KRTH IS NUMBER ONE, BECAUSE THEY PLAY THE BEST MUSIC !!

[calguy]

Speaking from the management side of my desk, anyone who pays their air talent bonuses based on the monthlies is a moron. Nuff said.

KRTH is rated #1 in so many demos that nobody needs to feel sorry for our sales staff. Those who are making the 18-34 (or even 18-49) comparisons to KOST make me laugh. Obviously, you've never had to deal with any agencies or buyers. You don't have a clue as to how this game is played.

Momentum is always a factor in winning both the consumer and the ad dollars. My friends, the momentum has now changed sides. 2010 is going to be an amazing year for one of the LA radio clusters. Guess which one that is?

You're as humble as ever DrLove. Hmm, your writing style reminds me of someone at CBS. I wonder?...

 

[michael hagerty]

David:
I'm confused. In a thread last month, you said that while The Wave's revenues were declining, they were still healthy and among the top billers in the market.

They are declining, and with the ratings of recent, can't likely be sustained at that level.

Any guess as to how long before a switch starts to look good to CBS (keeping in mind the overall low cost of running KTWV)?

 

[davideduardo]

Any guess as to how long before a switch starts to look good to CBS (keeping in mind the overall low cost of running KTWV)?

Only they can know the make or break point based on costs and expectations. Revenue usually lags ratings, both on the way up and on the way down. So all I can do is guess. At the level reported for November, and if it is sustained in the next few months, I would think that options would be on the table. Remember that Amp is just ramping up sales wise, (the same lag factor) so they will not want another flip before the first one is stable, but this is another guess.

KROQ, Amp and Jack look so incredibly sollid, and the KNX "news consolidation" move looks so brilliant that they may be willing to move quicker unless the low costs produce good margins, even at low billing levels.

In other words, while I can see danger signs, I have no clue as to when we can call the station an endangered species.

 

[ercjncpr]

Now try listening to KRTH HD-2 for the 50's and 60's.

You mean there is an HD listener in LA?

And one in Orange County too! ;D

 

[ChannelFlipper]

Now try listening to KRTH HD-2 for the 50's and 60's.

You mean there is an HD listener in LA?

And one in Orange County too! ;D

And now you're all accounted for!

 

[radiojomo]

I have a feeling KNX might jump higher in the ratings in the next few months...

 

[davideduardo]

I have a feeling KNX might jump higher in the ratings in the next few months...

I don't think there is any more share growth, as the demise of KFWB pushed users of news radio to KNX. In the past, the sharing between the two was considerable, and what they did was fragment each other... the best example would be people switching between them to avoid stopsets or to get the traffic a bit faster.

This is why the cume for KNX in October was no different than it was for the average of January to March (as one example).

Without cume growth, a low TSL format can't achieve share growth.

 

[Wildstyle K]

People are finally realizing that a lot of todays Pop & Hip Hop is utter garbage!

"Finally"?? Then those people are late. Makes me think of when a large storm is coming, and people wait for it to come before thinking "hmmm.... maybe I should do something" or when people wait for someone to die first before thinking "maybe we should make some changes here..."

In other words, realizing this now is almost similar to just now realizing it's 2009.

 

[radioresearcher]

December numbers are out.

In the coveted 25-54 demographic, KRTH ranks 11th.

 

[davideduardo]

December numbers are out.

In the coveted 25-54 demographic, KRTH ranks 11th.

Oh, my. The 60's fans are going to have a stroke.

And the whiners on the Phoenix board should realize how good KOOL actually may be!

 

[SuperRadioFan]

December numbers are out.

In the coveted 25-54 demographic, KRTH ranks 11th.

Oh, my. The 60's fans are going to have a stroke.

This is why God invented CDs, CD burners, and Internet radio, David. Or was it Al Gore?

 

[justpassingthough]

December numbers are out.

In the coveted 25-54 demographic, KRTH ranks 11th.

I thought they were #1 because "they play the best music!". What happened?

I never listen to KRTH, so I don't know if they shifted music during the last month or so. Did they add 80s and lose 60s or has the music stayed the same?

 

[davideduardo]

I thought they were #1 because "they play the best music!". What happened?

They are not and have not been #1 25-54 in the PPM.

I never listen to KRTH, so I don't know if they shifted music during the last month or so. Did they add 80s and lose 60s or has the music stayed the same?

No significant changes. Music still goes back too far and in too high a percentage to get better 25-54 numbers in LA.

