KJZZ Makes News

[Deus Ex Machiato]

So if you know the audience is shrinking, the budget shrinks accordingly.

So rather than try to reach more people, you throw your hands up and say "welp, nothing we can do here. Just keep dropping off phone books at people's houses and hope for the best. What's that? Printing costs have gone up? Make the books smaller!"

Don't invest in your product. Don't try to build your brand. Don't try to grow the business. Just keep doing what you're doing on an ever-shrinking budget. Surely this will lead to success...

 

[davideduardo]

KOOL has the audience it can sell. KOAI has a bigger share, but they can't sell it. I would bet KOOL still makes more money than the competition in the format. That's all that matters.

The interesting thing is that the collapse of KOOL-FM has little or anything to do with KOAI; KOAI has a 0.6 in 25-54 and is 29th in that demo. KOOL's loss has to do with other factors. KOOL-FM is 23rd in 25-54 and they simply disintegrated in their core demo.

 

[TheBigA]

Don't invest in your product. Don't try to build your brand. Don't try to grow the business. Just keep doing what you're doing on an ever-shrinking budget. Surely this will lead to success...

You're using a lot of words without any specifics.

 

[TheBigA]

The interesting thing is that the collapse of KOOL-FM has little or anything to do with KOAI;

I didn't say it did. If KOOL wanted the 55+ audience, they could be a Top 5 station. They can't sell 55+.

But that audience was clearly there, as John Sebastian predicted. All he did was give them what they want.

 

[Deus Ex Machiato]

You're using a lot of words without any specifics.

I'm not the one arguing that the path forward is to not attempt to grow the business.

 

[TheBigA]

I'm not the one arguing that the path forward is to not attempt to grow the business.

Show me where I said that. Stop talking in jargon and cliches.

 

[davideduardo]

It already has. As the post above yours pointed out, there are no longer full heritage staffs (other than morning drive) at any of the classic hits stations. That's already happened, and in most of those markets, the stations are still Top 5. WCBS is #3, KRTH is #2, WOMC is #1. Phoenix is the only one. I don't believe it's a function of spending money. Spending money won't bring back the past. That's what the audience wants. It's not going to happen.

Some of this is a function of the ratings mechanics, the sample size, the extreme weighting of some demos and the extension of panel households beyond the usual 2-year limit.

Another factor is the increase in multi-generational households due to the pandemic. This means that, often, at home listening is controlled by the oldest generation. Add in the shortage of meters, acceptance of non-complying households and the pandemic ingeneral and we still have unusual conditions and a very bad sample.

I didn't say it did. If KOOL wanted the 55+ audience, they could be a Top 5 station. They can't sell 55+.

I didn't say you said it did. I was just adding an additonal fact to the subject since I had just spent about 6 hours picking the PHX book apart to see if I can segregate sample problems from changes in listening patterns. I still find lots of things that can only be explained by a poor sample.

 

[TheBigA]

I still find lots of things that can only be explained by a poor sample.

So you're saying we're drawing conclusions from faulty numbers. Is that only in Phoenix?

If the 6+ numbers were organized by cume, KOOL would be a Top 5 station.

 

[davideduardo]

So you're saying we're drawing conclusions from faulty numbers. Is that only in Phoenix?

No. You probably saw that the MRC is doing a deep dive in 8 PPM markets, and increasing their analysis of all the rest. There are so many abnormal factors that stations are looking at multiple books before believing anything.

If the 6+ numbers were organized by cume, KOOL would be a Top 5 station.

But the TSL just collapsed compared with 15 to 18 months ago. I suppose I could look at BDS and see rotations, library size, categories and an era map at 6 month intervals... but that is too much like real work.

 

[Deus Ex Machiato]

Show me where I said that. Stop talking in jargon and cliches.

So if you know the audience is shrinking, the budget shrinks accordingly.

This tells me you believe that "welp, the audience is shrinking, and there's nothing we can do other than cut the budget."

Again, a business has to grow to survive. Growth needs investment. Expanding costs money. You seem to be saying that the path forward for a business with a shrinking clientele is to cut the budget to adapt to that shrinkage rather than attempt to expand and reach more customers.

It's like a restaurant that sees a 5% decline in business year to year, and instead of coming up with new dishes or trying to provide a higher level of service, the place fires half the kitchen staff.

 

[TheBigA]

Again, a business has to grow to survive. Growth needs investment. Expanding costs money.

Did you read the interview with David Field? They're investing lots of money in lots of areas. Maybe you can be specific.

https://radioink.com/2022/04/21/field-upbeat-about-future/

It's like a restaurant that sees a 5% decline in business year to year, and instead of coming up with new dishes or trying to provide a higher level of service, the place fires half the kitchen staff.

A classic hits radio station is not a restaurant where they can add new songs. They play classic hits in a certain range in order to reach a certain demographic. That's how radio works. You keep harping on firing the staff, and that's ancient history.

 

[TheBigA]

But the TSL just collapsed compared with 15 to 18 months ago. I suppose I could look at BDS and see rotations, library size, categories and an era map at 6 month intervals... but that is too much like real work.

So you're saying it's likely a music issue? Not a budget issue?

