MYRTLE BEACH RATINGS

[JOHNNY on the RADIO]

The Myrtle Beach ratings are out. Any surprises? I don't think I've ever seen WRNN-AM/FM in the lead.

Johnny Caudle
www.towerhunters.com

 

[D-Oradio]

One thought...WSEA is getting beat by a station in Charleston! (Z93 Jamz) How sad is that?

 

[radiolives]

How is B 92 WIHB from Charleston not on the list? They have a strong signal. They are easier to get in then Z93 Jamz is out of Charleston. And this is around Surfside Beach.

 

[Wabbit_Season]

How is B 92 WIHB from Charleston not on the list? They have a strong signal. They are easier to get in then Z93 Jamz is out of Charleston. And this is around Surfside Beach.

They barely show up in Chucktown this go-round...and you want them to show in MB?

 

[purplehooter]

B92 is pretty much the only station I listen to here in MB.

 

[radiolives]

How is B 92 WIHB from Charleston not on the list? They have a strong signal. They are easier to get in then Z93 Jamz is out of Charleston. And this is around Surfside Beach.

They barely show up in Chucktown this go-round...and you want them to show in MB?

What do you mean barely? B 92 is Charleston's real CHR/Top 40 as WSSX is more Hot AC with a CHR edge.

Also when Sunny 96.9 was AC it showed up with a 1.1 in Myrtle Beach. Maybe in a few books the new WIWF Wolf 96.9 might show up.

 

[Wabbit_Season]

How is B 92 WIHB from Charleston not on the list? They have a strong signal. They are easier to get in then Z93 Jamz is out of Charleston. And this is around Surfside Beach.

They barely show up in Chucktown this go-round...and you want them to show in MB?

What do you mean barely? B 92 is Charleston's real CHR/Top 40 as WSSX is more Hot AC with a CHR edge.

What I mean by barely is, with the removal of 96 Wave and 95SX as DIRECT competitors, B92 dropped from a 3.0 to a 2.2 12+.

Granted, that's not the perfect indicator of a stations success in their target demos, but...it's certainly not good that the station has trended 4.0-3.0-2.2 over the last three books.

THAT'S what I mean by they "barely" showed up in the Charleston arbs. They're tied for 14th.

 

[radiolives]

How is B 92 WIHB from Charleston not on the list? They have a strong signal. They are easier to get in then Z93 Jamz is out of Charleston. And this is around Surfside Beach.

They barely show up in Chucktown this go-round...and you want them to show in MB?

What do you mean barely? B 92 is Charleston's real CHR/Top 40 as WSSX is more Hot AC with a CHR edge.

What I mean by barely is, with the removal of 96 Wave and 95SX as DIRECT competitors, B92 dropped from a 3.0 to a 2.2 12+.

Granted, that's not the perfect indicator of a stations success in their target demos, but...it's certainly not good that the station has trended 4.0-3.0-2.2 over the last three books.

THAT'S what I mean by they "barely" showed up in the Charleston arbs. They're tied for 14th.

But in their demo is where it really matters plus Charleston has two Top 40 stations kind of as WSSX wants to lean more Hot AC. But B 92 wouldn't be calling themselfs Charleston's #1 Hit Music Station if it wasn't true now.

 

[pbf1]

But B 92 wouldn't be calling themselfs Charleston's #1 Hit Music Station if it wasn't true now.

You're KIDDING, right? I've worked for a couple of "#1 hit music stations" that weren't the #1 hit music stations!

 

[Wabbit_Season]

But in their demo is where it really matters plus Charleston has two Top 40 stations kind of as WSSX wants to lean more Hot AC. But B 92 wouldn't be calling themselfs Charleston's #1 Hit Music Station if it wasn't true now.

Wow.....can't believe you just said that. Hate to be insulting, but that's one of the dumber things I've seen posted here.

As previously mentioned, tons of stations over the years have claimed to be "Your #1 Hit Music Station", "#1 for Music & Fun", "Playing the most country...period."....etc, etc. It's a positioner; no one puts their hands on the bible before they air those.

Hell, I was driving through Florence today and WHLZ was calling themselves "The Pee Dee's Country Leader"...and they haven't been the #1 country station in over 5 years.

 

[Lhsh]

When a station says that they are the number one music station, I personally think it is a marketing tool rather than truth in advertising. WZLD back in the 80's used to call themselves the Number one hit kicker when in fact they never could top WNOK.

 

[radiolives]

But in their demo is where it really matters plus Charleston has two Top 40 stations kind of as WSSX wants to lean more Hot AC. But B 92 wouldn't be calling themselfs Charleston's #1 Hit Music Station if it wasn't true now.

Wow.....can't believe you just said that. Hate to be insulting, but that's one of the dumber things I've seen posted here.

As previously mentioned, tons of stations over the years have claimed to be "Your #1 Hit Music Station", "#1 for Music & Fun", "Playing the most country...period."....etc, etc. It's a positioner; no one puts their hands on the bible before they air those.

Hell, I was driving through Florence today and WHLZ was calling themselves "The Pee Dee's Country Leader"...and they haven't been the #1 country station in over 5 years.

The thing with WHLZ is true as Eagle is always the #1 Country station with their strong signal. I said that wrong what I was saying. B 92 can call themselves #1 Hit Music Station. I would of instead of went with Charleston's Party Station or something along those lines. Maybe even Charleston's ONLY Hit Music Station. This as 95sx took out the hip hop songs which most CHR's play along with Rock songs mixed in like a true CHR does. And the reason 95.1 took the hip hop out was because they want Sunny 96.9 listeners after it went Country.

