Let me throw some observations about the latest radio ratings out-

[Pratte4Life]

A- Whatever happened to Y 108? This was a station that in 2005 tied for the top spot in one book. Now they have lost 1/3 of their audience since that time.

Is country music just not happening anymore? If that is the case, and it very well may be, why then has Froggy not taken as big of a hit?

B- If you want an off-the-wall question, could KDKA overtake WDVE this fall?

Not that I really think they will, but I do look for their ratings and 104.7 to rise during the Presidential Election. If the Steelers have a bad season and WDVE continues to rest on their laurels, who knows?

C- If you want to know how popular the Penguins are- just look at the ratings of "The X." Best book anyone can remember.

D- Who is the programmer at WAMO-AM? And when do we induct him or her into the Radio Hall of Fame? They got a rating equal to WEAE and are up 400 percent in the course of a year! This in a market that is just eight percent black!

E- The Steelers peak is over. WEAE lost almost a point and WBGG no longer shows in the book.

However, I am not sure this is unique to Pittsburgh. I just looked at the Miami book and their top sports station took a similar hit once football season ends- and it's not like the Dolphins or Hurricanes were anything great last year.

The question is, however, how the No. 2 sports station in Miami continues to show up in the book (with a post-football season ratings decline) while WBGG does not.

F- Congratulations to every listener in Doug Hoerth's audience to take to the internet and post their support for him. However, WPTT posted the same overall rating for the winter that they did in the fall with Hoerth.

 

[petey99]

A- Whatever happened to Y 108? This was a station that in 2005 tied for the top spot in one book. Now they have lost 1/3 of their audience since that time.

Is country music just not happening anymore? If that is the case, and it very well may be, why then has Froggy not taken as big of a hit?

Although I have no solid evidence to back it up, I feel country music is not having as many big hits as it did in recent years. The lack of much new music reminds me of the lull of new country earlier in the decade, around '00 and '01. In time, it will repair itself. In the meantime, I think country music will be a dud this summer.

As for Froggy, they seem to be more open to playing less familiar and hopping on new music quicker than Y. The last two Fridays we have had Y108 on in the office instead of Froggy. Aside from Y108 having the WORST audio quality of any major market FM station I've ever heard, there is a definite difference in the playlist. Y leans on more familiars and recurrents. Froggy pushes more new country and even some local artists, too. Possibly Froggy is retaining a bit more audience because the newer country they lean towards sounds "fresher" (kinda like the (more recurrents) B94 vs. (lesser known hotter hits) Kiss battle in 2000)

B- If you want an off-the-wall question, could KDKA overtake WDVE this fall?

Not that I really think they will, but I do look for their ratings and 104.7 to rise during the Presidential Election. If the Steelers have a bad season and WDVE continues to rest on their laurels, who knows?

If KD were take over DVE anytime again for the next four years, it would be this fall. DVE will continue playing "Cheap Sunglasses" every afternoon, so no change there. The Steelers will be the wild card. Since the Browns have a better team for once, an easier schedule and almost kicked our arses last season, they will take home the AFC North title. As the Browns take it all the way to the playoffs, so do go the "fairweather" Steeler fans we have had since the Superbowl.

C- If you want to know how popular the Penguins are- just look at the ratings of "The X." Best book anyone can remember.

If the Pens can make it to the Finals, I really think the X will continue this trend. The X should step it up and put their best programming forward while many who don't otherwise ever tune to 105.9 may be sampling the station before and after the games.

D- Who is the programmer at WAMO-AM? And when do we induct him or her into the Radio Hall of Fame? They got a rating equal to WEAE and are up 400 percent in the course of a year! This in a market that is just eight percent black!

Just because the market's only 8% percent black doesn't mean only black people listen to the corporate stereotyped "black formats" like urban, urban AC, gospel, etc. Maybe even a small few of the other 92% of the market like the station. Same goes for WAMO-FM. You will find a nice bit of 18-24 WHITE males and females who listen mostly to 106.7 (when their iPod's battery is dead).

E- The Steelers peak is over. WEAE lost almost a point and WBGG no longer shows in the book.

However, I am not sure this is unique to Pittsburgh. I just looked at the Miami book and their top sports station took a similar hit once football season ends- and it's not like the Dolphins or Hurricanes were anything great last year.

The question is, however, how the No. 2 sports station in Miami continues to show up in the book (with a post-football season ratings decline) while WBGG does not.

WBGG is a waste of electricity. I bet the only reason CC still has it for some contractual requirements on their FM sisters that can't air. Or they can't sell it to anyone who wants it.

