Access Atlanta > Entertainment > Radio Talk > Archives > 2008 > October > 19 > Entry
10/19: Summer ratings - True Oldies, Jazz, Praise, Kiss, River, Steve & Vikki up; Rock 100.5, country, Q100, Viva down
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The summer radio ratings book had more strange fluctuations than usual. But then again, the summer book isn’t as important as spring or fall. Plus, this is the final quarterly book using paper diaries, a technology dating back decades. So I doubt radio station execs will sweat these numbers too much, especially those who had relatively poor results.
Right now, Atlanta is being measured by a new “people meter” technology, the first results coming November 5. About 1,350 metro Atlantans are being used at any one time vs. 400 weekly diaries. And the panel won’t change much over time so in the future, ratings won’t fluctuate as much, a good thing for everybody involved. Results will also come out more quickly in monthly doses instead of quarterly. Radio stations will know if new shows or format shifts are working much quicker. And that’s a good thing, assuming radio station management doesn’t over-react or micromanage with more information flooding in.
Good news:
- Steve & Vikki had a great debut, opening in fourth place among 25 to 54 year olds. A year ago, Steve & Vikki on Star 94 ranked 6th in that demo.
-True Oldies 106.7 had an enormous summer book. I don’t think its predecessor Eagle had such a great book for years. I don’t think Cool 105.7 had such numbers during its life and Fox 97.1 didn’t do nearly as well in its final years either. Fluke? Who knows. The growth mostly came in time spent listening, the more volatile measure. The station ranked 12th overall vs. 20th in the spring.
-Mayhem in the A.M. The Mike Bell-less morning show had one of its best ratings books ever, ranked 4th among men 25-54, beating 680’s The Rude Awakening.
-Two stations that have had relatively week ratings books in the past 18 months, Smooth Jazz and Fish did better than they have in ages. Kiss 104.1 also bounced back while Grown Folks 102.5 retreated. (Tom Joyner beat Steve Harvey among 25 to 54 year olds after losing for the first time ever in the spring.) Praise also found its footing with its best ratings in at least a couple of years.
Not-so-good-news:
-The Bert Show took a hit, falling from 5th to 8th among 25 to 54 year olds, with “time spent listening” falling sharply among 18 to 34 year olds, though the show remained at No. 2 there.
-The Regular Guys also lost momentum after a promising opening. Ratings among 18 to 34 year olds dropped in half, from 2nd to 9th. Among 25 to 54 year olds, the station fell from 6th to 11th.
-Giant Brian slipped back among older listeners, going from 9th to 17th among 25 to 54 year olds but held up just fine in its target 18 to 34 year olds, ranking 10th, just behind the Regular Guys.
-Country had a tough summer as both major metro country stations sang the blues. Kicks 101.5 slipped out of the top 10 for the first time in recent memory while 94.9/The Bull had the lowest ratings of any of the local 100,000 watt FM stations, ranking just 19th with a very low amount of time spent listening.
-VIva 105.7 had its worst performance ever overall. Once a top 5 station among 18 to 34 year olds when it first aired a few years, it has slipped off big time, especially since sister station El Patron began a couple years back. It’s ranked 10th, a slight improvement over the past two quarters among 18 to 34 year olds but dropped from 15th to 21st among to 25 to 54 year olds.
Here are the top 5 stations in terms of total listeners (dubbed “cume” in the industry):
1- V-103: 847,100 (vs. 824K a year ago)
2-WSB-AM: 732,500 (vs. 752,700 a year ago)
3- 95.5/The Beat 602,800 (vs. 552,900 a yr ago)
4- 97.1/The River 567,300 (vs. 551,200 a yr ago)
5- Kiss 104.1: 559,100 (vs. 454,800 a yr ago)
Here are the top 5 stations in terms of “time spent listening,” which tends to be more volatile in measurement terms than cume. It also tends to favor formats that are relatively ‘exclusive’ (like Hispanic stations or oldies) though V-103 proves the power of arguably the most powerful brand in town.
