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Portland Ratings

A

adbuyer1

Here we go. Keep in mind this is not a 12+ analysis but based on all primary demos:

WGAN - Huge book. Real big. The key is can they convert these ratings into revenue which can be very difficult a). selling right wing talk and b) the assumption there is no more elections coming up so those numbers won't be there.

WJBQ - Best book in the market across the board. That morning show either needs to be syndicated or needs an agent. They should definitely be in a much bigger market.

WTHT - Clobbered WPOR again. WPOR's ratings are all 50-54 year old adults. Is program director number 4 in four years on the way?

WHOM - won the Christmas music battle as WYNZ got obliterated in every demo except 65+. The WYNZ 12+ numbers are deceiving.

WFNK - Steady, steady, steady. Tied for 2nd 25-54. Just steady.

WCYY - Down bad. Those loss of WCYI is finally showing as the phantom cume and ratings are gone.

WHXR - The Bone - The change of signal to 106.3 paid off BIG right away. Probably the third best book in the market behind WGAN and WJBQ. Destroyed WCYY. Their Spring book is going to be huge, I bet that right now, after another six months on the new signal.

WMGX- Down across the board. Out of the top five A25-54.

EEI - What WEEI? It did nothing other than lower the ratings on WJJB significantly. Hello JJ - choose one or the other, but two sports stations are killing you.
 
If you look at the three major clusters in the market, there hasn't been any significant movement in over a year. Citadel actually picked up .3 Points and .6 Points respectively between Fall of '07 and Fall of '08. Saga did only a tad better, but seems to have lost 'ZAN according to Radio & Records, anyway. Nassau declined a bit, but they're probably banking on Oldies to bring in the bucks and pick up the slack. So 'GAN and 'JBQ have bragging rights (at least until Spring '09 numbers come out next August for GAN) and perhaps even longer for the Q. Meanwhile, 'POR and 'MGX make excuses and hope for a little better luck with diary placement in the Spring.

And all this conjecture based only on 12 Plus numbers. It would be nice to see the inside info on dayparts and demos that actually mean something to advertisers and buyers.
 
adbuyer1 and Biff,

Again I think that most of us salute you for your sharp interpretations of the Arbitron snapshot of our state's biggest market.

As a retired radio outsider, I'll just say congratulations to the Saga crew for claiming the top rung 12+ with WGAN ... and maybe even bigger congratulations to Tim Moore et al for the WJBQ recovery. (The whole world knows that they didn't deserve the rotten slam they got in the Spring book.) And also, the WHOM holiday win deserves a few bonus candy canes.

In the coming days, we'll all dig up the demo rankings that we can't post here. And then we can *really* be Monday morning quarterbacks.

But until then, I'll tell my FedEx guy to hold off on the specific addresses to which the Dom Perignon should be delivered. Meanwhile, guys, it's only radio, right?

Ray
 
Ray:

I'm not quite sure how much celebration is going on at Saga. WGAN was great, but everything else was not. As Biff pointed out, WZAN didn't even make the book. WYNZ was down bad in all money demos, WMGX was down in all demos and WPOR got beaten bad again. I'm not sure how big the shoulders of WGAN are, but I don't think it can pick up the load of the two money makers
 
adbuyer1 said:
EEI - What WEEI? It did nothing other than lower the ratings on WJJB significantly. Hello JJ - choose one or the other, but two sports stations are killing you.
Click to expand...


look at the ratings for Bangor...97.1 tanked as sports
 
Mainedude2007 said:
adbuyer1 said:
EEI - What WEEI? It did nothing other than lower the ratings on WJJB significantly. Hello JJ - choose one or the other, but two sports stations are killing you.
Click to expand...


look at the ratings for Bangor...97.1 tanked as sports
Click to expand...

