "Less-advertiser-friendly"? Perhaps the esteemed adbuyer could address this one, but I'm fairly confident he'll set you straight.
How many advertisers have boycotted Rush or other "controversial" programming? What is the revenue trend for conservative news/talk compared to other formats such as, say, Hot AC?
Underminer said:4. It'll happen. Trust me.
I'll believe it when I hear it.
If WGAN is presently less advertiser-friendly, that's likely because 1) its primary signal covers only a small portion of the new Portland metro, and 2) it's on AM, the demographics of which skew way high.
Not all news stations are the same, but the #1 billing radio station in America is former AM (now FM) WTOP in Washington.
I think Cary Pahigian would be smart to shuffle things around and get WGAN on a full-power FM. And 93.1 is the obvious choice.
Not all news stations are the same, but the #1 billing radio station in America is former AM (now FM) WTOP in Washington.
I think Cary Pahigian would be smart to shuffle things around and get WGAN on a full-power FM. And 93.1 is the obvious choice.
WGAN's problem isn't coverage or the band, it's content. It's a turn-off to a growing majority of the radio audience, and the ratings show it. Putting it on a Class B FM signal won't compensate in any meaningful way for a listenership that has died off or turned away from the format. The commercial spoken-word success story you cite is a well-established and successful major market station with an all-news format in a metropolitan area with lots of traffic congestion and, hence, a very high in-car audience.
Newsbot:
I'm not a wise man, but despite your (and my) dislike of the WGAN daytime slate (I happen to enjoy the Morning News), trust me on this one: WGAN's ratings are far from slipping. Watch 'em grow next year during the gubernatorial race. With Saga not buying into the ratings services, it's a little hard to get a firm grasp on the numbers. However, the sales department does not have a hard time selling WGAN and (I think rightly) Saga uses sales not ratings as a barometer for the success of their stations.
I can't remember the last time I walked into a business and heard Coast 93.1. My mom and the rest of Portland still calls their morning show the Tim and Eva show. Their brand recognition stinks, their ad value can't be great and they are (quite literally) sandwiched between Rewind and CLZ which really limits their ability to grow and adapt their format. They could attempt to go head to head with Q97.9, but honestly, I just can't see that ending well either.
In addition, even if WGAN was on the fast train to the bottom of the universe, it is Cary's baby, and people don't always act reasonably and rationally when it comes to their children (and this is assuming I agree with your assessment of news/talk/conservative talk - which I don't). They've expanded the station on a little AM stick south of Portland (now on in York County!). They've added the HD sub-channel. It's all a matter of time.
I'm not a wise man, but despite your (and my) dislike of the WGAN daytime slate (I happen to enjoy the Morning News), trust me on this one: WGAN's ratings are far from slipping. Watch 'em grow next year during the gubernatorial race. With Saga not buying into the ratings services, it's a little hard to get a firm grasp on the numbers. However, the sales department does not have a hard time selling WGAN and (I think rightly) Saga uses sales not ratings as a barometer for the success of their stations.
I can't remember the last time I walked into a business and heard Coast 93.1. My mom and the rest of Portland still calls their morning show the Tim and Eva show. Their brand recognition stinks, their ad value can't be great and they are (quite literally) sandwiched between Rewind and CLZ which really limits their ability to grow and adapt their format. They could attempt to go head to head with Q97.9, but honestly, I just can't see that ending well either.
In addition, even if WGAN was on the fast train to the bottom of the universe, it is Cary's baby, and people don't always act reasonably and rationally when it comes to their children (and this is assuming I agree with your assessment of news/talk/conservative talk - which I don't). They've expanded the station on a little AM stick south of Portland (now on in York County!). They've added the HD sub-channel. It's all a matter of time.
I don't understand what all this banter about WMGX is about. I personally find the station very true to their format and great for the market.
With all of the "pop stations" in the market I think they have it all going for them (WHOM is too slow and boring, WJBQ plays the same music over and over again, WHTP claims to compete with the Q even though they are clearly a Rhythmic station)
With that being said WMGX is one of the only stations in Portland to have gone HD and their coverage area is spectacular!
A few years ago I thought the station was going downhill with the "80s, 90s, and now" brand...basically WHOM playing Lady Gaga and Katy Perry as their "NOW" songs
However, with numerous top 40 songs and up and coming AC songs added to WMGX's playlist it can certainly compete with the other three competitors.
With all of the "pop stations" in the market I think they have it all going for them (WHOM is too slow and boring, WJBQ plays the same music over and over again, WHTP claims to compete with the Q even though they are clearly a Rhythmic station)
With that being said WMGX is one of the only stations in Portland to have gone HD and their coverage area is spectacular!
A few years ago I thought the station was going downhill with the "80s, 90s, and now" brand...basically WHOM playing Lady Gaga and Katy Perry as their "NOW" songs
However, with numerous top 40 songs and up and coming AC songs added to WMGX's playlist it can certainly compete with the other three competitors.
"However, with numerous top 40 songs and up and coming AC songs added to WMGX's playlist it can certainly compete with the other three competitors."
Have you seen any numbers in say, the past 4 or 5 years? It doesn't compete with the other three. It's a disaster. What makes you think that things will suddenly get better?
