WNED Signs Agreement to Acquire WBFO

[TheBigA]

Younger demos don't give a crap about PBS. I've read the reports and surveys about how NPR is reaching a younger demo by way of net content, but it's not universal and the numbers are soft. Younger than what? 55+? The younger generation expects to get net content for free and does so by hook or crook.

I think you're confusing NPR and PBS. Yes, WNED-TV is the main product here. But the two plaforms (radio and TV) are typically run very independently. However, I don't expect them to pour money into local programming unless the programming is more than immediate news or weather. It needs to have a longer shelf life to have real value. That concept may be foreign to commercial broadcasters, who only think in real time, and once it goes out, it's gone. As for demographics, you'd be surprised. There are people still in the system who post here who can comment, but its been my experience that the NPR audience is solidly 25-54, highly educated, with good income. They don't need to get content for free, and can afford subscriptions to multiple media.

 

[Philip_Airtime]

Here's an important fact to keep in consideration when talking about Western New York Public Broadcasting's radio presence in Toronto. WNED-AM's signal comes in strongly in Toronto. WBFO's does not. So, if WNYPBA sells the AM signal, they will be giving up the Toronto market via radio. Of course, Toronto listeners will still be able to listen to the web stream. I'm not sure how WNED-FM fares in Toronto. But I know for a fact that WBFO is drowned out by a Toronto station and that it doesn't have much of signal outside the Niagara region of Ontario.

 

[SirRoxalot]

Three words that WNYPB ought to keep in mind when they think about programming that's both relevant locally, and adds both wider area appeal, and longevity to the programming:

Austin City Limits

If that doesn't appeal to you, try Grand Ole' Opry.

Both cities carved out a niche through promotion of local artists that turned them into a hub for a national scene. That scene is already established in Buffalo, mainly through the efforts of Jim Santella, and Anita West and others are building on that base. Blues is much bigger in Buffalo than most other cities, and recent releases by a number of artists - from Tom Petty to Steve Miller - indicate that blues is making a comeback nationally as more people realize the power and allure of "roots music". Buffalo could establish itself as a regional arts hub if public broadcasting simply continues the commitment that they've already made. If they increase that commitment - as they did with the On the Border series, even more growth would be a result.

Commercial radio ain't gonna do it. Public radio is the engine for this kind of growth, and lord knows we need growth in WNY.

 

[uncamark]

Am I correct that Canada has adopted the DAB system for digital radio and that they don't even sell Ibiquity's HD radios in Canada?

 

[Bob1370]

"Am I correct that Canada has adopted the DAB system for digital radio and that they don't even sell Ibiquity's HD radios in Canada"

That has been true for some years--but all of the DAB-equipped stations in Toronto and other major markets in Canada have shut down their digital transmitters and ceased operations on the 1500-mHz band because virtually no one bought receivers or listened to the transmissions. It was an even bigger flop, commercially, than HD has been up to now in the US.

It's not clear whether Canada will follow the lead of the US into IBOC radio the way it adopted US standards for digital TV...or just sit on the sidelines and let broadcast radio remain an almost 100% analog medium. (It's still a 95% analog medium in the US even if you count all the HD radios and Sirius/XM satellite receivers, and probably will remain so indefinitely--hard to see Canada following a different path after one false, failed start into European-style digital UHF already.)

 

[w9wi]

"Am I correct that Canada has adopted the DAB system for digital radio and that they don't even sell Ibiquity's HD radios in Canada"

That has been true for some years--but all of the DAB-equipped stations in Toronto and other major markets in Canada have shut down their digital transmitters and ceased operations on the 1500-mHz band because virtually no one bought receivers or listened to the transmissions. It was an even bigger flop, commercially, than HD has been up to now in the US.

It's not clear whether Canada will follow the lead of the US into IBOC radio the way it adopted US standards for digital TV...or just sit on the sidelines and let broadcast radio remain an almost 100% analog medium. (It's still a 95% analog medium in the US even if you count all the HD radios and Sirius/XM satellite receivers, and probably will remain so indefinitely--hard to see Canada following a different path after one false, failed start into European-style digital UHF already.)

IBOC has been approved for use in Canada. I don't know of any stations that are actually using it.

