New York Metro Radio Ratings: December 2023

[pjc1961]

Covering the survey period from Thursday, November 9, 2023 thru Wednesday, December 6, 2023, age 6+ overall:
View #1: New York - RadioInsight
View #2: Radio Industry News, Radio Show Prep, Radio Promotions, Radio Station Data, Podcast News

Top 5+ demo rankings analysis from Research Director, Inc.:

Radio Ratings Roundup, December 2023, Part I | Research Director, Inc.

Now that the dulcet tones of BURL IVES have faded into the ether, it is time for The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – along with the

researchdirectorinc.com

25-54: 1. WLTW 2. WHTZ 3. WKTU 4. WNEW 5. WSKQ 6. WAXQ
18-34: 1. WLTW 2. WHTZ 3. WAXQ 4. WWPR 5. WKTU 10T. WQHT (down from #5) 10T. WPLJ
18-49: 1. WLTW 2. WHTZ 3. WKTU 4. WNEW 5. WSKQ 7. WAXQ

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Nassau-Suffolk age 6+ overall:
View #1: Long Island - RadioInsight
View #2: Radio Industry News, Radio Show Prep, Radio Promotions, Radio Station Data, Podcast News

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Middlesex-Somerset-Union, NJ age 6+ overall:
View #1: Middlesex/Somerset/Union - RadioInsight
View #2: Radio Industry News, Radio Show Prep, Radio Promotions, Radio Station Data, Podcast News

 

[Theater of My Mind]

Both news stations seem to have taken a hit.
WXBX hit a new low. I didn't even think that was possible. It's now being beaten by K-Love.

 

[Barry]

Maybe the market is now oversaturated with hip-hop stations. RadioInsight states that WQHT/Hot 97's 1.9 overall rating is its lowest since it started running the format, and the worst for the frequency since it switched from A/C to Country in 1987.
The article also mentioned that the 1.7 for WCBS is its worst "rating ever recorded by the station."

 

[mets18]

We can't be surprised about WCBS. Audacy picked their horse and it was WINS. 880 was left to die. What advertiser would choose it at this point?

 

[BruceNYC]

Could WINS simulcast on 92.3 FM taken away many listeners from 880 AM? We don't know the ratings of WINS-AM vs WINS-FM.

 

[Weiserguy]

Could WINS simulcast on 92.3 FM taken away many listeners from 880 AM? We don't know the ratings of WINS-AM vs WINS-FM.

There are two issues. One is the signal pattern of 1010 WINS-AM, which barrels into Manhattan on the way to the other boroughs, southern Westchester, Fairfield and Long Island. (And at night, up into New England, FWIW.) The more inland New Jersey counties and Rockland have a tougher time hearing it because of that pattern, In that sense, WINS-FM has massively improved the station's coverage in the parts of the region that have seen growth in recent decades.

The other issue is *what* they cover. The WINS news focus has been New York City and the close-in suburbs, at the expense of the broader region. Brief-hit stories, many of them. That's what they're known for, and they excel at it. But WCBS, especially after becoming co-owned by Westinghouse/CBS/Audacy, had focused (until recent years and economic realities) on the suburbs and somewhat longer, somewhat deeper coverage. That choice was a function of their 50Kw Class A ("I-A" in the olden days) omnidirectional signal, which covered the region like a blanket but suffered in the concrete canyons of Manhattan (and to an extent, in parts of Brooklyn and the Bronx). So they focused their coverage on where the signal gave them the competitive advantage.

No, we don't know the differences in the WINS AM verses FM ratings, nor do we know how they do in the demographic breakdowns. None of that information is public, only the 6+, which is next-to-useless. The one obvious takeaway is that WINS is doing well relative to WCBS, which seems to be suffering a slow-motion death.

