WWKB Cutting Back To 10,000 Watts?

[Barry]

Northeast Radio Watch has an article stating that according to "several different sources," this powerhouse has reduced its signal from 50,000 watts to 10,000. The intention is apparently to save on electricity costs. Perhaps owner Entercomm feels that is enough signal to reach the local area just fine,and they are not interested in DXers receiving the station out of market.
The article states that Entercomm would have to notify the F.C.C. if the intention is to cut the power permanently, or for a significant period of time. It will be interesting to find out if the station's signal still pounds into other regions at night, such as the NYC area.
I believe a power reduction such as this as a cost saving measure is unusual. It is more common for station owners to go through all sorts of lengths to receive permission to boost their output. Perhaps this is an indication of the difficulty of generating significant revenue from AM stations, outside of the largest markets.

 

[spt87]

They have put 0 effort into this station. Instead of investing and building something to pay the bills, they will keep chopping away until it completely stops moving. Time for the FCC to make them divest it.

Even in larger markets, Entercom doesn't have a great track record of building to win on the AM band. Many examples of underinvestment and declining results or moving to FM simulcasts. Buffalo is a rare exception with WBEN and WGR - and WBEN they can hardly take credit for as they are largely just milking what Larry Levite put in place many, many years ago.

 

[Savage]

They can't simply power down unilaterally to 10kw. Entercom would have to apply for a CP for a minor change to reduce power permanently and would have to make a case to the Commission that doing so is in the public interest of the people in their COL. In the meantime they will have to apply for an STA to reduce power below 90% of licensed, and give a reason for doing so. This must be done if they're going to operate at reduced power for longer than 10 days.

I suspect they may make the argument that they're reducing power to make repairs or something. The STA would have to be periodically renewed, and after a succession of STA filings, the Commission is likely to start making pointed inquiries about the reason behind continued operation at greatly reduced power. If they don't like the answers - which I suspect would be the reaction to "we just want to save money on electricity" - I would expect the Commission staff to deny the STA app.

Hey, Entercom: if you're having problems with your big Buffalo AM, why don't you install IBOC? I understand that HD Radio is a GREAT solution for resuscitating ailing big AM signals these days!

It's got a terrific track record so far.... :

 

[Bob1370]

"WBEN they can hardly take credit for as they are largely just milking what Larry Levite put in place many, many years ago."

So right...Whatever heritage and whatever positive image WBEN has, these days, is the result of a tradition built under Larry and his Algonquin Broadcasting team, which combined public service and information with a strong commitment to personality-driven entertainment.

Can't blame Larry for getting out when the getting was good (after all, the 90s were a time when you either had to sell out, or go into debt to expand your company to fend off the big boys coming in from out of town--you couldn't just stand pat). One of the sad consequences of the Telecomm Act of 1996, which allowed the big boys to metastasize across the country, was that it drove out a lot of high quality community-based owners who cared about their listeners and their markets. It was clear even then, that a lot of the companies that DID expand were going to hit a wall and fail to cover their debts the moment hard times hit, as they inevitably always do. Clear Channel's near death experience, and the grave markers over Citadel, Regent and others, tell you all you need to know.

I'm not saying Entercom's going to join them in the corporate Chapter 11 graveyard, but things can't be great if they have to even consider downgrading what should be a heritage Class A blowtorch signal like KB. It's clearly time for them to sell out and see if anyone else can make a 50 kilowatt signal pay somewhere in central or western New York.

 

[TheBigA]

One of the sad consequences of the Telecomm Act of 1996, which allowed the big boys to metastasize across the country, was that it drove out a lot of high quality community-based owners who cared about their listeners and their markets.

BS. If they truely cared about their listeners and their markets, they would not have been so quick to take the money.

Today, many of those same stations are available at a fraction of their sale price, and you don't see any of them rushing back from retirement to buy their old stations back.

The fact is that if WWKB went on the market today, it would be bought by either a religious or ethnic broadcaster.

Regarding the power cut, what's wrong with simply serving the COL?

 

[TheBigA]

They have put 0 effort into this station. Instead of investing and building something to pay the bills, they will keep chopping away until it completely stops moving. Time for the FCC to make them divest it.

The ONLY way a new owner could improve on what Entercom is doing would be to steal either BEN's or GR's program contracts. In market after market, especially the size of Buffalo, the only formats proven to win on AM are conservative talk and sports. They could put second rate conservative talkers or local talkers, but it won't make a big difference in the numbers. This is not a function of ownership, and that station could do a whole lot worse.

 

[FreddyE1977]

If they are doing this just to save electricity, I must say I am surprised it took this long.

There are an awful lot of under-utilized 50kW signals where I'm sure the owners would be
just as happy to save a few bucks on the power bill if they can still cover their local market.
(every time I listen to KDKA frankly my first thought is "what a tragic waste of perfectly good electricity")

The fact that there are no true "clear channels" anymore, the degredation of skywave audiences due to the
internet plus interference from IBOC, Cuba, etc.....plus political pressures to "go green"....make me think
this is perhaps the start of a trend.

 

[W2JUV_AL]

Neglecting transmitter efficiency and assuming 15cents/KWH, the savings should be about $6 per hour or about $4300 per month. That's significant, maybe even more when factoring in reduced load on the A/C.

 

[qtpieislit]

Wow. If they cut their power, think of all the 1520's that could have night service. Look for the petitions to fly.

 

[fybush]

Fewer than you'd think. If they cut licensed power back to 10 kW but no further, they retain class A status and skywave protection, and while that protection zone will pull in a little, it won't go away.

