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WFAN to 101.9
- Thread starter liradioisbad
- Start date
There are certain posters on this board who think radio is supposed to be a buffet of their personal tastes, rather than the business that it actually is.luperm said:
reelyreal said:
Very well said! The spoken word to FM trend evident in markets of all sizes has arrived in New York. The Merlin disaster cannot be used to justify that spoken word on FM doesn't work in New York. It works if it's well-programmed, executed and promoted.
There was no way CBS wasn't going to eventually move WFAN to FM. IMHO, WCBS Newsradio will eventually move to FM, following the simulcasts that have been successful in San Francisco and Chicago. WINS' future can be debated, but long-term it won't be on directional 1010 AM.
FM news didn't work because it was on FM, it didn't work because the format was a disaster from day 1. Add to that the inconsistent focus of the "news" product and it wouldn't have mattered if it were on FM, AM, shortwave or beamed straight into our brains; it was destined to fail.
FM isn't the cure for bad talk programming, but it can augment good talk programming.
FM isn't the cure for bad talk programming, but it can augment good talk programming.
WNTIRadio said:
Agreed 100%! FM News was IMHO an organized disaster. WFAN, the innovator of sports talk radio, has been a great station on 660 AM and will be likewise on 101.9 FM.
d21ofnj said:
There would've been unhappy campers if WFAN has gone to 92.3, no doubt about it. Whoever lost their music station to WFAN-FM would've felt betrayed. It's a business decision, plain and simple.
radioguy39nj said:d21ofnj said:
Whoever lost their music station to WFAN-FM would've felt betrayed. It's a business decision, plain and simple.
Yeah, where would the listeners go if NOW was taken over? I mean it's not they'll hear the same "Pay Phone" "Call Me Maybe" or even "Wide Awake" at the same exact times on Z100 or KTU. They'll be played at different times throughout the day, the same exact small playlist! Whatever shall the little kids do?!?!
radioguy39nj said:d21ofnj said:
There would've been unhappy campers if WFAN has gone to 92.3, no doubt about it. Whoever lost their music station to WFAN-FM would've felt betrayed. It's a business decision, plain and simple.
The only difference is if NOW went away, there are other terestrial outlets for listeners to go too. With RXP v2 going away, there is no (fulltime) terestrial option out there. I know that everyone says that with wireless devices and internet, these bases are basically covered. However, it all costs money too maintain that connection. Last I heard, phone companies are tightening the screws on data usage. So, people still lose.
d21ofnj said:
This may come across meaner than it should be, but alternative (and to a greater extent, AAA) fans are very vocal and reactionary to changes to their format, in my limited experience. Couple that with the fact that the majority of listeners have been alienated for, what — the third time? — and it's a bit of a minor mælstrom. In other parts of the country, the demise of beloved indie-leaning stations has been met with Facebook protest pages and Twitter campaigns that bring out far more "fans" of saving whatever station than ever actually seemed to listen in the first place.
Lee Anderson said:
It's true that streaming costs money and it's not an option for everyone. There are also iPods, and while the devices cost money (radios do, too) and the music should be purchased (but we all know it isn't being purchased) it provides an option between traditional broadcast and streaming.
It all comes back to maximizing revenue options in an exponentially more competitive entertainment environment. Someone will always lose, and that's too bad. That's life.
Zach said:
You're completely right about Alternative fans. I remember back in 2009 when WHTG went to Top-40. The alternative fans created a facebook page which blew up to thousands of fans within days. They also protested Press Communications (the owner) and boycotted the advertisers of WHTZ. That was in New Jersey, I can only imagine what NY fans, a much larger market, would do.
reelyreal said:islanddxer said:radioguy39nj said:DG02816 said:
WEPN-FM doesn't broadcast Jets games in stereo, but the Jets' affiliate in Ocean County, WCHR (105.7 FM) does. WCHR is a classic rock station.
