It’s not billing in their case, it’s begging
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Los Angeles Radio Ratings: October 2023
- Thread starter pjc1961
- Start date
As purely a listener, I agree. But on this forum, there are too many “insiders” who do care.
My view is that people have to act as their own personal filters. If they're not interested in the inside story, then ignore. But don't be surprised if uninformed assumptions get challenged.
Some fundamental truths:
Ratings were devised so advertisers could make decisions about what programs to buy, period. Demographics came to matter more than total audience as advertisers realized a lot of their ad dollars were wasted on people they weren't trying to reach.
Billboard created the first record chart in 1940 as a guide for retailers as to what to stock. That attracted advertisers, who trumpeted the chart action, hoping to spur still more sales at the wholesale level. By 1980, Billboard had seventeen charts, because they found that every time they added a chart, there were more record labels wanting to advertise.
Neither of those metrics were created for people outside the industry to cheer on their favorites in a horse race that doesn't really exist. If you like a record or a radio station, great. Listen. But I promise you that Saul Levine, at #22 with KKGO, is a lot more successful than several of the 21 stations with better 6+ numbers.
Ratings were devised so advertisers could make decisions about what programs to buy, period. Demographics came to matter more than total audience as advertisers realized a lot of their ad dollars were wasted on people they weren't trying to reach.
Billboard created the first record chart in 1940 as a guide for retailers as to what to stock. That attracted advertisers, who trumpeted the chart action, hoping to spur still more sales at the wholesale level. By 1980, Billboard had seventeen charts, because they found that every time they added a chart, there were more record labels wanting to advertise.
Neither of those metrics were created for people outside the industry to cheer on their favorites in a horse race that doesn't really exist. If you like a record or a radio station, great. Listen. But I promise you that Saul Levine, at #22 with KKGO, is a lot more successful than several of the 21 stations with better 6+ numbers.
He's also a lot more secure in himself. He doesn't need great ratings to be happy.
But there are a variety of reasons why a station will not bill in proportion to its 6+/12+ ratings.
First, it's management and sales staff may under perform or over perform. Then, the strength of the cluster the station is part of can bring in sales because buying "the whole cluster" is simpler for ad agencies.
Then there is the appeal of the format for specific advertisers. Even today, lots of them don't buy Spanish language radio because they don't want to spend on separate creative. Some formats, like alternative rock, have images in some markets as appealing to people who are not prime consumers. And talk formats don't get bought by advertisers who don't want to be associated with conservative politics.
And many local direct accounts buy stations the owner likes, not the top rated ones.
The main issue with KGO's decline and failure was the introduction of the PPM. KGO had no secondary listeners, while almost every other station and format did. So the cume actually declined while all other stations increased. And the PPM TSL was much lower, so they got hit with a double whammy of no "hidden cume" and much lower TSL.
KGO depended on lots of local direct accounts, and it took those loyal accounts years to realize that the station was not working as well any more.
And when did the PPM roll out? Total parallel with the drop in KGO revenue, as detailed in my other post.
Although they may prefer to say they don't want to be associated with "controversial issues."
Here's a direct quote: "Cannot air in or adjacent to controversial programming."
Yeah, but PPM didn't immediately gut KGO in terms of ratings.
Fall 2007 was a pre-PPM book. KGO was #1 with a 5.7 and a cume of 706,200.
Fall 2008 was a PPM book, and KGO was #2 with a 5.5 and a cume of 722,400.
The falloff was (if I recall) fast after that---unfortunately the R&R Ratings Directories at worldradiohistory.com stop after Fall of 2008.
But revenue erosion had been going on for a while leading up to that---six million less in gross in 2008 than 12 years before---while still a top two 6+ station.
And if you look at demos (broken out in the R&R Ratings Directories prior to the shift to PPM), in fall of 1998 (the page for Fall '97 is MIA), KGO is #2 25-54 and #4 18-49.
Nine years later, KGO is #4 25-54 and #9 18-49.
But the reality is that the issues discussed on commercial talk radio today are those that are controversial to conservatives. With the failure long ago of Air America, are there any commercial liberal talkers left? If so, where?
Keep in mind that Howard Stern was considered controversial. So it doesn't have to be politics,
He [for clarity, Saul Levine] also probably carries a pittance in debt (if any at all), compared to the MSO's.
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I enjoy the inside baseball stuff provided by Michael and David mostly. Thank you. If ya don't keep scrolling. Question...So is radio advertising sold in clusters all the time? Like what if someone wants to buy time on kiis or kroq do they automatically throw in one of the other stations?
It sure is up here in the tiny Hanover/Lebanon/White River Junction market. I hear the same ads for the same local auto dealers, restaurants, furniture stores, and everything else on every station in the market-dominant Great Eastern Radio cluster -- country, classic rock, oldies, CHR and AC. They don't even customize the ads for the stations' formats. You get the same folksy ad for West Lebanon Feed & Supply on the country station and the classic rocker.
Rhythmic Power 106 has a 1.9 share and rival Urban Real 92.3 has a 2.3 share this book which equals to 4.2 for both hip hop stations. KDAY has a 1.6 share for this rating period.
They're mostly podcasting, corporate radio station owners would rather not let people advocating views they oppose have a soapbox over the air. There a few stations such as WCPT that have liberal talkers but in most markets they're absent.
Commercial liberal talk fails everywhere. That is why it must be subsidized on NPR and other non-coms.
Too bad though. I really miss those heady days of Air America. Remember when Al Franken, without any radio experience at all, was going to show everyone how it is done in morning drive, with that all-important simulcast on...(wait for it)...the Sundance Channel! The alleged comedian never brought the laughter, but the straight-up hubris, well that really was the funny!
NPR doesn't do "liberal talk." The federal money goes to local stations, not NPR. The stations buy programing from various sources, including NPR. The reason why it "must be subsidized" is that there is a federal law that requires a certain amount of government support. That law was revised by Republicans during the Reagan administration. The subsidy is based on local fundraising, not need. For that reason, congress has continually funded public radio through both democrat and republican administrations, including under Trump, who appointed the current CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Does "Democracy Now!" run on any NPR stations? That is most certainly a liberal talk show. I've heard it on college and community stations, but not standard NPR and APM-reliant stations that run Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Here and Now, etc.
Perhaps, but they are fiercely independent and refuse any government or corporate funding.
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