I can think of several reasons for that---1. Blueberry flipped 97.1 just a few months ago (I don't recall exactly when), 2. I think people would rather listen to local guys talking about various sports issues (WZON) than Boston guys talking about nothing but Boston sports, 3. Fox Sportsd Night is horrible, and 4. getting back to WZON, they do a great job, (that idiot Colin Cowherd notwithstanding)
 
Notice how WJTO tied with WBZ??? Not bad! WJTO also showed up in the Lewiston Auburn book...impressive for being 25 miles inland from Bath...Must be some pretty dedicated listeners with a good radio and antenna to pick it up. I have noticed on my car radio It's actually quite hard to pick up once you get off the turnpike and subject to all the electrical and cable and other interference.
 
Regarding 'ZAN's no-show, they're not even listed in prior survey results. I'm sure they pulled their usual 1 Share in the Spring '08 book (pretty sure, anyway). Is it customary for R&R to ignore past performance when a station completely drops off the radar screen, or is this just some kind of oversight? Either way, its lucky for Saga that 'ZAN costs next to nothing to run. Maybe if they threw a little money at it and tried something local they might have better luck.
 
That would make too much sense. Most managers are focused on making this quarters number...anything that requires longer-term thinking doesn't register.

Biff Barfington said:
Either way, its lucky for Saga that 'ZAN costs next to nothing to run. Maybe if they threw a little money at it and tried something local they might have better luck[/i]
Click to expand...
 
What I don't get is, why didn't WZAN go all-sports when they had the chance? That guy talk format has been sucking pond water for years, and 970 is the second-best AM signal in the market. I can only assume that WZAN is seen as the bastard child of WGAN and has simply not gotten the attention it deserves. Cluster programming at its worst.
 
Just an opinion,but I think 970 is the best am signal in Portland and probobly a 30 mile radius,970 comes in much better than 560.I work in a building downtown,and 970 & 1490 are the only am's that are listenable.
 
Andy's right. 970 is by far the best AM signal in the market. When the Portland Metro gets redefined in a couple of years to include York remainder, Sagadahoc and Androscoggin, Saga will have to swtich the programming on 560 to 970. Otherwise, WGAN will disappear from the ratings because of its weak signal outside of Cumberland County
 
I doubt it (WGAN) would ever switch... but maybe a simulcast would solve the problem. That would make WGAN/WZAN much more listenable and saleable in York County, without affecting WGAN's dial position.
 
A 560-970 simulcast cannot be done.... not legal. Two AM stations that close together....FCC has rules about that.
 
Speaking of WZAN, I wonder if Saga will recognize than the 970AM signal is 80 years old this year. They made a big deal of WGAN's 70th. WCSH was also Maine's first commercial radio station. ZAN's signal isn't what it once was either, at one time it could be heard as far as east as Greenland and as far west as Buffalo. (at night of course) WGAN's signal is much stronger north and west of the city. (day or night)
 
JIBGUY said:
A 560-970 simulcast cannot be done.... not legal. Two AM stations that close together....FCC has rules about that.
Click to expand...

Do you mean transmitter close, or frequency close? Isn't WZAN's transmitter in Gorham? And Saga's already simulcasting 1400 and 1490.
 
oldrover said:
JIBGUY said:
A 560-970 simulcast cannot be done.... not legal. Two AM stations that close together....FCC has rules about that.
Click to expand...

Do you mean transmitter close, or frequency close? Isn't WZAN's transmitter in Gorham? And Saga's already simulcasting 1400 and 1490.
Click to expand...

It's more to do with overlapping signals. Depending on your opinion, either 970's coverage area is completely within 560s, or the other way around.
 
How about fixing the York County problem and get younger demos in the process by moving WGAN to FM? 93.1 would be the perfect stick; if there really is demand for Coast 93.1 (judging by the latest numbers), just shift it up to the less-desirable 98.9 signal.
 
wthorne said:
ZAN's signal isn't what it once was either, at one time it could be heard as far as east as Greenland and as far west as Buffalo. (at night of course)

It may have been 10 years ago, but I once picked up 'ZAN's signal during the day on Cape Cod, in the Dennis/Brewster are. Of course there's no topography between here and there, just the ocean

I still gotta believe they're pulling down some Male numbers, at least in the 18-34 demo. .
Click to expand...
 
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