THE IMPORTANCE OF ELDERS

Ask any twentysomething As Forbes reports, baby boomers are One’s radio division — agreed to acquire 1kw woman what bands she truly also big spenders. “When it comes to hous- Class C WECK-AM 1230 in Cheektowaga, a loves, and Fleetwood Mac is ing, transportation, entertainment, food 15-minute drive northeast of hip communities and alcohol, older people already have such as Allentown and Elmwood Village. bound to be mentioned. The their checkbooks out,” the publication said Radio One paid $655,000 for the station 1970s are beloved by many, in a February 2018 Next Avenue article. and FM translator W275BB at 102.9 MHz “Americans 60+ are expected to account to Culver Broadcasting, which obtained including those who came of for at least 40% of consumption growth in WECK in November 2007 from Regent age in the Nixon years and those areas between 2015 and 2030.” Broadcasting for $1.3 million. In January, Better diet, increased physical activity Radio One added a second translator the era of Grease and gas and improved health care point to longer — W263DC at 100.5 MHz in Tonawanda shortages. But are marketers lives. But here’s the wakeup call: If you’re — to extend its coverage in the north- preparing for your high school’s 40-year ern suburbs, excluding . An forgetting about the power of reunion this fall, you’ll be turning 70 years improved signal on 1230 kHz brings WECK the 55+ audience? old in just 12 years. Today, marketers won’t into both cities of Niagara Falls, and to St. care about you. Catharine’s, Ontario. To the east, WECK There is growing evidence that the big- extends to Batavia, N.Y. gest users of radio, a generation that was Under previous management, WECK was born and raised without the internet, DVDs, a “” station. Now, or a cassette deck, is a very viable genera- it’s offering “good times and great ,” tion for advertisers and station owners. and is one of the few remaining big-market stations offering songs from , MISSED OPPORTUNITY Lesley Gore and even Frank Sinatra in the On August 9, media ecologist Jack Myers’ midday mix. TomorrowToday offered commentary that How did this opportunity for Shula come put an exclamation point on what veteran about? Buffalo radio industry figure Buddy Shula “After 20 years doing a combination has long known — brands are losing out by of sales and on-air work at Entercom in missing a lucrative demo target, the active, Buffalo, I left to own and operate WECK, AARP card-carrying adult aged 55 or older. which was owned by CBS Radio at one time. “Money is being lost to the industry I have always wanted to buy WECK. The rea- by invalidating the 55+ audience, which son I wanted to buy WECK is because I knew captures a disproportionate share of the of the potential it had.” network TV audience for many networks, Given its tower locations and coverage as well as a key consumer audience,” Meanwhile, adults aged 18-34 are crip- areas, WECK — in Shula’s view — was a Myers notes. pled with student loan debt and credit card “sleeping giant.” The same could be said of radio, given balances that may have double-digit inter- The owner of Culver Communications the typical audience breakout for est payments. They are also more likely knew Shula was interested in owning WECK; stations across the country. to consume less radio, instead turning to Shula approached him many times. “After Myers, who is a disciple of the late Spotify, YouTube, Pandora, SiriusXM or their many conversations regarding a purchase famed University profes- iTunes to enjoy music while considering a price, we settled on a number, and the pro- sor Neil Postman, is no spring chicken. podcast or two to stay informed on news cess began,” Shula says. “I was sad to leave He obtained his M.A. in Media Ecology and information. Entercom, because they treated me great for in 1976 and graduated from Syracuse Radha Subramanyam, Chief Research and 20 years, but when this opportunity came, I University’s Newhouse School of Public Analytics Officer at CBS, is cognizant of the had to go for it. I knew I could make a differ- Communications right before Neil “delayed ‘adulting’ of millennials — the key ence in the station, for the community, and Armstrong set foot on the moon. marketer target yet not necessarily the big- for the advertising community in Buffalo.” He’s a key member of the generation he gest spenders. She notes, “Audiences that A two-hour listen to WECK on a Friday so passionately writes about, and defends. have been left out of media plans are often midday yields no national spots. That said, “We have heard the old yarn that the the most affluent and the most likely to there were plenty of commercial breaks, all best way to cement future purchasing pat- drive spending across a range of categories, featuring local advertisers including grocer terns is to capture consumers while they are including auto, fine dining and travel.” The Market in the Square in West Seneca, young,” Myers writes. “But that philosophy N.Y.; the Made In America Store, which has does not take into account the transitory BUILT FOR BABY BOOMERS its own branded show on Saturday and and evolving nature of our society and the While there’s growing evidence that tar- Sunday mornings; Window World of Buffalo; actual behaviors of all consumers in today’s geting adults aged 60-75 can bring rich divi- Dermatology; and economy. Advertisers who want impact for dends to a broadcast media property — in Jamestown Mattress, which featured Shula their ad spend must change their mindset particular, radio — few if any operators have voicing the commercial. from youth-obsessed to ROI-focused. Who is responded in any way. On one recent weekday, WECK offered doing the viewing? Who has the discretion- That’s what makes Buffalo’s Buddy Shula well-known such as Van ary income? Who is on the bleeding edge a pioneer of sorts. Morrison’s “Moondance” alongside more of today’s trends? Boomers, boomers and In November 2016, an entity named Radio obscure Top 40 selections of the past, such boomers.” One Buffalo — not to be confused with Urban as the Tarriers’ late-1956 version of “The

