KIRO-FM climbs back to the top

[fordranger797]

We share all the time, Ford. As you've seen, many of the Hobbyists, just don't want to believe it.
Just as with politics anymore, sometimes the facts and actual data don't spark the excitement and strong opinions that people crave.

I think there is a big divide between radio as a hobby, and radio as a business. On a personal note, I used to be under the impression that the goal of a radio station was to attract listeners both near and far. If you would have tried to explain to me seven years ago that advertisers don't care about listeners who are out of market, I probably wouldn't have believed you, because that philosophy somehow seems counterintuitive to the goal of broadcasting. What really opened my eyes was having direct conversations with real salespeople who actually have to sell advertising. Real people who do the job aren't going to put a lot of effort into driving to Forks, Chehalis, or Concrete to try and sell advertising. Listeners in those locations are merely a bonus.

The hobby side of radio (dxing, reception) certainly has a place. I still find a lot of excitment in seeing what I can pick up on the radio in unique locations.

 

[fordranger797]

Back to the topic at hand, here is a question for the experts: can anyone provide a general (not to violate any copyright) idea of how KJR-FM is performing? Jodi and Bender have officially been a morning team for a year now, and they sound fantastic. They also have a great afternoon show with Matt Case. I know that people like to give iHeart a tough time, but KJR seems like a very well-run radio station.

 

[davideduardo]

Back to the topic at hand, here is a question for the experts: can anyone provide a general (not to violate any copyright) idea of how KJR-FM is performing? Jodi and Bender have officially been a morning team for a year now, and they sound fantastic. They also have a great afternoon show with Matt Case. I know that people like to give iHeart a tough time, but KJR seems like a very well-run radio station.

Using a recent three book average (just the way agencies do... although often they look at up to 6 books) here is a ranker overview.

12+ 6th
18-34 15th
18-49 10th
25-54 7th
35-64 7th
25-54 women 4th. Bingo! We have a sales winner worth big bucks.

Core is 35-54 women, where it ranks even higher.

 

[CTListener]

Using a recent three book average (just the way agencies do... although often they look at up to 6 books) here is a ranker overview.

12+ 6th
18-34 15th
18-49 10th
25-54 7th
35-64 7th
25-54 women 4th. Bingo! We have a sales winner worth big bucks.

Core is 35-54 women, where it ranks even higher.

So in this case, the "worthless" 12+ number is pretty indicative of its ranking in raw 25-54 and 35-64 demos, less so in the narrower 25-54 and 35-64 female demos, and not at all in demos that include younger listeners. Is this an average breakdown in terms of perceived correlation between 12+ and the demo(s) the station and its advertisers are targeting, or are there stations for which the 12+ number is out of whack with all demographic rankings and is, indeed, totally worthless? I'd imagine some sports stations would be, since they skew so heavily male and over 35 that they have hardly any young or female listeners at all.

 

[fordranger797]

Using a recent three book average (just the way agencies do... although often they look at up to 6 books) here is a ranker overview.

12+ 6th
18-34 15th
18-49 10th
25-54 7th
35-64 7th
25-54 women 4th. Bingo! We have a sales winner worth big bucks.

Core is 35-54 women, where it ranks even higher.

That's awesome! Thank you, David. It's great to see them having success in a key demographic. I would assume that their sister station, KZOK, sees a lot of success in men 25-54.

 

[davideduardo]

Is this an average breakdown in terms of perceived correlation between 12+ and the demo(s) the station and its advertisers are targeting, or are there stations for which the 12+ number is out of whack with all demographic rankings and is, indeed, totally worthless? I'd imagine some sports stations would be, since they skew so heavily male and over 35 that they have hardly any young or female listeners at all.

You assumed correctly. For many years when WFAN was #1 or #2 in billings, it was always about 15th in 12+ numbers. But those listeners were all 25 to 55 year old men, and they were #1 there. The older men did not listen as the talent was edgy and did not have geezer appeal. Younger boys were not into the culture the way adult men are, either.

But they got every male buy. They got every sports marketing buy. They made tons of money.

Another example would be the top 5 Spanish language stations in LA. None are higher than, maybe 7th or 8th overall. But Spanish media is a separately budgeted buys, and those 5 stations are #1 to #5 in that subset, and get on every buy.

 

[semoochie]

You assumed correctly. For many years when WFAN was #1 or #2 in billings, it was always about 15th in 12+ numbers. But those listeners were all 25 to 55 year old men, and they were #1 there. The older men did not listen as the talent was edgy and did not have geezer appeal. Younger boys were not into the culture the way adult men are, either.

But they got every male buy. They got every sports marketing buy. They made tons of money.

Another example would be the top 5 Spanish language stations in LA. None are higher than, maybe 7th or 8th overall. But Spanish media is a separately budgeted buys, and those 5 stations are #1 to #5 in that subset, and get on every buy.

Wasn't this when Don Imus was doing mornings, thus throwing off the total numbers?