 

[vchimpanzee]

I find it quite disturbing that Yes 94.5 did so well.

But as long as WEZV stays the way it is, I'll be happy. I'll be happier if they hire a new midday host and Kelli Dixon moves to Yes.

 

[Gatekeeper007]

WHLZ wheels never recovered from the 92.5 move over to 100.5. The lose of their tall and 100KW signal was a blow that took most of their listeners from Walterboro to Manning and Charleston to Sandyrun by complete suprise. They lost three quarters their listeners when the move occured according to Matt Scurry and that is something you don't get over. Betty Roper told me a few years back that if she would have known that Cumlus was going to sell off the station she would have never sold it to them in the first place. Even today there is still sour grapes in the Manning area about WHLZ's change.

 

[Wabbit_Season]

WHLZ wheels never recovered from the 92.5 move over to 100.5. The lose of their tall and 100KW signal was a blow that took most of their listeners from Walterboro to Manning and Charleston to Sandyrun by complete suprise. They lost three quarters their listeners when the move occured according to Matt Scurry and that is something you don't get over.

The freq switch and power drop happened almost 7 years ago...yet WHLZ was still the #1 country station in the market until Fall '03, if memory serves.

The problem isn't that they went to a smaller tower; the problem is they switched their frequency and thats usually a very hard thing to overcome. At 100.5 they still have the power to effectively cover the metro (which is where your ratings come from, not Manning/Walterboro/Santee wherever). So what's happened to WHLZ?

A few things...first, your freq switch and power drop. After that, although I'm not in the building, I would say a huge morale drop. Then, back in '03, Eagle went local in mornings and dumped the Myrtle Beach simulcast at the same time Tom Brockway lost morning show partner Marva. Then, Brockway moved out of mornings altogether, replaced by Matt Scurry and Lynn (AKA "Oil & Water")...Eagle changed up their programming to emphasize a hotter, more contemporary approach via imaging and new music and a younger, hipper air staff while WHLZ and the Cumulus machine continued to play the same staid, boring playlist, punctuated with an occasional Glen Campbell or Statler Brothers tune (or, as recently heard, an Elvis tune!).

Once the momentum shifted, it just seemed like WHLZ and it's employees lost the will to live. Even Brockway ended up across the street - leaving Matt solo in the morning, part-timer Sloan (ugh - my ears!) VT'ing middays, and Les Bailey holding down afternoons.

They may all be great people, but I have to say, across the broadcast day, the Eagle airstaff just SOUND like they're having fun - they sound like they enjoy the music they play, they sound irreverent (at least by country format standards) and they sound like they're not just punching a time clock.

All of which is exactly how WHLZ folks sound.

Listeners hear that difference - which is why WEGX has progressively spanked WHLZ' ass worse and worse with each passing book.

Granted, Eagle doesn't sound perfect - they need to update their imaging and perhaps lose the voice guy, the morning show needs to freshen up some - but when your competitor hasn't done squat to even threaten you, it's understandable to some degree to stay the course.

Bottom line is, WHLZ needs a real morning show and a real program director to fight back, and Cumulus isn't going to give them that.

You gotta feel bad for Matt Scurry - it's like sending someone into battle with a water pistol.

 

[radiolives]

I can only judge one country station. And I think Eagle 92.9 sounds like a great country station. Sound just like their sister station Gator 107.9 here on the Grand Strand. Getting back about Eagle, now wouldn't their ratings also be better because they have NASCAR as does Gator in Myrtle Beach?

Also about Tom Brockway wasn't he the DJ on Sunny 106.5 after the morning show. He was on from 10-3pm I believe. Is this correct?

 

[Gatekeeper007]

I know some people are going to jump on this but the truth is the truth. Ratings markets are over rated in the fact that listeners are listeners whether their in side a market area or out side one they still count. Abbr called me a month ago and said due to amount of listeners we have on WLRE that they need to put us in a rattings market. To say the least I was glad to get the call but just where would you put us, we are out side of every market in a rual area and being LP we only have a 100 watt signal. Stick us in any market that is around us and we wouldn't show up due to our coverage area not being in that market except maybe Orangeburg and that market isn't fair because it is tagged on to Columbia. So I take market rattings with a grain of salt in rual areas, not that there not a good judging point but their not everything. Now go ahead and blast me but at least I speak the truth.

 

[Wabbit_Season]

Ratings markets are over rated in the fact that listeners are listeners whether their in side a market area or out side one they still count.

You're right.

And you're wrong.

From a very real standpoint, especially for a low-powered FM like yours, your listeners are outside the Columbia/Florence/Charleston markets, so...what do you do? You cater to the listeners the best you can, and you don't sell the numbers - you sell the station and what it means to the community.

However, agencies, many businesses, and certainly the industry need SOME scorecard so that we can all drive rates (or under-sell the competition when our ratings suck)...so we have ratings. Unfortunately, Arbitron is the best we have right now (man, I miss the days of Birch!...or at least, competing measuring-sticks...) and it is flawed, but it's all we've got.

For a station like yours, you stay the course, you get into the community, you learn every local business owner's story and you become the radio station for these people.

I worked at a station just like yours. It was some of the most fun I ever had.

Good luck.