12 · RBR.COM · FALL 2018 Banana Boat Song.” There’s a reason for the wide range of songs once staples of leg- endary stations of Buffalo’s past, including WKBW-AM 1520 and WYSL-AM 1400. “Our target audience is 50+ … more like 55+,” Shula says. “It is for the people who still love radio and have not abandoned it for other technologies. I feel that the only peo- ple who truly ‘get’ what radio is are adults 55 and over. They have wonderful memories of radio, and it is, and always will be, a trusted, consistent medium for them.” As such, WECK has a music library of more than 2,000 songs; KRTH “K-Earth 101” in its Oldies heyday had perhaps 400 songs in rota- tion, at most. What WECK does have in com- mon with the K-Earth of the 1990s is the pres- ence of legendary market air personalities. From noon-3pm weekdays is Harv Moore, still remembered as “The Boy Next Door” for his tenure in morning drive at WPGC-AM 1580 in Washington, D.C., during the 1960s and ’70s. He’s been connected to Buffalo since 1975. Tom Donahue of mid-’70s WGR-AM 550 fame is a morning co-host, alongside Gail radio station the person listens to. “These do think it would work great. The profits I Ann Huber, who started her career at now- are all young people, and none of them say am making go back into the company, with defunct WSPQ-AM in Springville, N.Y. In after- the listen to or like radio,” Shula observes. new equipment, hiring great people, giving noon drive is Dan Neaverth, well-known for “They almost give me the perception that incentives to my current great employees his long run at WKBW/WWKB and at former radio is ‘uncool.’ They mention Pandora, and providing exceptional service for adver- Oldies WHTT-FM. Spotify, and such.” tisers, including client creative strategies.” What does this say about the future of That said, Shula gives Entercom/Buffalo There’s also an argument that “AM revital- radio, given the AARP-friendly age of the credit for bringing listeners of all ages to ization,” which has come through the use of on-air staff? WBEN-AM and WGR-AM, the News/Talk and FM translators for many operators, can truly “We are a station that appreciates our Sports Talk stations, respectively. On a sum- be had by refocusing on the content heard on great, rich broadcast history,” Shula says. mer’s day in July 2017, RBR+TVBR enjoyed the AM signal — and targeting an audience “The heritage personalities I employ either a ride with a 43-year-old mother of two that has long been familiar with the band, decide to hang it up by choice or not by grade-school children who exclusively lis- and is perhaps a bit more tolerant of a bit of choice. There are many requests I get on a tened to WGR … and used SiriusXM for her static and a crackle during a thunderstorm. daily basis from big-time Buffalo broadcast- music cravings. “In Buffalo, AM radio is not extinct — it ers who are not working now. They want to “For music stations for people under 40, thrives,” Shula says, pointing to WBEN-AM, be on the air, even if it means not a lot of I think the ship has begun to sail,” Shula WGR-AM and WWSW-AM 1400, offering pay. I simply do not have the openings. But, laments. “It is the exact reason why HD “Solid Gold Soul” to the African-American if I could, they would be here now too. They Radio made hardly any impact. No one community in Buffalo. “The two FM metro want to do it for the love of the business. I cares about the quality of the sound. They translators are icing on the cake.” do not think I will ever run out of choices of care about the content, and for A celebratory cake for Shula and his great Buffalo DJs to employ.” people under 40 gives nothing that a lis- team may be on the way. In the Spring 2018 tener cannot find anywhere else.” Nielsen Audio ratings for Buffalo, WECK-AM HISTORY LESSONS FOR FUTURE This only reinforces the advertiser oppor- ranks with a 2.3 share, up from a 1.4 share GROWTH tunities Shula believes will make WECK a of listeners 12+ in fall 2017. The path Shula is paving in Western New financial success. It’s just another positive renaissance in a York most certainly speaks to a region that “If the 55+ audience are the only ones who city full of them. still cherishes its place in American folklore, really love radio, why wouldn’t radio want to “This city 30 years ago almost seemed from the Anchor Bar that gave birth to the talk to them, instead of trying to pretend that embarrassed of itself,” Shula says. “It was chicken wing to the “Beef on WECK,” which younger people like them?” he says. “I don’t one of those Rust Belt cities that was going could explain the station’s call letters. care if one person under 50 listens to my sta- nowhere. Buffalo has made a total transi- Could WECK work in other markets? It tion. They’re not my target.” tion. We have taken advantage of an incred- may take a special owner, and a group of For those who ask what happens to WECK ible proximity to Lake Erie, and to . determined and well-remembered market when the audience dies off, Shula responds, Education and health care facilities are sec- veterans, to do the job. It may also take “That will be a few decades from now, so I ond to none. Buffalo has steadily declined an audience that’s lived in the market for will be where they are anyway.” in market rank over the years, but I feel decades. One thing that’s not needed is the So could WECK work in a market as big as that will change. Buffalo is a city of great audience the majority of large broadcasting Chicago? What about Dayton, or Denver, or hearts. It’s an underdog city; it is not fake. companies continues to chase. Dubuque, Iowa? Does it snow? Yes. Other cities have their “I don’t care what Nielsen says,” Shula “Buffalo is a non-transient market,” problems.” says. “I don’t care what the big radio com- Shula says. “People are born here, and stay For years the city’s motto has been panies are saying. People under 40, and here for life. If there are other markets “Buffalo is Talkin’ Proud.” Now, that’s especially under 30, are not listening to ter- like that, then I think they should copy the exactly what Shula is doing about a station restrial radio by choice.” WECK radio model. If there is a rich history that’s proud to serve Buffalo, and its most At every drive-through window he in broadcasting in that area, with many loyal residents. approaches, Shula asks the attendant what names that still live in that market, yes, I

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