Memphis Ratings

[DeadElvis]

Interesting that the Memphis Book has been out for a few days, and no one has made mention of it.But, be that as it may... I won't run through the ratings here; ya'll are as capable of looking them up as I am. And, there are really no surprises after seeing the trends.But, I do have a thought that might be interesting fodder for discussion. I have been in this town since 1991. Never before -- that I can remember, anyway -- have we had such a cluster of stations that have fallen into a hole they seemingly can't get out of. We have a impressive group of big-stick stations that are stuck in the sub-3 or near-3 level; while I don't have in-demo numbers, I can't imagine they are much better. Some of these stations were once major players, or have the potential to be.I won't get into specific stations. That tends to be a bit ghoulish, and I see no joy in discussing it. But, one might argue that the coming year could be an interesting one. Owners of these problem-child stations can't sit where they are forever; they have way too much debt to service. Could a crop of changes take place all at once?Hmmm...DE

 

[radiosaur]

Wow. When I was at 100, we had a saying that with 300,000 watts we could get a 3 share with stereo static.Apparently not.

 

[FMSales]

Has 98.1 the Max been around long enough to show signs of life? I am sure some over there are scratching their heads. They've had billboards, hired Drake and Zeke, etc. Is it the format? Then there's FM 100. Is it the music? Personalities? Has 1960 Union (at least for radio) become cursed?Wow, then there's the Buzz.Some no-shows include: - WMC-AM's new classic country format, but the change didn't happen until January 4, so give it time. - Where is Simmon's 730 AM? They are now in WREC/WEGR's old Beale studios so it's time to get all the other problems fixed so people in east Memphis can hear them.- Where's 990 KWAM? Has it been purchased yet?

 

[radiosaur]

But, I do have a thought that might be interesting fodder for discussion. I have been in this town since 1991. Never before -- that I can remember, anyway -- have we had such a cluster of stations that have fallen into a hole they seemingly can't get out of.

Is it stations or a format? or a genre of music? 94.1 sounds pretty darn good. I see no reason for their numbers. WRVR must be pulling the whole cluster. Good job over there, CF and co.

 

[radio_tvguy]

Yeah, those numbers were ugly for a lot of stations and their parent corporation.Apparently, FM gospel is well and alive in the cityThe Urban AC stations we're the most surprising..the underdog commercial station is swinging upward and the annoying dominate slid down, the legendary UAC faded away and unnoticably there's a non-comm. on the block silently with a small 2.0+ share of the market pie.Urban radio-wise: Clear Channel and Flinn are finally in sharp competition and Citadel's station is pointless. I agree, this year is going to be an interesting one! I see some mega changes ahead. If not, we can kiss our Memphis radio audience goodbye.MH

 

[DeltaKing]

Hot AC in general sucks right about now. When you look at target demos, 100 is right where they need to be, although a little down. Women 25-44, they are huge (right with WRVR)...and that's all they care about. They have NO men to speak of, but they've become very female-centric on the air. They also had a pretty good 3rd phase. WMBZ, however, should care about the same demos as WMC, and they're getting killed. They have some 18-34 numbers at 94.1, but it's very painful to look at other demos. It's not gettng any better over there. Yes, WRVR is carrying the cluster, but for how long? They'd be better off just "Charlie-ing" 94.1 at this point, and save some $$ in salaries.WHBQ-FM is brutal...they must live off of 12-17 year old females, cause that's all they have.

 

[JoeMorris]

They'd be better off just "Charlie-ing" 94.1 at this point, and save some $$ in salaries.

Charlie-ing? OK, I degreed in broadcasting, but I've never heard that term before. Could you explain this term?

 

[Insurgent]

it means getting rid of them... its about time if you think about it. but if they go away... who would we laugh at?i mean... have you heard the "beale street journal?" or the "exciting" phone calls with their lawyers on the air??not to mention their morning jock Kid Kraddick was here to intro a band at music fest and said on stage, "you guys in memphis need to listen to the buzz... (uncomfortable silence)... cause their ratings suck!" (loud applause!)