F- Congratulations to every listener in Doug Hoerth's audience to take to the internet and post their support for him. However, WPTT posted the same overall rating for the winter that they did in the fall with Hoerth.

Whatever happened to WPTT getting 1.5 shares? Ouch! Although I never listened to the man, Doug MUST have had some decent following since all of the talk about his departure. Obviously, not very many of those listeners ever got hold of a diary! A 0.8 share might seem BIG for 1360 soon.

 

[Parttimer]

A- Whatever happened to Y 108? This was a station that in 2005 tied for the top spot in one book. Now they have lost 1/3 of their audience since that time.

Is country music just not happening anymore? If that is the case, and it very well may be, why then has Froggy not taken as big of a hit?

Definitely a down time for Country... the individual Frogs' audiences aren't that big and I think most of their listening is via being the better signal for each local audience, at least with the 3 rimshots

B- If you want an off-the-wall question, could KDKA overtake WDVE this fall?

Not that I really think they will, but I do look for their ratings and 104.7 to rise during the Presidential Election. If the Steelers have a bad season and WDVE continues to rest on their laurels, who knows?

No, KD won't move much, the national shows on 104.7 will outgain the locals on KD

C- If you want to know how popular the Penguins are- just look at the ratings of "The X." Best book anyone can remember.

D- Who is the programmer at WAMO-AM? And when do we induct him or her into the Radio Hall of Fame? They got a rating equal to WEAE and are up 400 percent in the course of a year! This in a market that is just eight percent black!

Likely a complete fluke. It only takes one or two books with massive time spent listening to make that happen, or there was a massive oversampling of African-American adults

E- The Steelers peak is over. WEAE lost almost a point and WBGG no longer shows in the book.

However, I am not sure this is unique to Pittsburgh. I just looked at the Miami book and their top sports station took a similar hit once football season ends- and it's not like the Dolphins or Hurricanes were anything great last year.

The question is, however, how the No. 2 sports station in Miami continues to show up in the book (with a post-football season ratings decline) while WBGG does not.

The #2 sports station in Miami is trying. BGG is just there as a placeholder, they will never do anything that might take listeners from DVE. Protect the Mothership.

F- Congratulations to every listener in Doug Hoerth's audience to take to the internet and post their support for him. However, WPTT posted the same overall rating for the winter that they did in the fall with Hoerth.

 

[kenhawk1160]

A- Whatever happened to Y 108? This was a station that in 2005 tied for the top spot in one book. Now they have lost 1/3 of their audience since that time.

Is country music just not happening anymore? If that is the case, and it very well may be, why then has Froggy not taken as big of a hit?

I think that the change in the morning show may have played a small role, for one. Chris DeCarlo had almost 20 years in, and she was to Y108 like Michelle
Michaels is to DVE. She was a highly relatable talent, and the loss of that could have contributed. I think the bigger reason is, that country is not doing well right
now in terms of new music. There's a lot of countryfied reworkings of pop music out right now, and the originality that has personified country music radio has left
for right now. Froggy hasn't taken the hit Y108 has, simply because they don't have the audience Y108 does. But Y108 could take a cue from what Froggy's doing.

B- If you want an off-the-wall question, could KDKA overtake WDVE this fall?

Not that I really think they will, but I do look for their ratings and 104.7 to rise during the Presidential Election. If the Steelers have a bad season and WDVE continues to rest on their laurels, who knows?

I don't see KD overtaking DVE anytime soon, unless they change what they're doing over there. There's been some obvious disinvestment insofar as local talent is concerned, and they need to bring back some more of the local information and talk rather than putting the station on the bird and letting it carry them through the day. There also has to be some better marketing of KD on CBS/Infinity's part. Lately, it seems like the only time you see a KDKA radio ad on TV is just to promote the KDKA Stormcenter in the wintertime.

C- If you want to know how popular the Penguins are- just look at the ratings of "The X." Best book anyone can remember.

Gotta love those 'conditional' hockey fans!

D- Who is the programmer at WAMO-AM? And when do we induct him or her into the Radio Hall of Fame? They got a rating equal to WEAE and are up 400 percent in the course of a year! This in a market that is just eight percent black!

Proof positive that you don't need a predominantly black audience on a black-owned station to make it. When Jammin' Oldies went on the air, they had a high percentage of white listeners, and with the exception of Keshia Monk and Brother Matt, white jocks. You offer something this market wants and it's not available elsewhere, you'll get the listeners.

E- The Steelers peak is over. WEAE lost almost a point and WBGG no longer shows in the book.