 

[Element9]

Staff members at WBFO conducted a special winter pledge drive during morning drive this week. Sadly, it sounded like "one last dash for cash" before WNYPBA (aka, Channel 17) takes over once the FCC approves the sale, which could happen at any time. Was this WBFO winter pledge week suggested by WNYPBA in order to secure extra funding before programming changes are made? It appeared as if WNYPBA asked WBFO to provide a cushion before the sale, "just in case." Donald Boswell, the CEO of WNYPBA is on record about plans to divest WNED-AM 970 after WBFO is brought into the WNYPBA fold. As such, it's likely we'll be hearing largely the WNED-AM news brand and news personnel on WBFO.

 

[TheBigA]

What do you mean by "divest?" Sell?

 

[SirRoxalot]

As referenced above by Phil, Don Boswell is sadly misinformed about WBFO's reach into the Niagara Peninsula, let alone the Toronto metro. I don't know what the state of WNED-AM's physical plant is, but they may want to retain the AM to serve the upper-demo audience that they've developed on both sides of the border.

Another reason to save the AM is to extend service to ethnic communities in WNY, and reach more city-centric audiences. A little less elitism on the part of WNYPB could actually increase their revenue and audience reach.

 

[Philip_Airtime]

For the record, there's a simple reason why WBFO continues to hold fundraisers. The station has bills to pay! This is not about building up a cash cushion for WNED. WBFO still has to pay its employees. It's still paying program fees. These costs did not disappear once the sale was announced last August. WBFO lost its development director about a year ago, in advance of this transition. So, membership dollars aren't what they were, necessitating this end-of-the-year campaign. Still, this is not a full-fledged fund drive since it targeted just Morning Edition listeners. In fact, these listener dollars have allowed the station to pay for the free-lance reporting of such respected journalists as Rich Kellman, Ray Marks, Brian Meyer and Jim Pastrick. I give so much credit to the staff for not sitting back and coasting. They're working hard to continue serving listeners. And this fundraiser is helping to make that happen.

 

[JustPastBuffalo]

Chris Jamele's interview with 85 year old blues pianist Boyd Lee Dunlop aired early this week on WBFO and was replayed this morning. It was one of the best music related interviews I've heard on radio. Jamele asked genuine questions and Dunlop responded, exuding a joyful personality and playing with grace, diversity and intensity. Dunlop was "discovered" at a local skilled care facility by Buffalonian, Brendon Bannon. Both were also interviewed Saturday morning by NPR's Scott Simon. Features and programming such as these are what attract listeners to NPR and WBFO in particular. As a longtimeadvocate of WBFO (and WNED-AM), I'm pleased to be associated with WBFO as an interim enterprise reporter/audio documentarian.

 

[Element9]

WBFO: Soon to be just another promotional vehicle for the Donald K. Boswell-WNED empire of the air. The Buffalo News story can be found here: http://www.buffalonews.com/entertainment/article674904.ece

WBFO serving TORONTO? Last I heard and checked, the station's COL is Buffalo. New York. USA.

It's been reported that 40% of the funding for WNED-TV-AM-FM operations comes from Canadian sources. So what's good for WNED-TV is good for WBFO? Boswell, in The News article, says WNED-AM and FM are carried on Rogers cable in Toronto. One would presume that the WNED radio stations already have a presence in Toronto, so why add WBFO? To replace WNED-AM, no doubt.

WBFO is a gem, an historic and present day treasure and service of the University at Buffalo, which as it appears, no longer wants to be in the radio business. But why muck WBFO up with Canadian-centric content? If listeners in Buffalo want to hear about Canadian arts and news they can access any one of the many available Canadian AM or FM radio stations that can be clearly heard in Western New York. Aside from the CBC's fine programming and some Canadian Content music product, Toronto's music stations provide much the same music as Buffalo stations.

Boswell wants to appeal to the arts, music and literary communities of Toronto, eh. How might Canadian entities regard having their features sandwiched into programming that will (hopefully) contain predominantly US content? By his reasoning, Toronto or Ontario may just as well be the 51st state. My Canadian friends regularly tell me they have no desire to be "American-ized." They may come to Buffalo to see the Bills and Sabres play, but they're damn proud to be Canadians and have no desire to change their standing.

What's the total Persons 12+ share of listening attributed to Canadian stations? Bet it's less than a five share. Boswell's comments warrant at least one formal letter of Petition To Deny the sale of WBFO to WNED. I suspect a few well-placed citizens and WBFO members will make their feelings know to the FCC.

 

[SirRoxalot]

I'm sure that the folks listening via WUBJ and WOLN will love the Can-con...

