Corpus ratings

[Scholarm1111]

For the first time in about 5 years, Corpus radio ratings are publicly available, check them out.

CC rules the market. However, Malkan's KZFM and KKBA are also in the top 10. Also impressed with the showing of Tejano KMIQ which doesn't always sound the most seasoned on the air, I actually had preferred the sound of the now defunct Club 98.3.

http://www.radiodailynews.com/8-10-09-corpuschristi.htm

 

[Infamous]

Talk about BS ratings...

KBSO hasn't been Mexican Regional in over 2 years and KXTM has been off the air for a year and half. (or more if you consider the on a day off a month or two before that)

 

[Scholarm1111]

Interesting.... so the KBSO ratings must be for the Americana format?

And KXTM must be simulcasted KMIQ?

 

[Infamous]

I doubt it...KXTM was another Spanish format and suppose to be translated on K228XM 93.5 FM (illegally mind you via internet since the signal couldn't be picked up OTA) but ever since the altercation with the hunters on the ranch (stealing electricity and then shooting up the feed line when they were caught) where the tower is located, the Lopez family never bothered to replace the coax and the station has remained off the air ever since (with no silent STA). When all this occurred, Carlos Lopez decided to simulcast KMIQ with K228XM.

 

[Herve]

Talk about BS ratings...

KBSO hasn't been Mexican Regional in over 2 years and KXTM has been off the air for a year and half. (or more if you consider the on a day off a month or two before that)

In Corpus there is only one Arbitron subscriber... Clear Channel. These other stations have not reported, or rather updated any of their station data to Arbitron and the only subscriber will/won't/shouldn't do it.

On another note; times sure have changed, KOUL was once a good Country station (late-mid 80's and early 90's), now it is crap. KLTG, went from a personality driven Adult station to crap, Kent needs to bring back Bert and Keev. KLHB and KMJR... They should be blown up... Bring back KRAD... Are the people running these stations deaf or just have some sort of attention deficit disorder? Kent you have posted on this board what say ye...

Clear Channel, cookie cutter radio... what else can be said... However Big Frank is doing good with Country, and KNCN is the most personality driven station in the market.

KFTX... my guess is they do well due to high cume... the geriatrics who listen to them cannot get their wheel chairs or walkers over to the radio to change the station. One of the few radio stations in the country where you can hear a classic from 1972 followed by something from 1994 followed by 1978 followed by something new. Listen to any one of the dayparts on this station, one can set their watch to what the jocks do day in day out. They are consistant. The station sounds like the GM's ipod.

Convergent, at least they have Classic Rock. Good ideas just bad presentation.

The others in the market are just "also rans".

I hate being negative, but give me a break, there are 1) just too many radio stations in this market 2) too many GMs/Corporations/owners who listen to consultants and local has beens.

I have just vented several years of frustration... I am going to a have a gin and tonic now.

 

[Scholarm1111]

KFTX is a distant 3rd in the country battle according to these ratings. I am not sure what their CUME is.

 

[kac1]

Herve,
You made some good observations. First off, we do not subscribe to Arbitron, so I don't know what the rationgs are, nor do I really care. When Arbitron couldn't seem to get over about 1500 respondants in a market of 350,000, I gave up. Plus the 6 figure price tag was too much for the return we got.
That being said, here a a few observations about the market.
Clear Channel has owned the market for a long time. Several of the people that work here had a lot to do with that.
KNCN is a great brand and has Rex Gabriel. Love Rex or hate him, he's the real deal and drives that station. The rest of the talent is average. If Rex ever leaves, it's over for them except for a great brand.
KMXR is a good Oldies station with a consistant morning show. No personality after mornings which will eventually catch up.
KSAB is over, but they don't know it yet. The talent is weak and the format is dying.
KRYS is a pretty good station. Great brand, good music and imaging. Mark Wintrow is the only good talent on the entire station. It is not what it used to be and is still living off the brand and top of mind awareness that were built prior to anyone, other than Wintrow, that is currently there. Big Frank's main job in life is to not screw it up.
KMIQ probably gained listeners by default when KLHB gave up the format.
Malken has good stations. KZFM is ,and always will be, the top CHR. It is well programmed and has one hell of a brand. It would take a competitor a ton of cash and many years to knock them off.
Convergant's biggest weakness is having 3 low power move-ins and not enought people. The classic rock was sounding good musically until recently when they started adding oldies like Sam & Dave, Wilson Pickett, etc. Good music, but doesn't play well next to Led Zep.
I can't tell you what they were thinking with STAR.
Here at Tejas life is pretty good. Our focus for the stations has been local business more than agency, unlike CC. So when national and regional business went south it didn't hurt us as much.
The 2 Spanish stations do very well financially. You may not like them, but we love them. The decision to flip KLHB to Recuerdo came mainly from the decline in the Tejano format. Corpus just didn't need 3 Tejano stations and we couldn't seem to get out of the #2 spot. The Recuerdo/Regional Mexican combo is a killer.
KOUL just went through the first complete book at full power and being consistantly on the air since I took over. In recent years it has been devasted with technical problems that are now repaired. Combine that with sports play, by play and a lot of turnover in the past 6 or 7 years and you have big problems. I think under the direction of Clayton Allen it is now on the way.
KLTG has gone through a lot of changes. Some were intentional and some were not. The most recent problem was a rogue pd that thought it should be a rythmic CHR whether we wanted it or not. He did a great deal of damage to the station before we realized it. It is now back on track.
I hope that answers some of your questions and speculation. I'm not revealing any big secrets here, after all, it's just radio. But, for some reason a lot of people on this board like to second guess me and tell me what an asshole I am. By the way, contrary to one of my biggest fans on here, I don't play golf.
Kent

