January 16th, 2009 
joel 
I’m writing this post while listening to the very well-programmed WBEN 930/Buffalo, who not only are able to continue to pay for Rush Limbaugh’s clearance fee, but once again scored first in the Buffalo ratings ages 12 and over for the Fall 2008 Arbitron survey.
As opposed to Erie’s WJET, which languishes as a middler in the ratings with poor billing, news/talk stations in the major markets surrounding the Flagship City score at the top of the ratings and revenue rankers. The Fall book is out for Buffalo, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh; take a look at these 12+ rankers:
- Buffalo – WBEN (Entercom) – #1
- Cleveland – WTAM (Clear Channel) – #1
- Pittsburgh – KDKA (CBS) – #2
- Pittsburgh – WPGB (Clear Channel) – #3
The two Pittsburgh talkers combine for a massive share of audience that tops rocker WDVE.
Considering the sheer power of the news/talk format in our region, why doesn’t WJET do better in the ratings here in Erie? My take would be the sheer lack of investment in programming and marketing by Connoisseur Media and their predecessors over countless years. The winning stations have real live anchors and reporters and actualities and board-ops that eliminate dead air and cue tones, like the old WJET did through the 1980′s. It doesn’t take much effort, really.
The conventional wisdom in radio for the past twenty years has been to put all of your eggs/energy into your FM basket, and leave the AM stations to die. Meanwhile, with the onset of internet radio, iPod’s and other streams available for music, news and talk are the remaining powerhouses for local connection and community.
We’re seeing the success of the news/talk format elsewhere in the region. Why not here?
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Speaking of news, and delivery of news……
this is from Fast Company:
Why Hudson River-Like Plane Crashes Will Happen Again
By: Kit EatonFri Jan 16, 2009 at 10:05 AM
Yesterday’s aircraft crash in the Hudson River may have been miraculous in terms of survivability, and it boosted the standing of Twitter, which got stunning images in circulation before the mainstream media
Please note that last sentence.
Some people actually know how to make Twitter work as a “People’s Report” from any angle and every angle, AT ONCE.
For a yawn, ETN and GoErie went Twitter last week.
They will figure out how to use it to announce the Second Coming,……maybe.
Congrats to Press and Tower for being named Blog of the Week at Erie Blogs.
Press and Tower is only the Third (3rd) Blog with this distinguished weekly award in over 200 weeks, maybe more. And, to this day, it remains the ONLY winner of the award to actually be placed on Erie Blogs scroll alphabetically to the right.
Prior winners include “Sunshine and Moonlight” (an MS blog) AND “A Spattering”. There is no Archive location to let you know who rates in the past, and neither of these early weekly winners are carried on erie Blogs right side screen roll.
I inadvertantly wrote of these winners before and called
“A Spattering”….”A Splattering”. I regret the error.
The next Blog of the Week is scheduled for Mother’s Day….probably Kodera’s Corner, as there is no published criteris to obtaining the kudo….still.
Maybe Blogojevich knows the answer.
What a great name for a Blog!
Could the Hover Screen be ditched soon so we can read the infinitestimally small font of Blogs in process? Thx.
Sidebar to JIMBO: Please write without caps, after your name. Thanks. Easier to read.
Ironically, WBEN afternoon host Sandy Beach programmed WJET from 1974-1977.
Thanks, Danny, for the feedback. The blog post of the week is back on schedule now as I’ve asked someone to help with it on a weekly basis. That should ensure it gets posted every week.
I’ve also made sure we corrected the oversight of not having Kim’s blog on our list. A spattering was there, just under the name Kelly Ink Studio, which Toni also does work under. Again, I’ve corrected that as well.
Finally, I’ve created an archive page. I’ll make sure we post it with each “blog post of the week” entry.
Wanted also to say thanks for the push to get the Twitter directory going. I’ve had the idea in my head and it’s been floating around my higher education colleagues to create something similar, so that was a nice push and it’s really cool to see companies jumping on board.
Thank YOU, Mike.
I never knew Kelly Ink and A Spattering were engaged, let alone married as one and the same. Unless they scrolled, they did not exist.
As for Sunshine and Moonlight, Kim is closing in on 100,000 visits in 13 months exisitence. She should win again THAT week for the marvelous development.
Speaking of scrolls, the dreaded Hover Screen is gone.
If I was the Yay girl with the Yay blog, I would say Yay, Yay, Yay for no more Hover Screen. It was like reading underwater to find a name.
On your Twitter Directory, I was delighted to see you have categories. These will grow as old people die and the young people link up.
I recommend you make the categories alphabetical at some point so that links can be found and accessed easily.
This directory will eventually look like the Yellow Pages of an obsolete phone book.
Added NOW, should be Medical, Restaurants, Movies or Theater, Weird Erie, etc. The teens chat about a flick they just saw and it would aid theaters to plug in on this thumb up or down in real time.
I hope you continue to push this. Free attracts the kids.
I don’t know why they prefer to type 140 words, instead of talking, but they do.
The Erie Times went on Twitter this past week. They put their address in the article. The article is gone, the address is nowhere to be found at ETN, and IF you use their search engine Digerie, and ask for Erie Times Twitter, you will get 5 unrelated stories and no address.
I found the GoErie Twitter at Erie Blogs.
GoErie does like everybody else with Twitter.
They wrote:
“Join today to start receiving GoErie’s updates.”
NO NO NO NO NO.
Twitter is NOT to receive your updates. You are trying to open up a dialog in real time with the globe.