 

[airpab]

DE-

Respectfully disagree. That's the beauty of this format! They can go back into the 60's and add enough late 70's and 80's (early, mid & even late) to tack on additional 25-54's....And I think they will....Kaye is smart enough to see what you've said and will make the necessary adjustments.

Q-105/Tampa and KOOL/PHX (to a lesser extent) are doing it now....and with success!

KRTH is and will continue to be a strong force in L.A. radio!

 

[oldies76]

No significant changes. Music still goes back too far and in too high a percentage to get better 25-54 numbers in LA.

Right.....and what are the 50-54's looking for?? 60's and early 70's music.

Maybe their over-repetitiveness of certain songs, a very small playlist..etc..is to blame for their downfall of late. Most would tune out anyways with a repetitive, ultra-tight playlist, like K-Earth's.

They've taken out some 60's, added 80's and have played most to death already!

 

[davideduardo]

Right.....and what are the 50-54's looking for?? 60's and early 70's music.

A 50 year old was 10 in 1970... most of the 60s and early 70s' music is meaningless to that demo.

Maybe their over-repetitiveness of certain songs, a very small playlist..etc..is to blame for their downfall of late.

There is no downfall... just a slip of a position or two, which in the compact PPM array is pretty insignificant.

However, if KRTH wants to get the kind of 25-54 performance other classic hits stations have achieved, it needs to pull back more on the dinosaur cuts.

Most would tune out anyways with a repetitive, ultra-tight playlist, like K-Earth's.

The average listening to a station in LA is something like 3:30 a week... about a half hour a day. The current library is, if anything, too large.

What is becoming apparent in the PPM is that oldies stations, by whatever name, are second and third favorites to many many people, although they may not be the favorite to that many. It's having lots and lots of people who have all kinds of P1 stations, ranging from country to classic rock to AC, who all come to the oldies station for a while each week that makes them work. So, one can even assume that the P1 listeners are a liability and should be ignored, as their interests will actually prevent the station from getting that huge cume and P2 or P3 usage. Catering to the P1 was the rule in the diary world... it may be wrong for oldies formats in the PPM world.

 

[oldies76]

The average listening to a station in LA is something like 3:30 a week... about a half hour a day. The current library is, if anything, too large.

??? 400 some titles is "too large"? Just the opposite man. Look at CBS-FM's list and tell us that their list is too large and the success they are having. Wish you'd see the positives here.

How many songs do you think is appropriate in a classic hits format....something like 200 I'd bet you'd say.
It won't work and most would tune out quickly and rarely, if ever return.

 

[DrLove]

To DavidEduardo: You've nailed it, my friend. Couldn't have said it any better. I'm sure it wasn't your intention, but you've also explained how any great radio programmer (like JK) thinks. There is, and has always been a long-term game plan.

 

[oldies76]

A 50 year old was 10 in 1970... most of the 60s and early 70s' music is meaningless to that demo.

Disagree.... At 10 years, the hits of the mid-late 70's were very appealing to me then, as they are now.
And remember, many ten year olds do remember the music that was popular back then, now!

How can you come to that conclusion?? Or you just threw that out?

Young kids and teens heyday for music, in their youth years, would be from about age 8-9, to about 17.

So a young 8 year old in 1968 to being 17 in 1977, would remember "their" hits as most likely late 60's to mid 70's.

 

[davideduardo]

A 50 year old was 10 in 1970... most of the 60s and early 70s' music is meaningless to that demo.

Disagree.... At 10 years, the hits of the mid-late 70's were very appealing to me then, as they are now.

And remember, many ten year olds do remember the music that was popular back then, now!

How can you come to that conclusion?? Or you just threw that out?

There are literally thousands of studies and dissertations about music taste formation and its progression during a person's life. Music preferences are set in early adolesence. That means between ages 13 to 15 or 16...

And another well studied factor is the "engagement" of songs that relate to life experiences... the power of which is strongest as one approaches or has reached adulthood. We don't feel much for the songs that we heard when 11 or 12, but the ones that remind us of the senior prom or something beyond are very powerful.

Young kids and teens heyday for music, in their youth years, would be from about age 8-9, to about 17.

Yes, some songs are familiar, but they are not "strong songs" (to borrow an 80's Urban slogan) and don't get you cume.

So a young 8 year old in 1968 to being 17 in 1977, would remember "their" hits as most likely late 60's to mid 70's.

I remember Perry Como songs, Billy Vaughn tunes, Gogi Grant ditties and such... but I cringe and reach for the Imodium when I think of them.