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WKFS-FM Ratings
- Thread starter BruceB
- Start date
Remember, clusters are often if not predominantly sold in groups of stations at a combined rate with added AQH listenership. So as long as the format meets cluster strategy, it will be kept.
The overall ratings are declining, but we can't see where (in the schedule) the declines are. Is there a weak spot in the schedule? Or is it all day? We don't know. What we do know is that iHeart needs a place to clear Ryan Seacrest and AT40 in Cincinnati. We also know that iHeart wants to promote new music and new music campaigns. So they'll probably hang in as long as they can.
WEBN is the only FM signal in iHM's portfolio in Cincinnati that is worth a darn. AM's WLW is by far the biggest biller (it also has a big payroll).
107.1 is misused. Want to clear midday voicetracks from a celeb (Seacrest) ? No problem. Air CHR/Pop on one of several of the translator signals iHM owns locally.
Variety Hits is far and away the format best suited for 107.1. Programmed properly, it could put a dent in up to three (!!!) different Cumulus FMs - Warm 98.5, 103.5 WGRR and 92.5 The Fox. Those three stations collectively command close to 23 shares' worth of listening.
If iHM grabs just a 15 percent chunk of that combined listening (all 3 of the above stations are decent to great money demo performers, I might add), they're looking at roughly a 3.5 share. I'd say that's very doable. Could certainly be a 5 share radio station if the planets align properly.
Q102 has commanded the contemporary pop audience in the market for years. That ain't changing anytime soon.
I consider WREW an AC, for those wondering. Their playlist is quite different from, say, WHLK in Cleveland. WREW's playlist is clearly geared for a predominantly female audience.
107.1 is misused. Want to clear midday voicetracks from a celeb (Seacrest) ? No problem. Air CHR/Pop on one of several of the translator signals iHM owns locally.
Variety Hits is far and away the format best suited for 107.1. Programmed properly, it could put a dent in up to three (!!!) different Cumulus FMs - Warm 98.5, 103.5 WGRR and 92.5 The Fox. Those three stations collectively command close to 23 shares' worth of listening.
If iHM grabs just a 15 percent chunk of that combined listening (all 3 of the above stations are decent to great money demo performers, I might add), they're looking at roughly a 3.5 share. I'd say that's very doable. Could certainly be a 5 share radio station if the planets align properly.
Q102 has commanded the contemporary pop audience in the market for years. That ain't changing anytime soon.
I consider WREW an AC, for those wondering. Their playlist is quite different from, say, WHLK in Cleveland. WREW's playlist is clearly geared for a predominantly female audience.
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Has any research been done on what percentage of a CHR audience actually listens to the station over-the-air on a radio as opposed to an app on their phone or a smart speaker?
Worth pointing out that WKFS has been largely "throwbacks" for the past year. They play 2 or 3 current songs an hour. The rest are 15 to 25 years old.
So they made a change a year ago, and that doesn't appear to have paid off.
So they made a change a year ago, and that doesn't appear to have paid off.
In addition, they're playing those currents less frequently. The successful iHeart CHRs (KIIS or Z100) play their top currents 110 times a week. WKFS is playing them less than 80 times a week, which is more like a Hot AC, than a CHR.
I agree with you about moving Kiss to a translator since I would bet that the majority of that audience is listening on their phones through the iHeartRadio app anyway.that would free up 107.1 for another format.
How about make 107.1 WLW-FM ?
Would solve that downtown reception problem better than that translator and would get the Reds on FM.
This has been brought up a number of times, and it's not something iHeart does. They own a lot of heritage high power AMs, and for the most part, none of them have FM simulcasts. However, WLW has an FM translator. They know the AM signal is strong, and the format reaches older demos anyway. They believe the future for AMs is not an FM simulcast, but rather the iHeart app.
Moving WLW to 107.1 removes any revenue that WKFS has been bringing in. A translator is not going to generate the revenues of a full power FM. You're forgetting that - as David said - these station clusters are sold in groups. They are combining the numbers for all of the FMs, including the Project and Beat translators. They're not selling them separately. And how successful would a Variety Hits format be in the long run?
If what you're saying is true, then demographics don't matter.
Perhaps quite successful given the number of stations that have already been in the format 15 to 20 years consecutively. WHLK in Cleveland is very successful. In contrast, 100.5 in Louisville has never drawn strong ratings with the format.
The Beat barely gets better than hash marks for AQH share. It probably exists to clear national content & ads and little else. It perhaps contributes a few hundred grand in cash flow annually.
I agree that there is no reason to devote a full power FM to simulcasting 700 WLW at this time.
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It might be a bit speculative to guess how a new format will draw its audience. Yes, an Adult Hits station takes songs from the playlists of several formats. But that doesn't predict how listeners will use it. Adult Hits stations share about 65% of their playlists with Classic Hits stations. But that doesn't mean people who like Classic Hits will spend a lot of time with a new Adult Hits station. Maybe the rock-oriented songs that also get played on Adult Hits will not be satisfying to someone who grew up listening to Top 40 stations, not Album Rock stations.
The Adult Hits format is a gamble. Some markets LOVE it. JACK-FM has been highly rated for many years in Los Angeles, Nashville, Baltimore and San Antonio. But it failed in NYC, Chicago and Denver. In nearby Dayton, JACK-FM (WGTZ) is #10. So is that worth a try in Cincinnati?
The Adult Hits format is a gamble. Some markets LOVE it. JACK-FM has been highly rated for many years in Los Angeles, Nashville, Baltimore and San Antonio. But it failed in NYC, Chicago and Denver. In nearby Dayton, JACK-FM (WGTZ) is #10. So is that worth a try in Cincinnati?
105.5 KJAC is a Ft. Collins area stick that barely delivers a predicted 50 dBu signal to the heart of the Denver Metro, so it's unfair to count that one. I was actually surprised the Adult Hits format on that signal charted as well as it did in the Denver market.
Otherwise, points well taken. Good point regarding WGTZ in Dayton.
Otherwise, points well taken. Good point regarding WGTZ in Dayton.
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