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Greensboro/Winston-Salem & Raleigh/Durham ratings from nearly 20 years ago.

R

RobynWattsV2.0

This is a look back at both markets from Winter 1988. First up Greensboro/Winston-Salem (then-market #50):

station format Sp/87 Su/87 F/87 W/87

WTQR Country 17.5 17.4 14.8 18.6
WKRR Album 9.5 9.4 8.6 7.4
WMAG AC 5.5 6.2 8.5 6.5
WKZL Top 40 7.2 6.2 6.0 6.2
WSJS Big Band 5.5 5.5 4.7 5.6
WKSI Top 40 8.0 7.1 4.9 5.5
WQMG Urban 6.8 6.9 7.8 5.4
WOJY AC 6.9 6.3 4.1 5.3
WBIG Country 1.1 2.9 6.9 4.9
WAAA Black 1.9 2.6 2.2 3.0
WPEG Urban __ __ 0.7 2.9
WMQX-FM AC 2.9 2.2 2.0 2.3
WTNC Religious 0.3 2.3 1.9 2.1
WHPE Religious 1.1 2.1 2.2 2.0
WWMY Easy 1.9 2.9 1.4 1.8
WMFR AC 1.5 1.7 1.8 1.7
WEAL Black 2.4 1.0 0.8 1.6

Now, Raleigh/Durham (then-market #61):

station format Sp/87 Su/87 F/87 W/88

WDCG Top 40 7.4 7.8 6.7 9.4
WRAL AC 7.7 7.9 9.9 9.4
WFXC Urban 6.1 4.0 3.1 9.2
WRDU Album 7.9 10.9 6.5 8.3
WPTF AC 9.0 8.1 8.9 8.2
WQDR Country 8.1 8.2 9.1 7.4
WQOK Urban __ 7.3 7.4 6.4
WTRG AC 4.5 3.3 3.7 3.9
WDUR Religious 4.7 2.6 3.2 3.6
WYLT AC 5.9 4.1 6.3 3.6
WYRN Oldies __ __ 1.6 3.1
WLLE Religious 2.8 3.3 2.5 2.8
WZZU Top 40 5.4 5.2 4.1 2.8
WDNC Big Band 2.6 2.3 3.3 2.5
WPCM Country 1.4 1.3 0.7 1.0

Enjoy,
Robyn
 
boy WTQR days that far ahead are far over.

and WKZL has really grown in the market

20 years makes a big difference
 
Back then, WRAL just about had a license to print money.
 
WSJS "Big Band"? W.T.F.? I remember adult contemporary, then a failed attempt at talk (no conservative talkers yet, pre-Limbaugh...Michael Jackson, Dr. Dean Edell, etc.), then a brief switch back to a/c, finally the formula we have today. But "Big Band"? To quote one of the greats, Al Borlin of 'Tool Time' fame..."Uh, I don't think so, Tim!"
 
I'm with you Mike, Something ain't Kosher here.. I happen to know that WKOQ-Q94 Now Majic 94.1, at least showed and it ain't there..Where is the "so called Robyn" getting these books from??? BIG APE!
 
Mike & Big Ape:

The 12+ numbers for Greensboro/HP/W-S came from the June 4th, 1988 issue of "Billboard" magazine, while Raleigh/Durham came from the June 11th, 1988 issue of the same magazine. If you don't believe me, the both of you can trot down to your local library and see for yourselves. I guarantee that you'll find that they are EXACTLY the way that I've typed them!

If you have an issue about the way that the ratings were listed, take it up with Arbitron or Billboard, just don't bother taking it up with me!
 
RobynWattsV2.0 said:
Mike & Big Ape:

The 12+ numbers for Greensboro/HP/W-S came from the June 4th, 1988 issue of "Billboard" magazine, while Raleigh/Durham came from the June 11th, 1988 issue of the same magazine. If you don't believe me, the both of you can trot down to your local library and see for yourselves. I guarantee that you'll find that they are EXACTLY the way that I've typed them!

If you have an issue about the way that the ratings were listed, take it up with Arbitron or Billboard, just don't bother taking it up with me!
Click to expand...

They didn't post them on this board...You Did!
 
Robyn with all due respect, I didn't ask where you got the information. In fact I didn't question you at all. I DID question whether WSJS had ever been "Big Band". If the information is wrong (I'd wager a week's pay on it), that's hardly your fault, but the fault of your source (Billboard & R&R). And not the first mistake in either! One can question the message without shooting the messenger.

Mike
 
Mike Walker said:
Robyn with all due respect, I didn't ask where you got the information. In fact I didn't question you at all. I DID question whether WSJS had ever been "Big Band". If the information is wrong (I'd wager a week's pay on it), that's hardly your fault, but the fault of your source (Billboard & R&R). And not the first mistake in either! One can question the message without shooting the messenger.

Mike
Click to expand...

