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Chicago Radio Ratings Released 12-27-22
- Thread starter Dr Wayne
- Start date
Covers the period from Thu. 11/10/2022 thru Wed. 12/7/2022.
Top 5+ demo rankings for ages 25-54, 18-34 + 18-49:
Scroll down to see Chicago market - AllAccess.com/Research Director Inc/XTrends Demo Rankings Dec. 2022
Age 25-54: 1. WLIT 2. WOJO 3. WTMX 4. WXRT 5. WVAZ T6. WBEZ T6. WBMX
Age 18-34: 1. WLIT 2. WUSN 3. WOJO 4. WDRV 5. WGCI 7. WLS-FM (down from #2)
Age 18-49: 1. WLIT 2. WOJO 3. WBEZ 4. WBMX 5. WUSN (up from #9) T6. WDRV T6. WGCI 8. WXRT (down from #4)
Top 5+ demo rankings for ages 25-54, 18-34 + 18-49:
Scroll down to see Chicago market - AllAccess.com/Research Director Inc/XTrends Demo Rankings Dec. 2022
Age 25-54: 1. WLIT 2. WOJO 3. WTMX 4. WXRT 5. WVAZ T6. WBEZ T6. WBMX
Age 18-34: 1. WLIT 2. WUSN 3. WOJO 4. WDRV 5. WGCI 7. WLS-FM (down from #2)
Age 18-49: 1. WLIT 2. WOJO 3. WBEZ 4. WBMX 5. WUSN (up from #9) T6. WDRV T6. WGCI 8. WXRT (down from #4)
WBMX's numbers look quite good following a spot of rough 6+ ratings.
Further sliding at both top 40's (which is expected with holiday music on WLIT), with B96 just .2 of a share in 6+ above K-Love. Curious to know how both Kiss and B96 are doing in 18-34, and if the stations will rebound to any amount after January.
Further sliding at both top 40's (which is expected with holiday music on WLIT), with B96 just .2 of a share in 6+ above K-Love. Curious to know how both Kiss and B96 are doing in 18-34, and if the stations will rebound to any amount after January.
I think B is too far from saving - especially considering Audacy’s track record with CHR in a lot of markets, and being up against an iHeart CHR, even if it isn’t doing great, is a challenge. The station may still bill well, but if this trend of consistent low and/or declining shares is eventually going to affect that.
CHR is in dire trouble nationwide, and I don’t see the factors causing it (other than a huge trend toward more good, new material) to change. The ones that are doing well are the ones that have created or invested in personalities and content that makes the station relevant to the 25-54 female audience.
CHR is in dire trouble nationwide, and I don’t see the factors causing it (other than a huge trend toward more good, new material) to change. The ones that are doing well are the ones that have created or invested in personalities and content that makes the station relevant to the 25-54 female audience.
People say Alternative radio is in trouble but Alt’s troubles are peanuts compared to what’s facing pop. People are tuning out of pop nationwide. Something’s gone wrong. I have a weird feeling that we have a lot of “fake hits” on the format right now that make the Hot 100 due to pop radio overplay but people aren’t really into. And judging from the B96 playlist, they’ve been suckered into many of those possible “fake hits” as well as being unable to separate themselves from 103.5.
Audacy's CHR's are in dire trouble. Many Iheart and cumulus CHR's are doing very well in this country
Ratings-wise, sure. I don't know how the station is performing sales-wise, but it probably works well when you consider it can be packaged with WUSN. Most of their CHRs that are underperforming came from the CBS Radio merger, and they weren't doing great then either. The ones that they had before the merger are largely OK.
I agree with the previous poster who noted that even iHeart, where CHR is one of if not their signature format, is having trouble with CHR in the market ratings-wise. Yes, ratings are not everything and both stations could be making enough revenue to justify their existence to their respective operators, but iHeart has the upper hand sales and ratings-wise (WLIT and WKSC as a package deal).
If/when Audacy sees the benefit in doing so, they will probably put The Score on 96.3 rather than trying to scrape the bottom of the barrel with a music format.
Some of the CHR stations Audacy inherited from CBS are no longer top 40 CHR stations. In some markets HOT AC has become a stronger format than CHR
Hot AC is older skewing than a CHR, but younger skewing than an AC. They also tend to have a wider playlist than a CHR.
WKQX isn’t looking too hot either and they have all local talent . Everything on B96 besides the mornings (and that’s syndicated) and middays is tracked. They have no jocks on Sunday I’m surprised how Q101 is making it on mostly local jocks.
