Latest Ratings

[DonMatsen]

I also thought 102.9 was well-programmed. I'm more of a rock guy, but I found the mix of alt and classic alt there interesting. I think they still run it on an HD2?

Seattle is the home of grunge, so it would seem that alt-rock is a natural here. As to whether it would make money, or predominantly GenX audiences for alternative really matter, I'll leave that to the experts to determine.

Respectable rock numbers! Shame on us Bostonians. We USED to have that!

 

[bobdavcav]

I also thought 102.9 was well-programmed. I'm more of a rock guy, but I found the mix of alt and classic alt there interesting. I think they still run it on an HD2?

Seattle is the home of grunge, so it would seem that alt-rock is a natural here. As to whether it would make money, or predominantly GenX audiences for alternative really matter, I'll leave that to the experts to determine.

The Alt brand still exists on 96.5-HD2, replacing what I thought was a pretty good Oldies station in its own right, though I did not get as much time to listen to it as I would like. Musically however, it is closer to KNDD than the format on 102.9.

 

[fordranger797]

What has happened to 94.1. My goodness. The Sound's worst ratings ever, tied for 14th. KRWM way higher.
98.9 stayed in the dumps too, even with Fitz. KIRO FM jumped up, and 92.5 is still on top.
KNKX-HD2 (Jazz-24) receives a 0.1, is that the first time I've ever seen that station?

I'm not an expert, but I don't think anyone is too concerned over at 98.9 just yet. We are in the thick of the worst possible season for country music. Spring, Summer, and Fall will provide better insight into their overall performance.

 

[boombox4]

Grunge and Gen-X was 30 years ago. Today among most younger fans, grunge is "dad music", "butt-rock", and "screaming old guys". (At least to my Gen-Z teenage daughters and their peers.) In fact, Gen-X has next to zero relevance today in just about anything. And in full disclosure, I happen to come from that irrelevant, butt-rocking generation.

For a clearer perspective, think of pop music from 1950 (Perry Como, Doris Day, Nat King Cole, Kay Starr) and pop music from 1980 (The Knack, Blondie, The Cars, Pat Benatar) They're 30 years apart. And there's no comparison between them. They're from entirely different worlds. And that's today's alternative music vs. grunge.

I understand what you're saying. Not only that, GenX is about ten percent smaller in size than the Boomers and Millennials. And they're approaching the age ranges where ad agencies apparently stop caring about reaching you. Which is why I said "if GenX audiences for alternative" matter to radio anymore. Age, small size of the demo... I recall when it was the big new thing. The company I worked for had a format aimed right at them. And a lot of what was said about GenX then is being said about Millennials now. It's the same thing all over again.

It's the one thing I dislike about media the most. It embraces a group of people and then casts them off. I understand the economics of it from reading comments by experts here on RD, but that doesn't mean I particularly like it all that much.

All that said, when Grunge was king there were still stations playing oldies (which was from an era 30 years before Grunge, the 60's). There apparently was a market for it. Maybe there still is a market for classic alternative. I suppose maybe we'll find out.
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[davideduardo]

It's the one thing I dislike about media the most. It embraces a group of people and then casts them off. I understand the economics of it from reading comments by experts here on RD, but that doesn't mean I particularly like it all that much.

It's kind of unfair to blame "the media" for demographic targets that get the most ad revenue. The reason is not radio based, it is advertiser based. Advertisers, either directly or through an ad agency or buying service determine what the appropriate age, gender and other targets are for each business or product. They then seek out the stations that deliver that group.

25-54 targeted stations get most of the buys. And the 45-54 portion gets quite a lot of that money, too.

 

[CarAgencyGuy]

It's kind of unfair to blame "the media" for demographic targets that get the most ad revenue. The reason is not radio based, it is advertiser based. Advertisers, either directly or through an ad agency or buying service determine what the appropriate age, gender and other targets are for each business or product. They then seek out the stations that deliver that group. 25-54 targeted stations get most of the buys. And the 45-54 portion gets quite a lot of that money, too.

And actually most advertisers go beyond just the age demographic and look at factors like which stations index highest with the products the advertiser wants to promote. And there are now attribution models for radio that show the activity that occurs from the time an ad is played, thru website visits from that listener, or if they physically cross the threshold of a business (using the location services on their phone). We also consider listening environment, DJ endorsement, and even where the spot occurs in the break as possible factors in addition to the obvious CPP, CPM reach and frequency considerations.

 

[TheBigA]

It's the one thing I dislike about media the most. It embraces a group of people and then casts them off. I understand the economics of it from reading comments by experts here on RD, but that doesn't mean I particularly like it all that much.

You make it sound like it's personal, and it's not. They're not embracing a group of people as much as targeting certain characteristics. Those characteristics stay constant, while the people themselves change. It would be a lot nicer if people wouldn't age or change. But as people age their characteristics change. Keep in mind those changes also happen to the station's employees.

At the same time, the targets are very different at non-commercial stations. It's possible to stay with the same station a lot longer, if you can handle the changes in the music or staff.

 

[davideduardo]

And actually most advertisers go beyond just the age demographic and look at factors like which stations index highest with the products the advertiser wants to promote. And there are now attribution models for radio that show the activity that occurs from the time an ad is played, thru website visits from that listener, or if they physically cross the threshold of a business (using the location services on their phone). We also consider listening environment, DJ endorsement, and even where the spot occurs in the break as possible factors in addition to the obvious CPP, CPM reach and frequency considerations.

A good example of what you say is something one of the imported luxury car brands did some years ago in LA. They looked at a survey of customers and found that the station that had the most in common with the non-suburban Mercedes buyers was KLVE. They had never used the station before, and started buying heavily.

What is interesting is that KLVE is a Spanish language AC. It was #1 in the Mercedes target demos, but because it was Spanish and "Hispanics don't buy Mercedes" they never bought the station. The research refocused them on their best consumers.

And, as an agency car guy, you will love an older story. In New York City, I was brought in on a call on the Volvo dealer's advertising coordinator... they guy who interfaced with the agency for Volvo dealers. He had told one of our sellers that "your listeners don't buy Volvos, they steal them".

I talked with a friend at the Volvo ad agency in Puerto Rico, where Volvo was the best selling luxury car at the time. He gave me some facts about what Puerto Ricans thought about the Volvo and how it was an aspirational car that was both luxurious and which had good reliability and construction.

We went a step up at the dealer / agency hierarchy, and got a significant Volvo buy because we did a simple but effective telephone survey of our listeners and their attitudes toward Volvos as "the car I'd most like to have for my family".

Anyway, all this aside, there are lots more factors in agency ad buys than 12+ rankers.