 

[Herve]

Kent,

Yes Aribitron is expensive, especially for a market this size.

I agree with your observations about KNCN and KMXR.

KSAB will never be beaten by KMIQ, either in ratings or in any other way, why, because like them or not, KSAB has a better presence in the market for the listener and gives a better result to an advertiser. I think your right, KMIQ probably gained more listners when KLHB changed. I think your also right about the Malken stations. Convergent did better when their classic rock was a Jones format... Pick 200 classic rock songs a month, play the crap out of them, and change the next month. Their signals are a non issue, they are not full Class C stations, but they can be heard. They cover the Metro.

I regards to KLTG... as an aside, I go back listening to this frequency to when it was KIOU ( I never listened for long)...How can you have a rogue pd? Does not anyone other than the PD listen to the station? Sales Manager who is selling the product? OPs? Yourself? This is where I disagree with you. KLTG has made a long slow change to what it is now.

I would have thought that the KLHB flip was an "owner" decision. If your making more revenue now, I mean making it... not just from cutting overhead, then it is a success.

When previous management signed every sport team in the area, KOUL did take it in the shorts. Stupid mistake. KOUL has always been at a disadvantage. When the York's sold the station ( or should I say stations), to Jay Harpole, who knew he was going to flip them to Texas Eagle... the long descent began. Texas Eagle, first pooped in the Post Toasties, I knew, when they started playing the original theme to the Dukes of Hazzard in heavy rotation. I would have to say this station of all the Corpus stations has had it the hardest.

Kent, you do have a hard job. Here from the comfort of the cheap seats, I would suggest the following:

1) Tell your Tejas bosses that the local hispanic found here is different. Recuerdo and KMXR are really for a less assimilated population. This is not LA, Chicago, Dallas or even SA.
2) KLTG, needs to be Adult Aternative, a little more modern than the original Beach, less hokey talk... more relevent listener orientated jock talk, the morning show is trying too hard to be entertaining... get them on track.
3) Get KOUL back on top, be different be local, be less Country Radio and more Country, put some real cowboys and cowgirls on the air that live a county life style... yeah I know... easy to say; hard to do.
4) For any of the stations don't compete with any other station, get to a point where they compete against you.
5) What happened to Drive Time entertainment, this daypart needs as much prep from the jocks as the morning show.


Just some ramblings, and thanks for picking up the keyboard.

 

[Infamous]

KZFM is ,and always will be, the top CHR. It is well programmed and has one hell of a brand. It would take a competitor a ton of cash and many years to knock them off.

Not true. Someone has already beat them and they didn't have a ton of cash and it only took a year after they signed on. It was Pacific Broadcasting. When Jason Hillery was programming KBTE (The Beat 102.3) they beat Z95.

They have many weaknesses. The programming sucks on KZFM. Everyone working there has expressed their frustrations with Ed being more preoccupied with other stuff such as managing Paula Deanda and being on tour with her instead of programming the station.

 

[Scholarm1111]

KZFM doesn't sound too bad. I think KBFM in the Valley sounds a bit better.

 

[Herve]

KZFM is ,and always will be, the top CHR. It is well programmed and has one hell of a brand. It would take a competitor a ton of cash and many years to knock them off.

Not true. Someone has already beat them and they didn't have a ton of cash and it only took a year after they signed on. It was Pacific Broadcasting. When Jason Hillery was programming KBTE (The Beat 102.3) they beat Z95.

Jason only was lucky that Chris De Marco was there before him.

 

[BRH]

KLTG has gone through a lot of changes. Some were intentional and some were not. The most recent problem was a rogue pd that thought it should be a rythmic CHR whether we wanted it or not. He did a great deal of damage to the station before we realized it. It is now back on track.

Wow, I couldn't disagree with you more! I visit Corpus every year and was in town during May (apparently during this "rogue" period), and I couldn't believe how great KLTG "The Beach" was sounding now. I hadn't streamed them in awhile because I always found their Hot AC format bland and boring in the past. But earlier this spring, the station had shifted from Hot AC to pretty much mainstream CHR (and it sounded incredible). It absolutely blew KKPN "Planet 102.3" away. I listened online after returning home, and then to my dismay, all of a sudden one day, the plug was pulled and The Beach abruptly went back to the boring Hot AC (Sheryl Crow, Matchbox 20, etc.) same ole, same ole.

