October 2024 Bay Area Radio PPM Ratings

[HenryOchs]

Here are the October 2024 San Francisco Radio PPM Ratings:

San Francisco

Nielsen Audio PPM Monthly Ratings San Francisco (Market #6) Population: 6,600,600 Black: 430,500 – Hispanic: 1,605,200 Average Quarter Hour Share for Persons 6+, Mon-Sun 6AM-Mid All ratings are Copyright © 2005-2024 The Nielsen Company. All rights reserved. Nielsen radio audience estimates and...

radioinsight.com

And the October 2024 San Jose Radio PPM Ratings:

San Jose

Nielsen Audio PPM Monthly Ratings San Jose (Market #39) Population: 1,648,900 Black: 47,200 – Hispanic: 403,500 Average Quarter Hour Share for Persons 6+, Mon-Sun 6AM-Mid All ratings are Copyright © 2005-2024 The Nielsen Company. All rights reserved. Nielsen radio audience estimates and data are...

radioinsight.com

Any thoughts or observations?

 

[KilowattKat]

I wonder why KEXC-KEXP isn't catching on, and even dropped a bit this time around. The signal? Too Seattle-ish, lack of SF oriented programming? And there really isn't any competition they are up against.

 

[davideduardo]

I wonder why KEXC-KEXP isn't catching on, and even dropped a bit this time around. The signal? Too Seattle-ish, lack of SF oriented programming? And there really isn't any competition they are up against.

How much promotion have they done where their potential listeners might see it, such as alternative media and online sources? I think this kind of format is slow-growth and may be an acquired taste... first listens may find too much unfamiliar or "not one of my favorites" songs, perhaps?

 

[Weiserguy]

How much promotion have they done where their potential listeners might see it, such as alternative media and online sources? I think this kind of format is slow-growth and may be an acquired taste... first listens may find too much unfamiliar or "not one of my favorites" songs, perhaps?

I tried to give them a fair listen, but 92.7 is a hard-to-grab signal where I live. I've had it on in the car a number of times. The problem is they are appealing to the tastes of younger listeners (Millennials and Gen Z's) who aren't listening to radio at all these days, unless no other options are available. KEXP is not aiming at Gen X'ers, and they definitely aren't targeting their music selections to old codgers like me, Boomers, who are predisposed to listen to music on the radio if you give us something we'd like to listen to. I give them props for trying, but if they keep following Groucho Marx's philosophy -- "I'd never join any club that would have me as a member" -- only in their case it's more like "We shall never program to those listeners who'd be willing to listen to us, maybe even support us" -- then it's going to be a long and steep uphill slog.

 

[adradio]

Re. KEXP/KEXC, the Bay Area does not go for radio coming from out of town. To be more successful, the station needs to be Bay Area station, broadcasting locally with local DJs and programming. As a boomer, I listen from time to time, and learn some things and occasionally hear a song I haven't heard on the radio in years...which is always fun. But, when the broadcast speaks of Seattle events or broadcasts live from a location in Seattle, it's a turnoff for me.

 

[Mark Roberts]

Good lord almighty, the bedwetting over this!

These are 6+ numbers, so KEXC’s share of the audience is going to be spread like peanut butter over a very broad slice of the population. Yet KEXC is the antithesis of a highly-researched, mass-appeal format.

Even if you grant 6+ numbers a higher degree of meaningfulness, the shares over the last 6 months have been at 0.2, plus-or-minus 0.1. While on a relative, context-free basis, those might look like wide swings, add the context (i.e. the whole universe of stations measured) back in and it seems quite steady.

Then you have to consider what KEXP thinks success looks like for KEXC. It’s a noncommercial station, with underwriting being only a part of the revenue picture. While audience reach helps with underwriting and with gathering listener contributions, it’s not always the whole story. (If it were, KPFA would have been long gone by now.) Listener commitment and involvement are part of the picture, too, and aren’t measured by Nielsen’s statistical constructs.

Finally, consider the unique position the 92.7 frequency is in: a station that lacks full-market coverage yet is located in the center of the market. Most other stations lacking full-market coverage are in geographically distinct quasi-peripheral parts of the Bay Area. The Energy 92.7 people back in the 2000s exploited this brilliantly: figure out who lives in the core of the Bay Area, figure out what they want in terms of a format with commercial appeal, and give it to them. KEXP/KEXC has a somewhat different mission, to drive user engagement (kind of like K-LOVE without the gift cards), but there are similarities, too, in that those users are in the core of the market and have all sorts of cultural offerings at their doorsteps.

In fewer words, expecting KEXC to rack up the kinds of numbers and trends that a commercial full-market station would be expected to attain is like asking a cat to quote Shakespeare. These monthly ratings discussions are tendentious and pointless anyway; they’re even more pointless in the case of a station like KEXC, whose criteria for success are not typical.

 

[KilowattKat]

I believe the high expectations for KEXC-KEXP stems from comparing it to the success in Seattle. Which I still find extraordinary considering the eclectic nature of it's format.

There also seems to be disappointment over the lack of original programming for the Bay Area.

I think this is a case of built up expectations, only to be let down.

 

[Street Novelist]

Well, the signal is terrible. That might have something to do with it. Also, like the posters above me mentioned, the programming is oriented around Seattle. It is not locally based. It's strange listening to the DJ talk about what's happening this week in Seattle when we're in the Bay.

 

[K.M. Richards]

These monthly ratings discussions are tendentious and pointless anyway

Amen, brother. Bolded and colored for emphasis.

 

[TheBigA]

Re. KEXP/KEXC, the Bay Area does not go for radio coming from out of town. To be more successful, the station needs to be Bay Area station

FYI: The #1 station in the Bay Area comes from out of town. KQED. "From National Public Radio in Washington...." They say it every hour.

It's strange listening to the DJ talk about what's happening this week in Seattle when we're in the Bay.

The funny part is: Lots of people willingly STREAM out of town radio stations all the time. I never hear them complain about the DJs.

Why? Because they stream for the MUSIC! That's what the conversation should be about. This is the station that DOESN'T play the same 20 songs over and over. You want real music variety? This is it.

 

[radiofan2023]

FYI: The #1 station in the Bay Area comes from out of town. KQED. "From National Public Radio in Washington...." They say it every hour.

But KQED also has local shows, as well as podcasts that are locally/regionally focused. They just spent a bunch of money to remodel their headquarters in part to be able to invite more people to come to station events.

 

[TheBigA]

But KQED also has local shows, as well as podcasts that are locally/regionally focused. They just spent a bunch of money to remodel their headquarters in part to be able to invite more people to come to station events.

I'm just responding to the comment that "the Bay Area does not go for radio coming from out of town."

Do people turn off their radios when the national programming comes on? That's what the comment implies.

 

[radiofan2023]

Oh, thanks for explaining.

 

[Weiserguy]

Amen, brother. Bolded and colored for emphasis.

Brother Richards, please DON'T PUT TEXT IN YELLOW, unless you also have a black background. That is damn near impossible to read. Dark red, yes. Dark blue, sure. Even green. But not yellow.

 

[adradio]

I'm just responding to the comment that "the Bay Area does not go for radio coming from out of town."

Do people turn off their radios when the national programming comes on? That's what the comment implies.

'Out of town' refers to a station broadcasting locally for another locale and being simulcast in the Bay Area. This has been tried before with morning shows from LA and has generally not gone over well in the Bay Area. National shows are intended to be national and are broadcast as such...Howard Stern (when he was on terrestrial), Hannity, NPR etc. and is completely different than a simulcast...Bay Area is fine with national stuff.

 

[TheBigA]

'Out of town' refers to a station broadcasting locally for another locale and being simulcast in the Bay Area. This has been tried before with morning shows from LA and has generally not gone over well in the Bay Area.

That's not unique to San Francisco. There's a lot of this going on now. I just read of a Seattle morning show that's now being heard on a Phoenix station. Beasley simulcast a morning show from Detroit in Boston. The locals complained, and the station got low ratings.

This particular situation is different. This is a non-commercial station in Seattle that bought a station in San Francisco. Similar to the way KUSC operates KDFC. Part of the reason was they saw a lot of out of town streaming of their signal coming from the area. Because they're non-profit they don't have the money to fully staff the second station, but their have intentions of doing so as the station grows. That is their stated goal.

KEXP Bay Area FAQ

www.kexp.org

The main thing they offer San Francisco for now is the music. Music translates everywhere, just like classical music at KDFC.

 

[K.M. Richards]

Brother Richards, please DON'T PUT TEXT IN YELLOW, unless you also have a black background. That is damn near impossible to read. Dark red, yes. Dark blue, sure. Even green. But not yellow.

OOPS. Sorry. I did not for one second think of that, since I do indeed use the dark theme wherever it's an option. (At age 68, there's already enough messing with my eyesight to avoid adding the glare of black type on a white background everywhere I go online.)

Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

 

[Fighting Irish]

In regard to KEXC, keep in mind that, many have stated, the signal is very weak. And yes, most of it is a straight feed from KEXP in Seattle. Apparently, they have added a local Bay Area show, and they plan to add even more local programming. But at least they got their foot in the door. And they still do great radio.

Keep in mind, it took many years for KEXP to become successful in Seattle. And their signal isn't all that great there. But they stuck with it, and they've been bringing in massive amounts of money (in addition to Paul Allen's money that helped set them up, they were able to buy 92.7 thanks to a wealthy fan that left them $10 million in her will). So, not only is the programming great, but they know how to bring in donations. No wonder they expanded to the Bay Area. Should be better once they add more local programming.

As for the issue with local vs. non-local programming, I can't see it being too much of a turnoff nowadays. The KDFC stations are programmed out of LA. And a few big commercial stations make heavy use of voice trackers from LA and other places (Live 105, KOSF, etc.). They seem to do well. Radio has become so non-local that I'm guessing people are somewhat indifferent to it. And, the ability to listen to streaming radio, even in cars, makes the point kinda moot. That said, I do think local radio is better. It's just that many broadcasters nowadays only look at the bottom line.

 

[TheBigA]

Should be better once they add more local programming.

If you look at how they operate in Seattle, their commitment to the music goes beyond radio, with a local performance venue in their building. If they do that kind of outreach here, it could be even more successful, when you consider the size of the potential audience in the area.

 

[Fighting Irish]

If you look at how they operate in Seattle, their commitment to the music goes beyond radio, with a local performance venue in their building. If they do that kind of outreach here, it could be even more successful, when you consider the size of the potential audience in the area.

Not to mention all that Silicon Valley money. That's a huge donor base! Especially considering that KEXP was able to really grow after late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen stepped in.

But you are absolutely correct about being involved in the community, and building a presence. I'm sure that's in the plans. Here in Milwaukee, the local non-com AAA, WYMS (88.9 Radio Milwaukee) moved into a building south of downtown that used to house a big nightclub, and built out studios, performance spaces, a cafe and even a second HD2 station stream devoted to alternative R&B (with separate airstaff!). It seems to be working for them.