• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

12-PLUS is still revealing....

L

LITTLEBOYBLUE

There's certainly tons of merit to the discussion about 12+ is meaningless beauty pageant, etc. But still a good number 12+ indicates a station has some cume or some serious TSL ... or both. But I see something else in looking at the top of heap 12+ players...

KUBE: Has legacy, has t-Man, super-serves their core
KMPS: Has legacy, has Ichabod, super-serves their core
KOMO: Has Mariners, and secondary has news product delivered by market veterans
KIRO: Has Seahawks, and has news and talk products delivered by equally familiar veterans
KBSG/KIXI: Have been consistent in building a reputation, but stuggling a little bit recently to keep momentum while demographics slip

My point is these players don't succeed and have long-term success because they "tighten down the list", stick some banners on an Aurora overpass, or such ... they succeed because they either have unique content or have a long-term investment that has created a bond and long-term success with its listener base. This situation is almost the same story in every other market. The player that's quickly stepping into that space is KCMS .. they are also developing this loyal bond but it has taken many years of patience to reach this point. KPLZ already there ... KLSY had it years ago, and pissed it away for reasons unknown. They lost the race at that point. But ... not many "satellite" stars among those leaders.

So my question is .... if unique content and long-term investments deliver results book after book ..... why is it that owners insist on getting cheap talent, blowing off unique content, going to national playbooks and then getting down on all fours to start their prayers to get a frickin tenth of a market share point? If rushing to emulate a iPod or the national sat services is your strategy .... which are you picking a strategy that has proven time and again to be one that dumps you at the bottom of the pack?

Blow out legacy, familiar anchor content (sports teams, or even syndicated anchors like Rush or Howard) and we see what happens. Hire someone new and expect it to pay off in 3 books "or else" seems unfair to all the players. NONE of the legacy talent got to be that way in any time span short of YEARS of familiarity.

So ... maybe 12 plus is a joke to everyone. But I submit there are some valuable lessons from studying those patterns.
 
I agree with your analysis but differ on one point, KCMS went from nowhere to top 10 very soon after their tower moved from North Seattle to Cougar Mountain just a few years ago.
 
I also agree with your analysis on why stations are strong, but still say 12+ is meaningless. You site some of the best reasons why:

KZOK: Powerhouse Classic Rock, heritage morning show. Usually number one or two 25-54 and in billing in this market. Rarely top ten 12+

KPLZ: Very strong HOT/AC, currently number two in the market 25-54, heritage morning show and always a top ten biller. Rarely top ten 12+

KIXI: Usually top 10 12+, never even top 20 (25-54) and hardly bills anything.

KBSG: Always top 10 12+, hurting 25-54 and declining in revenue.

KUBE: Number one 12+, not even top ten in revenue.

Good radio stations need to do all the things you say, but 12+ is fiction. Anyone who wants to know what your station bills compared to others, just ask the Sales Manager. Unlike PD's, Sales Managers are always telling each other who is in what position in the Miller Kaplan. It is the worst kept secret in Seattle. For the record, last month KMPS, KIRO and KZOK topped the list.
The number one rated 12+ station will probably finish the year 10th at current pacing. Ahead of it are some ugly 12+ stations like KZOK, KPLZ and KMTT that happen to deliver the demo's that matter. That is why JACK, MOVIN and WOLF don't really care about 12+. They are focusing on the core win.
 
KIXI hasn't been in the top 20 12+ for the last 3 books. Also, KUBE's billing rank was much stronger prior to Clear Channel's Less Is More initiative in 2005.
 
I never mentioned anything about billing or targets ... which I thought was kind of obvious that those issues are extrapolated separately and from separate sources. What I was trying to get folks to think about is that a good 12+ number means a lot of people are checking out that station one way or another. That success may meet the business goals of the station ... it may not. The point is those stations are doing things with THEIR PRODUCT that causes a buzz ... and hardly any of them are getting that kind of attention "on the cheap" (the exception to that are the ones that are advertising heavily after a launch ... but the momentum is not always consistent over a long period of time).

Reason I started this thread is I was getting very cranky that hanging banners, swapping image voices, adding this person from Kansas City or that one from Wichita ... or having your street team show up at "their" event is all perceived as "winning" strategies. Those are fun ... but they aren't worth squat in the battle. Putting something on the x-mitter that causes someone to give a crap day-in/day-out, year-in/year-out is about the only thing that works to turn a station into a consistent long-term winner. If a station just made a change ... it needs time to gestate and if the mindset is (a) we can't spend money ... or (b) we better see results BY THE NEXT TREND ... then perhaps it makes more sense to work the drive-through where the time measured from the start of the product cycle to the end (and the payoff) all happens within a matter of under two minutes.
 
LBB - your point is reinforced by the success of KCMS. Because they are 'mission' driven they would be doing the same thing regardless of the ratings success. However, their consistant presence and the growth of CCR have made them probably the top rated CCR station in America.

I'd venture that KCMS over the past 10 years the collective billing has exceeded that of 96.5, 95.7 and 92.5 as they waffled with various formats and 'winning combinations'.
 
12 + numbers are meaningless. Most radio industry insiders know that. The stations that do well 12+ have audience in age demos that no one wants to target. They're either too young or too old. 25-54 is where it's at. Expect another cranky response from LBB.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom