Re: Hudson Valley gets another talk station

[Mike Thomas <nostatic@earthlink.net>]

Jason D Bereza wrote:

> Now only two stations with any bit of reach in the Mid-Hudson area,
> Beacon's WBNR and Catskill's WCKL, are left doing standards. Does this
> mean that the dying out of the format is reaching north, or that tons of
> talk stations is a fad (remember that WBNR and sister WLNA in Peekskill
> were talk a while back)

Many AM station owners flip to satellite talk because it's cheap to run.  No
talent, no ASCAP or BMI  fees since there's no music programming, and many of
the second-tier talk networks work on barter.  Even if these operators drop
their rate card to ridiculously low levels, chances are they can still at
least break even.

> ? Will the switch of WGHQ send a message to the
> chronically moribound (and allegedly telephoneless) WHVW to end its
> unique but ratingless 78rpm laden oldies format for standards? Does this
> spell doom for standards stations in New England (seeing that
> Providence's WLKW recently did a standards-to-talk switch)?

Standards on AM has had a tough go of it as of late, as the defections of
WLKW and WQEW can attest.  However, the format is starting to thrive on the
FM band.  In New England, WNLC-FM-East Lyme, CT, WOCN-South Yarmouth, MA and
WPLM-Plymouth, MA are proving that the format can work on FM.  The 55+ demo
now prefers to listen to music on FM, so it looks like the last few stations
programming music on AM are slowly dying out.

Mike Thomas
WXLO & Mediabase 24/7