Pensacola Numbers

[Poledo]

Looking at the Fall 2010 Pensacola ratings, posted here on Radio-info, I can't help but notice how low the FWB stations are ranked. Those stations put good signals over the market and many people listen to them, especially the people that commute from Pensacola and Pace/Milton to Hurlburt and Eglin.

How many people do they survey for the market ratings? Are the diaries distributed evenly by zip code or something? As a local that stays south of I-10, I know these numbers are way off for my area.

Mobile's WDLT, which has no signal at all in downtown (32501), has always showed in the Pensacola ratings, yet it doesn't show for fall 2010.

If these ratings are close to accurate, Cumulus needs to flip 100.7 and 104.1 to a polka simulcast and Clear Channel needs to flip 107.3 to sports. What a pitiful performance for three 100kw stations. I never hear these stations playing on other people's radios or in any business.

Go ahead, set me straight. Thank you sir, may I have another. :

 

[MN Maniac]

The really sad story here is 100.7. Absolutely HUGE signal that was once a dominant player in the market. As a baby DJ starting out in the mid-1980s, WJLQ was one of those "flamethrowin" CHR stations that I always sent tapes to in hopes of landing a job.

IMHO, WJLQ's downfall began in the early 1990s. They began targeting Mobile, trying to compete with WABB. In doing so, they lost their focus and their base in Pensacola. Bad move. They have never recovered.

 

[Poledo]

IMHO, WJLQ's downfall began in the early 1990s. They began targeting Mobile, trying to compete with WABB. In doing so, they lost their focus and their base in Pensacola. Bad move. They have never recovered.

Ditto.

 

[Rob]

Link for the ratings, please?

 

[Poledo]

click on "ratings" in the top right hand corner of this page

 

[Rob]

Funny - I was listening to 98.3 last night - If they got a bigger stick - they would DOMINATE this area.

Thanks.

 

[Dr voicetrack]

Hard to make a case for station flips using 12+ numbers. Yeah, WJLQ was down but so was WABB. Easy enough to say it was a bad book for format, not just one station. Groove might be really heavy on upper end but have zero listeners on the young end. But still, that low number doesn't exactly leave a whole lot of hope that that's the case. DLT and RRX have the exact format. No need for DLT to show up with Magic doing as well as they are.

 

[redneckriviera]

Pensacola--and its relationship to both Mobile & FWB--makes for a great case study of the multiple factors impacting radio station performance: strength of signal, competitive mix, promotion, talent level, et cetera. It's the stuff of a doctoral dissertation in communications.

In short form? Although many of the FWB stations can be heard clearly--especially on car radios--in Pcola, none have the signal strength to seriously compete with local stations in the same format. So much listening is "at-work" listening that "in-car" reception ain't enough--stations have to have signals strong enough to penetrate office buildings--concrete & steel buildings.

JLQ is a good example of the very different dynamic between Pensacola radio & Mobile radio. Since all of the full Class C FM sticks are now in Baldwin County--essentially halfway between the two cities--it's not signal strength determining performance, but rather competition and/or promotion. The two stations that perform well in both markets--WBLX & WTKX--have no real direct competitors. Plenty of indirect competitors, but nothing head-to-head. And that tells you that it's not impossible.

But 100.7 has always had well-established competitors blocking success in Mobile (with the possible exception of its days as "Arrow"). In situations where a station is tackling entrenched competiton, the attacking company needs to be prepared to spend shitloads of money promoting the new player--for years, if necessary--and shitloads of money in programming to ensure a superior on-air product.

In all these years I can't think of any radio outfit willing to spend that kind of money.

 

[kruxman]

The really sad story here is 100.7. Absolutely HUGE signal that was once a dominant player in the market. As a baby DJ starting out in the mid-1980s, WJLQ was one of those "flamethrowin" CHR stations that I always sent tapes to in hopes of landing a job.

IMHO, WJLQ's downfall began in the early 1990s. They began targeting Mobile, trying to compete with WABB. In doing so, they lost their focus and their base in Pensacola. Bad move. They have never recovered.

I was a jock at Q-100 from 89-91, up until the station was sold. The new owner told us that we were under performing in Pensacola, where we had just gone from #9 to #2, and that we should be much stronger in Mobile, where I think we had a 4 share. The new owner blew most of the staff out, and within a year the ratings had dropped to half of what we had in Pensacola and the station didn't even show up in Mobile. The new owner brought in some PD in from Myrtle Beach, SC, Barry Richards, who told us how he was gonna blow the competition away with his changes. Q-100 did much better with Mark Dagwell as PD, and Dan Valle as the program consultant.

 

[Dr voicetrack]

I was just thinking...IF i100 were to go bye-bye, what do you flip to? Country? No. Can't go any kind of urban. Don't want to go back to AC. Could go talk, but all the quality content is already on elsewhere. Maybe some kind of Alt/active rock? Whatever it would be, it would have to go young. 25-54 is saturated. That's what you have the Groove. CC is trying to transition a stick to hopefully grab some younger numbers. I don't know kids. Just have this feeling that WJLQ might just hang around as is for a bit.