 

[radiosaur]

He really said that? If so I'd be looking to see if it was a breach of contract and get him off the air as soon as I could. You're not kidding, right?

 

[MemphisLola]

So, I've been reading these boards for a while now, and have kept my opinion to myself...So pardon me as I flame a little...As far as the Buzz goes, it seems that on this board we're beating a dead horse. Every week or so someone asks "What happened with the Buzz"... Well, as someone in their target demo and having worked in programming in Memphis inthe past, here goes.... What the Buzz had when they flipped from Froggy was magic. The combination of personalities, promotions, and programming were perfect. Kramer built a solid team at that station, and that was just what they were, a team. They were the young talent from all over the city who had been working weekends at other stations and were waiting for their chance. They took it and ran with it. The 18-35 demo could relate to them. Once Kramer was let go the house started tumbling down. It lost its edge.The morning show is piped in and impersonal, the promotions are boring and recycled (Anyone remember when MFS did the potty promo?), and the music is repetitive. Even the 80's weekends can't save them. Not to mention the afternoon show... Now, the station doesn't sound like the edgy fun station it once was. It has no real identity anymore... It's dull... And plain and simple, that's what has happened to the ratings. Honestly, I could hear the same thing in market 165.... and their jocks might at least sound excited to be there...And for those wondering... I never worked for the Buzz.

 

[radiosaur]

Not all of us are trashing The Buzz, but we are all wondering why they don't have better numbers. The same with FM 100. Is it the format? The format couples with the demographics of Memphis? What? It would seem that even a mediocre Hot AC would do better. No one is. I can usually predict with at least a little accuracy the ratings. The Buzz and FM 100 don't seem to follow any logical pattern. I personally thought 94 was going to have an up book. And I really don't get why they didn't do better with Kramer, Agro, and Nikki...as you said it was a very solid station at the time.

 

[MemphisLola]

The 18-35 demo is spread very thin in Memphis. We have several stations to choose from, and honestly, most people in the target demo have switched to XM or Sirius or, like most of my friends, plug in the ipod when they're on the road. Too much talk and too many commercials can be a huge turn off. In the mornings you want to hear chatter, but later in the day, not so much. I don't mean to "trash" the Buzz, but anyone can look at their numbers since "the exodus" and see that something's not right. No one has great numbers here unless they're Urban/Gospel or Kix (the only show in town in their format), but most of them have held steady where they were even as paltry as the numbers looked. Everyone's going after the same customer, and no one has anything new to offer. Both FM100 and 93x have made format changes to try to tackle that problem, I just don't see the Buzz heading in that direction. After being strictly a cd/ipod user in the pre-"whatever" days, I've flipped back to 100 and so have most people I know. In fact, we're prone to call each other (like teenage girls) and say "Turn on FM100. You won't believe what they're playing!"It just frustrates me that a station that had such potential is falling off the map. At one point, it really looked like 94.1 was on the way to being the top AC station in the market. They need a reinvention, and they need something that their demo wants to hear or they need to go after another demo all together.

 

[buckrogers]

We sure do bash around here and offer little in the way of solutions. and yes I do work at the Buzz

 

[FMSales]

Pointing out the painfully obvious is not necessarily bashing, but I see your point. Go over to the Atlanta board and the constant harping on a couple of their stations. Speaking of the board here, there are several posters I haven't seen lately, especially since the new format. Did they make it?

 

[sjs1959]

Why, though. does no one want to take on KIX 106?

I KNOW this is a primarily urban/Gospel market, but there HAS to be room for another Country FM on a stick that you can hear all over town.what would it take to challenge them?

 

[FMSales]

Re: Why, though. does no one want to take on KIX 106?

I KNOW this is a primarily urban/Gospel market, but there HAS to be room for another Country FM on a stick that you can hear all over town.what would it take to challenge them?

If 790s classic country takes off (which remains to be seen), then someone on FM will take it and do it better since 790 is satellite fed (except for mornings).