Not quite. Emmis sold 101.9 to Merlin, which changed it to all news. When that failed, it was sold to CBS.
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Entercom's Impact on NYC
- Thread starter MVB13
- Start date
Not quite. Emmis sold 101.9 to Merlin, which changed it to all news. When that failed, it was sold to CBS.
You can see the second highest billing station in NYC flipping? I can't.
miketheradioguy
Leading Participant
92.3 however may get blown up, although I doubt Entercom will flip 92.3 back to rock.
102.7 and WBMP are the low billers of the cluster, but both are in the $13,000,000 to $15,000,000 annual billing range... better than WPLJ and a couple of other full signal FMs in the market. It would seem more likely that they would try to make each station perform better than actually blowing either up.
The question is whether there is a bigger format opening that is unfilled vs. the potential for improving the existing formats, both in sales and programming.
chrocket87
Star Participant
I don't think Entercom will flip either Amp or Fresh to alternative, for reasons listed above. That being said, I wouldn't be too surprised if they did flip one of the two. Entercom really seems to like the Alt format and has launched it in places where it just doesn't make sense, like Miami. What this does say is that the chance of NYC getting a commercial Alt station is higher with ETM in the picture than it is now (still wouldn't consider it too high).
The Miami alt station is a real disaster. If that is the basis for flipping elsewhere, then there is something really wrong.
If anything, the Miami experience may teach them that alt is a difficult format, particularly in highly ethnic markets where the format tends to severely under-index.
Too much height, not enough power.
This would be a case of "a bad signal everywhere". Like 600 watt 105.9, won't penetrate buildings and won't be usable in areas with apartments and other structures that block the signal.
miketheradioguy
Leading Participant
At the time Merlin sold 101.9 to CBS, its format was alternative which was branded as RXP.
That was music on hold while the transfer went through.
Ai4i
Star Participant
I was pondering about programming.
I believe that the second half of what I quoted might be true beyond the first couple million people, but never the first half.
Actually, with that low power, ESB might be a better, certainly a more central spot.
So, how would one program that signal challenged station that would ultimately cover many millions of people.
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Wow - those numbers are stunningly poor!!!
I thought for sure Fresh would be closer to $20 million. How is it that two stations with such strong appeal to suburban white females (WPLJ, WFSH) bill so abysmally? Didn't WPLJ used to bill nearly $30 million a year before Cumulus ruined the station?
At present, there are only five stations billing over 30 million and three are AM operations.
WPLJ has several issues, not really caused by Cumulus. One is the departure of Scott Shannon and the other is the congestion for 25-44 females in the market. They lost their cume driver, and at the same time we got stations like adult rhythmic WKTU, a younger sounding WLTW and then WNEW-FM's AC format as well as a younger sounding CBS-FM.
Still, WPLJ is off from its 2010 billings by nearly 60%.
I can see 92.3, 101.9 , and 102.7 flipping to something else. 101.1 is the only one that is safe in my opinion. Maybe we can get alternative rock, aaa,
and a variety hits station. Off topic but they could launch a 2000s station? I do miss the Gen X stations those were good.
and a variety hits station. Off topic but they could launch a 2000s station? I do miss the Gen X stations those were good.
CTListener
Walk of Fame Participant
That would only chase off most of the advertisers. Those formats are suicide on commercial radio in most markets, and certainly in a market that moves to a heavily ethnic, rhythmic beat like NYC.
The three radical flips you suggest would wipe out $75,000,000 in billing as such changes generally result in no preservation of revenue.
101.9 is the larger part of the WFAN simulcast, and, thus, the second highest revenue producer in the market. It's not changing. Without the FM, most of the listening disappears. Entercom is a strong believer in Sports and in sports on FM.
No company trying to prove to investors that its merger was a good idea is going to wipe out such a major portion of its revenue. More likely they will adjust the lower billing stations to get better results, thus preserving the income while ratings are improved.
AAA is a non-starter. There are no highly successful launches in the last two decades, and the format now leans old. Alternative launches may get decent ratings, but the power ratios are terrible; Entercom right now can't seem to get any traction with their recent switch to alternative/modern rock in Miami. The opportunity for variety hits has likely passed, and Entercom does not appear to favor the format.
Is the breakdown of WFAN (AM) and FM listeners public information? I assume that the ratings I see online for WFAN include both. If I have a GE Superradio and prefer 660 AM since the sound quality is much better. Also 660 AM has a much larger range. When WFAN-FM went on the air there were rumors that 660 AM would take on the CBS Sports Network. Those rumors stopped a long time ago.
There is no public information. However, the subscriber of a Single Line Reporting station pair can ask for breakouts. From the results in other markets of AM/FM sports and talk combos (KSL in SLC, WSB in Atlanta) we have heard that over time the amount of AM listening declines to well under a quarter of all listening.
KSL in Salt Lake, like WFAN a clear channel 50 kw station, was one of the first to simulcast with big signals on both AM and FM. Within a year, the FM was outranking the AM and the FM frequency was used first in liners and promos.
Generally, the AMs continue to simulcast as there is not much else they can do profitably in most markets.
The "extra coverage" outside the metro market area is of essentially no sales value, even if some listeners are using the station in such areas.
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Ai4i
Star Participant
I have yet to hear an AM sports station that does not pump the crowd noise up to a ridiculous level.
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