If an Erie person with Twitter sees a plane land in Lake Erie, or the Blood Bank on fire, or a cute bride at the Peninsula, they Tweet away on it immediately.
You do not want to give updates in media, you want to GET THEM. Over time, people will send in the darnedest statements……just like the Hudson plane crash was first reported by Twitter folks who were watching it and began Tweet heaven. Only then did media pick up on it.
GoErie, put your Twitter address permanently on your site, prominently and, ask folks to Tweet you anything.
You have the tool, but you use it backwards. You are pounding a nail with the handle of a hammer so to speak.
Last Mike, I looked at your blog archives (at the base, not the top) only once and they were organized by topic title, not Blog Name and post below that. I could not find anything and never went back. Please note how Erie Pa Today posts the Blog Name and a full Blog Post Name below that.
Imitate that. It is easy to read and find stuff.
Both sites are getting better. GoErie is getting worse.
THEY moved Obits again to accommodate Inauguaration ’09………as if people in Erie are more interested in a one day event, than in who they know died.
Opinions were moved so far to the right you need a Wii to access them. What an eyesore outfit.
Say, does Kathy Dahlkemper Tweet?
Constituents could get her on any issue at any moment.
Add a category for Government Mike.
They may one day learn how Obama did it and go direct to people. He Tweets, emails, and announced Biden as running mate on Twitter. Hellooooo?
Don’t forget WKBN (570 Youngstown), also at the top of the ratings for Fall 2008. WJET is licensed as a 1000-watt “local” AM, while WKBN and WBEN have frequencies allocated as “regional,” with 5000 watts, at the lower end of the AM band where the signal travels greater distances. WTAM and KDKA are 50,000-watt powerhouses. WPGB is an FM station.
Could 2009 be the year we see an FM news/talker debut in Erie? All the pieces are in-place for it to happen. ABC News Radio is available for the :00 and :30 feeds. The centerpiece would be Rush Limbaugh, recently dumped by WJET (1400). If you’re not going to hire a local personality for afternoons, add Glenn Beck’s show from WPHT, which has never been available on Erie radio. If you can work-out a syndication deal, grab Mike McConnell’s excellent midday show—I’ve listened to it for years off XM’s WLW feed (Channel 173). All-news as an option for AM Drive. Evenings: do all-sports. Both Citadel and Connoisseur run an AM sports-talker, so Fox Sports Radio or ESPN Radio could be simulcast when you’re not filling the airwaves with actual sports broadcasts: Indians/Pirates, Bills/Steelers/Browns, Cavaliers/Sabres/Penguins, Seawolves/Otters/Bayhawks…in FM Stereo. I want to be very clear that it could be done without any staff attrition: too many talented people have lost their jobs already.
Another news/talk station with different programming than JET Radio 1400 would be a great addition to local radio.
WPSE 1450 would be a good candidate for this format. Business talk/news has a very limited audience, and the station could better serve the community. They can even keep their Penn State sports play-by-play programming, too.
How about this lineup?
Don Imus from 6 AM to 9 AM (Live, Fourth Hour Omitted)
Glenn Beck from 9 AM to noon (Live)
Rush Limbaugh from noon to 3 PM (Live)
Laura Ingraham from 3 PM to 6 PM (Tape Delay)
Mark Levin from 6 PM to 8 PM (Live, Third Hour Omitted)
Savage from 8 PM to 10 PM (Live, First Hour Omitted)
Tony Bruno from 10 PM to 1 AM (Live, Sports Talk)
Jim Bohannon from 1 AM to 4 AM (Refeed)
Lars Larson from 4 AM to 6 AM (Refeed, Hours One & Four Omitted)
Doug,
I see no local talent in your PSE line-up. “BEN is a sucess because of the live LOCAL talent in all dayparts except noon-3.
It’s simple: just eliminate a syndicated show and replace it with a local show.
What kind of local shows would be of interest? Who could be put on the air as hosts?
Joel…historically you are absolutely right on…the highest numbers JET had as a NT station came when they were owned and operated by the ridicously under-funded Decapua’s…they had mornings, mid-mornings and afternoons live and local…with morning and afternoon news anchors! Then the corporate types with supposedly big money came in and stripped the bones bare. Those ratings highs came at a time when Chris Hagerty and friends also had WFLP as a NT on 1330…the two stations pulled about 10 ratings points out of the Erie radio wars and billed nearly $2 million annually…now combined the two don’t sniff a five share or get anywhere close to even 500K in sales…yet no one at these conglomerates is even asking the question about where those ratings and dollars went…it doesn’t take a genius to know that there is an audience and advertisers waiting to be had…if someone just bothered to take the time to properly service the listener and the advertiser.
JET shot themselves in the backside with Limbaugh…he got too expensive because his contact is based on a formula that takes into account his ratings compared to the rest of the station…no shocker here that Rush outstrips the rest of this weak lineup…and his price tag continued to climb.
Former Radio Guy is right, but not only did two NT stations garner ratings and billings, they also created a buzz around town.
The competition and rivalry between the stations and even the hosts gave people a REASON to tune in. That’s what’s missing today.
In this brave new world of advertising, your medium can’t be an after thought for consumers, you need to keep it at the fore front of their minds.
Chet is right as well. Satellite is where music radio is heading, news talk is moving to FM and AM will be more ethnic and brokered programming.
I don’t know if the two behemoths that monopolize Erie radio will lead that trend or even follow it, they may simply allow their medium to atrophy.
Dumping Rush was a huge step to irrelevance.