Phoenix September 2012 PPM's

[recto101]

Station Jun 12 Jul 12 Aug 12 Sep 12 Format Owner
KESZ-FM 4.5 4.6 5.4 5.4 AC Clear Channel Communications Inc.
KFYI-AM 4.2 4.4 4.3 5.3 News/Talk Clear Channel Communications Inc.
KOOL-FM 4.2 4.5 4.8 4.9 Variety Hits CBS Radio Inc
KMXP-FM 5.5 5.1 4.7 4.8 Hot AC Clear Channel Communications Inc.
KHOT-FM 5.1 4.8 4.9 4.6 Regional Mexican Univision Local Media Inc.
KZON-FM 4.8 4.8 6.0 4.4 CHR CBS Radio Inc
KNIX-FM 3.5 3.6 3.7 4.2 Country Clear Channel Communications Inc.

http://ratings.****************/cgi-bin/rol.exe/arb057

 

[landtuna]

So now KOOL-FM is "variety hits".

Keeps getting worser and worser!

 

[DrAkbar]

Looks like a few meters got in the hands of Ancient Modulation listeners as KFWhyEyE ranks #2 with an incredible 5.3 in the all important 6 to death demo. And at least one meter picked up Lumberyard 14~Forty. Was it the worn out oldies, Kim'n Don or Radio Sri ???

 

[indieradioguy]

A whopping 3.2 for the Voice of Denver, er, I mean the Voice of Arizona. Woo-hoo! :

KFWhyEyE ranks #2 because Clear Channel are grown-ups and they don't play tiddly-winks with their books.

 

[davideduardo]

So now KOOL-FM is "variety hits".

Keeps getting worser and worser!

That's just the name the website those numbers were copied from has given to the format.

KOOL has self-described its format to Arbitron as "Adult Hits."

The format types or names that are listed on the various Internet sites are often determined by the site itself; 50% of the "names" put on stations I was involved with have been wrong!

 

[davideduardo]

A whopping 3.2 for the Voice of Denver, er, I mean the Voice of Arizona. Woo-hoo! :

KFWhyEyE ranks #2 because Clear Channel are grown-ups and they don't play tiddly-winks with their books.

But, even with a dip due mostly to a bad Memorial Day Weekend and week in PPM, KTAR-FM whacks KFYI in "The" sales demo, and KTAR FM is within the margin of error for a tie with KFYI in that same demo.

 

[landtuna]

So now KOOL-FM is "variety hits".

Keeps getting worser and worser!

That's just the name the website those numbers were copied from has given to the format.

KOOL has self-described its format to Arbitron as "Adult Hits."

The format types or names that are listed on the various Internet sites are often determined by the site itself; 50% of the "names" put on stations I was involved with have been wrong!

How long ago was KOOL describing itself as "Classic Hits"? That apparently didn't last long after their previous "Oldies" declaration.

And what the hell are "Adult Hits"? Over 18 or 21 years old (the music, not the audience)? Is Frank Sinatra an "Adult Hit" or is it Elton John? Is Disco, which is moving in on KOOL, really an "Adult Hit"? Sounds more like pimple-picking-party-time to me.

Branding seems to be useless when you're talking about pop music.

 

[davideduardo]

How long ago was KOOL describing itself as "Classic Hits"? That apparently didn't last long after their previous "Oldies" declaration.

And what the hell are "Adult Hits"? Over 18 or 21 years old (the music, not the audience)? Is Frank Sinatra an "Adult Hit" or is it Elton John? Is Disco, which is moving in on KOOL, really an "Adult Hit"? Sounds more like pimple-picking-party-time to me.

Branding seems to be useless when you're talking about pop music.

In the case of descriptors selected from the list of "approved format names" from Arbitron, stations try to pick the one that "presents" best at agencies, who can view format as part of the agency version of the ratings software.

But, mostly, stations that used to play 60's oldies want to distance themselves as much as possible from the demos time buyers are scared of.

