Atlanta Sports Stations

[atlsportsnut]

Considering that the two sports stations in town only cater to and sell off of the M25-54 numbers, would some of the following scenarios not make sense?
1) The two top shows in town for the M25-54 demographic are on against each other in afternoon drive. It appears now after two years that Buck and Kincade are the winners considering they have taken 5 of the last 7 books and the last two Fall books. The Stews do second best in the market though and have amazing clout in the urban demo. Would it not make sense for 790 to put the Stews on in morning drive where their support would dominate 680? Before you say it I already know that B&K ran Mayhem off in the afternoons long ago and that the B&K audience is much larger than Mayhem for years now. It just does not make sense for me seeing that two sports stations have the two most popular shows in the amrket going head to head.
2) Mayhem has a .2 lead in M25-54 over Rude and his crew. Don't you think that margin should be much higher considering that Mayhem has been around so long in the market?
3) With 790 leading solidly in mid-days, do you think that sports syndication does not work in this market?
You will actually be doing me a big favor with some feedback as a dtermination has to be made on some advertising dollars for the rest of '07. We have used both 680 and 790 in the past. I have found that if it is not afternoon drive at 680, the results are sketchy. It is either hit or miss with 790.

 

[toodelum]

What does Zone run middays? I don't listen to much sports talk, but I do think the Herd is great...very entertaining. I do catch B&K sometimes and they are good.

As far as ad dollars spent are concerned, it looks like you answered your own question. You've determined that one show is good outlet for getting your message across while the other sports station is nothing more than a crapshoot. Stay w/ 680.

Pay me, Lew.

 

[BDBopper]

You have an interesting question. Overall I think 680 is the way to go because the signal is stronger. However the signal strength over The Zone is not evident in the ratings. Because based on that alone, The Fan should be kicking Zone's butt Six ways to Sunday.

I really think Sports Talk will only take off if someone brought it to FM, where you could cover the entire Metro area 24/7.

I know that doesn't answer anything but I am not a professional in the industry thus I am just throwing my two cents in (and frankly it's not even worth that much)

 

[middlega]

Would it not make sense for 790 to put the Stews on in morning drive where their support would dominate 680?

I would think that they haven't made this move at least in part because they suspect that a lot of that audience wouldn't be there for them in the mornings.

Competing with 680 for listeners is one thing, competing with the morning shows of the other Urbans in town is something else entirely.

 

[PST]

I tend to listen to 680 more, but it's mostly because they are the flagship for the Thrashers - but I don't think they do the team justice as a flagship. Considering they are the flagship station for a first-place hockey team, I would think they would talk more hockey in hopes of promoting more interest. Instead, I feel like they talk about things I can read about in the AJC or their facts are just wrong to begin with.

When I listen to 790 (especially on the weekends) everyone sounds the same. There really aren't very many unique voices except for the Stews. A lot more shouting on that station to me, and I just can't listen to it except in very small doses.

Because of my commute I usually end up hearing somewhere between 30-60 minutes of Rude/Cowherd. I have switched at times to Mayhem for a minute or two, but I personally think Cowherd is the best sports talk host on in the market right now even though he's syndicated. There are some days I'll even listen to the 680 feed over the net (even though the stupid music they play during commercials makes me want to shove q-tips into my ear and try to touch my brain).

Granted, I'm rather biased about sports-talk radio because I tend to think the best show in the market comes on WRAS before the basketball games.

 

[taylorengineer]

Is this Jason Haynes or is this Jason's mother???

 

[bdcsi]

Does Dave Cohen stilll do the Panthas round ball games?

BD

 

[taylorengineer]

yes...what would Panthers basketball be with out Dave!

 

[zoneguy]

The Stews would not work well in the morning. One of the reasons the Stews exploded when they first came on the scene was that they were in mid days. In that day part they were able to attract Frank Ski and Ryan Cameron listeners, Cameron was even an ardent supporter of the show. The Stews were an alternative to straight music for the urban audience and at that time 680 was running O'Reilly against them so there was not even a sports alternative for the non urban sports audience (white guys). It was was tailor made slot where they excelled.

Fast forward. Ryan Cameron is on in the afternoon, and the old fashioned nuts and bolts sports talk crowd has B&K, suddenly the Stews are playing in a crowded field. Their national cache is still strong with the syndication and Cold Pizza stuff, but here in Atlanta, they are number two.

Syndication has never shown well for the sports stations here, Rome never really caught on, Dan Patrick never really caught on. Apparently the sports audience (small as it is) likes it local.

As for Mayhem and the rest of 790, the station will continue to trot that lineup out there as long as sales remain strong. It is apparent it will never attract any more audience than it has and if 790 really is interested in bumping up the numbers audience wise it is probably time to retire Steak, Beau, Dimino, Cellini and Chernoff (Keep Bell and find him new friends to play with.) These guys have been at it a long time and they are never going to be more than the small share that they are. As long as it sells, it doesn't really matter, but an economic downturn in the coming year (ad dollars appear to be slowing down) and they might feel the pinch.

680 seems to have the right idea. Drive a successful afternoon show, don't spend too much money anywhere else and take what the market gives you. It's not big time, but since Atlanta has yet to show that it has the kind of fan base to drive big time sports talk, it's probably the way to go.