 

[Always interested]

Covering the survey period from Thursday, November 9, 2023 thru Wednesday, December 6, 2023, age 6+ overall:
View #1: New York - RadioInsight
View #2: Radio Industry News, Radio Show Prep, Radio Promotions, Radio Station Data, Podcast News

Top 5+ demo rankings analysis from Research Director, Inc.:

Radio Ratings Roundup, December 2023, Part I | Research Director, Inc.

Now that the dulcet tones of BURL IVES have faded into the ether, it is time for The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – along with the

researchdirectorinc.com

25-54: 1. WLTW 2. WHTZ 3. WKTU 4. WNEW 5. WSKQ 6. WAXQ
18-34: 1. WLTW 2. WHTZ 3. WAXQ 4. WWPR 5. WKTU 10T. WQHT (down from #5) 10T. WPLJ
18-49: 1. WLTW 2. WHTZ 3. WKTU 4. WNEW 5. WSKQ 7. WAXQ

*************************************************

Nassau-Suffolk age 6+ overall:
View #1: Long Island - RadioInsight
View #2: Radio Industry News, Radio Show Prep, Radio Promotions, Radio Station Data, Podcast News

*************************************************

Middlesex-Somerset-Union, NJ age 6+ overall:
View #1: Middlesex/Somerset/Union - RadioInsight
View #2: Radio Industry News, Radio Show Prep, Radio Promotions, Radio Station Data, Podcast News

I don’t see 101.1 CBSFM in any of the key Demographics for December. Any concerns there ? The only thing I noticed was with Annie out on Maternity Leave, John Fox seemed like he was having trouble doing the show by himself. He sounded a forced & out of breath

 

[RadioGuy1864]

We can't be surprised about WCBS. Audacy picked their horse and it was WINS. 880 was left to die. What advertiser would choose it at this point?

Audacy was faced with blowing up 2 FM's to move both news stations to FM, or just move one and let the other wither away. Economic reality and the inability to buy another FM signal left them no other choice. WCBS will survive a few more years, then it's anyone's guess what happens to it.

 

[mets18]

Audacy was faced with blowing up 2 FM's to move both news stations to FM, or just move one and let the other wither away. Economic reality and the inability to buy another FM signal left them no other choice. WCBS will survive a few more years, then it's anyone's guess what happens to it.

Yeah, there's no winning strategy here. Terrestrial radio is in a death spiral and there's no way out. Interestingly enough Good Karma has gone the other way in giving up their FM lease to go back to AM + streaming for ESPN.

 

[TheBigA]

But WCBS, especially after becoming co-owned by Westinghouse/CBS/Audacy, had focused (until recent years and economic realities) on the suburbs and somewhat longer, somewhat deeper coverage.

And yet when you look at the ratings, both stations appear in the suburban ratings, and (as you say) in recent years there has been a lot of sharing of resources between the stations. The question will be less about content, and more about can this market support two all news stations the way it had 20 years ago.

WCBS will survive a few more years, then it's anyone's guess what happens to it.

I think we already see what the future will be: More play by play sports and more weekend infomercials. The strategy will be less about traditional ratings and more about direct sales and merchandizing the signal for those who want that kind of reach.

 

[TheMusicMan]

I don’t see 101.1 CBSFM in any of the key Demographics for December. Any concerns there ? The only thing I noticed was with Annie out on Maternity Leave, John Fox seemed like he was having trouble doing the show by himself. He sounded a forced & out of breath

Lite’s Christmas format whacks CBS-FM every year during the December and Holiday books - since before the pandemic, the latter station has always fallen out of the top 5 P25-54 during this period. CBS-FM was also off slightly last month, but overall, they performed quite well during 2023 and I expect that they’ll return to their normal range in the new year.

 

[davideduardo]

Audacy was faced with blowing up 2 FM's to move both news stations to FM, or just move one and let the other wither away. Economic reality and the inability to buy another FM signal left them no other choice. WCBS will survive a few more years, then it's anyone's guess what happens to it.

Aside from the cost, due to the coverage differences it would make sense to simulcast the two AMs.