Generally, these format descriptors are not used on the air... they are sales names only.

 

[DJ_Perry]

The format types or names that are listed on the various Internet sites are often determined by the site itself; 50% of the "names" put on stations I was involved with have been wrong!

From what I understand, the format is based on song detections. The station can brand themselves however they want, but when monitored by systems like BDS, they determine what stations really play. So it boils down to the ratio of genres included in rotations. For example, 90.7 KVIT played a good amount of gold material when it was launched. So BDS labeled us as Classic Hits, even though we played 50% currents. So Steve changed the rotations in order for us to be monitored as CHR.

Which brings up a thought. What is the difference between Classic Hits and Adults Hits? I would imagine Classic Hits could be as little as 10 years ago, where Adult is 25? It seems KOOL covers up to the Mid 80s so that would make sense. And yes I'm afraid that would also include the forbidden.......DISCO AND MOTOWN! So Glad to see AZ is so open minded.

 

[Frequency Breakdown]

What is the difference between Classic Hits and Adults Hits? I would imagine Classic Hits could be as little as 10 years ago, where Adult is 25?

I'd actually swap those two, Perry. When I think "Classic" I think a little further down the road from "Adult." Adult bridges the gap between current and classic.

 

[landtuna]

In the case of descriptors selected from the list of "approved format names" from Arbitron, stations try to pick the one that "presents" best at agencies, who can view format as part of the agency version of the ratings software.

But, mostly, stations that used to play 60's oldies want to distance themselves as much as possible from the demos time buyers are scared of.

Generally, these format descriptors are not used on the air... they are sales names only.

So some stations select one brand for sales and another on-air? Not only does that sound foolish but also hypocritical. Aren't the agencies smart enough to monitor their client stations to determine for themselves what the format is (or have a service do that for them as noted above)?

 

[davideduardo]

Which brings up a thought. What is the difference between Classic Hits and Adults Hits? I would imagine Classic Hits could be as little as 10 years ago, where Adult is 25? It seems KOOL covers up to the Mid 80s so that would make sense. And yes I'm afraid that would also include the forbidden.......DISCO AND MOTOWN! So Glad to see AZ is so open minded.

"Adult Hits" is a name that was created by Arbitron in consultation with radio station people to cover the "Jack" type of format that covers multiple decades... the original Jack stations covered about 40 years of music, so they were not "oldies" or "classic hits."

Arbitron requires a regular update of station information, including data on operating schedule, station name (used for diary market ascription) and format. Format names can not be created by stations for Arbitron; they have to be selected from a list of accepted names. This update is called a Station Information Profile and some info on this is available at https://marcomma.arbitron.com/radio_stations/station_information.asp

If a station selects a format name that really misrepresents the real format, other stations can "protest" and Arbitron will revue the SIP.

 

[davideduardo]

Generally, these format descriptors are not used on the air... they are sales names only.


So some stations select one brand for sales and another on-air? Not only does that sound foolish but also hypocritical. Aren't the agencies smart enough to monitor their client stations to determine for themselves what the format is (or have a service do that for them as noted above)?

Here's a "classic" example... a station may call itself "oldies" on the air even though it has pretty much eliminated all traces of the 50's and 60's from the programming... and the oldies term fits if they market the brand well because "oldies" to most listeners means "hits from the past."

But to an ad agency, "oldies" means "don't buy that station." So the term "classic hits" was developed as a label for stations that played old CHR songs and which targeted, principally, 35-54, a very desirable sales demo.

The term Arbitron accepts for the Jack and Jack-like clone formats is "Adult Hits" but few of those stations use the descriptor on the air.

"Spanish Oldies" is another Arbitron descriptor, yet there is not even a word in Spanish that translates as "oldies." It's just a term ad agency time buyers and media department people can use to help view the kind of stations they are considering for a campaign.

