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Boston Radio Ratings January 2021

https://ratings.****************/cgi-bin/rol.exe/arb013

WBZ AM #1

Looks like all the News/Talk stations did well.

Down near the bottom it looks like WERS got a nice number.
 
Yes, WBZ back on top!
WROR bouncing back too!
WZLX#3, despite losing an entire share.
WXRV doing quite well for a stand-a-alone.
WBGB now breaking a 3 share.
WKAF continues to remain flat and near the bottom.
WBOS remains relatively the same.
WPRO-FM showing up in the Boston ratings for the first time ever, albeit with a 0.1 share. I always thought that they were a great station with at often times sounding better than the Boston CHR's!
 
WBQT down below a 2.0. I guess the audience for watered down hip hop from twenty years ago is dwindling or maybe WKAF is hurting them.
 
WBQT down below a 2.0. I guess the audience for watered down hip hop from twenty years ago is dwindling or maybe WKAF is hurting them.
Can't be, WKAF's number seem to be remaining the same. WJMN on the other-hand, may be taking a small amount of WBQT's audience instead.
 
WBQT down below a 2.0. I guess the audience for watered down hip hop from twenty years ago is dwindling or maybe WKAF is hurting them.
Or, perhaps WBQT focused their library better and shed out-of-demo listeners but actually went up in their target. When you look at 6+ only, you may miss a really significant upwards more in a station's real target audience.
 
WPRO-FM showing up in the Boston ratings for the first time ever, albeit with a 0.1 share. I always thought that they were a great station with at often times sounding better than the Boston CHR's!
Some other outside of greater Boston stations are showing up for their first times in a while (or ever). WXTK and WCIB on the Cape, WWLI and WPRV Providence. Also WTPL and WFNQ in NH. I know that the extended Boston metro is considered within at least parts of all these stations coverage areas, but wondering if there was more local "troppo" skipping than usual during this ratings period?
 
The last couple of books show improvements for WGBH-FM, which had consistently trailed WBUR. (I struggle to call it GBH. 🤢)
 
The last couple of books show improvements for WGBH-FM, which had consistently trailed WBUR. (I struggle to call it GBH. 🤢)
Then don't Kemosabe. Continue to refer to it by its official designation, WGBH-FM.

Stations that do this "branding" think they're cool but they're not. "CBS4NewEngland", officially known as "WBZ-TV" was just about THE stupidest branding ever.

Both WGBH-FM and WBZ-TV are legendary IDs for s couple of big-name stations with a proud heritage. Don't diminish or trivialize them by giving them dumb monikers.
 
Some other outside of greater Boston stations are showing up for their first times in a while (or ever). WXTK and WCIB on the Cape, WWLI and WPRV Providence. Also WTPL and WFNQ in NH. I know that the extended Boston metro is considered within at least parts of all these stations coverage areas, but wondering if there was more local "troppo" skipping than usual during this ratings period?
How do stations from non PPM markets end up showing up in a PPM market? Do they encode their signal since they are on the fringe?
 
How do stations from non PPM markets end up showing up in a PPM market? Do they encode their signal since they are on the fringe?
Those stations have always shown up but were "masked" to the free 6+ only users. They are peripheral stations that chose to install an encoder.

I'm not sure why they do it, since there is nothing to gain by being encoded in an "outside" market. At one point, Arbitron wanted those fringe stations to encode as they did not want their absence to reduce PUR* in the PPM market, as that made radio overall look poorly.

PUR: Persons Using Radio or the percentage of all people 6+ or in a specific age cell who are, on average, listening to radio in the period under study.
 
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The last couple of books show improvements for WGBH-FM, which had consistently trailed WBUR. (I struggle to call it GBH. 🤢)
Don't know if it has anything to do with it, but I've noticed that WGBH-FM has pulled ahead of previously either being tied with, or trailing, WBUR, after WBUR's 29-person layoff last summer.
 
Don't know if it has anything to do with it, but I've noticed that WGBH-FM has pulled ahead of previously either being tied with, or trailing, WBUR, after WBUR's 29-person layoff last summer.

There have also been some host changes at some regular WBUR daily shows
 
Or, perhaps WBQT focused their library better and shed out-of-demo listeners but actually went up in their target. When you look at 6+ only, you may miss a really significant upwards more in a station's real target audience.

Do you know that is the case or are you speculating? Their music selection looks similar to what it has always been to me.
 
Boston is truly a special market. Imagine having TWO full power NPR News-Talk-Information stations in one city.... very rare. And both are top 10 stations! Combined, they'd be #1.

Also amazing is that six spoken word stations are in the Top 10. 1. WBZ (News) 5. WBZ-FM (Sports) 6. WGBH-FM (NPR) 8. WRKO (Talk) 9. WBUR-FM (NPR) 10. WEEI-FM (Sports)

Contrast that with Dallas, Houston and Tampa, with only one spoken word station in their top 10.

Is it that people in Boston want to learn something? While Dallas, Houston and Tampa residents only want music? (In addition, Miami has only one but that may be due to language barriers.)
 
Boston is truly a special market. Imagine having TWO full power NPR News-Talk-Information stations in one city.... very rare. And both are top 10 stations! Combined, they'd be #1.

Also amazing is that six spoken word stations are in the Top 10. 1. WBZ (News) 5. WBZ-FM (Sports) 6. WGBH-FM (NPR) 8. WRKO (Talk) 9. WBUR-FM (NPR) 10. WEEI-FM (Sports)

Contrast that with Dallas, Houston and Tampa, with only one spoken word station in their top 10.

Is it that people in Boston want to learn something? While Dallas, Houston and Tampa residents only want music? (In addition, Miami has only one but that may be due to language barriers.)
Does Nielson do further breakdowns into listeners from Communities or towns? I think that it is a safe bet that most of the more affluent segment of the region listen to NPR, while more of the Born and raised here types are much more prone to listen to WBZ and WRKO instead.
 
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