Top Billing Local Stations

[Santa fe]

Recently I saw where WTOP in Washington was the highest billing radio station in the country. Do stations here release their billing figures? i've seen mentions that WTAM is a top biller, maybe number 1.

 

[MediaLover]

I thought WMJI and WZAK were top billing in the market.

 

[davideduardo]

Recently I saw where WTOP in Washington was the highest billing radio station in the country. Do stations here release their billing figures? i've seen mentions that WTAM is a top biller, maybe number 1.

Stations do not "release" billing figures. They only have to report that for their tax returns and for a few things like certain kinds of business insurance and music licensing agencies.

In bigger markets, most local commercial stations share data with a confidential public accounting firm like Miller Kaplan, who consolidates that data and shares it with the participants. It is "top secret" and confidential. Oh, and I think I said it was confidential.

The figures we publicly see are from BIA, a company that provides data and insights to investors, owners and lenders in the various areas of broadcasting and streaming. These are based on estimates and talking with people in each market and are just that... estimates.

 

[Yabadabado1]

Stations do not "release" billing figures. They only have to report that for their tax returns and for a few things like certain kinds of business insurance and music licensing agencies.

In bigger markets, most local commercial stations share data with a confidential public accounting firm like Miller Kaplan, who consolidates that data and shares it with the participants. It is "top secret" and confidential. Oh, and I think I said it was confidential.

The figures we publicly see are from BIA, a company that provides data and insights to investors, owners and lenders in the various areas of broadcasting and streaming. These are based on estimates and talking with people in each market and are just that... estimates.

It was decades ago but at one point I had heard that 1220 WGAR was the top billing station in the state of Ohio. Something like close to $50,000,000 which I found sorta hard to believe.

 

[secondchoice]

IMHO WGAR 1220 was the best Nationwide station. Not being in NYC, LA or Chicago it never got any credit. Amazing talent. The only other non top 3 market top 40 station I ever heard had that level of talent in the 1970's was WMAK Nashville. But I Digress. Cleveland was a very very "heavy industrial" city. Ford made the legionary 351 Cleveland block V8 there. Lots of factories, lots of jobs, lots of money. David use to live there, he would know. Cleveland has the second largest population in Ohio so the top billing station in the state could very well be there. As I said David follows the station billings estimates so he can confirm 1220's sales

 

[davideduardo]

It was decades ago but at one point I had heard that 1220 WGAR was the top billing station in the state of Ohio. Something like close to $50,000,000 which I found sorta hard to believe.

I looked back at old BIAs I have and at the Duncan books which for a while had estimated revenue and they were never, ever close to that.

When HBC had the #1 and #2 stations in LA, they never came close to $50 million each. KIIS has approached that amount when they had all the revenues from concerts and promotions. And that is in the #1 revenue market in the US.

 

[delgriffith]

I looked back at old BIAs I have and at the Duncan books which for a while had estimated revenue and they were never, ever close to that.

When HBC had the #1 and #2 stations in LA, they never came close to $50 million each. KIIS has approached that amount when they had all the revenues from concerts and promotions. And that is in the #1 revenue market in the US.

Have you posted the BIAs? I’ve seen the Duncan’s.

 

[davideduardo]

Have you posted the BIAs? I’ve seen the Duncan’s.

I do not have permission. As for the Duncan books, Jim himself (a very nice guy, BTW) gave me many of them.

 

[radiofollower]

I believe that the high water mark in Cleveland billing was WMJI with 18 million in the late 1990s.

 

[Huff]

I believe that the high water mark in Cleveland billing was WMJI with 18 million in the late 1990s.

Correct. Here are the annual top billers from 1984-2003, courtesy of Duncan's American Trilogy (DUNCAN'S MARKET HISTORY - Radio ratings history for each US market 1975-2003)

 

[MediaLover]

I saw that WPHR (now WENZ) was only billing over $1-2 million around 1990 and '91. They did have decent ratings from 1989 until '91, but they were struggling otherwise.

 

[Yabadabado1]

IMHO WGAR 1220 was the best Nationwide station. Not being in NYC, LA or Chicago it never got any credit. Amazing talent. The only other non top 3 market top 40 station I ever heard had that level of talent in the 1970's was WMAK Nashville. But I Digress. Cleveland was a very very "heavy industrial" city. Ford made the legionary 351 Cleveland block V8 there. Lots of factories, lots of jobs, lots of money. David use to live there, he would know. Cleveland has the second largest population in Ohio so the top billing station in the state could very well be there. As I said David follows the station billings estimates so he can confirm 1220's sales

Like I said, hard to believe. Was thinking no way they could have outbilled stations in NYC, LA, Chicago, Washington D.C. Can't even remember where I read it at.