Have you seen any numbers in say, the past 4 or 5 years? It doesn't compete with the other three. It's a disaster. What makes you think that things will suddenly get better?
Sorry to be late to this party. In no particular order:
1. "Marconi nominated" means nothing. This is the epitome of the old school boys club in radio of who knows who, who's friends with who, and who owes who a favor. It has nothing to do with the ratings, revenue or community impact a station has. It means nothing
2. WMGX has been a ratings and revenue disaster the past 3-4 years. As a matter of fact, the CEO of Saga singled Portland out on the most recent Saga conference call as being their biggest problem market and late to react to changes in the marketplace. This is not just WMGX , but WMGX and WGAN combined which has created this bad problem.
3 Saga should have put WGAN on a FM signal the moment the Portland market redefinition occurred. WGAN still does great sales-wise locally but has been killed with national and/or agency business because its ratings are terrible in the new Portland Metro. WGAN is foreground radio and has a very unique selling position that they do well with. They need signal coverage to compete for the national and agency dollars they have lost. They are the 12th rated station in the market Adults 25-54 because they can't cover the new metro. They used to be # 1,2 or 3 depending on the book
4. WMGX is just an also ran stations, ranked 6th or 7th in the market with a REALLY bad morning show, a voice tracked mid day person from WZID and Ethan Minton who doesn't belong on the station at all. It's an absolutely horrible mixture of personalities and music. The worst in the market by far. This station is a ratings, revenue disaster for Saga that can't compete against the top A25-54 stations in the market. This is very clear over the past four years.
1. "Marconi nominated" means nothing. This is the epitome of the old school boys club in radio of who knows who, who's friends with who, and who owes who a favor. It has nothing to do with the ratings, revenue or community impact a station has. It means nothing
2. WMGX has been a ratings and revenue disaster the past 3-4 years. As a matter of fact, the CEO of Saga singled Portland out on the most recent Saga conference call as being their biggest problem market and late to react to changes in the marketplace. This is not just WMGX , but WMGX and WGAN combined which has created this bad problem.
3 Saga should have put WGAN on a FM signal the moment the Portland market redefinition occurred. WGAN still does great sales-wise locally but has been killed with national and/or agency business because its ratings are terrible in the new Portland Metro. WGAN is foreground radio and has a very unique selling position that they do well with. They need signal coverage to compete for the national and agency dollars they have lost. They are the 12th rated station in the market Adults 25-54 because they can't cover the new metro. They used to be # 1,2 or 3 depending on the book
4. WMGX is just an also ran stations, ranked 6th or 7th in the market with a REALLY bad morning show, a voice tracked mid day person from WZID and Ethan Minton who doesn't belong on the station at all. It's an absolutely horrible mixture of personalities and music. The worst in the market by far. This station is a ratings, revenue disaster for Saga that can't compete against the top A25-54 stations in the market. This is very clear over the past four years.
S
stevensonair
Guest
5. The available audience for WGAN's programming regardless of what band it's on is shrinking.
Some people are missing the point here. Signal is the primary reason for WGAN's ratings downfall. Adbuyer1 nails it (again): He tells us to look at WGAN's ratings before the change in market definition. To go from #1, 2, or 3 down to #12 overnight cannot be attributed solely to programming.
It's true that Limbaugh and other similars are facing gradual audience declines, but that fact is, his show is still a strong ratings grabber.
The AM band is dying. Only two AM's even *showed* in the latest Portland Arbitron. That's an issue for them that an FM simulcast would solve. WGAN's signal covers only a fraction of the market. I don't think too many people in Lewiston and Sanford are going to string up longwire antennas in their backyards to listen to the station. A WMGX simulcast would fix the signal issue, in large part, anyway.
But to add an interesting twist to the discussion... if Saga had not cheaped out in the first place and dropped out of subscribing to the Portland Arbitron, their subscriber vote would likely have kept the Portland metro definition from expanding beyond Cumberland County. And they would not now be facing this problem.
It's true that Limbaugh and other similars are facing gradual audience declines, but that fact is, his show is still a strong ratings grabber.
The AM band is dying. Only two AM's even *showed* in the latest Portland Arbitron. That's an issue for them that an FM simulcast would solve. WGAN's signal covers only a fraction of the market. I don't think too many people in Lewiston and Sanford are going to string up longwire antennas in their backyards to listen to the station. A WMGX simulcast would fix the signal issue, in large part, anyway.
But to add an interesting twist to the discussion... if Saga had not cheaped out in the first place and dropped out of subscribing to the Portland Arbitron, their subscriber vote would likely have kept the Portland metro definition from expanding beyond Cumberland County. And they would not now be facing this problem.
I have to admit it was quite nice listening to WGAN on HD2, I don't think my Subaru will ever tune to AM again! I happened to catch the HD coming back from Mass yesterday and it was absolutely solid from the York toll plaza to Portland.....what an improvement....all the local AM's in Portland need to find homes on FM HD's.....and fast.
S
stevensonair
Guest
http://bangordailynews.com/2013/08/...t-says-in-interview-with-maine-radio-station/
Portland's missing out on having that type of compelling content in FM clarity.
Portland's missing out on having that type of compelling content in FM clarity.
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