Cleveland Radio Apr 23 Ratings

[Santa fe]

It seems to me WONE is opening up its playlist to more than just guitar rock with the same constant timbre and beat. And the jocks, live or tracked I can't tell, are saying more than just liners and are talking about the songs and the artists, not unlike the "old" AOR's.
Perhaps their consultant may be deducing that when people tune in to local radio they may want more than just streamed music.

I also find 107.3 more listenable which may not be a good thing as I am 'way outside any desirable demo.

As a rule I prefer to listen to stations not owned by the big chains. Those chains don't need my help.

 

[vjm]

I have heard WDOK lean softer at times. Perhaps a tweak?

Perhaps to give it just enough distance between itself and sister Q 104 to show there is some difference and they're not just copying each other

 

[TheBigA]

I question that the current station is tied in any way to the classic WMMS by their own admission.

That's a very interesting post, and I think if you broaden the view, you'll see it's not limited to Cleveland. For example, KISW is a heritage rock station in Seattle. At one time it was all about the music. Now it's mainly a guy talk station with occasional rock music. It gets very good ratings, just like WMMS. But for very different reasons. Look at another heritage rocker: WMMR in Philadelphia. In morning drive, they play two songs an hour. In mid-days, maybe 6. The rest is talk. Like WMMS, they get great ratings, but not because of the music. BTW, the three stations each have different owners, so it's not limited to one company.

So reading that comment from Keith Abrams, he seems to be right. It's very different today. Some of it has to do with the music. Some of it has to do with what today's listeners expect from radio. It's not the same thing they expected 30-40 years ago.

 

[vjm]

99.1 has a turnkey all-news format aimed at the Black community (and launched in the middle of the public reactions/protests to the George Floyd murder) with minimal overhead, it’s not meant to show in the ratings.

BIN was a response to a moment in time - George Floyd doesn't happen, BIN doesn't happen.

Now the question is, will it last the test of time now that time and issues of the day have marched on?

 

[TheBigA]

BIN was a response to a moment in time - George Floyd doesn't happen, BIN doesn't happen.

Now the question is, will it last the test of time now that time and issues of the day have marched on?

BIN was also a national advertising platform, supported by McDonalds, CVS, Bank of America, and more. That's where the budget came from to buy the stations and create the content. So the answer to your question is it will remain as long as there's advertiser support. The advertisers aren't buying local ratings, but a national service, which is quantified in a different way.

 

[snowdog88]

There's always the option of WTAM being simulcasted on 106.5 instead of 106.9.

I would like 106.5 to become something like Sunny 101.7 in Canton, or their previous My 101.7 format. Then again, I don't think I would be able to tolerate their repetitive playlist of the same 50 songs and 12 minute long commercials from the same 5 advertisers.

50's & 60's oldies would be nice, but lets face it, that's never coming back to AM/FM radio.

I have heard WDOK lean softer at times. Perhaps a tweak?

Probably the new program manager making changes. I hope he eventually brings back the previous Soft Rock 102.1 format, minus the modern music added since then. Unfortunately, he can't bring back the original morning show crew, which if they were retained, probably would have resigned or retired by now.

Perhaps to give it just enough distance between itself and sister Q 104 to show there is some difference and they're not just copying each other

Wish 105.7 or 106.5 would flip formats. Between the two, 70-80% of their playlist consists of the same songs.

 

[johnbasalla]

50's & 60's oldies would be nice, but lets face it, that's never coming back to AM/FM radio.

You can find Non-Comms that have individual Specialty Shows that do 1950s and (early) 1960s. WBWC 88.3 FM (on-line @ wbwc.com and at WBWC on the Tune-In app) is one. "The Golden Age of Rock and Roll" airs from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. every Sunday. The show has been on since 1971 and continuously since 1974. There are others.

 

[snowdog88]

You can find Non-Comms that have individual Specialty Shows that do 1950s and (early) 1960s. WBWC 88.3 FM (on-line @ wbwc.com and at WBWC on the Tune-In app) is one. "The Golden Age of Rock and Roll" airs from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. every Sunday. The show has been on since 1971 and continuously since 1974. There are others.

I have been listening to WSTB 88.9 on Sundays as they run "The Sunday Oldies Jukebox" all day. Unfortunately, as the name implies, its only on Sundays. Monday-Saturday the station is alternative and hard rock. They do play some good songs (on Sundays), though sometimes they play a bunch of B-sides that I've never heard or not crazy about. In other words, it's not all hits, but they do play some rarities as well.

 

[Yabadabado1]

I have been listening to WSTB 88.9 on Sundays as they run "The Sunday Oldies Jukebox" all day. Unfortunately, as the name implies, its only on Sundays. Monday-Saturday the station is alternative and hard rock. They do play some good songs (on Sundays), though sometimes they play a bunch of B-sides that I've never heard or not crazy about. In other words, it's not all hits, but they do play some rarities as well.

I've heard songs on SOJ that I hadn't heard in decades. And as far as the "The Alternation" goes I pretty much like what I hear the rest of the week.

