CBS Radio merger with Entercom and possible impact on urban radio

Between the two, CBS Radio and Entercom have seven urban radio stations in five top ten markets, with CBS in Atlanta, DC and LA, and Entercom, San Francisco and Boston. Both have a way of programming most of their stations well as opposed to much of the other large radio groups. While WVEE "V-103" Atlanta has long been the cream of the crop for urban radio under CBS Radio with rhythmic WPGC in DC not too far behind, the company itself has de-emphasized the number of urbans (and some rhythmics) since selling their Tampa, West Palm Beach and Charlotte clusters in recent years, although they launched a throwback station in Las Vegas. In contrast Entercom only had a handful of mid-sized urbans mostly in Norfolk, Greensboro and Buffalo, but in the past five years opened up to launching more urbans, mostly in Austin, Greenville/Spartanburg, and Boston (bringing back an urban ac there after ten years). San Fran and LA happen to be two of its markets set for spinoff so only time will tell if KBLX, KRBQ or KTWV (I know this station's format is debatable due to LA's demos) may be kept or spunoff, along with rhythmic KSFM in Sacramento. CBS still has a rhythmic in Hartford, and Entercom has a throwback station in Seattle.

Thoughts?

I would like to see Entercom blow up 101.9 Amp Radio in Orlando and bring back the JAMZ branding and mainstream urban format to the station since it wasn't able to compete against iHeartMedia's XL 106.7. Ironically, 101.9 was once a sister station to 102.1 in the Piedmont Triad. With the merger taking place, both stations would be reunited under the same ownership. It would be nice to see 102 JAMZ "bounce back" (pun intended).

DavidEduardo said:

WQMP bills a bit less than WXXL, but is actually a rather good biller with revenues comparable to WPYO, WDBO (FM) and WMMO.

Rhythmic CHR is the right direction in Orlando, as the target is Hispanic listeners and Orlando is now 33% Hispanic and growing. There is much less audience available for a full Urban station.

The Hispanic population of Orlando may reach 50% in the next 5 to 7 years, depending on the rate of migration from Puerto Rico. In PR, a large percentage of listeners pick stations with rhythmic CHR music, the same as what WQMP plays.

Click to expand...

That's true, since 102 JAMZ was Rhythmic before it became AMP in 2014. With the station's reunion with its sister station in the Piedmont Triad, Entercom should revive 102 JAMZ in Orlando.

DavidEduardo said:

WQMP bills a bit less than WXXL, but is actually a rather good biller with revenues comparable to WPYO, WDBO (FM) and WMMO.

Rhythmic CHR is the right direction in Orlando, as the target is Hispanic listeners and Orlando is now 33% Hispanic and growing. There is much less audience available for a full Urban station.

The Hispanic population of Orlando may reach 50% in the next 5 to 7 years, depending on the rate of migration from Puerto Rico. In PR, a large percentage of listeners pick stations with rhythmic CHR music, the same as what WQMP plays.

Click to expand...

It's not impossible for Entercom to bring back the "102 Jamz" brand and format ala the WPGC/Hot 93.7 urban-leaning CHRurban, rhythmic format which does exceptionally well in PR-heavy market like Hartford. Orlando is similar to Hartford with a huge PR population that enjoys urban-leaning rhythmic stations. The billing of WPGC and WZMX/Hot 93.7 is amazing considering how heavily urban comtemporary leaning their music programming is. It could be done if the local market management in Entercom Orlando researched and executed the format properly.

Well, an update on the thread. It appears post-CBS Radio-Entercom merger that Entercom has migrate most of the rhythmics in markets with decent sized black populations (Washington DC, Wichita, Hartford) back towards urban contemporary-leaning statuses. WPGC is returned to its heritage urban contemporary programming although it is still considered Rhythmic CHR. KDGS/Power 93.9 has fully shifted back to urban-leaning with its programming. WZMZ/Hot 93.7 has remained urban-leaning with the addition of a urban gospel music shown on Sunday mornings. It's interesting watching this evolution of these stations as Entercom has shifted them all into defacto urbans.

