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MARCH ARBITRON STATS

D

discjockeyjohn64

A cursory look at the new March ratings released at 2pm PDT this afternoon shows little movement month to month from February ratings. A few stations increased slightly: KRWM, KISW, KIRO FM, KQMV, KPLZ, KING, KJR AM, KMTT and KLCK, all stations above a 3 share. A few skewed downward: KUOW, KOMO, KZOK, KKWF, KMPS, KUBE, KJR FM, KBKS, KJAQ, and KPLU, all stations above a 3 share.

The top 10 stations (6 + AQH) were: KRWM, KISW, KIRO FM, KUOW, KOMO, KZOK, KKWF, KMPS & KUBE (tie), KQMV.
The top 10 stations cumewise (listening of at least 15 minutes a week): KRWM, KQMV, KBKS, KPLZ, KUBE, KJR FM, KLCK, KZOK, KISW, KKWF.

A few comments: KVI Smart Talk 570 after 90 days is gaining no traction, they still hover at one tenth of a share. Cume is down 40% from February. Looks like its back to the drawing board. With all the advertising on KOMO TV for this station, you'd think sampling would be a lot higher by this juncture. They really should think about an all traffic/weather station, it could use existing KOMO personnel and Seattle has a lot of traffic problems. I like AM 730 in Vancouver, and they could model their format after that station. Probably wouldn't get a huge quarter hour share, but cume would probably be ten times where it is today.

STAR 101.5 climbed in both AQH and Cume to its best book in some time. Looks like they have a winner at Fisher Broadcasting besides KOMO Newsradio.

KING FM had its best book in a long time, and they now have listener support and no commercials. This trend is promising.

KMTT's classic rock hybrid is also gaining traction, and the three hour commercial free block in the morning is probably helping more listeners check this station out. They also keep talk to a minimum in morning drive and that is a major plus.

Love to hear your thoughts. Also if anyone has top ten 18-49 or 25-54, that would be great to see. Just remember to not post numbers.
 
So did anyone in Seattle get kicked out for being a non-subscriber?
I'm not aware of anyone in Seattle that doesn't subscribe through Arbitron or RRC (for the non-comm's) that was any factor.
 
From my review of the whole Arbitron listing, most everyone seems to have a share/cume, so I would say no.

I mention not listing actual numbers on the board because as all radio personnel (past and present) know, posting any numbers outside of 6+ can lead to an embargo of anyone else seeing overall numbers. This is happening in many markets at the present time. Got to play by the rules.
 
Looking like KMCQ and KMIH are non-subscribers and now not showing up.
 
KISM and KAFE out of Bellingham have suddenly dropped off the charts as well, but they were never subscribers to my knowledge, being Bellingham based stations. But to go from about 100,000 cume listeners between the two stations to zero, and no AQH, I find very hard to believe. I hear both stations on a lot of radios in Snohomish County and points north.
 
KBKS Seattle's number 1 hit music station? I have two problems with this,
1. This slogan has never worked for me, I have always thought KQMV was a better station, and finally the ratings are starting to show it.
2. The X number 1 hit music station is really getting old, how many other markets use it? Seems like everyone these days, if not it's all the hits.
 
Lots of non-subscribers not around including the Olympia, Bellingham stations and KMCQ. Not a lot of change in core demos.
KISW won every male demo from young to the prime demo. KPLZ won every female demo from young to the prime demo. Seems these two stations for a year or so (save a book or two) dominate the key demos. In mornings KUOW was your winner in the prime adult demo with KISW, KIRO-FM, KPLZ and KJR-FM close behind. Surprising that KVI has less than 20K cume. As an Oldies station they were about four times that number when they quit. Not sure what is next. I doubt they will go back to Oldies, there is too much FM competition to get much more than a half share.

Based on the ratings neither KBKS or KQMV is your number one hit music station. 6+ that goes to WARM, in all significant dayparts and women demos to KPLZ and in all significant male demos and dayparts to KISW.
 