WBFO ain't exactly killin' 'em 25-54, but did make some real noise a while back with the "On the Border" series that died way too soon. It had growing pains, but the idea was sound. It introduced a MUCH younger generation to NPR, and gave some local talent a showcase. It gave a real boost to the local music scene. Think "Austin City Limits" on a much smaller scale. Hey, you have to begin somewhere. Buffalo has a vibrant scene. It deserves some love by somebody other than Robbie Takac.

The Blues programming developed by Jim Santella deserves an even bigger audience. It's an education for any blues fan, or any rocker who has a clue as to where their music came from. Anita West adds a different sensibility with her Sunday Blues show. WNYPB would be smart to figure out how to syndicate their Blues programming. I certainly hope that they don't plan to replace it or bump it with "‘Zorba Paster on Health,’ ‘Splendid Table,’ ‘People’s Pharmacy’ and ‘Bob Edwards Weekend.’" That's a recipe for more 65-to-death numbers.

 

[TheBigA]

Boswell's comments warrant at least one formal letter of Petition To Deny the sale of WBFO to WNED. I suspect a few well-placed citizens and WBFO members will make their feelings know to the FCC.

Is there an alternate licensee available? Another group with the finances and other resources to offer a competing application for the frequency? Because if not, the Commission doesn't have a lot of choice. They're not going to force UB to keep the station. In the previous cases at Rice University and University of San Francisco, there were strong petitions to deny, and the Commission still approved the transfer, because the applicant had much stronger plan for running the station. These folks are highly qualified, and are already running two stations in the market.

 

[SirRoxalot]

I don't think that anybody has any real expectation that the transfer won't happen. I think that the idea is more to put WNYPB on notice that the audience for WBFO is different than the audience for WNED-AM, and that they'd better tread very carefully before simply killing shows on WBFO and plugging in a WNED simulcast. WBFO gives them great power in the local broadcast scene. With great power comes great responsibility. They need to be more worried about keeping the money flowing from Buffalo listeners than trying to add a dubious Toronto audience.

Simply put, the only way NPR content is going to be heard in Toronto is via cable. They don't need an FM to make that happen. WBFO's OTA signal can help them in the Niagara peninsula, but a downtown Toronto sales office doesn't deal with that market. A Canadian toll-free number for pledges will bring in more radio cash than that Toronto sales office. Don Boswell needs to understand that public radio is not a paralle to public TV. They're two different services, serving two different audiences, and need to be programmed that way.

 

[TheBigA]

A Canadian toll-free number for pledges will bring in more radio cash than that Toronto sales office.

Is it a sales office or a news bureau? My interpretation of the article makes it sound like a news bureau, for content origination.

 

[SirRoxalot]

You might try reading the article cited above.

"There is a real strong interest because we have Canadian offices and a studio as well. We’re thinking about making a Canadian news bureau."

“In 2009, we purchased the adjoining unit and increased our space by about 50 percent. With the acquisition of the second unit we have adequate office space to allow the operation of a Toronto bureau as well as other support services for our Canadian listeners and members.”

They really have a sales office up there, and are thinking of starting a Canadian news bureau. The studio there is not currently designed for major content origination. It's more for support of their fund-raising activities.

 

[TheBigA]

They really have a sales office up there, and are thinking of starting a Canadian news bureau. The studio there is not currently designed for major content origination. It's more for support of their fund-raising activities.

Where does it say "sales office?" They don't sell spots. Why would they have a sales office? They might sell tote bags.

Personally I think it's funny. How many commercial stations open an office to provide services for their listeners? Most of them would get a bit hostile if a listener dropped by uninvited. Then again, when I was in Canada, I visited a lot of stations, and was greeted warmly.

 

[uncamark]

It would seem to me that WNED-FM can and does have a certain audience in Ontario that's still miffed over the CBC cutting back on classical programming on Radio 2 and replacing it with what is essentially AAA. I know there's a classical station in Toronto (CFMZ), but WNED does reach into Ontario and play classical full-time which even Radio 2 didn't do. Seems to me that there is an audience in Ontario, even if terribly aged, that WNED would want to target.

 

[SirRoxalot]

Oh, sorry. Perhaps I should have said "Underwriting Office". I thought that you were smart enough to know that public broadcasting derives money from businesses as well as listeners. And no, they don't sell "spots", but they sure sell "underwriting opportunities".