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Black Information Network

V

Valueratio

Hello:

This is my first time returning to post on this forum for approximately 10 years.
I hope this is the correct forum for this topic, rather than the News/Talk forum.

I am not a radio industry professional, but I have been a fan of news/talk radio formats as long as I can remember.

Until 2 weeks ago, I was unaware of the existence of the BIN radio format. I inadvertently stumbled onto a local affiliate (1340 Springfield, OH), and after a brief listen, I have so many questions...

Is this format profitable for iHeartMedia - as a network?

Do you think any of the individual stations in this network are profitable?

Would advertising sales for this format be national/agency placements? Would the ad sales on these signals be a cluster ad sales "throw-in" to provide some reach to Black consumers?

Does this format attract any local ad buys?

Any idea of how this format does ratings-wise? Do any of these stations subscribe to a ratings service?

In terms of signal and coverage, which of the stations are the best of the lot?

Prior to becoming BIN affiliates, were any of these stations considered important in the Black community, in their respective markets?

Is there enough news content that fits this format to sustain 24/7 programming?

Any there any prominent Black radio personalities working on this network?

Do you think this format could revitalize AM listening in the Black community? Or is it just a low-cost automated format that can be parked on an underperforming station?

Do Black audiences still listen to AM radio? There still seems to be some interest in local Black-oriented talk radio (stations such as WVON in Chicago and WDBZ-AM and WCIN-AM in Cincinnati). I notice that these stations are not affiliates of BIN.

I apologize in advance for the elementary level of some of these questions, but I am truly wanting to be educated about this format.
 
You ask a lot of questions. Most of the answers are in the original press release from 3 years ago:

www.iheart.com

iHeartMedia Launches Black Information Network — 24/7 All News Audio Service For Black Community | iHeart

The Black Information Network is here! | iHeart
www.iheart.com www.iheart.com

The key paragraph is this:

Instead of traditional ad supported media, BIN is enabled by the support of National Founding Partners who share and support the mission of BIN: Black Information Network. These partners are Bank of America, CVS Health, GEICO, Lowe’s, McDonald’s USA, Sony, 23andMe and Verizon.
Click to expand...

They budgeted based on that national advertising support. I doubt that they do actual local sales. They may bundle it with other local stations in the cluster.

Does it get ratings? No. That wasn't the point. The future of AM will be selling the reach, not the ratings. This is not a traditional radio station that sells ratings and markets itself locally. So don't compare it to what you know.

Is there enough news content? It depends. Like most stations, there is a lot of repetition. They work on a clock, and the stories cycle around the clock.

I think it is, as you say, a low cost automated format that can be parked on an underperforming station,
 
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