Sadly there is little KVI or any other AM station can do to garner significant audience. With KJR and KIRO (N/T) now on FM there is even less reason for listeners to cume AM much less stay there. Yes...KIRO-A does have decent numbers...but they too will be forced to move to FM (no speculation there).

It's like retail...ya gotta get 'em in the door before you can sell anything. Fewer and fewer radio listeners come in the AM door. Last time i did a rough calculation it was less than 15% of Seattle's cume is on AM...Portland is even worse, about 10%. Twenty years ago those figures were over 50%...

Good news is that for those selling FM stations, there should be less competition and potentially larger audiences...though that remains to be seen. Good for Fisher trying something new...they worked hard at it...
 
radioguy123 said:
Lots of non-subscribers not around including the Olympia, Bellingham stations and KMCQ. Not a lot of change in core demos.
KISW won every male demo from young to the prime demo. KPLZ won every female demo from young to the prime demo. Seems these two stations for a year or so (save a book or two) dominate the key demos. In mornings KUOW was your winner in the prime adult demo with KISW, KIRO-FM, KPLZ and KJR-FM close behind. Surprising that KVI has less than 20K cume. As an Oldies station they were about four times that number when they quit. Not sure what is next. I doubt they will go back to Oldies, there is too much FM competition to get much more than a half share.

Based on the ratings neither KBKS or KQMV is your number one hit music station. 6+ that goes to WARM, in all significant dayparts and women demos to KPLZ and in all significant male demos and dayparts to KISW.
Click to expand...
Seattle's Number 1 hit music station a slogan for an AC? That doesn't work, and probably would work just as well on a rock station. The only station I could see that on is KPLZ, and even then they'd have to drop the 80s and 90s, and go after something like WRQX is doing, using the slogan "all the hits" by the way.
 
How's that PPM workin' out for everybody?
 
There is a gaping hole format wise in the Seattle market, besides Smooth Jazz. There was an easy rock explosion in the mid-70's through the mid-80's that no station is playing music from. If you tune into Dish Network's Ambrosia channel 965, you'll see what I mean. A lot of easy rock favorites, i.e.

Key Largo Bertie Higgins
Now and Forever Anne Murray
You're the Inspiration Chicago
You and Me Against the World Helen Reddy
Rocky Mountain High John Denver
Ooh Baby Baby Linda Ronstadt

I could go on, but that is an example. These easy rock favorites could be the answer for KVI.
They could be full service, and be a generation forward from KIXI, still taking an audience of women 35-64 that is not fully serviced by any adult contemporary station, this would put the format between KIXI and KRWM and be the mothers of the STAR 101.5 generation.

Thoughts??
 
Music on AM radio is over. It's like watching black and white TV, who does that very often? Even on FM, it takes a heck of a lot of money to make a music format a finacial success. Even spoken word is moving to FM. Too bad, but reality bites!
 
There is a gaping hole format wise in the Seattle market, besides Smooth Jazz. There was an easy rock explosion in the mid-70's through the mid-80's that no station is playing music from. If you tune into Dish Network's Ambrosia channel 965, you'll see what I mean. A lot of easy rock favorites, i.e.

Key Largo Bertie Higgins
Now and Forever Anne Murray
You're the Inspiration Chicago
You and Me Against the World Helen Reddy
Rocky Mountain High John Denver
Ooh Baby Baby Linda Ronstadt

I could go on, but that is an example. These easy rock favorites could be the answer for KVI.
They could be full service, and be a generation forward from KIXI, still taking an audience of women 35-64 that is not fully serviced by any adult contemporary station, this would put the format between KIXI and KRWM and be the mothers of the STAR 101.5 generation.

Thoughts??
Click to expand...

