ALT 92.3 Is Teasing a Huge Announcement Today at 5

[MarkW]

The alternative stations that get good ratings in the morning tend to have very strong personality morning shows. Think of the original Kevin & Bean on KROQ, BJ & Migs on KISW, Shredd & Ragan on WEDG, and so on. The music isn't going to build consensus. It's better to create passion with personality. But it's hard and takes time. Elliot has done a good job in DC. It hasn't translated to NY yet.

Agreed. One minor correction - Shredd & Regan recently were relocated to sister station 97Rock in Buffalo, but yes, they were heard on WEDG for many years before that.

Dave & Chuck in the Detroit book were almost always #1 in P18-34 and often top five in P25-54 for a few years on Windsor, ON based 89X before being hired by 101 WRIF.

Putting a solo jock on the air to spin records usually isn't going to earn healthy ratings in morning drive on an alternative formatted station; totally agree.

Stern was not an easy sell. Most agency accounts stayed away, and you had an abundance of bail bondsmen, pay-by-the-month car insurance and the like.

I seem to recall reading a very long time ago that the Stern show by itself generated something like $30 million in revenue annually, just for WXRK, at its peak. So while it is true agency accounts shied away, there was no shortage of sold ad inventory.

 

[davideduardo]

I seem to recall reading a very long time ago that the Stern show by itself generated something like $30 million in revenue annually, just for WXRK, at its peak. So while it is true agency accounts shied away, there was no shortage of sold ad inventory.

In 1999, WXRK was billing about $53 million, up from $45 million the year before. By 2002 it was down to $46 million. It was the highest billing FM in the market, although it was behind WFAN in total revenue.

Part of the success of Stern in NYC was Infinity's backing of his show. Mel was a controversial operator in some respects, but he was a strong backer of air talent.

NYC in 1999 did $700 million in radio sales. Today it is at $400 million. Adjusted for inflation, revenue is less than 30% of what it was 22 years ago. ($700 million in 1999 is worth about $1,35 billion today)

 

[Bob Malakas]

In 1999, WXRK was billing about $53 million, up from $45 million the year before. By 2002 it was down to $46 million. It was the highest billing FM in the market, although it was behind WFAN in total revenue.

Part of the success of Stern in NYC was Infinity's backing of his show. Mel was a controversial operator in some respects, but he was a strong backer of air talent.

NYC in 1999 did $700 million in radio sales. Today it is at $400 million. Adjusted for inflation, revenue is less than 30% of what it was 22 years ago. ($700 million in 1999 is worth about $1,35 billion today)

Agree, Mel did support talent like no other, all though he was an "acquired taste" - passionate and dedicated to his team!

 

[luperm]

It certainly would have been interesting to see how Stern performed in the PPM era. He may have headed for the exit from terrestrial radio at the right time.

 

[CTListener]

Actually, in the PPM middays and PM drive have higher Persons Using Radio. But advertisers love morning drive.

Is that love affair showing signs of weakening as the shift toward working from home progresses?

 

[Don CT]

Is that love affair showing signs of weakening as the shift toward working from home progresses?

That could mean the whole industry drops if car driving is down.

 

[davideduardo]

It certainly would have been interesting to see how Stern performed in the PPM era. He may have headed for the exit from terrestrial radio at the right time.

Those of us who have analyzed shows and formats that had a narrow "like it or love it " cume with few casual or light listeners believe that Stern would have dropped to somewhere around 9th or 10th in AQH audience in markets like LA and NYC were he to have been on during the transition to the PPM.

 

[Don CT]

Those of us who have analyzed shows and formats that had a narrow "like it or love it " cume with few casual or light listeners believe that Stern would have dropped to somewhere around 9th or 10th in AQH audience in markets like LA and NYC were he to have been on during the transition to the PPM.

Didn't all of the numbers drop with the PPM. Was the whole industry overvalued?

 

[MarkW]

Thanks, David, for sharing those insightful figures.

 

[TheBigA]

The fragmentation in listener preferences in "what is Alternative" (cited on here by several radio insiders) is the greatest issue in this discussion.

Particularly in a market like NYC, that is so heavily ethnic.

 

[luperm]

Those of us who have analyzed shows and formats that had a narrow "like it or love it " cume with few casual or light listeners believe that Stern would have dropped to somewhere around 9th or 10th in AQH audience in markets like LA and NYC were he to have been on during the transition to the PPM.

Thanks for sharing that. Very interesting data. Academic, of course, but interesting nonetheless.

 

[mikerock]

Anyone actually know what the ratings are currently in the morning compared to when they were playing music?

At the time, listeners were very divided about the music. So if the only thing you're doing is playing music, and people aren't totally in favor of the music policy, it won't be successful.

So the morning ratings are that bad now, got it.

 

[TheBigA]

So the morning ratings are that bad now, got it.

They haven't been good since Howard left.

 

[Steve Green NEPA]

Vis-a-vis Stern's diary ratings and his PPM immunity, I had asked that same question on another forum ten years ago.
David made the same statement back then. Somewhere around 9th or 10th.

 

[mikerock]

What inquiring minds want to know though is the difference in ratings in recent history. Comparing the current all talk morning show to when they played music.

 

[davideduardo]

Didn't all of the numbers drop with the PPM. Was the whole industry overvalued?

Persons Using Radio, perviously in the diary around the equivalent of 18 to 19 hours per person per day dropped to around 12 in the PPM because the PPM did not round to hours and half hours like diary keepers did and the PPM showed few non-stop hours of listening and instead, showed lots of smaller listening slices.

Advertisers were not surprised by that; they know behaviour based on the TV meter system so life went on.