Philadelphia PPM Ratings: January 2015

[Questionable]

While I have yet to see an actual news story saying 101.1 is up for sale, I will say this: I would think CBS would love to be the highest bidder so they can own the dominant AC station as well as the Classic Hits station that would probably consistently be in the top 2 if it weren't for said AC station. Anyone in his right mind would want to control both of these stations so they can be programmed to compliment each other, not step on each others toes, and bill through the roof! If 101.1 really is available, CBS would have to be completely bonkers to not want it. And for the love of God, yes, they should absolutely sell 1210 AM in order to make this a reality.

All that having been said, I strongly dislike the idea of 101.1 no longer being independently owned. I may not have always agreed with their philosophies (I still shudder when I hear those stupid song tags), but their business model has been gorgeous through most of this hideous age of consolidation. It's a little easier to stay on top when every other station in town is watering their product down to the equivalent of audio diarrhea.

 

[Questionable]

The rumor is that WBEB is for sale. If CBS purchased More FM, then they would probably keep playing the music they are currently playing mostly 2000s then this would have no effect on WOGL. But what I have found very strange...is that I noticed WOGL playing more 60s music. While other classic hits stations are playing very few if none..they have increased their's slightly. Has anyone else noticed this? I still think that 1979-1992 should be the demo for classic hits, but WOGL is not following this even though they were not in the top 7 in the all important 25-54 demo.

I was in the Tampa area over the weekend and got to check in with one of my favorite Classic Hits stations, Q105. Up until very recently, they were CBS-owned (they were one of the stations involved in the CBS/Beasley swap deal). They are able to play so many songs that WOGL would probably love to be adding. Late '80s and early '90s pop which (perhaps sadly) really does belong in the Classic Hits (let's face it: Oldies) catalog. Bon Jovi, Paula Abdul, even Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. WOGL could add the same titles but, come on, WBEB would totally do the same thing right away. Now, if CBS owned 98.1 *and* 101.1...well, that would change everything!

So for now, WOGL is frozen in time. And if your perception is correct, they're actually sliding *back* in time a bit! Can't say I blame them!

 

[Bob Eubanks]

I'm curious about the "WOGL would love to add" reference. The management would "love to add" what delivers the results, wouldn't they? It's not like they, or CBS, is running a vanity project there. And as David points out, they do a good amount of testing.

Sure, WBEB could up the '80s quotient, which they've eased up on over time, but it's not as if 98 and 101 haven't shared significant overlap over the past two and a half decades. And it's not as if CBS doesn't face strong competition elsewhere. More FM is strong, and deserving of plenty of praise, but come on, no one, no matter how well run, is all-powerful.

 

[AM/FMRAINMAN]

I was in the Tampa area over the weekend and got to check in with one of my favorite Classic Hits stations, Q105. Up until very recently, they were CBS-owned (they were one of the stations involved in the CBS/Beasley swap deal). They are able to play so many songs that WOGL would probably love to be adding. Late '80s and early '90s pop which (perhaps sadly) really does belong in the Classic Hits (let's face it: Oldies) catalog. Bon Jovi, Paula Abdul, even Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. WOGL could add the same titles but, come on, WBEB would totally do the same thing right away. Now, if CBS owned 98.1 *and* 101.1...well, that would change everything!

So for now, WOGL is frozen in time. And if your perception is correct, they're actually sliding *back* in time a bit! Can't say I blame them!

I agree with you, how great WRBQ is. They actually sound like a hybrid of hot hits 98 WCAU FM and Eagle 106. Here is the website so you can listen to this station anytime http://myq105.com/. As far as worrying about what More FM is playing...I don't get that. Why do they care what they play? So if they both play 80s and 90s they will split the market. WOGL will still have a younger audience than they have now.

 

[Questionable]

It's not that complicated. I don't know if a lot of people get that currently WOGL's biggest obstacle in the market is WBEB.

Most of CBS's Classic Hits stations share a lot more similarity than any of them do with WOGL. That's because the way things have shaken out in Philly, WBEB (already a significant reason WOGL's ratings aren't higher) can and certainly would add more of the newer Classic Hits titles if WOGL tried. (WISX could do the same but I'm not entirely convinced anyone at iHM is actually listening to that station--LOL.)

I have very little doubt that testing shows that Philadelphia's Classic Hits demo (being the same age as the rest of the country's Classic Hits demo) would like to hear some of those newer titles being aired on virtually every other Classic Hits station in the country. WOGL could add them but WBEB (again, already looming large over WOGL's possibilities) would surely make a preemptive move. WBEB is and has always been very good at protecting themselves without alienating their core. This would be no different.

If you believe that WOGL is standing still in time for as long as they are because they just like it or because their testing differs that wildly from that of the rest of the Classic Hits stations in the country, that's fine too.

 

[Questionable]

I agree with you, how great WRBQ is. They actually sound like a hybrid of hot hits 98 WCAU FM and Eagle 106. Here is the website so you can listen to this station anytime http://myq105.com/. As far as worrying about what More FM is playing...I don't get that. Why do they care what they play? So if they both play 80s and 90s they will split the market. WOGL will still have a younger audience than they have now.

Until recently, I'm pretty sure they were even using quite a bit of the imaging CAU and Eagle had used in the past. I feel fortunate that I am in the Tampa market often enough to hear them on a regular basis. For my tastes, they have one of the best Classic Hits libraries I've heard anywhere on terrestrial radio.

 

[davideduardo]

Up until very recently, they were CBS-owned They are able to play so many songs that WOGL would probably love to be adding. Late '80s and early '90s pop which (perhaps sadly) really does belong in the Classic Hits (let's face it: Oldies) catalog. Bon Jovi, Paula Abdul, even Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. WOGL could add the same titles but, come on, WBEB would totally do the same thing right away.

Tampa is a market where "everyone" is from somewhere else. It's a consensus market, with little local heritage. And due to lifestyle, climate and many other factors, it has a foundational base that is different from most Northeastern markets where there is more tradition in media usage and far less population flux.

If WOGL is or is not playing a certain song, the main decision is based on how the WOGL core reacts to it.

There is really no song that management "wants" to play. It's based on music testing and quantitative analysis that determines "fit" to the station's core.

 

[davideduardo]

Until recently, I'm pretty sure they were even using quite a bit of the imaging CAU and Eagle had used in the past. I feel fortunate that I am in the Tampa market often enough to hear them on a regular basis. For my tastes, they have one of the best Classic Hits libraries I've heard anywhere on terrestrial radio.

Yet based on the last three books (equivalent of Fall 2014) of CBS operation, WRBQ was 14th in its market in 25-54, while WOGL was 6th in its market. Obviously, WOGL does what it is doing because it works in its particular market.

 

[Questionable]

Dear Lord, David. You know what I meant. Stop nitpicking everything. I used to love everything you posted but now it seems like you just want to argue with everyone. Also, I straight-up disagree with you about WOGL not thinking of other stations in town (especially WBEB) when they're making programming decisions. They'd be morons not to!

 

[Bob Eubanks]

Wouldn't it be reasonable to say if their (WOGL's) testing showed them conclusively that the '60s music was, for the most part, no longer welcome, that they would move on to what the audience actually wants so far as the right mix goes?

And aren't there AC stations in other CBS classic hits markets that also overlap in that '80s (and early '90s) space? Yeah, we get that WBEB is especially good at what they do, but the idea that no one will so much as approach their margins seems a bit much. WOGL seems to be effectively managing to do quite well, and if and when the time comes that their their data shows it's time to adjust, or risk losing the decent position they have in the 35-54 range, I'd bet they will. Turning your listeners off because someone else MIGHT react isn't a successful approach either. Plus, in all fairness, different executives can have different philosophies--and even those who stay around can adjust their approach as times and audiences change. It's not like Moses coming down with the what a station will always do on a stone tablet.

I'm not sure how David is nitpicking, though. He's pointing out some numbers that "are what they are." That's not a condemnation of personal preferences, but it does provide an illustration of the business reality, doesn't it?

 

[davideduardo]

Dear Lord, David. You know what I meant. Stop nitpicking everything. I used to love everything you posted but now it seems like you just want to argue with everyone. Also, I straight-up disagree with you about WOGL not thinking of other stations in town (especially WBEB) when they're making programming decisions. They'd be morons not to!

I'm not arguing... I am trying to explain why what a commonly owned and locally researched station in one market plays is not going to have much to do with a different market. That is why KOOL or KRTH or WRBQ (prior to the sale) had different lists.

WOGL's competition is really just about every station that appeals to the 35-54 demo. In every market where there is a classic hits station there is also at least one well performing AC station... sometimes several in different flavors. If a station only focuses on one competitor they are not recognizing the fact that PPM reveals that the average listener cumes 6 different stations each week and even more over greater periods of time. So looking to your left without looking to the right as well as up and down will kill you in this environment.