Yes and WBMX bills well, maybe even better than US 99 as they only have two local jocks mornings and afternoons. Middays and nights are tracked. Which really isn’t a problem because they don’t play new music and it’s a more mature demographic. As well as the afternoon hosts hosts nights on Audacy’s Milwaukee CHR station so that makes it even better for them.
They will not flip B96 if they flipped B96 which is almost completely voice tracked except mornings (which is syndicated and middays) (and the midday jock does other shows on a bunch of other stations) they would have to flip a bunch of their CHR stations who historically do worse than B96 including but not limited to WTDY in Philadelphia WPOW In Miami WKXJ in Chattanooga among others . The only CHR that’s really doing good for Audacy is WKRZ in Wilkes Barre they have a all local staff besides middays and it’s not even Audacys midday host anymore (which happens to be B96 afternoons host ) they went back to using Ryan Seacrest. As well as WKSE in Buffalo NY rates ok too.
Yes they are probably ran as a package deal. But WKSC is puzzling as well. I kinda get why they run only 2 hours local in middays because they want Ryan Seacrest to go on and the ratings were good but then they started voice tracking nights from some guy in New York on WHTZ. But overnights are live and local their program director must be asleep at the wheel and the ratings are showing it . Shouldn’t overnights be tracked and the regular night shift live. And WHTZ in New York isn’t doing too hot either. Ok yes they are at (if I read it correctly a 4.3 ) but all of their jocks are local and they have no competition they should be in mid 5s low 6s . CHR is falling these days I suppose. Which exactly what Todd will point to when asked why B96s ratings are so low . They won’t flip it tough I think they would bring in a national morning show and make afternoons local before they flip it they probably won’t do that either. But they definitely will not flip it.
CHR's #1 problem, IMO, is that its target demographic is least likely to use the radio at all. I think David said earlier this year that Persons Using Radio in the 18-34 age group was only around 75%, based on PPM data.
I suppose you could argue that it is CHR radio's job to recruit that demo... but given neither Chicago CHR is in the top 5, that doesn't seem to be working so well right now.
Thing is with CHR and Hot AC, it's kind of hard to compare the two lately. They all share much of the same music. WTMX kind of wins by default. They're Adult CHR basically. Lots of Pop hits, some golds. They can get a better share of the 25-54s that might still listen to CHR on the radio. The younger audience seems to be listening to that format less and less. They find new music online. If WDRV and WLS-FM are doing better than the CHR stations in 18-34, something must be changing with the demo. Maybe they're listening to less new music.
WKQX's 6+ numbers are average for Alternative. You can go back years and see Alternative stations in the 2s. They're usually somewhere in the Top 10 18-34, in the middle of the Top-10 in that demo.
Having to flip other stations because the voice-tracker's failing "home station" got flipped is absurd. Audacy has a large talent pool to replace them if they were to let those people go, and even then, when they have flipped stations, they have kept the airstaff for national roles or transferred them to other markets (e.g. Josh Brubaker from 97.1 in Los Angeles, Katie Neal from New York's Country).
In the case of flipping 96.3 to The Score, the only reason not to flip B96 is a loss of a revenue stream. Not talent, not their national strategy, etc.
As we saw in New York, if/when it makes sense to do so, Audacy will cut off that revenue stream if it means providing an FM home to a strong AM station.
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The billings and 18-34 ratings (which matter more than 6+) would disagree with you.
That’s not the point everyone is saying that they are going to flip B96 because of its piss poor performance. That’s not the case when other Audacy CHRs are doing terrible as well. They will not put sports on B96 all of our sports teams are lackluster, no one will listen to that. They flipped WNSH to make way for Audacys oldies format (same format as WBMX) because they were barely hitting 1.2 and they are trying to expand that particular format. In Los Angeles KNOU was on the low 1s getting there but kicked by KIIS FM which is in the mid 3s. They gave KNOU to KNX -
News in Los Angeles because it was more of a priority to have a news station similar how we have WBBM 780 on 105.9 on a FM signal. They did not have that before. That was a strong AM station and as you said before strong AM station “The Score” isn’t what I would call a strong AM station. WTDY in Philadelphia usually averages a 1.4 and WKXJ is averaging 1.3 . If low ratings was a concern for them they would blow up all the CHRs . They are only doing ones that are standing in the way of their oldies hip hop format or news. Audacy isn’t throwing stuff at the wall and trying to see what sticks they are going to play it safe .
B96 likely bills well and is ran on the cheap. They won’t get rid of it and they don’t have a real solid replacement that’s gonna get mid high 2s low 3s CONSISTENTLY enough to flip the format. Especially when WKSC is in a similar situation and CHR is iHearts signature format.
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