 

[Rob]

V100 - Real Radio For Real Women - WJLQ Pensacola
I do see the whole "RADIO FOR WOMEN" idea go well - look at 100.1. Hell, I listen to it.

We have too much CHR/urban now. The big station or I100 would flip i'm going to put my money on I.

Variety, folks is what us listeners need and crave.

-Rob

 

[Dr voicetrack]

Well, you have the moniker. Now what's the format? Who's the target demo?

 

[redneckriviera]

Ain't gonna happen. Too much AC in the market already.

I'll put a buck on one of two eventualities: 100.7/WCOA(FM)--simulcasting 1370 and automatically generating younger/larger numbers--enough to make it a consistent Top 5 or even Top 3 contender...

Or, sports-talk. No-brainer. Slam dunk.

In previous posts over the past many years I've preached the obvious--than an FM all-news station covering both Mobile & Pensacola would be worth a fortune. But that would require at least a modest investment... so that won't happen.

 

[Dr voicetrack]

Can't do WCOA on the FM without dumping the Rush,Sean, Glenn cash cow. WNTM in Mobile will scream bloody murder over market rights.

Sports you have the same issues with Saints coverage or if you wanted to go ESPN or Sporting News radio. Even FSU or UF play-by-play has those issues. Fox sports is locked in to another N/T in PNS.

 

[redneckriviera]

Can't do WCOA on the FM without dumping the Rush,Sean, Glenn cash cow. WNTM in Mobile will scream bloody murder over market rights.

Sports you have the same issues with Saints coverage or if you wanted to go ESPN or Sporting News radio. Even FSU or UF play-by-play has those issues. Fox sports is locked in to another N/T in PNS.

Hard to imagine CC might not agree to swap 710 for some equally irrelevant dog that Cumulus owns in one of their other mutual markets--or just sell the SOB to them. That solves that.

Same tune, different key with the sports stuff. Small problems for multi-billion-dollar outfits. A million here, a million there makes these kinds of obstacles disappear, fairly quickly.

 

[macab4490]

Let's be realistic: There is no formats that the Pensacola Mobile market needs. They have all been taken.
I personally would love some Smooth Jazz on the FM though calling Smooth 100..
But that is not going to happen.
I do wish 107.3 the Groove was a CHR calling themselves "Radio Now" or something like that...

 

[Groove1670]

RGV should of stayed as MY1073. Ratings were decent. The playlist needed to expand a little bit. I don't think Tesh helped. Tom Kent was good.

 

[amfmxm]

Let's be realistic: There is no formats that the Pensacola Mobile market needs. They have all been taken.

Huh? Three of the top four billing ($$$) radio stations in America are All-News. Not news/talk. All-News. 3 out of 4. The nation's #5 top-billing station is Modern Rock. Do a quick scan and you won't find either of these formats in Mobile/Pensacola. Duh. Billing is why we do all this. It ain't recreation. It's business.

Not your fault. It's the companies who own these properties who aren't paying attention.

 

[Rob]

I think the target audience is relevant to the format i just specified. Women (18-45) Music: Top 40, CHR and some light R&B in the mix. Even smooth jazz vocals would be an added plus. If CC decided on this format, I think he would have a winner and the station's ratings would go up 2 full rating points.

We can't forget to add selections from Quincy Jone's album "THE DUDE" as well as the voice of the Doobie Bros Michael McDonald.

Having WCOA FM would then force 96.1-2 to switch formats as they are carrying 710 am.

I really think you guys should go to your audience and let them decide what they want. Listener surveys anyone??

 

[Dr voicetrack]

Rob, you really need to make up your mind. Earlier, you said there's too much CHR/Urban. Now, you want a station that plays CHR and some "light R&B"?

Before we start wanting stations that blur the format lines that we think are ratings winners, may I present The Groove. Not exactly tearing it up. I would bet my mom's life that if a station was tried the way you describe it, we might witness history with the first below zero rating in Arbitron history. Not trying to insult you. Just being realistic.

And one last time....WCOA CAN'T GO ON FM AND KEEP CURRENT PROGRAMMING. It wouldn't cause 96.1-2 to drop anything. It would cause Cumulus to get sued by CC and probably lose. If a station/company has the rights to a show, and another station/company that has local coverage in that market(eventhough it's licensed to a different town) cannot carry the same programming.

@RNR...CC might be willing to swap sticks, but that doesn't mean they're willing to hand over cash to Cumulus by giving up Rush, etc.

@amfmxm...What markets are these News stations in? Makes a big difference. It's just not economically viable in this/these markets. Depending on the stick you have, operating costs would be crazy just for vehicles. Not to mention extra studio space in two or three different locations just to be able to be effective. I agree that a younger targeted rock station would be the way to go. Matter of fact, I see that as the only possible option.

Macab...Smooth Jazz, for the most part, is a dead format.