CBS is pretty consistent in doing both AMTs and perceptual tests for it larger stations. Picking the core demos and the core sound will be more a function of perceptual projects or reviews, and the AMT is going to be, by recruit, focused on the heavier users / potential heavier users of the station in order to pick the songs to play and identify the ones not to play.

It's just my experience that once a station gets an AMT, the focus is in putting the best songs from the test on the air and getting the others off. At that stage, I don't ever recall anyone saying, "does the competitor play this". We already have scores, familiarity and burn on our test list, and we have various ways of determining "fit". I just personally doubt that WOGL is, at that point, focusing on guessing what WBEB's strategy might be if we added or did not add certain tunes.

And I really doubt that WBEB is sitting there with a list of songs they would play if WOGL changed. How could you possibly research something that listeners have not even heard and which is not currently being done? WBEB is playing the best songs for WBEB's listeners today. If there are changes, they will pick up on them in their next music test.

 

[Questionable]

None of you seems willing to understand what I'm actually saying. It seems like folks are more interested with bickering and picking everything apart piece by piece. I think I'm just going to post about 1210 AM from now on.

 

[Questionable]

I'm not arguing... I am trying to explain why what a commonly owned and locally researched station in one market plays is not going to have much to do with a different market. That is why KOOL or KRTH or WRBQ (prior to the sale) had different lists.

WOGL's competition is really just about every station that appeals to the 35-54 demo. In every market where there is a classic hits station there is also at least one well performing AC station... sometimes several in different flavors. If a station only focuses on one competitor they are not recognizing the fact that PPM reveals that the average listener cumes 6 different stations each week and even more over greater periods of time. So looking to your left without looking to the right as well as up and down will kill you in this environment.

CBS is pretty consistent in doing both AMTs and perceptual tests for it larger stations. Picking the core demos and the core sound will be more a function of perceptual projects or reviews, and the AMT is going to be, by recruit, focused on the heavier users / potential heavier users of the station in order to pick the songs to play and identify the ones not to play.

It's just my experience that once a station gets an AMT, the focus is in putting the best songs from the test on the air and getting the others off. At that stage, I don't ever recall anyone saying, "does the competitor play this". We already have scores, familiarity and burn on our test list, and we have various ways of determining "fit". I just personally doubt that WOGL is, at that point, focusing on guessing what WBEB's strategy might be if we added or did not add certain tunes.

And I really doubt that WBEB is sitting there with a list of songs they would play if WOGL changed. How could you possibly research something that listeners have not even heard and which is not currently being done? WBEB is playing the best songs for WBEB's listeners today. If there are changes, they will pick up on them in their next music test.

I don't know how else to explain what I've been saying but it's not quite this. I agree with what you're saying here but you're taking what I was saying to extremes. LOL. Take the thread and run with it if you want, I'm done. Like DONE.

 

[Unregistered]

Why WOGL is different:

Philadelphia is older, more insular than Houston, Phoenix, or even New York.

Philadelphia is cultural stuck in the 70s (Rocky, Hall and Oates, Sound of Philadelphia, Flyers Stanley Cups, Phillies in the playoffs every year). Disco is a part of that.

WOGL makes this older generation nostalgic for the traditional city neighborhoods, many of which embraced Motown, Disco, and late Bandstand era music.


Having said that:

Some of their heavy rotation choices stick out like a sore thumb (Let the Music Play, On Broadway, Forget Me Not)

Like KYW, they have to sound different in five years.

 

[AM/FMRAINMAN]

Why WOGL is different:

Philadelphia is older, more insular than Houston, Phoenix, or even New York.

Philadelphia is cultural stuck in the 70s (Rocky, Hall and Oates, Sound of Philadelphia, Flyers Stanley Cups, Phillies in the playoffs every year). Disco is a part of that.

WOGL makes this older generation nostalgic for the traditional city neighborhoods, many of which embraced Motown, Disco, and late Bandstand era music.


Having said that:

Some of their heavy rotation choices stick out like a sore thumb (Let the Music Play, On Broadway, Forget Me Not)

Like KYW, they have to sound different in five years.

It seems like everytime I turn on the station they are playing 60s motown. I then realized that is pretty much the only 60s music they play minus the Beatles and a couple of other artists. I would prefer them to play 80s and early 90s soul and remove the 60s myself(progress). They also seem to play some 60s songs 6-7 times a week comparable to some 80s songs only played twice a week. I think this is because there are lot more 80s and they are stuck on playing 2-3 60s songs an hour still.