DavidEduardo said:

The Puerto Rican community in Hartford is the product of migration in the 50's and 60's. It's in the third generation now, and essentially 100% assimilated. The original migrants from PR were mostly from rural areas and were what might be called the "under class".

The Orlando community from the Island mostly arrived in the last twenty to twenty-five years, and is predominantly first generation and made up of folks who have escaped from the long-deteriorating economy in PR. Today's migrants are more often middle class, including doctors and other professionals who are disturbed by the social conditions, crime and lack of opportunity in Puerto Rico.

The two communities have just about nothing in common.

Click to expand...

I get what you are implying. However, regardless of the economics similar to younger black folks, many of the younger generation Puerto Ricans are definitely huge fans of contemporary hip-hop and R&B music, which is typically aired on CHRurban and actual (full-service) urban contemporary programmed stations like WVEE, WPGC, KPRS, KMEL, etc. Additionally, per the US Census and Nielsen PPM, Orlando is 16.7% black, which means it has the audience there to support a full-powered signal urban station considering the buying power and increased educated levels of the black consumers is the nation's largest. Entercom would be shortsighted at best to overlook this at considering bringing back an urban-leaning rhythmic like the old 102 Jamz or a full-service urban back to the Orlando market to the 101.9 signal.

DavidEduardo said:

While that is true to some extent, consider the other factors. Puerto Ricans in Hartford are in their third generation as migration to that area essentially ceased around 1968, over 50 years ago. Someone who migrated in their 20's or 30's back then is now around 80. Their children are in their late 40's and 50's. And the third generation is essentially "general market" with listening to everything from Classic Hits to AC to CHR.

On the other hand, the Boricua community in Orlando did not start serious formation until the economic slump of the 90's (the same time I left and three of my daughters left, too). They brought with them similar listening habits as those still found in PR... AC music in English, reggaetón, CHR (in both languages), classic hits, salsa, etc.

As is normal, younger listeners are enormously influenced by their peers. So CHR, Churban and Urban are often the choices for 12-24 year old listeners. In Hartford, as those of distant Puerto Rican heritage reach the age of family formation and adult responsibilities, they split into listener groups to many different stations.

In Orlando, language usage is different. Most households are still Spanish speaking, and that means that stations like Rhythmy CHR WRUM will be extremely dominant for some time to come. And in a market where we will soon see 40% mostly-Puerto Rican born Hispanics, the music tastes of youth and young adults will be much different.

And keep in mind that core Urban music has never (at least in the last 70 years) been popular or programmed in Puerto Rico.



There already is an Urban AC in the market, and it averages around a 7 share in 25-54, something that limits the potential for a full-fledged Urban station. And since an Urban station can not count on the young Puerto Rican audience to any extent, the space for an Urban is a bit more limited for a variety of factors.

Click to expand...

I understand, but WCFB leaves the majority of the hip-hop listening audience that listens to a full-service urban programmed stations. Most full service urbans aim towards 18-49 years old not just 25-54 year olds. That's the reason why most Urban ACs have evolved into playing hip-hop music from the early 2000s into their musical programming. That's the audience that was covered by 102 Jamz and careful dayparting of urban music programming. The market is still there in Orlando.

DavidEduardo said:

One of the issues, beyond revenue, is that the Hispanic audience that once gravitated towards hip-hop are now listeners to reggaetón, which is culturally in so many ways closer to Hispanics than hip-hop is. You can say almost absolutely that the younger Hispanic listeners are listening to WRUM, and few are targets for a full Urban station.

Click to expand...