 

[PTBoardOp94]

Again, a business has to grow to survive. Growth needs investment. Expanding costs money. You seem to be saying that the path forward for a business with a shrinking clientele is to cut the budget to adapt to that shrinkage rather than attempt to expand and reach more customers.

Yes, absolutely. One can make an argument that radio is undergoing (for the last 10-15 years) what's known in business as structural change or disruption.

The most common response(s) to structural change are to shrink expenses to match revenues and try to expand into other lines of business. All of the major broadcasters are in decent financial shape right now, and can obtain financing, if they can convince lenders or investors that the move is good. Obviously it would be a bad move if Audacy decided to expand into making recliners, but perhaps a bit better if they try to buy the rights to the Dave Ramsey Show and its podcast.

 

[Sammi Brie]

Obviously it would be a bad move if Audacy decided to expand into making recliners, but perhaps a bit better if they try to buy the rights to the Dave Ramsey Show and its podcast.

I know what to get the Media Hut for Christmas...

 

[davideduardo]

So you're saying it's likely a music issue? Not a budget issue?

There are so many variables with the problems with the PPM sample that making a firm conclusion is not possible or safe. But I would expect some other stations with similar demos to also "bounce" over the last 6-9 months and I can' find anything obvious. This looks like something that affected TSL but not cume. Yet in the BDS, I don't find a music change that would do that.

This is where I'd start talking to listeners to see if they have truly defected. If the station has contest winners from early last year when the numbers were good, I'd try to recruit some of them to do online one-on-ones to dig into perceptions.

And any in demo listeners in PHX on this board can chime in. In-demo means 35-54, and they should be people who listen or used to listen at least an hour in the average day.

 

[DrAkbar]

I know what to get the Media Hut for Christmas...

How thoughtful! We'd really like the recliner that has a built in refrigerated cooler to keep our adult beverages at the right temperature. Can you imagine Nurse Jeff sippin' a tall cool one while listening to BANG 545?

 

[davideduardo]

How thoughtful! We'd really like the recliner that has a built in refrigerated cooler to keep our adult beverages at the right temperature.

That recliner, unfortunately, is actually part of the Land Rover Sport which has a cooler compartment between the front seats... starting around $89,000 plus tax and licenses.

Can you imagine Nurse Jeff sippin' a tall cool one while listening to BANG 545?

... watching videos of the green grass behind the stadium.

I heard that the couple that was skippin' and a-jumpin' there was seriously injured by the new automated lawn mower robots the city has recently installed.

 

[101tm]

It already has. As the post above yours pointed out, there are no longer full heritage staffs (other than morning drive) at any of the classic hits stations. That's already happened, and in most of those markets, the stations are still Top 5. WCBS is #3, KRTH is #2, WOMC is #1. Phoenix is the only one. I don't believe it's a function of spending money. Spending money won't bring back the past. That's what the audience wants. It's not going to happen.

WOGL is a notable mention as well, it is entirely voicetracked outside of mornings and hasn’t been top 3 recently but still does quite respectably. However, their closest competitor has next to no air talent, so that’s not the reason.

I streamed KOOL out of curiosity last night. I work for a company out in Scottsdale, so I’m in the area occasionally but don’t pay a ton of attention listening in short spurts. It wasn’t bad, but it was a bit boring. No jingles or much of an image, same playlist as most other Audacy classic hits stations - but they have other stations following a similar formula that do well.

I’m not sure how it’s decided to use on air jingles as part of a station’s image or not. Audacy’s KOOL, WOMC, KLUV, and some others do not use them, while they are a massive portion of the on air image of WOCL, WOGL, WCBS, WIAD, etc. I believe iHeart uses jingles on almost if not all of their top market classic hits stations (ok, I’ve gone off topic enough)

 

[Sammi Brie]

WOGL is a notable mention as well, it is entirely voicetracked outside of mornings and hasn’t been top 3 recently but still does quite respectably. However, their closest competitor has next to no air talent, so that’s not the reason.

I streamed KOOL out of curiosity last night. I work for a company out in Scottsdale, so I’m in the area occasionally but don’t pay a ton of attention listening in short spurts. It wasn’t bad, but it was a bit boring. No jingles or much of an image, same playlist as most other Audacy classic hits stations - but they have other stations following a similar formula that do well.

I’m not sure how it’s decided to use on air jingles as part of a station’s image or not. Audacy’s KOOL, WOMC, KLUV, and some others do not use them, while they are a massive portion of the on air image of WOCL, WOGL, WCBS, WIAD, etc. I believe iHeart uses jingles on almost if not all of their top market classic hits stations (ok, I’ve gone off topic enough)

KOOL had lots of jingles prior to the 80s-ification, so I suspect dropping jingles in this particular case was really needed to freshen the sound.

 

[johndavis]

Useless 6+ numbers are out for March, and KJZZ scores Numero Uno in the news/talk battle. They're followed by KFYI, and waaaay down the page is KTAR. hmmmmm. Looks like the WOW Factor scored with their highest share ever, while Camel Country One~Oh~Eight bested KNIX, again. Here ya good...somethin' to talk about for another month compliments of the Buckeye Media Hut occupants! Radio Industry News, Radio Show Prep, Radio Promotions, Radio Station Data, Podcast News

Here's Doc in his natural habitat.