1- La Raza 102.3: 11 hours 30 minutes (though only 31,800 cumulative listeners)
2- True Oldies 106.7: 8 hours 30 minutes (up from 5 hours 45 minutes in the spring)
2 (tie) - V-103: 8 hours 30 minutes (vs. 7:45 in spring and 8:15 a year ago)
4- El Patron: 8 hours, 15 minutes (though the station has lost half its listeners in a year and 20 percent of listening among those who stuck around)
5- 96.7/The Legend: 8 hours (this is the only country station in the metro area to show signs of life though its signal is very limited)
The top 10 morning shows among 25 to 54 year olds: rank, show, station, format (spring rank)
1- Frank & Wanda, V-103, R&B/hip-hop (1)
2- Tom Joyner, Kiss 104.1, R&B (4)
3- Scott Slade, WSB-AM, news/talk (2)
4- Steve & Vikki, B98.5, soft rock (7, as Kelly & Alpha)
5- Steve Harvey, Grown Folks 102.5, R&B/talk (3)
6- Yolanda Adams, Praise 97.5, gospel (9)
7- The River (no regular morning show host in summer, now Kaedy Kiely), rock (11)
8 (tie) - Kelly & Taylor, 104.7/The Fish, Christian pop (12)
8 (tie) - The Bert Show, Q100, top 40 (5)
10 - Cadillac & Dallas, Kicks 101.5, country (8)
Among 18 to 34 year olds
1- Frank & Wanda, V-103, R&B/hip-hop (1)
2- The Bert Show, Q100, Top 40 (2)
3- The “A” Team (now gone, replaced by Rickey Smiley), Hot 107.9, hip-hop (4)
4- Yolanda Adams, Praise 97.5, gospel (12)
5- Steve Harvey, Grown Folks 102.5, R&B/talk (6)
6 (tie) - Steve & Vikki, B98.5, soft rock (9-tie when it was Kelly & Alpha)
6 (tie) - C.J. & Murph Dawg, 95.5/The Beat, R&B/hip-hop (5)
8 - Patrones de la Manana, 105.3/El Patron, Spanish pop (9-tie)
9- Regular Guys, Rock 100.5, rock (2)
10- Giant Brian & Shaffee, Project 9-6-1, rock (11)
SOURCE: Arbitron, covering summer, June 26 to Sept. 17, 2008
Comments
By Randall Bloomquist - WGST PD
October 19, 2008 7:04 PM | Link to this
And yet….I still have a job. I am just as perplexed as everyone else as to why I’m still employed. After all, I am the worst Program Director in the entire history of radio.
By Get it right
October 20, 2008 8:25 AM | Link to this
It’s Cadillac and DALLAS (pssst, Kristen is on with the wacko Cletus) Rodney notes: FIXED!
By Bud
October 20, 2008 9:32 AM | Link to this
It’s good to see that Reject 9-6-1 is going down the toilet…106.7 plays some good stuff, and they’re being rewarded by the market. If we could get The River to stop putting a station bumper BETWEEN EACH AND EVERY SONG we’d have a pretty good setup here in Atlanta.
By AJ
October 20, 2008 10:41 AM | Link to this
While I don’t listen to Steve & Vicki, I find it hilarious that they are in the Top 10 of 18-34 while Star 94’s Morning Mess is no where to be found. I guess the “morning mess” takes on more than one meaning!
Didn’t Star fire S&V so they can skew younger?
By I Told You So!
October 20, 2008 10:46 AM | Link to this
… and Star 94 and the Morning Mess is NOWHERE to be found! Nice job, Mark Kanov and Dan Bowen!
By Randall Bloomquist
October 20, 2008 10:52 AM | Link to this
Any mention of WGST 640 am? You know I fired everyone who worked there!
By Radio Boy
October 20, 2008 10:57 AM | Link to this
Ha ha ha ha the regular gays ratings are going down faster than Larry on a young college boy… Stale radio my friends! cc
By Chuck Deskins
October 20, 2008 11:02 AM | Link to this
Hey wachs… can you hire me? I need a job and I cant afford gas to get back to Tampa.. please hellllllp me!
By LOL
October 20, 2008 11:45 AM | Link to this
The reason that the “Morning Mess” is not listed is because Pre-K to Junior High listeners is not a group that advertisers are trying to impress. I hope those folks are renting.
By Garrett the 44 year old intern
October 20, 2008 11:49 AM | Link to this
The Regular Guys are soooooooooo 2000. Glad to see the boys failing miserably.
By HAHA!
October 20, 2008 12:38 PM | Link to this
The Bert Show could do better if Bert and Jeff stop taking their many vacations and leaving the show in the hands of the women. When that happens I usually switch channels. Plus I didn’t see the morning mess on here either… I hope they are only renting as well….
By Bud
October 20, 2008 3:11 PM | Link to this
the regular guys show is stale. sss needs to go back to being a stunt man or larrys whipping boy. its the same 4 segements every show. no one seems interested. sounds like they are mailing it in. it was so much better back in 1999-2003. now its run its course.
By milt
October 20, 2008 6:16 PM | Link to this
glad the zone is back on top of 680, real glad, 680 is a bunch of stale conservative one trick pony white boyz.
