Mike Sheppard has just been announced as the new VP of programming for BCA, which means he will oversee Double X 1090, AM 1700 and The Walrus. I would bet a little that not much will change at 1090. I would bet a whole lot, however, that The Walrus will get, as Dean Martin sang, "A Kick in the Head." And I mean that in a good way.
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New oldies???
- Thread starter canyouhearmenow
- Start date
Good for Shep for finding a job.
canyouhearmenow said:
Why would change a 4.0 share radio station without a full market signal. The Walrus is probably overachieving considering it is beating many full signal SD radio stations.
I don't know...maybe its because the station could be doing a lot better with music selection, station imaging and quality of DJs. There is no magic with this jukebox. But that will be be for Shep to decide...who by the way knows a lot about programming winning radio.
But to answer your question, is this station with its lackluster, forgettable, limp-d--- delivery overachieving, well, yes. I would have to say you are right. It's clear this station could be a stellar overachiever like KRTH.
canyouhearmenow said:
KRTH is outside the top 10 25-54 and Walrus is inside the top 10 with a signal that doesn't cover the entire metro.
KRTH has a full signal and gives away Hawaii all the time and has about $1,000,000+ in air talent and they're outside the top 10 25-54.
Why would Walrus aspire to be a station that spends 10 times the money for less ratings?
canyouhearmenow said:
Music is 80% + of a station in PPM. Again, you don't like the music, how do you explain the top 5 25-54 ranking among females?
canyouhearmenow said:
Radioresearcher has given some cogent points, and it's also interesting to note that The Walrus is unusually well positioned for the lower revenue world of radio today (San Diego's revenue level today is about what it was in 1996... or in 1988 in inflation adjusted dollars). It has an effective cost vs. delivery model and is well positioned in 25-54.
Comparing an LA station to a San Diego one is disingenuous. All the SD stations combined bill about what just the top 3 stations in LA bill, so there is a lot more money to work with in LA. Yet KRTH is generally outside the top 10 in 25-54, making your comparison to The Walrus doubly absurd.
Every programmer puts personal touches on a station, and all stations must evolve to stay fresh. But to expect major changes from a station that is doing quite well isn't reasonable if the management is competent.
DavidEduardo said:
My point is if Walrus were on a full signal San Diego station, with the marketing budget of KRTH (forget the big name talent), I'd probably expect it would be close to top 5 25-54.
Walrus has consistently outperformed KSON, KSCF, KBZT, KPRI, KUSS, and KIFM 25-54 and all of them have much larger signals and budgets. They were ahead of KGB for a while as well.
JACK-FM went ahead when they hired DSC.
I can think of a half dozen stations that might need some fine tuning before Walrus does.
Sheppard has the good fortune of guiding an overachiever that already works and works well, in The Walrus.
He'll probably do some fine-tuning and add some pizzaz to The Walrus' overall sound, if anything!....Muscially, it's working, so why would any radio professional mess with that?
His focus will likely be on the 2 AM's in the cluster
He'll probably do some fine-tuning and add some pizzaz to The Walrus' overall sound, if anything!....Muscially, it's working, so why would any radio professional mess with that?
His focus will likely be on the 2 AM's in the cluster
Big 121 said:
Let's see... in April, 2009, Walrus had a 4.4 while in April, 2011 they had a 4.3.
Share, like rating, represents the actual number of listeners. Rank does not.
(Anything prior to 4/09 is diary based data, and should not be compared to PPM data)
And, whether it is 2009 or 2011, that's pretty good performance for a somewhat limited signal.
Big 121 said:
That was also when it was running 3 hours of commercial free music and less than 6 units/hour. When PPM came and it has rating, magic happened. Revenue went up and so did the units - and the long commercial free blocks went away.
Also, since 2009, the entire PPM sample has turned over completely and Univision has begun encoding - so you cannot compare 2009 to 2011.
Not to mention DSC, Jeff & Jer, and Mikey have all moved stations.
Anyone with PPM knowledge, experience, and knowledge of the market would not make a silly statement comparing apples to oranges.
Every station can be better, especially the walrus! Until the station takes the number 1 slot then it can always improve. If Shep messes things up they can always go back to the lack luster programming that they had about a month ago that was nothing but classic rock (for the most part). I have to give Mason credit, in the last month and a half he has changed around the play list so that the station is getting listenable.
Get some decent jingles is all I ask Mason??
Get some decent jingles is all I ask Mason??
I repeat: there is no magic with this jukebox. Many radio heads who get it are glad to know it will now be up to a proven pro like Mike Sheppard to breathe new life, energy and focus to this station, and it won't be up to Jack Evans or any of the armchair quarterbacks on this blog to get the Walrus to be dormant. Can't wait to see what his fine tuning will produce.
As to the blogger who says he expects there to be more changes with the AMs than the Walrus, I would say I have no idea about 1700, but I would bet the ranch that 1090 will not be drastically changed. But hey, we are just the spectators and not the movers and shakers.
As to the blogger who says he expects there to be more changes with the AMs than the Walrus, I would say I have no idea about 1700, but I would bet the ranch that 1090 will not be drastically changed. But hey, we are just the spectators and not the movers and shakers.
Heck, when Walrus sank, it was nothing more than a 4th version of San Diego's Kool-FM franchise. Non-regional music with lots of repetition, and
limited variety. The only day Kool-FM was listenable was Saturday mornings, when the music vault was opened.
As is usual in a managers change-out, some others hired under his watch should probably update their resume's.
I agree w/600KOGO- Walrus IS more listenable in the last month or 2. It's kinda headed back to what it WAS....
limited variety. The only day Kool-FM was listenable was Saturday mornings, when the music vault was opened.
As is usual in a managers change-out, some others hired under his watch should probably update their resume's.
I agree w/600KOGO- Walrus IS more listenable in the last month or 2. It's kinda headed back to what it WAS....
To big 121....you may be right. The Walrus may be more "listenable" than it was 2 months ago. But that is not cutting it. It needs to be more exciting, more compelling and more like the oldies/classic hits stations across the country that are really killing it.
canyouhearmenow said:
How can "oldies/classic hits stations across the country" be killing Walrus? Other than KRTH, name one that shows any listening in the SD book.
You misunderstood...what I meant by that was how highly certain oldies/classic hits stations across the country are respected in the industry and which also do very well in the ratings, including Philly (#4), Pittsburgh (#3) and New York (#2). And then you have in KOOL in Phoenix where it is #1. I would venture to say KRTH is the most respected station of its kind in the U.S. and which is one of the biggest cash cows in all of radio. And it has a lot of forward momentum and excitement in its delivery and is still fun to listen to. It's a little too conservative for me, but hey, I'd like to hear "Live" by Merry Go Down, "Sit Down I Think I Love You" by the Mojo Men, "Twelve-Thirty" by the Mamas and Papas and "Baja" by the Astronauts all day....but I understand that just isn't to happen on commercial radio.
I'd like to hear "A Funky Thide of Sings" by Billy Cobham. Think that will appeal to a mass audience?
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