The US limit on AM power to 50 kw is inadequate for big metros today; it was born of political concerns in the early 1930's and is irrelevant today. But the crowded AM band won't allow further increases.

An example: When "Radio 10" was built on 710 kHz in Buenos Aires, extensive studies were done to determine coverage. Even at 100 kw in a relatively close suburb, it was thought that the dense inner city areas would be subject to man made noise and interference. So the station was built with slight directionality using a "reflective" tower of lesser height making the signal over central Bs. As. the equivalent of about 140 kw. That was enough to be listenable everywhere, even in the noisey "subte" metro stations and cars.

 

[davideduardo]

Lite’s Christmas format whacks CBS-FM every year during the December and Holiday books - since before the pandemic, the latter station has always fallen out of the top 5 P25-54 during this period. CBS-FM was also off slightly last month, but overall, they performed quite well during 2023 and I expect that they’ll return to their normal range in the new year.

And this is why agencies don't buy off single books. They use multi.book rolling averages and exclude the December and Holiday books from those averages.

 

[CentralFL]

WCBS 880 sounds a lot different lately. Each news item seems to go on longer than it used to. I think they say things like "WCBS in depth" or something like that. Definitely less of a go-to for news than in the past. 1010 WINS definitely "wins" in terms of being an all-news station.

 

[Rusty Muck]

Yeah, there's no winning strategy here. Terrestrial radio is in a death spiral and there's no way out. Interestingly enough Good Karma has gone the other way in giving up their FM lease to go back to AM + streaming for ESPN.

Streaming is really Good Karma's core strategy now, plus they are ridding themselves of a deeply onerous LMA that Disney had no problem paying as it was merely a budget line item.

Basically, WEPN is converting to a streaming service that has an AM simulcast.

 

[Theater of My Mind]

Yeah, there's no winning strategy here. Terrestrial radio is in a death spiral and there's no way out.

It's such a shame because it didn't have to be that way. There's a whole audience out there that loves the originality and edginess of 'Squid Game', but the only thing Big Radio can offer is the most flaccid, homogenous 'Hallmark movies' of radio formats.

 

[101tm]

WCBS 880 sounds a lot different lately. Each news item seems to go on longer than it used to. I think they say things like "WCBS in depth" or something like that. Definitely less of a go-to for news than in the past. 1010 WINS definitely "wins" in terms of being an all-news station.

Which is pretty much Audacy’s goal. IMO 880 will continue a “phase out” of being an all news station and try to gradually shift the audience for that to 92.3/1010.

A similar thing happened in LA 15+ years ago with KFWB phasing all news out since CBS already had KNX.

 

[davideduardo]

Which is pretty much Audacy’s goal. IMO 880 will continue a “phase out” of being an all news station and try to gradually shift the audience for that to 92.3/1010.

Remember, 880 has a considerably better suburban signal than 1010, so there could even be a simulcast if AM is of any future importance to the news outlet.

A similar thing happened in LA 15+ years ago with KFWB phasing all news out since CBS already had KNX.

Not really. When a sale brought Infinity's KFWB into an excess station situation due to the Viacom purchase of KCAL_TV. KFWB, the considerably inferior signal, was put into a trust pending a future sale... which took quite a long time to occur. In the meantime, they implemented a less expensive talk format.

Prior to that, both KNX and KFWB were dividing about a 3 share of news listening, so it made no sense to continue having two news stations in the market.

 

[Rusty Muck]

It's such a shame because it didn't have to be that way. There's a whole audience out there that loves the originality and edginess of 'Squid Game', but the only thing Big Radio can offer is the most flaccid, homogenous 'Hallmark movies' of radio formats.

What type of "originality" and "edginess" either draws revenue or is permissible by FCC standards?

 

[kevtronics]

It's interesting how Classic Rock does better with 18-34 than 25-54. Are the latter simply burned out from hearing "Free Bird" and "Hey Jude" every day for the past 27 years?