 

[evnlee]

680 seems to have the right idea. Drive a successful afternoon show, don't spend too much money anywhere else and take what the market gives you. It's not big time, but since Atlanta has yet to show that it has the kind of fan base to drive big time sports talk, it's probably the way to go.

I agree. I'm of the opinion that this town cannot support 2 live and local sports talkers, with the objective being getting past the 2.0+ as the reason. Sure, they bill good, but they will never bust a 2.

Also, with all the press the 'Stew-pes' got after thier launch, certain radio critics have been purty silent about how the 'rising tide' of urban sports talk hasn't really been embraced by the demo. At least not enough ink has been sacrificed to 'splain away this contradiction...

I guess all those lunches at the Palms does add up, though

 

[music master]

I must be in the minority, 680 is awful!! The Rude Awakening is unlistenable. Syndicated sports talk of any kind is so "smalltown" that it will not and should not work here.
790 is the station that has got it right. Yes, I get tired of Steaks's food rantings and his "man about town" escapades. Mayhem is by far the better morning show. The best show on 790 is Monsters of the Midday. That is the show I look forward to the most. I don't care much for the Stews. Sorry, but the "black" side of sports is a turn off for me. I also think that is the only reason Buck and Kincade win the afternoon battle. They are catching those running from the Stews.
Also, if 790 had a similar signal stregnth, it would dominate 680. Star 94 had been running 790 on it's HD3 signal, but for the last week or so, it has not been running anything on its 2 HD alternate signals.

 

[zoneguy]

No question that 790 is a better sounding radio station and I listen to it more. To me it is more a question of business models. If you look at the size of their talent roster, they must be shelling out three or four times the amount of payroll 680 is, yet they are drawing even in audience numbers. Now, I know we have all heard about how well they bill, but that is always a couple of cancellations away from some big red numbers. It just seems like a shakier business model.

 

[PST]

Is this Jason Haynes or is this Jason's mother???

I know of no Jason Haynes....take the y out and you might be right...granted, his mother barely knows how to use a garage door opener, let alone a computer.

And yes, Mista Panther is still doing the Ga. State games. Next year will be year #25 and I'm sure we'll have some sort of commemorative show highlighting the four wins of any meaning that State has had since he's been there.

 

[RoddyFreeman]

If you look at the size of their talent roster, they must be shelling out three or four times the amount of payroll 680 is, yet they are drawing even in audience numbers. Now, I know we have all heard about how well they bill, but that is always a couple of cancellations away from some big red numbers. It just seems like a shakier business model.

The Zone makes lots of money. The station gets big bucks from Home Depot and others. The Zone way outbills its audience share. And the station, led by Andrew, is very aggressive in pitching to advertisers.

 

[flaker]

Both stations miss something.
I don't like the mayhem show with all the silly, aging 40 year olds acting cool chasing women etc. .
They seem out of touch with living in Atlanta. Does sports have to be that dumb to be successful?
680 has little public identity. I was driving to Chattanooga saturday night listening to wsb. The traffic guy Mark Arum is the worst hosting a sports show. People were calling in about Vick and he would talk about his experience as a high school athlete. He was bragging about his "benz" his "house" playing poker in LA with some movie star. How do guys like that get a job on a big radio station? He was sophmoric with his views and his hater lines on race. There is a reason he announces traffic, I guess. I still like Dimino and like a little of Chuck Smith. Rude is okay and so is Buck and The Stews. Just a few thoughts from a commuter in West Cobb.

 

[zoneguy]

If you look at the size of their talent roster, they must be shelling out three or four times the amount of payroll 680 is, yet they are drawing even in audience numbers. Now, I know we have all heard about how well they bill, but that is always a couple of cancellations away from some big red numbers. It just seems like a shakier business model.

The Zone makes lots of money. The station gets big bucks from Home Depot and others. The Zone way outbills its audience share. And the station, led by Andrew, is very aggressive in pitching to advertisers.

Exactly.. If one day a Home Depot, UPS or one of their other majors pull out, they have a very small margin for error. The bill alot, but between that big lease number they pay to Lincoln get the signal and how much they pay the talent, plus the rest of their expensetheir overhead is huge. Much larger than 680's. At the end of the day I wonder who actually profits more.

 

[Huntley]

As for Mayhem and the rest of 790, the station will continue to trot that lineup out there as long as sales remain strong. It is apparent it will never attract any more audience than it has and if 790 really is interested in bumping up the numbers audience wise it is probably time to retire Steak, Beau, Dimino, Cellini and Chernoff (Keep Bell and find him new friends to play with.) These guys have been at it a long time and they are never going to be more than the small share that they are. As long as it sells, it doesn't really matter, but an economic downturn in the coming year (ad dollars appear to be slowing down) and they might feel the pinch.

Glad to read someone else's thoughts on this. I remember a few years back when Nick was off air for a few months, it was apparent that he had some rabid fans, but fandom does not necessarily translate to ad revenue. Send Dimino to St. Louis where his baseball knowledge would be appreciated and "new to them." Shapiro and Bock can step back and Cellini and Chernoff and be sent to do good in the world elsewhere. Fresh voices might do wonders with an FM station or a stronger AM signal (like a 680 merge)