Hola Central Mass!
Niche markets attract local radio programming
Driven in part by competition from satellite radio and other media, local radio stations are seeking to carve out niche audiences in an effort to attract ad dollars. One station is dedicated solely to Spanish speakers, while another station has created an HD spin- off targeting gays and lesbians.
Language listeners
For English-speaking residents of Central Massachusetts, there are dozens of choices on the radio dial: pop, hip hop, talk, hard rock, soft rock and much more. For Spanish speakers, whether they are fans of salsa or simply commuters looking for a traffic report, there is only one place to turn for round-the-clock Spanish programming: WORC-AM.
Gois Broadcasting, LLC, a family-owned company that manages several Spanish-language stations in different markets, purchased WORC in 2005 after noticing the Latino market in the area was underserved.
"The ratings have gone up pretty consistently since we have taken over, and we're very happy with the results," said station manager Ivon Gois.
The station, at 1310 AM, focuses mainly on music, playing styles from all over Latin America. It also broadcasts a morning talk show and news, weather and traffic reports and has local D.J.s on the air from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. There are also specialized shows on the weekend, including one that plays nothing but Latin music form the 40s, 50s and 60s.
"That's a very popular show," Gois said.
Gois said it can sometimes be difficult convincing potential advertisers that there is promise in the Latino market, but he said the station is increasing its base of advertisers all the time.
"More and more every day are recognizing the potential and have decided to invest their advertising dollars with us," he said. "And they've seen a return for it."
Worcester's Pride Comes Out
While WORC is a traditional AM station, radio powerhouse Clear Channel is using the latest technology to reach the gay and lesbian market.
Digital - or HD - radio, which radio giants like Clear Channel call the wave of the future, is known for providing richer, static-free sound. But another aspect of the technology is "multicasting," or subdividing digital signals to broadcast more information over the same bandwidth. That lets stations add what amount to extra channels alongside their regular programming. Many new digital radios offer listeners the ability to tune into these "HD2" channels at the same frequency as the regular station.
Clear Channel is beginning to use the extra space on the digital radio dial to offer things like 24-hour traffic or weather stations. But in some markets, it also offers content geared to specific demographics. In Worcester, the latest such station is Worcester's Pride, a side band of
WSRS aimed at a gay audience. The station, available at www.worcesterspride.com as well as on HD radio, features mainly dance music and also some syndicated talk programming.
WSRS program director Tom Holt said the company launched Worcester's Pride a few months ago and has not yet begun promoting it heavily, but he expects it to do well.
"I think there's a fairly large gay community in Central Massachusetts, so when we get the word out there will be quite a lot of people listening to it," he said.
WBJ Web Partners
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments