Older Adults Love Top 40 KMVQ, Young People Not So Much

[Gregg.]

The latest ratings show a strange reality for CBS Top 40 KMVQ, known as 99.7 Now. It's a Top 40 station you'd think would be more popular, the younger you are. But the opposite is true. According to the demographic ratings (from All Access), it's #1 among adults 25-54 but only #5 among young people, 18-34.

25-54
1. KMVQ Top 40
2. KOIT AC
3. KIOI Hot AC
4. KMEL Urban
5. KNBR Sports
6. KYLD Top 40
7. KQED NPR News/Talk

18-49
1. KMEL
2. KYLD
3. KMVQ
4. KOIT
5. KIOI
6. KNBR

18-34
1. KMEL
2. KYLD
3. KIOI
4. KOIT
5. KMVQ
6. KLLC

KMVQ is even ranked lower among 18-34 year olds than AC KOIT, considered one of San Francisco's oldest skewing FM stations.

While its dropped a bit since earlier in the baseball season, Giants flagship 680 KNBR does something few other AM stations in the country do... it's in the Top 5 among 25-54 adults and #6 18-49. In most markets, it's hard to find an AM station even in the top 10 in the 25-54 demo, and quite rare among 18-49 adults. Even though it's an FM Sports station, carrying the Oakland Athletics, 95.7 KGMZ is nowhere in these demos.

 

[JeffM]

I think it's great if it proves that the older audience is not suffering from "hardening of the eardrums." I'm even a little above the high end of that age group and I listen to a teen-oriented top-40 morning show every day (and I'm not the only one among my friends who does.) Was waiting in line ahead of a couple twenty-somethings at the supermarket not long ago, they were talking music and I turned my head around and quoted a lyric from a song they mentioned. Faked 'em right outa their socks ...they thought I was the type who only listens to Da Polka Show!