 

[radiofollower]

That's a very interesting post, and I think if you broaden the view, you'll see it's not limited to Cleveland. For example, KISW is a heritage rock station in Seattle. At one time it was all about the music. Now it's mainly a guy talk station with occasional rock music. It gets very good ratings, just like WMMS. But for very different reasons. Look at another heritage rocker: WMMR in Philadelphia. In morning drive, they play two songs an hour. In mid-days, maybe 6. The rest is talk. Like WMMS, they get great ratings, but not because of the music. BTW, the three stations each have different owners, so it's not limited to one company.

So reading that comment from Keith Abrams, he seems to be right. It's very different today. Some of it has to do with the music. Some of it has to do with what today's listeners expect from radio. It's not the same thing they expected 30-40 years ago.

It gets very good ratings, just like WMMS.

WMMS' current ratings seem to be apparently mostly driven by the sports play-by-play broadcasts and the morning non-music show. My point is that music, music trends, music performer interviews and live music broadcasts were always the signature of WMMS and "The Buzzard". No longer. When they do play music, it is nothing special and the ratings during those time periods drop considerably. Plus, they modified a friendly looking Buzzard into a mean creature with a snarl. I wish they would just change the call letters, stop trying to tie into a classic station by rejecting what made the station classic to begin with and quit messing with The Buzzard illustration.

 

[TheBigA]

I wish they would just change the call letters, stop trying to tie into a classic station by rejecting what made the station classic to begin with and quit messing with The Buzzard illustration.

They've already told you they're not the same station. The music being made today isn't the same music, but it's still being called rock music. Changing call letters won't change the way you feel. It's not about them. They've already adapted.

 

[Rusty Muck]

BIN was a response to a moment in time - George Floyd doesn't happen, BIN doesn't happen.

Now the question is, will it last the test of time now that time and issues of the day have marched on?

The format is mostly subsidized by national advertising that act as underwriters, plus the majority of the affiliates are AM stations that will never be competitive to begin with.

 

[radiofollower]

They've already told you they're not the same station.

That's my point.

 

[TheBigA]

That's my point.

But you're missing mine. The music today doesn't bring people together the way it once did. That's why it's not core to what they do anymore. And as I pointed out, they're not unique in that way.

 

[johnbasalla]

But you're missing mine. The music today doesn't bring people together the way it once did. That's why it's not core to what they do anymore. And as I pointed out, they're not unique in that way.

Anecdotal evidence of todays music not bringing people together is that I looked at the current Billboard Top 10, and the first song I was unfamiliar with was at #4 or 5. I asked a 20-22 year old girl about that song, and she said she never heard it either.

 

[radiofollower]

Anecdotal evidence of todays music not bringing people together is that I looked at the current Billboard Top 10, and the first song I was unfamiliar with was at #4 or 5. I asked a 20-22 year old girl about that song, and she said she never heard it either.

It is my observation that most young people today find their own music in whatever way that they can through various online methods and specialty streaming services. The Billboard chart is an anachronism and the idea of discovering new music on radio is not even on their radar. Nor is radio, for the most part. I have a 24 year old daughter and she does not even own a radio and when in the car, it is all files and streaming.

 

[CTListener]

Anecdotal evidence of todays music not bringing people together is that I looked at the current Billboard Top 10, and the first song I was unfamiliar with was at #4 or 5. I asked a 20-22 year old girl about that song, and she said she never heard it either.

A listener to a station that's playing Fast Car and Last Night (No. 3 and No. 1) would never hear the Lil Durk song, All My Life, at No. 5

 

[TheBigA]

The Billboard chart is an anachronism and the idea of discovering new music on radio is not even on their radar.

FYI The Billboard chart incorporates streaming services in its numbers, so it follows the very individual music tastes that exist today.

 

[Rusty Muck]

Could WMMS go all-talk and have the rock format elsewhere in case WTAM gets worse? The 106.9 signal doesn't do justice for 1100.

The only way that could even work is if they went all-hot talk, and that format died off with the Free FM debacle (which CBS didn't even think of attempting here in Cleveland). Sure, there's the likes of WTKS-FM, WHPT and WZZR, but hot talk just isn't viable anywhere else.

If they tried to turn WMMS into a conventional (i.e., right-wing) talk station, it would merely cannibalize WTAM and alienate WMMS's current audience entirely. TBH it's best for WTAM to just play out the string until the talk radio format ceases to be viable altogether, which could be the case come 2025. Maybe by then WTAM will become a WLW relay, which honestly wouldn't be bad.

 

[brokentuner]

I have been listening to WSTB 88.9 on Sundays as they run "The Sunday Oldies Jukebox" all day. Unfortunately, as the name implies, its only on Sundays. Monday-Saturday the station is alternative and hard rock. They do play some good songs (on Sundays), though sometimes they play a bunch of B-sides that I've never heard or not crazy about. In other words, it's not all hits, but they do play some rarities as well.

I’ve listened for a while. It’s a good show to pop into on occasion.