I agree. In Tampa Bay (although the demographics are different) WDUV plays many of the songs you mention- inclduing some older stuff from the late 50's and 60's They are consistently rated as #1 in their market. Cox, has shifted another one of their properties (93.1 WFEZ in Miami) from Rock to the same format at WDUV and has seen their ratings increase.
Listen to their live stream and comment.
/http://www.wduv.com/
 
I'm a little confused. If Clear Channel or CBS copies another format from another market, it's corporate radio. If someone on this board brings up the idea of copying a format from another market, it's a brilliant idea.
 
As I recall this board ripped into Fisher for taking KVI Oldies. When they flipped there was no Oldies station in town. Later, even with Oldies FM competition it turns out is was a better move than talk, who knew? As an Oldies station KVI had four times the ratings and cume of their current talk format. (granted it was a half share 35-64, but it is now a zero) There are plenty of markets where AM music stations deliver ratings and an audience with older music formats like MOYL, Oldies, Classic Country and the list goes on. KVI had about 80,000 cume when they gave up. That is still a lot of people. KIXI has about 120,000 cume now with their Retro format. KVI has 19,000 with talk. Music may be a better answer than the 8th or 9th talk am on the dial.
 
radioguy123 said:
As I recall this board ripped into Fisher for taking KVI Oldies. When they flipped there was no Oldies station in town. Later, even with Oldies FM competition it turns out is was a better move than talk, who knew? As an Oldies station KVI had four times the ratings and cume of their current talk format. (granted it was a half share 35-64, but it is now a zero) There are plenty of markets where AM music stations deliver ratings and an audience with older music formats like MOYL, Oldies, Classic Country and the list goes on. KVI had about 80,000 cume when they gave up. That is still a lot of people. KIXI has about 120,000 cume now with their Retro format. KVI has 19,000 with talk. Music may be a better answer than the 8th or 9th talk am on the dial.
Click to expand...

What you conveniently ignore in your analysis is the success, relatively speaking, KVI was having BEFORE they flipped to music.

The issue is not whether music vs. talk on AM. The issue is Fisher had a modestly successful AM talk station with KVI. They had overpaid for some of their talent by getting into ridiculous bidding wars with KIRO when it was owned by Entercom. But rather than fixing their problems and improving the station (after all, KVI had been a dominant AM talk station in the 90's) they stupidly decided to try to go oldies. On AM!

So, yeah, now that they're going back to talk after having completely blown out their audience (not once, but twice), of course their cume sucks.

The issue is not whether music or talk will do better on AM. The issue is whether any owner could possibly screw up a station more than Fisher has KVI.
 
I agree. Was just looking at recent history. At one time KVI was THE dominant Conservative talk station in this area. Once KTTH gutted them by stealing Rush and others they fell apart. When PPM arrived conservative talk declined across the board Even today as the only real conservative talk station KTTH barely breaks a one share 25-54. If KVI was in the game they might share a third of that. I agree that still would be slightly better than they did as Oldies and much better than today.

Grass is always greener. Hindsights is 20-20 and so on. KVI should have stayed conservative talk and improved what they had. It was their heritage, though not a winner in PPM. No one was doing Oldies and so they flipped, as did many AM stations across the country. Then KJR-FM flipped and it got ugly. Once Oldies KVI should have adjusted and stayed with that. Flipping formats all the time is not the answer. Same applies to the FM dial. Look at 92.5 or 98.9. Would they be better today as KLSY and KWJZ? I remember a time when KLSY was the dominant Hot/AC in the market and they gave it up.

The lesson here is that radio stations have brand equity and blowing them up, which many on this board suggest, is risky, expensive and the odds of success are not good. Subtle improvements on what you have is a much better strategy 90% of the time.
 
A couple of questions here,
1. What did KWJZ's ratings look like before the flip to the current format? How about KLSY? From discussions on this board from 2005 and 2006, KLSY was a train wreck if there ever was one. I wouldn't remember as I stopped listening in about 2003.
2. If KLFE picked up most of those hosts that KVI had a week after that station's flip to oldies, why isn't it going anywhere?
 
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