I'm sorry, I guess we just disagree on programming and formats, but I think KLTG could have really taken off if you'd kept going in the new direction and dumped Hot AC for mainstream CHR (after all, the CHR format is on fire right now and posting huge numbers nationwide). KLTG, as I said, was sounding much more fun than Planet 102.3, and could have easily taken the mainstream CHR lead in Corpus. Are the slightly older demos with Hot AC really that much more appealing adwise, than larger numbers as a true 18-34 CHR would be?

Anyway, I'm sure it was a business/financial decision, but I had to jump in and say that I loved the "new" sound of The Beach this past spring, and I certainly am sorry that you chose to go back to the old sound. As I said, I'm not in the market and have no idea who the "rogue PD" was, but I sure wish someone else would hire him because the station was sounding great. Anyway, I hope Tejas reconsiders going full on CHR with 96.5. I think given a little time, it would pay off much more than Hot AC.

Anyway, other than KLTG's former format, I guess my other personal favorite in the Corpus market is Malkan's rhythmic AC, KKBA "K-Bay". I just wish they'd stream. They certainly have a unique sound that works in the market and just "sounds like Corpus Christi" to me.

 

[kac1]

BRH,
You are right about KLTG sounding really good as a CHR. The pd did a fantastic job with it. The only problem was that we didn't want a CHR. He changed format on the station when he wasn't supposed to. Whether you like Hot AC or not, it generates much more revenue than CHR. Plus, there were already CHR stations in the market. The short change really hurt us finanially.
If I ever wanted to change formats to CHR, he would be the guy. But I prefer a PD that follows directions. It's a really strange feeling to wake up one day and find that someone changed the format on your station!
Kent

 

[Infamous]

That was exactly the reason The Beat 102.3 was flipped to The Planet. Even though the numbers in the ratings game were great and they even beat KZFM, Rick Dames made the decision to move The Planet on the more powerful frequency because The Planet generated a lot more revenue. They really had a hard time selling The Beat (no matter what the ratings numbers showed). The Beat was also an expensive format to operate. The Jocks, the live mix show DJ's, the Beat street team, etc etc. The Planet was voice tracked and the morning show was pumped in via satellite and overall the station required hardly any money to run and yet they could sell the crap out of that station. It was a no brainer for Rick.

 

[johnqdoe]

ratings do NOT = revenue...especially for CHR stations that miss out on some national buys with the younger audience. That "cool Sat night club spot" is to CHR what a head shop and strip clubs are to rock. Small buys, cash only, week to week business

 

[MarquisP4]

Is it me or does it seem like KFTX has gotten stale from a few years ago? Surprised they fell to 3rd (and a distant one at that) BTW, their new logo seen on their website is UGLY!!!!! The old logo was more professional.

 

[Smittian]

The problem with KFTX is not that they play too many "classics". There is a lot of great Country music from the 60's, 70's and 80's that deserves to be heard. The problem is that the old stuff they play isn't exactly what you'd call "classics". For example, instead of playing Charlie Rich's "Behind Closed Doors" or "The Most Beautiful Girl" (both HUGE hits back in the day), they'll play some obscure Charlie Rich song that wasn't even a top-10 hit and no one remembers.

 

[BossJock1947]

The problem with KFTX is not that they play too many "classics". There is a lot of great Country music from the 60's, 70's and 80's that deserves to be heard. The problem is that the old stuff they play isn't exactly what you'd call "classics". For example, instead of playing Charlie Rich's "Behind Closed Doors" or "The Most Beautiful Girl" (both HUGE hits back in the day), they'll play some obscure Charlie Rich song that wasn't even a top-10 hit and no one remembers.

Yep that'll get you in trouble EVERY time. Playing mid chart songs instead of the huge mainstream ones.

 

[Jane St. John]

It would be nice if Corpus Christi were a progressive enough market to embrace an "Adult Alternative" station, to which Herve was referring. That is, if he was referring to a true Triple A format. Unfortunately, it was tried once, and due to lack of support from the management at the time, and overall disinterest from the listening audience, it struggled and then faded away. I know, I was there. KWVS-FM initially signed on as a smooth jazz/nac format, then transitioned to Triple A during the time that I was MD/APD. I'd like to think that for a short time, Corpus Christi and the 100 people who listened to the station were actually being treated to some pretty awesome music.

Then it went classic rock, then to what it is now: KFTX. KFTX was always intended to be a country station, because that's what Tom Dobson, the owner of Quality Broadcasting, liked and what his wife liked. Ratings will never matter to KFTX. Everytime somebody eats a Whataburger, they help keep the station afloat. Not because they were actually listening to it. Or maybe it is true, the listeners have fallen and can't get up.

But, it's like the Boss Jock says, it's all about playing the hits and what people know. Which is really so sad, when there is so much good music out there to be had. As well as talented jocks who are "on the beach" because it's easier to syndicate or pay one or two people to voice track.

 

[Scholarm1111]

I think KFTX might be better off going to a classic country format rather than being the 3rd rated country station. They usually don't play more than a couple of classics an hour.