This is how I look at it. Being Hispanic or Latino is considering an ethnicity, whereas blacks are a racial identity. The fact that nearly over 15% of the market is black then there is room to support a full-service urban. Some Carribbean Hispanic/Latinos that are prevalent in Orlando are black or mixed race with black, thus the market is there. Another thing is a well-programmed urban would include Soca, Reggae, Reggaeton, amongst other regional music genres into their regular playlist or have numerous shows throughout the week and weekends to play such musical genres. Entercom has the revenue and creative freedom to most of their stations in the urban/rhythmic division to cater to their local and regional musical tastes similar to WEDR/Miami, so I trust it would be uniquely diverse right for Orlando. iHeartMedia doesn't really do urbans well at all these day except translators or voicetracked online streams.

DavidEduardo said:

Not quite. The original definition of the Census Bureau of "Hispanic" involved speaking, or having a heritage of speaking, Spanish. So "Hispanic" is a cultural distinction, as Hispanics can racially be Black, white, Asian or Indigenous or any mix of those.

There are many ethnicities among Hispanics, many radically different from others.

Click to expand...

I do demographic stats for a living. We basically said the same thing. Hispanics or Latinos is an ethnicity. Whereas, black or African American is considered a race. Both are listed on the US Census Bureau website.

If there were, why did the one that existed change and why has no owner created one? The answer is likely in the economics.

Click to expand...

No, because of bad and overly conservative market management. If you don't recall WZMX was avoided by CBS in Hartford until 2001 because of bad and overly conservative market management. Once they pulled the trigger the station went instaneously to the highest rated stations in that market because of the void was filled for well programmed, dayparted, urban-leaning Rhythmic CHR was created. Ironically, the exact opposite occcured in Orlando, the management changed thus they didn't see the value of an urban-leaning 102 Jamz to be apart of the market cluster. However, the 101.9 signal has been rotating format since then because it is oversaturating an all already overserved market of other formats. The economics is not the problems as Orlando has been repeated listed by Forbes and Black Enterprise as one of their top ranking and growing regions for black middle class and entrepeneurs. WCFB isn't enough be enough because all they play is R&B, soul music, and throwback hip-hop songs.

They are, thus, Afro Antillian. Culturally, no link to African Americas other than some racial connection going back many hundreds of years. Urban and Hip Hop in English is not widely played in the Spanish speaking Greater Antilles.

Click to expand...

I disagree. Just because there is not a link doesn't mean the 2nd or 3rd genration of black Carribbean people are more connect to black American than you realized regardless of language. As a black person of mixed ethnicity identity unless you know have some type of stats or lived the experience daily like I do as a black person then you cannot nor should assume that.

Hispanics from the Caribbean have little connection with socca and reggae.

The African American population of Orlando is not going to tolerate reggaetón in Spanish. Culturally, no connection. Reggaetón is a Panamanian adaptation of a Jamaican "riddim" that developed in Puerto Rico and then spread throughout Latin America. It a distant cousin to r&b as it came from a totally different cultural background.

Click to expand...

I strongly disagree. WEDR in Miami has accomplished just that for several decades. Just because there is not a direct cultural connect doesn't mean the Hispanic ethnicities or the black folks regardless of our origin are going to be adverse to that wide variety of musical programming. Furthermore, many of the black folks that relocated to Orlando has been from a variety of culturally diverse places primarily South Florida but also Northeastern cities such as New York, Philadelphia, etc. You cannot assume such unless it is tried.

Look at iHeart in NY, Houston, Miami, LA, Memphis, Chicago, Jacksonville, Milwaukee, Detroit, Norfolk, Tampa, St. Louis, San Francisco, Philly, ... they do Urban and Urban AC very well.

Click to expand...

I strongly disagree. I'm well aware of iHeart Media owned urbans in all of those places. With the exception of KMEL, all of them are poorly programmed stations. WWPR, WGCI, WUSL only get by on their local on-air personality-driven connections to their markets. The remainder of those markets mentioned are voicetracked, syndicated and poor examples of urban radio stations.

Entercom would be a much better suited contender for this market as they emphasis to have their urban and rhythmic stations to be live and local from 6AM to 10PM or midnight with exceptions of overnights and musically programmed to cater to their market tastes. The best examples of this is WVEE, WPGC, WZMX, KDGS