Mike,

True, but the blame can also fall on WSJS or Arbitron as well. Last time I've checked, it was up to the individual stations to notify Arbitron if there has been a format change (or call-sign changes) so that the station can recieve the proper ratings credit.

And my apologizes to you and Big Ape if I've was defensive in my statements.
 
Robyn: I for one appreciate your posting those here. I was active in radio at the time and those ratings are pretty much the way I remember them. All except for the WSJS/Big Band thing. But, it's great when people share information on this board. It keeps it interesting!
 
Agreed!

Interesting to look back to remember how things were, and compare to today. Thanks for the info! (On this and other threads where you've had similar info. Good stuff!)
 
Yeah Robyn, thanks for taking the trouble to put it up. I DO appreciate it (as do others). Since I grew up within earshot of Winston Salem/Greensboro AND Charlotte markets, and being an old dude, I'm kind of sensitive to things like "who had what format when". But NOT questioning you, only the source!

Thanks again!

Mike
 
You're all welcome. :) The reason why I've posted the older ratings for just about all of the ranked markets in the Carolinas was because I've was trying to provide a snapshot of what radio was like in our area almost 20 years ago. I wasn't trying to start anything with anybody about the WSJS/Big Band issue, I was just posted what was printed.

I do have a few others from 1983 that may be of interest. I'll try to post them later this week.

Robyn
 
Even today...I see stations' formats in Arbitron ocassionally classified as something that does NOT fit what they are playing. Thanks, Robyn, for posting these...here and on some of the other boards, too!

Eric
 
Mike Walker said:
WSJS "Big Band"? W.T.F.? I remember adult contemporary, then a failed attempt at talk (no conservative talkers yet, pre-Limbaugh...Michael Jackson, Dr. Dean Edell, etc.), then a brief switch back to a/c, finally the formula we have today. But "Big Band"? To quote one of the greats, Al Borlin of 'Tool Time' fame..."Uh, I don't think so, Tim!"
Click to expand...
I lived in the market at the time. There were two big band stations, WTOB and WBAG. WBAG is still doing something similar when it's not talk. I recall WSJS being oldies and talk.
 
RobynWattsV2.0 said:
Mike & Big Ape:

The 12+ numbers for Greensboro/HP/W-S came from the June 4th, 1988 issue of "Billboard" magazine, while Raleigh/Durham came from the June 11th, 1988 issue of the same magazine. If you don't believe me, the both of you can trot down to your local library and see for yourselves.
Click to expand...
Interesting that you think one can "trot down to your local library" and see Billboard. The one I go to keeps it about a year or two, and then all you can see is what's online. That means the library's online service, free to you, or the one the magazine has, which you pay for.

And the library's online service doesn't even have a full article that I actually need dating back to 1993. Just the abstract.
RobynWattsV2.0 said:
I guarantee that you'll find that they are EXACTLY the way that I've typed them!

If you have an issue about the way that the ratings were listed, take it up with Arbitron or Billboard, just don't bother taking it up with me!
Click to expand...
I did finally get through to the person who updates the information on the Radio and Records web site about formats. He/she quit listening to me. So it's unreliable (and that's just for stations I know about).

Could be worse. I was looking to see how I would list Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook as a source on Wikipedia and happened to notice it was $245 now. Imagine paying that much for a book that is so incredibly inaccurate and even if it is up-to-date when printed, it's outdated the minute you get it. And yet the college I went to still does.
 
;D Actually, Robyn needs to find a new hobby rather than posting 20 year old ratings..Go to Reel radio and post.. Who cares..It's not making me any money now and made very little back then!..P.S. Who is Robyn Watts..? BIG APE!
 
BIG APE said:
I'm with you Mike, Something ain't Kosher here.. I happen to know that WKOQ-Q94 Now Majic 94.1, at least showed and it ain't there..Where is the "so called Robyn" getting these books from??? BIG APE!
Click to expand...

There are several stations that are not on the list Robyn posted because Billboard (and Radio and Records for that matter) generally printed only those stations that had a 1.0 share or greater.
For example, WKEW had a 0.9 in the Winter '88 book (Robyn incorrectly transcribed it as Wi87), but it's not listed.

For the record, WKOQ did not register at all in the Winter 88 book (its last before flipping to WWGL in April 88), but in the three previous books, Q94 went 1.2 - 0.5 - 0.6.
 
BIG APE said:
;D Actually, Robyn needs to find a new hobby rather than posting 20 year old ratings..Go to Reel radio and post.. Who cares..It's not making me any money now and made very little back then!..P.S. Who is Robyn Watts..? BIG APE!
Click to expand...

Um, yeah. Don't go posting interesting radio info on a board about radio.

I, for one, found it very interesting. That was my sophmore year at an area college, and the same year I got my first radio gig.

ANYBODY who followed radio through Billboard or R&R knows that they didn't list stations with less than 1.0. The term is "below the line".

Slamming somebody for posting ratings history from the old trades is P3 thinking.
 
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