WMRQ's Translator Station Has Better Ratings Than The Main Station

In the January and February ratings, Bomba FM, a Spanish Tropical outlet, heard on three translators in Connecticut (Bolton, Clinton, Bridgeport) had better ratings than its originating station, Alternative WMRQ 104.1.

I'm not sure I know of another station in the U.S. whose HD2/translator station has better ratings than the principal station. You'd think that WMRQ would do better now that there are no other contemporary rock stations in the Hartford market. WCCC-FM was a competitor at one time but now that is Christian AC K-Love. And there are several Classic Rock stations in Hartford or nearby, WDRC-FM, WAQY, WPLR. But for current-based rock, WMRQ has the market all to itself.

Yet more people are listening to the translator stations fed by WMRQ-HD2 than WMRQ.

5 translators. 3 in the Hartford market. 1 in the Bridgeport Market. 1 in the New London Market.

97.1 licensed to Bolton with an antenna on on Mountain out there somewhere and serving Greater Hartford.
99.5 licensed to Clinton with an antenna somewhere in the Lakewood Road area of Waterbury and Serving Greater Waterbury.
98.5 licensed to Meriden with an antenna on the WMRQ/WKSS site on Meriden Mountain.

104.5 licensed to Bridgeport.
104.5 licensed to New London.

And although it offers separate Bomba Programming 104.5 licensed to West Springfield and simulcasts WSPR 1490.

Rock is now a splintered, niche musical genre. The kids have been lost to hip-hop and rhythmic pop, and you can add EDM as a siphon for the 18-24s who in previous generations would have been into rock. Country, as it has evolved, has also made major inroads in the demographic that used to belong to rock. Result: Only stations playing older rock do well, and once the '80s rock fans are too old for advertisers to want, the genre will disappear from most radio markets.

I know a 20-something year old male who likes 80s rock because that is what his father listened to when he was growing up so sometimes he listens to 102.9 The Whale. But he also likes Hip-Hop so he listens to HOT 93.7, but he also thinks today's hip-hop isn't that good so HOT isn't as good as it was when he was attending Plainville High School. (He graduated in 2012). When 96.1 signed on last year I told him about it and he had me put in on his car stereo and when we were cruising around Forestville and Plainville after we got out of work at Midnight he was singing along to some of the songs on 96.1 however he gave up on 96.1 one day he told me "Marc, I like 96.1 all right, but they're very repetetive. 3 days in a row I hear Magic Carpet Ride and a couple other songs at around the same time." So last I knew he doesn't listen t 96.1 any more. He also likes late 90s/early 00s Hip-Hop.

Meanwhile, on the Kool Oldies Facebook page, they mentioned that their southeast CT/RI service is also now aired on WBMW-FM 106.5 HD3.

Gregg. said:

In the January and February ratings, Bomba FM, a Spanish Tropical outlet, heard on three translators in Connecticut (Bolton, Clinton, Bridgeport) had better ratings than its originating station, Alternative WMRQ 104.1.

I'm not sure I know of another station in the U.S. whose HD2/translator station has better ratings than the principal station. You'd think that WMRQ would do better now that there are no other contemporary rock stations in the Hartford market. WCCC-FM was a competitor at one time but now that is Christian AC K-Love. And there are several Classic Rock stations in Hartford or nearby, WDRC-FM, WAQY, WPLR. But for current-based rock, WMRQ has the market all to itself.

Yet more people are listening to the translator stations fed by WMRQ-HD2 than WMRQ.

Click to expand...

On the subject of translators, I know a translator combo that beat out full pwoers.

Back in the mid 2000s, two Montgomery, AL Translators for WKXN FM /WKXK FM wih barely montgomery wide coverage made it into the top 10 in the ratings, beating out several full power signals in the market