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No matter the subject, conservatism is a favorite excuse for why Rochester does not try new things.
But in radio, at least, chancy formats run into more trouble with finances than with fogies.
"The idea of (Rochester) being a conservative market is bogus crap," says Jay Meyers, a Pittsford resident who worked in Rochester radio and now is president and chief operating officer of Sherman Broadcasting Co. in New York City.
"The fact of the matter is that no matter where the market is, (a niche format like classical, jazz or new age) will generate only 2 to 3 percent of the listening audience," he says. "In New York or Chicago, you can make a lot of money with that 2 to 3 percent share, but not in Rochester."
Meyers figures a share like that could garner a station in Philadelphia $4.5 million to $5 million--with perhaps a $2 million profit--and one in New York City roughly $7 million--$2 million to $3 million after expenses.
In Rochester, however, where the radio industry last year generated $24 million in revenues, a 3 percent share translates into a mere $720,000--before expenses.
"No matter how much you cut," Meyers says, "you cannot run a radio station for less than $800,000 or $900,000 in Rochester, N.Y."
Heavily indebted stations are even worse off, he notes. A $2 million bank loan, for instance, could cost a station $30,000 a month.
Consultant Bob Scott, who founded the predecessor to National Satellite Entertainment and now runs Bob Scott Productions, agrees: "As Rush Limbaugh says, 'If you follow the money stream, you'll know why certain things aren't done.'"
Rochester also suffers from a case of being "under-radioed." That is, because of its engineering configuration, it has fewer radio frequencies than other markets its size.
Further, though there is some overlap in adult-contemporary and rock, each station in town really has its own niche. The one exception, observers say, may be rock WRQI-FM,...