Ad agencies don't have "client stations." Ad agencies are the "Client" for radio stations. And national and regional ad agencies often make buys that cover 50 to 100 markets, where they may buy 4 or 5 deep against the target demographic. Agencies know that the Arbitron format descriptors are fairly accurate, so that is enough data for them to go on.

In many cases, the format descriptor helps an agency determine which version of a client's campaign to run... some clients have specific creative for different formats, such as country or Urban or Hispanic. Or an agency may want to be sure that it selects a variety of formats, so running reach and frequency analysis along with the format listings may help optimize reach.

 

[landtuna]

Here's a "classic" example...

Thanks! I'm learning more and more about radio marketing. And now a linguistics question...

Years ago we had a high school exchange student live with us for a year. She was from northern Spain and used to comment that the Spanish she heard on the streets here was decidedly different from that in her home region.

With that in mind, would a person fluent in "American Spanish" be able to decipher the term "Oldies en Espanol" and arrive at the same general meaning as an "American English" speaker? (Basically that the music you are about to hear comes from the "Oldies" era of 1956-1980.)

I am assuming that USA residents fluent in Spanish are able to create new meanings for words in the same manner as those of us who speak only English do.

 

[DJ_Perry]

I'd actually swap those two, Perry. When I think "Classic" I think a little further down the road from "Adult." Adult bridges the gap between current and classic.

Well I'm just basing it on KOOL being labeled as Adult Hits (where all their songs are 25 years old or more), and KVIT was once considered Classic Hits for playing stuff from the 90's and 2000's with currents.

 

[davideduardo]

Years ago we had a high school exchange student live with us for a year. She was from northern Spain and used to comment that the Spanish she heard on the streets here was decidedly different from that in her home region.

Yes... Basque Spanish is as different from the colloquial Spanish of non-urban Mexico as Cockney English is from Jamaican English.

With that in mind, would a person fluent in "American Spanish" be able to decipher the term "Oldies en Espanol" and arrive at the same general meaning as an "American English" speaker?

In a word, no. First, there are cultural differences... In Latin America, music does not tend to be classified by decades. So the whole concept of "oldies" is not based on age, but on the general level of "memories". That's why oldies type stations are identified by names like "Recuerdo" (Memories), "Inolvidable" (unforgettable) "Añoranza" (Longing for a bygone era) and such.

What does translate is "your all-time favorites" or "your all-time hits" and that has the same general meaning, but without the era-specific connotations.

(Basically that the music you are about to hear comes from the "Oldies" era of 1956-1980.)

Pop music did not start being a big thing in Mexico until around 1960 to 1961, and came even later in the rest of Latin America... 1964 to 1965 being the time when there generally were pop music stations (Top 40-like) in every major Latin American city.

I am assuming that USA residents fluent in Spanish are able to create new meanings for words in the same manner as those of us who speak only English do.

Yes, but that can only be done if the term is widely used. In the late 60's, and lacking an "oldies" or "gold" term in Spanish, I had my jocks in Ecuador call those oldies "flashbacks" using the English term. Since the station had a commanding share of upper-income listeners, the term stuck and was understood. The same could happen anywhere with enough repetition.

 

[landtuna]

Very informative David. Thanks!

 

[DrAkbar]

Do "Adult Hits" include All Xmas Music in case KOOL decides to play them on Halloween Eve this year?

 

[indieradioguy]

Do "Adult Hits" include All Xmas Music in case KOOL decides to play them on Halloween Eve this year?

Yes, though not KTAR's Christmas programming, because it is by far the most fruitcake-y & geriatric-y programming that not enough the station's staunchest consultants defenders can justify as being in their targeted demo. When 92.3 flips to the nursing home soundtrack on Christmas Eve day, I'd be curious to see the PPM's for those two days (12/24-12/25).

 

[landtuna]

Do "Adult Hits" include All Xmas Music in case KOOL decides to play them on Halloween Eve this year?

I'd better be hearing "The Monster Mash" in heavy rotation beginning on or about the third week of October or I'm gonna set the white flies loose on KOOL's transmitter site.