Which brings up a good point, CBS can keep the alternative rock on 101.9 and air the major games there (or on NOW). They already do this with WCBS 101.1. But they are too vain for that.
You're fighting progress, and it's a losing battle. Frankly, I think it's the best of both worlds. The music options generally available through Pandora, Spotify, and streaming apps are infinitely customizable, and I can find exactly what I want to entertain me musically. At the same time, I think radio's pushing forward and making sure that it's financially viable long-term.
Ask newspapers how burying its head in the sand and staying the course worked out.
When they make a device that is about the size of my Sangean DT-110 that can recieve streaming radio that doesn't drop out under trees and on the train without paying a monthly fee maybe I'll give up radio, but until then I'll use my radio and have one less preset station on 101.9. Fortunately I dont live in the heart of the city and can recieve rock music on 107.1, 102.3, 94.3, and of course 104.3.
islanddxer said:
This is the thing corperate radio types don't get. The technology just isn't quite up to scratch with their lofty ambitions.
That's the other element to the "All AM will eventually migrate to FM" argument that isn't frequently discussed. At present, many cellular providers implement data caps on their subscribers. Surpassing that cap can result in higher bills for customers. Streaming content can utilize a lot of data in a short time. Subscribers who begin seeing exorbitant bills may elect to suspend the service for that reason.Lee Anderson said:
So the one part of the argument which maintains there are now numerous 21st century content-delivering vehicles on the information highways superserving nearly every conceivable niche appetite that will compete with the 20th century terrestrial radio's one-to-many broadcast model is quite accurate.
But the other part involves subscriber fees for some of these services. Howard Stern leveraged his phenomenally high Arbitron ratings, generated over free-to-air terrestrial radio stations, when he signed the contracts with Sirius Satellite Radio, a subscription satellite radio service. When his audience dwindled following the move, how did that work out for his advertisers? His terrestrial radio audience was loyal, supported the sponsors who in turn supported Stern immensely, and did almost everything for him... except follow him to satellite radio and pay the subscription fees.
The answer for broadcast radio licensees is not to simply bury their heads in the sand and wait. Obviously, standing pat is not a logical decision, especially in commerce and most particularly in a competitive industry such as this one. However, rushing to an end when the marketplace and the industry is in such a period of flux is the opposite extreme which could reap similarly devastating results, particularly at the all-important bottom line. Alienating the audience by yielding to trends is not a logical or viable long-term business strategy.
The future is becoming a lot clearer, but the skies are still very overcast.
Lee Anderson said:radioguy39nj said:d21ofnj said:
There would've been unhappy campers if WFAN has gone to 92.3, no doubt about it. Whoever lost their music station to WFAN-FM would've felt betrayed. It's a business decision, plain and simple.
The only difference is if NOW went away, there are other terestrial outlets for listeners to go too. With RXP v2 going away, there is no (fulltime) terestrial option out there. I know that everyone says that with wireless devices and internet, these bases are basically covered. However, it all costs money too maintain that connection. Last I heard, phone companies are tightening the screws on data usage. So, people still lose.
IIRC, this was similar to what was said to the dance music fans. When Pulse and Party went, most of the people would tell us to go find it on the Internet. Now that 101.9 is going to WFAN, it's a problem to find rock alternative on the Internet? I'm not starting a riot here, but I find a little "hypocrisy" on here. As for the data rates with phone companies, yes they are tightening up the usage, but if you have cable (not fios) you can create a free account to get access to use their wifi hotspots.
reelyreal said:
This is the 4th time new rock has been removed from the radio. Again, I say if they knew they were going to sell, they should have put FM New format back on, the AC format predecessor to FM News. No one would miss that if it were pulled, since there are THREE other outlets for that. Instead, it's almost like they teased rock music listeners. The day will come, when CBS FM's music becomes too old to play on the radio. When that day comes, and is replaced by music from my generation, I will say, sorry, that's life, get an ipod.
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