 

[FreddyE1977]

Neglecting transmitter efficiency and assuming 15cents/KWH, the savings should be about $6 per hour or about $4300 per month. That's significant, maybe even more when factoring in reduced load on the A/C.

Interesting. I would have guessed they'd be saving a lot more than that. That's less than it would have cost Rush Limbaugh to grow palm trees in his yard in McKeesport, PA back in the 70's.

(then again I have seen managers who would absolutely KILL to save six bucks an hour....but I digress.....)

So much for summer evenings with a cold brew on the porch listening to Buffalo Bisons baseball.

 

[John C]

They have put 0 effort into this station. Instead of investing and building something to pay the bills, they will keep chopping away until it completely stops moving. Time for the FCC to make them divest it.

The ONLY way a new owner could improve on what Entercom is doing would be to steal either BEN's or GR's program contracts. In market after market, especially the size of Buffalo, the only formats proven to win on AM are conservative talk and sports. They could put second rate conservative talkers or local talkers, but it won't make a big difference in the numbers. This is not a function of ownership, and that station could do a whole lot worse.

"The station could do a whole lot worse". Really? A whole lot worse than a 1 share? I'm no expert in radio ownership but I find it hard to believe a new owner would do as badly as the current owner.

 

[fybush]

Even if Entercom were willing to sell, I'm having a hard time seeing how it would be a winning proposition for a new owner. Assuming the new ownership is a standalone, or nearly so (and that would have to be the case, inasmuch as the two other cluster owners in town are both essentially bankrupt), you're looking at the cost of a new studio facility and STL just to get the thing off the ground, plus a lease arrangement for the tower site that's bound to be written in a way that benefits Entercom much more than it benefits the new 1520 ownership. It's a tough nut to crack, and much more so in 2010 than it would have been even a decade ago.

As for the signal, if KB really is powered down to 10 kW, it's hard to tell from 75 miles away in Rochester. It's still plenty loud here, albeit with the usual skywave/groundwave cancellation that's always plagued the signal during critical hours and nights here. As long as they maintain that class A status, there's no reason to think that they'll be all that unlistenable in areas to the east that have always had good KB skywave. The key to a signal like KB isn't so much sheer power as it is interference protection - as I can tell every time the 1520 in Sikeston, MO keeps the day rig on at night. It wipes KB here at 50 kW just as surely as it would at 10 kW.

 

[BRNout]

They have put 0 effort into this station. Instead of investing and building something to pay the bills, they will keep chopping away until it completely stops moving. Time for the FCC to make them divest it.

The ONLY way a new owner could improve on what Entercom is doing would be to steal either BEN's or GR's program contracts. In market after market, especially the size of Buffalo, the only formats proven to win on AM are conservative talk and sports. They could put second rate conservative talkers or local talkers, but it won't make a big difference in the numbers. This is not a function of ownership, and that station could do a whole lot worse.

OR, they'd have to invest a lot of money and build an all newser from scratch. Financially, that's probably out of the question - but that is an AM format that is successful. Is Buffalo big enough to support such a station? Probably not. But - theoretically - that's a format that also works on AM.

Frankly, I liked it best when they spun the oldies.

 

[TheBigA]

"The station could do a whole lot worse". Really? A whole lot worse than a 1 share? I'm no expert in radio ownership but I find it hard to believe a new owner would do as badly as the current owner.

I was saying that there are a lot worse owners. Entercom is doing great with WBEN and WGR. And they do well withn AMs in other markets. WWL in New Orleans is a great radio station, and won numerous awards for their coverage during Katrina. The problem in Buffalo is there is no workable format hole left that will result in anything better than a 1 share. This isn't unusual. Buckley is having a tough time with WOR in New York.

I think what a lot of owners would like to do is donate their less profitable AMs to minority owners. They're just waiting for the FCC to come up with a workable plan. Once that happens, you'll get some community-owned AMs that will do mostly local programming. But I still don't expect them to get more than a 1 share.

 

[TheBigA]

OR, they'd have to invest a lot of money and build an all newser from scratch. Financially, that's probably out of the question - but that is an AM format that is successful. Is Buffalo big enough to support such a station? Probably not. But - theoretically - that's a format that also works on AM.

The only way it works in a market the size of Buffalo is combined with top-rated conservative talk shows. And right now, they're all on WBEN.

Houston, which is market #7, doesn't have an all-news station. It's extremely expensive and hard to do. But in markets where it's profitable, such as DC, NY, Philly, and LA, it's a gold mine. WTOP in DC is #1 in the market, and just made the national Top 10 list for revenues. And both WCBS and WINS are in that same Top 10. I just don't see it happening in Buffalo.

 

[TheBigA]

Even if Entercom were willing to sell, I'm having a hard time seeing how it would be a winning proposition for a new owner.

Tell you what...just to show how generous I am, I'd give the new owner full use of the current studio, STL and tower for free. I bet the new owner still goes belly up within five years.

 

[Mike Sheridan]

This doesn't make sense unless they make a change to the pattern to cover areas where the current pattern doesn't go. It makes the value of the station even less than it already is.

I must admit when I first read the subject line it made me a little sick. It's time to turn it off and put KB out of it's misery.

 

[oldiesfan6479]

This doesn't make sense unless they make a change to the pattern to cover areas where the current pattern doesn't go.

Where it doesn't go is toward Oklahoma City. 'KB and KOKC (the former KOMA)
protect each other, at least at night. While KOKC is a DA-N, WWKB is a DA-1,
so it may be possible to go ND daytime, if no other 1520s closer in would be
impacted. Professors Fybush or Savage, care to chime in again?

 

[aaronread]

I think Scott will back me up on this idea: how's 'bout another repeater for WEEI and Red Sox games?
;D