However, I am not sure this is unique to Pittsburgh. I just looked at the Miami book and their top sports station took a similar hit once football season ends- and it's not like the Dolphins or Hurricanes were anything great last year.

The question is, however, how the No. 2 sports station in Miami continues to show up in the book (with a post-football season ratings decline) while WBGG does not.

WBGG has run its course. You have game broadcasts on FM stations now. ESPN 1250 has highly established branding. Fox Sports has been merely a "Johnny-come-lately", that has peaks and valleys in its listenership. We're in a radio recession right now...where station values have all but fallen through the floor. The duopolies of the early to mid-90's, when everyone overpaid for their stations for the sake of owning their competitor, are now coming back to haunt the industry, with many group owners having problems meeting their note obligations.

F- Congratulations to every listener in Doug Hoerth's audience to take to the internet and post their support for him. However, WPTT posted the same overall rating for the winter that they did in the fall with Hoerth.

If CBS/Infinity feels like putting forth the marketing efforts, maybe Uncle Dougie could make it with a talk show on KD. Takers?

 

[Parttimer]

A-

I think the bigger reason is, that country is not doing well right
now in terms of new music. There's a lot of countryfied reworkings of pop music out right now, and the originality that has personified country music radio has left
for right now.

I heard a country version of Springsteen's "Human Touch" yesterday... very odd song choice, as Simon would say....


I don't see KD overtaking DVE anytime soon, unless they change what they're doing over there. There's been some obvious disinvestment insofar as local talent is concerned, and they need to bring back some more of the local information and talk rather than putting the station on the bird and letting it carry them through the day. There also has to be some better marketing of KD on CBS/Infinity's part. Lately, it seems like the only time you see a KDKA radio ad on TV is just to promote the KDKA Stormcenter in the wintertime.

You didn't see all those "Vote for Newsradio 1020" signs mixed in with the political signs the last few weeks? Creative, though not necessarily effective....


Gotta love those 'conditional' hockey fans!

Every sports team spikes when they're in the playoffs, particuarlywhen they're this close to the finals. If they don't, you have a major problem (you're the Florida Marlins)


Proof positive that you don't need a predominantly black audience on a black-owned station to make it. When Jammin' Oldies went on the air, they had a high percentage of white listeners, and with the exception of Keshia Monk and Brother Matt, white jocks. You offer something this market wants and it's not available elsewhere, you'll get the listeners.

I guarantee that was bad reasearch on Arbitron's part... to put it more bluntly, those numbers are just wrong. Happens way more than you think. They will be back to a point-whatever next book.


WBGG has run its course. You have game broadcasts on FM stations now. ESPN 1250 has highly established branding. Fox Sports has been merely a "Johnny-come-lately", that has peaks and valleys in its listenership. We're in a radio recession right now...where station values have all but fallen through the floor. The duopolies of the early to mid-90's, when everyone overpaid for their stations for the sake of owning their competitor, are now coming back to haunt the industry, with many group owners having problems meeting their note obligations.

WBGG never tried. Protect the mothership.


If CBS/Infinity feels like putting forth the marketing efforts, maybe Uncle Dougie could make it with a talk show on KD. Takers?

Not in this lifetime.

 

[Boss Radio]

There's been some obvious disinvestment insofar as local talent is concerned, and they need to bring back some more of the local information and talk rather than putting the station on the bird and letting it carry them through the day.


KDKA is currently more local than it has been in years. I believe they're completely local from 5 a.m. through 10 p.m. M-F.

 

[kenhawk1160]

KDKA is currently more local than it has been in years. I believe they're completely local from 5 a.m. through 10 p.m. M-F.

The question is, what kind of numbers are they pulling in that particular daypart?

 

[kenhawk1160]

You didn't see all those "Vote for Newsradio 1020" signs mixed in with the political signs the last few weeks? Creative, though not necessarily effective....

I did see those...it's the most assanine and half-hearted attempt at marketing I've ever heard. A couple of West Coast stations were doing that in the early 90's. It accomplished NOTHING. Blow off your Presidential vote and write-in the station call letters. REAL smart!

 

[Parttimer]

KDKA is currently more local than it has been in years. I believe they're completely local from 5 a.m. through 10 p.m. M-F.

The question is, what kind of numbers are they pulling in that particular daypart?

Uhhh.... 5AM thru 10PM is pretty much the whole day..... so what exactly is the question?

 

[kenhawk1160]

Uhhh.... 5AM thru 10PM is pretty much the whole day..... so what exactly is the question?

You have to forgive me...my eyesight's not what it used to be...thought it was 5pm to 10pm. : My bad!