By zonedog
October 20, 2008 6:31 PM | Link to this
agreed, 790’s talent is far more entertaining. buck and kincaid have lapsed into this boring sameness, they have nothing innovative.
By Walter
October 21, 2008 8:20 AM | Link to this
These ratings confirm my personal opinion that although the Regular Guys started off strong - funnier, a bit on the humbler side of things - they are back to being know-it-all A-holes about everything. Back to the same old Lame Lame Lame show. I haven’t turned them on in weeks - with Fox News, who needs these lard heads?
By Sarah
October 21, 2008 9:31 AM | Link to this
Walter is exactly right. These idiots are the very definition of narrowcasting. Same tired bits, and now “calls from the general public” and “email bucket” are almost entirely anti-Democrat screeds over and over again. Even though this is a Red State, it’s still 60% R and 40% D. So they are p** off 40% of their potential audience every day. Not very smart, and their ratings are starting to show it.
By MyWay
October 21, 2008 10:49 AM | Link to this
I’m tired of TRG too. Loved it when they came back, now they’re just old and boring. Haven’t listened for more than 5 minutes at a stretch during the last month. Whenever I flip over, I realize its the same stuff I’ve heard from them a thousand times before. They used to be good, now they just need to hang it up.
By Fiddle Faddle
October 21, 2008 12:20 PM | Link to this
I agree TRG are stale as ever. Come up with some new bits or something, ANYTHING! I havent listened in months.
By Fed Up With TRG
October 21, 2008 12:43 PM | Link to this
Stop the presses! The Regular Guys are failing again! I guess that’s what happens when you just phone it in.
By the way, TRG admitted last week that they’ve been lying to us all along. They had this big thing where SSS supposedly drank human blood, then they came back the next day and admitted that he wasn’t drinking real blood after all. And the reason they gave for fessin’ up was laughable on it’s face (they said some of SSS’s old skank girlfriends were upset.)
So what does does this mean for the casual TRG listener? Shoot Steve—-Fake! Shock Steve—-Fake! Beat Steve with his Daddy’s Fingerless Arm—-Fake! SSS Smelling Bee—-Fake!
By The Regulay Gays
October 21, 2008 1:34 PM | Link to this
Maybe Steves “deddy” really didnt die? I bet SS7’s 390 count of women is wrong too. What a bunch of hacks.
By Falconi
October 21, 2008 3:30 PM | Link to this
I try to listen to 680, but the conservative sports talk format isn’t for me. 680 needs to leave that up to 750. The morning show is full of political talk not sports.
By Falconi
October 21, 2008 3:33 PM | Link to this
I try to listen to 680, but the conservative sports talk format isn’t for me. 680 needs to leave that up to 750. The morning show is full of political talk not sports.
By Chuck Deskins
October 21, 2008 6:17 PM | Link to this
Someone, please hire me. I am sick of cleaning the toilets at the Walmart on Bankhead Highway. I don’t have skills other than driving radio stations into the ground and cleaning toilets. Bloomquist over at WGST still has a radio job, so why not me?
By Randall Bloomquist - WGST PD
October 21, 2008 6:27 PM | Link to this
Bippity Bop! Diddle Whack!! Boing! I have a radio job and Deskins doesn’t!!! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!
Clean up on Aisle 9. Overflowing toilet in the women’s restroom.
By fleetwood
October 21, 2008 6:47 PM | Link to this
Tenth place with virtually no competition?? Time for KICKS to cut some major fat out of their morning show budget.
By Informed Listener
October 21, 2008 9:57 PM | Link to this
TRG got a big head from their Spring ratings. Now they are paying the price. They need to re-group and get it together. Or else they will be replaced by Barnes & Baron. C’mon Wachs you can doooooo it!
By Calandro
October 22, 2008 2:33 PM | Link to this
TRG ratings dropped in half.. hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! how u like dem apples Wacks?
By Paula
October 23, 2008 7:28 AM | Link to this
I’ll bet Steve and Vicki ratings drop back down quickly when the B98.5 listeners wonder why these 2 loonies were ever brought back to radio. Steve and Vicki had gotten silly and stupid on Star 94 and things haven’t changed on B98.5. It won’t belong before the old people that listen to them turn the channel.
By Paula
October 23, 2008 7:28 AM | Link to this
I’ll bet Steve and Vicki ratings drop back down quickly when the B98.5 listeners wonder why these 2 loonies were ever brought back to radio. Steve and Vicki had gotten silly and stupid on Star 94 and things haven’t changed on B98.5. It won’t belong before the old people that listen to them turn the channel.